🌵🤠🐍 Boot Hill Heroes | Review | Nintendo Switch | "There's A Snake In My Boots!" 🌵🤠🐍 @ExpGamerStudios #GameDev #IndieGames

Let it be said that I’m a sucker for pixel art retro aesthetic graphics.

Let it also be said that I love the thought of a Wild West Fantasy RPG.

Let it be known that I think that I love Boot hill Heroes for its charm and simplicity (and it’s pixel art retro aesthetic graphics)

This is the second Boot Hill game to be released on the Nintendo Switch but in fact, it is the first game in the Boot Hill series… 

Last year my dear friend and fellow inhabitant of the Freezer took a close look at Boot hill Bounties which is, in fact, the second in the Boot hill series but appeared on the Switch before Boot Hill Heroes… STAY WITH ME…

Anyway, I’m sure you will agree that my explanation of the Switch specific order of these games has nothing to do with the game and how it plays so lets cut to the chase, shall we?

🐷🐴 Animal Farm | Review | PC | "Your worst-case scenario is mass death" 🐷🐴 @AnimalFarmGame @PixelHunted #IndieGames #GameDev

At first glance, George Orwell’s classic 1945 allegorical novel Animal Farm doesn’t seem like a great candidate for a video game. 

The tale of rebellious animals seizing control of their farm, banishing humans and attempting to carve out a new society is an excellent satire but contains few action sequences, no hordes of monsters to blast your way through and, as far as I can remember from studying it in school, not a single high-octane car chase.

That’s where developer Nerial comes in. 

🧟‍♀️🧟‍♂️ Unturned | Review | PS4 | "a tough sell" 🧟‍♀️🧟‍♂️ @SDGNelson #IndieGames #GameDev

A free-to-play title on the PC gets a port to PS4 at a price tag of £19.99. I don’t usually tend to focus on price and when I do, it’s usually to point out that a mobile game has had a lazy Switch port and the paywall removed which massively unbalances the game (yaaaaaay) so in the case of Unturned, things are slightly different but that knowledge of it being free on a different platform does sting, especially when the game behind it feels so empty and in-progress.

⌚️🐶 Watch Dogs: Legion | Review | PS4 | "Nothing to get too hacked off about" ⌚️🐶

My history with Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs series is one of highs and lows, whilst the first game didn’t set my trousers alight and cause me to ingest it so that it remained a physical part of me forever, I enjoyed the hacking mechanics and remember the driving feeling weighty and substantial, this, combined with the functional narrative ended up being a pretty fun jaunt, overall.

The second game was a different beast, however. I really struggled to get any enjoyment out of it as it was not only riddled with busywork but I found every character unbelievably irritating. I played the game for a few hours but my patience wore thin and I moved onto other games, games in which dialogue wasn’t as infuriating as a Hermes parcel delivery.

This, the third game in the series was really, really hyped. It seemed to be everywhere in the months leading up to release and, coming off the back of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla – which made my end of the year list – it was not only on my radar but also a title I was looking forward to, brushing off my experiences with the second game and instead fondly remembering the good times I spent with Aiden Pearce all those years ago. 

Alas, I just couldn’t click with this one.

🌾🍚🍛 Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin | Review | PS4 | "Rice has never been this much fun" 🌾🍚🍛 @XSEEDGames #IndieGames #GameDev

I dived headlong into Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin with no preconceptions of what I was about to be in for and it didn’t take long for its charms to win me over and its depth to pull me in.

A title that pulls off quite an astonishing balancing act that all holds together and feels not only rewarding but vital to the narrative.

👥 Shady Part of Me | Review | PS4 | "great puzzles, music and visuals let down by narrative and voicework" 👥 @ShadyPartOfMe #GameDev #IndieGames

A wonderfully designed puzzle game that hits real highs in terms of aesthetic, sound and mood but the whining voicework and obfuscated narrative leak through the game and wore me down to the point that I genuinely wished the game was purely music and puzzle driven with silent protagonists.

🎧 Headset review - Gioteck HC2 Decal Edition and XH100S by Lee Manuel 🎧 @GioteckArmy #GamingHeadset

Online gaming being the huge industry it is today, most people will need a headset if only to better hear what fellow COD players did with your mum last night. 

The big players in the market, like Turtle Beach, have been around for a long time and produce a staggering range of headsets, some of which cost in the hundreds. 

If you’re a pro, or stream to thousands, the feature set in that price range might be what you need. 

For most people though, a more budget solution is perfectly adequate.

Gioteck has come to market with a couple of great budget headsets – the HC2 clocks in at under £20 and the XH100S under £15.

🦹‍♂️ Kunai | Review | PC | "Kunai might win the prize for best/worst bad guy name" 🦹‍♂️ @TurtleBlaze #GameDev #IndieGames

Kunai might win the prize for best/worst bad guy name. 

The antagonist is an evil AI named Lemonkus. 

I know!

Anyhow, Lemonkus has pretty much achieved Bender's dream of killing all humans, leaving the planet mostly populated by robots. 

Your character is Tabby, a robot ninja with a tablet for a face, giving him a big range of expressions, from the default cheery grin to a full-on nutcase glare.

🧭 Britt’s Brief Bulletin | Nintendo Switch | Review | ORD | 7/10 | "A stark, experimental text adventure" 🧭 #IndieGames #GameDev @RatalaikaGames

A stark, minimalist text adventure based around groups of three words, Ord is one of the more unusual takes on the genre that I’ve played in some time and, whilst almost experimental in nature, the amount it leaves to the imagination ‘works’ in how its subtle changes of font colour and ambient sounds hint as to the larger scope and deeper meanings behind your choices.

👻🧛‍♂️ Othercide | PS4 | First 30 Minutes Gameplay | No Commentary | "A Turn-Based Game Oozing With Atmosphere" 👻🧛‍♂️ @OthercideGame #IndieGames #GameDev

As Humanity’s last hope, lead your army of Daughters to combat in an intricate dance of spectacular actions and counters and face fearsome bosses in epic battles.

Othercide is dark and brooding and oozes atmosphere. I can't tell you what's going on as I haven't got a clue but its sure as hell a cool video game!

Sit back and relax for the next 30 minutes as we take you through the first 30 minutes of gameplay from this sleeper hit of 2020!

Game Link: https://www.focus-home.com/en-us/games/othercide

🏎️💨 Britts Brief Bulletin | Nintendo Switch | Review | Ramp Car Jumping | 6/10 | "Does what it says on the tin" 🏎️💨 @BoomBitGames #GameDev #IndieGames

I must admit that the title alone of this one gave me doubts about its level of quality. It sounds like how a caveman would describe a game at its most fundamental level. 

A mobile port (which supports touch-screen controls); I must admit that I actually enjoyed the game far more than I thought I would… up to a point.

👹🐉 Monster Sanctuary | Ten Minute Taster | Nintendo Switch | "Stardew Valley Meets Pokemon" 👹🐉 @moi_rai_ #GameDev #IndieGames

Monster Sanctuary is a monster-taming RPG with party-based combat and Metroidvania-like exploration. 

New monsters provide additional strategic options in combat and allow you to overcome obstacles to explore new areas and find hidden treasures. 

The turn-based combat focuses on team synergy and combos, distinguishing Monster Sanctuary from other popular monster collecting games. 

As the youngest heir of an ancient bloodline of proud Monster Keepers, you step out into the world to follow in your ancestors' footsteps. You will gather a party of monsters to grow and train. 

Meanwhile, a series of unsettling events worry the experienced Keepers of the Monster Sanctuary. 

This is the beginning of a journey to unravel the cause of a mystery that threatens the peace between humans and monsters.

http://monster-sanctuary.com/

👾🛸 Space Invaders Forever | Ten Minute Taster | Nintendo Switch | "Time To Blast Those Invaders Forever" 👾🛸 #SpaceInvaders

 

Space Invaders Forever is out on the Nintendo Switch and I have been taking a look at it for Games Freezer. 

When I first saw this I thought here we go, another attempt to cash in on one of legendary video games franchises from the history of this wonderful medium. 

After playing this collection of 3 games I'm both surprised and a little disappointed with what is on offer here on the Nintendo Switch version of Space Invaders Forever.

https://spaceinvaders.inin.games/#sector_trailer

🧶 KATAMARI DAMACY REROLL | PS4 | Ten Minute Taster | "Roll Roll Roll The Boat" 🧶 #GameDev #IndieGame

Check out the remaster of the timeless roll-em-up action game and help restore all of the stars that the King of All Cosmos destroyed from the sky!

Roll the balls called Katamari, which grow by collecting a variety of items in their path, from pencils to cars, to people and much more!

Growing the Katamari will turn them back into stars and bring the night lights back. 

Affiliate Game Link: https://amzn.to/2J8lcnS

🥊 Worms Rumble | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "Worms Get Ready To Rummmble!" 🥊 @WormsTeam17 #WormsRumble

 

Worms Rumble is Worms like you’ve never played it before, with intense, real-time, arena-based 32 players cross-platform combat. Get ready for Deathmatch and the Last Worm Standing modes where you’re only ever a Holy Hand Grenade away from death!

Use a variety of fan-favourite weapons like the Bazooka and Shotgun plus all-new additions to the armoury to bring the pain to your invertebrate opponents as you climb the ranks. Customise your worm, take part in challenges and seasonal events and experiment with new ways to play in The Lab.

This is Worms, reinvented.

😎 Cyberpunk 2077 | First 30 Minutes | PC | Gameplay | Ten minute Taster 😎 #CyberPunk2077

 

Cyberpunk 2077 is finally out so I jump into a game of 2077 on the PC for the first-ever time.

🏎️💨 80s Overdrive | Nintendo Switch | Ten Minute Taster | "Miami Vice Meets Outrun" 🏎️💨 @InsaneCode #80soverdrive #GameDev #IndieGames

80'S OVERDRIVE is a 2D pixel art racing game, designed to take you back in time to when 8 and 16-bit consoles and arcade games ruled the world.

Compete against opponents in career mode to unlock new races, buy new cars, and upgrade them with state-of-the-art technologies!

Try your skill in time attack mode and see how far you can get in this race against the clock! Create your own tracks with built-in track generator and easily share them with your friends!

GAME LINK:

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/80-s-OVERDRIVE-1778237.html

🏆 Rich's Games Of The Year (& Honourable Mentions) 2020 🏆 #IndieGames #GameDev #GamersUnite

Looking back at another year of video games and another year of Games Freezer is actually quite emotional when I sit here and try to unpack exactly what has happened.

This year I can safely say that I have played more video games than I have ever played in one single calendar year.

The world caught fire and yet video games were my rock and Games Freezer was my constant.

Britt remains a games playing machine of which I have never known the likes of.

It's important to remember that Britt and I both create content for Games Freezer as a hobby and yet here we are in our 7th year still going strong and with visions of further expanding what we do.

This year alone Britt and I have contributed to over 300 pieces of content on the site and have been supported by our regular irregular contributors in the guise of our friends PixelHunted, Lee Manuel, Dr Congo Fighting, Kingdom Of Carts along with many other lovely people who just love to play and write about video games.

We look forward to another year of Games Freezer as we become a truly respected member of the video games industry and keep on punching above our weight.

GF Forever...

Meanwhile back in GF HQ, I have pulled together 10 Video Games in no particular order that pretty much sums up my video gaming year. 

Hopefully, there's some in here that you haven't played so as you can go and check them out for yourself.

💰🏎️💨 Car Trader Simulator | PC | Review | Who would have thought the world of second-hand car trading could be so compelling? 💰🏎️💨 @livemotiongames @PixelHunted #GameDev #IndieGames

There’s a shiny new PlayStation 5 sitting under my TV with a copy of Demon’s Souls snugly nestled inside. 

A world of 4K, ray-traced, HDR goodness is just waiting for me… and here I am playing Car Trader Simulator.

🎮🎄 The Best Video Games Console Christmas Presents From 1979 to 2001 🎮🎄 #Retrogaming #GamersUnite

So as we hurtle towards another Christmas in 2020 I thought it would be good to take a look at the best video games related Christmas presents from down the years.

These are either cool machines from when I was alive (I was born in 1979) or they are machines that I was lucky enough to get for Christmas.

My sister got a Pong machine in the early 80s for Christmas and I can barely remember it but after that Christmas, I was always eager for a Christmas video game or a console to be popped into my Christmas stocking.

There was the classic Christmas when I was desperate for a ZX Spectrum +2 but Dad got me an ATARI XEGS but I loved it! 

Christmas is a great time for a gamer as you seem to get that bit of extra downtime to play your new games before your next helping of cold turkey in a roll.

Let's kick off our Christmas look by hurtling back in time to December 1979...