Tag Archives: Let’s Play

Videos

Atari A to Z: Pharaoh’s Curse

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Pharaoh’s Curse is legitimately one of my favourite games on the Atari 8-bit, and one I frequently revisit to unironically enjoy every so often.

Developed by Steve Coleman, who we last saw at the helm of Mastertronic’s Ninja, Pharaoh’s Curse is an early example of an open-world 2D action adventure, allowing players to explore 16 screens arranged in a 4×4 grid in an attempt to recover all the awkwardly positioned treasures before escaping.

16 rooms doesn’t sound like much, does it? Well, you clearly haven’t counted on the intervention of the mummy. And the pharaoh. And all the traps. And that stupid bastard absolute penis of a flying thing that always shows up at the worst possible moment. Not that I’m bitter at all, no no no.

Follow Atari A to Z on its own dedicated site here!

OutRun 2006, Sunday Driving, Videos

Sunday Driving: Pipped to the Post… Twice – OutRun 2006 Coast 2 Coast #2

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Let’s continue our OutRun adventure beneath those glorious Sega blue skies!

OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast is one of my favourite arcade racers, and playing through for this series is reminding me quite how much substance there is to it. This is no straight arcade port, by any means; there’s a wealth of different challenges to take on in both the “racing” and “Heart Attack” disciplines, represented by the portly Flagman and a trio of beautiful girlfriends respectively.

Of course, you can still also just play the arcade game if you want, too… but where there’s a “career” of sorts it’s worth getting stuck in, huh? Hit the jump to see how I got on today…

Continue reading Sunday Driving: Pipped to the Post… Twice – OutRun 2006 Coast 2 Coast #2 →

New Game Plus, Project Zero, Videos

New Game Plus: Return to Himuro Mansion – Project Zero #4

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A little late for New Game Plus this week, I know, but I had to prioritise finishing off Maiden of Black Water, which I’m delighted to say I have now done. Please read my piece on it!

In New Game Plus, it’s right back to the beginning of the Project Zero series for us as we kick off a full-on actual New Game Plus run of the main story mode — this time on Nightmare difficulty.

Everything you ended the game with — film, healing items, camera upgrades — carries across into a new game, so this should be easy, right…?

Continue reading New Game Plus: Return to Himuro Mansion – Project Zero #4 →

Videos, Warriors Wednesday

Warriors Wednesday: Samurai Warriors vs Orochi 2 – Electric Lu Bu-Galoo – Warriors Orochi #15

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Did you think we were done with the adventures of the Samurai Warriors? Well, nope, we weren’t quite finished…

Today we tackle the final side mission of the Samurai campaign in Warriors Orochi, which culminates in another tough battle against King Snek himself.

Who will prevail? I mean, you know it’s me eventually, but hit the jump anyway and see how this final final battle actually went…

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: Samurai Warriors vs Orochi 2 – Electric Lu Bu-Galoo – Warriors Orochi #15 →

Videos

Atari ST A to Z: Interphase

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Today’s Atari ST game is one of my favourites from my childhood… and a cool example of a developer thinking creatively.

Interphase, developed by The Assembly Line and published by Image Works and Mirrorsoft, is a game about infiltrating a building. The twist is, you don’t control the one doing the infiltrating; instead, you are hooked into the building’s electrical systems, manipulating them from an abstract 3D representation of “cyberspace”, while your off-screen companion is doing the difficult bit of actually getting through the building.

It’s a really cool game, and one that had a decently long lifespan too, thanks to its original commercial release being followed up by the complete game being given away as a freebie on an ST magazine’s cover-mounted floppy disk — ST Format, if I remember correctly. It remains solidly playable today, and well worth a look.

Follow Atari ST A to Z on its own dedicated site here!

Videos, Warriors Wednesday

Warriors Wednesday: Samurai Warriors vs Orochi – Warriors Orochi #14

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We’ve made it! The final battle… for this campaign, anyway.

Yes, today we reach the climactic final showdown of the Samurai campaign in Warriors Orochi and face the snake god himself in single combat.

Well, okay, we bring along all our friends and pound on him so much he can’t fight back. Even the great warriors of history weren’t above using schoolyard tactics.

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: Samurai Warriors vs Orochi – Warriors Orochi #14 →

Videos

Atari A to Z: Ninja

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Kick, punch, it’s all in the mind! Pushing diagonally backwards and up while holding the fire button to swing your sword, however? Somewhat less intuitive…

Enter Mastertronic’s Ninja from 1986. This was a game developed by Steve Coleman (who was previously responsible for Pharaoh’s Curse, which we’ll be coming to in a few weeks) that combines open-world 2D adventuring with a fusion of one-on-one fighting and beat ’em up mechanics to produce something altogether unique.

Ninja was a game of “firsts” for me growing up. It was the first time I saw a ninja and learned what it was. It was the first time I saw (and learned the name of) a lot of pieces of traditional Japanese architecture such as torii gates. And it was one of the first games I played where fighting mechanics were a little more complex than simply mashing the fire button to do a single type of attack. It’s still pretty fun, too… though it puts up a lot more of a fight than I remember!

Follow Atari A to Z on its own dedicated site here!

Auto Modellista, Sunday Driving, Videos

Sunday Driving: I’m At My Limit – Auto Modellista #5

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Well, it’s been a fun ride, but I think I’m going to call time on my Auto Modellista career… for now, anyway.

I’ve reached a point in the game where I just don’t seem to have the right combination of cars, parts and raw skills to be able to pass the challenges I’m presented with. And so after today’s attempts, in which I experiment with a few different cars to see what difference they might make to my performance, I think it’s time to move on.

Hit the jump to see exactly what led me to this conclusion… and if you know this game well and have any suggestions on how I might be able to progress, I’ll gratefully hear them!

Continue reading Sunday Driving: I’m At My Limit – Auto Modellista #5 →

Videos, Warriors Wednesday

Warriors Wednesday: The God of War’s Windmill Blade – Warriors Orochi #13

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We’re nearly there! On the Samurai Warriors campaign, that is.

Yes, it’s the penultimate mission of the first phase of our Warriors Orochi playthrough, meaning that next time around we get to wail on ol’ snake boy himself for the first time.

After a bit of off-camera unlocking of passive abilities, things are going pretty well for the crew. Hit the jump to see how today’s mission went.

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: The God of War’s Windmill Blade – Warriors Orochi #13 →

Auto Modellista, Sunday Driving

Sunday Driving: If You’re Not in First Place, You’re Not Gonna Win – Auto Modellista #4

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Who’d have thought it, eh? It’s amazing the kind of inane stupidity that spills out of one’s mouth while attempting to concentrate on something else.

This week we continue our attempts to master Capcom’s visually arresting arcade racer Auto Modellista, and start to encounter some serious resistance. And, it seems, overcoming that resistance isn’t as simple as just picking the car with the best stats from the list…

Hit the jump to see how things went in this week’s races.

Continue reading Sunday Driving: If You’re Not in First Place, You’re Not Gonna Win – Auto Modellista #4 →