Game 19 of 2024 - Not For Broadcast

Not For Broadcast

Developer: NotGames
Publisher: tinyBuild
Platform: PC
Genre: Adventure/FMV

Difficulty: Easy
Hours: 8

Finished: Yes
Final Rating: 8/10

I forgot to get screenshots of this one, too :(

At the beginning of the game, Dave, the editor, runs off on holiday and pressures you, the janitor, into doing his job for him while he's gone.

Classic Dave.

Dave of course never comes back, so now you're thrown into the fire as a full time live news editor. Apparently the National Nightly News' bar for their editors is pretty low.

Not For Broadcast, which has a record-setting 42+ hours of full motion video, is something of a political satire. It's a bit... on the nose for my liking, but generally the writing is good and the actors are fantastic. Bonus points for Paul Baverstock (Jeremy Donaldson), Andrea Valls (Megan Wolfe), and Lucy Foley (Stacy). 

I found some of the mechanics annoying, but you can turn the ones you don't like off. There's a ton of little jokes and gags throughout the scenes, and while you might be too busy doing your job to notice them during the game, you can replay the footage to catch everything.

Overall, a fun game with some perhaps confusing political messaging, but that might be the point.