Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! Switch Review 8/10 "Bubble Burstin’ Boisterousness" 🫧 @ININ_Games 🫧

There’s a purity to the Puzzle Bobble games that has always drawn me, a merciless blend of colourful, simple gameplay and snappy action that has entranced me since pounding hours into it on Vs mode on the PS1, back in my days as a teenager.

This new version does a fantastic job of plate-spinning the solid-as-a-rock original mechanics whilst also adding various bells and whistles through extra Modesto giving a neat amount of variety to the usual bubble-popping proceedings.

Lego 2k Drive Xbox Series X Review 7/10 "Is it as good as Mario Kart?" 🏎️ @LEGO_2K_HUB @2K #LEGO2KDrive

Every time a new kart racer comes to market, be it badged as Sonic, Crash Bandicoot, or, somewhat oddly, Garfield, the first question everyone asks is, "Is it as good as Mario Kart?" and the answer, invariably, is no. Lego 2k Drive is the latest to come at the King, and while it does miss, it's a good game in its own right.

Klaus Lee Thunderballs PC Let's Play Gameplay Video "Jetpacks & TNT!" 💣 @TheRealKlausLee #IndieGAmes #GameDev

Dive deep through the neon-hued brash and bawdy '80s-inspired reimagined classic 2D action-platformer with your favourite BADASS Kraut, Klaus Lee! Dust off your jetpack, grab your dynamite and prepare your laser eyes and dive deep into Klaus' first challenging adventure!

Dungeon Drafters PC Review 8/10 "Big Deck Energy" 📕 @DungeonDrafters #IndieGames #GameDev

A mage, cloaked in a purple, erm, cloak, pushes the heavy stone door open and peers inside the crypt beyond. The brawler, muscles glistening in the barely visible torchlight, stands behind his companion, ready to step forth into the unknown. The block of granite slides open and the duo step into the cobweb-bedecked room ahead. Before they draw breath they are set upon by hellish creatures - two gelatinous blobs, a giant beetle and a mighty winged dragon! 

The mage flashes a knowing, smug glance at her warrior friend and smiles fiendishly at the beasts before her. They know not of what is to happen next, as she reaches under her cloak and brings her hands back out in front of her, brandishing… a pair of playing cards. The beasts attack and devour the two heroes, as their small pieces of cardboard offer no protection at all, though possibly do provide some added fibre to the meal they become.

That’s how this story SHOULD go. But no. Fortunately, in Dungeon Drafters your cards are magic. Phew. And there are a lot of cards. But let’s rewind a little, shall we?

Trust Lyra Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard & Mouse Review ⌨️🖱️ @TrustGaming

I’m a big fan of smaller-sized keyboards and mice, especially in the current climate of the hybrid working model, where carting around a full-sized keyboard along with a laptop can be a pain, and whilst the Trust Lyra desktop set is easily among the most compact and practical keyboards I’ve come across, there are so many other nice touches in terms of design, features and accessibility that– especially at this price point- it makes the Trust Lyra stand out in the crowd.

Moviehouse The Film Studio Tycoon Ten Minute Taster Gameplay "Let's make sweet movies together" 🎬🎥 @MoviehouseGame #IndieGames #GameDev

 

Welcome to the big show! Ready the camera, unleash your creativity and pile up the profits! Grow your operation with your razor-sharp business sense and usher in a new era for filmmakers worldwide.

Largest Study of Video Games Dialogue Reveals That Men Say Twice As Much As Women 👩‍🦰💬 @RSocPublishing

Researchers have found a stark gender imbalance after carrying out the largest-ever study of video game dialogue, published today (Wednesday 24 March 2023).

The research, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, analysed more than 13,000 video game characters and found that men speak twice as much as women.

The study, led by Dr Stephanie Rennick at the University of Glasgow and Dr Seán G. Roberts at Cardiff University, performed the first large-scale test of gender imbalance in the dialogue of 50 role-playing video games (RPGs).

It discovered that games include twice as much male dialogue as female dialogue on average. 94% of games studied had more male dialogue than female dialogue, including games with multiple female protagonists like Final Fantasy X-2 or King’s Quest VII. 

No One Lives Under the Lighthouse XSX Review 8/10 "More Bite-Sized Horror Gold" 🗼 @marevocollectiv #IndieGames #GameDev

I am a big fan of bite-sized titles that can be enjoyed in a single evening – horror titles especially, as Boomfire’s recent The Creepy Syndrome reminded me.

No One Lives Under the Lighthouse is a game with some serious character in its presentation that drew me in on multiple levels from the visual style through to the subtle gameplay mechanics, narrative, and incredible sound design – with the only slight hiccup for me being the final sequence of events.

The game – a first-person adventure - opens with your character being dropped off at a remote island, with the titular lighthouse looming large. The boatman makes cryptic comments about the previous lighthouse keeper before rowing back off into the darkness, leaving you alone on the island….or are you?

Video Game Lo-fi: Sonic Curaga Records Vinyl Review 💿 🌴💨 #VideoGameVinyl #Vinyl

There’s something about the lo-fi genre that completely resonates with me. Over the years I’ve covered several lo-fi versions of various video game soundtracks, and I appear to always be in the mood for a lo-fi record, there’s something about the low, beat-driven mellow vibes that gets me hips deep into the music, and in cases where I have a personal history with the game in question, I can genuinely find myself getting totally caught up in it, as was very much the case with a specific track on this particular record.

Kill It With Fire VR Review 7/10 "Lots and Lots Of SPIDERS!!!" 🕷️🔥 @KIWF_Game #IndieGames #GameDev

SPIDERS!

Still here? Well, they make some people run a mile so now they've all gone, let's talk about Kill It With Fire. Because this game features spiders. Lots and lots of spiders. 

Waaay back in the beforetime (1990), there was a movie called Arachnophobia, which also featured lots of spiders. If you haven't seen it, watch it, it's great. Anyway, the reason that comes to mind is one particular scene in which Jeff Daniels makes a flamethrower from a lighter and an aerosol can. This prompted a spate of arson-lite events at my school which resulted in a lot of kids nearly blowing their hands off with cans of Lynx Africa (which, by the way, smells even worse when it's lit), and general flame-based mayhem. 

Some 30-odd years later and Kill It With Fire comes to VR, giving you the opportunity to relive the excitement of the homemade flamethrower, but with none of the danger. 

But that isn't all. 

Edo Superstar OST By DBXY Vinyl Review 💿 @TheMangoMage #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl

The Edo Superstar soundtrack marks the sixth release from Mango Mage Records, and is a very different beast to the last release that we covered from them - TPR’s The Songs of Time - back in 2022, in that whilst The Songs of Time was a melancholic, stripped-back take on familiar Zelda tunes, Edo Superstar is a blend of Edo period instrumentation and modern beats and samples, it’s a far more energised album with quite striking design throughout in terms of the physical presentation. Should you want to find out more in regard to the label, have a goosey at our interview with Mango Mage Records from back in 2021.

LEGO 2K DRIVE PC Ten Minute Taster "Racing Fun For Everyone!" 🏎️🚗🚓 @LEGO_2K_HUB #LEGO2KDrive

Welcome to Bricklandia, home of a massive open-world LEGO® driving adventure. Race anywhere, play with anyone, build your dream rides, and defeat a cast of wild racing rivals for the coveted Sky Trophy!

Pirates Outlaws XBOX Review 7/10 🏴‍☠️🦜 @FabledGame #IndieGames #GameDev

Like Willem Dafoe with Madonna’s hot candle wax, I really need to get something off my chest. Before I get into this review. Before I finish the delightful pain au chocolat sat next to me. It isn’t a comment on the game itself, merely the title. But oh, it grates. The game is called “Pirates Outlaws”. It’s tautologous nonsense. Though still a bit rubbish, I’d accept Pirate Outlaws or Pirates: Outlaws, at a push, but not that.

Meg's Monster Nintendo Switch Ten Minute Taster Let's Play Video "Meg Has A Monster" 👹 @OdencatGames #IndieGames #GameDev

 

Take control of the Underworld’s grumpiest ghoul to help a lost little girl find her way home in this creepy-cute indie adventure. Just be warned: if she cries, the whole world dies.

Zool Redimensioned PS4 Review 8/10 "A Celebration of a Very Nineties Game" 🍬🍭 @WeAreSecretMode #IndieGames #GameDev

You must feel sorry for Zool, the Ninja from the Nth Dimension. He's fast, he's nimble, he's the star of his own 2D side-scroller... but he got introduced to the world right between the releases of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Poor guy never stood a chance.

Despite not becoming a mascot for the entire industry and inspiring two Jim Carrey vehicles, Zool maintains a place in my heart and some small cult status among fans who didn't grow up with a Nintendo or Sega console. He wasn't Mario or Sonic, but he was ours.

Thirty years after his first title, Sumo Digital Academy (an internship based in Sheffield) has built a remarkably faithful remake, essentially presenting the game as it was with some welcome tweaks to the gameplay, a surprising number of visual options and some fun modes to give this very old, very short game a new lease of life.

Arcana of Paradise - The Tower Nintendo Switch Review 6.5/10 “A game full of charm that just needs more variety” 🗼 @TheTowerEN #IndieGames #GameDev

I picked this game purely on the strength of its trailer and the interesting concept. Several children suffering from amnesia are stuck on top of a gargantuan tower, the top of the tower is in ruin and the kids are barely surviving, but in their minds lies a thought that if they can reach the bottom of the tower and escape - they will enter paradise. It’s an interesting set-up, so I was eager to play, I then learned it was a roguelike deck-builder, which are two words I understand but have never seen together, so I was excited to dive in.

Right out of the gate, Arcana of Paradise has a very ethereal feel thanks to its wonderful art style and gorgeous music. You feel you are in a strange - almost dreamlike - world, the combination of both really paints a vivid picture, and I was sucked into its vision very quickly. 

FURI OST Vinyl Review "Honestly, You Can't Fault Any Part Of This Album" 💿 @G4F_Records #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl

Furi is a combination of a twin-stick shooter and hack and slash, released on most platforms back in 2015 with all-around good review scores. 

This OST, released through G4F records, comes in a lovely silver-on-white gatefold version on double-coloured vinyl, one blue and one pink. 

The vinyl version is slightly cut down from the digital release for reasons of space, with some tracks edited to fit the runtime.

Soccer Supremos Play By Mail "I was Manager Of Norwich City In 1993" ⚽️ @SoccerSupremos

Back in my school days, there was a golden period of time in secondary school in the early 90s when I was manager of Norwich City and my star player was Kenny Irons. 

Norwich was a struggling club that didn’t have many good players in their ranks but one player that would consistently score for the Canaries in my tenure was Kenny. 

This led to me being phoned on a daily basis to be asked whether I would part with Kenny Irons as other managers (such as the Blackburn manager) were very keen to harness Kenny’s goal-scoring talent in a more suitable team.

I never gave in to the bids and I think my experience as a manager was better for it as I built my journeyman team around King Kenny and led them to mid-table mediocrity!

Benefits Of Playing Video Games 🎮🕹️

 

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Video games don’t always have the best reputation but that doesn’t mean they are all bad and that you shouldn’t play them ever. Instead, you can choose to take another approach and begin to see the upside of participating in and engaging with different types of consoles and games.

The following list covers all the benefits of playing video games and the reasons why you may want to get started doing so yourself or continue doing so in the future.