The discussion on storytelling in videogames, especially that around its inherent value, seems to be centered around whether interactivity seems to, somehow, lessen the value of such kind of fiction. Still, as early as the mid 60s, interactive fiction emerged as one of the earliest form of gaming, going on to enjoy great success in…
Shadowfire still is one of 1985’s most celebrated home computer titles, produced by young newcomers British developers Denton Designs (the Home of Happiness?), it also was (apparently) the first commercially released title by designer Steven Cain. He developed one of the first adventure games to feature an icon-based interface, that the player could use to…
In our current gaming discussion, questions about the value of “interactivity” seem to have taken a backseat. With Virtual Reality becoming an affordable and – mostly – reliable technology, the “headset and controllers” combination seem to be the end-all for interactive experiences. Not unlike the future imagined by writers and directors in the 80s and…
From its humble beginnings in Francesco Carlà’s private home, seen in Part I, Simulmondo managed to merge talent and business into a successful company which grew almost bigger than the size of a developer like Electronic Arts at the time. From 1992 on, because of the CEO’ stubborness in continuing to pursue the selling on…
Throughout 2000 years of human history, ever since mankind understood how to package and sell a work of art, a single struggle has resisted, immortal, rearing its ugly head time and time again: the artist against the system. It’s a timeless tale, used in books and screenplays: the desperate toil of a striving artist to…
In the history of Italian videogame development, point’n’click adventure games are, perhaps, the quintessential genre; the love for soliving riddles might indeed be stronger than that for soccer and wine. While Sierra Entertainment adventures struggled to find a market in Italy, mainly because their titles were rarely translated and fairly difficult to approach for a…
Futuristic sports have been a moderately successful gaming genre during the whole of the 80s and early 90s, with the Bitmap Brothers’ Speedball II being probably the last great title. Even though there have been some exceptions, even in the last years, it is safe to say that both public and developers have mostly moved…
Back in 2001 – as Dr. Frank N. Furter would put it – it wasn’t easy to have a good time. There were few alternatives, for a PC gamer, to full price titles bought on store shelves: the good free indie titles were still far on the horizon and Macromedia Flash wasn’t yet ready for…
Allow me the comparison: Skitchin’ was to Road Rash what Beavis & Butthead were to The Simpsons. Where Road Rash was direct, brash and kind of rude, Skitchin was rad, awesome and not afraid to flip the bird. Grab your skates, steal a ride on a car bumper and we’re off! Skitchin’, for once on…
It is fascinating how the history of video games tends to be skewed towards the USA. Still today it is easy to come across articles – written by Italians of all people – that keep on mentioning the “console wars” in the 90s or the “great video game crash of 1983”. And yet, all of…