Jon Gracey's

Posts Tagged ‘Gaming’

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Games That Rocked…Benny Davis’ World – Musical Interlude

In 3DS, DS, Game Boy, Gamecube, N64, NES, SNES, Virtual Console, Wii, Wii U on September 26, 2013 at 10:14 am

Today’s post is by musician Benny Davis, of comedy rock gods The Axis Of Awesome.

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Title: Anything with Mario in it

Format: Anything with Nintendo on it

Released: Anytime after July 9th, 1981

Mario Through The Ages

I played Mario as a kid. I wasn’t a huge gamer, I played Nintendo a lot, but mostly Mario. If Mario wasn’t in it, then I probably wasn’t interested. Countless hours of trying to save the Princess made for a singular approach. With many Nintendo games of an era gone by, save points were rare, so in order to beat a level you had to go from the start to the finish in one go. One slip and you’re dead, back to the start. Maybe 3 slips, depending on what your life bar is like. Of course fall down a hole and you’re toast; you could be fit as a fiddle but no level of strength will help you survive a plunge into a bottomless pit. Or maybe it will, but you’re still stuck down there, descending ad infinitum. 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…Dan Simpson’s World – #43: Faster Than Light

In Mac, PC on July 12, 2013 at 11:56 am

Today’s post is by Dan Simpson…

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Title: FTL: Faster Than Light

Format: PC, Mac

Released: September 14th, 2012

FTL box art

Videogames are an excellent medium for telling stories and exploring difficult ideas. Jack’s adventure through Rapture in the first Bioshock lets us think about the nature of free will and the dysfunctional politics of Ayn Rand. There’s Tim’s quest in the beautiful Braid, which deals with issues surrounding love, romance and loss. And, of course, the representation of man’s internal struggle between selfishness and society in the highly involved and often misunderstood art-game Pong.

FTL: Faster Than Light is a top-down, real time spaceship simulation rougelike-like. As you are chased across a procedurally generated galaxy you will fight  enemies and have random encounters, and you must micromanage your ship (energy, shields, engines, weapons etc) and crew each time. You can upgrade and repair your ship for scrap, or trade it for better weapons and abilities (eg. teleportation or cloaking devices). Ultimately you are on a quest to defeat the Rebel flagship and restore peace to the Galaxy. Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked…Matthew Highton’s World – #41: Resident Evil

In DS, PC, PlayStation, PSN, Saturn on June 28, 2013 at 2:47 pm

Today’s post is by Matthew Highton.

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Title: Resident Evil

Format: PlayStation, PC, Saturn, DS, PSN

Released: 22nd March, 1996

Resi Box Art

In 1997 I go to a small shop at the back of Oldham town centre and purchase a second hand copy of a game I’ve heard so much about: Resident Evil. I take it to my friend’s house and five minutes later I’m killed by a dog. The game resets and I ask: how the hell do you save on this thing?

From the moment the PlayStation fires up I already know this is everything I’ve ever wanted in a game. I don’t even know the term survival horror yet, all I know is that it appeals to everything I have ever loved: horror films and computer games. Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked…Bex Lindsay’s World – #40: Peggle

In DS, iOS, Mac, PC, PS3, PSN, Xbox 360 on June 21, 2013 at 11:26 am

Today’s post is by Bex Lindsay.

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Title: Peggle

Format: PC, Mac, iOS, DS, Xbox 360, PS3, PSN

Released: Feb 27th, 2007

Peggle Logo

Let me tell you a love story.

A few years ago, I met a boy. He was handsome, clever, funny…and I was totally smitten. By a stroke of good luck we ended up living together, and I was convinced this was my chance to get to know him better.

I only had one rival for his affections – his absolute fascination with computer games. I tried hard but I just couldn’t distract him from whatever bright and shiny game he was playing, no matter how much my conversation sparkled. Eventually I decided to see what all the fuss was about, and asked to try it out for myself. Immediately, and much to The Boy’s chagrin, I was both hooked and better at it than he was. When he was out I’d open his laptop and not only play the game but also beat his high-scores, then put it back and leave him baffled as to why his settings had changed. It was the ultimate clandestine affair. Read the rest of this entry »