Review
Verdant Hollow — 41 hours, one save file
The year's most patient open-world RPG, tested to the platinum trophy on PS5.
Adelaide · Gaming Dispatch
Gaming, tracked like an expedition.
We hunt down the reviews, retro archaeology and esports field reports worth your evening — filed from a woven-walled lodge on Angas Street.
Call the lodge: +61 8 8231 9746
Who we are
A lodge for people who take play seriously.
SilverGameChampions began in 2016 as a South Australian newsletter and grew into a full blog crew of four editors. We play everything to completion before we write a word — no launch-day hot takes filed from a press embargo.
Our desk sits on Angas Street in the Adelaide CBD, a short walk from the East End. Expect long-form reviews, hardware teardowns and a soft spot for the games everyone else forgot.
How we work
Scored on hours played, not hype.
Every review logs total playtime, the platform tested and whether we finished on our own money or a supplied code — printed plainly at the top of the piece. No affiliate deals bend the numbers.
Retro pieces get the same rigour: original hardware where we can find it, emulation clearly flagged where we can't, and firmware versions noted for the collectors.
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Reviews published
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Hours played on the desk
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Monthly readers
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Years on the beat
The field log
Recent dispatches from the lodge.
Filter by beat. Every entry is a full article on the live blog.
Retro
Restoring a 1997 grey-import console
A full recap job, capacitor list and the region-lock workaround we actually trust.
Esports
Adelaide Invitational — field report
Two days courtside at the Convention Centre, with bracket notes and player quotes.
Review
The handheld that survived a camping trip
Battery, glare and grip tested off-grid in the Adelaide Hills for a week.
What we cover
Coverage, mapped out.
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Long-form reviews
Nothing scored until it's finished. Playtime, platform and code source printed up top — from AUD $0 indie darlings to $124.95 flagship releases.
Retro archaeology
Teardowns, recaps and firmware notes for the machines the big sites won't touch.
Esports field reports
On-the-ground coverage of local and national tournaments across South Australia.
The Saturday dispatch
A weekly email roundup — the week's best writing, one bargain worth grabbing, and a retro pick from the archive. Free, and it lands every Saturday at 8am ACST.
Good to know
Questions from the trail.
Still stuck? The desk answers email within a business day — reach us on the contact card below.
Do you accept review codes from publishers?+
Yes, but every article states plainly whether we played on a supplied code or our own purchase. Codes never change a score, and we hold reviews until we've genuinely finished the game rather than filing to hit an embargo.
Can I pitch a guest article?+
Absolutely. We pay AUD $180 for accepted long-reads and $90 for shorter retro pieces. Send a two-paragraph pitch through the contact form with links to anything you've written before — first-time writers are welcome.
Is the newsletter really free?+
Completely free, and always will be. The Saturday dispatch is funded by a small number of clearly labelled sponsor slots, never by affiliate links buried in reviews. Unsubscribe in one click any time.
Can I visit the Adelaide desk?+
We're a working office at 79 Angas Street, not a shopfront, so drop-ins aren't ideal. If you'd like to see the retro archive or talk collaboration, email ahead and we'll book a time. We're usually in Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm ACST.
Reach the lodge
Pitch a story or say hello.
Tips, pitches, corrections and collaborations all land in the same inbox. We reply within one business day.
- Phone
- +61 8 8231 9746
- [email protected]
- Address
- 79 Angas Street, Adelaide SA 5000
- Hours
- Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm ACST