🚂 Steam Deck Unboxing | Part II | Gameplay & OS Video | "Let's Play Some Elden Ring on My Steam Deck" 🚂 #SteamDeck

Rich has had a few weeks with the Steam Deck and wanted to take you through the UI and the OS and also to play some Elden Ring on the Steam Deck. Come take a look.

🛩️🏔️ South Of The Circle Nintendo Switch Ten Minute Taster "Beautiful & Intriguing" 🛩️🏔️ @11bitstudios #IndieGames #GameDev

South of the Circle is an emotional narrative experience with a deep multi-layered cinematic story.

The main plot asks questions about the consequences of life choices, of pursuing either career or true love, manoeuvring between now and the past.

🏌️‍♂️⛳️ Cursed To Golf PS5 Review 7/10 “A Charming 2D Arcade Golf Game, That Might Make You snap a few clubs” 🏌️‍♂️⛳️ @ChuhaiLabs #IndieGames #GameDev

Seeing the term ‘roguelike golf adventure’ when I read a preview for this game had me very intrigued, it’s not a combination of words I thought I would ever see, it also combines two things that cause grown adults to curse, break the objects use to play it and utter the words “that’s it, it’s a stupid game, why the hell did I ever start playing this?

Where the hell are my blood pressure tablets… OK, just one more try”

🦇🕷️🦹 Top Ten Superhero Games (That Don't Have Batman or Spider-Man in the Title ) 🦇🕷️🦹

With the decidedly iffy-looking Gotham Knights due for release in the coming weeks, we thought we'd take a look at some of the best games that the superhero genre has to offer. 

We intended to showcase a diverse offering of titles but ended up with four Batman games and six Spiderman games. So to challenge ourselves we decided to make it spicy. 

Not too spicy though, the original title of the article was "Top Ten Superhero Games That Don't Feature Batman or Spider-Man" but apparently Spider-Man is in everything even resembling a Marvel game and good Batman-free DC games simply don't exist.

So with all that said, here are our top ten Webhead and Caped Crusader Lite SuperHero games.

💥 No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Nintendo Switch Review 8/10 "Some Of The Best Bosses In Gaming" 💥 @PixelHunted

You can’t talk about No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle without discussing the first game. 

Suda51’s 2007 punk demo tape of a game was all unsanded edges, wonky controls, and enthusiastic but half-baked mechanics. 

All that was delivered was a healthy serving of passive aggression towards the player, forcing them to grind through intentionally tedious minigames to earn the right to fight a selection of ludicrous bosses.

This made it something of a surprise when No More Heroes was a monster hit on Wii. Three years later Desperate Struggle landed, with the franchise’s ‘difficult second album’ a smidge more conservative but way more polished.

Does it being ‘better’ sacrifice part of No More Heroes’ soul?

The debate has been raging since Desperate Struggle landed in 2010, with many fans still salty that the sequel dares to be… * gasp * f-fun?

💿📀 G4F Records Interview 💿📀 #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl #VGMusic #VGM

https://www.g4f-records.com/en/

After covering a couple of G4F releases recently (Road ’96 and the Haven), I was keen to learn more about this French label, as they had incredibly diverse releases on their site.

I was lucky enough to get in contact with Content manager Rémi and Marketing Assistant Yoann to learn more about their history, focuses, triumphs and ideals.

💥👹 SCATHE PC Ten Minute Taster Gameplay "Bullets In Hell!" 💥👹 @ScatheFPS #IndieGames #GameDev

Scathe is an intense, blood-soaked FPS where quick reflexes are the key to surviving the bullet Hell labyrinth that stands between you and your ascension. Rip through the underworld's deadliest demons and collect the Hellstones with drop-in/drop-out online co-op gameplay.

🧛 Vampire Survivors announces release date for the release date and releases patch with new weapon, arcana & more 🧛 #VampireSurvivors

After weeks of anticipation and teasers, indie hit Vampire Survivors finally has a release date… for its release date!

The launch date for the 1.0 version will be announced on the 29th of September.

To apologize for the amount of teasing of the big launch, developer Poncle will also release a new patch today (Thursday 15th depending on when you read this)!

Patch v0.11.3 brings the new super rare weapon Super Candybox II Turbo, plus the extremely powerful new Arcana XXI - Blood Astronomia, and officially introduces the super glitchy secret character “missingN” that can now be unlocked normally (instead of editing the game files to unlock them lol).

Links
Official patch notes(Goes live at 4.30 pm BST on Thursday 15th Sept)
Patch trailer
Steam page

🖱️ Trust introduces the GXT 981 Redex, a lightweight gaming mouse for heavy use 🖱️

The GXT 981 Redex is just as good as its wireless variant, the GXT 980 Redex Wireless (launched in March of this year). It is a lightweight gaming mouse featuring Kailh switches that last up to 80 million clicks, adjustable DPI, and RGB lighting

Leading value-for-money digital lifestyle accessories brand, Trust Electronics Ltd, is pleased to introduce GXT 981 Redex lightweight gaming mouse with durable Kailh mechanical switches.

The latest gaming mouse in the Trust range is available from Amazon for £29.99

🖱️💥 Sunday Gold PC Ten Minute Taster Gameplay "A Guy Ritchie Film Inspired Point & Click Game?" 🖱️💥 #IndieGames #GameDev

Sunday Gold is a point-and-click, turn-based adventure game set in grim, dystopian future.

Play as a ragtag trio of criminals to hunt down and expose the dark secrets of an evil mega-corporation and the malevolent billionaire behind it.

📦 Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate | Press Box Unboxing 📦 @dyschronia_en @chronos_ser

Rich received a cool press box through the post for Dyschronia : Chronos Alternate so he decided to make an unboxing video to show you all the nice loot he got given :)

Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate takes place in the city of Astrum Close where the crime rate is only 0.001%. A collective mentoring system ensures that residents of the city remain calm and safe, eradicating any want to commit violent or illegal acts. 

Protagonist Hal Scion is a young investigator who has a special ability called "Memory Dive." 

The Memory Dive allows Hal to see into and alter the past, and he uses this ability to collect evidence in his investigation... 

When the founder of Astrum Close is found dead, Hal must take up the case in order to solve this theoretically impossible murder.

👾🕹️ Atari Mania | "Well This Looks Bloody great!" 👾🕹️ #Retrogaming #Atari

Microgame mayhem is front and centre as iconic retro publisher Atari today unveils an all-new teaser trailer for its upcoming trek into eras past.

Atari Mania

Atari Mania sees players take on the role of Caretaker of the Atari Vault, the repository for all classic Atari games. 

However, one day, chaos is unleashed as dead pixels suddenly appear in the Vault and begin wreaking havoc.

As showcased in the groovy new teaser trailer, familiar and treasured games begin to warp, mutate and combine into a series of increasingly crazy challenges!

🧩 Infuriating Puzzles in Video Games 🧩

We all have them.

Those puzzles which will instantly make us sag forwards and sigh at the floor.

For me, it’s light refraction puzzles. I CAN NOT abide them. Every time I come across them in a game, I shut my mind off to enjoyment and – with gritted teeth – power through, just to get to the next section.

I’ve - again - chatted to my GF colleagues and they’ve responded with the puzzle types that make them yank out clumps of their own hair and offer it as a gift to Satan; clock puzzles, book puzzles, statues, jigsaws, sliding puzzles...it’s all there.

💾👙 The Erotic Floppy – A Joystick Story - "Chun Li's Knickers" 👙💾 #Retrogaming #Amiga

Ahhh, porn in video games. It’s not something that we cover here at GF too often, but the other day I was talking to my GF colleagues, and the topic of our introductions to saucy games came up.

🗺️🧭 Voyage Ten minute Taster Nintendo Switch Gameplay 🗺️🧭 @venturousgames #IndieGames #GameDev

Voyage Ten-minute Taster Nintendo Switch Gameplay.

To find their way home, two survivors journey to unravel the mysteries of the past.

🚂 Sweet Transit Ten Minute Taster PC Gameplay "I Choo Choose You!" 🚂 @SweetTransit_ #IndieGames #GameDev

 
Sweet Transit is a unique city builder where the railway is king and trains are the sole means of transportation. Quaint villages will expand to bustling cities, farms to industrious factories, and steam-powered rail to combustious diesel... and beyond in this interconnected, train-driven world.

📦👀 STEAM DECK UNBOXING 📦👀 #SteamDeck

Rich finally got his Steam Deck through the post and decided to do an unboxing video as he was very excited about getting hips deep into the wonderful world of Steam Deck!

I really want one of these docks, please!!

🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️ Voyage Nintendo Switch Review 8.5/10 "A Beautiful Walk" 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️ @venturousgames #GameDev #IndieGames

Voyage is a dream-like video game that drops you into a world with little to no introductions and leaves you to work out how to traverse a beautiful world.

Playing Voyage is like being trapped in a watercolour storybook with mystical tinges of story interwoven into the puzzles that will leave you wondering what will come next and what is going on in this world.

My immediate thoughts went to Journey, LIMBO and Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons when I began playing this intriguing puzzle platformer that leaves you agog with its beauty and the atmosphere that is created through visuals rather than words. 

🫖🧸🗝️ Lost In Play Ten Minute Taster Nintendo Switch Gameplay "Time For A Key In A Tea Party" 🫖🧸🗝️ @HappyJuiceGames #IndieGames #GameDev

 
In Lost In Play, you will get to Go on a feel-good adventure with a brother and sister as they explore dreamscapes and befriend magical creatures. Lost in their imagination, Toto and Gal must stick together and solve puzzles to journey back home. This whimsical puzzle adventure game will make you feel like you're playing a cartoon!

📺🕹️ Thinking of Improving Your Home Gaming Experience; Here’s 4 Tips to Get Started 📺🕹️

 

Photo by JESHOOTS.com:

So you’ve decided you’re tired of your current home gaming experience. Maybe the games you have don’t do it for you like they used to, or maybe you’re just looking for a more immersive and social experience. Well, we have some tips to help get you started on improving your home gaming setup!

Invest in a better TV.

It might be time for an upgrade if you’re gaming on an old CRT TV. A newer TV will provide a better picture quality and offer features like 120hz refresh rates and low input lag that can give you a competitive edge. If you’re looking to improve your home gaming experience, investing in a better TV is a great place to start. A newer TV will provide a better picture quality and features like 120hz refresh rates and low input lag that can give you a competitive edge. Don’t forget to consider the size of your room when choosing a new TV – you don’t want to get one that’s too big or too small for the space!

Experiment with console gaming.

If you're used to playing games on your phone or computer, console gaming can be a different experience. It can be more immersive and provide a better sense of competition. As a result, you might enjoy console gaming more than you thought you would.

There are several different consoles to choose from, so do some research to see which one would be the best fit for you. Once you start console gaming, make sure to explore all the different features and games it has to offer. You might be surprised at how much there is to do.

Console gaming can be expensive, so if you're on a budget, look for ways to save money. For example, buy used games or look for sales and discounts. There are also ways to get free games, so do some digging and see what you can find.

Invest in an ergonomic gaming chair.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on a gaming chair, but it's worth investing in one that is comfortable and supports your back. There are many different gaming chair styles available, so you can find one that fits your needs and budget.

Comfortable seating is essential when you're going to be spending hours in front of the TV or computer. A good gaming chair will help you stay comfortable and prevent back pain. You may even find that you can play better when seated in a comfortable chair!

Socialise while gaming.

One of the best ways to improve your home gaming experience is to socialise while you're playing. You can join an online community or clan or invite friends over to play in person.

It can be a bit daunting at first if you're not used to socialising while gaming. But don't worry – there are plenty of resources and guides to help you get started. Once you start meeting people and making friends, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner!

These are just a few tips to help you get started on improving your home gaming experience. There's no need to do everything at once – start with one or two of these tips and see how it goes. You'll be well on your way to having the best home gaming setup around with a little effort!

🌍🌎 Batora Lost Haven PC Ten Minute Taster Gameplay "Save Earth!" 🌍🌎 @BatoraLostHaven #IndieGame #GameDev

In Batora Lost Haven you'll embark on an epic adventure to save Earth in this interplanetary action RPG. Harness the ancient powers of the Sun and Moon to take on a variety of unique enemies while solving diverse puzzles and exploring stunning sci-fi worlds, each with its own curious stories, inhabitants, and mysteries.

For the Record - From Sumthing Else to Skill Tree Records "How Nile Rodgers' Video Game Record Label Closed and Then Rose From the Flames" #VideoGameMusic

A huge thank you to Blip Blop for their insight, knowledge, and assistance – without them, this article would not have been possible.

A record label founded by multiple Grammy award-winning musician and composer Nile Rodgers in 1998, Sumthing Records – and the distribution arm, Sumthing Distribution – was at one point the largest African-American-owned distribution company in America, created to produce and distribute video game music.

The label – mainly through the trading style of Sumthing Else Music Works – released music from some of the largest games and franchises of the era, before closing suddenly in January of 2019, with Nile Rodgers’ below statement on his official website:

🎮 SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2 now available to Pre-order in Europe! + GAMES LIST🎮 #SEGAMegaDriveMini2 #SegaGenesis

SEGA Corporation has confirmed that pre-orders for the SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2 are now available in Europe.

The SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2 is set to release on October 27th, 2022. 

More details are available on the official website: https://sega.jp/mdmini2/en/

The Mega Drive Mini 2 features 60 titles from SEGA's illustrious back catalogue, including, for the first time, titles from the MEGA CD era, new ports and previously unreleased games.

🩸 Vampire Survivors Gets Another 'Bloody' Patch 🩸 #VampireSurvivors

Vampire Survivors SPOILER ALERT:  Patch 0.11.2 lets players unlock a new game mode: the quick start mode randomly picks a random character and stage for an extra challenge. On top of that players can unlock and select a “?” character button that lets them actually play as ?.    Yep, the new secret character is a playable question mark. I’m not kidding.    The patch also brings new spells (aka cheats, list below) and a whole bunch of fixes and tweaks.  See the full patch notes for more info and how to unlock the new secrets. maybeiamastallion: Unlocks Smith (only works if Toastie is unlocked) igottagettotheedgeofsoul: Unlocks Aren Gijus allatonce: Unlocks Queen Sigma

Links Official patch notes (Live at 4.30 pm BST on Steam) Steam page

💰 Trust Gaming keyboards, mice and headsets with MASSIVE discounts this week! 💰

There are some massive savings on Trust Gaming’s range of gaming gear this week!

With over 50 per cent off on the Pylo headset and Redex mouse as well as the fantastic looking and feature-packed Azor keyboard and mouse set for under £20, these really are a steal.

These deals run until the 9^th of September so hurry up and get involved!

📀 Dead by Daylight Official Video Game Soundtrack (Volume 2) 📀 #VideoGameVinyl #Vinyl #VGM

Dead by Daylight Official Video Game Soundtrack (Volume 2) | Michel. F April

Return to Analog – Purchase Link

When I covered the first volume of Dead by Daylight’s music back in October of last year, I remember being struck by how effective it was at capturing the foreboding, building tension – and subsequent explosive terror of the game itself.

Michel. F April completely nailed the tone, and it made listening through the selections of the soundtrack a perfect horror companion. To celebrate Record Store Day, Canadian label Return to Analog has released volume 2 in the series, capturing more of Michel. F April’s thunderous score for the hugely successful video game.

💿📀 HAVEN (vinyl) Original Soundtrack by Danger Label: G4F Records 💿📀 @G4F_Records @TheGameBakers #VideoGameVinyl #Vinyl #VGM

Purchase Link - 

https://www.g4f-records.com/en/produit/haven-edition-vinyl/

(From the G4F Records website)

"Haven Original Soundtrack Double Vinyl

A double vinyl album (180g) of the Haven soundtrack, the new RPG adventure game from The Game Bakers (Furi, Squids Odyssey, etc.).

This edition includes a selection of 17 tracks (including some LP Edits) from the game’s original soundtrack, composed by Danger.

This edition includes two vinyl records (yellow and red) in a “pastel grain” textured gatefold cover designed by Yukio Takatsu (Japanese animator and director). The inner sleeves also feature their own design in the game’s colors.

Each order includes a digital download of the Haven soundtrack in the format of your choice (MP3, WAV, FLAC…)."

🏚️🔥🦖 Gigapocalypse XSX Review 8.5/10 "Absolutely Roarsome" 🏚️🔥🦖 @goodypundit #IndieGames #GameDev

Having had my fists kicked off by Covid for the second time, I was in a pretty sorry state last week. After three days of being bed-bound and praying for fevered sleep, I couldn’t take any more Billy Blanks movies and dragged myself to the couch for some interactive entertainment.

Being ill, I couldn’t really focus on anything too hips deep, and was really fancying some kind of casual, zoned-out fun…and stumbled across Gigapocalypse in our ‘to be reviewed’ list. It was just the tonic.

🕹️ Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium XSX Review 8/10 "More gold from the big guns" 🕹️

The original Capcom Arcade Stadium was an absolute pleasure, nigh-on perfect versions of some glittering jewels from throughout Capcom’s illustrious career. 

This, the second incarnation understandably pulls out some curios and oddities from their catalogue but also focuses on some key franchises (Darkstalkers, Street Fighter) as well as bringing some real hidden gems into the limelight.

🔊🎸 Introducing AUDIOCASE – A game-changing portable and powerful hi-fi speaker, guitar amp, PA system, and karaoke machine! 🔊🎸 @AudiocaseDK

 Fully funded on Kickstarter within just one hour! 

Audio professionals, Audiocase today announced the launch of two new Audiocase portable speakers on Kickstarter. 

The Danish startup is ready to disrupt the market with its ultimate all-in-one portable speaker, home audio system, practice amplifier, PA system, and karaoke machine. 

The Audiocase S5 is currently selling on Kickstarter at €539/£461/$541 and the S10 is €699/£598/$702, both for a limited quantity, which will receive a significant discount over the retail prices. The Kickstarter campaign is now live and fully funded in just one hour.

⚔️🔥🏚️ Age Of Darkness : Final Stand Ten Min Taster PC Gameplay "Night Terrors" ⚔️🔥🏚️ @AOD_FinalStand #IndieGames #GameDev

Age of Darkness: Final Stand is a dark fantasy survival RTS where you must illuminate, build and defend humanity’s last bastion against hordes of Nightmares. 

Set in the remnants of a kingdom consumed by a deadly fog, you decide. 

Will you hide in the light? Or take back your world?

🕹️ Atari Releases Warlords and Super Breakout in 50th Anniversary Cartridge Format on Limited Run Games 🕹️@atari #Retrogaming #Atari2600

Atari revealed today a new set of 50th Anniversary collectable cartridges for the Atari 2600: Warlords and Super Breakout. Available now for preorder through the official Atari XP website and Limited Run Games, the two new cartridges feature striking, reimagined artwork on the front labels and are adorned with an acrylic logo on the top of the cartridges that light up when being played. 

The cartridges will ship in newly designed boxes that are inspired by the colourful and iconic packaging of the original Atari 2600 games. 

📸🔪 Dreadout 2 Xbox Series X 4/10 “Less is more” 📸🔪 @dreadoutgame #IndieGames #GameDev

I have spent my last few reviews lamenting over the horror genre, all the games had similar flaws and each of them seemed to languish in generic plots without a hint of originality, so going into Dreadout 2 I was hoping for a big kick up the butt, with a horror game filled with new ideas and an amazing plot.

Nope. within the first twenty minutes, I could see where we were heading, except it now included technical problems. Now, this game is obviously made on a budget, so I do cut it some slack, but it does things that make you think, “if you’re on a budget… just don’t do it, horror is the perfect genre to scale back and subscribe to the motto less is more”.

🏃 Guns N' Runs has been announced PS4/Switch 🏃

Guns N 'Runs is a stylish platformer, action and shooter game, containing special superpowers and dash mechanics. Unlock hundreds of meticulous challenges and boss battles. All with an immersive soundtrack and an individual story for each of the 8 characters.

🥋🕹️ Rich's Fave Commodore 64 Games From When He Was Growing Up 🕹️🥋

Here's a list of my favourite Commodore 64 games from when I was growing up.

The C64 has a special place in my heart even though I never owned one.

So here's a little video celebrating my faves from the days of playing demo tapes from the covers of magazines and buying the best-looking box art from the computer shop!

💥 Life on Mars - Genesis | "It takes us into a realm on the Sega Mega Drive that gets my blood pumping" 💥

Life On Mars: Genesis is the next game from Kai Magazine Software, the company that brought us Metal Dragon. Whereas that game was a humorous run ‘n gun title, Life On Mars: Genesis takes us into a realm on the Sega Mega Drive that gets my blood pumping almost as much as RPGs on the system, Metroidvania. The Mega Drive was starved of several genres – and true sequels to Landstalker… - and the Metroidvania genre was certainly one of those.

⚔️🪓 Video Game Fables PC (Steam) Review 8/10 "Laugh as You Level" ⚔️🪓 @MomijiStudios #IndieGames #GameDev

It’s always a pleasure to come across a game that has been created as a labour of love, and Video Game fables is very much that.

Developed by one-man team Momiji Studios (with music provided by Levc EGM), Video Game Fables is primarily a turn-based RPG with an open-world structure, but is also packed with mini-games and asides – from the website:

"Video Game Fables" is a fun, light-hearted RPG adventure set in an abandoned RPG game world that hasn't had a player in decades.

The world's script gets completely ruined by someone calling herself "The Forsaken Princess."

It's up to Aru (the world's princess), Nate (an NPC aspiring to be a hero), and Tator (the villain's son) to get things back to normal...or maybe change everything forever.”

🕹️🧦 Britt's Arcade Paradise Launch Day Diary - "As the whole experience was an almost surreal one, I thought I’d document it here" 🧦🕹️ @KingWashArcade

As mentioned before on the site, Arcade Paradise was quite a unique gaming experience for me, in that my band’s music was part of the game’s soundtrack, and so I couldn’t review the finished product, as I was too close to it (my editor Rich recently reviewed the game, however) but it did mean that I was invited to the launch party up in London in a venue located at the Leake Street Arches. As the whole experience was an almost surreal one, I thought I’d document it here, more from my perspective as a musician than a writer for GF.

😼 Astro Aqua Kitty Nintendo Switch Review 7/10 "Mike, do you want to review Astro Aqua Kitty or Human Fall Flat?" "Oooh the cat one please!" 🙀 @TIKIPODltd #IndieGames #GameDev

Ever since Crash Bandicoot, I have had a rough relationship with games that look cute and friendly but are actually alarmingly difficult (cheers for the PTSD flashbacks Cuphead).

Astro Aqua Kitty is significantly less traumatising than those two but still offers a pretty hefty challenge and a surprisingly deep RPG system for a game about adorable cats in their adorable submarines.