Tag Archives: video games

LAMUNATION!

LAMUNATION!: Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves

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cropped-lamunation-header-7839609This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
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Central to LAMUNATION!, whichever narrative route you choose to explore, is the setting of the Cherry Crown Diner.

A diner inspired by 1950s Americana, the Cherry Crown serves as something of a social hub for the main cast — and, in pretty much all of the paths through the game, ends up becoming a successful landmark and tourist attraction in the unusual corporate-run city of Saint Aria.

There are a lot of interesting things about the Cherry Crown Diner — not least of which are the charismatic, chaotic twin sisters Iris and Rayla, who run it in their parents’ seemingly perpetual absence. That seems like as good a place as any to continue our exploration of this delightfully delirious visual novel!

Some NSFW stuff ahead!

Continue reading LAMUNATION!: Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves →

Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy Marathon

Final Fantasy Marathon: The Dreadnought Factor – Final Fantasy II #4

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After last week’s intensive mage training, Firion, Maria and Guy are just about ready to take on their most significant challenge yet: destroying the Empire’s superweapon, the Dreadnought!

Of course, it won’t be an easy task. First they have to find the damn thing, and navigation, it seems, is not their strong suit. Then they need to remember all of the reasons they went there, not just the one that involves a big, exciting explosion. Memory, it seems, is also not their strong suit.

But what is an adventure without a few mishaps along the way? Join our friends of the Wild Rose rebellion as they do their best to make the world a better place…

CocoPPa Dolls, Mobage

CocoPPa Dolls: I’m a Pretty Princess

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At the time of writing I am, as you’ll well know if you’ve watched any recent videos or read my blog on Patreon, ill.

When I’m ill, I want to do mindless things. And in the world of interactive entertainment, there are few things more mindless than mobile games. So with that in mind, I downloaded Arknights. This is the new release from Azur Lane publisher YoStar, and a game a lot of people are talking about on social media right now.

Then I decided to play CocoPPa Dolls by United Inc. instead. Why? Well, why not?

Continue reading CocoPPa Dolls: I’m a Pretty Princess →

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari ST A to Z: QBall

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You like pool? Reckon you’re good at pool? Well, how about if it was in an antigravity cube with pockets in the corners and customisable air friction?

Those are the questions that the unusual QBall for Atari ST attempts to answer, presenting a simple but impressively slick 3D view of the playfield in question, detailed controls and a stiff challenge for even those who think they have a fine command over the laws of physics.

QBall was the work of Adam Billyard, who is perhaps best known for his 8-bit 3D racer Elektra Glide; QBall represents a rare 16-bit appearance for both him and publisher English Software.

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

Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Marie Rose

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First appearing in 2013 as part of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate’s arcade release, Marie Rose has gone on to be an incredibly popular part of Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo’s long-running series of fighters.

Marie Rose was presumably introduced in order to attract people to the arcade version of the game — the first time the series had hit arcades for 13 years — but subsequently found herself coming home in the form of downloadable content for Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Since then, she has been a regular fixture in the series — and popular enough to appear in several spin-offs and collaborations, including Warriors All-Stars and Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash. So let’s put everyone’s favourite wicked lil’ servant under the spotlight today!

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Marie Rose →

Videos, Warriors All-Stars, Warriors Wednesday

Warriors Wednesday: The Truth Hurts – Warriors All-Stars #14

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In today’s episode of Warriors All-Stars, we start to get a hint of what Setsuna’s up to — and why the war among the furry siblings kicked off in the first place.

Setsuna hasn’t been entirely forthcoming with Arnice, Kasumi and his other allies, however… and as such they’re finding it somewhat difficult to trust him, as his true intentions remain somewhat murky. Can you truly be someone’s comrade if you don’t really know why they’re fighting in the first place? Can you trust an ally if you learn more about their philosophy from your supposed “enemies” than from the ally themselves?

These are all big questions that will need to be answered eventually. For now, though, let’s continue racking up those monstrous KO counts!

Stranga Games

Red Bow: Older Than Water, Stubborn as Stone

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One-man development team Stranga Games has been quietly establishing himself as one to watch in the world of independently developed psychological horror games, presented in gorgeous lo-fi pixel art.

At the time of writing, Red Bow is the latest in a series of games with a loose thematic link to them, following Just Ignore Them and My Big Sister. And, in keeping with the way Stranga apparently likes to do things, we once again have another short-form, thought-provoking adventure that provides ruminations on the subject of mortality, explored through interactions with the monstrous.

The world of Stranga Games is not a happy one… but it’s certainly a fascinating one. Let’s descend into the darkness once again.

Continue reading Red Bow: Older Than Water, Stubborn as Stone →

Videos

Atari A to Z: Warhawk

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The shoot ’em up is a genre of gaming with a long and proud history. While the best shoot ’em ups tend to be associated with arcades and consoles, home computers played host to some right crackers too.

One such example is Firebird’s Warhawk, a vertically scrolling shooter with big, chunky sprites and smooth, slick gameplay. It’s an immensely satisfying but challenging shooter — and one that still holds up really well today.

Plus the Rob Hubbard soundtrack on the title screen is absolutely iconic… but hang on, doesn’t it sound a bit familiar…?

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

Essentials, One-Shots, Switch

Doom on Switch Doesn’t Suck Any More

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Hey, so remember back in July of 2019 when Bethesda suddenly and unexpectedly released Doom, Doom II: Hell on Earth and Doom III on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch?

Remember how it took barely a few minutes for this exciting announcement to be considerably dampened by the terrible discovery that these new ports had some sort of God-awful implementation of an “always-online” system in place for no apparent reason? Remember how this made the Switch version completely unplayable on the go if you weren’t connected to the Internet?

Yeah. Well. Not only has that been fixed, these ports have been given a considerable upgrade… plus a bunch of awesome bonus content, too. So it’s probably time to take another look, no?

Continue reading Doom on Switch Doesn’t Suck Any More →

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari A to Z Flashback: Centipede

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It’s that time again! Yes, Centipede is back for a third time — this time in the form of the speedy and challenging Atari 5200 version.

Technically speaking, this version is probably closest to the arcade version, but it’s also one of the most difficult — particularly if you dare to play it with the original Atari 5200 controller, one of the most notoriously awkward pieces of technology ever created.

In other words, if you really reckon yourself at Centipede… then the Atari 5200 version is the one you should be challenging yourself with!

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