31 Jan 2025

SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada PC Review 2/10 "Let the record show I have no beef with free-to-play games" 💥 @SYNDUALITY_GAME @synduality

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SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada PC Review
Let the record show I have no beef with free-to-play games. If a game is riddled with microtransactions, paid-for cosmetics, and has a season pass built into it, but also allows you to play without forking out any money upfront that’s a deal I’m willing to take. Fortnite manages it, Genshin Impact has done very well, and Marvel Rivals is enjoying justified success.

All of which means I’m fully prepared to forgive SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada for its sins, because - oh, uh, hang on, I’m getting passed up a note. Uh-huh. Huh. Oh. Oh no. OH NO. What do you mean it costs £35.00?! That can’t be right!

Sadly this is indeed the case. Despite looking like a free-to-play game, walking like a free-to-play game, and quacking like a free-to-play game, SYNDUALITY is a regular retail release, and this simple fact pretty much obliterates any fun that can be squeezed out of the experience.

My First Hour With Steamworld Heist 2 On PC 🌊🤖 @SteamWorldGames #IndieGames #GameDev

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@thegamesfreezer Steamworld Heist 2 Gameplay And First Impressions #lurkit #steamworldheist #indiegames #indiegame #indiegamedev #pcgaming #pcgames #thunderfulgames @thunderfulgames ♬ original sound - ❄️ Games Freezer ❄️

I first played Steamworld Heist on my Nintendo Switch last year and was instantly hooked! (although i nearly threw my switch out of the window on the last boss as it was MEGA hard and it made me feel like I was rubbish! (maybe I was) 


SteamWorld Heist 2 is a deserved sequel to a great game and builds upon the unique style and tactical depth of the original instalment which is sure to please anyone who liked the original Heist game. 

Steamworld Heist 2 On PC

30 Jan 2025

The Video Game History Foundation Library opens in early access ~ For free, for everyone, wherever you are! 📚🎮📖 @GameHistoryOrg #Retrogaming

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For eight years, The VGHF have been building a world-class collection of game history materials. Now they're turning that into a research tool that anyone can use to study video game history.

The Video Game History Foundation Library is the long-term home to collections of video game history research materials: behind-the-scenes documents, press kits, game magazines, promo materials, artwork, and more.

The first wave of archival content

Early access to the VGHF Library includes digital access to some unique history research materials, including...

This is just the beginning. Follow the Video Game History Foundation for updates on new collections coming to our library platform in the future!

Keep Driving PC Gameplay "Those Pesky Road Sheep!" 🐏🚘 #IndieGame #GameDev

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Keep Driving is an upcoming road trip RPG indie game developed and published by YCJY Games. Set in the early 2000s, the game immerses you in a nostalgic, pixel art world where you embark on a cross-country journey after buying your first car. The narrative is minimalist, focusing on the journey rather than a detailed plot.

As you travel, you'll manage essential resources like food and repair supplies, meet hitchhikers with unique stories, and face various roadblocks that require problem-solving using a light combat system. The game emphasizes storytelling through the journey itself, offering an immersive experience rather than traditional RPG mechanics.

The game is set to release on February 6, 2025.

Basureroes: Invasion Nintendo Switch Review 8.5/10 "It’s time to take out the trash" ⚠️🚮💥 @javi_mikau @basureroes @JanduSoft #IndieGame #GameDev

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Basureroes: Invasion Nintendo Switch Review
The Superhero League of Hoboken, a much-loved DOS game that also featured a team of heroes with…less than obvious powers of good sprang to mind upon diving into Basureroes: Invasion, I instantly got that vibe of (whilst this is very different in terms of genre from The Superhero League of Hoboken!) a game with a sense of humour and self-deprecation about itself whilst also being genuinely charming, amusing, and well-designed -AND for up to four players!

Just putting this out there as I had no idea what the title meant, ‘basura’ is Spanish for rubbish / trash / garbage – just in case anyone was as flummoxed by the title of this one as I was! Luckily, aside from the title, nothing else about Basureroes: Invasion is rubbish, as it’s an incredibly engaging – and accessible – 2D platform game that has been a regular multiplayer fixture (although it’s just as good in single player mode) in our household over the last couple of weeks.

Why GameZone Official Is the Ultimate Gaming Destination? 🎲🃏🎰 🎮

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In the vast world of online gaming, finding a platform that truly stands out can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. But what if there was a gaming destination that combined the best of traditional games with modern excitement, all wrapped up in a user-friendly package? Enter GameZone Official, a platform that's been making waves in the gaming community. Let's dive into what makes GameZone so special and why it might just become your new favourite gaming spot.

29 Jan 2025

Dance of Cards Nintendo Switch Review 9/10 "A game that won my heart...and spade, club, diamond." 🃏🃏 @FrogOfHearts #IndieGame #GameDev

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Dance of Cards Nintendo Switch Review
I bloody love coming across games like Dance of Cards – which seems to be released on the Switch just for me, at the perfect time. I’ve been playing Balatro on and off over the last few weeks, and one evening, as I failed yet another run, I mused idly to myself how awesome a poker-based RPG would be...and a few days later, Dance of Cards sidled shiftily into my deck. Needless to say, I went in blind.

The game casts you in the role of the heroically named ‘Martin’, a magician and card mechanic in a small town that is getting sent on to the big city by his shady manager, on a cruise ship. And on said voyage...things go somewhat awry.

Eternal Strands Xbox Series X Review 7.5/10 "Eternal Strands That Don’t Quite Weave Wonder" 🧶🧵 @YellowBrick_Qc #IndieGame #GameDev

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Eternal Strands Xbox Series X Review
A cel-shaded open world adventure that features deep lore abounds in this release from Yellow Brick Games (comprised of a team featuring several ex-Ubisoft developers), Eternal Strands excels in performance and world-building; but lacklustre, weightless combat and certain design elements gives this the faint air of a game that started in a more MMORPG style that pivoted to a single player experience.

Eternal Strands casts the player as Brynn, a mercenary accompanying a group of travellers trying to find out the secrets of a long-lost civilisation. Your camp with the travellers acts as a hub, whilst Loomgates scattered around the land allow you to teleport to different areas of the world, each with their own biome, items, and enemies. The opening anime-style cinematic is impressive and engaging, although it hints at a slightly goofy humour that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the mostly po-faced game, where dialogue with the fully-voiced cast of characters is rich, but mostly eventless and dry. That’s not to say there isn’t a lot of lore and world-building to discover and learn, more that doing so isn’t a particularly engaging aspect of the game.

28 Jan 2025

Burger Race Nintendo Switch Review 7.5/10 "Fast Food at a bargain price!" 🍔💨 @SAT_BOX_2011 #IndieGame #GameDev

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Burger Race Nintendo Switch Review
This is the second title by Sat-Box that I’ve covered in just a few weeks,,and I have to say that their budget, family friendly titles are winning me over. In the same vein that Sugoroku Casino Party was a fun, digital board game with its focus on multiplayer action, Burger Race is a fast food take on the Mario Kart formula...at under a fiver!

A simple, accessible game, Burger Race allows for up to four players – in split screen – to select from a range of fast food items on wheels (or rather, cucumbers and tomatoes) and race around the nine tracks on offer, picking up the various boosts and weapon pick-ups scattered around the circuits en route.

27 Jan 2025

Dynasty Warriors: Origins PS5 Review 8.5/10 "Battle Grows Where My Wanderlay Goes" 🪖⚔️ @koeitecmoeurope @s_sangokumusou

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Dynasty Warriors: Origins PS5 Review
The last time I played a Dynasty Warriors game was Dynasty Warriors 2 on the PlayStation 2 around 25 years ago. Now at the time of playing it on the PS2, I loved it at first but after a while, the repetition wore away at my enthusiasm for it. In 2021 Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires was released but it came out to a lukewarm reception as it went down a more strategic route for the gameplay elements and this didn't seem to hit well with the target audience. 4 years on and we have a new Dynasty Warriors on the next-gen consoles and I'm glad to say it doesn't disappoint!

Dog Man: Mission Impawsible Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 "Full price? You’d be barking mad" 🐶 @MindscapeGames @F84Games #IndieGame #GameDev

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Dog Man: Mission Impawsible Xbox Series X Review
I have to admit, I had never heard of the Dog Man franchise, I was very much unaware of Dav Pilkey’s books, graphic novels and the upcoming animated film. As such, I approached Dog Man: Mission Impawsible as a pure platform gaming experience, and as such – found it pretty middling in terms of gameplay, interesting in terms of presentation... but I did balk <bark? - Ed> at the asking price.

Dog Man Mission: Impawsible begins with the titular character getting called back into action, and re-banding his old companions in a bid to save their town, each has their own skill to surpass certain obstacles, as well as their own weaknesses. From that moment, the game reveals itself to be a pretty standard platformer, very accessible, and with a generous learning curve for younger / newer players, but overall very much not deserving the premium price tag that is attached to Dog Man Mission Impawsible.

Killer Instinct Video Gaming Memories by Imraan Nazir 🕹️ #Retrogaming

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It was in the mid 90s when I first played Killer Instinct on the Super Nintendo. I remember my brother borrowed it from one of his friends. The game cartridge was unique as it was black instead of grey and it also came with the soundtrack on a separate CD. 

This game was violent like Mortal Kombat with blood and finishing moves but the gameplay was similar to Street Fighter 2. Executing moves was similar to street fighter and saw you inputting button and d pad combinations. For example, Jago's fireball move is the same way you would do a hadouken. Jago's  moves are essentially all the same as Ryu and Ken's move set from Street Fighter 2.  I enjoyed this game as the gameplay was similar to Street Fighter and learning the combos was a challenge as you needed to execute them quickly and at the right time.

The game was not as fast paced as street fighter but there was a cheat where you could make the gameplay faster. At the Versus screen you needed to press certain buttons to make it faster. I never knew what the cheat was so <
Hold RIGHT and all 3 punch buttons. - Ed> I kept on pressing random buttons and the cheat some how worked. I only knew that it had worked as I would hear a sound to confirm the cheat was successful.

There was a huge difference between the arcade version and the SNES version. First thing you could notice was the graphics. The graphics on the arcade was I think 64 bit graphics and I think was originally meant to come out on Nintendo 64. The game ended up coming out on the SNES which was a 16 bit console.

I never did play or see the arcade version out in the wild until recently and as expected there is a huge difference in terms of graphics and animation. The sound track on the SNES version was decent and they kept the arcade announcer which was good.

Another thing about Killer Instinct which was odd was that you could not select the stage you want to fight in on 2 player mode. You could do stage select in Street Fighter but thinking bnack I don't think mortal Kombat had that option.

I found the last boss Eyedol very difficult to defeat. When it came to the second round Eyedol had the
ability to put his own energy bar back up which I found so annoying. It took me multiple times to defeat
Eyedol but I got there in the end!

Overall I have always enjoyed this game and I still play it till this day.


Thanks for reading 💙

Presented by:
Imraan Nazir

YouTube channel:
Retro Gamer Strikes Back


https://youtube.com/@retrogamerstrikesback?si=chCI9ydWxv_U-Nf4

Customization in Gaming vs. White Label Trading Platforms: The Power of Personalization 🎚️🎛️

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 Customization in Gaming vs. White Label Trading Platforms: The Power of Personalization

Introduction

Customization in gaming makes it possible for players to manipulate some features of the game to their liking, and this could be anything from a change in a character's hair to developing unique gameplay. The white-label investment platforms give brokers and firms an option to purchase an already-built trading platform and allow them to customize it according to their branding, audience, and the needs of the business. Customization is important in both the platforms and the games as it instills a feeling of ownership, user engagement, and satisfaction, and success.  

26 Jan 2025

Rich's Video Games of the Year | "2024 was a year that surprised me month by month" 🗓️🎮 #GOTY

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2024 was a year that surprised me month by month with some awesome Indie releases, some stellar AAA stuff and an old master that I finally got to grips with.


Sitting down to compile my GOTY list has been a pleasure and today I'd love to share it with you to see if there’s any gems in here (alongside a classic) that I can tempt you to try.

Dragon's Dogma 2 - The Organised Chaos RPG Award 🏆
I’d never played the original game and the premise of DD2 had me licking my lips in anticipation for an enormous RPG to get stuck into on my newly purchased PS5. DD2 did not disappoint. Every crevice I explored seemed to unveil something new for me to discover, whether that was a new enemy, a chest, a cave or an interesting building. I’ve piled lots of hours into this game and I'm yet to complete it. I’m determined to revisit and complete it in 2025 as I attempt to uncover the regions of the map

Tetris Forever - The Legend Of Henk & Alexey Award 
🏆
I was drawn to this Digital Eclipse Gold Master release due to the fact that TETRIS is truly one of purest video games ever conceived and I was really interested to look at all the different releases across the years. When I began to dig into this TETRIS opus I was blown away by the story of Henk Rogers and Alexey Pajitnov and the interactive documentary became a must read/listen/watch page turner of a ‘game’. I love this series and I love TETRIS forever.

Drova Forsaken Kin - The Cilla Black Surprise Award 
🏆
This game completely blind sided me and turned out to be one of the best video games of 2024. It’s an RPG that is steeped in a love for the genre and has that retro feel to it that takes you back to the classic RPGs where you are discovering a world and an IP for the first time. It’s a marvel of a video game made by a small team and I implore everyone to play this game today.

Indiana Jones - The Late In the Day Award 
🏆
Indy films are my jam. I grew up watching them and punctuated my youth with visits to the cinema to watch them as soon as they were released. As the years have worn on I've lost the passion for the films since Crystal Skull and as far as Indiana Jones video games go, I'd settled for the fact that Uncharted was going to be the best effort since the beautiful Lucas Arts point and clicks. I therefore watched from afar as Machine Games prepared the Indiana Jones And The Great Circle video game but I was never really hyped by anything I'd seen pre release. I managed to get my hands on a copy upon release to check out what the latest offering would be like and WOW, just WOW! The game oozes class, the performances in the game are awesome. The puzzles are pitch perfect, the combat is so ‘Indy’ that I am relieved they didn’t just create a first person shooter/murder machine of a game. The game and the environments just feel alive and the locations are big enough to get lost in but never outstay their welcome. It only came out in early December but my word it grabbed the hat from underneath the falling stone door to give us the real next Indiana Jones movie!

GTAIV - The Best Game Of 2008 In 2024 Award 
🏆
Somehow I had only managed to play up until GTAIII up until late 2024. The announcement of GTAVI had really peaked my interest in the franchise again and I picked up GTAIV on a Steam Sale price of about five pounds. I dropped it onto my Steam Deck and I was transported back to 2008 and was really surprised at how well it held up in 2024. The story swept me up into the world of Niko Bellic and I found myself becoming a resident of Resident Of Liberty City and getting caught up in all of its politics and personalities.

Stalker 2 - The Great Allure Of Radioactive Jank Award 
🏆
The Stalker series passed me by in 2007, 2008 and 2009 as it was a PC game at a time when I was never a PC gamer. Looking back at the series now, it would have been right up on my list if I'd have been a PC gamer at the time. Then I got swept up in the Stalker 2 pre release story and I knew that I just had to play Stalker 2. Despite a really rough launch, I could see this game was special and as the devs resolve the issues the game gets better and better with it's depiction of life in The Zone.
 
Tiny Terrys Turbo Trip - The Keep Me Busy Award 
🏆
For a game that's around 4 hours long this kept me busy doing fun stuff in this open world platformer that has an awesome art style and a music sense that compliments the game perfectly. It's the perfect example of an indie game that benefits from not over stretching itself and making sure that what it does, it does it well. Go make friends with Tiny Terry and i promise you won't regret it!

Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom - The Simple Pleasures Award 
🏆
Hand crafted retro worlds are brought to life in this cool PS1 era style platformer that sees you trying to navigate the worlds without a jump button! It's a playground of video game fun that is a pleasure to pick up and play. Be warned though, it gets HARD and also at around 6 hours it does feel a little too long. 

Astrobot - The Pure Joy Award 
🏆
If I was forced to pick one game from this list that had to take all the glory it would be Astrobot. It has everything I could ever want from a platformer and is probably the best example of one since the release of Super Mario Odyssey. The music is a delight, the platforming is on point, the various mechanics that are introduced through power up bring a smile to your face, the bots you rescue are now my family as I care for them back at the crash site like they were my own, the game is almost perfect. This is the game I would buy a PS5 for if I didn't already own a PS5 and I seriously can't wait for Team Asobi's next game on the PS5/PS6! Bravo Bravo Astro!

Ye Olde Honourable Mentions...


Indika - The Best Nun Sim Award 💙
You are a nun, you do nun things, go on a journey with the devil and see what happens...

Children of the Sun - The Psychadelic Bullet Cult Award
💙
You are a sniper, you do sniper things, you control the bullets that you fire in bullet time, you are angry, you want to destroy a cult, go get a position on that hill and see what happens...

25 Jan 2025

Video Game Lo fi: Sonic Frontiers – Vinyl Review By Britt 📀 @CuragaRecords #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl

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Video Game Lo fi: Sonic Frontiers – Vinyl Review
The newest project from lost:tree – who has been involved with several other of Curaga Records’ projects such as their lo-fi interpretations of Kingdom Hearts and Sonic (a personal favourite of mine!). 

This release focuses on the music of Sonic Frontiers, the 2022 open-world Sonic the Hedgehog game that was well-received upon release, and was seen as a return to form for open-world Sonic titles. The ten tracks here are curated from the 150(!) song soundtrack of Sonic Frontiers, and home in on a dreamy, mellow vibe – it also includes some vocal-led tracks to mix things up and add emotional resonance.

24 Jan 2025

Tap Wizard 2 Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 "Tap Wizard 2 Didn’t quite manage to cast its spell on me" 🧙‍♂️💥🧙 @Top_Cog #IndieGame #GameDev

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Tap Wizard 2  Xbox Series X Review
The trailer for Tap Wizard 2 struck me as a game akin to Vampire Survivors, and as I’d wet my whistle on that particular genre during my end of year Switch mini-review round-up, I quite fancied another game with the same flavour. Digging deeper into Tap Wizard 2 reveals that it is actually an ‘idle’ game, a genre which is more suited to mobile devices – from which this is a port – and so I wondered how it would fare on consoles. It turns out that whilst the design and charm is there – it does feel that the mobile market is perhaps the best place for Tap Wizard 2.
Tap Wizard 2  Xbox Series X Review
The game begins with you choosing your wizard and their six powers from a choice of various elements, from then on, your wizard will engage in endless waves of combat with enemies in ever-increasing numbers and strengths as you incrementally increase your stats, powers, and abilities.

Visually the game features some tasty pixel art and runs very smoothly. The chiptune audio is catchy, but on a relatively short loop, although you can flick between a few different ditties in the menu. What you cannot do, though, is turn off the rumble on your controller, this is of note as the controller constantly rumbles throughout the game, and you can’t put your controller down or it’ll rumble off the table and onto the floor. This wouldn’t normally be an issue, but as it’s an idle game with a lot of downtime, it would have been a nice feature to include.
Tap Wizard 2  Xbox Series X Review
Whilst primarily an idle game, you can take direct control over your wizard as he wanders his way around the single-screen battlefield, and you’ll find that you’ll survive longer and get more pick-ups this way, as the AI-controlled wizard tends to just either move in a sweeping circle, or stay in the centre of the screen, ignoring the many chests that pop up full of goodies. 

Another minor niggle is that the left thumb stick – this controls the on-screen cursor, the right thumb stick handles manual wizard movement – seems to always start offscreen at the bottom left, which is a bit odd, the centre of the screen would be preferable for initial cursor placement.

The number of various panels, inventory areas, unlockables, upgrades and bonuses etc. is laudable and certainly adds a sense of progress to your quest, but the time-locked lore / narrative reveal is so overly verbose and lengthy that I got more irritated than intrigued upon reading. 

I found that the game was best played as I was cleaning my flat, having it on in the background and popping back every few minutes to maybe take over manually, and click through, selecting all of the things I’d unlocked whilst idle.
Tap Wizard 2  Xbox Series X Review
SUMMARY
It’s a game that’s too uninvolved to sit and fully engage with, and not engrossing enough to boot up and check in when playing on the Xbox, without the instancy and casualness of mobile play. 

I’d be interested to see what developer TopCog comes up with next, as I feel there’s a lot of talent and promise there, but on console, Tap Wizard 2 doesn’t quite click for me.
6.5/10
💧MELTING💧

Save the date: The VGHF Digital Library Opens January 30th 🗓️🕹️ #Retrogaming

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The VGHF Digital Library Opens January 30th
After years of collecting, cataloguing, and digitizing video game history materials, the Video Game History Foundation is finally opening the virtual doors to its library—wherever you are!

Next week on January 30, VGHF is launching the first public version of its' library system, with digital access to some of the exciting special collections.

The VGHF Digital Library Opens January 30th

Coming very soon...

  • Never-before-seen game development materials.
  • Artwork, press kits, and promo materials from iconic video games.
  • 1500+ full-text searchable out-of-print video game magazines.

The VGHF Digital Library Opens January 30th
WATCH A SNEAK PEEK VIDEO HERE👇

23 Jan 2025

Crowdfunding For Disco Elysium Spiritual Successor, Hopetown, Announced by Longdue Devs 📰 @longduegames #IndieGames #GameDev

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A spiritual successor to Disco Elysium, Hopetown redefines the psychological RPG genre with groundbreaking mechanics and a world shaped by your words...

Longdue, the studio founded with contributors to Disco Elysium and other industry veterans, is thrilled to announce the crowdfunding pre-launch for its debut game, Hopetown.

Dreamcore Xbox Series X Review 7/10 "Feeling….Lonely?" 😶‍🌫️ @DreamcoreGame @TlonIndustries #IndieGame #GameDev

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Dreamcore is a very unique experience as a game, with it’s use of liminal spaces and an incredible sense of isolation in its quietly nightmare-ish locations. The use of life-like body-cam style visuals and crisp graphics heighten the sense of agency, but the design and gameplay itself can very much oscillate between irritation and boredom dependent on your personal standing with the unspoken horror of isolation and liminal places. For some, this will be an intense experience whilst others may see Dreamcore as an interesting piece of art that has a novelty factor that wears off relatively quickly.

Super Technos World: River City & Arcade Classics [Release: April 24, 2025] List Of Games Revealed 📎 #Retrogaming @ASW_official_EU

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Arc System Works Co., Ltd. is excited to announce the release of Super Technos World: River City & Arcade Classics coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation®5, and Steam April 24, 2025. As of today, Wishlist registration is open on the PS Store.

This collection brings you 12 games in one, from developer Technos Japan known for creating the legendary River City and Double Dragon series. 


This variety pack of titles includes some gems that haven’t been widely ported before. From arcade classics to region-exclusive titles, you’ll have plenty to explore in this collection! Get your hands on these highly exclusive games of legend!

22 Jan 2025

The Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit To be Released In Q2 - 2025! 🕹️🤓 @megacatstudios #IndieGame #RetroGaming #GameDev

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Get ready to dive into the world of terrible games once again as Retroware and Mega Cat Studios announce The Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit, coming to the NES and all modern platforms in Q2 2025.

Heavily inspired by classic side-scrollers like MegamanThe Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit challenges players to battle through frantic platforming levels and defeat classic AVGN enemies to save gaming from a corrupted monstrosity.

ALL WILL FALL PC Gameplay "Sometimes I Struggle With The Stairs" 🌊🏗️ @AllWillFallGame #IndieGame #GameDev

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ALL WILL FALL, an innovative new city builder launching in 2025 on PC via Steam that combines the high-stakes survival colony sim management with pure physics-based pandemonium where every building can crumble under its weight. It’s like Jenga with human lives at stake! In a flooded post-apocalyptic world, you’ll construct and govern humanity’s last bastion the only way that remains: up!!

Stack buildings carefully while keeping real-world construction factors in mind, manage the needs of your people, and make tough decisions to keep your society and the city itself from collapsing. With various unique maps, objectives, and challenges to discover, there are always new heights to be reached and new tragedies to try to avoid.

STEAM LINK 🔗 https://store.steampowered.com/app/2706020/ALL_WILL_FALL_PhysicsBased_Survival_City_Builder/

21 Jan 2025

Lonely Mountains Snow Riders Has Now Been released On PC and It's GREAT! ⛷️🏔️ @LonelyMnts #IndieGame #GameDev

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@thegamesfreezer Lonely Mountains Snow Riders PC Gameplay ⛷️🏔️ #indiegamedev #indiegames #indiegame #skiing #lonelymountainsdownhill @lonelymnts ♬ original sound - ❄️ Games Freezer ❄️

"Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders" is the latest installment from Megagon Industries, following the success of "Lonely Mountains: Downhill." This game takes you on a thrilling skiing adventure through breathtaking mountain landscapes.

Lonely Mountains Snow Riders

Home Safety Hotline Xbox Series X Review 9.5/10 “The best horror game of 2024” ☎️🖥️ @SlickNickLives #IndieGame #GameDev

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Home Safety Hotline Xbox Series X Review
I’m going to start this review off by saying - whenever you get a phone call in this game, wherever you are in the directory, it puts you back right at the start. So, if you’re at the letter ‘P’, a phone call will come in and it puts you back to the start…which is the letter ‘A’ just in case you somehow know how to read but don’t know the alphabet… which is probably one person out there, and speaking of one, that's how many criticisms I have of this game. One. the one I’ve just said, That's it, the rest of this review will be just gushing praise - I adore this title.

So, with my vast negativity about this game now out of the way, let’s get into why it’s utterly amazing.

20 Jan 2025

Couchmaster® CYCON³ - HORIZONLIGHT Review "Gaming Comfort at its peak!" 🖱️ @NerdytecES

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Couchmaster® CYCON³ - HORIZONLIGHT Review
Everyone has a different gaming setup, dependent on their home situation. Over the years, I’ve shifted from tiny bedrooms to living room gaming setups, bespoke gaming rooms, and back again. With wireless controllers, things are a little easier but having a PC mouse and keyboard setup is always a little cumbersome, pretty much tying you to a desk…until now…

Perfectly designed for couches and armchairs, the first thing that strikes you when the Couchmaster Cycon3 is removed from the incredibly well-packaged box is the heft and robustness of it. This isn’t a flimsy product that needs to be handled with kid gloves, it’s a weighty, solid unit with accessible ports and easy access for cable management purposes.

17 Jan 2025

Neon Blood Nintendo Switch Review 6.5/10 "The spark of something beautiful" 🧠⚡️ @ChaoBrainStudio #IndieGame #GameDev

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Neon Blood Nintendo Switch Review
Neon Blood was one of those games that struck me the moment I first watched the trailer, a beautiful blend of 3D environments with 2D characters, that supposedly melded that cyberpunk aesthetic with detective-based adventure, on paper – and on screen – it looked to be a winner. Sadly, as much as there was in Neon Blood that really drew me in, there was just as much working against my enjoyment.

Set in an alternate, distant future, the player is cast in the role of detective Axel McCoin, a burnt-out detective who regularly uses the fictional drug Spark to cope with extreme pain caused by his failing bio-implants. Mostly dismissed by his superiors, Axel (cool name ) gets embroiled in a series of murders that hint at a larger conspiracy…

The Spirit Of The Samurai PC Gameplay 'Takeshi's Castle' 🎎🎍🎋 @samuraisgame #IndieGame #GameDev

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The Spirit of the Samurai is a side-scrolling action platformer developed by Digital Minds Games. The game follows Takeshi, a samurai tasked with defending his village from an ancient evil. The story is engaging, starting with a young boy meeting a Kitsune, who narrates the tale of Takeshi and his mystical connection to the spirits.

Gameplay: The game offers a straightforward combat system with a sword, bow, and consumables like kunai. Players earn XP by defeating enemies, which can be used to upgrade attributes at shrines. The game also features platforming segments where players control Takeshi's small companion, Chisai. Graphics & Audio: The standout feature of The Spirit of the Samurai is its unique visual style, reminiscent of stop-motion and Claymation. The game draws inspiration from classic films like Jason and the Argonauts and old Mortal Kombat games. However, the frame rate issues, especially during the final boss fight, detract from the overall experience. Longevity: The game is relatively short, with a playtime of around five hours. Despite its brief length, the game manages to deliver a satisfying experience, thanks to its captivating story and unique visual style. Overall, The Spirit of the Samurai is a visually stunning game with an engaging story and straightforward gameplay. However, technical issues and a short playtime may leave some players wanting more.

16 Jan 2025

Super Rolling Heroes Deluxe Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 "Keep on rollin’ baby" 🧶 @solidneongames @JanduSoft #IndieGame #GameDev

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Super Rolling Heroes Deluxe Xbox Series X Review
A fun and polished casual title, Super Rolling Heroes Deluxe is a game about downward momentum. You must control your colourful, rotund buddy as they tumble down mountains avoiding spikes, traps, and pitfalls in a bid to make contact with the jewel at the end of each stage, thus completing the level.

Controls are simple, you can backpedal slightly, slow yourself down, or hop as you roll down the hills, smashing up the tiny houses, cars and structures that litter your way. The music is light and gentle, matching the pastel colours that are a breeze on the eyes. The animation and scrolling is also a very smooth 60 fps, which adds to the flow of the game.
Super Rolling Heroes Deluxe Xbox Series X Review
Unfortunately, whilst there are various cosmetic unlockables that you can purchase – and side roads that lead to the extra gems etc. that act as in-game currency, the environment never really changes, and aside from the game getting trickier, you’ll find yourself passing the same structures and items over and over, meaning that there’s no real sense of progress beyond the numbers of the levels changing. 

You can adjust the difficulty to make it more of a challenge, but a little could have gone a long way here, with maybe differing weather conditions affecting your traversal, and some more dynamism and variety to the environments themselves, or the inclusion of hectic multiplayer races. 
Super Rolling Heroes Deluxe Xbox Series X Review
SUMMARY
All that said, this is a fundamentally sound game that is fun for short blasts and is perfectly priced – but lacks that little something extra to make it a strike.

6.5/10
💧MELTING💧

15 Jan 2025

Snowman Story Nintendo Switch Review 6/10 "A very specific festive adventure" ☃️ @OdencatGames #IndieGame #GameDev

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Snowman Story Nintendo Switch Review
As this was a child-friendly game, I thought I’d take the opportunity to play through with my three-year old son, a boy who is very much caught up in the magic of Christmas. As it pans out, whilst this is a very cute and noble game as a bittersweet Christmas fable, the simplicity and repetition end up stagnating any sense of flow, and ultimately mute the eventual emotional payoff.

Awaken Astral Blade PC Gameplay "Christmas Tree O' Christmas Tree" 🎄⚔️ @AwakenBlade #IndieGame #GameDev

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Awaken: Astral Blade is a Metroidvania game that combines classic elements with a few unique twists. The game follows Tania, a bionic girl created by Dr. Herveus, as she navigates the dense rainforest of Horace Island to uncover the mystery behind a strange energy called Karpas.

Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) PC Gameplay "Get Off My Land!" 🌲🪓 @TwoFalls #IndieGame #GameDev

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Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) is a narrative-driven, first-person adventure game that takes players on a journey through the 17th-century Canadian wilderness. The game presents two contrasting perspectives: Jeanne, a French woman who has crossed the Atlantic to start anew, and Maikan, an Innu hunter trying to uncover what is disturbing his native forest.

14 Jan 2025

IronFall: Invasion Nintendo Switch Review 6/10 💥 @VdDevGames #IndieGame #GameDev

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IronFall: Invasion Nintendo Switch Review
Sometimes I’m taken in by a simple trailer for a game, or even the first few words of a press release, we -very kindly – get sent a lot of games here at GF, and as I mention in my year-end article - we unfortunately don’t get the time to cover them all, so when a certain genre pops out that you haven’t tucked into for a while, or you are just really in the mood for. It’s fun to take a punt and see what the game has to offer. In the case of IronFall: Invasion, I could see that it was a Switch FPS – and that was all it took for me to dive in.
IronFall: Invasion Nintendo Switch Review
From the rating of 6/10, you can probably tell that this won’t be featuring in our end-of-year lists, but I do have a bit of a caveat here, as IronFall: Invasion captures a very specific vibe, and I can imagine that it will find its niche among gamers as it feels like a bit of a time capsule, which I’ll explain as best I can.

IronFall: Invasion is a 2024 release of what was originally a 2015 3DS game, and though it appears that it wasn’t too warmly received at the time of release, as I didn’t know the background of the title at the time of playing, I had a very different experience, and to me, it felt very much like an early PS2 title that had been remastered for the PS Vita.. 

From the blunt and pacey intro through to the presentation and mechanics of the game – you’ll be getting Perfect Dark / Deus Ex vibes from how each cutscene is presented – there’s a solid functionality to the game that seems locked in to the early 2000’s in an almost delicious way that’s designed to invoke a very specific nostalgia, and – to me – it’s this that is the IronFall: Invasion calling card. If you don’t connect with this, it will be a very vanilla experience.
IronFall: Invasion Nintendo Switch Review
Set in the near future, you are a soldier that is a one-man force against an alien (although...robots) invasion, and through arena / corridor based FPS action, must take down this growing threat. The combat is suitably PS2, in that it is heavily cover-based and against a relatively small variety of enemy types in empty areas with no collectibles or reasons to explore, beyond clearing them out. 

There are sections wherein you have to hold a post against enemy attacks, but it’s all very PS2-retro. That said, the entire game is a silky smooth 60fps, and the gun play is quite satisfying, you pick up weapons that fare better against certain enemy types etc., and that N64/PS2 vibe is in full force as you make your way through the campaign. 
IronFall: Invasion Nintendo Switch Review
There’s almost a celebratory sense as to how the game feels to play, like it’s point blank refused to move beyond the era that it evokes, and does it bizarrely well. Each time I cleaned out spawning roomfuls of identikit enemies, and had marched down myriad boring corridors, I almost felt transported back in time, and it was oddly nostalgic of a very specific time for me. 

Of course, the question is - whether that feeling is worth £18 to you?

The controls feel like they could do with a slight tweaking in terms of sensitivity, but again – there’s no room for personalisation here, you get what you are given, and that adds to the ‘trapped in time’ sense that the game conjures up.

SUMMARY
I hope that this game finds its audience – perhaps not at the current full price, admittedly – but nonetheless, there’s a little bit of magic here that will be quite a trip down memory lane for a lot of folks. 

There’re no flourishes here, just a rock solid meat ‘n potatoes early PS2 duck ‘n cover shooter remastered for the PS Vita...except it’s a 2015 3DS game released in the Switch in 2024, natch.
6/10
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