Not for Broadcast Critic Reviews

Rarely do you find games these days that could be described as a combination of “ambitious,” “thought-provoking,” “hard-hitting,” “hilarious” and “extremely fun,” but somehow Not For Broadcast delivers on that front. It’s truly a unique gem with terrifically-varied gameplay, a perfectly-absurd sense of humor with impressive writing and performances, and a story guaranteed to throw you for a loop. Not For Broadcast is a bizarre masterpiece and one not afraid to gleefully mock everything it sees in the most over-the-top yet devastating ways possible, and for that, it deserves top honors. So that’s our report, and have a peaceful night…

Quite possibly the best FMV game ever, Not For Broadcast had me both laughing and scrambling in a panic when the channel's viewership dropped. Even if you’ve never had any interest in FMV games before, Not For Broadcast will surely change your mind.

Not For Broadcast provides players with a seamless simulator experience, steadily building tension while maintaining constant satirical humor. The propaganda simulator is worthy of several playthroughs to unlock various endings and experience different dialogue, but the game’s humor is enough to make any player come back for more.

Not For Broadcast ambitiously challenges the player to reconsider their ethical framework, political values, and personal loyalties through its incredibly clever combination of stressful management sim gameplay and acid-tongued writing. It’s not for the faint of heart, but balances its dystopian terrors with biting satire. With exceptional performances from its cast, a unique and varied system of mechanics that changes with each broadcast, and tonnes of extra story content, any budding media mogul will be both delighted and horrified with all that Not For Broadcast has to offer.

Deeply silly and all the better for it, the missed political targets really don’t matter.

Not for Broadcast is a witty, hilarious satire of the world of media. It teaches you not to trust your TV set and makes you genuinely pity the poor bloke who tries to manipulate you.

Entertaining, funny and thought-provoking in all the right places, Not For Broadcast is a hugely engrossing foray into the nightly news arena. You’ll laugh your face off at times, but like the best satire, it’s also disquieting enough to have you uncomfortably squirming in your seat.

Not For Broadcast is a different sort of simulator experience, and it’s also an experience that has a point — not only is it meant to entertain, but also to enlighten. Working as a propagandist will definitely change how the player looks at modern media and social networks, and that’s a powerful gift indeed.

Not For Broadcast is an extremely entertaining satire inspired by modern politics and journalism focused on scandal and propaganda. The actors' performances on screen are perfect and make time spent watching hilarious commercials or public scandals even more entertaining.

For its frankly unforgettable concept and its completely absurd sequences, Not For Broadcast constitutes an almost unmissable experience. Aficionados of British humor and satirical dystopias will be served by the actors' performances as convincing as they are extravagant. Too bad that our freedom of action within the management of the National Nightly News is so restricted and that our maneuvers quickly become too mechanical.

Playing Not For Broadcast for the first time is akin to having a waking nightmare.

I like Not for Broadcast, but it looks like a The Fly-style experiment grafted together from two different games. I would like very much to play either of them separately, but putting them together weakens the final product. There’s time for developer NotGames to right the ship, however, and the mechanics are intriguing enough to keep me interested in the next chapter.

Overall Not For Broadcast has a satirical story that is well written, dark and has some great acting in it. The core game of being the News Producer and editing everything on the fly is a really well-done sim that can at times be stressful as more things get introduced every level. I really enjoyed my time playing Not For Broadcast and was sad that is was over so soon, but I am excited to see how this all ends.

The central, notionally interactive premise of fiddling around with camera angles, retuning signals and slapping censorship buttons isn’t engaging enough in the moment to make you want to dive back in and uncover the two thirds of the game you miss, but one helping of the news is more than enough. A strange, funny, and enormously ambitious game, Not For Broadcast is unlike anything else I’ve played.