Chris Scullion – Page 20

The Great Tired Old Hack Survey™

Published on December 14, 2016 by Chris ScullionLeave a comment

Tired Old Hack turns two years old next month, and truth be told I still feel like the site’s in its early stages.

Since January 2015 I’ve been messing around with different ideas and article types, trying to see which ones stick and which are roundly ignored or disliked.

Now though, it’s over to you. I’ve put together a 20-question survey and I would massively appreciate it if you could fill it in.

HERE BE THE SURVEY ME HEARTIES AND SUCH

It’s entirely anonymous (though you get the chance to put your name in at the end if you want me to know it was you), and there are loads of comedy GIFs in there in case the idea of surveys bores you to tears.

Thanks in advance folks.

Chris

21 iconic musicians who were influenced by PaRappa The Rapper

Published on December 9, 2016 by Chris Scullion1 Comment

Last week Sony announced it’s releasing a special 20th anniversary version of PaRappa The Rapper for PS4, featuring enhanced 4K visuals.

For those not in the know, PaRappa The Rapper was a 1996 PlayStation game that is considered to be one of the first modern examples of the rhythm action genre.

What’s less discussed, however, is the sheer number of iconic musical artists who took inspiration from the lyrics in PaRappa The Rapper. Continue reading “21 iconic musicians who were influenced by PaRappa The Rapper” →

Picross 3D: Round 2 review

Published on December 1, 2016 by Chris Scullion1 Comment

NINTENDO / HAL LABORATORY
3DS

I love Picross. I’ve loved it ever since a 12-year-old me visited the Edinburgh branch of Toys R Us back in 1995 and discovered Mario’s Picross on the Game Boy.

This relationship has survived 21 brain-teasing years. And, as in the best relationships, just as things look like they’re starting to go stale something manages to breathe new life into proceedings and remind me why I fell in love in the first place. Continue reading “Picross 3D: Round 2 review” →

Cover Me Badd #5 – The 25 worst Wii game covers

Published on November 27, 2016 by Chris Scullion13 Comments

Cover Me Badd is my regular series looking at the worst video game covers in history. Each article will focus on a specific format. If you missed it, catch up on Part 1: NES games, Part 2: SNES games, Part 3: Nintendo 64 games and Part 4: GameCube games.

A few months back I shared my choices for the 20 worst GameCube box covers. It was inevitable, then, that the Wii would get its turn.

The problem is, the Wii had far more games released for it than previous Nintendo home consoles, and many of them had truly horrendous box art. Since I really couldn’t decide on a final 20, I’ve instead gone with 25 to ensure I didn’t have to drop any of my choices.

As ever, click on a cover to see it bigger: some of them really do have to be seen in their full-sized glory.

‘Enjoy!’ Continue reading “Cover Me Badd #5 – The 25 worst Wii game covers” →

The Tired Old Hack NES Mini stream (REPLAY!)

Published on November 10, 2016November 17, 2016 by Chris ScullionLeave a comment

The 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!)” →

Review code, the ‘media’, YouTubers and all that shite

Published on October 26, 2016October 26, 2016 by Chris Scullion8 Comments

Right then. Let’s do this.

This is the only time I’m going to discuss this topic in any great detail. I’d rather Tired Old Hack focused more on games themselves than the bureaucracy that surrounds the way they’re covered, but given that it’s something that’s been a part of my life for a decade I might as well briefly give my take on it before moving on.

I should also make it clear here that if you’re someone who’s followed other gaming websites for a while, very little of this will be news to you. I’m only really writing this because, well, it’s my site and I want to put my opinion on the record, just so I have something to refer back to every time this happens in the future (and it will, many times). Continue reading “Review code, the ‘media’, YouTubers and all that shite” →

PlayStation VR review

Published on October 20, 2016October 20, 2016 by Chris Scullion2 Comments

The future is finally here. Well, one potential future is, at least.

Despite Nintendo claiming it has no interest in virtual reality and Microsoft only cautiously promising Oculus support for its Scorpio console next year, Sony has made it clear in no uncertain terms that it’s very much on board the VR hype train.

The result of this is PlayStation VR, a headset designed exclusively for the PS4 which promises a (relatively) cheap way to join the virtual revolution.

The big questions are obvious. Does PlayStation VR really transform the way you play PS4 games? Will it make you ill? And is it the future of gaming? Continue reading “PlayStation VR review” →

The 30 best Wii U games

Published on October 14, 2016November 2, 2016 by Chris Scullion9 Comments

This is the eighth in my ’30 Best’ series of articles in which I discuss my favourite games ever on a system-by-system basis for the first time in my career. In case you missed them, the full list of other ’30 Best’ articles can be found at the bottom of this page.

’30 Best’ will now be a regular series, thanks to my lovely Patreon followers helping me reach a stretch goal. If you want to contribute and help me reach my next goal (to start a Tired Old Hack podcast), please visit my Patreon page.

There’s a saying in gaming when it comes to Nintendo. Well, there isn’t really but I’m making it up now and I’ve decided it should be one.

When Nintendo does well, it does really well. Look at the Wii, the DS, the SNES, the Game Boy Advance.

But when it does badly – the GameCube, the Virtual Boy – it does really badly, finishing a distant last place against its competitors.

Such was the fate of the Wii U, a console that arrived on the heels of the wildly successful Wii and somehow went on to undo all the fine work Nintendo’s motion-sensitive phenomenon had managed. Continue reading “The 30 best Wii U games” →

Lego Dimensions complete character guide – every Year One character reviewed

Published on September 27, 2016September 27, 2016 by Chris Scullion8 Comments

This week marks the beginning of ‘Year Two’ of Lego Dimensions, the fantastic toys-to-life game by long-time Lego game studio Traveller’s Tales.

Because Year Two introduces a whole bunch of new franchises to the mix, a lot of players will be getting into Lego Dimensions for the first time.

With that in mind, I’ve put together this enormous guide to all 46 characters released during the game’s first year: that’s the 44 main ones and the two limited edition characters Green Arrow and Supergirl. Continue reading “Lego Dimensions complete character guide – every Year One character reviewed” →

NINTENDO / HAL LABORATORY 3DS

NINTENDO / HAL LABORATORY
3DS