Independent gaming since 2016 · Melbourne
Game reviews with no hype, no sponsors, just honest verdicts.
WarriorReactorNode is a Fitzroy-based crew testing PC and console games to completion — 40+ hours before we score anything. Deep-dives, indie spotlights, and esports coverage, published weekly.
- Games reviewed
- 1,240+
- Hours logged in 2025
- 9,800
- Monthly readers
- 310k
Games reviewed
Hours logged in 2025
Monthly readers
Trusted by the community
What keeps readers coming back
- Zero paid reviews
- Full playthroughs
- Frame-rate tested
- AU pricing & regions
- Reader-funded
- Weekly drops
How we review
Four stages between launch and a published score
Every verdict on the site follows the same repeatable process. No early access shortcuts, no review copies that buy a higher number.
- 01
Play to completion
We finish the campaign — and a chunk of the endgame — before writing a word. Minimum 40 hours for RPGs, full ladder climbs for competitive titles.
- 02
Benchmark the tech
Frame-times, load times and stutter are captured on a mid-range RTX 4060 rig and a base PS5, so the numbers match what most Aussie players actually own.
- 03
Second opinion
A different crew member replays the key hours to catch bias. Disagreements get argued out on the podcast, not buried in the copy.
- 04
Score & publish
We score out of 10 with a written verdict, an AUD value call, and a plain "buy / wait for a sale / skip" recommendation up top.
What we cover
Coverage built for how you actually play
Pick a lane. Every stream below updates on a fixed schedule so you always know when the next drop lands.
Free · new review every Tuesday
Full-length game reviews
Long-form reviews of the biggest releases across PC, PS5, Xbox and Switch, each backed by a completed playthrough and AUD value verdict.
- Scored out of 10 with a written verdict
- Performance notes for RTX 4060 & base PS5
- Australian price and region-lock warnings
The crew
Six players who argue about scores so you don’t have to
A small, opinionated team working out of a converted terrace on Nicholson Street. Between us we’ve been reviewing games longer than some of our readers have been alive.
Mara Whitlock
Editor-in-Chief
RPG obsessive, 300-hour save files, refuses to score anything she hasn’t finished twice.
Deng Akol
Performance & Hardware Lead
Builds the test rigs, captures every frame-time graph, thinks stutter is a personal insult.
Priya Nair
Indie Editor
On a first-name basis with half the Melbourne dev scene. Champion of weird, wonderful small games.
Tom Beckett
Esports Correspondent
Former ANZ Rocket League semi-pro. Lives on AEST match schedules and energy drinks.
Yuki Tanaka
Video Producer
Turns 40 hours of footage into a six-minute verdict without losing the nuance.
Sam O’Brien
Community Manager
Reads every comment, moderates the Discord, and fights for reader-suggested reviews.
From the community
What readers say after they hit “buy”
We only recommend a game when we’d spend our own money on it. Here’s how that’s worked out for the people who trust the score.
Their “wait for a sale” call on a $110 launch saved me from a broken port. Bought it at 40% off three months later and it ran perfectly — exactly like they said.
Jarrah M.
Brunswick, VIC · on their performance verdicts
The indie spotlight put me onto a tiny Melbourne roguelike I now have 90 hours in. No other site even covered it.
Elise T.
Adelaide, SA · on the indie coverage
I built my whole $1,400 rig off their February build guide. Every part was in stock at Aussie retail for the price they listed. Rare these days.
Cooper D.
Perth, WA · on the hardware guides
Finally a review crew that finishes the game before scoring it. Their RPG reviews are the only ones I trust with a 60-hour commitment.
Hannah L.
Newtown, NSW · on the review process
Get in touch
Pitch a story, flag a bug, or just say hello
Developers, readers and event organisers — the inbox is open. We read everything, though review requests join a queue.