If you want a masterclass in how to push game hardware to its limits, look no further than German developer Shin’en Multimedia.
Since the turn of the millennium Shin’en has been pumping out games that look much better than they should, given the restrictions of the formats they’re on.
Nanostray and its sequel offered visually impressive shoot ’em up action on DS, turning Nintendo’s humble handheld into a powerhouse.
Even more impressive, downloadable WiiWare titles Jett Rocket and FAST Racing League were two of the best-looking games on the Wii, a fact made even more extraordinary by the miniscule 40MB size limit Nintendo reportedly put on WiiWare submissions.
FAST was the most popular of the two, encouraging Shin’en to make a Wii U sequel, FAST Racing Neo. And now here we have the third game in the series, FAST RMX on Switch. Continue reading “FAST RMX (Switch) review”→
I’m still coming to terms with it, but the fact I was even allowed to do it for so long – nearly nine years – makes me so proud I genuinely have a little shiver of excitement every time I think back on it.
For those who don’t know me, I am – well, was – a video games journalist. Based in London but originally from Scotland, I’ve worked exclusively on Future Publishing publications my entire career. And now I’m not.
I started on 2 May, 2006, as the Staff Writer for Official Nintendo Magazine. I was then promoted to Games Editor in March 2009, before being asked to take control of the Nintendo Gamer website in April 2012.
Me, in happier times. That’s me on the right
Then, after Nintendo Gamer was closed down (not my fault, honest), I became Games Editor of CVG – something I was immensely proud to accept given that publication’s incredible heritage – in January 2013.
Sadly, as you may have heard on the social grapevine, CVG is closing down, and since Future couldn’t find another role for me I was given the big Game Over screen.
To continue that predictable metaphor though, I’m still clutching a handful of 10p coins (part of me still likes to pretend arcade games still cost 10p like they used to), and I want to continue.
I still want to write about games. It’s the only thing I know. While it will no longer be my 9 to 5 job, and this saddens me, I still hope to get some freelance work for other publications from time to time, so hopefully you’ll still be seeing my name dotted around various sites and magazines.
Even if I do get freelance work sorted, I still have so much I want to say about this incredible hobby. I’ve been playing games religiously ever since I was four years old (27 years ago) and I still adore them. Which is why I’ve started this blog. Continue reading “Attract Mode – Welcome to Tired Old Hack!”→
If you want a masterclass in how to push game hardware to its limits, look no further than German developer Shin’en Multimedia.
Tired Old Hack 