Nuclear Blaze is a unique 2D firefighting game from the creator of Dead Cells, with all the devastating backdrafts, exploding walls and sprinklers you could expect. Fight your way through a mysterious facility and try to keep the blaze under control.
Having previously covered – and been extremely impressed by – Bitmap Books’ Game Boy: The Box Art Collection (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/05/bitmap-books-game-boy-box-art.html), I already knew what to expect from them this time around. Solid, robust packaging, luxurious, glossy paper as well as well-researched and well-presented text augmented by crisp imagery and screenshots. Good.
Far Cry 6 however, drew me in straight away. Whilst there are darker moments here, the overall sense of the game is that of fun and the traits of the series return in a way that makes exploration feel enjoyable - not through any real reinvention but rather through the solid gameplay, vibrant presentation, jaunty music, moment-to-moment scenes and satisfying gunplay.
Our home is one filled with love for Jon Everist, as mentioned in my previous Vinyl Fantasies article (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/05/video-game-vinyl-britt-recommends.html) I was quite taken by his Shadowrun: Hong Kong soundtrack and even now, almost nine months on, we listen to it pretty regularly.
Whilst this game was also created by Harebrained Schemes – those heroes behind the resurgence of the Shadowrun franchise - it’s the first soundtrack that I’ve listened to from Jon Everist outside of the Shadowrun series and so I was intrigued as to how his approach would differ.
By Salvinsky (https://salvinsky.bandcamp.com/)
Narita Boy was a title that I reviewed back in April and, whilst the gameplay didn’t click with me, the visual and audio presentation were real highlights - a vision of a digital future purely viewed through the lens of a romanticised ‘80s mindset was a heady mix and this soundtrack, comprising of a selection of thirteen tracks from the game, feels like a well-chosen highlight reel and has been firmly glued to my turntable since receiving it just over a week ago.
Darker still are the secrets inscrybed upon the cards...
It's also currently FREE on Steam!
Technology is expensive, so unless you want to be paying out to fix or replace it, you must invest your time in looking after your tech. Whether you use your devices for gaming or work, likely, your setup is not cheap. Looking after your tech will not only save you money in the long run but also help you benefit from more efficient functions and better security features to keep your data safe.
Here are some top tips to help you look after your tech and increase its lifespan.
My expectations were sky high, I was counting down the days to play it; frothing at the mouth, staring at my watch, screaming at time to move more quickly… ok maybe that’s hyperbole - but I couldn’t wait to finally load the game and start my experience.
The thought of combining top-down vehicular combat with the style of a classic horizontal shooter really unbuckled my trousers and folded them neatly in a drawer.
When the review copy was sent over, I was a little apprehensive as the previous game we had covered from Numskull – RICO: London – hadn’t been scored too well by my colleague, luckily those worries were unfounded as Gearshifters quickly held me captive in its cleverly designed, moreish, skidmark-laden world.
Roll through wondrous worlds with AiAi and friends as you race to stop monkey mad scientist Dr Bad-Boon from blowing up Jungle Island! Join the all-star monkey team of AiAi, MeeMee, GonGon, Baby, YanYan and Doctor as you bounce, tilt, and roll your way across hundreds of delightfully crafted levels and mazes. It’s monkey business for the gang as you take down Dr Bad-Boon and steal back your beloved bananas!
From the well-meaning but overreaching Boiling Point: Road to Hell, White Gold: War in Paradise and Precursors to the...well, also well-meaning but over-reaching Hard Truck Apocalypse – which has a gorgeous acoustic guitar-led soundtrack that yearns to be released on vinyl.
The games were janky and tough to run on PCs of the day but they had such flair and character that I always got excited when I picked one up.
Of course, a game from that area of the world that was one of the most influential – and is currently coming back with a sequel – was S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, which remains one of the most intense gaming experiences I’ve ever had - alongside Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth - and Chernobylite continues in that vein – a vein that very much scratches an itch that I didn’t even know I had in modern gaming. Good.
"A Little Golf Journey is all about the journey, not the driver. Explore diverse biomes, uncover each course's secrets and enjoy a relaxed, playful experience built around a stripped back version of the game of golf.
Created by a duo of former AAA games developers and launching on Steam & GOG for PC and Nintendo Switch today, A Little Golf Journey allows players to soak up the natural beauty of the course, spend all your time out of bounds or shoot straight for the greens. But who knows what mysteries you might uncover if you explore a little?"
Ready your pack, grab your walking stick and step into a world of mystery and legend in the Book Of Travels game. Craft a unique character and immerse yourself in the enchanted lands of Braided Shore. Set your own goals and adventure alone or together with Travellers you meet on the road in this serene TMORPG.
|
Label - Minimum Records
Music by - Hamidreza Ansari
https://hamidrezaansari.com/home
Taken from the 2019 ARPG game ‘Children of Morta’ developed by Dead Mage, the game tells the story of the Bergson family, who are trying to erase ‘the Corruption’ from their home, Mount Morta.
Children of Morta is a game I have played only briefly, it just so happened to be a game I was just tucking into – not to review for GF, just stumbled upon it on Game Pass – just as a deluge of things that required coverage came into the GF HQ and the flaming gavel of justice was required elsewhere once more. Whilst I only spent an hour or so with the game, I was digging the presentation and mood and so I’m intrigued by how the soundtrack feels as a standalone piece of music.
The first record we’ve covered from either Mondo or musician John Paesano, this double-LP of Insomniac’s 2018 hit pulls no punches with the sprawling filmic audio expanse that it creates.
The article appeared to really resonate with a lot of people (thank you to all!) and so it made perfect sense to get hips deep again and talk about other albums that really stand out for me – as well as some recent additions to the GF collection.
Once again, there is so much solid gold out there that I keep coming across music that quite frankly makes my trousers fly off my legs and turn into butterflies that scatter across the universe…so here are more records that soundtrack my days.
This is the first release I’ve covered from Return to Analog - a label based in Canada - and the contact, support, shipping and packaging were excellent, so it was off to a great start!
Being unfamiliar with the Dead by Daylight game, I went into this album with no prior expectations...but, upon seeing some of the track titles (Being Watched, Suffering, Enduring Torment, Threatening Gloom…) I did wonder if I’d have to listen from behind a tear-absorbent pillow.
Having been a fan of The Angry Video Game Nerd for a good few years (I think the first video I ever saw was The Silver Surfer), I can remember when the games based on the series were first released - in 2013 and 2016 respectively – and their addictive ‘dive in and out’ qualities combined with laser-focused platforming challenge and shining 8-bit audio work made such an impression on me that I leapt to cover the deluxe versions when they were released last year (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/search/label/AVGN%201%262%20Deluxe).
Originally released in 1994, the first game in the series – Cruis’n USA – was a fixture in a lot of arcades I visited in my teens and I was instantly drawn to the twitchy handling, energetic music and pure arcade gameplay.
The home ports were decent and got better with each iteration, meaning that Cruis’n Exotica was the highlight for me, despite the pop-in, smoothness always wins the day!
I was very sceptical going into Tormented Souls, thinking that maybe this type of game should be left in the past, so I don’t have to watch my love and nostalgia being quickly eroded by games trying to recapture their spirit.
Luckily, I love Tormented Souls, it did exactly what it was supposed to do - first and foremost, allow me to enjoy the experience but also fired up my nostalgia and transported me back to the early days of survival horror.
As a big-time fan of Kentucky Route Zero this isn’t exactly unwelcome, but when you’re a tiny indie developer with the freedom to make whatever you want cribbing heavily from someone else’s aesthetic feels like a creative lapse. Then, late in the game, you walk into a room to find a computer with Kentucky Route Zero on it and you’re asked if you want to name your dog Blue or Homer.
Well, fair enough then. At least they aren’t being subtle about it.
Sheltered 2 is a brutal survival management simulator set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Keep your faction of survivors alive, maintain your shelter and scavenge the ravaged world for resources.
Befriend and trade with the factions you meet or conquer them by force.
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
It’s actually a little bit more complicated than that and there’s no real definitive answer or age the game has to be considered retro.
‘an award-winning independent magazine that celebrates games as an art form. Each issue plays host to a rich variety of voices from inside and outside the videogame industry, interwoven with stunning bespoke imagery from leading illustrators and artists. Editorially discerning and beautifully designed, the magazine serves to celebrate gaming culture and discussion.’
