Author: Chris Scullion

Chris Scullion is a Scottish video games journalist who's been covering video games professionally for 16 years. For the first six years of his career he worked at the Official Nintendo Magazine in the UK, then became the Games Editor of CVG before its untimely end. After setting up his own site, Tired Old Hack, Chris then joined Video Games Chronicle (VGC) where he is currently Features Editor. He has a passion for retro games and cataloguing their history, hence his ongoing series of console encyclopedia books (search his name on Amazon).

Xbox One S review

Published on August 4, 2016 by Chris Scullion15 Comments

Disclaimer: unlike certain prolific YouTubers and the like, this review is not based on a free review sample of the Xbox One S hardware. I preordered and purchased this console at launch myself, and this review is an honest assessment of whether I feel my hard-earned money was well spent.

After enjoying obscene levels of success with the Xbox 360 last generation, Microsoft hasn’t quite dominated the industry this time around.

Its Xbox One trails behind the PlayStation 4 in terms of sales, and while Nintendo’s own problems with the Wii U have ensured Microsoft’s system isn’t going to finish third any time soon, it’s clear the One needs a rocket up its arse if it’s going to catch up with the PS4.

Enter the Xbox One S, the first of this generation’s obligatory system redesigns. Boasting a smaller frame, a new controller and support for 4K and HDR video, could the S be the console to overtake the PS4?

No. It couldn’t. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t still a nifty wee piece of kit. I should know, I just traded in my original day one Xbox One to buy an S and have been messing around with it since. The console that is, you filthy bastard.

The crucial questions are obvious – is it worth upgrading to the Xbox One S if you already have an Xbox One? And what if you don’t – is now finally the time to ‘jump in’, to coin a Microsoft slogan?

Read on as I try to answer these questions and many more. Well, a couple more. Continue reading “Xbox One S review” →

HELP: The Game review

Published on July 25, 2016 by Chris Scullion1 Comment

SEGA / VARIOUS
STEAM

In a time when Humble Bundles are born on a weekly basis and the idea of giving money to charity in return for gaming goodness is no longer a novel one, it takes something different to stand out from the crowd of other philanthrotainment, a word I just made up and immediately hate.

HELP: The Game attempts to do just that by offering no fewer than 12 games, each sharing three distinct properties:

1) They were all made by notable development studios.
2) They’re all exclusive to this compilation.
3) They were all made in just six days. Continue reading “HELP: The Game review” →

Man or myth? My conflicting character creation conundrum

Published on July 22, 2016 by Chris Scullion4 Comments

Games are often at their best when they give the player a hefty dollop of customisation options, and rarely is that better proven than character creation.

When a game lets you make your own character it’s making an empowering statement. It’s telling you that – even if just for one brief yet important moment – you’re in charge here. Continue reading “Man or myth? My conflicting character creation conundrum” →

Gemhunter #5 – Mary-Kate & Ashley: Sweet 16 – Licensed To Drive

Published on June 28, 2016June 28, 2016 by Chris Scullion2 Comments

It’s the fifth episode of Gemhunter and I’m not fucking around anymore.

Let’s see if this Olsen Twins GameCube offering from n-Space (who later went on to do four brilliant DS versions of Call Of Duty games) is actually not the vapid shit it looks like it is.

Could it maybe, just maybe, actually be a hidden gem? Watch the video to find out… Continue reading “Gemhunter #5 – Mary-Kate & Ashley: Sweet 16 – Licensed To Drive” →

Gemhunter #4 – Snowboard Racer 2

Published on June 20, 2016February 6, 2025 by Chris ScullionLeave a comment

In the fourth Gemhunter instalment I take a look at Snowboard Racer 2, a snowboard racing game (believe it or not) from Midas Interactive Entertainment, the same publisher responsible for Boxing Champions.

That one wasn’t a gem, but could this be? Find out by watching the video. Continue reading “Gemhunter #4 – Snowboard Racer 2” →

Gemhunter #3 – Boxing Champions

Published on June 17, 2016December 1, 2018 by Chris Scullion1 Comment

Gemhunter continues with Boxing Champions, a 2003 PlayStation 2 game from Midas Interactive Entertainment. Boxing games are generally either very good or hopeless, so which category does this fall under? Watch the video and find out… Continue reading “Gemhunter #3 – Boxing Champions” →

E3 2016 conference breakdown podcast

Published on June 14, 2016January 9, 2017 by Chris Scullion1 Comment

E3 2016 is upon us and since I’m still resting my RSI-riddled hand I’ve decided to put together a one-off podcast instead.

Listen on for 85 minutes of gaming goodness as I break down EA, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Microsoft and Sony’s conferences, as well as why I won’t be covering Nintendo’s and why we should all stop a-fussin’ and a-feudin’. Continue reading “E3 2016 conference breakdown podcast” →

Gemhunter #2 – Urban Freestyle Soccer

Published on June 12, 2016 by Chris Scullion1 Comment

Gemhunter is my new video series in which I try out forgotten, ignored, licensed or shovelware games for the first time in the hope of finding a hidden gem.

The video is presented unedited so you can experience the game for the first time as I do.

The second instalment of Gemhunter looks at Urban Freestyle Soccer, Acclaim’s street football game from 2003. Could we have already found a hidden gem so early in the series, or is it as bad as the cover looks? Watch the video and find out… Continue reading “Gemhunter #2 – Urban Freestyle Soccer” →

Exclusive – Night Trap mobile prototype footage

Published on June 9, 2016 by Chris Scullion1 Comment

As you may already know, I’m an enormous fan of Night Trap, the 90s FMV game from Digital Pictures.

(If you aren’t familiar with the game I published a massive love letter and video review a while back, so fill your boots with that first.)

Last year there was a Kickstarter campaign for a remastered version of Night Trap, run by its current rights holders. The campaign died on its arse, partly because it was confusing and didn’t really offer an indication of how the finished game would look. However, part of the campaign read:

“In recent years we’ve been deluged with messages from fans who’ve said they want a new version of their favorite game, but with a degree of video quality that modern hardware can deliver. It’s our mission to deliver that product.”

They may not have delivered that product, but someone else has. Step forward Tyler Hogle, an indie developer who’s put together a working fan-made prototype of a mobile version of Night Trap for Android. Continue reading “Exclusive – Night Trap mobile prototype footage” →