Believe it or not, it’s been four decades since series creator Alexey Pajitnov put together the concept for one of the gaming’s greatest franchises. It’s not just a cornerstone of the gaming community at large, it’s an institution at this point. Many a gamer, casual or otherwise, has gleefully fired up some version of the
Time is a funny thing, especially when you’re in the position of seeing those younger than you get the chance to be exposed to things that you enjoyed as a child. Sure, experiencing those games in the modern day is one thing. But being there to experience things like the absolute glut of mascot platformers
Earlier this year I was pleased to preview Bleak Sword DX. Now it’s out, I finally got a chance to sit down with the finished game. With a striking aesthetic and dark fantasy vibe, it left a strong impression back then, and I was super eager to see where it went from there. Let’s see
When I saw that Devolver was publishing another nostalgic 8-bit inspired game, I must admit it caught my attention. I’ve generally been a huge fan of the games they support such as last year’s Cult of the Lamb, and I’m always a sucker for games with a strong aesthetic choice. So, of course I had
There’s something to be said about the hook of a solid narrative, especially with the Telltale-led resurgence of the adventure game genre far in the distance. Aside from the impending release of The Wolf Among Us 2, some in the collective gaming community might hold the notion that adventure games in general have gone back
Retro-style games are all the rage these days. And side scrolling platform games were one of the things retro systems were best at, right? I know I like them, at least. So it only makes sense that lots of these are still being made today. And just like the old days, there is a wide
I got into collecting retro games a few years back. Both to reexperience the NES era that I grew up with, and to try out games from other consoles I never owned when I was younger. I’ve managed to build complete collections of three of my favorite franchises (Tales of, Ys, and Fire Emblem), and
Some may accuse me of clinging to nostalgia, but I still think there’s still value in the formula of certain simplistic old school arcade game mechanics. There’s something appealing about the ability to quickly understand how to play and be able to hone your skills as you do so. I’m sure it’s also fun as
I’m one of those “90s kids” that grew up with games of the 8-bit and 16-bit generations. I have a lot of nostalgia both for the art style and game design of that era, and I am absolutely LOVING the resurgence of retro throwbacks. The latest in this trend is Infernax, a monster-packed side-scrolling action
The Cotton games are a series of shoot ’em ups (or cute ’em ups, if you prefer) that haven’t seen much popularity outside of their native Japan. Up until this year, Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams, the franchise’s first entry, was the only one to receive a North American release on the TurboGrafx-CD in 1993, and
Ever since finally getting my hands on a PC Engine Duo (or, as it was known in the US, the TurboDuo), I’ve been on a bit of a shmup kick. The system is known for its absolute glut of space shooters, after all, so why not dive in and see what it actually had to
I seem to be on a bit of a retro kick, following hot in the footsteps of our preview of Loop Hero with another retro styled title. This time we seem to be effectively moving from a mid-80s style to an early-90’s style with today’s game, Disjunction, developed by Ape Tribe Games, for most major
Have you ever spent time playing an RPG-type game and you felt like you were stuck going around in circles? Well, I have some good news, because today we have a case where not only is going around in circles a good thing, it’s central to the game mechanics. Loop Hero, developed by Four Quarters
So I was actually playing today’s game, Deleveled, 15 years ago. I played it every time my friends and I tried to kill Absolute Virtue. Oh wait, this game is new? And it’s a puzzle game, not an MMORPG? Oh right, that was Final Fantasy XI, easy mistake to make…
3D Realms is a company I’ve not had much personal experience with, but like most, I do know them for the Duke Nukem franchise. After hitting it big with some 2D platformers and the renowned Duke Nukem 3D, it’s been somewhat of a rough ride for the Duke ever since, with Duke Nukem Forever being
Radical Rabbit Stew is a wacky, nostalgia packed homage to old school games releasing July 16th from developer’s Pugstorm and publisher Sold Out. I was able to play the demo at PAX East 2020 on the Switch, which felt like a natural choice for this easily digestible romp of a game. The premise is simple:
Okay guys, this opening is going to be longer than usual, so buckle yourselves in! If you’re a fan of retro-styled platformers, you’re all but guaranteed to be familiar with Shovel Knight. Originally released in 2014 to critical acclaim, it was an example of how awesome an 8-bit-styled game can look, play, and sound, with
These days, modern day and retro-styled platformers have seen quite a bit of a comeback. In between modern remakes and reimaginings of established franchises, indie titles that have made a serious impression on me (looking at you Cuphead), and new titles that feel comfortable in their own skin, I was feeling pretty good about the direction this genre is going.
Adventure games, in my opinion, never got the praise they deserved. I could rattle off a list of titles that really defined the genre, but Another World is the topic for today. Developers DotEmu and BulkyPix are bringing the game – “Remastered”, of course – to iOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad. Re-live
Team Fortress 2 as a side-scrolling, beat-em-up arcade game. Yes, it looks awesome. And yes, it’s authentic. The title will be available for free on Steam (of course) by the end of the summer, or at least that’s the goal. It certainly has the feel of Double Dragon mixed with TMNT/X-Men style arcade classics. Great