🥋 Samurai Shodown | 7.5/10 | Xbox Series X | "A Solid, if Familiar Bout" 🥋 #BrittsBriefBulletinPart3

Originally released in 2019 on PS4 and Xbox One, the newest incarnation of the long-running Samurai Shodown series (known as Samurai Spirits in Japan) continues the 2D one-on-one weapon-based fighting style that it’s known for.

All the usual and expected modes are here - story, versus, arcade and the like as well as sixteen characters to initially choose from with others featured as paid DLC.
Whilst the game plays well and loading times are swift, it doesn’t offer anything new and feels like a bit of a stepping stone in the series as opposed to a milestone. One that will please its fan base without winning many newcomers over, I’d imagine.

Samurai Shodown is a solid fighter with satisfying combat, responsive controls and rewarding wins but it feels too familiar to really stand out, Haohmaru’s journey for perfection continues.

❄ Protocol | Review | Xbox Series X | 6.5/10 | "A Test of Patience That I Failed" ❄ #BrittsBriefBulletinPart2

Protocol on XBOX Series X is a first-person comedic adventure that casts you in the role of a recently divorced special operative that has been assigned by no one less than the President to complete a gauntlet known as ‘The Protocol’ in the Arctic Circle.

🔥 Sturmfront: The Mutant War | Review | Nintendo Switch | 7/10 | "Metal, Mutants and Many Bullets" 🔥 #BrittsBriefBulletinPart1

If you are a fan of metal music and twin-stick shooters then look no further as Sturmfront: The Mutant War has you covered!

🗻 Mundaun | Xbox Series X | 9.5/10 | "Black and White, Yet Solid Gold" 🗻 @MundaunGame #IndieGames #GameDev

I make no excuses for how much I enjoyed this game. 

An eerily beautiful, slow-burning folkloric horror set in the Swiss Alps, the town of the title is brought to stark life through monochromatic pencilwork, presenting a well-told tale that doesn’t let the gameplay slide, a rarity in this genre that will remain with me for a long time. 

It’s a good game, it is.

⚽️📓 Championship Manager 2 - Nottingham Forest vs Blacburn Rovers - Episode 39: "Mckinlay Masterclass" ⚽️📓 #RetroGaming #ChampionshipManager #NottinghamForest #BlackburnRovers

Championship Manager 2 has been on my list of games to play on YouTube for years now and finally, I have pulled my finger out and taken the job of Nottingham Forest Manager.

Come see how my season unfolds in these short sharp Champ Manager vids. 

🪐 Deiland Pocket Planet | Nintendo Switch | Ten Minute Taster | "Animal Crossing Meets Super Mario Galaxy!" 🪐 #GameDev #IndieGames

Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition is a relaxing farming adventure where you will have to take care of your tiny planet. Farm, craft and fight monsters to make your home a special place and help others with their quest. Discover the story of Arco in this single-player experience, a tale about growing up, helping others and revealing the secrets that lie on the heart of your planet. We’ve crafted a relaxing game, with a strong narrative and a cast of diverse characters for you to meet. - Customize your planet with trees, plants, crops, flowers or structures, and take care of your farm animals. - Discover how the whole planet changes through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Each crop will only be available in the right seasons. - Over 12 characters to meet and befriend. - Day and night cycle that has an effect on the world with natural elements like meteor showers, storms, shooting stars, aurora borealis or hurricane winds. - More than 100 quests to uncover the secrets that the heart of your planet holds.  

- Play and relax. Smooth and cute graphics as well as a relaxing soundtrack to ease up the bustling everyday routine. 

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Deiland-Pocket-Planet-Edition-1946498.html

👀 Before Your Eyes | Part 2 | "A Midnight Rendezvous!" 👀 #IndieGames #GameDev

 

Join Rich in Part 2 of the Before your Eyes Gameplay Walkthrough.

🤖 Star Renegades Limited Edition Available for Pre-Order (PS4/Switch) 🤖

Join the Rebellion! Prepare for an Outstanding, Interplanetary Strategy RPG!

ININ Games together with Raw Fury proudly present a really unique game that calls for players who are not afraid of any challenge! 

💀 Lust From Beyond | PC | Review | 8/10 | "There’s No Shortage of Games About Sex" 💀 @PixelHunted @MGLunarium #GameDev #IndieGames

There’s no shortage of games about sex. The thing is, the vast majority of them are developed and played by people who obviously aren’t getting any. 

A quick glance at Steam’s ‘Sexual Content’ category indicates that the majority are there to let nerds molest anime schoolgirls - a strong indicator that sex is likely to forever remain a theoretical concept for the average consumer of erotic games.

🌽 Stitchy on Tooki Trouble | Nintendo Switch | Review | 7/10 | " A Fun, if Familiar Adventure" 🌽 @polygoatstudio #IndieGames #GameDev

A 2D platformer in which a cartoon scarecrow called Stitchy embarks on a journey to regain his stolen corn from a group of fiendish Tooki, Stitchy in Tooki Trouble plays out as a smooth and fun adventure but does feel a touch samey in gameplay as you enter the latter sections and brings nothing new to the table in terms of features or gameplay. 

That said, if you are a fan of titles such as Donkey Kong Country and early Crash Bandicoot, you’ll definitely get along well with this funky scarecrow.

⚔️🏹 Siege Of Avalon | Anthology | PC | Ten Minutete Taster | "Find Captain Avarous!" ⚔️🏹 #IndieGames #GameDev

Siege of Avalon is an isometric story-driven fantasy RPG. The Citadel of Avalon is all that remains of the once-mighty seven kingdoms. 

The invaders have surrounded Avalon and the depleted garrison is bracing for the final assault. 

Now is the time for the birth of a legend.

👕💙 Celebrate 8 Years Of Games Freezer With An Ice Cool GF T Shirt! 👕💙 #SafeInOurWorld #GamersUnite

Imagine a world where you can buy an Ice Cool Games Freezer T-Shirt and support the Safe In Our World Gamers Charity... 💙

(https://safeinourworld.org/)

That World exists and we live in it! 🌍

Games Freezer has teamed up with Seven Squared and The Safe In our World Charity to produce a tee that celebrates 8 years of Games Freezer and pledges to continue supporting the gaming community. 

Pick up your tee here:

 👕 

https://sevensqua.red/collections/charity/products/games-freezer-retro-gamer-t-shirt 

and send us pics of you wearing your tee to @gamesfreezer (Twitter) 

and @gamesfreezer (Instagram)

🏫🎒 Cyanide & Happiness : FREAKPOCALYPSE | Nintendo Switch | Ten Minute Taster | "Hall Pass To Hell" 🏫🎒 @SerenityForge #IndieGames #GameDev

 

From the creators of Cyanide & Happiness and I-Mockery, comes the first game in an all-new point-and-click adventure trilogy filled with dark humour, drama, and all the weirdness you've grown to love and/or dread over the years!

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Cyanide-Happiness-Freakpocalypse-1742912.html

📱💥 How To Be A Call Of Duty: Mobile Pro 💥 📱

Call of Duty: Mobile is a much better game than it has any right to be. All too often, mobile versions of venerated franchises turn out to be watered-down cash grabs, but that’s not an accusation anyone can level at CoD: Mobile.

It’s a fully-featured first-person shooter with buttery-smooth mobile controls, a robust progression system, and plenty of scope for simply breathtaking plays. Don’t believe us?

Just check out a montage on YouTube to see some of the game’s best players at work. With enough effort and dedication, you can become a Call of Duty: Mobile pro as well. Here’s how to do just that.

📽️🎞️ What the Dub?! | Review | XBOX SERIES X | 8/10 | "A Simple Idea Executed Wonderfully" 📽️🎞️ @widerightgames #IndieGames #GameDev

What The Dub?! is a multiplayer party game where each player overdubs missing dialogue from hilariously awful B-movies, outdated PSAs, and bizarre industrial films, with their own witty (or plain stupid) dubs!

Over 300 so-bad-they're-good clips to dub. Supports up to 12 players!’

🤖 Narita Boy | Review | XBOX SERIES X | 6.5/10 | "Narita Boy Looks and Sounds Great With a Real Appeal to Those Fans of 80’s Tech" 🤖@studiokobaGAME #IndieGames #GameDev

Developed by Studio Koba and published by Team17, Narita Boy is a  2D platformer which casts you in the titular role as you traverse the Digital Kingdom to confront the Creator.

🎮 Premium Edition Games 🎮 @PremiumEdition1 #IndieGames #GameDev #CIBSunday

https://premiumeditiongames.com

Following my interview last month with the awesome JP of Premium Edition games, their first two releases arrived yesterday at the GF Welsh branch and I was KEEN to dive in.

For those unfamiliar with Premium Edition Games, they specialise in releasing top-quality physical editions of indie gaming gold. This, their first pair of releases – numbered PE01 & PE02 – comprise of Super Blood Hockey and The Pigeon Dev Games Collection with their third release A Robot Named Fight already on the horizon.

🌍 Genesis Noir | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "Point & Click Chic" 🌍 @TheEvilChris #GameDev #IndieGames

 

Genesis Noir on PC is A noir adventure spanning time and space. 

When a love triangle between cosmic beings becomes a bitter confrontation, you'll witness a gunshot fired by a jealous god—otherwise known as The Big Bang. 

Jump into the expanding universe and search for a way to destroy creation and save your love.

🎮 Gioteck | WX4 Premium | Wireless Controller With Programmable Back Buttons | 8.5/10 | ICE COOL 🎮 @GioteckArmy

I reviewed Gioteck’s WX4 - both wired and wireless versions - a few months ago on the site, having also used them personally for over a year prior to the article  -where they received a saucy 8/10 ICE COOL rating - https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2020/11/gioteck-controllers-review-wx-4-and-jc.html

Having received the new WX4 premium version – again, compatible with PS3, PC and Switch – the build quality, connectivity and battery life are mostly the same but there are differences here.

🔥 Paradise Lost | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "Where's My Zippo!?!" 🔥 @AllinGamesPub #ParadiseLost #IndieGames #GameDev

It's winter, 1980. Szymon, a boy raised in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, finds an abandoned Nazi bunker. 

Will he find what he’s looking for? 

Play Paradise Lost and explore an underground world, where Slavic mythology mixes with retrofuturistic technology. 

Discover the last story on Earth.

🔥 Heavy Metal Machines | Ten Minute Taster | PC | "Rocking & Rolling!" 🔥

Heavy Metal Machines is a one of a kind Free-to-Play Multiplayer Vehicular Combat game where players engage in 4v4 intense battles, controlling lethal vehicles in post-apocalyptic arenas.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

📝 Papa’s Quiz | Review | XBOX SERIES X | 7/10 | "Great Presentation and Fun Mechanics Let Down by Repetition" 📝 @oldapes #IndieGames #GameDev

We love a quiz here at The Mighty Games Freezer. Heck, I even wrote a quiz book!* It’s fair to say that I was uber-keen to have a goosey at Papa’s Quiz when it arrived at GF HQ. 

The first release from Swedish developers Old Apes – who focus on creating co-op games with a broad appeal – Papa’s Quiz is a solid quiz game with a great sense of humour but the rigidity of the inter-round banter is a shame as it makes the proceedings slightly mechanical after a while, although there is a ‘quick game’ option which removes all animations and between-round action, should you prefer.

👟👟 Does Anyone Want to See Some Zelda Sneakers? 👟👟 #ZELDA

Like sneakers, high-profile video games attract some very passionate fanbases.

Those in the know savour the release of a long-awaited (and ultra-hyped) new game or shoe.

Lately, brands have tried to capitalize on the hype by releasing big-name game editions of popular sneakers – with mixed results (yes you, Adidas-Cyberpunk 2077).

Inspired by that, Supplement Timing's design team took the video game franchise spin-off to the next level, by designing sneakers in the style of 8 iconic game worlds:

Original Images Here: https://www.supplementtiming.com/

See Animal Crossing, God of War, Portal and Zelda, reimagined as one-of-a-kind sneaker concepts here:

👽 Terrene: An Evidence Of Life Game | PC | Ten-minute Taster | "Its Life Jim But Not As We Know It" 👽 @JustWallGames #GameDev #IndieGames

In Terrene - An Evidence Of Life Game you will get the chance to Explore a vast open pixel world full of dangerous enemies, ancient ruins, abandoned space stations and more...

🦖🎾 Dino Galaxy Tennis | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "Game Set & Match-asaurus!" 🦖🎾 @Vixa_Games #IndieGames #GameDev

Dino Galaxy Tennis - Like a blast from a distant past, you take on the role of a dinosaur, whose dream is to win the Galactic Tennis Tournament. 

To reach the grand final, you will have to visit 5 planets and defeat leaders. If you pass all those trials and gain every badge, you will be eligible to compete in the Grand Slam finale and become the Galactic Champion!

During your journey with the ancient mentor as your coach, you will unlock different improvements and gain special skills such as rocket flying! 

As a hidden bonus, throughout the storyline, you will encounter a "cheating" opponent. And, obviously, at this point, you will also have to eliminate him.

👁️⛵️ Before Your Eyes | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "You Will Have To See It To Believe It!" 👁️⛵️ @Goodbye__World_ #IndieGames #GameDev

Before Your Eyes | PC | Embark on an emotional first-person narrative adventure where you control the story—and affect its outcomes—with your real-life blinks. With this innovative technique you will fully immerse yourself in a world of memories, both joyous and heartbreaking, as your whole life flashes before your eyes.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

🍺 Dude Where Is My Beer? | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "The Search For A Cold Pilsner" 🍺 @where_beer #GameDev #IndieGames

 

Dude Where is My Beer is an old school point and click adventure game about finding a pilsner in the confusing world of unnecessary craft beers and snobby hipsters.

🐮 Story Of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town | Review | Nintendo Switch | 7/10 | "Take Over a Knackered Farm and Hoe it Back to Glory" 🐮 @XSEEDGames #StoryofSeasonsPioneersofOliveTown

The newest entry in the game series that began as Harvest Moon back in 1996, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town sees your character take over a knackered farm and hoe it back to glory.

🧛 DARQ : Complete Edition | Nintendo Switch | Ten Minute Taster | "Darker Than Darq" 🧛 @UnfoldGames #IndieGames #GameDev

"DARQ tells the story of Lloyd, a boy who finds himself in the middle of a lucid nightmare. Unable to wake up, Lloyd has to face his fears and decipher the meaning of the dream."

🕹️ Five Exciting Developments In The Gaming Industry 🕹️

It’s incredible to see just how far the world of gaming has come over the past decade, well even in the past five years. With such a focus being on technology and advancing it at such a fast-paced rate, it can be hard to keep up with all the changes that are happening. It’s something that’s happening across many industries and it’s only going to get more mind-boggling as money is pumped into developing it.

So what exciting developments have happened in the gaming industry in recent years? 

Image Source

💙 PixelHeart Announce That They Have Just Acquired The Complete Catalogue of VISCO CORPORATION Games! 💙 #Retrogaming

After years of collaboration with this wonderful Japanese studio, PixelHeart is delighted to announce that they have just acquired the complete catalogue of VISCO CORPORATION games.

Thanks to their experience accumulated through the decades, they have some incredible licenses that PixelHeart can't wait for you to discover.

You can now pre-order 5 NEO GEO AES games in the US or Japanese editions on the PixelHeart website

These games are limited editions, numbered and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity PixelHeart.

📷📺🐿️ NUTS | Review | Nintendo Switch | 9/10 | "Squirrel Detective Simulator 2K21" 🐿️ 📷📺 @joonturbo #GameDev #IndieGames #BestIndieGames

When you can’t stop thinking about a video game then you know it has the special ingredient that is going to keep you coming back to it.

The special ingredient here is NUTS.

🧵 Where's Samantha? | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "My Woolen Wife Is Missing!" 🧵@wheresamantha #IndieGames #GameDev

 

Where’s Samantha? introduces the “it” couple of 2021: George and Samantha – soulmates who are literally cut from the same cloth. 

Separated against their will, the duo must now navigate their way through a treacherous woollen world to find each other again. 

🧙‍♂️⚔️ Hellbreachers | Xbox Series X | 5.5/10 | "Are You Ready To Go To Hell?" 🧙‍♂️⚔️ #GameDev #IndieGames

A 2D action-platformer in which you can choose your class of character and even switch between styles mid-game, Hellbreachers looks good and has some nice ideas but suffers in level design, control and repetition.

🚂 Revita | Ten minute Taster | PC | No Commentary 🚂 @RevitaGame #IndieGames #GameDev

Revita is a fast-paced twin-stick rogue-lite platformer and you play as an unnamed child ascending an ominous clocktower in pursuit of their lost memories. 

Harvest and sacrifice souls to grow your power in order to challenge procedural encounter rooms and intimidating bosses.

⚔️ Golden Force | Review | Nintendo Switch | 6/10 | "Golden Force is Very Much of the Wonder Boy ilk" ⚔️ @NoGravity_Games #IndieGames #GameDev

In redrafting this review I've noticed I keep calling the game Golden Axe. 

It is not Golden Axe, which is one of my favourite beat 'em ups, with a cracking soundtrack and extremely unfair later levels (ah, the 80s). 

It is reminiscent of another classic series though, and that is Wonder Boy.

🚀 1993 Shenandoah | Nintendo Switch | Review | 7.5/10 | "A Great Game To Pick Up For Those Fans of Old Amiga Shooters" 🚀 @1993SpaceMachin #IndieGames #GameDev #RetroGaming

It was only a few days after I’d reviewed (and subscribed to) Amiga Addict that I came across 1993 Shenandoah.

A game originally designed for the Amiga that was abandoned but has now been completed and released on Switch?

SIGN. ME. UP.

📚📖 Tex Murphy and the Poisoned Pawn – a Novel by Aaron Connors 📚📖 @aaronconners #BookReview

Having been a fan of the Tex Murphy games since the early nineties, it was only in late 2018 that I realised that there were a series of books based on the video games. The novels are written by author Aaron Connors – who is also screenplay/story writer on the games - and, after reading and thoroughly enjoying The Pandora Directive, I was lucky enough to get some time with Aaron for a GF interview back in 2019:

https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2019/04/interview-with-aaron-conners-author-of.html

Since then, I’ve been keenly awaiting the arrival of Tex Murphy and the Poisoned Pawn for more futuristic private detective action and I’m pleased to say that it is absolutely worth the wait and another awesome chapter in the ongoing Tex Murphy story.