☆ Review: Ayo: A Rain Tale - "Your Greatest Enemy is The Camera" ☆ #IndieGame #GameDev

Game Title: Ayo: A Rain Tale

Developer: Inkline Ltd

Platform Reviewed: PC (Steam)

Rating: Melting

In platform video games, you can often tell within a few minutes if there are going to be serious issues as it all boils down to responsive controls, if you are looking to spend several hours leaping around a game world that relies heavily on hand-eye coordination and it doesn’t feel accurate or natural, at best the game will never reach its full potential and at the worst, the player will give up out of frustration. 

⚽️ SNES Football Games Were Shite - Episode 2: Soccer Shootout - CAPCOM - 1994 ⚽️ #Retrogaming

🎮"Over the years of video games playing and owning a Super Nintendo I came to the realisation that the Super Nintendo was shit for Soccer games! They're all rubbish!"🎮

🎮"Join me as I trudge through the poo and serve up a steaming slice for you to consume in weekly portions"🎮

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

⚽️ SNES Football Games Were Shite - Episode 1: 90 Minutes European Prime Goal - NAMCO - 1995 ⚽️ #Retrogaming

🎮"Over the years of video games playing and owning a Super Nintendo I came to the realisation that the Super Nintendo was shit for Soccer games! They're all rubbish!"🎮

🎮"Join me as I trudge through the poo and serve up a steaming slice for you to consume in weekly portions"🎮

☆ Review: Disc Jam (Nintendo Switch) - "Oversized Pretzel Tossing is Now an International Sport!" ☆ #DiscJam

Game: Disc Jam

Developer: High Horse Entertainment

Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Switch

Rating: Melting

I’m a big WindJammers fan after I played the PS4 version last year and got hooked on the awesome array of characters, moves and funky arenas to play in. WindJammers has what I believe to be the most fun competitive action out there along with a great set of added bonuses.

Disc Jam is obviously heavily influenced by the mighty WindJammers and when I began to play Disc Jam on the Switch I was expecting WindJammers Mark 2 but instead, it feels like I got WindJammers 0.75.

Disc Jam was released on PC back in March 2017 and was instantly heralded as the easy to play hard to master spiritual successor to WindJammers. It was the talk of the town for a while and has garnered good reviews but all those reviews have a similar theme as to what I’m about to go through here.

☆ Timewarp Arcade - Bridgwater - "Let’s do the Timewarp (arcade) again." ☆ #Retrogaming

I wrote an article on the very awesome Timewarp arcade in Bridgwater, Somerset last year (http://www.gamesfreezer.eu/2017/10/britts-bridwater-bender-at-time-warp.html), I originally visited as part of a friend’s stag weekend and completely fell in love with the place and its retro gaming charms.

Even as we travelled back to Cardiff from that trip, we all decided that we wanted to go back as soon as possible.

Finally, after a busy winter, we had all managed to find gaps in our schedules make time to head back and once again, it was a great experience.

☆ Review: A Case of Distrust - "Play it again, Phyllis" ☆ #GameDev #IndieGame

Game Title: A Case of Distrust

Developer: The Wandering Ben

Platform Reviewed: PC (Steam)

Rating: Melting

A Case Of Distrust is a heavily text-based mystery adventure video game set in the 1920s and heavy with a woozy, smoky atmosphere that takes you through the seedy underbelly of a Prohibition-era San Francisco.

You take control of Phyllis Malone, an ex-cop turned private detective who usually spends her days making money out of tailing deadbeat husbands in failing marriages but who gets dragged into a bootlegging gig involving blackmail and other general unsavoriness.

☆ Review: Distortions – “Violin Hero is something nobody asked for” ☆ #IndieGame #GameDev

I generally consider myself a very forgiving reviewer. I usually give games the benefit of the doubt, especially in as a far as indie and first-time developers go. 

It was with this frame of mind that I approached Distortions, a debut video game by fledgling Brazilian developer Among Giants. 

But sadly, I am in awe of Distortions, and not in a good way.

🎮 A Sony PlayStation Celebration 🎮 #Retrogaming #PS1

🎮 "The Sony PlayStation Holds A Special Place In My Heart So Join Me For A PlayStation Celebration Set To Music....Enjoy!" 🎮

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☆ Insidia - PC - Ten Minute Taster ☆ @InsidiaGame

🎮 "INSIDIA is a turn-based online strategy video game which I have just discovered. The art style is gorgeous and the gameplay is fast paced which make this an ideal title for me to get hips deep into a genre that i'm fairly new to" 🎮

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🐶 Ten Minute Taster - Turbo Pug DX 🐶 #GameDev #IndieGame

🎮"Turbo Pug DX is a Pug Pixel Perfect Runner Platformer Romp and it's mega fun (and it's free on Steam)!"🎮

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☆ Review: The Forbidden Arts - "Could Someone help these guys make a new trailer?" ☆ #IndieGame

After my editor sends me a game to review, I usually start by watching the trailer, a short clip of video that is designed to build hype and show off some of the best parts of the game, but the most exciting thing about that was the burning Steam logo at the end. 

That trailer did nothing for me, and I hate that, because that is no way to go into a game, especially one that is unfinished and needs a bit of an open mind.  

The Forbidden Arts is thankfully a straightforward game: an action-adventure platformer with a simple button scheme and a good dose of ambition, but this work in progress from Stingbot Games seems to have a long road ahead still, so this is more like a dry first impression.

☆ Assault Gunners HD - PS4 - Ten Minute Taster ☆

🎮"Charge around with me and my Mech crew in Assault Gunners HD the remastered version of the PS VITA video game from Japan"🎮

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🔥 Blazing Chrome Brings Metal Slug & Contra into 2018! 🔥 #Retrogaming #BlazingChrome

"Blazing Chrome is another retro inspired video game title that is set to get me all excited again as the new co-op run 'n gun is coming out later this year!"

☆ Ten Minute Taster: The Story Goes On "Mr Scarecrow Teaches Me How Not To Use A Mouse & Keyboard" ☆

🎮"The Story Goes On proves that my Keyboard and Mouse skills are crap"🎮

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⚔️ 5 Simple Things That Make Breath Of The Wild Special ⚔️

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild is an amazing video game that many people have written the virtues of on various websites and magazine outlets all over the world.

It’s a game that has won over the older hardcore Zelda generation and won some new Zelda fans in 2017.

I’ve always followed Zelda from afar as I never owned a Nintendo until the Super Nes in 1992 and then I mainly played Mario games and various sports games with mates. 

At the age of 12 I was just never that into playing a solo video game like Zelda.

🎮 Extinction - Latest Trailer Looks Awesome! 🎮 @MaximumGames_UK @MaximumGames

🎮 The Extinction video game trailer looks awesome! 

Take a look at the trailer now and let me know what you think.

Will you be buying it?

Extinction will launch on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and PC on April 10, 2018 and is available to pre-order now! 🎮❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

📽️ Ten Minute Taster: Azure Saga: Pathfinder 📽️ #IndieGame #GameDev @agikun @MasshiveMedia

🎮"Join me and Noide The Droid as we roam a strange land in search for a way back home in Azure Saga: Pathfinder" 🎮

⚔️ Review: Azure Saga: Pathfinder - "Let's Have Fun With Noide The Droid!" ⚔️

Game: Azure Saga: Pathfinder
Developer: MassHive Media
Format: PC

Me and JRPGS generally tend to be at odds with one another. I like a good story with interesting characters but I am not one for the endless grind of random battles and levelling up. 

A few years ago I played Child Of The Light on PS4 and that changed my mind on the JRPG style of game as Child Of light had the right balance of exploration, party building and battles and created a far more enjoyable experience for me.

Since then I have searched to replicate that style of game where I could get invested into the characters without the constant drain of battle after battle.

🎮 The Games Freezer YouTube Trailer For 2018 Is Now Live! 🎮

🎮The NEW Games Freezer 2018 You Tube Trailer is now LIVE!🎮

I hope you enjoy it ...

🕹️ 🎮 👾 Take Cover!! PLAY Expo LONDON is COMING 11th & 12th August 2018 !!! 🕹️ 🎮 👾 #Retrogaming

PLAY Expo, the UK’s largest arcade, indie and retro gaming show is bringing its awesome wares to good old London town!

The PLAY supremos have chosen the London Printworks as the venue for the first time on the 11^th and 12^th of August 2018. 

This awesome expo does the rounds in Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds and Blackpool, and now I'm so excited that PLAY Expo is bringing its carnival of gaming goodness to the capital.

☆ Review: The Final Station - "A one-way ticket to a shadowy nightmare" ☆ #IndieGames

Game: The Final Station

Developer: Do My Best

Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Switch

Rating: Ice Cool

☆ Review: Kite - "Pixel Art Robot Pummeling Perfection" ☆ #Retrogaming

Did You Know?

“Kiting” is a video game strategy in which players run away from enemies while attacking them – as if they were flying a kite on a string.

This mechanic was pioneered by Robotron 2084, the first “twin stick” shooter – although the term ‘kiting’ was originally associated with early MMOs 

Well I didn't know that until I read the press release for Kite.

☆ The Swords Of Ditto Reveal Trailer - "A HD Randomised Zelda" ☆ @onebitbeyond

I've just come across the reveal trailer for the cool looking video game "The Swords Of Ditto"

If you haven't heard of this awesome looking game before then you will soon be excited for its April 24th Release Date on PC & PS4!

☆ Link's Lunches - "From The Great Plateau To Your Plate" ☆ #FanArt

Okay, I admit it. I'm unhealthily obsessed with The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild and all its beauty and wonder!

The thing that has really got its hooks into me though is the point at which I worked out that I could cook various meals in-game using all the varied ingredients that I had scavenged from the Great Plateau.

☆ Review: Boo! Greedy kid "a sugar rush of a game" ☆ #IndieGame #GameDev

Game Title: Boo! Greedy kid

Developer – Flying Oak Games

Platform Reviewed: PC (Steam)

The premise of Boo! Greedy Kid (BGK) is a simple one, you are a small child dashing and rolling your way around various (what appear to be) retirement homes in a bid to literally frighten money out of the pockets of the elderly so that you can buy sugary drinks to quaff at your leisure.

It’s a very straightforward setup that works very well in small doses which made me feel like it would probably be best suited as a game to be played on a handheld device to get the most out of it.

☆ Rad Rodgers - PS4 - Ten Minute Taster - "A Pure 90's Run 'N' Gun Platformer" ☆ #GameDev @RadRodgers

🎮 

"Rad Rodgers has been sucked into his TV after playing video games late into the night and now he's gotta do battle in World One with Dusty, his trusty video games console.

Come with me back to the 90's in this awesome 90's themed run n gun platformer, it's RADICAL!" 

🎮

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☆ The Sozu Arcade Stick - "A Thing Of Beauty!" ☆ #Arcade #Retrogaming

Every time I go onto Shika Arcades website I fall in love with the awesome video game arcade stick that they have created for the Super Nintendo / Super Famicom.

It's a work of art and the Sozu Arcade Stick joystick is now available in a small amount of units from Shika.

☆ 1982 - A Year In Video Games "Dragon 32, Pitfall & Popeye!" ☆ #Retrogaming

Let's get in the Delorean and go back in time to take a closer look at a year in video games.

I'm always interested in what happened in the glorious and not so glorious past of video games and this seems like a good way of giving you all a snapshot of a year in video games.

I'll be picking out the following things for each year to give you an insight into what that year was like to be a gamer.

• Gaming Consoles & Computers released in that year
• 5 Key Video Games Released in that year
• A sample of the key video games magazines from that year
• Some nice retro gaming adverts from that year
• 5 Key Arcade Games Released in that year
• 5 Awesome Films released that year (not necessarily video games related)

Now you know the format let's take a closer look at 1982

☆ Past Cure - PS4 - Ten minute Taster "Where Dreams & Reality Collide" ☆

🎮 "Abducted and experimented on, Ian is one seriously upset bloke. 
He needs answers as to why he's now in limbo between a dream world and reality. 

Watch me tackle the first 20 minutes of Past Cure as I take on spooky looking mannequins and strange hallucinations which take me one step closer to..." 🎮

☆ Review: Where the Water Tastes Like Wine "…and that wine is Versare" ☆ #GameDev #IndieGame

Game Title: Where the Water Tastes Like Wine

Developer:  Dim Bulb Games

Platform Reviewed: PC (Steam)

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine (WTWTLW) is a story-driven adventure video game set throughout the USA in a shifting timeline of around one hundred years ago.

You play the part of a wandering traveller collecting and passing on people’s tales as you make your way around the fifty states of America in a quest bestowed upon you by a wolf voiced by Gordon Sumner.

☆ Playing For Time is Coming To Channel 4 in 2018 ☆ #retrogaming

It would appear that video games related TV shows are making a bit of a comeback on mainstream TV.

☆ Review: Curse Of The Arrow - "A puzzle-platformer that hits the bullseye" ☆ #IndieGame

Game: Curse of the Arrow

Platform Reviewed: PC

Developer: Egor Dorichev

Rating: Ice Cool

I love a good single-screen puzzle-platformer video game and so I love Curse of The Arrow (COTA). 

A tightly-designed, fast-paced jaunt that doesn’t misfire at all and gives the right level of challenge for multiple skill levels.

☆ Yume Nikki: Dream Diary - Ten Minute Taster "Go Asleep....IF YOU DARE!" ☆

🎮 "The creepy follow up to Yume Nikki is here and if you like gory eyeballs and people eating belly monsters then you've come to the right place.....

come on in......IF YOU DARE!" 🎮

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☆ SHAQ FU is BACK TO SETTLE THE SCORE OF '94! ☆ #Retrogaming

I Love a good sporting comeback and this could be one of Video Games finest!

SHAQ FU A Legend Reborn is on its way!

☆ Video Games Ticklists - #1 - Atari 2600 ☆ #Retrogaming

As an avid video game kinda guy I have always been obsessed with recording my collection of everything video games related.

When I was a proud Atari XEGS owner I would record my video games collection on a TDK 90 cassette tape and load it up onto the screen to view it like it was a secret classified document.

I've used all sorts of methods over the years, but one thing that always works best for me is good old pen and paper.

Specifically, I like to create lovely ticklists for my collections and tick the titles off as I obtain them.

☆ Nintendo Switch Gets Another Indie Exclusive "Castle Of Heart" ☆ #IndieGame

I just watched the teaser trailer for Castle Of Heart on Nintendo Switch and I am liking the look of this Switch Exclusive action platformer.

The game comes from 7Levels, the Polish indie developer, and it will be available in the Nintendo eShop in Europe, North America, Mexico and Australia from 23^rd of March 2018 at price $14.99/€14.99/£13,49.

☆ Come and Meet PocketSprite "Tiny Retro Gaming on Your Keychain" ☆ #Retrogaming

Put your hand up if you've heard of PocketSprite...

This little keychain console is a fully functional retro gaming emulator console with some impressive features.

It looks like this little marvel might be more than just a gimmick if the creators can deliver on their immensely successful crowd funding campaign on crowdsupply

☆ The Station - Ten Minute Taster - "Spooky Voices and A Pair Of Old Boots" ☆ #gamedev #indiegame

🎮 "Come wander this deserted space station with me as I try to unravel what the hell went on here.....there's a spooky bloke with a light and some creepy voices telling me to run!" 🎮

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☆ 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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