Category: Videos

E3 2017 – The 45 trailers you may have missed

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E3 week is slowly coming to an end, and while it may not have been the most dramatic in terms of big reveals it certainly clarified one thing: over the next 18 months we’ll be getting more great games than you can shake a Joy-Con at.

Of course, the main events during E3 week are the numerous press conferences, many of which I covered with podcast recaps. Most people are happy enough in the knowledge that if they watch every conference they’ll see the best of what E3 has to offer.

What you may not have realised, though, is that there are a wealth of other games at E3 that aren’t part of the conferences: either because they’re made by third-party publishers who aren’t showing presentations, or because they’re first-party games that for whatever reason have taken a back seat (sorry, Gran Turismo Sport). Continue reading “E3 2017 – The 45 trailers you may have missed” →

The TOH Philips CD-i Adventure part 1

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The Philips CD-i is supposed to be one of the worst games consoles ever released.

That’s according to the vast majority of the gaming public, many of whom have never played a CD-i (only a million were sold, not much more than the Virtual Boy) but are happy to go along with the consensus.

Admittedly, I count myself as one of these people. I was never ‘fortunate’ enough to own a CD-i, but as someone with an odd love for bad games I’ve always been curious to get hold of one and see if it truly is as shite as is claimed.

I’m happy to announce I now own a CD-i, and am now ready to take that journey. Continue reading “The TOH Philips CD-i Adventure part 1” →

Gemhunter #9 – American Chopper

Published on by Chris Scullion2 Comments

It’s time for more gem-hunting goodness as I trawl through gaming’s forgotten releases in search of a hidden gem.

This time it’s American Chopper, an Xbox game published by Activision which is based on the Discovery Channel series of the same name.

As someone who’s never seen the show and doesn’t know the first thing about motorbikes my hopes aren’t high, but could it surprise me? Find out in the video. Continue reading “Gemhunter #9 – American Chopper” →

Let’s watch GamesMaster series 1

Published on by Chris Scullion3 Comments

The first episode of GamesMaster aired on Channel 4 in the UK on 7 January 1992. It was the first UK TV show dedicated to video games, and to 25 years later it remains the best.

To celebrate the glory that was GamesMaster, I decided to start watching it all over again from the start, but I decided to stream it as I did.

Joined by a bunch of lovely Tired Old Hack readers and Twitter followers, I streamed all 10 episodes from Series 1 over the course of three nights. Continue reading “Let’s watch GamesMaster series 1” →

Gemhunter #8 – Close Combat: First To Fight

Published on by Chris Scullion1 Comment

Time for more Gemhunter goodness, as I continue to play old forgotten video games in an attempt to find a hidden gem.

In episode 8 it’s the turn of Close Combat: First To Fight, an Xbox shooter by Destineer Studios, a developer best known for the likes of Age Of Empires III and the Mac port of Halo.

According to the blurb, this one was designed with input from US marines, and is said to have sophisticated AI. Is it the real deal though? Find out as I play the game for the first time ever. Continue reading “Gemhunter #8 – Close Combat: First To Fight” →

Gemhunter #7 – Curse: The Eye Of Isis

Published on by Chris Scullion1 Comment

It’s back! After a six-month break (while I upgraded my grabbing equipment), Gemhunter returns to crack open the vaults of forgotten turn-of-the-millennium gaming.

In episode 7 it’s the turn of Curse: The Eye Of Isis. It’s a survival horror game by Asylum Entertainment, a UK studio best known for such blockbusters as Play With The Teletubbies on PS1 and the cult PC gem Bob The Builder: Bob Builds A Park.

How does a studio known for children’s games handle horror though? Find out as I play the game for the first time ever. Continue reading “Gemhunter #7 – Curse: The Eye Of Isis” →

The first ever Tired Old Hack live review!

Published on by Chris Scullion1 Comment
The first ever review I wrote in my career. They got better

I’d estimate that over the course of the last 11 years I’ve reviewed just short of 1000 games (thanks very much, ONM’s monthly Virtual Console and WiiWare section, for bumping that figure up).

Reviews are arguably the most important aspect of games journalism – at least in the traditional sense – because after the news announcing a game and the previews giving a taste of it, the review is the final verdict: “Now it’s finally with us, and here’s whether you should get it.”

Because of this, one of the questions I get asked most often (other than how to become a games journalist) is how to properly review a game. The answer is one you might not like, because it isn’t a catch-all solution: there’s no ‘proper’ way to review a game. Everyone does it differently and everyone has their own style.

What I can do, however, is try to help by telling you how I do it my way, and hope that by doing so you can maybe pick up some tips to use when developing your own style.

Or, rather, instead of telling you, I could show you. Continue reading “The first ever Tired Old Hack live review!” →

The Tired Old Hack NES Mini stream (REPLAY!)

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nes-miniThe NES Mini is finally with us, even though that isn’t really what it’s called (it’s the NES Classic Edition in America and the Nintendo Classic Mini NES in Europe).

Over the past couple of weeks you may have seen all manner of YouTubers and website journalists giving their takes on the system. Now, as someone who paid legit cash money for the privilege of having to wait until launch day to get it, it’s my turn.

This Saturday (12 November 2016) I streamed all 30 NES Mini games in a massive five-hour Twitch stream. Continue reading “The Tired Old Hack NES Mini stream (REPLAY!)” →

Gemhunter Live #6 – Portal Runner

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In the first ever live episode of Gemhunter I took on 3DO’s PlayStation 2 platformer Portal Runner, a game boldly featuring a ‘97%’ sticker on its box.

Surely it couldn’t possibly be that good? Find out in this recording of the episode along with the viewer comments as they happened.

(Apologies for the sound quality in this episode, I was suffering technical problems which have since been sorted) Continue reading “Gemhunter Live #6 – Portal Runner” →

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

Published on 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” →