Tag Archives: FPS

Retro Select, Videos

Retro Select: Quake

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Quake is here! Again. Only this time around, it’s (re)releasing in a context where it actually feels fresh and interesting, rather than a technologically superior version of things we’ve seen before.

It’s fascinating quite how wellΒ QuakeΒ holds up today, particularly when compared to today’s takes on first-person shooters. Night Dive Studios’ new remaster of the game is incredibly respectful to the original while adding a bunch of conveniences that modern players would demand — and there’s a whole lot of game in there to enjoy, too.

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget toΒ subscribe on YouTube for more!

Retro Select, Videos

Retro Select: TimeSplitters 2

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You know me, I’ll find any excuse to play TimeSplitters 2. So even though we looked at the PS2 version a while back, here’s the mostly identical Xbox version. Because I felt like playing it.

TimeSplitters 2Β is an amazing game that still feels just as fresh and enjoyable today as it did back in the early years of the 21st century. And in its Xbox and GameCube incarnations, you even had four controller ports to enjoy split-screen multiplayer to the max without the need for any extra hardware! Apart from controllers, obviously.

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget toΒ subscribe on YouTube for more!

short;Play, Videos

short;Play: Heretic

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It’s often a good idea to revisit games that were dismissed for one reason or another back when they were originally released; they’re often great experiences in their own right.

Raven Software’sΒ HereticΒ is a great example; while it didn’t exactly receive aΒ negativeΒ reception per se, it was considered to be little more than aΒ DoomΒ clone by many people, despite the innovations it added to the mix. Revisit it today, divorced of that original context, and you’ll find there’s lots to enjoy — and there are many more games like this out there!

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more.

short;Play, Videos

short;Play: TimeSplitters

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I love me some TimeSplitters. And I was in the mood for some TimeSplitters lately. So what better way to scratch that itch than to play some TimeSplitters?

The originalΒ TimeSplittersΒ was a PlayStation 2 launch game developed by ex-Rare employees who previously worked onΒ GoldenEyeΒ andΒ Perfect Dark — and it actually got some flak for being less narrative-focused than its spiritual predecessors. Today, however, its arcade-style, mechanics-centric action is blessed relief from the myriad open world, XP-grinding, 100-hour epics we have today, even outside the RPG genre. Just turn on, play, enjoy.

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more. There’s more I want to talk about with regard toΒ TimeSplitters,Β so this will likely return to short;Play at some point in the near future!

Features, MoeGamer Awards 2018

The MoeGamer Awards 2018: The Least “Retro” Retro Game

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The MoeGamer Awards are a series of β€œalternative” awards that I’ve devised in collaboration with the community as an excuse to celebrate the games, experiences and fanbases that have left a particular impression on me in 2018. Find out more andΒ leave a suggestion here!

This award was suggested by The Night Owl from The Late Night Session.

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Retro gaming can be a bit of a minefield at times.

Sometimes you’ll return to a game you absolutely adored in your youth only to discover that it’s an unplayable garbage fire by modern standards, for all manner of reasons.

And sometimes you’ll pick up a game that you really enjoyed in years gone by, only to discover that age has beenΒ extremelyΒ kind to it — and it’s actually evenΒ betterΒ from a modern perspective than it was originally. I’ve come across a few games like that recently, but if I had to pick one, ooh, ooooooh….

And the winner is…

Continue reading The MoeGamer Awards 2018: The Least “Retro” Retro Game →

Essentials, PS2

PS2 Essentials: TimeSplitters 2

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Yes, yes, yes, I know it’s also on Xbox and Gamecube, but I’ve always thought of TimeSplitters as a PlayStation thing, so that’s where it’s getting categorised today.

Ahem. Anyway.Β TimeSplitters 2Β is, unsurprisingly, the follow-up to the excellentΒ TimeSplitters, a game developed by ex-Rare folks who previously worked onΒ GoldenEye 007Β andΒ Perfect DarkΒ on the Nintendo 64.

The originalΒ TimeSplittersΒ has aged very well. Its sequel is even better. Let’s take a closer look.

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Essentials, PS2

PS2 Essentials: TimeSplitters

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It’s funny how the advancing years can affect how you perceive a particular game.

TimeSplittersΒ is a great example. Developed by a team of ex-Rare staffers who had previously worked on N64 classicsΒ GoldenEye 007Β andΒ Perfect Dark, this PlayStation 2 launch title was positively received on its original release — but also drew some criticism for, in some respects, seeming like a step backwards from its spiritual predecessors, particularly in terms of narrative and storytelling.

Returning to it some 18 years after its original release, however, paints a somewhat different picture… and makes it an absolute delight to play.

Continue reading PS2 Essentials: TimeSplitters →