☆ The Waiting Game "Let's Observe Retro Gaming Bubble" ☆ #Retrogaming

I’ve been recently watching things with my eyes in regards to retro gaming collecting being ‘dead’. 

Of course, these are merely clickbait titles in relation to how, since retro gaming has exploded in the last few years with conventions,  officially launched consoles specialising in retro games (NES / SNES mini etc.), high-street stores selling retro gaming clothing and accessories etc. 

Retro gaming has become essentially more of a valid commodity as it gets absorbed into the mainstream culture. 

☆ Beholder - Ten Minute Taster - PS4 ☆ #IndieDev #IndieGame

🎮 "Ever fancied being a creepy landlord who spies on his tenants for the state?

Well, Beholder will allow you to live out this dream/nightmare as we take a peek into this dystopian future that sees you put at the mercy of your job as The Beholder!" 🎮

☆ Replicade Are Back With A Mini Tempest Arcade cabinet ☆ #Arcade #Retrogaming

During the RepliCade x Centipede campaign, the Replicade legends revealed that the next 1/6 scale arcade machine would be none other than Atari's arcade masterpiece, Tempest. 

The time for Tempest has arrived!

☆ Pixel Britain: Can You Guess the Names of These 8 Iconic British Scenes in 16-bit? ☆ #PixelArt #Retrogaming

As kids most of us grew up on a diet of classic pixel art video games and I for one am still in love with awesome pixel art.

For me there's actually more pixel art around now than ever before with people truly appreciating what good pixel art looks like as we see some amazing indie game developers producing beautiful pixel art inspired video games on the new generation of video games consoles and PCs.

The good people at NeoMam Studios have been inspired to pull together a homage to pixel art and Britain in the form of 8 of the UK’s best-loved scenes in a retro pixel art 16bit style!

☆ Awesome Video Game Arcade Flyers ☆ #Retrogaming

If like me you love cool video game Arcade Flyers then you have to check out this awesome collage of some of the most awesome Arcade Flyers ever produced....

What's your favourite?

☆ Crossing Souls - PS4 - Ten Minute Taster ☆ #GameDev #IndieGame

🎮"Crossing Souls has it all. A stack load of 80's references, Pixel Art, a mysterious plot, cool music, Stranger Things comparisons and a bunch of kids looking to solve a mystery. This game has its hooks into me, come and take a look to see why"🎮 

☆ Review: RunGun JumpGun "Minigun mayhem that may melt your mind" ☆

Developer: ThirtyThree

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch

RunGunJumpGun is a twitch-shooter video game that was originally released on mobile devices in 2016 and has now been ported to the Nintendo Switch. 

The game avoids the usual pitfalls of mobile ports by being very, very good at what it does and what it does is kill you…a lot…but enjoyably.

☆ The Nintendo Switch End Of Year Report: A+ ☆

I’ve owned a Nintendo Switch for around a month now and I have just completed Mario Odyssey to the point where I have travelled to the dark side of the moon and pummelled the tougher versions of the Broodals.

It’s at this point where I would like to call a quick timeout and take a little look back at what I’ve learned about the Switch so far and how it has changed my gaming habits.

☆ Review: Genital Jousting - PC - "A game that doesn’t make a dick of itself" ☆ #GameDev #IndieGame

Game: Genital Jousting

Platform: PC (Steam)

Developer: Free Lives

When I first received Genital Jousting to review, I hadn’t heard of it. 

I assumed that it was a party game in the vein of Stick Fight, Sumotori and games of that ilk. 

After watching the trailer, I could see that a heavy focus would be on the newly-implemented story mode. A story seemingly about a willy trying to ‘get his end away’, so I thought it would be hastily thrown together as a sort of jokey mini-game amuse-bouche in preparation for the inevitable online main course (not unlike COD). 

What actually happened was that I was treated to my first surprise personal delight of 2018. 

Genital Jousting delivers…in inches.

☆ Capcom Arcade Games - The Best Of 1985 to 2000 ☆ #Retrogaming #Arcade

🎮 "Take a trip down memory lane with me as I look at some of the finest Capcom Arcade Games ever made!" 🎮

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☆ Video Game shopping in Amsterdam - "Booze, drugs and (It’s only) Rock ‘n’ Roll…on the Commodore 64" ☆ #Retrogaming

Anyone who has travelled to the continent and had a brief sojourn into any retro gaming store knows that the prices over there tend to be higher than in the UK, in France this is even more apparent (although it’s still possible to grab some serious bronze).

Recently, I travelled to Amsterdam for a friend’s fortieth (panic not, for I am still fresh out of the oven at thirty-four) and I did some research before-hand and discovered that there was indeed a few game shops out there and also a couple of arcades, good! 

It would provide a break from the coffee shops/head shops/seed shops / astonishingly expensive bars.

☆ Nantucket - PC - Ten Minute Taster - "Let's go Moby Dick hunting!" ☆ #Nantucket

🎮 "Come follow Captain Ricardo AKA Captain Ishmael, in Nantucket as he hunts down Moby Dick and teaches some cabin boys how to sail the seven seas!" 🎮

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☆ Wulverblade - PS4 - Ten Minute Taster - "A cool side scrolling hack n slash video game with a beautiful art style" ☆

🎮"Wulverblade is one cool side scrolling hack n slash video game with a beautiful art style, check out my ten-minute taster with it on the PS4"🎮

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☆ YUME NIKKIE DREAM DIARY - NEW TRAILER! ☆ #YUMENIKKI

"I recently played the original version of the surreal and thought-provoking Yume Nikki as part of a Ten Minute Taster and now we have our first look at the gameplay for the new version.....it looks just as intriguing as I thought it would be!!"

☆ What It Was First Like: The Birth of Pinball ☆ #retrogaming

Today we have a guest contributor, Jessica Kane, from The Pinball Company who has written us a great article on the birth of pinball.

Pinball is making a comeback as we speak and Pinball goes hand in hand with retro gaming as we see more and more pinball tables being introduced at all the retro gaming expos up and down the country.

Let's take a look as Jessica talks us through the birth of pinball!

☆ The History Of Football Management Video Games 1982 to 1999 ☆ #Retrogaming

Of all the video games that I have played over the years, the most time I have spent in front of a computer screen was always with football management games. 

(closely followed by Soccer Video Games )

It's been an obsession of mine for years. Ever since I played Football Manager 2 on my mate Briggsy's Amstrad CPC I just knew this was the genre for me.

For the last few years, I've often looked for a definitive guide to this sub-genre of video games which listed out the games in date order, but alas I could never find the appropriate tome that satisfied this itch of mine.

☆ Dragon Ball FighterZ and a Venom Arcade Fight Stick are the perfect 2 Hit Combo! ☆ #DragonBallFighterZ

 To celebrate the launch of the Dragon Ball FighterZ video game Venom has announced that their multi-format Arcade Fight Stick is now available for purchase from Argos at an incredible reduced price when purchased alongside Dragon Ball FighterZ!

☆ The Best Video Games From Data East ☆ #Retrogaming

🎮 Data East was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles.

Its main headquarters were located in Suginami, Tokyo with its USA HQ in San Jose, California.

Out of those 150 games released i'm going to choose "The Best Of Data East"

See if you can see your fave Data East in the video and let me know which titles you would have chosen!🎮

☆ Immortal Redneck - PS4 - Ten Minute Taster - "A Journey With A Gun Toting Mummified Redneck!" ☆

🎮 "Watch me take on an educational journey through Egyptian History as I take on the role of a gun toting, mummified red neck who's mission it is to blast his way through a pyramid full of jumping killer frogs and snakes with legs..." 🎮

 
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☆ The History Of Soccer Video Games 1979 to 1999 v1.0 ☆ #Retrogaming @Gav_brumwell @gonarchslair

Have you ever wondered how many soccer video games were made during the period of 1979 to 1999 and what exactly those titles were called?

No?

Well I have….

☆ Review: Oh…Sir!! The Insult Simulator & The Hollywood Roast "Gags that fall flatter than uuhh…eerrrmm..ahhhh" ☆ #GameDev

  
Developer: Vile Monarch
System Reviewed: Nintendo Switch
Rating: Melting

I first played Oh Sir on Steam last year when I picked the game up in a sale for a few pence. It only provided me with about thirty minutes’ combined worth of entertainment but nonetheless I felt like I had my money’s worth from the game. 

Fast-forward twelve months to playing the same game on the Switch, combined with the spin-off title The Hollywood Roast and it’s fair to say that the joke has worn thin.

☆ Trailmakers - Ten Minute Taster ☆ #Gamedev #IndieGame

Ten Minute Taster: Trailmakers (Early Access)

"If you like Lego and Meccano and building your very own car creations then maybe Trailmakers might be the game for you?"

☆ Video Games with The Best Soundtracks ☆

When it comes to video games, most look to the graphics to determine if a game is playable or not and if it’s likely to be entertaining or not. 

However, there are many other video games that do not just impress when it comes to graphics but whose impressiveness transcends to the soundtracks as well. 

The following are such kind of games and they are accessible from NetBet Casino for those who want to try them and see if they are indeed the real deal.

☆ Review: Shu - "A platformer so good, you’ll be floating on air" ☆ #Gamedev #IndieGame

Game: Shu
Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Coatsink
Rating: ICE COOL

There have been a lot of video game releases recently for the Switch and I’ve noticed a fair few of these are ports from Steam from several years ago (Crimsonland for £15, anyone?) of varying quality and so coming across a game like Shu which has clearly being loving ported with attention to detail and also at a very impressive price (£7.69 at the time of writing) is a genuine breath of fresh air. 

A platformer that feels familiar but with its own unique twists, Shu is a golden addition to any Switch owner’s collection.

☆ Review: Unforgiving: A Northern Hymn "A Beautiful Nordic Nightmare" ☆

Developer – Angry Demon Studio

Platform reviewed - PC (Steam)

Rating – Ice Cool

I know what you are all thinking after reading the title of this video game, but no, it’s not about a group of men from Yorkshire walking around, singing religious songs and refusing to excuse people’s faults.

Unforgiving: A Northern Hymn is a horror game set somewhere in Scandinavia and voiced entirely in Swedish with English subtitles. Considering its status as an independent game, it has extremely high production values and approaches its story with a keen eye for pacing and scares.

☆ Ten Minute Taster - Yume Nikki - PC ☆ #PixelArt #Retrogaming

"Originally released in 2004 this abstract game about a dream world has received a FREE release on Steam pending the follow up being released some time this year...."

"Watch me wander aimlessly in search of 'effects' and frogs...."

☆ Will Varley Releases A Video Game Inspired Music Video For His Latest Single ☆ #Retrogaming

Singer, Will Varley released a brand new single this week and has put together a videogame-style music video reminiscent of Flashback or Super Brothers: Sword And Sorcery.

He actually made the video himself which is cool!

☆ Steep - Ten Minute Taster "Fun In The Snow & In The Water!" ☆

"Geronimo!!! Look out below! Here comes a snowboarder with an old beat flow!" "Watch me take on the Mountain during the Steep Beta"

☆ The Original Gamer Achievements & Trophies From The Early Years Of Video games ☆ #Retrogaming

A few weeks ago I stumbled across these awesome Activision Video Gamer Patches that were around in the 80’s @ www.atariage.com

Review: Ancient Domains of Mystery "Up and ADOM!" ⚔️ #GameDev #ADOM #IndieGame @adom_dev

Ancient Domains of Mystery

Platform reviewed: PC (Steam)

Rating: Ice Cool

For the uninitiated (myself included) Ancient Domains of Mystery (or, ADOM) is a roguelike game that has been in development in some form or other since 1994.

In 2012 a crowdfunded project began that moved the game from its ASCII roots to a fully-fledged GUI and this version (3.05 as of December 2017) is the finalised version.

☆ Terroir - "The Winemaking Tycoon" Ten minute Taster ☆

"Ever dreamed of becoming a winemaking tycoon? 

Well, dreams can come true in Terroir as you crush grapes and get sozzled!"

☆ The Gebs 24 Talks Skate or Die The Simpsons & Stella - Video Games Memories ☆ #GamersUnite #Retrogaming

Twitter is a great place to find some retro gaming heroes. Finding those people who are as passionate as you are about video games and particularly retro video games is a hugely pleasing part of being active in the retrogaming community on Twitter.

Today's Games Freezer guest is one such person. She is an ever-present member of the Twitter retro gaming community and makes awesome YouTube content on retro gaming and current-gen gaming. 

Today I am happy to present Gemma aka The Gebs 24 from Juicy Game Reviews.

Gemma's YouTube channel is brilliant and her Twitter feed is always a must-read, so let's take a look at what makes Gemma tick with another round of questions put to an awesome member of the retro gaming crew...

☆ Review: Orange Moon "A moody 2D exploratory platformer that needs some screws tightened" ☆

Orange Moon

Platform reviewed: PC (Steam)

Rating: Melting

Orange Moon begins promisingly enough; you are dropped on a distinctly orange Moon with some weapons and ammo to begin your mission, a mission that is split into days and involved traversing the harsh landscape looking for resources. 

The game sets a solid mood and has great, sharp graphics and a suitably minimalist audio approach but sadly has some serious issues that unfortunately impact the game quite severely that make playing it a chore.

Review: Lucius Demake "A well-realised de-make that is better than the original, but there are bugs in Lucius’ bed…" #GameDev #IndieGame

Lucius De-make

Platform reviewed: PC (Steam)

Rating: Melting

The story of Lucius owes a great deal to the 1976 film ‘The Omen’, whereby a child is born of the Devil and raised in a human household. I played the original game a few years ago and found it to be a solid, entertaining idea poorly implemented with cumbersome controls and gameplay that could learn a great deal from the more fluid and interactive Hitman series in that Lucius didn’t feel particularly user-friendly or clear, often resulting in wandering around the house unsure of what to do in order to trigger the next section of the game.

☆ Ten Minute Taster: Darkest Hunters - PC ☆

"Pixel Art? Check 

Retro Feel? Check ...... 

Match 3 Game? Check! (errrr i hate match 3 games)

RPG? Check!!..... 

This game ticks a lot of my boxes, come and take a look at what makes it addictive and cool!"

☆ Dragonball Z Takes A Celebratory Trip Down Memory Lane ☆ #DragonBallFighterZ

On The 26th January there's

AN AWESOME EVENT THAT WILL HONOUR THE RELEASE OF

DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ

AND

THE HISTORY OF DRAGON BALL Z VIDEO GAMES!

Not only that, you'll also get the chance to

COMPETE IN THE FIRST UK DRAGON BALL FIGHTER TOURNAMENT!

WHERE? WHEN? HOW? I Hear You CRY!

☆ Review: Orbital Racer "Mario Kart Meets Burnout in Space?" ☆

Orbital Racer - PC

The trailer makes this video game look really enticing. Of course, that is what trailers are supposed to do, but what I mean is that I thought it was offering something like Mario Kart meets Burnout but in space, an enticing concept, and instead I got one of those knockoff animal mascot racers from the PS1 era with a lot more visual polish. Is that too harsh? Maybe…

☆ Ultimate Chicken Horse - Ten Minute Taster PS4 ☆

"Who will be the ULTIMATE CHICKEN HORSE on PS4!!??
Watch a Sheep and a Chicken battle it out for the coveted title in full technicolour glory"

☆ Review: Lupinball "Wolves shooting fireballs, FINALLY!" ☆ #GameDev #IndieGame

Over the New Year period, I had a few days where friends came over and we played through some four player games. 

I’ve recently written a Games Freezer article about local multiplayer games and my deep love for them, so Lupinball came across at a very good time as I was in the zone for some frantic four-player action and that is something that Craftven’s Lupinball delivers with a gleeful howl.

☆ The Bitt Boy Unboxing ☆ #Retrogaming

"I'm unboxing and playing this itty bitty Bitt Boy and it's bloody awesome!

Come and take a look at what makes this little pocket rocket special...."

☆ Ten Minute Taster - PS4 - "A Hat In Time" ☆ #IndieGame #GameDev

"A Hat In Time is a slick platform game that is ingenious fun and 

could take on Mario in the platforming hat battle of 2017/2018!"

☆ Pang Man Part 32: Cool Collectibles, Pokémon Soft Drinks - "Pang Man's Refreshing Trip To China Town" ☆ #Pokemon

Pang Man Part 32: Cool Collectibles, Pokémon Soft Drinks

Having had a tasty lunch in Soho on Christmas Eve, I decided I had best walk it off with a quick trip to Chinatown.

Unfortunately, it was at this point that the weather gods decided to bless us with a bit of heavy rain.

Seeking shelter, I huddled under a random shop canopy nearby. There was an internal debate in my mind over whether to wait out the rain or to brave the weather then and there, however, something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.

It was the window display of the small food shop I was next to. Piled up on top of each other were some familiar characters. “Holy shit”, I thought to myself, “Pokémon!”

☆ Review: The Deer God "A visually tasty game with a great sense of movement let down by clunky mechanics" ☆

Review: The Deer God

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch

Developer: Crescent Moon Games

Rating: Melting

☆ The Joys of Local Co-op (and drinking Bourbon) ☆

As well as reviewing video gaming gold for the mighty Games Freezer, I’m also in a couple of bands

(www.OldSamuel.com / www.recluseuk.co.uk) and the bassist (Chris) usually comes over once a week to rehearse* and also to play video games.

Whilst I do enjoy competitive video games such as Dynasty Feud, Nidhogg 2, Speedrunners etc. one of my absolute favourite things to do is to tuck into a tasty game with a  second player and work together… whilst having a few drinks.

☆ The Games Freezer Ice Cool Awards 2017 ☆ #GameDev #IndieGames

The Votes Have Been Cast & The Results Are In!

The Inaugural Games Freezer Ice Cool Video Games Awards Of The Year Event is HERE!

We have 5 categories of award which have a varied range of winners to announce, from Indie to AAA game winners.

Review: Voxel Turf "An impressive mash-up of GTA & Minecraft that just spreads itself too thinly to be a must-have purchase"

Voxel Turf

Platform reviewed: PC (Steam)

Rating: Melting

Voxel Turf is a crossover of the modern Grand theft Auto video games and Minecraft.

A valiant attempt to meld two of the biggest franchises in gaming that falls frustratingly short of genuine greatness.

☆ Review: Dynasty Feud "frantic brawling action with a neat twist" ☆ #GameDev #IndieGame

Dynasty Feud
System reviewed: PC (Steam)
Rating: Ice Cool

Dynasty Feud is a four-player single-screen competitive brawler from Kaia Studios. 

A multiplayer-only title, it’s a great party game that will be staying on my hard drive for a long time to come.

☆ Here's 5 Awesome Video Games To Look For In 2018 ☆ #GamersUnite

So as we prepare to say a video games goodbye to 2017 it’s naturally time to look forward to 2018 and the video games that are going to be coming our way.

2017 has been considered one of the finest years in video games history with the release of the Nintendo Switch garnering us with two of the best games of recent history. Alongside that we had an Indie Gaming year of exceptional quality with some amazing games landing in the Games freezer!

So what’s coming our way next year in 2018?

Let’s dig into the deep freeze and see what potential treats we have in store for 2018…

☆ Sociable Soccer Has A New Patch, Watch Me Test Drive It ☆ #SociableSoccer

"I want Sociable Soccer to be so good it hurts! This new patch is looking promising. Join me as I play Sociable Soccer for the first time in a while as Early Access does it magic on Steam..."

☆ SWITCH TRIDENT PRO-S CONTROLLER "UNBOXING VIDEO" ☆ #NintendoSwitch

"The SWITCH TRIDENT PRO-S CONTROLLER from Game Devil is a cool 3rd Party controller for Nintendo Switch and gets an ICE COOL rating from the Games Freezer!"

Only £27 at Amazon!

Amazon Link

☆ My Christmas Video Games Memories ☆ #Retrogaming #GamersUnite

As Christmas draws nearer my mind always wanders back to when I was at school and constantly talking football and video games as the Christmas holiday came closer and closer.

My talk would always be of the video games or video game consoles or computers that I wanted from Santa that year.

It would vary from year to year and there always seemed to be something to get excited about in the world  of video games before Christmas.

☆ Review: Citadale: The Legends Trilogy "A Castlevania clone that does an admirable job of recreating a retro atmosphere" ☆ #GameDev #IndieGame

Citadale: The Legends Trilogy - PC

Citadale: The Legends Trilogy is a platform video game developed by Ezekiel Rage that owes a great deal to the Castlevania series of games (a GREAT deal) especially the 8-bit iterations on the original NES console. 

☆ First Look: Lust for Darkness "Satisfaction Beyond The Edge Of Our Universe?" ☆ #GameDev #IndieGame

Lust For Darkness - PC

Lust for Darkness is to be the last ever video game released through Steam Greenlight. Developed by Movie Games, a Polish studio, it is a first-person horror that takes place in two different realms thanks to the machinations of a mysterious cult. Dragged into this is a man looking for his wife, who went missing over a year ago in very mysterious circumstances.

☆ Review: Mantis Burn Racing - "Old school Top-down racing brought to the current generation" ☆ #GameDev #IndieGame

Mantis Burn Racing - Nintendo Switch

Mantis Burn racing is an arcade racer video game from Voofoo Studios. Released on PS4, PC and Xbox One last year and now ported to the Nintendo Switch, I can imagine that the playing portably on the Switch is probably the best way to get the most out of this game across all platforms.

☆ Rescue Quest Gold - Ten Minute Taster - PC ☆ #GameDev #IndieGame

"Match 3 games are normally junk, but not this little beauty from Boomzap Entertainment! 

This is a great game and I'm totally enjoying my time with it.....come take a look at the first few levels with me as I play this 'GOLDEN' title on PC"

☆ Ten Minute Taster - Black Mirror - PS4 ☆ #GameDev

"Those creepy creepy Gordon's are enough to drive any man insane!

Take a look with me at THQ NORDIQ'S Atmospheric Latest Release....

BLACK MIRROR"