Jon Gracey's

Posts Tagged ‘videogames’

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Games That Rocked…Chazz Redhead’s World – #49: Ape Escape

In PlayStation, PSP on December 17, 2013 at 5:22 pm

Title: Ape Escape

Format: Playstation, PSP

Released: July 2nd, 1999

Ape Escape Box Art

One of the main complaints offered up against the ultra-high-def, macho, maybe slightly racist games of today is the lack of colour. The AAA line-up that defines the current generation features a similar palette to Henry Higgins’ brash description of Eliza Dolittle: Brown! Brown! Brown! When I think of the first game I truly became obsessed with, I think of a level of colour akin to a fireworks display in Cyberdog. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this game came from Japan. 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…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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