Trapped in a sprawling egyptian tomb, oxygen running out, monster and creepy crawlers after me all the time… Is such a game appropriate for a child? Well, it sure was for four year old me! I loved that feeling of being endlessly stuck in a dusty suffocating sphinx full of sarcophagi and snakes, desperately searching…
I’ve mentioned visual novels a few times on my blog: a genre interesting first and foremost because it caters more to readers than to actual “gamers” as they are often defined by the press and industry itself. Visual novels are not very often developed by main industry developers, even though there are several exception to…
During the 80s and most of the 90s, console games were designed to appeal to a young audience, while home/personal computer titles were meant for an older public. Still, as most gamers know, this doesn’t imply in the slightest that console titles were simpler or, god forbid, kid friendly; Ninja Gaiden or Contra are still…
Why can’t bicycles work like helicopters? Well, there’s actually plenty of good reasons, but the question still stands, wouldn’t it be nice to fly around in a comfy helibike controlled by the magical power of quadriceps? Also, wouldn’t it be even nicer to fly around in your bikecopter while landing on other bikers’ heads, avoiding…
Amanita Design is a familiar name for many adventure games fans, the Czech studio has been around since the early 00s, even though they only recently managed to break through to reach a bigger audience. Machinarium, one of their biggest hits, has been a clear inspiration for their recent adventure games, even though the studio…
In the second part of my Buck Rogers retrospective, we will take a look at the much less lauded continuation of the first game, Matrix Cubed, and then, finally, explain why I feel both games are still relevant all these years later. Prepare for launch. Matrix Cubed, planned as a direct sequel to the first…
I’ve always had a soft spot for claymation, the animation technique that uses stop motion and clay, especially since it seems to be synonymous with “weirdness”. In cinema, one of the master of claymation is Jan Svankmajer, in gaming most people think about The Neverhood, but honestly there have been other lesser known but equally…
Everyone happens to get a great idea every once in a while. Those brilliant concept that almost approach pure genius, at least until some time has passed and everyone realizes exactly just how stupid and/or insane the concept actually was and phew! Aren’t we all glad that no one bothered to take it to the…
There are have been many examples of games where the player’s input is not essential, especially in the last few years where interactivity has become less and less important. Walking simulators easily come to mind, along with visual novels, even though, in both genres, one is supposed to be reading, clicking along and… well, walking.…
Are violent videogames to blame for society’s inherent evil? A burning question which has plagued the industry ever since the release of Doom and Mortal Kombat. If one thinks about it a whole two seconds, the answer should be obvious: society has been evil since the days before Christ. Videogames are, like movies or books,…
