Computer+Adventure

Bringing things to a close

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:56:00 +0000

I’ve got some big news in this post, but first let me start you off with some Indie / Freeware games to satisfy your palette.

The Silver Lining – Part 4

The popular fanware project based on the King’s Quest series has seen it’s most recent instalment released!

The Silver Lining – Part 4, promises to bring an even bigger episode and more dramatic adventure than in previous instalments, check out the preview below.

The Silver Lining– Episode 4 Trailer

The Silver Lining is available from the developers website - here

The Battle for Wesnoth

The Battle for Wesnoth, has been around for some time now and is a freeware game that is constantly under development. A fully fledged strategy game with role playing game elements added to the mix, it has a constant source of new material being regularly developed by players and members of it’s community. It includes single, multiplayer and online gaming modes and often adds new features and enhancements as each build is released. The Battle for Wesnoth is an excellent game and will appeal to both strategy fans and roleplaying enthusiasts alike.

The Battle for Wesnoth - Trailer

If you haven’t checked it out already, make sure you head over to the developers website - here

Infamous Adventures are looking for Beta Testers

Infamous Adventures are currently looking for Beta Testers for two of their upcoming Sierra remakes - Space Quest 2 (VGA Edition) and King’s Quest 3 Gold, which improves upon the visuals and game design of their original remake.

If your looking to get your hands on an early copy of either game and willing to help out with some bug finding, head over to their website and make an application – here

Team Fortress Arcade

An interesting demake of Valve’s popular Team Fortress 2 FPS, it brings many of features from the original game and mashes them into a retro side scrolling shooter / beat ‘em up. The great thing about the game is how many of the characters skills have been brought across and authentically resemble the original title and yet have been created in an entirely different context. There’s also a four player multiplayer mode which is currently offline only, but an online mode should be available in a few months time - recommended for anyone who enjoys retro action titles.

Team Fortress Arcade

Get Team Fortress Arcade – here

Wrapping up

After giving it much thought, I’ve decided to make this my last post for Computer + Adventure and place the blog in hibernation. Recently I’ve been concentrating a lot of my time in other areas and simply haven’t had energy or resources to take the blog to where I truly want It to be. Instead I will start concentrating more of my efforts on some of the more commercial writing portals (such as Adventure Gamers) that I currently write for.

So as of today, I’m letting the dust settle on this project and hopefully leave it as an interesting read for anyone who wishes to find some top notch freeware games. It will be available for as long Blogger / Google chooses to host it and with more than 70 articles to choose from, I’m sure you’ll find something interesting to read.

If you wish to keep following my various writings, you can find me over at Adventure Gamers or at my AG Writers Bio here.

Super Crate Box

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:23:00 +0000

Super Crate Box is a sweet retro inspired 2D platformer which was released back in late 2010. Inspired by arcade titles such as Bubble Bobble and Nick & Tom – Snow Bros., Super Crate Box focuses on fast paced single screen platforming action.

There are four main objectives to the game; The first is to stop the constant onslaught of on screen enemies by blowing them to smithereens with what ever weapon you have on hand. The second collect as many crate boxes as you possibly can, which also changes your weapon at the time (this can be good or bad). The third is unlock as many levels and extra characters as possible.The fourth, get the high score! It couldn’t be simpler.

Super Crate Box

One thing to remember is to try and kill enemies before they reach the bottom of the screen, as once they jump into a fire which rests there, they reappear twice as fast and twice as crazy.

Super Crate Box offers sublime platforming action, with the only downside being that’s only three levels to play. But don’t let that stop you, It will take a while before you can get everything unlocked and decent high score to go with it!

if you’re looking for quick action fix, with little in the way of time commitment, this is your game!

Download Super Crate Box for the PC (Freeware) from here

The Book of Unwritten Tales – English Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:36:00 +0000

The Book of Unwritten Tales is a soon to be released adventure game produced by King Art games. The game was originally developed and released for the German market back in 2009 and has received critical acclaim by local pundits. Two years on and we are now seeing the preview of the upcoming English release.

The Book of Unwritten Tales – Teaser Trailer

Here is some of the promotional material featured on the developers website:

“The Book of Unwritten Tales is a humorous Point & Click homage to the RPG and fantasy genre. In a world torn by war, the aged gremlin archaeologist Mortimer MacGuffin harbours the dark secret of a powerful artefact. Whoever calls this artefact his own, will determine the fate of the world.While the Army of the Shadows sends out its best and most devious agents to discover the secret, the Alliance's four heroes find themselves involuntarily drawn into the crisis..

The Book of Unwritten Tales – Live Burials

Humorous Point & Click homage to the RPG and fantasy genre.

About 20 hours of gameplay in a massive game world with detailed graphics.

Multi-character gameplay: Play as Wilbur, Nate, Ivo, and the Critter - in turn or simultaneously - and use the skills of your heroes wisely.

Meet numerous crazy characters - from two-headed ogres and vegetarian dragons to good-natured zombies.

Solve over 150 mind-boggling puzzles and discover more than 300 items that can be used and combined.”

Just watching the preview movies, you can tell that this game might very well be something special. For starters the games visuals are drop dead gorgeous, with beautifully rendered 3D characters, lighting and shadow effects. I’m not sure if the models have been pre-rendered and then animated or if the 3D engine has been focused to use very high spec of 3D models (my guess is pre-rendered models) but whatever the developers choice, the end result is a lush cartoon visual, which is without a doubt, eye candy for those who appreciate digital animation. But putting all of this aside, what truly has the pulse racing here is the amusing and witty dialogue through out, which looks set to be the games true highlight.

From just watching the preview movies, I already have flashbacks to the wit and humour of classic 90’s adventure games such as Simon the Sorcerer and The Secret of Monkey Island and the best part is that whilst this game could very well be inspired by those titles, you get a sense that there’s some very fresh and original humour going on here and it’s all been wrapped up and put together in a modern and stylish adventure game format.

Perhaps the biggest and most testing challenge for this game would have been the translation from German to English and ensuring that nothing is lost in that process and that there isn’t too much in the way of cultural bias (e.g. German only jokes and references etc.). So far based on the available previews, the translation appears to come along very nicely, hopefully this will be consistent through out.

To me there are three key indicators that an adventure game will be a success, the first is based on the in game cinematic effects given over to the story, the second is puzzles and interactivity and the third is the wit and intelligent dialogue. When all three elements come together under one roof, you usually end up with an amazing experience. This combination of elements is something that I believe is now usually missing from the modern day adventure game, with most games bringing puzzles and visual elements but lack the cinema, interactivity and classy dialogue that made many of the early classics such a success. The reason I believe this combination is so powerful and act as catalyst to create a successful adventure game, is based on the feeling of playing a movie and being at the centre of an interactive character’s journey through that movie, deciding when his actions are performed and whether or not they will succeed through their choices, finding solutions to puzzles using whatever’s on hand and the creating a cinema and drama with in this space to frame and satisfy our altogether human needs of both being involved and being a passive witness to the cinematic experience, this is what adventure gaming is all about, or at least should be.

Book of Unwritten Tales - Dances with Bulls

From what I can tell, there are already a lot of these elements present in the game, I guess it will really be a matter of these particulars all being of a high standard, working well in combination and then some slick execution to really determine whether this will be a true classic or just another well presented game. Lets hope it’s the former.

The Book of Unwritten Tales website can be found here

Not dead yet…

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:25:00 +0000

Ah yes dear reader, it’s been months since my last post, sadly real life had caught up with me and saddled me with work, bills and all sorts of important real life events. If only blog writing was a well paid profession…

However I’m going to turn this around and set things straight, with some new and up coming material to wet your beloved indie appetite and who knows, maybe even the odd commercial review.

In the mean time - keep on smiling!

Indie updates…

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:08:00 +0000

Here’s a quick selection of some the latest and greatest indie games that are up and coming on the scene…

Ninja Senki

‘Kinuhime was killed by a ninja demon. Now, Hayate has become obsessed with revenge! But can revenge bring her back?’

Ninja Senski is a 2D ninja platformer featuring numerous evil ninjas, ghosts, demons and an array of Japanese mythical creatures. The game plays at a relentless pace and is mercilessly challenging. The story is focused on the Blue Ninja Hayate’s quest for revenge against a ruthless demon ninja who killed the princess of his clan, who was also his beloved.

The game is inspired by a variety of platformers from the Nintendo & Sega 8 bit era. It puts together some of the best elements from the 2D scrolling genre and wraps it all up into an original and challenging platforming title.

Ninja Senki is a thoroughly enjoyable and addictive game, it’s not for the faint hearted though, so you’re going to have to skill up if your going to even make it past the first level! All I can say is that the more you play the more rewarding it gets and the more challenging it becomes!

Available as freeware here (Windows only)

Tiny Barbarian

Based loosely on a short story from the Conan series, named the Frost Giants Daughter, Tiny Barbarian is a re-envisioned version of this story, transformed into a challenging single level platformer.

The game begins with our hero leaving a dangerous and bloody battle field, when a mysterious women appears before him, luring him toward her with a magic spell. He follows her, blind with lust, whilst she tries to destroy him by resurrecting dead bodies from the battlefield, luring him into traps and casting energy bolts in an attempt to bring him to his doom.

This game should appeal to fans who love the 8 bit hack and slash /platformer genre (think Castlevania / Ghost ’n’ Goblins here), it’s a little short on game time but the quality of the package more than makes up for it + it’s freeware, so how can you go wrong?

You can find Tiny Barbarian here (Windows Only)

Gemini Rue

Gemini Rue is a sci-fi adventure / action game, which plays and feels in character with films such as Blade Runner and games like Beneath a Steel Sky and Rise of the Dragon. The story focuses on the lives of two brothers who make an attempt to escape a planet run by a terrible crime syndicate. In the process of making their escape, one of the brothers is caught and has his memory wiped, forcing the other to return and make a rescue attempt. At this point a noir styled sci-fi detective story begins, as you take the first steps in attempting to find your brother…

Gemini Rue essentially uses a lo-res canvas to display it’s visuals (320 x 240 res) which won’t appeal to all players, (especially those looking for cutting edge visuals) and is probably an area that should be given careful consideration by any developer if they wish their product to garner universal appeal. On the flip side though, there is a tremendous amount of detail that has been poured into the games visuals and cinematics, giving it a rich graphic novelisation style of presentation. The visual aesthetic combined with a significant amount of detail paid to it’s environments, atmosphere and it’s story driven world, make this one of the most interesting adventure games produced of late.

One of the aspects to this title is that you will eventually be able to control both of the brothers at different times and be able to swap between the two instantaneously in order to solve puzzles in a collaborative manner.There isn’t a significant volume of puzzles to frustrate and challenge players, but what is there works well. If your looking for a strong puzzle heavy game, you will be let down here, however, if you’re looking for a story that is driven by an intriguing sci-fi story, interactivity, depth, fluidity and offers a reasonable balance of puzzles and action driven sequences, this is your game.

What is most surprising about Gemini Rue is that it is a game that feels like the real deal, it’s not a copy of some one else’s game, a re-interpretation of a classic or even a fan game with a new coat of paint. Some one has put love, sweat and tears into making an original concept which feels unique, interesting and something that will keep players intrigued to the very end.

I highly recommend this game, if you’re interested in making a purchase or trying the demo, head over to Wadget Eye Games

Hawken

Hawken is an up and coming Mech game which will focus on arena style combat, incorporating fast paced fps game play, whilst utilising all the abilities of a high tech Mech suit.

Hawken is currently under development and is currently using the Unreal engine for it’s in game graphics. If you haven’t already checked out the Hawken trailer you should, It will blow your mind!!!

To find out more about Hawken, visit the developers website here

The Silver Lining Episode 3 now released

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:40:00 +0000

If you’ve been waiting for another episode of famed fan sequel to the King’s Quest series, well wait no more The Silver Lining Episode 3 is now upon us and ready to download! Check out the latest trailer and then quickly make your way over to the TSL website for a rather large download!

The TSL website can be found here

King’s Quest III Redux

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:49:00 +0000

Not that they had to or even needed to but perhaps out of the need for perfecting their vision or deciding that the job just wasn’t finished quite just yet, AGDI, the people who brought you remakes of Sierra’s King’s Quest 1, King’s Quest 2+ & Quest for Glory 2 are at it again! with a brand new title nearing release, King’s Quest 3 Redux.

AGDI who have been one of the major developers and prime influences behind the adventure game remake scene over the past decade, have surprised everyone with their recent announcement of a fully fledged remake of King’s quest 3, which is on the verge of release. Perhaps the greatest surprise of all is that they have been unusually shy about the release until now, avoiding the pressure of building up expectations with early media coverage.

King’s Quest 3 Redux is set to bring back to the full flavour of the original title whilst overhauling the engine to a point-n-click interface and presenting the visuals in a colourful and highly detailed pixel art style. There should be little in the way of story changes (as compared to AGDI’s significant rewrite of King’s Quest 2+) but rather small tweaks and enhancements to the story, to give more depth and polish over the course of the game.

The best news of all is the title is expected to be released some time in the next few weeks, top news for King’s Quest fans!

Those who wish to find out more should head over the AGDI’s website here

Super Mario Bros. X

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 01:20:00 +0000

Super Mario Bros. X is a brand new Super Mario fan game which has been recently released and has appeared just before the Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary.

Super Mario Bros. X is a mash up of levels and elements from Super Mario 1,2,3, SM World and some special levels that appear to be grafted from Zelda 2 and Super Metroid. The graphics are fashioned after Super Mario World and offer colourful retro visuals, with each level being being unique and different from previous games.

There’s over 50 levels in this title and the option of five playable characters including the ability to use characters such as Toad, Peach and Link (from Zelda). The characters have large choice of power ups available including some of the more unusual power ups such as the Ice Flower, the Hammer Suit, the Tanooki Suit, Kuribo's shoe, the Billy Gun and last but not least, Yoshi.

There’s also a number of additional modes such as an advanced two player co-op mode and battle mode between characters.It also has a rather sophisticated level editor to create your own levels, allowing a vast amount of control over level design and plenty of in game resources to draw upon.

Super Mario Bros. X is not only packed full of options but is a genuinely enjoyable game and which feels like a legitimate Mario title.

Make sure you check this out!

Super Mario Bros. X can be downloaded from here.

Stuff…

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:41:00 +0000

You may have noticed that I haven’t been publishing as many articles on this site in recent times, well that’s because I’ve been spending a whole lot of time writing articles over at Adventure Gamers, one of the biggest on-line publications for the Adventure Game genre. It’s been a great experience working with the peeps over at AG and real learning curve for me also, one that will no doubt, shape and improve my writing abilities over time.

As far as Computer+Adventure is concerned, not too much has changed, I’m still planning on producing more content for the site and perhaps even make some changes to the site layout at some point in the future. It may mean I post less frequently but with higher quality content or more frequently but with shorter articles, either way you’ll still receive plenty plenty of underground goodness and the info on the Indie scene that you’ve come to expect.

Moving on…

I’m going to give you a quick round up of some the best new games in the freeware indie scene -

Dash and the Stolen Treasure

Dash and the Stolen Treasure is a freeware platform game that very much follows in the footsteps of Jax and Daxter in terms of playability. When I first saw the trailer for this game, I thought it was going to a commercial product, imagine my delight when I discovered It was freeware! The game has been created as a university project by five Spanish students and is approximately 166 Mb to download. Check out the website here.

The Journey Down: Over the Edge Part 1

The Journey Down: Over the edge is an old school adventure game with lots of Voodoo flavour,the game uses an amazing story line about an alternate world filled with a voodoo doll-like people. The Journey Down has all the hallmarks of a Monkey Island 2 game but in a modern settings, the graphics are amazingly beautifully and perhaps only let down by the authors choice of using a low resolution to depict his artwork. In game puzzles are well designed and challenging to get through and the title is the first of three part series under development. Help Bwana and his sidekick Kito on their adventures and escape the corrupt gangsters that are attempting to track them down. The game is free to download and is available here.

DreamBall 64

DreamBall 64 is a game that combines some of the best elements from modern platform games and physics based ball games such as Marble Madness and Super Monkey Ball. The game concept is simple, guide your ball through a series of hoops until all of hoops on the level have changed colour, then proceed to the exit. Sounds easy but there are some very tricky puzzles platforms, puzzles and physical challenges along the way! A very enjoyable freeware title, download from the developers website here.

SP A.I.

SP A.I. is a unique game which is a combination of a platform and puzzle game in one and merges some real time and turn based gameplay in different sections of the game. You control Aiva an artificially Intelligent infiltration program that can be used to hack systems, break open firewalls and around with a systems security protocols. The purpose of the game is to attack an enemies mainframe and either shut it down or acquire information, you do this through the information superhighway, the ultimate modern day battleground. For any one who’s watched the movie Tron, this will seem altogether familiar, which can only be a good thing. There’s definitely some fun to be had with SP A.I. , the main website is located here.

Enemy 585

Enemy 585 is a rather fun browser puzzle game which opens with an introduction of a Mario style game as a tease but then slowly introduces you to an altogether different type of game as play begins. You assume to role of a block in the castle, who feels sorry for the one remaining enemy, who hadn’t been stomped by the Mario style hero who run in to rescue his girlfriend. Determined to give the little fellow a chance, you act as a floating and moving platform through out the game, guiding Enemy 585 from right to left until he reaches what would be normally considered the beginning of the level. In likewise fashion you play from the last level of the game until you reach what would essentially be the beginning of the game for the Mario character. Enemy 585 is probably one of the best browser games I’ve played in a very long time, not only is it packed with clever game play, the game is very visually appealing and has a luscious array of chip-tunes to accompany it. You can play Enemy 585 here.

Q.U.B.E.

Q.U.B.E. Is a first person perspective freeware puzzle game that sees you solving a number of environmental problems in order to progress. The object of the game is beat each level by manipulating a number coloured cubes that appear through each course which in turn helps you solve a puzzle that allows you to progress further in that level. Q.U.B.E. is a game for people who love their puzzles and is available here.

Pirates of New Horizons

Pirates of the New Horizon is a freely available prototype of a hack and slash platform game by Exit Strategy Entertainment. The game is due to be sold commercially some time in the future, however in the mean time it’s free to play and free to download. You play as the young space pirate Annh, who travels the void in search of many hidden treasures. The game will involve some puzzle solving, along side combat and a bit platform action too! Make sure you get a copy of the prototype here.

The Creature

The Creature, use your legs, tongue and horns or roll into a ball as you make your way through this crafty and unusual platform game. Packed full of puzzles and environmental obstacles, the creature will have you rolling on the floor, literally! Check out the developers website here.

Magnesian

Magnesian is a futuristic platform game that sees you controlling a Robot who has the ability to activate two types of magnetic energy beams from his hands, it works around the concept of manipulating objects with magnetic polarity either with negative or positive polarity. Magnesian is a fast paced an interesting game, definitely worth a look – here.

Sonic Fan Remix

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:36:00 +0000

Happen to be an old school fan of Sonic the Hedgehog?

Well you might just be in for a real treat! There’s currently a Sonic the Hedgehog remake underway, called Sonic Fan Remix.

Sonic Fan Remix purportedly combines some of the best levels of the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis franchise and gives them a brand spanking HD overhaul, whilst remaining true to the original style of play.

Sonic Fan Remix

From what I’ve seen so far, this game is sure to be a freeware hit, bringing some absolutely remarkable production standards for a freeware title.

If your interested in giving the game a test run, a demo is available on the developers website here

Fez Preview Video

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 11:02:00 +0000

Fez is an interesting indie platform game that is due to be released on the X-Box Live Arcade platform some time in 2011. The game takes an unique approach to the platform gaming arena by incorporating 3D elements into the traditional 2D playing field, by allowing the arena to be rotated during play.

Check out the video below, for a glimpse of the game in action!

The official Fez website can be found here

Duke Nukem Forever Revived!

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:52:00 +0000

It’s hard to believe but the Duke Nukem Forever project has been revived and is due to be published by Gearbox Software. Gearbox who have been responsible for such titles as Borderlands and Brothers In Arms, have now taken over the once defunct Duke Nukem project which will be now released some time during 2011.

The Duke Nukem character became famous after the release of the 1995 First Person Shooter titled Duke Nukem 3D, which incorporated adult themes into game play. The basic premise of the storyline was based on an alien invasion that had left the earth decimated and enslaved. Duke returning home from a mission in outer space finds himself being shot down whilst re-entering the earth’s atmosphere and jumps on to the roof of the nearest building after his spaceship comes crashing down. Duke straps on his gun and sets off to make the alien slim pay for their crimes against humanity (and his ride).

Duke Nukem is portrayed as a super macho man, who has a love for guns, cigars, violence and scantily clad women (preferably strippers). Although seen as controversial in it’s day, Duke Nukem 3D didn’t particularly go along way in differentiating itself from other FPS’s at the time and was more of a colourful Quake clone than anything else.The adult themes where mild and really only added a few macho catch phrases, some suggestive scenery, the odd bit of blood splatter and the occasional encounter with a blocky unrealistic stripper (who really didn’t do much).

What made the game interesting was it’s portrayal of a gritty post apocalyptic earth to which Duke Nukem colourfully enters. With Duke on the case, the game really takes on the feel of old an 1950’s space b-movie, spiced up with modern humour and little bit of Adult entertainment (all whilst retaining it’s post apocalyptic image of course). This plus a never ending stream of small comedic details that are chiselled into each of different game levels, really made Duke Nukem standout as quite a fun game to play.

Two years after Duke Nukem 3D’s initial release (1997), 3D Realms announced a sequel, aptly titled Duke Nukem Forever and after 13 years of being in development, missed release dates, changing of graphic engines, re-rendering in game characters, redesigning levels, firing staff and closing down the project all but for good, it really did manage live up to it’s name!

Luckily, thanks to Gearbox, the Duke will indeed be back! bringing with him the longest development time for a game ever!

Expect to see the majority of the Duke Nukem flavour remain intact, with a few of the original team members still working on the project (and it’s original code).

Duke Nukem Forever is due to be released on the PC, X-Box 360 and Playstation 3.

Check out the official Duke Nukem Forever website here

The Silver Lining – Episode 2

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:06:00 +0000

Episode 2 of The Silver Lining is due to be released on the 18th of September 2010.

If your not already familiar with The Silver Lining, it’s a freeware adventure game based upon the legendary King’s Quest series originally produced by Sierra.

TSL is as a fan made spiritual sequel which has been in development for approximately seven to eight years years and utilises much of the previous games locations, characters and story canon.

The first episode of the game was released on the 10th of July this year and was more of an introduction than a fully fledged episode.

Now that that Episode 2 is nearly with us, we should expect a much longer gaming experience, with more puzzles and locations to visit and interact with (and a much larger download).

Hopefully the next episode won’t disappoint!

If you haven’t already played the first episode, head over to the TSL website and get downloading.

Which you can find here

Commodore Reborn?

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:11:00 +0000

Bankruptcy can be a cruel and untimely thing, just when you think all is going well, your business is on top of the world, a sudden shift in sands occurs, your products are no longer as competitive as they once where and your once legion of fans desert you for only a slightly more advanced version of what you currently sell, all of a sudden you wish you’d spent a little bit more on research and development and not made all those poor hardware choices and experimental consoles that you thought would drive the market. Sound familiar? Why yes of course it does, it’s the tale of Commodore International, who back in the 80’s and 90’s released two of the most popular home computers the world has seen, the Commodore 64 and the Amiga 500.

If your not old enough to remember, Commodore 64 and the Amiga 500 where the powerhouse for home computing back in the 80’s and the 90’s, bringing not only home computing, but gaming to millions. They where versatile machines that where a lot cheaper than a fully decked out IBM Compatible but a little more pricey than your average home console.

Commodore who where extremely competitive during the 80’s, started to slip at the beginning of the 90’s, failing to properly invest in updating their computer systems and simply cashing in on the popularity of the Amiga line of computers. By the time they realised that regular system and graphic upgrades where required to stay popular in the market place, the credibility they’d earned began to slide, along with the interest of dedicated gamers. To make matters worse, both PC manufacturers and Nintendo had made an aggressive entries into the market place with the introduction of the VGA & Super VGA graphic adapters becoming available for the PC desktop and arrival of the powerful Super Nintendo console which lured away Amiga gamers with the promise of colourful arcade like graphics.

The Amiga 500 Plus (In Carbonite!)

Things began to look dire and in an last ditch attempt to stay in the market, Commodore eventually released their final piece of hardware (A console!), the Amiga CD32. Unfortunately this release just came a little too late and hit the market place only just before the more powerful Sony Playstation, 3DO, Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64 where all released. This decimated Commodore, who where left in the position of not being able to sell pre-made units or find suitable software developers for the platform. Just as they where beginning to catch up with their competitors, the game changed, leaving Commodore in a financial position that lead to bankruptcy.

The Amiga brand was sold off to a European company who attempted to revive the flailing computer system for a number of years, but was sadly unable to move with the times in terms of hardware or attract popular developers to rebuild mass market appeal. The Amiga became a computer on the fringe, supported only by it’s hardcore fan base. In the mean time, the Commodore brand was sold off during the bankruptcy and transferred to Dutch company, who sat on it for a number of years. With no market presence and no hardware releases of any kind for many years, it was (almost) safe to say that Commodore was dead and buried.

Back from the dead (sort of…)

In an alarming number of cases, most of the pioneers of the computing industry started out by being talented guys who just knew how to sell stuff and then imaginatively getting others to believe in their cause. These guys often worked out garages and family homes, before their wares went on to hit the mass market. In fact if Bill Gates or Steve Jobs hadn’t dropped out of university to work on their own projects, the computing world of today, would be vastly different. There’s a small element of this at play with the sudden reappearance of the old Commodore brand. As it happens, a guy who runs a furniture store in the US (Barry Altman), has single handily negotiated the rights to the Commodore brand for use with his own recently created company, Commodore USA. Inspired by the look and feel of an already existing all-in-one PC, Barry set about to rebrand it with the Commodore logo and is now in the process of trying to put together a replicated version of the both the Commodore 64 and the Amiga (500 or 1200?) computers, with the outside shell retaining the retro Commodore look and feel, but the internals containing a modern PC and up to date operating system.

The Commodore Phoenix

The first computer released under the new brand name is The Commodore Phoenix (a rebranded Cybernetman ZPC-GX31), the name alone is meant to symbolise the rebirth of the company, although the choice of hardware is a little questionable. The computer itself is a very slick looking machine but is limited in it’s capabilities, it doesn’t use a stock video card internally (but a small video card may be added) and depending on the internal graphics processor and memory, it will most likely only just be capable of playing the odd 1080p movie. Most of the day to day functions that you come to expect from a computer will be covered (music, email, word, etc.) Just don’t expect the latest or greatest Direct X11 game to even remotely run well on this thing.

It can support either a dual core processor or quad core and can run with up to 4GB of ram. It also includes a choice between installing either Windows 7 or Ubuntu (meaning just about any Intel OS will be installable on it).There do seem to be some small items missing from the set up though, first is a HDMI port (which is generally crucial to the all-in-one device these days) and also Bluetooth. Both can be installed manually (HDMI VGA Adapter & Bluetooth USB Dongle) but seeing as most phones use Bluetooth and most TV’s now have a HDMI port, there’s no excuse not to have these features include from the outset. Possibly the most captivating thing about the product, is it’s shape, it really does look a bit like a futuristic Commodore 64 and adding the Commodore brand does somehow warm you to the computer! (ahh nostalgia).

This does leave a rather a glaring question though, since the computer has been rebranded to include the commodore label, what where the intentions of the original designer by bringing out this type of computer?

Since the elegant iMac made it’s way into the market place, many hardware developers have gone out of their way to attempt to mimic Apple’s all-in-one approach. Many designers have started to incorporate the computer hardware straight into the monitor (as Apple have), but a few truly experimental designers have gone in the other direction and revived the concept of the all-in-one keyboard (which houses both the keyboard and hardware together). This particular hardware choice does has some advantages, the first being that your not tied to just the one monitor, the second is, it also makes the device much more portable (so you only have to move the keyboard and not the monitor). The cost of this portability is usually weighed against CPU power and upgradability, which become limited due to the space restrictions. This is where the Commodore Phoenix was originally derived from, an attempt to find the ultimate PC version of the iMac.

Fan mock up of the modern day Amiga

The two next releases which are thought to be on the horizon by Commodore USA, are the all-in-one Amiga and Commodore 64 look a likes. Ideally when these systems are released they will much more powerful than the current Commodore Phoenix and actually resemble real versions of the legacy computers. They are rumoured to be potentially installed with the open source Amiga OS – AROS (Amiga Research Operating System), which in it’s latest edition has a somewhat modernised version of Workbench as it’s GUI and uses a heavily modified and improved version of the old Amiga 3.1 OS.

AROS is a branch away project from the official Amiga OS, which removes it’s dependency on the Power PC articheture and can be run across the majority of Intel and AMD platforms. It’s compatible across the board with almost all of the legacy Amiga software, is highly portable and uses a very small amount of resources in it’s operations. It’s based on Unix, so there may be some scope to potentially to compile Unix based software which has been developed for other systems (Linux?). One of it’s best features is being able to run ADF’s (Amiga Disk File) straight from the desktop, which are disk images that often used by the Amiga emulation community.

The downside though is a distinct lack of direct compatibility with either the Mac, Linux or Windows and is a somewhat under polished OS which lacks many of the modern features you come to expect from either Linux or Windows. Worse still, Wine (Windows) compatibility has not even been seriously contemplated and is only now just being considered as something the system may need. These seem to herald some major challenges if the OS actually going to be taken seriously and I wonder if Commodore USA would be better off simply installing Windows or Linux and then virtualizing AROS or even having some sort of dual booting arrangement instead.

Available in Black or Silver!!

Personally if I had to choose a dedicated Amiga OS to install, I would go for the amazingly beautiful MorphOS, which takes the very best aspects of the latest closed source version of the Amiga OS and adds an amazing beautiful Mac like fronted to the equation. It also retains all the legacy software compatibility from the Amiga. Sadly though MorphOS appears to limited to the PowerPC articheture so it won’t be coming to the Intel platform anytime soon and still has the problem of living in an Amiga only world in terms of software.

The Original Commodore 64!

Some of things that could really help get the ball rolling with AROS could be an overhaul of it’s default frontend, which desperately needs modernising in terms of both tasteful icons and more modern windows. Making sure all of the basic functions that you’d find across Linux, Windows and Mac are properly implemented (Such as flash & Open GL). Getting some compatibility software similar to Apple’s X11, would also be useful and allow far more programs to be easily ported, launched or compiled directly from Unix, Linux and Mac code. The ultimate finale for all this would be top it off with a compatible version of Wine (or the commercially supported Crossover), this would just about make a native version of the Amiga OS an almost appealing choice.

Even though the rumour is that the new Amiga / C64 will use AROS as it’s main operating system, I think it would be a real surprise if they released these computers without the choice of another OS such as Linux or Windows 7 (in fact it would probably be commercial suicide…)

Whilst I really like the concept of the modern C64 and Amiga computers, there’s nothing here that couldn’t already be done with your existing PC. The majority of the Amiga software is already emulated across the Windows/Linux platforms and there’s nothing new or cutting edge about the AROS platform that will actually draw you in. The only draw cards the Amiga has these days is nostalgia and perhaps quite literally the efficiency of the OS itself.

If Commodore USA are clever enough to not simply limit themselves to one OS choice with their new forth coming systems, then there will definitely be a lot of potential for their products. In fact if they get the look and feel right, then the nostalgia market will be theirs for the taking. Who knows where this company will go in future, but for now it’s nice to have the Commodore brand back, even if it could only be just for a short while.

If your curious about Commodore USA’s latest hardware, the official website can be found here.

PS Jailbreak

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:08:00 +0000

There’s been recent news of a USB key which will allow users to hack the Playstation 3. The mod will allow the user to play backed up games by copying them on to either an internal or external hard drive and allowing the use of homebrew software. The mod also allows for the user to play games from different regions and play backed up game discs. The mod however, doesn’t appear to be able to do much with DVD or Blue-ray movie discs and doesn’t work with either PSX or PS2 titles.

This is big news, as the Sony console was the last of the major consoles that remained un-hacked and until recently was seen as a step ahead in terms of fending off piracy and the modding / homebrew community.

The unique thing about this particular mod is it circumvents the copy protection mechanisms of the console by the use of code alone and doesn’t require any kind of any internal hardware modification. All that needs to happen is a quick insert of the USB key and whatever PS3 game you may have, is yours to play.

Sony have begun to take legal action with various distributers and have already successfully managed to shut down potential distributors in Australia. To make matters even more interesting, inventors of the USB key have already had their wares cloned by several Chinese companies who are now purportedly improving the code. To counter this, the inventors of the device are making now claims that their product is superior and even offering a warranty as a way of fending off the competition! Maybe this blatant theft will give them insight as to how Sony feels…

It has so far been reported that Sony’s main response will be to attempt to block use of the device through it’s update system and by banning users from it’s various online portals. Whether this tactic will be successful remains to be seen, potentially if Sony update their code, so to can the modders.

My own opinion the device is mixed, I don’t endorse piracy in anyway, as it takes money away from hard working developers, however I do think that an active homebrew community is healthy sign for any console system, demonstrating a loyal console fan base and people who show a willingness to develop for it. It may also help Sony sell a few more consoles in process but I imagine this is only a short term benefit, as it would most likely be depriving them of game royalties over the long haul.

The question I pose here is, why do people need to pirate software?

Is it because the major console platforms are producing software that is a little too hefty on the wallet or is it because there is now almost an expectation that gamers should at least be able to get some of their content for free? Would the gaming industry benefit from a subscription service which allows gamers to play some of the latest games every month for a fee, instead of having to purchase them outright?

I know when I look at the price of the average game, I certainly feel that I’m not getting value for money. Hollywood spends millions on producing films and their special effects and yet movie titles when released to the public for purchase, are only a fraction of the cost of what I might pay for latest gaming title. In fact once you’ve purchased three to four games, you’ve usually spent as much as what it would cost you to actually buy the console itself. Some how this just doesn’t seem right and I wonder if this is the reason why piracy has become so rampant and in itself become a cultural phenomenon across so many computer and video gaming platforms.

I think in many ways piracy itself maybe a reaction to the market place, if the price is fair then the incentive will be removed to conduct it.

Frogatto & Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 07:50:00 +0000

Frogatto & friends Is a freeware platform game that was publicly released in July this year, and is the story of a frog in search of work (sort of…). At the encouragement of his housemate, Frogatto heads out to find a job in the local town, only to find that it’s been over run by the goons of a local henchman called Milgram and the majority of the town folk are all locked up in cages. Frogatto is called upon to set the the town free and dispense with Milgram once and for all.

F&F is a game that incorporates excellent pixel art and addictive retro console game play. There are over 30 levels to beat and a variety of different environments to conquer. F&F has a familiar feel to some of the 2D games that where released on the Super Nintendo and the Amiga platforms back in the 1990’s. There is a considerable amount of detail packed into each level with highly textured backgrounds, parallax scrolling, gorgeous sprites and numerous power ups which can be bought from collecting coins that are scattered through out the different levels. F&F has many different types of level designs ranging from tropical themes, town settings, caves and forests. The quality of the pixel art is undeniable and the style does bear many artistic resemblances to some of the commercial titles of the 90’s era. Two examples of similar styles could be the Adams Family for the way that some of the levels are set out and the cartoon-ish character designs or even Metal Slug for it’s garish use of colour and attention to character detail. Certainly F&F could be compared to a number of retro titles (Mario in some cases), but fortunately isn’t a replica of any particular one.

Sound effects for the game are excellent with crisp, detailed noises for every interaction and a not so subtle “Ribbit” noise every time the character jumps. The soundtrack which supports the games is very nicely done and is very reminiscent of some of the Super Nintendo chip tunes but a bit more hammed up for effect.

Frogatto when up against some of the games bad guys has the ability to attack enemies with his tongue (he’s a frog after all), he then draws them in and stores them in his stomach (Yoshi?), from which he can then use the collected enemy as a weapon by firing them at any opponent. If he doesn’t actually manage to hit anything, the enemy fired out will remain unconscious on the ground for a while and will need to be dispatched, this can usually be achieved with a quick jump to the head (ouch). You can also collect and store items (such as keys) in Frogatto stomach until you need to use them, but you will only be able to hold one item at at time. There are a number of level bosses through out the game, that you will encounter towards the end of various stages, each boss is completely different and will require the use of a different strategy in order for you to advance. The difficulty of the game is set at a medium level, so it won’t be too hard for the average gamer, but will provide at least a solid 8-10 hours of gaming due to the variety of stages and the games overall length.

The only area I could really fault Frogatto & Friends in, was the ability under Windows to change the in game resolution (you can’t) and the ability to expand the window to full screen. The moment you try to expand the window of play, you will immediately find the graphics will become corrupted. Apparently this is a well know problem under Windows and the developers are working on a solution at present. To remedy this you could try to change your desktop screen resolution to 800 x 600 which is the in game default resolution, otherwise be prepared to play the game in a window! (Note a recent update has been released, fixing the full screen problem.)

Frogatto and Friends is an exceedingly fun game full of 2D platforming goodness, it has well designed levels and a playful story that will keep you involved with the character. It’s a game that will get it’s hooks in to you, leaving addicted until you manage to get right to the very end!

Highly Recommended.

Rating: 92%

Frogatto and Friends is available under Windows, Apple Mac and Linux for free and can be found here

It’s also available for the iPhone & iPod Touch for $2.99 and is available to download directly from Apple iTunes.

The Dream Machine

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:18:00 +0000

The Dream Machine is an upcoming Point-and-Click adventure by Swedish indie developer Cockroach Inc., who specialise in creating flash based games. The Dream Machine will be playable through the browser which means it can be easily played across most desktops (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc).

The game is based around a couple who have recently moved into a new apartment and begin to make some unexpected discoveries about the place. What they originally considered to be their quiet and unassuming apartment building turns out to be a little bit more interesting than they originally anticipated and leads the main character to do some spur of the moment investigating…

What is immediately striking about this title is the amazing visuals which have been generated from modelling both cardboard and clay. This gives the game not only a rich and detailed look but the feeling of a clay animation film. The developers have intentionally avoided using 3D graphics in order to differentiate themselves and have quite possibly achieved a far better visual standard than what would’ve been realistically possible under flash by using 3D.

The Dream Machine will be released in five episodes, with the first episode due to released for free. There’s currently a playable demo available for download and a call out for beta testers for the first episode.

Check out the website here

Games to get this month!

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:35:00 +0000

There are a lot of new releases happening during this month, so if your looking for a new game to play why not take a look at a couple of things on this list…

Monkey Island 2 - Special Edition

Released on the 7th of July, Monkey Island 2 Special Edition brings an interface and visual update to this LucasArts adventure gaming classic.

MI2 SE is available across a number of platforms including PC, X-Box 360, Playstation 3, iPhone & iPad! Check out the LucasArts website here

The Silver Lining

A fan made sequel to the famous King’s Quest series, The Silver Lining is due to be released as five episodes over the course of the next few months, it’s free to download but will require registration with the parent website.

Released on the 10th of July, The first episode is very polished, if some what short. It appears to be more of a teaser to the rest of game, with more emphasis on story than on puzzles or exploring. There’s no denying the quality of production that’s gone into this title, hopefully there will be more depth and length to the episodes due to follow.

The Silver Lining can be found here

Deathspank

Is a unique action role playing game developed by the man who brought you Monkey Island “Ron Gilbert”. Deathspank has been described as a crossover of Diablo, Monkey Island and Paper Mario due to it’s distinctive cartoon visuals, puzzles and adventure game-ish dialogue. Deathspank is due to be released today on the Playstation Network, the 14th for X-Box Live (Tomorrow!) and a release date is soon to follow for the PC version. If your lucky enough to own one of these gaming consoles, then really you should be downloading Deathspank right now, shouldn’t you.

You can find out more here

StarCraft II

If there’s one game that I’ve been anticipating all year long it’s StarCraft II. Due for world wide release on the 27th of July, StarCraft II is a Real Time Strategy game that will no doubt break a few records when finally let loose on the public. Not only is SC2 being developed by Blizzard (which is practically a guarantee of quality these days), responses from beta testers have been extremely positive and Indicate there is much to look forward to with this upcoming release. Offering High Resolution 3D graphics and an overhaul of single and multiplayer modes, SC2 looks set to provide some engrossing experiences for players around the globe.

StarCraft II website is here

Freeware games you simply have to try!

Many of these games have long since been released but are so good that you simply must give them a try!

Cave Story

Published as a freeware indie title in 2004, by Japanese developer Pixel, Cave Story is platform gaming at it’s very best and rivals many commercial and independent platform games that have been released over the years. Recently released on WiiWare, Cave Story still remains free for the majority of platforms. If you haven’t played this game you are missing out!

The Cave Story website can be found here

Action Fist

An Indie game released this year, Action Fist is an action shooter / platformer that resembles the Megadrive classic Gunstar Heroes. The game features a special weapons system and a very enjoyable two player co-op mode. Visuals are lo-res but excellently designed, a very addictive game!

The Action Fist website can be found here

Treasure Hunter Man

Treasure Hunter Man is the sort of platformer that should have been made in the early nineties, as without a doubt it would have been commercial hit. Instead it’s a freeware release by indie developer Origami Hero, who out of the goodness of his heart just happened to make it as a bit of a side project. THM has great graphics, lots of treasure to collect and clever puzzles to solve. It’s vibrant and will keep you right to the end. How can you resist?

The Treasure Hunter Man website can be found here

Nanobots

A puzzle game made by Indie developer Lively Ivy, You control six little robots who not only have to learn how to get a long, but have to survive the ambitions of a mad scientist who’s out to destroy them. Nanobots is a fantastic freeware title which has now also has a commercial and more polished (spiritual) sequel called Puzzlebots.

The Nanobots website can be found here

Hydorah

Reviewed by this site June, Hydorah is an excellent freeware shoot-em-up.

The Hydorah website can be found here

What Makes You Tick?

Is a detective story which focuses on a young man named Nathan who has been sent by his university to deliver an important message to a retired professor. Nathan comes to discover that not only is the professor missing but there are other who are trying to find him also… What Makes You Tick? is a polished adventure game which is worthy of recommendation due to it’s clever puzzles and intriguing story line.

The What Makes You Tick? website can be found here

Giana’s Return

An unofficial sequel to the 1980’s infamous Super Mario Brothers Clone “The Great Giana Sisters”, this new version is familiar to the original but adds some new twists to the game and brings a new feel to the series. If you where a fan of the original or even Super Mario Brothers, this could be worth a try.

The Giana’s Return website can be found here

Civilization Anonymous……

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:39:00 +0000

Could this be a sign of things to come?

With Civilization V just around the corner….

Get ready to be addicted – here : )

The Silver Lining – to be released July 10th

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:21:00 +0000

The Silver Lining is a fan sequel to the Kings Quest series that’s been in production since 2002, rather than just being a remake of a previous game, The Silver Lining is represented as an unofficial follow on from King’s Quest 8.

Originally titled King's Quest IX: Every Cloak Has a Silver Lining, the title has gone through a number of changes including being renamed to The Silver Lining following cease and desist notices from both Vivendi Software and more recently Activision, who now hold the IP for the Sierra franchise.

In fact up until a few days ago, it appeared that The Silver Lining was never going to see the light of day, having recently been shut down by Activision over IP infringement.

In response to this shut down, fans who had been following the development launched an online petition lobbying for the release of the title, just how much of an impact this petition has had is unknown, but it does appear that Activision have had a rapid change of heart in deciding to reach an agreement with Phoenix Online and fans have been credited for their efforts towards this.

The crux of the story line in The Silver Lining follows King Graham on a quest to lift a curse placed on his children, Alexander and Rosella. The story itself is essentially canon from main King’s Quest mythology but will involve some familiar characters and locations to help set the stage for the tale.

After playing the public demo released back in 2006, I have to say I was quite impressed with the quality and presentation of the engine, If this standard manages to carry through in the final release then half the battle will already be won, the real challenge however, will be for Phoenix Studios to deliver on the puzzles and interactive story line.

I have high hopes!

The Silver Lining website is here

Hydorah

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:42:00 +0000

I never cease to be amazed by the quality and frequency of releases in the Indie gaming scene these days, there are so many excellent titles that just seem to pop up from out the blue and that someone, somewhere has been working tirelessly in their spare time (or fulltime!) to bring such games to the public. If there is such a thing as art in video games, no doubt it will be found somewhere in the heart of indie gaming.

Hydorah is just such a title that really did take me by surprise in this fashion, it’s a title that on the surface looks a lot like a clone of a Gradius / Nemesis style shooter, but it doesn’t play anything like it. In fact apart from the inherent qualities of it being a shoot ‘em up, it doesn’t really particularly indentify with any previous shooting game I’ve played, instead it takes little pieces of inspiration from lots of different sources, mostly from games that where released back in the days when 2D shooters where at their prime.

Hydorah Official Trailer from Locomalito on Vimeo.

Is this good or bad? I believe it’s good, had it been released as a commercial title back in the 90’s, it would have been greeted with considerable praise, especially seeing as most of the shooters of the time where generally inspired by what had come before but with a few additions and refinements here or there, this title would have in fact looked very comfortable as a 1990’s commercial release.

The crux of the story line so far is that your on mission to topple the evil god Hydorah and his (or her) followers, who are currently enslaving the Galaxy you live in and spreading their general malaise and evil to all good people. To counter this you’ve arrived with your trusty spaceship and set off to liberate the different worlds that stand in your path until you reach the mighty Hydorah and get a chance to blast him back to where ever he came from.

Play is generally built around fighting off attacking enemy spaceships and gaining power ups when ever available, also as the game progresses there are more variations in power ups after you defeat level bosses. There’s a galaxy map that allows you pick different routes on your journey to Hydorah and three saves which can be used between levels, to help you progress through the game. Play itself is challenging but not too hard as to put you off, you generally have to learn your way through each level (i.e. get to know the levels traps and enemy waves) but this all becomes second nature after a period of play.

Speed Issues

One of the small issues I came across whilst playing Hydorah was speed, which became very apparent on Windows Vista. For whatever reason, as soon as I started playing Hydorah on a Vista rig, I began to experience some serious slow down(Think Super R-Type for the SNES), Tests on Windows XP saw the game running at top speed, so it may be possible that Vista is the cause of the problem (either that or my nvidia video card has taken issue). To solve this problem, I managed to find the right settings under properties to cure it, but even having to adjust settings or even think about it may put some people off. Hopefully the developer will look into this issue and remedy the problem with an update or patch, as the speed problem can almost render the game unplayable.

(Vista Speed Correction – Properties/Run in 640 x 480 mode/Disable Visual Themes/Disable Scaling on High DPI Settings.)

Parting Thoughts

Putting speed issues aside, Hydorah is a brilliant game,It’s the kind of game you’d normally expect to find on Xbox Live or the PSN Network as low cost retro (indie) title, so the fact that it is free just makes it all the more appealing. If your looking for top quality shooter – stop looking and go download it now!!!

Rating: 95%

Hydorah website can be found here

IA: King’s Quest – Kingdom of Sorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Freeware gaming developers Infamous Adventures have recently released details of their latest fan game in development, King’s Quest – Kingdom of Sorrow.

Previously only know as “Project X”, King’s Quest – Kingdom of Sorrow will be loosely based upon the book of the same name which was originally released as a canon against the back drop of the King’s Quest games series. The book follows on directly after King’s Quest 2 and goes on to further explore the adventures of King Graham and the perils of his Kingdom.

Infamous Adventures are previously responsible for the top notch remake of King’s Quest 3 back in 2006, if their original remake is anything to go by, Adventure game fans everywhere could be in for something special.

King’s Quest – Kingdom of Sorrow will now have been in development for approximately two to three years, so depending on how far the guys over at IA have gotten, It could almost be possible that this unveiling is actually a prelude to it’s imminent release!

At the same time Infamous Adventures have also been working on a remake of Space Quest 2 which is due to be completed sometime in the next few months, could it be possible they get released together? now that would be interesting.

If you’d like to find out more, check out the Infamous Adventures website here

Nintendo 3DS revealed at E3

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 03:59:00 +0000

This little dooby is all over the net by now, but considering that a number of major magazines haven’t got around to putting this to print, I’ve still got time! (Hurrah!!)

At the recent E3 show in Los Angles, Nintendo have revealed their latest handheld (yawn) the Nintendo 3DS.

Wait I hear you say, doesn’t 3DS just mean DS number 3, it’s just the same old same old right?, it couldn’t mean anything else could it?

Ah but it does mean something else, something really quite special actually……

Nintendo have unveiled a handheld device that is capable of running games using Stereoscopic 3D with out the need for 3D Glasses!!!!!!!!

The device it self will look quite similar to recently released DS XL in terms of it’s outside shell,the top screen will be used for the 3D display and is now a wide screen, whilst the bottom screen will continue to serve as a touch screen for games.

It will be compatible with previous DS and DSi games but there is no mention of Game Boy Advance titles being supported and this most likely means that the extra slot will probably be removed to make way for new hardware, which is quite understandable all considering.

There’s the addition of the analogue pad which looks suspiciously similar to the PSP Go’s analogue pad (but in a better location..), a display slider which will adjusts the depth of the 3D visuals and 3 cameras which will be able to take pictures in 3D.

The humble little DS will also be getting a big boost in graphics power and should be able to out put graphics to what would equate roughly to the equivalent of the Wii on tiny hand held and should now easily match up to or surpass the PSP in terms of visual quality.

Without going into the exact technical details (as they may change), the 3DS is due to be a powerhouse in comparison to it’s previous incarnation and it should be interesting to see what kind of response Sony will have in regards to this new challenger.

I’ll leave you with a video of the preview model displayed at the E3 this year.

Gran Turismo 5 - Preview Video

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:19:00 +0000

Check out one of the latest video previews released by Sony for Gran Turismo 5.

Apart from GT 5 being one of the most highly anticipated Playstation 3 titles since the consoles release, what’s really going to make this game stand out will be it’s support for Sterosonic 3D, meaning it will it be the first Playstation 3 title to work with a 3D Television and Glasses!

So if your not already impressed with the graphics on offer and just think that GT 5 will be another run of the mill driving game, try it in 3D when it finally get’s released..

Which should be November 2010 according to Sony!

Just enough time to save up for: a 50 inch LED 3D TV, 3D Glasses, Sony Playstation 3, Gamer Steering Wheel, Surround Sound and leave some money left over to buy a copy of the game.. (Ouch!)

Hurrican

noreply@blogger.com (Bobski) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:04:00 +0000

Hurrican is a freeware remake of the classic Amiga /C64 game Turrican released back in 1990. Turrican became a smash hit at the time by bringing polished arcade game play to Amiga and C64 platforms.

The Turrican game made quite an impact after it’s initial release and developed a large following for a number of years, it’s popularity provided for conversions to every major computer and console platform and garnered several awards from American and European gaming magazines.

What made Turrican so popular was it’s fast paced arcade platform / shoot ‘em up styled game play, this combined with it’s polished graphics and modern sci-fi theme, gave it considerable street cred with the gaming public. It went on to inspire two further sequels from the original title and two unique versions for the Super Nintendo.

However like all things, interest in the Turrican series began to fade, as the dominance of the platform genre began to die out on consoles and computer alike. Turrican had become dead and buried, no longer destined to save the universe, instead relegated to bargain basement sales and abandonware sites.

That is….until someone became somewhat nostalgic and decided it was time to make a remake called Hurrican, using an arsenal of modern day effects but keeping core Turrican game play intact.

Rather than being a straight one to one remake, Hurrican is more of a remix using some of the core features of the original game (bosses, spinning wheel, lightning gun) but with new levels and layouts, new ways to use weapons and subtle refinements to game play mechanics.

Despite having amazing graphics and keeping with the original theme, there was potential for a lot to go wrong with this remake, if game play wasn’t balanced or the physics or feeling of the original character wasn’t quite right, a lot of people could have be disappointed with Hurrican. Fortunately this isn’t the case with the developer really capturing the feeling of the original title whilst bringing a fresh new game which is well balanced and challenging.

If you where a fan of the original or just looking for a challenging platform/shooter, then Hurrican could be just the title your looking for – Highly Recommended!

Rating: 93%

Website can be found here