When browsing the Japanese libraries for consoles such as the Mega Drive and SNES, it’s clear why countless games remained in SEGA and Nintendo’s home turf. Things like romantic visual novels, horse racing-based gambling games, and sumo wrestling sims would have performed poorly commercially in Europe and the US. Then there are games that would …
One trend that has fallen out of fashion is the concept of mascot-driven pinball spin-offs. SEGA kickstarted things with Sonic Spinball in 1993 – a stand in for the lack of a mainline entry that year, ideally needing more development time. Nevertheless, Nintendo saw potential here, creating pinball games starring Kirby, Pokémon, Samus, and even …
Prince of Persia meets Mirror’s Edge in this first-person parkour platformer. Taking place in a ruined world with fantasy elements, you’re guided by a mysterious voice and encouraged to seek three relics that hold memories of the past. It’s a journey that’ll take you across ice, lava, and sand. Lots and lots of sand – …
A change of pace can do wonders for the soul. Nobody knows this better than Cleo, the protagonist of this nature-centric wetlands restoration sim. After city life takes its toll, Cleo heads back home to help an old school friend establish a frog refuge, all the while taking comfort in the niceties that working outdoors …
Turns out Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore isn’t the only unlikely Philips CD-i revival. Created by Twitch streamer SuperMegaDav, the idea for this old school single screen puzzle platformer comes from the CD-I’s Hotel Mario – a title which Nintendo had nothing to do with outside of a licensing agreement. You can watch SuperMegaDav play …
The history of Duke Nukem Forever is one aspect of video game history that’s curiously well documented. While playing this throwback first-person shooter, intended to recall the early noughties with its pixilated visuals and shlock sci-fi setting, I couldn’t shake the fact that part of DNF’s DNA was present here. Not in a derogatory sense, …
With the video game market stalling, publishers have finally realised that it’s beneficial to release their games on as many platforms as possible. Microsoft made headlines with multiplatform announcements earlier this year, and Square-Enix has plans to cast their nets wider too. Yet, the allure is still there for publishers to release games on Apple …
The tutorial for this tower defence game takes less than two minutes to complete, duly informing how to place defences and gather resources by ordering your “minions” to chop trees and smash stones. Two minutes were all that’s needed – the controls are surprisingly intuitive, using only a few buttons on the joypad. Unfortunately, this …
There’s no medium more nonsensical than video games. Doug’s Nightmare is a perfect example of this, being a twin-stick top-down shooter based around anxiety and the darkness it brings. It’s a subject well worth highlighting, impacting more people’s lives than many realise, but it also has a coffee-loving banana called Doug as its protagonist. Then …
There’s a demand on the digital services for inexpensive games; something cheap and cheerful to brighten a dull afternoon that could potentially be bought with leftover credit. With both limited budget and resources in mind, it pays for the developers of these smaller titles (Musashi vs Cthulhu costs just over £4, incidentally) to keep things …
A cat-based take on Untitled Goose Game has been a long time coming, especially considering there’s no better creature suited for similar fearless frolics. After all, you can’t spell ‘catastrophe’ without the word ‘cat’. Little Kitty, Big City doesn’t just provide a sandbox (litterbox?) to play around in, but also a main objective to pursue. …
Even those outside the US will have noticed the American government’s actions bleeding into their subconsciousness. Just by scrolling social media, glancing over newspapers, listening to radio, or flicking through TV channels, you’ll inevitably catch wind of current news concerning US political parties, especially in the run-up to elections. This bleeds into video games too, …
Every console generation has seen a fad or two, be it gratuitously violent beat’em ups, dancing ‘n singing party games, casual titles with motion controls, or predominantly beige first-person shooters. In the early ‘90s, the biggest craze was mascot platformers, fuelled by the astonishing popularity of Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. This seven-game strong …
After a car smashes into a notorious vampire’s castle, rudely interrupting their 500-year slumber, the fanged-fellow awakens in the modern era to find that a bustling city has been built around their now-crumbling abode. Try as they might, Brocula – as they’re known – must now adapt to the modern way of living, paying his extortionate …
Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog weren’t the only platforming heroes receiving system-selling sequels in 1992. Over in Japan, the PC Engine’s Kaizō Chōjin Shubibinman (Shockman) series gained its third entry. US gamers had only just received the second game, and while there was hope of the CD-based Kaizō Chōjin Shubibinman 3 making it to …