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Archive for the ‘PC’ Category

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Games That Rocked My World – #52: Papers, Please

In Mac, PC on January 17, 2014 at 2:35 am

Title: Papers, Please
Format: PC, Mac
Released: August 8th, 2013

Papers, Please Logo

“Travel broadens the mind”, they say. When it comes to Papers, Please, ‘they’ are goddamn right.

I’ll back up.

Papers, Please casts you as a border patrol officer for the fictional eastern European country of Arstotzka. Your job? To check people’s passport and immigration documents before they enter the country.

Papers-Please-October-Lottery

“Oh sweet, Jon – a game about paperwork?! Sign me up! While you’re at it, let me do all your tax returns whilst simultaneously potty training your infant!”

First up, don’t be a cunt. C’mon.

Secondly, Papers, Please is one of the most immersive, engaging and nail-biting games I have ever played. Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked My World – #51: Botanicula

In Mac, PC on January 10, 2014 at 12:57 pm

Title: Botanicula
Format: PC, Mac
Released: 7th May, 2012

Botanicula Main Image

Sometimes, when the cold is creeping in and the skies are grey, you just want to play something green and warm. Something lovely. Something that has care, craft and love oozing out of every pore. (ergh) Sometimes, you want to play Botanicula, the Toy Story of lo-fi Czech adventure games. (obviously)

As I write now, I’m 3 days into a fairly pathetic cold. It’s one of those colds that leaves you light-headed, a little feeble, but essentially just a bit tired and hungry. It’s a great way to be: thoughts float about a bit more freely like gentle spores ready to fertilise, and although your head’s a bit tender, sitting around playing games and watching TV is a perfectly acceptable way to spend a weekday. So after playing through Papers, Please again, (article coming next week) finding myself comfortably ensconced in a den of tissues (STOP IT) and cups of tea, I moved onto Botanicula, by Amanita Design. Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked…Liam Welton’s World – #47: Fallout 2

In PC on November 15, 2013 at 12:22 pm

Title: Fallout 2

Format: PC

Released: 30th September, 1998

Fallout 2 Box Art

Hello all! I’m Liam, and I’m a games developer working at Failbetter Games. We make interactive fiction games that place a lot of emphasis on writing, well-rounded characters and your choices in the world making a difference to your experience. So I guess it makes sense that one of the games that has had the biggest influence on me was Fallout 2.

I’m going to start by saying that it might be the buggiest game I’ve ever played, and despite this it is still one of my favourite games of all time. Black Isle Studio’s sequel to Fallout builds on the strength of the first game, both in terms of story and mechanics, while addressing a raft of little bugs and broken features. I mean, it’s still buggy, don’t get me wrong, but when you get into the content you start to see why. Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked…Richard Soames’ World – #45: The Lost Vikings

In Amiga, GBA, Mega Drive, PC, SNES on July 26, 2013 at 12:07 pm

Today’s article by Richard Soames. Of The Beta Males! (and other stuff)

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Title: The Lost Vikings

Format: PC, SNES, Amiga, GBA, Mega Drive

Released: 1992

Lost Vikings Box Art

Family is a weird thing: a group of people obliged, mostly through a combination of genes or nuptials, to be in the same room as each other at least once a year and have a not-bad time. I found myself in such familial circumstances on many occasions along with my brother, Jamie, and my cousin, Rich, because our parents seemed to get on with each other more than was normal.

But while it’s easy for adults to feign interest in each other, children are far more opaque. How were we expected to make dinner conversation? And how were we supposed to entertain ourselves? Sure, Lego’s awesome, but sooner or later you’re going to tread on a brick and feel betrayed by everything you’ve ever known. The answer, of course, was MS DOS. Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked…Jonny Garrett’s World – #44: The Secret Of Monkey Island

In Amiga, iOS, Mac, PC, PSN, Xbox 360 on July 19, 2013 at 10:36 am

Today’s post is by Jonny Garrett…

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Title: The Secret Of Monkey Island

Format: Amiga, Mac, Mega CD, iOS, PC, PSN, Xbox 360

Released: October, 1900

Monkey Island Box Art

A great man once said “Always be yourself. Unless you can be a pirate. Then always be a pirate.” I don’t remember who said that, but they are wise and, presumably, a pirate.

Sadly, when I first heard that saying I couldn’t be a pirate. I was 7 and lived in Oxford, a city so far from the sea we thought punts were an efficient way to navigate water. My ambitions were landlocked and somehow scuppered at the same time.

Then everything changed. My dad brought home a copy of The Secret of Monkey Island, installed on about 12 floppy discs and with a glossy stapled manual. From over my elder brother’s shoulder I watched Guybrush Threepwood shuffle onto my screen, dressed like a Jane Austen character pixelated out to protect his identity. Read the rest of this entry »

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