☆ Virtual Reality Video Gaming Over The Years - "Great or Gimmick?" ☆ #GamersUnite

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For me Virtual Reality and the use of headsets etc to create a virtual sense of being inside the video game is merely a gimmick that has no long term place in the world of video games.

That may come across as a bold statement in this age of heavy investment into these types of projects but honestly I see VR being in the same arena as 3D, a gimmick that's fun for an hour but will end up giving you a headache!

Unless someone can come up with a solution that means that after a 3 hour session you don't feel like you are going to vomit, I just can't see it practically working for the video gaming masses.

Let's take a look back over the years and see what Virtual Reality has delivered to us in the way of short lived video games entertainment.....

☆ The Inspiring Zenzizenzic Game Dev Journey Story From Ruud Koorevaar ☆ @ruudko #GameDev #GamersUnite

This game is a thing of beauty....

A hypnotic Shoot Em Up that draws you in with it's amazing art style and keeps you hooked on its 
"bullet hell" gameplay...

For me I instantly think "Lumines vs. Geometry Wars"

So what's it all about then?

Let's rewind shall we?.............

☆ The Best Of Street Fighter Deviant Art Game Art ☆ #GamersUnite #Retrogaming

"street_fighter_25th_anniversary_tribute_5_by_vancamelot"

If left to my own devices I could quite easily spend a whole evening immersed in the countless Game Art images on Deviant Art....

For me it's the mecca of Video Game related art...

Over the next few articles i'll be picking a Video Game Franchise and bringing YOU the cream of the crop when it comes to Video Game Art for that franchise....

Let's Get Cracking!

First Up Is The Legendary Street Fighter Series....

SHORYUKEN!

☆ What's Your Favourite Video Games Website? ☆ #GamersUnite

As a blog owner I love to look at other websites and draw inspiration from good design and also from bad design too.....

There are certain websites that I aspire to be like or that I think get the essence of what being a gamer is all about.

So I decided to compile 5 of the best video games websites out there today.....

Take a look and pay them a visit to see if YOU agree with me..

☆ Retro Gaming and Current Gen Gaming "Spot The Difference" ☆ #Retrogaming #GamersUnite

Cast your minds back to 1991…..

 

Are you there yet?

 

In the UK people were walking around in shell suits and bermuda shorts 

(That's how I remember '91 anyway!)

 

It was a golden time to be a 12 year old as the SNES was released in the UK and it was for me the 

Ultimate Video Games machine….

☆ How Would You Create The Ultimate Video Game Character? ☆ #GamersUnite #Retrogaming

As I sit here writing this on a Friday afternoon I am daydreaming....

Now this is a regular occurrence for me but becomes more frequent on a Friday after lunch time....

What am I daydreaming about I hear YOU ask!?!?!!

Well of course I'm not daydreaming about chicks no don't be so silly, I'm daydreaming about which 5 videogames characters would I combine to make the greatest video game character of all time.

☆ Games Freezer Tutorial 1: "How To Clean Your Super Nintendo Cartridge Contacts" ☆ @GamesYouLoved #Gamersunite #Retrogaming

Having Recently Bought the STARWING Video Game For The SNES From eBay I Have Been Looking At Various Tutorials On How To Best Clean Up Video Game Cartridge Contacts Before Inserting It Into The Sacred SNES!

There are various Techniques & Methods out there and some contain advice that I think could ruin your video game cartridge if you follow them!

So through the use of high tech wizardry and effects (A3 Paper & A Black Marker) I will share with YOU my tutorial on cleaning SNES Cartridges.....

☆ 10 Beautiful Retrogaming Screenshots ☆ @Hive_5 @topretrogames #retrogaming #gamersunite

It's Been a while Since We Stopped Off At Our favourite Twitter Friends @topretrogames & @Hive_5 To Sample Some Video Games Retrogaming Screenshot Beauty!

So Let's Get Off At Screenshot Heaven And Dish Up 

10 Screenshots For YOU To Try And Name...

READY, STEADY..........GO!

☆ Terrible Video Games That You Played Till The Bitter End! ☆ #GamersUnite #Retrogaming

☆ 

When I was young video games pup my video games collection was small and usually well researched so most of my games were quality games.

BUT every now and again I would be tempted by an untested unknown game that was going for a pocket money price. 

This usually resulted in the game being atrocious and me becoming ultimately disappointed. 

The thing is, once I owned a video game I felt compelled to play it to the end whether it was a terrible game or not. 

This led to me playing through some real awful games over the years that I really should have just walked away from on day one!

 

I've pulled together a list of Five Terrible Video Games That I Played Till The Bitter End! (sometimes the bitter end was me smashing up the cartridge / tape in disgust and frustration!)

☆

Have YOU Played Any Of These Shockingly Bad Games?

☆ 5 Of The Coolest Video Games Related Kickstarters ☆ @MrSidC64 #Retrogaming #GamersUnite #Kickstarter

I've been doing my weekly trawl through the Kickstarter pages to see if I can find any cool video games related projects to back.....................

I think I've found 5 that you will all love!

☆ The Museum Of Gaming "Coming Soon!" ☆ @GamingMuseum #Retrogaming #GamersUnite

Last week I came across an exciting project that is currently being progressed to create

 

"The Museum Of Gaming" 

Within the Museum there will be sections that incorporate Family Gaming, Fantasy Role-play and Computer Based Video Games.

The curators are also planning on creating some exciting separate feature exhibits on various themes.

🕹️ 1992 - The Greatest Year In Video Games History? 🕹️ #GamersUnite #RetroGaming

After extensive thought and research (Google) 

I hereby declare that 1992 was...

"THE GREATEST YEAR IN VIDEO GAMES!"

Why!? I hear you yell….

Well if you sit down for a moment and listen to 

what I've got to say then I'll tell you exactly WHY….

☆ Have YOU Ever Met Any Football Manager Regen Players? ☆ #GamersUnite @tonyjameson @ShortList @SIPublishing

A couple of things got me excited today in the dreary London rain....

I picked up my usual copy of Shortlist on a Thursday and as I always do I searched for some good video games stories or features to inspire me for the Games Freezer blog.....

Not much was in this weeks issue but then I stumbled across this cool sounding Comedy Tour.....

"FOOTBALL MANAGER RUINED MY LIFE"

Anyone who's obsessed over and played FM to death can at least in part empathise with that statement......

FM is the crack cocaine of video games and it's a tough addiction to shake!

☆ What's YOUR Favourite Lucas Arts Video Game? ☆ #GamersUnite #Retrogaming

Inspired by this article on Kotaku I thought it would be a good opportunity to trawl through the Lucas Arts Archives and try and whittle down the Back Catalogue to my 5 Favourite Lucas Arts video games of all time.

 

With so many great games to choose from this is a tough task….but I'm ready for the challenge as as I don my Stan The Boat Dealer's hat and set sail for the mystical land of cool Lucas Arts video games….

 

Games Ahoy!!

☆ My Video Games Memory Loss ☆ #GamersUnite

Playing video games at the ripe old age of 34 (nearly 35) is a different prospect to playing video games when I was 18.

 

The whole spare time issue rears its ugly head and of course family life must come first.

 

So for me to play a video game in its entirety and to its conclusion there is an ingenious algorithm that I need to take into consideration in order to free up previous 'dead time' in my day. (The algorithm is a classified secret that I am unable to divulge)

☆ The Play Expo Is Only 5 Days Away...... ☆ #GamersUnite #Retrogaming

At the time of writing there is only 5 Days until Play Expo rolls into town and satisfies the needs of todays diverse set of Video Gamers!

 

The 2 day event runs from Saturday 11th to Sunday 12th October and takes place at Manchester Event City.

 

This year the Play dudes have set up 5 Zones for gamers to visit which makes it one of the most representative Video Games Shows out there.

 

There's still some time to get your tickets and pay a visit to this fantastic video games show so read on and find out what will be happening at Play Expo this weekend!

☆ The PAC MAN Room.... ☆ #Retrogaming #Gamersunite

Whenever I'm on my hols I always see if I can seek out an arcade game or two and get especially excited when I locate a new Amusement Arcade to visit.

When visiting Center Parcs in September of this year, to my surprise I stumbled across a shrine like arcade section of the park totally devoted to the PAC MAN himself!

Granted, it wasn't actually a room full of PAC MAN arcade machines as such …. BUT it was a homage to the yellow man himself……

☆ The Finest Video Games Arcades In The World Part 1 "BARCADE - BROOKLYN" ☆ @barcadebrooklyn #RetroGaming

Our passion for arcades and arcade machines never dampens.

The sounds and smells of an Arcade invoke so many memories and bring a sense of joy to us as gamers.

Therefore we have been inspired to scour the world and bring to YOU the finest examples of the Arcade.

So we'll be bringing you our findings over the next few weeks….

Let's kick off with a trip to BROOKLYN!

☆ The Games Freezer 16 Links Video Games Roundup "Part IV" ☆ #GamersUnite #RetroGaming

We Are Self Confessed Video Games Magpies....

We See Shiny Stuff On The Internet ...... Grab It......And Lock It Away In The Freezer....

Problem Is Sometimes We Forget Just How Much Shiny Stuff We Have Accumulated And Some Of It Never Sees The light Of Day!!

Thats Where The Games Freezer 16 Links Video Games Roundup Comes Into Play

Take A Look At Some Of The Coolest Video Games Related Sights & Sites That We Have Spotted Over The Last Few Weeks, Aswell As Just Some Stuff We Are Damn Excited About!

☆ 5 Cool Video Games Related Kickstarters For YOU To Check Out.... ☆ #GameDev #Kickstarter #GamersUnite

As You All Know..... We Love To Search Kickstarter On A Regular Basis And Feature The Cream Of The Crop Here On Games Freezer 

Over the last year or so there's been so many Kickstarter Campaigns that we would love to have featured, but just don't have the time to write about them.....

Another dig through the archives brought up some interesting finds of Kickstarters we haven't featured that have gone on to become funded and some others that we just haven't got round to covering yet....

So Now We Present To You.....

5 Cool Video Games Related Kickstarters For YOU To Check Out.....

☆ A Return To "The Secret Cove" ☆ @CheekySprite #GameDev #Kickstarter #GamersUnite

We featured The Secret Cove Kickstarter HERE Last Wednesday And We Are Super Excited About This Great Kickstarter Campaign....

So Much So, That We Decided To Return To The Cove This Week To Catch Up With The Secret Cove's Coding & Design Team To Find Out What Video Games Make Them Tick And Have Influenced Their Beautiful Creation.....

☆ Read The Incredible Game Development Story Of "WARLOCKS" ☆ @pr_hound Games #GameDev #Kickstarter #GamersUnite

Warlocks is a Risk of Rain inspired title...

Max Strzelecki is the lead programmer and was born with no arms. 

Max always aspired to be involved in the gaming industry.  

He taught himself to type and now actually is creating the game by coding entirely with his feet.  

This is a true tale of overcoming the odds to achieve your dream....

☆ Distress Signal Received From The Star Traders 2 Vessel...... ☆ @TreseBrothers #GameDev #Kickstarter #GamersUnite

STAR TRADERS 2 NEEDS YOU!

YES, THAT'S RIGHT......YOU!!

A DISTRESS SIGNAL HAS BEEN LAUNCHED FROM THE "TRESE TRADING VESSEL" WHICH IS CURRENTLY IN KICKSTARTER OWNED AIR SPACE......

READ ON TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP THE TRESE MISSION TO SUCCEED IN LAUNCHING THE STAR TRADERS 2 VESSEL.....

YOU HAVE 3 DAYS TO COMPLY!!!

☆ The Game Is Now Over....... ☆ #TLOU #GamersUnite

Having played possibly the finest video games ever made in it's entirety what is my final thoughts on this triumph of a creation?

Well let me take a seat and let you know what my closing thoughts are.....

☆ The Secret Cove Kickstarter Is Ready To Launch! ☆@CheekySprite #GameDev #Kickstarter #GamersUnite

Back In January This Year We Previewed The Cool Looking Game "The Secret Cove".......

Now The Good Folk From Cheeky Sprite Projects Are Taking "The Secret Cove" Forward 

That Next Step With A Kickstarter In September.........

☆ The Games Freezer 13 Links Video Games Roundup "Part III" ☆ #GamersUnite #RetroGaming

We've dug even deeper this time to locate some more of the best bits of our inbox!

Here's 13 links to some of the coolest Retrogaming and Indie Gaming stuff out there.

Get stuck in and let us know your favourite link......

☆ Take A Look At These 10 Cool Custom Consoles ☆ #Retrogaming #Gamersunite

Having seen a stack of really cool custom consoles this week, we thought we'd share our 10 favourites that we located on the World Wide Retrogaming Web!

Feast YOUR EYES On These Beauties!

☆ The Games Freezer 10 Links Video Games Roundup "Part II" ☆ #GamersUnite #RetroGaming @loopthegame @my_nameis_dan @RogueBrothers

Hey Freezer Followers!

It's Thursday (the new Friday) and we thought we'd treat you to 10 of the coolest video games related things to look at that we found nestled in the Games Freezer inbox....

These are the things that we've collected like Magpies over the last few months....

It's a mix of cool websites, videos, Kickstarters and new games for you to peruse....

So kick back and take a look at all this goodness we've compiled JUST FOR YOU!!

☆ My Favourite In Game Items Of All Time ☆ #GamersUnite

As I think back to some of the great in game items over the years, it is the simple things that stick in my mind.

 

It also got me thinking,

"What Would Look Cool On A Keyring?"

 

So I began to list out all my favourite in game items over the years gone by in the hope that one day I will own a 3D Printer and will be able to make my 

"Key Ring Dreams" come true! :)

☆ Who Is Your Favourite Female Video Game Character Of All Time? ☆ #GamersUnite

Back in the early days of Video Games, females in games were put there to be rescued by the brave & dashing hero in the game.

 

They were normally taken by an evil dude who took them to a castle / hideout in order to draw the hero to the bad guy's lair.

 

Pretty primitive and basic plot, but that sufficed as the sole reason for a female characters for a long time.

 

This primitive inclusion of females has evolved over the years as video games have matured and especially as video games now look to try and tell a story.

 

For me this has become apparent much more so than ever before whilst playing through TheWalkingDead and The Last Of Us, where in both games the female character is not just a helpless sap waiting to be rescued, they are the ones doing the rescuing.

 

This has inspired me to try and dig into the history of females in video games to try and illustrate the way the industry is very slowly maturing on this front.

 

☆ The Games Freezer Video Games Screenshot Quiz ☆ @Hive_5 #Retrogaming #Gamersunite

It's That Time again!

Yes, it's The Games freezer Video Games 

Screenshot Quiz!

Can You Name All The Video Games That These Cool Screenshots Come From?

We've Delved Into @Hive_5 Twitter Pics In Order To Bring You These 

10 Classic Video Games Screenshots....

☆ The Ultimate Retro Gaming Tablet Has Landed! ☆ @FunStockGames #Retrogaming #GamersUnite

The Ultimate Retrogaming Tablet 

Has Arrived.....

And Do You Know What?

It Looks Bloody C☆☆L!

☆ Me & Video Game Ladders Just Don't Mix….☆ #GamersUnite

A simple ladder…….

In real life the common ladder represents a means to climb to a higher platform…..

In video games the common ladder represents utter frustration!

☆ Would You lIke To Star As An NPC In Fortunes Tavern? ☆ @fortunestavern #GamersUnite #Retrogaming #GameDev

Those Crazy Game Devs working on the Fortunes Tavern game are giving 5 lucky people the chance to be an 
NPC in their forthcoming game!

So, what do you have to do to be in with a chance of winning then?

☆ Robot Gentleman Announces The Release Of PostNuclear Mobile Game "60 Seconds" ☆ @robotgentleman @gotojuch #GamersUnite #GameDev

Being massive fans of the Fallout series means that any videogame related to nuclear war and it's effects generally get our attention.

60 Seconds sounds like a really interesting concept from the dudes at Robot Gentleman so we took some time to find out more about this cool video game.

☆ Video Games Books You Need In Your Life! ☆ @romalerts @retroboyo @FunStockGames @WoodPunk #Retrogaming #GamersUnite

It's A Shame This Book Isn't Real......

I love a good video games related book and I've recently been starting to look for some ideas of what presents i'd like to put on my birthday wish list!

So I've had a good look around for the reading list of my dreams.....

Here's what beauties i've managed to unearth....

☆ Some Of The Coolest Video Game "Demakes" In The World Today! ☆ #Retrogaming #GamersUnite #Pixel

We just cant get enough of all the cool creative types who take it upon themselves to remake the latest video games in glorious pixelated 8 or 16 Bit!

The plethora of remakes, demakes and reimaginings out there at the minute contain some purely amazing pieces of artwork and pixelated Video Game sequences from some of the biggest video games in history.

We could look at and watch this stuff all day 

(and often we do!)

We thought we'd pick our favourites at this moment in time and invite you to share with us any of your favourite Video Game Reimaginings!

☆ Pang Man Part 14 – "Top 10 Video Game related movies" ☆ #GamersUnite

"I was watching the Street Fighter movie the other day, and was thinking this is truly awful. 

I mean, why would anyone cast Kylie Minogue as Cammy? Is she English? (no, but I suppose she can attempt an accent). 

Can she act? (um I suppose she was fine in Neighbours) 

and does she have a martial arts background? (nope).

☆ My First Encounter With A "BLOATER" ☆ #TLOU #GamersUnite

What's the most memorable thing about Bioshock?

 

The jaw dropping twist in the tale?

The amazing gameworld?

OR

That first encounter with a BIG DADDY!!??!!

 

For me it was most definitely the moment when you experience the awesome power and devastating scariness of the BIG DADDY!

 

It was a defining moment in the last generation of video games.

 

One where you are genuinely scared........

 

Yesterday I had a repeat of one of those moments........

☆ "The Banner Saga" Is Coming....... ☆ @PocketGamer @StoicStudio #GameDev #Android #iOS

We saw this on Pocket Gamer And Got Really Excited!

 

The Banner Saga is coming to Android and iOS in September!

 

☆ Pang Man Part 13 - Cool Video Games Stores: "Forbidden Planet" ☆ @ForbiddenPlanet #GamersUnite

The Pang Man Is Back In The Freezer!

This Time Our Main Man Takes A Look At Forbidden Planet And All Its Video Games Related Wares......

Let's See What The Pang Man Has To Say,

"During my uni days, I would often have a spare hour or two between lectures. So with a bit of time to kill, what did I do, study? Nah, of course not! Instead, I would often pop down to one of my favourite stores in Central London, Forbidden Planet

The thing I loved about Forbidden Planet was that they had a bit of everything for the cult/fantasy/sci-fi/ enthusiast, from movie posters and books, to cult magazines and comics.

Now you may be wondering, what does this have to do with the wonderful world of video gaming? 

Well, I vaguely remembered that the store sold a decent selection of gaming related merchandise. 

So to check that my memories weren’t playing tricks on me, I went to revisit Forbidden Planet yesterday to see what goodies they had in stock.

☆ The Trese Brothers Are BACK With "Star Traders 2" ☆ @TreseBrothers #Kickstarter #GameDev

The Trese Brothers stand for quality Video Games

They are gamers who make games for gamers 

When you play one of their fine video games you are involving yourself in an immersive experience and you know that you will begin to really care for the your characters and their storylines during the game as the gameplay takes you along at a brilliant pace...

This kind of professionalism and love for the video games and the community used to be rare in the mobile gaming arena, but The Trese Bros are looking to change all that by making it the standard that ALL other Indie Game Devs aspire to…

Today we've received some exciting news…..The Trese Boys Are BACK!! 

And this time they are in space!

☆ Games Freezer's 5 Most Iconic Video Games System Designs Of All Time ☆ #Retrogaming

Of course, over the years there have been a vast number of Video Games Computers & Consoles.

There have been so many games and machines that we fondly remember.

We have decided to give our opinion on what we think are the 5 most iconic video games computer and console designs from the dawn of home video games systems back in the late 1970's…..

Take a look for your favourite in our iconic Video Games Computers & Consoles list…..