I’m a big fan of the Mega Drive sound chip. There’s a snappiness and rawness that really pops out on vinyl and appeals to me on an almost genetic level and, combined with the Konami Sound Team’s (Konami Kukeiha Club) understanding of the chip...wizardry can ensue, as is the case with some tracks on Sparkster.
07/09/2021
06/09/2021
⚔️ Fort Triumph | Review | Xbox Series X/S | 7/10 | "When it's good, it's great" ⚔️ @AllinGamesPub #GameDev #IndieGames
My first forays into Fort Triumph were initially a little frustrating. The story is well-formed, and the writing is funny, so I felt I knew the world and its inhabitants early on. However, you are thrown into the mix straight away, and there is a lot to take in with not a lot of explanation.
05/09/2021
ππΏπΌ Machinarium Vinyl Soundtrack Review ππΏπΌ
In my recent articles on Amanita Design’s Creaks (video game review – https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/06/creaks-review-xbox-series-x-910.html, vinyl soundtrack review - https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/08/creaks-soundtrack-on-vinyl-vinyl-vgm.html) I referenced how my introduction to them – 2009’s Machinarium – had a real impact on me. I think it’s safe to say, games that present themselves wordlessly really fondle my cheeks and ruffle my hair, I adore them – when done correctly.
04/09/2021
π️♂️ Golf Club Wasteland | Review | Xbox Series X | 6.5/10 | "On earth, no-one can hear you miss a birdie" π️♂️ @UntoldTalesHQ #IndieGames #GameDev
I was HIPS DEEP when I saw the trailer for Golf Club Wasteland. The striking, pastel visuals and dreamy music combined with basic gameplay seemed really captivating.
Having played the game, however, whilst there’s a lot that appealed to me, I really, really wish I’d connected with the style of progression and the general direction that Golf Club Wasteland takes a lot more.
03/09/2021
02/09/2021
πͺ Death’s Door | Review | Xbox Series X | 9/10 | “Holy Crap, this is going to be a good game!” πͺ @acidnerve #IndieGames #GameDev
Yes, you heard right, a bird of the Corvus family, commonly known as a crow.
01/09/2021
⚔️ Demons of Asteborg | SEGA Mega Drive | Review | 9.5/10 | "A Modern Mega Drive Classic" ⚔️ @DAsteborg #Retrogaming #IndieGames #GameDev
The Mega Drive is very much a console that I hold in high regard. As someone who has played, loved and collected for the system for decades, it’s very clear to me, if Demons of Asteborg was a Mega Drive game released in the mid-'90s - it would be regarded as a classic, ‘must have’ title.
Released in 2021 on the Mega Drive, however…. it’s still a classic, ‘must have’ title.
31/08/2021
π¨⚖️ The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles | PS4 | Review | 8/10 | "Elementary, my dear Ace Attorney" π¨⚖️
This is the first entry I have played in the Ace Attorney franchise; I've always been aware of them and always thought I would like them, but for some reason never played them.
This seemed like a good starting point as it’s set many years before the other games, which meant I was sure I could avoid spoilers and be able to grasp the story - as no prior knowledge would be needed.
30/08/2021
ππ§♂️ Highrisers | PC | Gameplay | Ten Minute Taster | "Get In The Chopper!" ππ§♂️ @SolarPowerGames #IndieGames #GameDev
29/08/2021
π£️ Road 96 | PC | Review | 7/10 | "Digixart’s game is actually a series of carefully designed and written vignettes" π£️ @Digixart #IndieGames #GameDev
Road 96 bills itself as a “procedurally generated” story. Going in this was a big red flag: I don’t want some algorithm telling me a tale, I want a human being with thoughts, feelings and opinions!
Fortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that Road 96 is using procedural generation as more of a buzzword.
28/08/2021
πΏπ Mango Mage Records | Interview With Britt πΏπ #VideoGameVinyl #Vinyl @TheMangoMage
During my recent dalliances across the internet in search of gaming vinyl, I happened across new label Mango Mage Records, and as they seemed so blinking lovely, I thought it would be great to get to know them a little better, especially as they seemed in an interesting position as they were a new label and just celebrating the sell-out of their first release. Fear not!
There are more releases to come…
27/08/2021
ππ️ Button City | Xbox Series X | Review | 7/10 | "Pastel-Shaded Playtime with Pals" ππ️ @ButtonCity #IndieGames #GameDev
A cute and pastel-coloured adventure aimed at younger players, Button City is a simple story told with charm and an accessible and fun main game in Gobabots, propped up by other mini-games and light exploration.
26/08/2021
π€‘ Ayo the Clown | Nintendo Switch Review | 6.5/10 | "Pastel Palettes, Twinkly Music and a Cast of Toy-like Side Characters" π€‘ @cloudm1 #IndieGames #GameDev
Ayo the Clown was given to me as a game my kids might enjoy. Having watched the trailer I was inclined to agree, the younger one anyway (the older one is currently obsessed with Zelda and recently finished Breath of the Wild, so might need a bit more challenge).
The trailer is narrated by a soft-voiced American who sounds like a kids' TV host and introduces us to the word of Ayo. He's a clown who has lost his best friend, his dog Bo. You accompany Ayo through multiple brightly coloured levels, taking on a host of enemies in order to get Bo back.
25/08/2021
ππ΄ Draft Of Darkness | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "It's Drafty and its Dark!" ππ΄ @CrawlyGames #IndieGames #GameDev
24/08/2021
π³ Seed Of Life | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "Watch Me Sow My Seed" π³ @leonardointera #GameDev #IndieGames
23/08/2021
⚔️ Greak: Memories Of Azur | Nintendo Switch | Ten-Minute Taster | Gameplay | "Its All Greak To Me" ⚔️ @PlayGreak #IndieGames #GameDev
22/08/2021
π️ Glyph | PC | Gameplay | Ten Minute Taster | "Rolling Around In the Sand" π️ @PlayGlyph #IndieGames #GameDev
Glyph’s gameplay combines breathtaking aerial manoeuvres with tranquil exploration in a stunning 3D platforming experience. Add a mesmerizing original soundscape, and Glyph is lifting you up and whisking you away.
21/08/2021
π Before Your Eyes | Part 3 | Walkthrough | Ending | Gameplay π @Goodbye__World_ #GameDev #IndieGames
Join Rich in Part 3 of the Before your Eyes Gameplay Walkthrough as we see the ending of the game...
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
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20/08/2021
19/08/2021
ππ Lock On Gaming Journal | Issue 1 | "A Luxury Piece Of Gaming Journalism" ππ @LostInCult #LockOn
I’ll level with you immediately. I am a self-confessed video game magazine geek. Physically holding a magazine and even smelling its pages are more of a thrill to me than just digesting web pages and half reading video games related emails and press releases.
Owning a video game magazine collection for me allows me to fulfil that fantasy of having my own library of video games related literature. In the last 5 years or so I have begun to fall for the various video games coffee table style books such as Bitmap Books’ Visual Compendium series or their beautiful one-off books like The Art Of Point and Click Adventures. These are the kind of books you can flick through and soak up the nostalgia as you turn each page and transport you back to another time and place where the video games magazine ruled the world.
My favourite video games magazines have to be the Mean Machines run of magazines that were headed up by Jaz Rignall. The original run of magazines only lasted 24 issues before it split into a SEGA and Nintendo variant but those first 24 are ingrained into my psyche and greatly influenced the way I think about games critique and how to have fun with video game writing.
More recently I’ve also had the pleasure to look at a cool magazine called Ninty Fresh which went through Kickstarter very successfully and is now into a run of issues each being funded by Kickstarter backers.
With all this in mind, it feels like there is something of a renaissance of the written word in physical form within the video games world which for me is a great thing and leads me onto the journal which has been absorbing my time lately.
The lovely people from Lost In Cult have just released their first gaming journal entitled Lock On and I was approached to take a look at this beautiful video gaming tome just before I went on my hols to the Isle Of Wight.
Perfect holiday reading was my first thought.