🧐 The Spectrum Retreat - PS4 - Ten Minute Taster 🧐 #GameDev #IndieGame

"There's something sinister about a hotel with no guests apart from you and a bunch of faceless mannequin robots which talk to you....WELCOME TO THE HOTEL PENROSE!" 

⚽️ Episode 22: World Cup USA 94 - 1993 - US GOLD - SNES Football Games Were Shite ⚽️ #Retrogaming

🎮"The World Watched As USA 94 Kicked Off Without Graham Taylor's England...Could US GOLD Make Up For The Lack Of England With A Great Football Video Game?....."🎮

🏙️ Review: Unavowed "An alternate New York so good, it’s hard to leave" 🏙️ #GameDev #IndieGame @WadjetEyeGames @BrittRecluseuk

Developer: Wadjet Eye Games

Platform Reviewed: PC (Steam)

Rating: Ice Cool

Having been a fan of Wadjet Eye Games for years, I must admit that I just assumed that Unavowed would continue their streak of making great games with the foundation solidly placed on an involving narrative set in an immersive world. 

As impressive as their oeuvre has been over the last decade, with pinnacles of the graphic adventure genre such as Technobabylon, Gemini Rue and the Blackwell series, their hit streak continues with what could possibly be my favourite game thus far, Unavowed.

🕹️ Levelling Up in Liverpool "The immortal question, The Beatles…or Heavy Nova?" 🕹️ #Retrogaming

 

Recently, I was invited by a close friend to accompany him on a trip to Liverpool as he wanted to stay at the Hard Day’s Night hotel, a keen Beatles fan, he was KEEN to fully immerse himself in The Beatles culture that the wonderful city of Liverpool is so (rightly) proud of. 

👨🏻‍🚀 Preview: P.A.M.E.L.A - PC - "I’m off to pop into stasis until the release date" 👨🏻‍🚀 #GameDev #IndieGame #EarlyAccess

P.A.M.E.L.A (Early Access Preview)

System: PC

Developer: NVYVE Studios

Some of my favourite moments in video games have come from wandering off the beaten track with a few scraps in my inventory, looking through bins for a few bullets or food to eat. 

There’s something about those scrappy early stages of games such as Fallout that gets lost in the later game when you are wielding laser Gatling guns with companions made of golden sunlight, one-hit killing everything in your path with thousands in the bank. 

Those moments when you don’t know if you’ll survive the next attack or even if you’ll stave of starvation long enough to die in the fight in the first place!

🤖🔎 Review: Detective Case and Clown Bot in "The Express Killer" "A Deeply Flawed 'Comedic' Murder Mystery" 🤖🔎 #GameDev #IndieGame #PointnClick

Developer: NerdMonkeys

Platform Reviewed: PC (Steam)

Rating: Melted

"A deeply flawed comedic murder mystery"

I’ve played quite a few graphic adventure games in my time, some I’ve loved and some that had their issues but Detective Case and Clown Bot in: The Express Killer (DCCB) could well be the worst point and click game that I’ve ever played.

⚽️ Episode 21: Tony Meola's Sidekicks Soccer - 1993 - SNES Football Games Were Shite ⚽️

🎮"Join me for an overhead kick orgy in the centre circle..."🎮

⚔️ 🏔️ Preview: Caves of Qud (Early Access) "What The Hell is Going On?" 🏔️ ⚔️ #GameDev #IndieGame

Game Title: Caves of Qud (early access)

I feel ill-equipped to preview Caves of Qud (COQ) because the only other pure roguelike game that I’ve played in any real depth was Ancient Domains of Mystery, a few months ago (A game that I found to be more initially accessible than Caves of Qud) and I’m glad I did, because compared to this game, ADOM was a breeze.

⚔️ Review: Pylon: Rogue - "rogue, rogue, rogue your boat" 🧙🏻‍♂️ #GameDev #IndieGame

Game Title: Pylon: Rogue

Developer: Quantum Squid Interactive

Platform Reviewed: PC (Steam)

Pylon Rogue is an action/adventure roguelike game which looks great in trailers but when played, doesn’t quite hold up to the initial promise.

🍄 Review: Mushroom Wars 2 - "It’s….it’s….it’s a mobile port" 🍄

Game Title: Mushroom Wars 2

Developer: Zillion Whales

Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Switch

I just wanted to say something to preface my review. I have never been a fan of mobile games and generally avoid playing them or reviewing them as I have a general disdain for their design and marketing. My problem is, “games as a service” has basically been the default model on mobile from the start, so now the expectation is that all games will be “free to start”. 

⚔️🧙🏻‍♂️ Review: Nogalious - "A tough cookie rooted in the early days of 8-bit gaming" ⚔️🧙🏻‍♂️ #GameDev #IndieGame #PixelArt #Retrogaming

Game Title: Nogalious

Developer: LuegoLu3go Studios

Platform Reviewed: PC (Steam)

Nogalious is very much intended to evoke that very specific sense of platforming that was rife in the 8-bit days, especially on the Amstrad CPC. 

⚽️💩Episode 20: Super Soccer - 1991 - HUMAN - SNES Football Games Were Shite ⚽️💩 #Retrogaming

🎮 "Super Soccer was the very first Soccer Video Game to be released on the Super Nintendo and I played it to within an inch of it's life in 1991. Will it be as good as I remember it or will it be a bag of [insert expletive]" 🎮

🤖 MotherGunShip - Ten Minute Taster - PS4 🤖 #GameDev #IndieGame

🎮"MotherGunShip dishes up a gun creation mechanic that makes you think long and hard about which gun you are going to build for each of your mech suit arms.....NOICE!"🎮

🌳 Review: Semblance "A delightfully deformed development" 🌳 #GameDev #IndieGame

Game Title: Semblance

Developer: Nymakop

Platform Reviewed: Switch

Rating: Ice Cool

Released simultaneously on Switch and through Steam, Nymakop’s Semblance is a wordless puzzle-platformer that bounces off all the right buttons, making playing through its rubbery world a joy.

🛸👽 Review: Another World - "Another version of Another World that isn’t quite Out of this World" 👽🛸 @BrittRecluseuk

Game Title: Another World

Developer: Eric Chahi

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch

The impact that the original Another World had on the gaming industry upon its original 1991 release cannot be underestimated.

A moody, minimalist cinematic platformer featuring protagonist Lester Chaykin’s travels through an alien landscape whilst accompanied by his alien companion, ‘Buddy’, the game captured the hearts of an entire generation of gamers. 

🗡️The Beast Inside – Demo Preview "Time To Solve A 100 Year Old Murder Mystery!" 🧟‍♂️ #GameDev #IndieGame

The Beast Inside is based around the premise of a young man returning to his family home with his wife. Intending to make a living out in this rustic farmhouse, the game begins with the arrival of the couple at the estate. 

⚽️ Episode 19: Super Cup Soccer 2 - 1993 - Jaleco - SNES Football Games Were Shite ⚽️

🎮 "Take a trip with Jim Jaleco as we look at the second instalment of Super Cup Soccer on the SNES. Will the behind the player camera view make for an awesome video game or a pile of shizzle?!" 🎮

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

🚀🌕Review: Deep Sixed - *”Space…the final fron-…ah, damn, the microphones knackered, again”* 🚀🌕

Game Title: Deep Sixed

Platform Reviewed: PC (Steam)

Developer: LRDGames Inc.

Rating: Ice Cool

Deep Sixed is one of the most unique and fun video games that I’ve played in a little while and the only real downside is that it’s so well-designed that its specific nature may be off-putting for some, but those that click with it will find an absolute gem of a gem that will capture their imagination for a long time to come.

⚔️ Preview: Soulblight "Time To Don My +5 Armour of Sandcastle-Building" ⚔️ #IndieGame #GameDev

An intriguing game with distinctive visuals and depth but the clunky, simplistic combat and finicky menus could be an issue.

The story that drives Soulblight tells of a tree of life guarded by man, but increasingly buried away behind concrete and towers as time passes by, resulting in its wilting. 

Soon, a darkness ravages the land, leaving your character as the last hope to bring light to the waning lands .

🕹️ Bristol Gaming Market June 2018 - With Britt & Faye 🕹️ @BrittRecluseuk @ReplayEvents @KingdomOfCarts

The last time Faye and I went to a gaming market, it was last summer in London and we felt that the six-hour round trip wasn’t quite worth it and so vowed to only attend expos with markets as a part of them as opposed to gaming markets alone.

However, as this was so close to us we felt that we couldn’t miss the opportunity and so once again booked a hotel, packed up the Nintendo Switch (the hotel’s HDMI port was AWKWARD to reach!) and started off on our trip.