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Archives for 2019

Ape Out – Nintendo Switch Review

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Busting its way onto the Switch is Ape Out, a seriously stylish smash ‘em up that gives a new meaning to the term “Ape Escape.”

Ape Out is a top down perspective game with a very deliberate feel to the way it was made. You control a gorilla that must break its way out of a cage and through various scenarios to your freedom. A relative army of humans stand between you and the open jungle. At first glance Ape Out is a game that seems like a rampaging primate power fantasy of breaking ones shackles and escaping. Hidden within its simple art style and jazzy tunes there is an underlying sadness to this tale that is all too real but is never preachy. Every play through is randomly generated and upon every death the world changes so you never know what to expect around the next corner.

Every scenario in Ape Out is presented like a record, with a different colour palette and soundtrack to match. The art style uses basic contrasting colours and is very minimalistic and striking. Enemies are white silhouettes against drab coloured floors and walls that splash with bold crimson upon taking one of them down. Through all of this the soundtrack plays a pivotal role in creating atmosphere. As you burst through glass and guards the soundtrack is always present with an experimental jazz feel. Upon killing an enemy there will be a cymbal crash and an increase in tempo momentarily, upon taking out several guards the soundtrack really reaches full strength. Alternatively, sneaking around will have you hearing the steady beat of a high hat that beautifully builds tension.

Gameplay mechanics are kept deliberately simple, boiling down to simply “push or pull” style controls. You can grab a guard and use him as a shield or throw him at another guard, wall or even through a window. There are also multiple scenarios that offer different mechanics based on the location that they are set in, from a science lab to a sky scraper. Every Run is timed and at the end the amount of deaths are given. There is also a “Harder” mode for those that like the extra challenge and an Arcade mode that gives you a score based on time and kills.

Ape Out is a beautifully designed little game with lots of care put into it. Although it may feel a little short, it is definitely worth your time. You’d be bananas not to try it!

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Ape Out [Nintendo Switch] was kindly provided by POWER UP PR for this review.

 

 

Homemade Pinball Machines

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Here we were thinking we were cool making our own pinball machine using the PinBox 3000.

Well we’ve been shown up by the MuruzCe Fun Education Turkish YouTube channel! Check out their very cool homemade pinball machines – we love the implementation of their multi-ball! Amazing stuff!


source: MuruzCe Eğlenceli Eğitim


source: MuruzCe Eğlenceli Eğitim

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Pinball Press
Pinball Press is here to spread the word on everything pinball across the known universe. For business / PR email: [email protected]

Follow Pinball Press on Twitter and Facebook

 

 

 

Action Comics Annual #1: The Game?

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

I’ve read a great deal of Superman comics in my lifetime. One of my favourites is 1987’s Action Comics Annual . To me, it’s one of the most entertaining and enthralling comics I own. The comic, written by one of my favourite comic book writers, John Byrne, should be made into a Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment game.

It’s a four-word pitch: Superman, Batman and vampires.

The comic is oddly titled “Skeeter,” but “Cry Vampire” is on the cover. It’s not really clear, but “Cry Vampire” sounds a lot better than “Skeeter.”

The story takes place in Fayerville, South Carolina; a town near swamp land. Batman finds himself in the town because he’s been working three days straight investigating a series of Gotham City murders that leads him to Fayerville. He calls Clark Kent at the Daily Planet for some assistance. When Superman arrives in Fayerville, he realises that vampires are to blame for several grisly deaths. Batman tries to help a young, blond haired girl named Skeeter (the annual’s title). He quickly realises she is the vampire that has been terrifying the town.

What makes the comic truly gripping is that Superman is helpless to the supernatural when he fights Skeeter. She injures him by raking her claws across the S on his chest. Superman is rarely vulnerable to anything on Earth. I won’t tell you the ending, but Batman comes through in the clutch.

The game could be a third-person perspective, action-adventure game which focuses on Batman and Superman’s combat abilities in the swamps and around the town. Superman could take hoards of vampires out with his heat vision. In Annual , the Man of Steel doesn’t fly very much and he’s mostly grounded throughout the story. Batman could use his punching ability and various gadgets to take down blood suckers. Two-person play could get interesting. They could also complete side missions away from the main story.

I’ve really enjoyed the “Batman: The Telltale Series” for PS4. Action Comics Annual could be a perfect adaptation for that series of video games.

The 65-inch Nintendo Switch TV

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It is no secret that we are huge fans of the Nintendo Switch. It seems that there are even bigger fans of Nintendo’s hybrid console, just like Suprman9!

Suprman9 has taken their love of the Switch to a level that we reckon is really really cool – turning their bland 65-inch TV into a giant Nintendo Switch, complete with coloured Joy-Con side panels. The Switch TV is the centrepiece of Suprman9’s game room, conveniently named, Nerdvana!

Check out the photos below and then head here to check out the entire build process. Got to hand it to Suprman9, they are definitely super Nintendo fans with some gnarly DIY skills.

[story source: technabob]

Australia’s Last Blockbuster Video Store is Closing

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At the height of renting VHS tapes and video game cartridges for your Sega and Nintendo consoles, it was your local Blockbuster Video Store that you’d venture to for your fix of the latest and greatest films and video games.

Fast forward to 2019 and your bricks-and-mortal video rental outlets are all but dead. Well, in Australia, the last Blockbuster Video Store in Morley, Western Australia was still ticking along, but the owners, Lyn and John Borszeky have announced that their store will be closing its doors for good at the end of the month.

As of March 8, if you are anywhere near Morley, head down to the last Blockbuster store in Australia to grab some stock and/or store fixtures and fittings. So get in there to grab a slice of history, otherwise this will be another box to file in your nostalgic memory.

If you have fond memories of renting movies or video games from your local outlet, let us know about it on Twitter or Facebook.

image source: Community News

[story source: Community News]

Peter Alexander Super Mario Sleepwear – Game On!

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Check out the Peter Alexander – Super Mario Game On sleepwear! Lots of Nintendo based character pyjamas, shorts, tops and slippers for boys and girls of all ages!

Thanks again to our friend, Lane Myer for bringing this to our attention and to Ms. Ausretrogamer for taking some snaps from the Peter Alexander store. We’ll now all look cool when we sleep *wink*

photo by: Ms. Ausretrogamer

image source: Peter Alexander

photo by: Ms. Ausretrogamer

image source: Peter Alexander

photo by: Ms. Ausretrogamer

 

YouTuber Enables Floppy Disk Games For Smartphones

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Whoa, this YouTuber has figured out how to play floppy disk games on his Android smartphone! If only this can be done on iOS devices……

OlliOlli Switch Stance – Nintendo Switch Review

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Kickflipping their way onto the Nintendo Switch is OlliOlli and OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood in the new collection OlliOlli Switch Stance.

Much like the multitude of skateboarding games that have come before it, OlliOlli Switch Stance is all about racking up multipliers and high scores. Unlike its predecessors though, OlliOlli Switch Stance is a 2D side-on skateboarding game with a very simplified art style. Each run has a mix of 5 specific point, or objective- based challenges to be completed. To proceed the player only has to make it to the end of the run without bailing. Along with the standard levels there is a “Daily Grind” mode in both games and other additional challenges including multiplayer in OlliOlli 2.

Both games in OlliOlli Switch Stance have similar yet different visual styles. OlliOlli has a pixel art style with levels that span a multitude of urban environments. Whereas OlliOlli 2 has an updated yet equally clean 2D style that takes place on and around movie sets. The very simplistic art style works in favour of the quick gameplay, most notably in OlliOlli 2 where jumps and grinds stand out. The soundtrack in OlliOlli Switch Stance is very much the opposite, being purposefully subdued yet still catchy and suits the games perfectly.

The controls are what will really set this series apart from other skateboarding games that most players are familiar with. Everything from jumps to flips to grinds are all accomplished using the left analogue stick. By holding, rotating and finally releasing the stick, players can carry out a multitude of tricks to build up their score. What really makes the game technical is the timing required when carrying out every action, including landing. Starting up OlliOlli Switch Stance, the player is warned that “OlliOlli is a super-fast game” and this is no understatement. Pulling off a lengthy series of chained tricks can all be rendered moot by the act of a “Sloppy” landing. Retrying stages over and
over is almost a necessity but snappy menus and instant restarts mean there is no waiting between rounds and you can get straight into the action.

OlliOlli Switch Stance plants itself perfectly on the Nintendo Switch, whether you want to knock out a quick run or chase high scores. The technical and precise nature of these controls may be a little off putting to some but others will find it incredibly enjoyable and rewarding.

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: OlliOlli Switch Stance [Nintendo Switch] was kindly provided by POWER UP PR for this review.

 

 

Doom Pinball: A One Of A Kind Pinball Machine

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Imagine if you will, Doom, one of the best First Person Shooter (FPS) video games of all time, was somehow turned into a pinball machine.

Well, imagine no more, as Pinsider Bonnevil69 has created a custom pinball machine based on the brilliant game Doom. If there was a video game that was perfect for a pinball theme, then Doom is certainly it!
This labour of love took some time to be made, but boy oh boy, was it worth it. Using Mutlitmorphic’s P3-ROC pinball control system as the brains of the machine, Bonnevil69 also used  the pinball programming Skeleton framework to build the software and ruleset of the game.

Our only wish would be for this machine to be mass produced, but alas, that will probably never happen.

[source: Pinside]

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Pinball Press
Pinball Press is here to spread the word on everything pinball across the known universe. For business / PR email: [email protected]

Follow Pinball Press on Twitter and Facebook

 

 

Super Impulse MicroArcade Takes Tiny Retro Gaming To A New Level

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Did you enjoy playing Super Impulse’s Tiny Arcades? Want to play some classic old school games on a device this is just a tad bigger than a credit card?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you will be gobsmacked by Super Impulses’s new MicroArcade devices! The MicroArcade is the size of a credit card, which means no one would even notice it in your pocket. These devices have a full-colour LCD screen, sound effects, physical controls and a microUSB charging port all in a cute ultra tiny form factor. They measure just over three inches long.

The MicroArcade series will feature six different versions: Space Invaders, Galaga, Pac-Man, Frogger,  Rally-X and an Atari Combo that will include Asteroids, Centipede and Pong.

To say we can’t wait to get our retro gaming fix on the Super Impulse MicroArcade would be a gross understatement. We want them all!

image source: Alternative Mindz

image source: Super Impulse