Tired Old Hack

Lego Dimensions – Ghostbusters Level Pack review

Published on February 11, 2016February 11, 2016 by Chris Scullion3 Comments

Lego Dimensions week on Tired Old Hack finally concludes with a review of the recently released Ghostbusters level pack.

Be sure to catch up if you missed out on the Simpsons, Back To The Future, Portal 2 or Doctor Who level pack reviews.

Not content with ensuring ’80s movie fans were catered for in Lego Dimensions with a Back To The Future level pack, Traveller’s Tales has gone one further with a level pack based on Ghostbusters.

It’s a timely move, given the popularity of the previously released Ecto-1 Lego set and the all-female Ghostbusters reboot due in cinemas later this year.

Does this extra level scratch the Ghostbusting itch for fans of the original movies, though? You bet your PKE meter it does. Continue reading “Lego Dimensions – Ghostbusters Level Pack review” →

Lego Dimensions – Doctor Who Level Pack review

Published on February 11, 2016February 11, 2016 by Chris Scullion4 Comments

It’s day four of Lego Dimensions week on Tired Old Hack, and today we’re taking on the might of the Doctor Who level pack.

Check out the reviews of the Simpsons, Back To The Future and Portal 2 level packs if you missed them, and come back tomorrow for the final review, the Ghostbusters level pack.

The presence of Doctor Who in Lego Dimensions is undoubtedly one of the most important pieces of business for the game.

The BBC series remains immensely popular worldwide, and even though an official Lego TARDIS set was released just after this level pack was, it’s clear the Dimensions deal had been done a long time prior.

Thankfully this level pack is a treat for fans: not just of the Twelfth Doctor but, as it turns out, the entire series’ history as a whole. Continue reading “Lego Dimensions – Doctor Who Level Pack review” →

Lego Dimensions – Portal 2 Level Pack review

Published on February 9, 2016 by Chris Scullion30 Comments

It’s day three of Lego Dimensions week on Tired Old Hack, and after reviews of the Simpsons and Back To The Future level packs it’s now time for the Portal 2 level pack to be scrutinised to smithereens.

Check back on Thursday and Friday for the final two level pack reviews.

Portal fans are already fairly well catered for in the main Lego Dimensions Starter Pack.

The Portal 2 stage in the main story mode is probably the longest in the game, and there’s even an outstanding Portal-related surprise right at the end (click here for spoilers), which would probably be more well-known among the gaming community if more Valve fans played Lego games.

So what more can the separate Portal 2 level pack offer that isn’t already covered in the main game? Quite a lot, it seems. Continue reading “Lego Dimensions – Portal 2 Level Pack review” →

Lego Dimensions – Back To The Future Level Pack review

Published on February 8, 2016February 8, 2016 by Chris Scullion6 Comments

Lego Dimensions week on Tired Old Hack continues! Yesterday I reviewed the Simpsons Level Pack and today is the turn of the Back To The Future Level Pack.

Keep checking back throughout the week for reviews of the other three Level Packs currently available.

When Lego Dimensions was first announced, the confirmed franchise that excited me most was easily Back To The Future.

I’m a huge fan of all three films in the classic ‘80s trilogy, so the thought of being able to finally play as Marty McFly (as opposed to just guiding him, as in Telltale’s decent point-and-click game) had me properly pumped.

Unfortunately, of the five Lego Dimensions level packs released to date, this was the one that left me most wanting by the end. Continue reading “Lego Dimensions – Back To The Future Level Pack review” →

Lego Dimensions – The Simpsons Level Pack review

Published on February 8, 2016 by Chris Scullion6 Comments

I’ve already reviewed the Lego Dimensions Starter Pack and everything it offers, but for those with a little more disposable income and an unending hankering for those little plastic sods there’s more content to be bought should you so desire.

To date, Lego Dimensions has five extra Level Packs, each of which can be bought separately. Each contains a new level, as well as a character from that franchise and two vehicles or gadgets. I’ve bought and played all five, so every day this week I’ll be publishing reviews of each of them, explaining exactly what you get and whether they’re worth buying.

Given that the Simpsons’ house has been one of the most popular real-world Lego kits in the past couple of years, it’s fitting that the greatest cartoon of all time should get special treatment in Lego Dimensions with its own stage.

The Simpsons Level Pack comes with a Homer Simpson minifig, Homer’s car and the Taunt-O-Vision, a special version of the Simpsons’ television that I don’t remember them ever having in the TV series. Continue reading “Lego Dimensions – The Simpsons Level Pack review” →

Retro Vault – Night Trap review

Published on February 5, 2016 by Chris Scullion4 Comments

Retro Vault is my video series looking at vintage games from back in the day – both popular ones and those forgotten over time.

The video can be found below, but if you’re more of a reader I’ve provided a modified version of the script after the jump so you can read my thoughts in written form instead.

Continue reading “Retro Vault – Night Trap review” →

My plan to revolutionise E3

Published on January 28, 2016 by Chris Scullion1 Comment

This June all the gaming media will descend on Los Angeles for the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3 as it’s commonly known among us smartarse knob types.

As ever, E3 will consist of a bunch of conferences from major publishers all keen to show off their wares for the next year and beyond.

It’s then followed by a few days of show floor mania, in which the press decide which games are worth covering in the limited time they have while the general public wait in massive queues and elbow each other out of the way to get their hands on the various demos of upcoming titles.

Here’s the thing, though. I reckon the E3 format is starting to get a wee bit tired. Continue reading “My plan to revolutionise E3” →

Guitar Hero Live vs Rock Band 4 – which is best?

Published on December 29, 2015December 29, 2015 by Chris Scullion4 Comments

I’m an enormous fan of rhythm action games, and was still happily buying every new Guitar Hero and Rock Band game even while everyone else was losing interest in the genre.

It goes without saying, then, that the return of both series in 2015 was a massive deal for me, and the fact that both actually seemed significantly different from each other made things even more interesting.

Not everyone’s as obsessed with this genre as I am, though, so it’s understandable that the vast majority of gamers would probably only want to buy one of these games. The question, then, is which is best: Guitar Hero Live or Rock Band 4?

Having bought both games at launch (with my own cash, I should stress) and spent a couple of months with each now, I reckon I’m in a good position to give you my unbiased, detailed opinion on which of the two you should go for. Let’s rock. Continue reading “Guitar Hero Live vs Rock Band 4 – which is best?” →

Cover Me Badd #1 – The 20 worst NES game covers

Published on December 5, 2015August 27, 2019 by Chris Scullion8 Comments

Cover Me Badd is the first in a regular series looking at the worst video game covers in history. Each article will focus on a specific format. And no, I haven’t misspelled ‘bad’, you pesky youngster.

Hammerin' Harry isn't in my list. So that should tell you something — Hammerin’ Harry isn’t in my list. So that should tell you something

As anyone who’s read my film review site will know, I’m a fan of shite things. If something’s painfully awful I’m right on top of it like white on rice.

One of my favourite examples of this is video game covers. If you know me you know I’m a massive retro gamer and over the years I’ve seen my fair share of terrible game box art, to the extent that I’ve become something of a crap cover connoisseur.

In the first Cover Me Badd article on Tired Old Hack I’m going to kick off by exposing the worst game covers for the console most dear to my heart, the trusty Nintendo Entertainment System. ‘Enjoy’. Continue reading “Cover Me Badd #1 – The 20 worst NES game covers” →