That’s why this week’s Mystery Steam Reviews — a quiz segment on a weekly video podcast called The PC Gaming Weekspot — revolves around all things PlayStation and Xbox. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! So, what we’ve decided to do is focus on games that originally launched on consoles and then came to PC later. While that’s rarer these days, there are plenty to choose from if you go back as far as the PS2 and original Xbox era. Again, you’ll be overjoyed to hear that everyone read the brief and stuck to the rules. It’s mostly cordial this week, actually. Mostly. There’s one bit near the end that I’d argue is quite unsportsmanlike… If you’re new around these parts, you can see a full breakdown of the Mystery Steam Reviews Rule Bible™ below. Let us know how many answers you got right in the comments. Also, while you’re there, let us know what series or genre or theme you’d like to see next on MSR! If you like this, then you may very well enjoy this week’s episode of The PC Gaming Weekspot. We chatted about IO Interactive’s Project 007 announcement, Matthew spoke about his time with the PS5 controller and the potential it has for PC players, and we discussed The Game Awards 2020 nominees and Geoff Keighley’s awards show as an awards show. If you’re new here, why not have a look at last week’s edition of Mystery Steam Reviews that focused on faux-retro video games.
For those not in the know, or who need a refresher. Colm and Matthew both bring three Steam reviews to the MSR arena (yes, arena), but they omit the name of the game each review is for. Their opponent must correctly guess the name of that game, including any numbers or subtitles. However, there is some leeway for things such as “Complete Edition” or “Definitive Edition.” One correct answer = one point. While both combatants have 90 seconds on each Mystery Steam Review, they also have help in the form of three lifelines. These can be used at any stage during battle, and pause the 90-second timer. Each lifeline can only be used once. Question allows whoever is in the hot seat to ask a simple yes or no question, as long as the question isn’t, “is the name of the game [insert name of the game here]?". When Second Opinion is used, the man in the warm chair will get to hear a second Steam review of the same game. And when Genre is activated, the genre of the game is revealed to the man with the fiery arse.
