🎧 H3 EPOS Closed Acoustic Gaming Wired Headset | ICE COOL | "I was intrigued as to the leap in quality a £100+ headset would make" 🎧 @eposaudiogaming #GamingHeadset #ThePowerofAudio

Having covered a few headsets between the £20-£50 price bracket from various brands and listening to dozens of hours of games, podcasts and music through them all, I was intrigued as to the leap in quality a £100+ headset would make and if it would even be that noticeable in the grand scheme of things.

Yes, yes it is.

🐙 The Sinking City (enhanced) | Review | Xbox Series X | 8.5/10 (Ice Cool) | "The Best Lovecraft-Inspired Game Yet?" 🐙 @Frogwares #GameDev #IndieGames

Released to relatively positive reviews back in 2019, Frogwares’ The Sinking City wasn’t exactly a technical marvel, with most of the negativity focusing on the lengthy loading times and visual issues such as screen-tearing and an unreliable frame rate.

I fully intended to play the game upon its original release but it somehow slipped through the cracks and so I had no preconceptions of the title going into this review. I’m pleased to say that this enhanced version of The Sinking City really does seem to solve all the technical problems that it seems people had with the 2019 release and to me, stands up as one of – if not THE - best games based on Lovecraft’s works.

🕵️🔪🩸 Hitman 3 | PS5 | Review | 9/10 | "A Fitting End To The World of Assassination Trilogy" 🕵️🔪🩸 @Hitman @IOInteractive

The Hitman series is one that I've played and loved for about 15 years and the 2006 entry Hitman: Blood Money specifically is one of my favourite games of all time.

The series has always been about the creative kills; drop a piano on an unsuspecting criminal, poison the mob boss’ morning gin, dress up as a clown and beat a villain to death with a frying pan at his child's birthday party etc.

It’s a series about creativity, of how cunning or sadistic can you be? My strategy would always be - try to plan something clever. Fail. Panic, ending up with bursting into a room, shooting the target and then hiding in the nearest bin. 

📘 Bitmap Books – Game Boy: The Box Art Collection | Book Review By Britt | "an extremely tasty tome" 📘 @bitmap_books #RetroGaming #GameBoy

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Bitmap Books’ prior releases and so was keen to get hips deep in this, their most recent project. The book definitely lived up to the weighty expectations and really feels of a high quality throughout its almost 400-page heft.

🔎 The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark | Nintendo Switch | Review | 8/10 | "More Top-Notch, Spooky, Point n Click Shenanigans" 🔎 @spookydoorway #GameDev #IndieGames

I reviewed the original Darkside Detective back in 2017 (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2017/10/review-darkside-detective-welcome-to.html) and found it a really fun and funny experience. 

This sequel continues in very much the same vein, if you were a fan of the original, this is a smooth and high-quality continuation but the way in which the story begins and progresses, you’d need to be aware of the events of the first game to really understand what’s going on and get full enjoyment out of the experience.

🗻 Mundaun | Xbox Series X | 9.5/10 | "Black and White, Yet Solid Gold" 🗻 @MundaunGame #IndieGames #GameDev

I make no excuses for how much I enjoyed this game. 

An eerily beautiful, slow-burning folkloric horror set in the Swiss Alps, the town of the title is brought to stark life through monochromatic pencilwork, presenting a well-told tale that doesn’t let the gameplay slide, a rarity in this genre that will remain with me for a long time. 

It’s a good game, it is.

💀 Lust From Beyond | PC | Review | 8/10 | "There’s No Shortage of Games About Sex" 💀 @PixelHunted @MGLunarium #GameDev #IndieGames

There’s no shortage of games about sex. The thing is, the vast majority of them are developed and played by people who obviously aren’t getting any. 

A quick glance at Steam’s ‘Sexual Content’ category indicates that the majority are there to let nerds molest anime schoolgirls - a strong indicator that sex is likely to forever remain a theoretical concept for the average consumer of erotic games.

🎮 Gioteck | WX4 Premium | Wireless Controller With Programmable Back Buttons | 8.5/10 | ICE COOL 🎮 @GioteckArmy

I reviewed Gioteck’s WX4 - both wired and wireless versions - a few months ago on the site, having also used them personally for over a year prior to the article  -where they received a saucy 8/10 ICE COOL rating - https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2020/11/gioteck-controllers-review-wx-4-and-jc.html

Having received the new WX4 premium version – again, compatible with PS3, PC and Switch – the build quality, connectivity and battery life are mostly the same but there are differences here.

📷📺🐿️ NUTS | Review | Nintendo Switch | 9/10 | "Squirrel Detective Simulator 2K21" 🐿️ 📷📺 @joonturbo #GameDev #IndieGames #BestIndieGames

When you can’t stop thinking about a video game then you know it has the special ingredient that is going to keep you coming back to it.

The special ingredient here is NUTS.

📚📖 Tex Murphy and the Poisoned Pawn – a Novel by Aaron Connors 📚📖 @aaronconners #BookReview

Having been a fan of the Tex Murphy games since the early nineties, it was only in late 2018 that I realised that there were a series of books based on the video games. The novels are written by author Aaron Connors – who is also screenplay/story writer on the games - and, after reading and thoroughly enjoying The Pandora Directive, I was lucky enough to get some time with Aaron for a GF interview back in 2019:

https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2019/04/interview-with-aaron-conners-author-of.html

Since then, I’ve been keenly awaiting the arrival of Tex Murphy and the Poisoned Pawn for more futuristic private detective action and I’m pleased to say that it is absolutely worth the wait and another awesome chapter in the ongoing Tex Murphy story.

🎼 ActRaiser | Original Soundtrack & Symphonic Suite | (Vinyl) | Review | "A Pristine Pressing, Ready To Get Some Serious Spins On a Lot of Turntables." | 🎼 @wayorecords #VideoGameSoundtracks

Wayo Records - https://www.wayorecords.com/

A gorgeous, coloured double-vinyl edition of Yuzo Koshiro’s 1990 score comprising of the original soundtrack and an orchestral suite, this sumptuous release from Wayo Records is a pristine pressing, ready to get some serious spins on a lot of turntables.

👒 Tales From the Borderlands | Review | Xbox Series X | 8/10 | "A Feisty-Heisty Tale" 👒

I was quite looking forward to covering Tales From the Borderlands as it was only a few weeks ago that I got hips deep into Borderlands 3 (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/01/borderlands-3-review-x-box-series-x-my.html) and also picked up the soundtrack on vinyl (Sanctuary 3 is an absolute blinder) so the thought of more Borderlands action was very much right up my Strasse.

🏰⚔️👹 Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection | Review | Nintendo Switch | 9/10 |"The Boxers are Back" 🏰⚔️👹

There’s no beating around the bush here, Ghosts ‘n Goblins has a really rich history for both Capcom and myself. 

The Mega Drive version is one of the most played titles in my entire game collection and I have a lasting memory of being in Leeds for a Play Expo and staying up until 4am in my hotel room on the Friday determined, DETERMINED to finish the game (which I did, #justsayin’).

📖 Amiga Addict – A NEW Print Amiga Magazine 📖 #RetroGaming #CommodoreAmiga

The Amiga is a system that holds a very dear place in my ticker. I grew up with the A500+ / A1200  and the leap from my Amstrad CPC to the Amiga was akin to spending years watching the films of Albert Pyun and then watching literally any film by any other director…it was a breath-taking, gravity-defying jump in quality and immersion.

🦀🏝️🛋️ Moving Out DLC: "Movers In Paradise" | Nintendo Switch | Review | "Just Another Day In Moving Paradise" 🦀🏝️🛋️ @MovingOutGame #IndieGames #GameDev

Moving Out has become a firm family favourite during 2021 as we spend a lot of time at home playing video games together as a family (this purchase was inspired by Britt's review)

Our previous favourite was Overcooked from Team 17 with its manic cooking madness.

Moving Out has superseded Overcooked though because the variety of fun to be had with four players while trying to fling sofas onto the back of a truck in a time limit is absolutely limitless. 

🌄🗿 Summer Catchers | Review | Nintendo Switch | "Summer Loving Had Me A Blast!" 🌄🗿 @SummerCatchers #GameDev #IndieGames

Summer Catchers has been out on PC since July 2019 and it’s a game that passed me by. 

Fast forward to 2021 and now it’s on Nintendo Switch I think I have discovered a video game that will stick with me for a very long time to come. 

Summer Catchers is……….bloody marvellous.

🎭 Liberated – Enhanced Edition | Review | Nintendo Switch | 8/10 | "Enhanced and Refreshed!" 🎭 @LiberatedGame #IndieGames #GameDev

I originally reviewed Liberated in its original form back in June 2020 (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2020/06/liberated-review-nintendo-switch-well.html) and my take on the game was of a positive experience marred by technical issues.

💣 Papi Commando 2: Second Blood | Review | 8/10 | Mega Drive | "There’s No Blood Like Second Blood" 💣 @Broke_Studio #IndieGames #GameDev #HomeBrew #SEGA

Here at GF, we are big fans of homebrew titles being released on older consoles and games such as Devwill Too and Flea! have been great examples of small development teams creating great games.

I’m pleased to say that Studio Vetea’s Papi Commando 2 continues this trend. A cartoonish arena shooter for up to two players with 100 levels to explore, it’s a great new game to add to your Mega Drive collection.

🏹🧛‍♂️ Wallachia: Reign of Dracula | Review | Nintendo Switch | 8/10 | "8-Way Combat is The Order of The Day" 🏹🧛‍♂️ @Migami_Games #GameDev #IndieGames

Following my review of Tanuki Justice a few days ago, a game from publisher Pixelheart that calls to mind the 8-bit Japanese arcade era, it was interesting to follow up that review with another game – again from Pixelheart – that shifts gears to the 16-bit era. 

Wallachia: Reign of Dracula is a  game that follows the tale of a vampire hunter as she bows-and-arrows (definitely a real term, don’t look it up) her way through seven stages of vintage arcade action in a bid to finally fire an arrow right up Dracula’s jacksie and put a stop to his haemoglobin-fuelled shenanigans.

🐷 GUNPIG: Firepower For Hire | Review | Nintendo Switch | "I'd definitely be up for more of this!" 🐷 @FlynnsArcades #GameDev #IndieGames

To quote my friend Britt, also of this parish: "A third of the game is cutscenes, they are hurling around characters' names which all sound similar and sometimes refer to the same person in a light/dark/alternate version. So in one scene, they can refer to one character by multiple names...and they haven't yet been introduced."

He wasn't talking about Gunpig, of course.