⚔️ Mortal Shell | PS4 | Review | "A Tough Shell To Crack" ⚔️ @MortalShellGame #GameDev #IndieGames

Mortal Shell came along for review at a very apt time. Only the weekend prior was I involved in a lengthy conversation about ‘Souls-Esque’ titles, where punishment and difficulty are built-in to the games themselves and pushed as a focal point.

Whilst I never clicked with the Dark Souls games, personally, my friend was telling me of a moment whereby, after two weeks of trying to defeat the final boss in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, he finally succeeded and, in his words, ‘fell to the floor on his back and clawed at the air with his limbs, whilst giggling...like a happy puppy’.

This level of dedication and perseverance isn’t really ingrained in me but I did appreciate and respect someone having that approach and ‘I can do this’ attitude to gaming.

🛣️🚗 Road to Guangdong | PS4 | Review | “A Familial Chinese Tale” 🚗🛣️ @RoadToGuangdong #GameDev #IndieGames

A light visual novel, broken up by some item management and arcade driving sections, Road to Guangdong is a gentle jaunt through various types of gameplay that has some relaxing moments but does struggle to keep you interested up until the final moments.

⚔️ Griefhelm | PC | Review By @PixelHunted "I shudder to think of the hundreds of millions of individual times I’ve whacked stuff with a sword in a video game" ⚔️ @griefhelm #GameDev #IndieGames

I shudder to think of the hundreds of millions of individual times I’ve whacked stuff with a sword in a video game. But despite it being one of the most common interactions only a few games go out of their way to get it right.

Efforts range from the balletic rhythmic parry-and-counter of Sekiro, the physical thrill of slicin’ up blocks in Beat Saber and the rock-paper-scissors fighting game stylings of For Honor. 

Enter Griefhelm, the new title by solo developer Johnny Dale Lonack, a guy who has clearly done his homework on virtual swordplay.

🏎️🚓 Tiny Racer | Review | Nintendo Switch | "Toy Racing At Its Worst?" 🏎️🚓 #IndieGames #GameDev

Game Title: Tiny Racer

Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Switch

Rating: Melted

The toy-racing genre is one that I am always drawn to.

From the early multiplayer days of Micro Machines and even Hi-Octane - an overlooked Amiga PD classic (for me, anyway) – to what is probably the last truly great example of the genre, Mashed on Xbox and PS2 (not forgetting its spiritual successor, Wrecked. Again, an overlooked and very fun title).

It is a genre that, when everything clicks, can result in dozens of hours of fun but when the elements don’t gel, as is, unfortunately, the case here, fundamental issues can bring the game to its knees and strip out any enjoyment from the racing.

⚔️ Ancestors Legacy | PS4 | Review | "Total War + Company Of Heroes" ⚔️ @DestCreat_Team #GameDev #IndieGames

In Ancestors Legacy you will take command of your army as you storm through medieval Europe in a range of campaigns in this history-inspired real-time strategy game influenced by historical events of the Middle Ages.

🕹️ GAME LINK:🕹️ PS4 Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/33Uv9O6

⛳ GolfTopia | Review | PC | Early Access | "The Spiritual Successor To Sim Golf?" ⛳ #IndieGames #GameDev #GolfTopia

In Golftopia you are the General Manager of a randomly generated blank slate of a golf course and you’ll need to DESIGN, BUILD and MANAGE your own futuristic dream course from scratch. All the while you’ll be required to keep 200 persistent visitors fed, hydrated, and happy by improving the course and providing for their needs. You’ll also be tasked with defending your golfing utopia from the infestation of weeds with robotic worker drones and even defensive turrets!

Game Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1144020/GolfTopia

😱 Carrion | Review | Nintendo Switch | "Carrion Screaming" 😱 @devolverdigital #IndieGames #GameDev

Carrion is a surprisingly addictive and satisfying ‘reverse-horror’ title that feels unique in its take on the genre.

Whilst there are games that cast you as an anti-hero or even full-blown villain, there aren’t many examples whereby you play an all-consuming, morphing beast that lurks in the shadows, a force of sheer terror. 
Game Title: Carrion
Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Switch
Rating: ICE COOL

🎮 Crosscode | Review | PS4 | "I’m The Seven-Foot-Tall Mecha-Unicorn Called Funty Quank" 🎮 @ININ_Games #IndieGames #GameDev

Crosscode is a deep and lovingly-designed ARPG that, whilst having a throwback appeal in its visuals has an ultra-modern heart which results in a successful and satisfying adventure for all.

Game Title: Crosscode
Platform Reviewed: PS4
Rating: Ice Cool

🎮 Venom Travel Kit | Review | A Cool Piece Of Kit For Use With XBOX ONE and XBOX ONE ELITE Controllers 🎮 @VenomGamingUK

Product link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Venom-Project-xCloud-Mobile-Gaming

Rating: ICE COOL

Available on Amazon and priced at £19.99, the Venom Travel Kit is a handy, robust and practical package designed with the upcoming Project XCloud in mind. 

For me personally, however, it was surprisingly useful beyond this and actually opened a doorway into a different realm of gaming.

👹 Roki | PC | Review | "A Grimm Fairytale" 👹 @UtdLabelGames #GameDev #IndieGames

Polygon Treehouse brings us Roki which is an adventure game inspired by Scandinavian folklore and as such it feels like you’re living out a Grimm Fairytale interspersed with point n click style puzzles.

🕹️👾 Britt's AntStream Arcade Adventure 🕹️👾 @AntstreamArcade #Arcade

Antstream arcade has been around for almost a year now and it was something I was keen to get involved with. 

For those who aren’t aware of the service, it’s a subscription-based site that allows you to stream games ranging from the 8-bit home micro-computers of the 80’s such as Amstrad, Spectrum and Commodore 64 through a selection of 16-bit titles from systems such as the Amiga and Mega Drive up to an impressive amount of arcade ports that span decades. 

💥 UltraCore | Review | PS4 | Switch | "Run & Gun Retro Fun!" 💥 @RealStrictlyLTD #IndieGames #GameDev #RetroGames

Ultracore (originally known as Hardcore) presents a really interesting piece of arcade a run and gun game history.

Developed by Digital Illusions it was Originally due to be released for Amiga, Sega Genesis, and Sega CD platforms but the game was cancelled by its publisher, Psygnosis, in 1994 after development had been pretty much completed.

🕹️ GAME LINK:🕹️ https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/product/EP3547-CUSA15866_00-0000220078458833

PS4 https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch/Ultracore-1799080.html

NINTENDO SWITCH

🔫 Outbuddies DX | Review | Nintendo Switch | "A Hefty Metroidvania With Retro-Styled Visuals" 🔫 @HeadupGames @IndieJGames #GameDev #IndieGames

Outbuddies DX is a hefty Metroidvania with retro-styled visuals, Outbuddies DX has some neat twists on the formula and some sterling audio-work but a clunky control scheme and an unwieldy map-system are detrimental to the flow of the game.

Game Title: Outbuddies DX
Developer: Julian Laufer
Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Switch
Rating: Melting

🕹️🎮 Britt's Personal Top 20 Video Games 🕹️🎮 @BrittRecluseuk #RetroGaming #IndieGames

Introduction
I find any list of this type to be very fluid, listing the top twenty games of all time objectively would be impossible. 

What I’ve done here is to list the games that had the biggest impact on me across a broad spectrum of genres as possible and always come to mind during these types of conversations. 

I actually wrote out this list a couple of weeks ago and then returned to it later to see if it still felt ‘right’ and it did, so I stuck with it. 

Next month, who knows? It could be a different story. 

🎰🎲 How The Rise Of The Internet Affected Gambling 🎰🎲

It’s hard to find an industry that hasn’t been affected by the development of technology, especially the internet. As we spend more time in the online world, more experiences are making a home there. This is the case for gambling. While casinos and betting shops still exist, there is a whole new world of gambling online. Transformations have been made in how we gamble, what games we play and the whole betting culture. This can be seen in many different aspects of the game. 

🧟‍♂️🧟🧟‍♀️ DAYMARE: 1998 | Review | PS4 | Silent Hill + Resident Evil = DAYMARE? 🧟‍♂️🧟🧟‍♀️ @InvaderDevs #IndieGames #GameDev

DAYMARE: 1998 is a third-person Resident Evil 2 inspired survival horror with survival mechanics and hard to kill bullet sponge enemies from Invader Studios. 

Invader Studios is a studio originally set up by Resi fans with the intent of producing an unofficial remake of RE2

🕹️ Vigolix RetroPie Arcade Cabinet | DIY Build | Half Size / Kids Cabinet | My First Attempt 🕹️ #Arcade #RetroGames #RetroGaming

I decided it was about time I had a go at building my own arcade cabinet so at the start of lockdown armed with one sheet of wood and a Jigsaw I had a go. This is the result and while there's room for improvement I'm also happy with the outcome plus I enjoyed every moment of planning it and making it. Here's a link to the Instructables guide and the best video I found to help: Instructables Link: https://www.instructables.com/id/A-Super-Easy-Arcade-Machine-from-1-Sheet-of-Plywoo/ YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/tXZQoQT0CDU

🏎️💨 TrackMania | PC | Review | "Tracks For Maniacs" 🏎️💨 #TrackMania

Ubisoft Nadeo Delivers Gravity-Defying Racing in Their Remake of 2006’s Trackmania Nations.

This is a  remake of the Trackmania® Nations, combining easy-to-learn, hard-to-master gameplay with a fresh look. 

Players can compete against themselves and others through solo or multiplayer on regularly updated tracks.  

Additionally, with revamped track blocks and editors, players have the freedom to create their own tracks and take advantage of the new map testing servers to share their custom tracks for the community to test and rate. 

🎮😡🗯️ A Lifetime of Rage That Turns Blood to Steam and Controllers to Dust 🎮😡🗯️

We’ve all been there, missing that pixel-perfect leap, taking a fatal hit just as we were about to nail the boss, the timer running out as the chequered flag approached, watching the ball fall betwixt the flippers as you were about to crack your high score or an unfair sniper shot from a thousand years away. Every gamer has had their moments of a geyser of fiercely boiling rage causing blackouts or their clothes to burst into flames.

Well, nothing quite like that, obviously, but you get the gist.

🤝 How To Make Friends Safely On Roblox 🤝

Online games can be wonderful social facilitators. If you’ve ever played World of Warcraft or even a competitive game like Apex Legends and found a group of people with whom you share a true kinship, then you’ll know exactly how good that can feel.

Of course, different kinds of games can enable different connections. In League of Legends, for example, you might make friends to help you climb through the unforgiving ranked ladder, while in World of Warcraft you may form an unbreakable bond with guildmates with whom you’ve raided on a regular basis.