Tag Archives: retro games

Essentials, Racers

nail’d: Look Out Below

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I love a good racing game. And, while the definition of “good racing game” may vary from person to person, in my case that means “ridiculous, physically improbable and probably fatal things happening in realistic-looking environments”.

I have no interest in an accurate simulation of what it’s like to drive a Rover Metro around Donington Park circa 1987, but present me with the opportunity to fling myself off the side of a quarry on a motorbike going over 200 miles per hour while I admire the ruins of ancient Greece passing majestically by beneath me, and I am 100% there.

As you may have surmised, nail’d falls very comfortably and firmly into this latter category.

Continue reading nail’d: Look Out Below →

Announcements, Community

Around the Network

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Hello everyone! I hope you’ve had a good weekend. Mine has been pretty quiet and dull.

I’ve been a bit bummed out by some rather negative happenings in the retro gaming community recently; thankfully none of them have involved me, but they do involve a creator I like very much and support on Patreon. You can read more about that elsewhere, though — I might even pen something about it myself next week depending on how things go.

It’s at times like this that a bit of enthusiasm and positivity goes a long way, though, so let’s take a look at some of the things you might have missed this week.

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Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Marathon, Videos

Final Fantasy Marathon: Topless Mermaids – Final Fantasy I #16

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Two more crystals to go, and the next is deep beneath the waves in the Sunken Shrine!

But what’s this? A choice of paths to go? It seems one way leads to topless mermaids while the other leads to a slobbering tentacle monster, and never the twain shall meet — doubtless much to some people’s disappointment.

Which way will the Warriors of Light go? I mean, obviously it’s both, but which way will they go first? Find out today, only on the Final Fantasy Marathon, and along the way we can have a nice chat about my leaky roof.

Community, One-Shots

Your Favourite Overlooked and Underappreciated Games

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Yesterday, I found myself a bit frustrated by yet another example of Twitter’s never-ending focus on negativity and cynicism. In other words, it was a Thursday.

The tweet that frustrated me a bit probably didn’t have any ill intentions behind it, but its question to the community of what games you “hate but are highly praised by the general audience” almost inevitably became, to the community, an excuse to bash on predictable, popular things. So I decided to flip things around and post a tweet of my own with a more positive angle.

“What’s a game you love that is not well-regarded by the general audience and/or Metacritic?” I asked. Let’s see what people said.

Continue reading Your Favourite Overlooked and Underappreciated Games →

Cover Games, Shade

Shade: A Brief History

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shadeheader-3172714This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
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This time around, we’re taking a close look at a couple of games from a specific company. The two games aren’t directly related to one another, but they’re both from the same rough “era” of gaming, and I thought they both looked interesting.

The two games are Gun Gun Pixies and Bullet Girls Phantasia from Shade Inc, and I wanted to explore these games not only because they were appealing to me, but because I found the fact that they were developed by Shade to be fascinating.

Not sure who Shade is? That’s what today’s all about. Let’s have a little history lesson.

Continue reading Shade: A Brief History →

Videos

Atari ST A to Z: Crack’ed

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Errant apostrophes aren’t just for fantasy RPGs any more; sometimes they show up in the most unexpected of places… and inconsistently, to boot.

No, I have no idea what the apostrophe is doing in Crack’ed’s title, or indeed why it isn’t present on the actual spine of the box it comes in, but… well, there you go.

The game itself is classic Atari arcade funtimes — simple but addictive gameplay, some good use of the ST’s graphical capabilities and mouse control… and hairy poo monsters!

Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.

Videos, Warriors Wednesday

Warriors Wednesday: Grand Finale – Warriors Orochi #60

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We made it, everyone! After 60 weekly(ish) episodes, we finally made it all the way through Warriors Orochi from start to finish.

The funny thing is that there’s still actually a bunch more of this game I could continue to play if I wanted to, and I might just do that off-camera. There are harder difficulties to challenge, hidden items to discover, weapons to collect and even more characters to unlock.

But for now, this particular “season” of Warriors Wednesday is over. Next week, we’ll be kicking off a look at something a little different: Warriors All-Stars, which brings together characters from a variety of different Koei Tecmo games to save a fantasy world from destruction. Please look forward to it.

And if you’ve watched any or all of this series… a sincere thank you! I hope you enjoyed it. But our job here is far from over!

Glutton for punishment? Watch the whole thing here and admire my gradual progression of confidence in both making videos and editing them!

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari A to Z: Illinois Smith

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You’re probably familiar with various methods of software distribution from over the years.

In the Atari 8-bit era, we had a lot of public domain software that was freely distributable, often sold for the cost of a disk or two from user groups, local software outlets and national publications. But “Begware”, a twist on public domain that literally begged you to pay what you thought the game was worth according to some specific criteria, is a new twist on the formula I’ve not seen in quite this form before.

Illinois Smith, possibly the first (and last?) Begware game, is a mildly entertaining if simplistic romp through a maze as you hunt for treasures. Would I pay up in support of creator Greg Knauss’ unashamed (and rather amusing) begging? These days, sure. Back in the ’80s? Don’t be ridiculous, no-one paid for software back then!

Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.

Essentials

Flicky: The Sound of Birdsong is So Beautiful

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Ah, the 1980s; a period of shameless attempts to replicate and exceed the success of other people by having a go at doing it yourself.

Well, that was the thinking that drove Sega to create Flicky in 1984, anyway; jealous of Namco’s success with Mappy, the company’s leadership tasked designer Yoji Ishii with creating something that would beat their rival’s game.

Did they succeed? Well, that’s a matter of opinion. Just maybe bring the earplugs if you want to judge for yourself.

Continue reading Flicky: The Sound of Birdsong is So Beautiful →

Announcements, Community

Around the Network

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Hello everyone! Hope you’re well. I’m not. I’ve been trying to shake a cold off for what feels like about a month now, and it’s not going away. Hello autumn, I guess.

Still, that hasn’t stopped me from putting a bunch of stuff out for you to enjoy! Next week we’ll be kicking off a brand new Cover Game feature for your enjoyment, so please look forward to that — and in the meantime there’s plenty of other stuff to check out.

So without further ado let’s see what you might have missed in the last week!

Continue reading Around the Network →