Or “Game Design: Are we learning yet?”.
FTL: Faster Than Light, despite the slightly self-referential title, is a superb game. That’s all I’m going say by way of a review, because let’s face it, FTL came out years ago and has been in so many bundles and Steam sales you probably own half a dozen copies without even realising it. It’s been reviewed, is what I’m getting at.
No, this isn’t a review but a tantrum.
Read More →
2014 rose from the ashes of 2013, went careening all the way around the sun, and is about to hand the baton over to 2015 before dying of exhaustion. So what did that trip around the solar system achieve in the world of games?
Read More →
It’s been a long time since a game came along that tickled the same neurons as Minecraft. And by “a long time” I mean “never”. Oh sure there are the great builders – the Sim Cities and the Civilizations of the world, but in terms of sheer mechanical, constructive gameplay, Minecraft stands alone, and since I haven’t even scratched the surface of redstone I suspect it will keep on giving.
But Factorio looks like it might just push many of the right buttons…
Read More →
Game music posts may not be a weekly feature of Pixieland any more, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to put up a post when an album catches my ear. And oh boy, has the soundtrack to Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons caught my ear.
Read More →
You might remember SMG Studio from such games as OTTTD, and as such be pleased to learn that a couple of videos just popped up from PAX Australia showing off some upcoming madness of theirs.
Read More →
Introducing: The Internet Arcade. Not content with provide the global treasure (and source of endless fun and fascination) that is the Wayback Machine, The Internet Archive has just unveiled its collection of in-browser arcade games. Over 900 of them and counting.
Read More →
I’ve spent a lot of time on the train over the past few weeks. I recently picked up a copy of One Finger Death Punch. These two facts belong together, as I’ve been playing a lot of One Finger Death Punch. On trains. In hotel rooms. At home. In my mind. In my dreams.
This isn’t a review and it’s not clickbait so I’m not going to make you click through for the conclusion: One Finger Death Punch is easily my favourite game of 2014 so far. And unless something seriously comes out in the next three months it’s going to my my game of 2014.
Read More →
Recently I’ve been passing the time on my commute by playing NES games on the 3DS’ virtual console. I say playing, but really mean “gnashing my teeth in controller-snapping rage” at how hard they are. But more on that in a future post when the red mist subsides.
I mention this so when I tell you that the Castle in the Darkness teaser is pushing all the same buttons you’ll know where I’m coming from.
Read More →
When it comes to video games ARPG is more of a marketing term than a real subgenre. Let’s face it, how many RPGs can you name that don’t essentially rely on progression-through-murder? Even games that hang heavily on their stories are afraid that if you don’t get to climb to the top over a mountain of skulls then the player might lose interest and go play Halo or something. Which is why the recently kickstarted Unrest by Pyrodactyl Games is so refreshing.
Read More →
OK, it’s been a couple of weeks since I posted. That’s partly down to family life and teething children sapping my will to live energy but mostly down to Minecraft. back in the pre-beta days I was pretty addicted to it but once the map I’d invested all my time in became increasingly incompatible with the game I drifted away from it more and more, and until recently I hadn’t in a couple of years.
Until I heard of Captive Minecraft.
Read More →