The Pop-Culture E-Zine
Could you imagine if Disney allowed their beloved characters to go rogue and fight against each other?
Imagine no more and take a gander below – we want this Mortal Kombat mod immediately!
FINISH HER!!!
source: GAMINGbible on Facebook
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
I received EA Sports’ “FC24” as a gift for Christmas this past year, and for several days, playing the game was almost all I did: especially during that odd, funky period of down time between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
I normally don’t really get into video games, but “FC24” brings something out of me. It’s a soccer (or football) game, it’s “FIFA” basically. I start talking to the players on the screen like they can hear me.
“Come on! Don’t go that way! He’s leading you to the goal!”
I normally play with the Manchester City men’s squad.
“Who the hell made you goalie!” Sometimes, I stand up. I put my hands on my hips like I’m going to do something. “Watch the kicker’s eyes!”
I take a gulp of caffeine.
image source: EA Sports
When they score a goal and they over-celebrate… “Guys, calm down! Were only up by two.”
I go off on the refs. “Red card! Red card!” I take a few deep breaths and tell myself to “relaaaax.”
“Fix your uniform.” I start critiquing my team’s uniforms. “Tuck your shirt in! Look professional for crying out loud!”
My girlfriend walks in the room at times: “Honey, what’s going on there?”
The video game’s graphics are amazing, and the matches look so real that when my friend walked by the screen, he said, “Who’s playing?” He thought it was a real game. EA Sports really outdid themselves with “FC24.” I own various EA “FIFA” games, but for some reason, I think I’ve played “FC24” more than any of the others when I first got them. Matches are short and you always think that you can play “just one more.” That usually turns into hours of gaming that never disappoints.
Starting today (Feb 1st), a demo featuring four levels from the first world of Mario vs. Donkey Kong, the enhanced version of the Game Boy Advance classic, is available for download on Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch. Check out the demo before the full game launches on Friday 16th February and take a closer look at the Mario vs. Donkey Kong – Overview Trailer below for additional details!
Solve puzzles, overcome challenges and find the keys to rescue the Mini-Marios and thwart Donkey Kong. The demo also gives players a first look at the new Two Player Co-Op mode, in which they can share a Joy-Con with a friend and team up as Mario and Toad. Players will also have access to the game’s new difficulty settings –Classic Style features the same difficulty level as the original Game Boy Advance version. Anyone who wishes to take things easier, can try Casual Style with no time limit and the ability to restart from checkpoints.
Just in case you haven’t been following, back in 2019 we told you about the documentary, Heart of Neon, a Paul Docherty film, centred around Jeff Minter and Llamasoft.
It’s been a hard slog since then, but it was great to see a new trailer drop (which premiered last week at the NY Game Awards), which you can check out below.
Paul has succinctly put it like this (about the Heart of Neon documentary):
Jeff Minter is an exceptional video game developer who for four decades has remained independent in an industry where corporations dictate the terms. HEART OF NEON charts Jeff’s career from pioneer to legend, mapping the landscape of the game development industry where only the most talented and tenacious can survive.
Ah LEGO Ideas, you do get some pretty darn awesome product ideas, just like this METROID – E.M.M.I. entry by DirectorInfamousCockroach100!
What’s there not to love here, there is Samus Aran (based on her Metroid Dread appearance) and the E.M.M.I. robot enemies featured in Metroid Dread!
DirectorInfamousCockroach100 states that:
Originally I was going to build Samus’ ship but I couldn’t crack the design :/ so here is the E.M.M.I! The Robot enemies featured in Metroid Dread.
The design here is a bit bulky but I wanted to try and make it as posable as possible! Of course it comes with a transparent stand just in-case, the build is not the most stable!
So if you are yearning for a Lego Metroid set of some kind, then you better get voting on this one!
Developed by Imagine Software and published by Pixel Games UK, this 1989 classic returns with over 140 levels to put your mind (and your fingers) to the test — available for the first time on Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo eShop.
In ‘Chip’s Challenge’, players take on the role of Chip — a puzzle obsessive who desperately wants to join Melinda the Mental Marvel’s computer club. His initiation takes the form of a series of increasingly difficult puzzles. To succeed Chip slide blocks, dodge hazards and collect the computer chips to pass each level. Are you up to the Challenge?
‘Chip’s Challenge’ for Nintendo Switch allows players to play this classic puzzle game with many modern features, including:
● Display filters, including an 80s-style CRT filter; and
● Suspend points – save and restore up to 4 suspend points per game
image source: Pixel Games UK
With engineered stone becoming illegal (it’s about time!) in Australia, we are glad to see that marble is (potentially) still being used in a variety of new ways!
These arcade machines chiseled out of marble give Michaelangelo’s David sculpture a run for its money – they are absolute masterpieces!
Before we get ahead ourselves we have to come clean, these are AI renders, however for a cool US$100,000, artist Harold Sangouard (aka Harow) can chisel you a custom-made arcade cabinet from Calacatta marble.
We definitely don’t need marble in the kitchen, but our Fun Factory can do with a marble arcade machine sculpture 😉
image source: Arcadia – Harow
Just in time for Chrissy 2023, Zafinn Books’ GameGuide – Atari Lynx arrives in the Ausretrogamer Fun Factory!
We weren’t expecting this book for another couple of weeks, so for it to turn up well ahead of schedule, and all the way from Ireland, was a welcome surprise.
If you aren’t familiar with Zafinn Books, it is a one man (Karl Morris), self-publishing house, with a great selection of limited edition books, just like this GameGuide for the Atari Lynx. The addition of some very cool stickers (sticking it up the Game Boy!) was another surprise and was totally unexpected.
Can’t wait to flick through this while enjoying the festive season.
The legendary fighting franchise with over-the-top action, a wild cast of combatants, rocking reactive music, and C-C-C-COMBO BREAKERS is now free to play on Steam!!!
If you are an existing paid owner of the Killer Instinct (2012) game, you’ll be automatically upgraded to the Anniversary Edition (which is A$39.95).
Go on, what are you waiting for – go and break out some killer combos!!
image source: Steam
Just in time for Halloween, Bitmap Books has unleashed their latest and scariest video gaming based book, From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror.
Let us introduce you to From Ants to Zombies, a spine-tingling journey through the captivating world of horror games that spans over six decades, from the funky 1970s to the heart-pounding 2020s. This book is definitely a thrilling rollercoaster ride across more than 70 different gaming platforms, from the vintage ZX Spectrum to the monstrous Xbox Series X.
From Ants to Zombies (FAtZ) has dug up the crypt and unearthed over 130 hair-raising horror video game titles that dissects and puts them into context for the reader. In this monstrous tome, the games are divided into thirteen delightfully eerie chapters, each with its own twisted theme. Whether you’re into rail shooters or open-world RPGs, whether you fancy exploring haunted mansions or venturing into infested space stations, or whether you prefer a slow, creeping existential dread or stomach-churning bursts of violence, FAtZ has you covered!
But that’s not all. FAtZ sprinkles some spine-chilling, exclusive commentary from legendary horror game developers like Keiichiro Toyama (the mastermind behind Silent Hill), Jane Jensen (the brains behind Gabriel Knight), Ken Levine (the genius behind System Shock 2), Sandy White (creator of Ant Attack), David Riordan (the spooky mind behind It Came from the Desert), Paul Norman (the man behind Forbidden Forest), Graeme Devine (the wicked genius behind The 7th Guest), and many more! These legends will give you a peek behind the curtain and share their sinister secrets (no spoilers here!).
From Ants to Zombies spans a whopping 600+ gorgeously illustrated pages, with a lovingly crafted hardback edition with a unique glow-in-the-dark logo and text – perfect for those late-night reading sessions. All the ghastly images are printed lithographically on high-quality paper to showcase the breathtaking visuals these games deserve. Plus, Bitmap Books has used thread-sewn binding for extra durability, so you can lay the book open flat while you dive into the darkest corners of gaming history.
For those of you that want your cake and eat it too, the book’s cover features a one-of-a-kind artwork created by the incredibly talented artist Vasilis Zikos – it’s an unholy marriage of art and horror, just like the games within.
From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror is your golden ticket to revisit the classics you love and discover hidden horror gems you may have overlooked. It’s a deep dive into the inexhaustible well of terror that six decades of video game history has to offer.
So, what are you waiting for? Dive into the world of horror gaming like never before and prepare for sleepless nights, heart-pounding scares, and the thrill of a lifetime!
From Ants to Zombies is a showcase for the remarkable range horror gaming has achieved across six decades, from the 1970s to the 2020s, on 70+ gaming platforms, from the ZX Spectrum to the Xbox Series X!
Book Specs:
Disclaimer: From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror book was kindly provided by PixelCrib for this review.