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.
The package came with a covering letter giving thanks for the purchase on behalf of PE Games and the respective developers and explaining how to earn an ‘unboxing patch’ - cool - as well as listing the features and background of each game.
Super Blood Hockey is the first in the Premium Edition line-up and it’s a game I’m very familiar with, having reviewed its PC incarnation back in 2017 and GF contributor Ruprt covering a more recent version of the game in 2019, awarding it an ICE COOL rating, quite apt for an ice hockey title (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2019/06/super-blood-hockey-review-nintendo.html)
At the time of my review in 2017, it stood out on Steam as a great pick-up-and-play arcade sports title and it clearly fits perfectly on Switch, feeling like a natural successor to titles such as Speedball 2 and Brutal Sports Football (as well as Mutant League Hockey, natch) and, as Brutal Sports Football is one of my favourite Amiga games, Super Blood Hockey was clearly right up my Strasse.
I was excited to find out that the already-saucy game has received an overhaul over the last couple of years and now included a frankly amazing Franchise mode - a career mode where you name and create your own hockey team and take them from zero to hero through blood, sweat and drug enhancement -Super Blood Hockey is a visceral experience!
I also have to point out how much of a fan I am of the ability to complete the career mode in co-op multiplayer, something I will be taking full advantage of.
Whilst the fact that Super Blood Hockey was getting a physical release in any form is what the ancient Aztecs used to refer to as ‘bloody good news’, Premium Edition does not do things by halves and, as well as a high degree of professionalism and quality in every aspect of their service, they also have some really nice ideas in terms of bonuses and additional fun post-sale.
Super Blood Hockey arrived sealed in cellophane sporting a glossy card slipcase - featuring awesome artwork - within which the actual standard Switch case is also held in a NES-style dust cover.
Inside the Switch case is some further inlay art based on in-game visuals and the Switch game card; full, glossy instruction booklet and - most intriguing of all - a full-colour card with instructions on how to get a free patch posted to you by completing an in-game challenge and tagging Premium Edition on social media platforms...good.
The same high level of presentation was applied to the second game in the Premium Edition line-up, The Pigeon Dev Games Collection. These games I had no prior experience of and so I intend to get hips deep! The collection features four titles:
Awesome Pea 1&2
2D pure platform games with Game Boy style visuals and cool chiptune music.
Bucket Knight
A 2D action game in which you must blast your way past enemies and traps.
Explosive Jake
A game that takes the Bomberman formula and changes things up by turning it into a series of puzzle-based single-player challenges.
All games come with options such as CRT visual modes which befit the pixel-art aesthetics for that extra layer of retro immersion, should you so choose.
The Pigeon Dev Games Collection also features a patch that is obtainable through challenge completion.
We at GF are big fans of physical releases and Premium Edition are really knocking it out of the park in the presentation of these releases.
The ‘challenge/unboxing patch’ idea is a stroke of genius and it stands to reason that collectors of physical games would love that patch as an extra bit of physical booty, it also gives a push to really dig into these games and complete the challenges set forth with the idea of a physical reward definitely acting as a metaphorical carrot teasingly bouncing on an equally metaphorical stick.
"In summary, Premium Edition get a huge thumbs up from us at GF, it’s clear that their releases are fuelled by real passion and I once again urge anyone who is a fan of Arcade-style sports titles to pick up Super Blood Hockey as fast as possible. I’m looking forward to seeing what Premium Edition have coming up in 2021!"
https://premiumeditiongames.com/
"Right, I’m off to earn some patches!"
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