Tag: Games journalism

Resident Evil 2 remake (Xbox One) review

Published on by Chris Scullion3 Comments

This review is available in both written and video format. The video shows the game in action while I read the review as a voiceover, so if you watch the video you don’t need to read the written review that follows since it’s the same ‘script’.

Capcom
Xbox One, PS4, Steam (Xbox One version reviewed)

While I’m obviously a massive fan of gaming, I’ve also got a real love for horror movies, especially those from the ‘70s and ‘80s.

The Resident Evil series, then, has always been a big favourite of mine. It’s quite fitting, too, that I can draw parallels between it and one of my favourite movie franchises, George A Romero’s ‘Dead’ series.

The obvious connection is zombies: that sort of goes without saying. But both also essentially kicked off an entire genre – zombie movies and survival horror – and both went through a bit of a rough patch during their fifth and sixth instalments (Resi 5 & 6, and Diary & Survival Of The Dead).

As well as this, on a personal level my favourite entry in each series was the second: both Resident Evil 2 and Dawn Of The Dead built on what made their predecessors so effective, by moving their settings from a house in the middle of the countryside to a more urban location.

George Romero even directed some Japanese TV commercials to promote Resident Evil 2, just in case the connection wasn’t solid enough.

Over the past week I’ve decided I can now add another example to this comparison: not only are Resi 2 and Dawn Of The Dead my favourites in each series, I’m a big fan of both their remakes too. Continue reading “Resident Evil 2 remake (Xbox One) review” →

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes (Switch) review

Published on by Chris Scullion5 Comments
Grasshopper Manufacturer / Nintendo
Nintendo Switch

Cult game designer Suda51 has always made games that divide opinion.

Whether it’s the heavily stylised Killer7, the sexually provocative Lollipop Chainsaw, the punk rock demon hunting of Shadows Of The Damned or the combo-based bloodfest that is Killer Is Dead, gamers have always been split into two camps: those who believe his games have always felt a little rough around the edges, and those who say his often eccentric and bizarre storylines make up for it.

On Nintendo systems, Suda’s best known for the two No More Heroes games, which very much embodied this division. The story of nerdy otaku Travis Touchdown and his quest to kill everyone on a global assassin leaderboard was criticised by some for its slightly clunky combat and repetitive action, but praised by others for its outlandish plot, lashings of gore (in some regions) and tendency to shatter the fourth wall into tiny polygonal pieces.

It’s been eight years since No More Heroes 2, and those who fall into the second camp (including me) have been desperately praying for a third game in the series. Travis Strikes Again isn’t it, but it’s a fun spin-off that should satisfy their cravings for a while. Continue reading “Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes (Switch) review” →

That time when Sonic played football in Virtua Striker

Published on by Chris Scullion6 Comments

This article is available in both written and video format. The voiceover in the video version is me reading out the article below, so if you watch the video you won’t have to then read the article. If you enjoy the video and want to see more, there’s bonus unedited footage of the game (without my voiceover) at the bottom of this page.

VIDEO VERSION:

Welcome to That Time When, a new series dedicated to weird and wonderful moments in the history of gaming. In episode one, let’s go back to that time when Sonic played football in Virtua Striker 3.

These days when you think of football games, there are only two series that stand out: FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer.

Back in the day though, there were a load of different football series all vying for gamers’ attention. And their money, obviously. Continue reading “That time when Sonic played football in Virtua Striker” →

New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe (Switch) review

Published on by Chris Scullion6 Comments
Nintendo / Nintendo EAD
Nintendo Switch, Wii U (Switch version reviewed)

The Switch will be two years old in just a couple of months, and Nintendo has diligently been ticking its way through the boxes to ensure each of its much-loved series are represented on the system.

Mario Kart? Tick. Zelda? Tick. 3D Mario, Smash Bros, Pokemon? Tick, tick, tick. At this point there are more ticks than you’d find at a particularly grubby pet shop.

Up next, then, is the series that kickstarted Nintendo’s home console success in the first place, Super Mario Bros. More specifically, a port of the Wii U’s offering, New Super Mario Bros U.

This Deluxe version pairs the main game with its Luigi-based DLC, adds a couple of new playable characters, and chucks in a resolution boost from 720p to 1080p for good measure. This makes it the definitive version of the game, but there are a couple of caveats in there. Continue reading “New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe (Switch) review” →

Bandersnatch: the game that killed a company and inspired a Black Mirror episode

Published on by Chris Scullion23 Comments

If you’re the sort of hip cat who’s ‘up’ on all things streaming video, you’ll probably be aware of Bandersnatch, the choose-your-own adventure style spin-off of Charlie Brooker’s fantastic Black Mirror series.

Bandersnatch tells the story of Stefan Butler, a young programmer who’s developing a game for the ZX Spectrum based on a fantasy novel (the author of which is portrayed in a cameo appearance by Jeff Minter, the creator of games like Tempest 2000 and Attack Of The Mutant Camels).

What you may not realise, though, is that Bandersnatch is loosely – very loosely – based on an actual ZX Spectrum game that ultimately never saw the light of day. Here, then, is the story of the original Bandersnatch: what it was, what happened to it, and what it eventually became. Continue reading “Bandersnatch: the game that killed a company and inspired a Black Mirror episode” →

The 10 Best Games of 2018

Published on by Chris Scullion3 Comments

This article is available in both written and video format. The video shows the games in action while I read the article as a voiceover, so if you watch the video you don’t need to read the written article that follows since it’s the same ‘script’.

Well, 2018 has finally come to an end and I’ve got to be honest with you: yer man Scullion is absolutely knackered.

This has easily been the busiest year I can remember. Not only have I been juggling my 9-to-5 job at the same time as running Tired Old Hack, I also finished my NES Encyclopedia book and, of course, have the small matter of my gorgeous baby daughter to take care of too.

That said, I did still find time to get my fair share of gaming this year, and since it’s basically illegal not to have an end-of-year list, here’s my ten favourite games of the year. Continue reading “The 10 Best Games of 2018” →

Gemhunter #12 – Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators

Published on by Chris ScullionLeave a comment

With a new-look site comes a new-look Gemhunter, complete with a lovely new cheesy intro.

Yer man Scullion is now commander in chief of the spaceship Tired Old Hack, exploring the universe of retro gaming in search of forgotten gems.

Does Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators on the Saturn fit that bill? Well, you’re going to have to watch the video to find out, innit.

Gemhunter is my video series in which I try out forgotten, ignored, licensed or shovelware games I’ve never played 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. Enjoyed this video and want to see more? You can find past Gemhunter episodes here.

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Alternatively, if you’re a UK reader and can’t afford to support me on Patreon, please do your normal Amazon UK shopping via this link. Tired Old Hack is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk and affiliated sites.

Video preview – New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe (Switch)

Published on by Chris ScullionLeave a comment

Nintendo’s kicking off 2019 with another Wii U port, as New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe comes to the Switch on 11 January.

The Wii U version was much-loved by those who played it and ended up being the third-best selling title on the console, with 5.77 million copies sold.

Of course, given that the Wii U console sales themselves were poor, that made it a big fish in a small pond. Nintendo will be hoping that by putting the game on Switch – which already has a larger user base than the Wii U and continues to grow – it’ll reach a much greater audience more in line with the Wii and DS New Super Mario Bros games, which each shifted around 30 million.

Naturally, yer man Scullion’s been sent review code by Nintendo, and I’ve already started playing it. I’ll have a review ready before the game’s out, but it’s currently embargoed up the wazoo so you’ll have to wait until early 2019 for that.

Until then, here’s an 11-minute video in which I talk you through what’s new, show off the new characters and try to rewrite the lyrics to The Pogues’ Fairytale Of New York. Enjoy.

New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe is available on Nintendo Switch on 11 January. You can pre-order the physical version from Amazon UK.

In order that I could put this preview together, I received a digital copy of the game from Nintendo. The content of this preview was in no way positively influenced by this.

If you enjoyed this and want to help me post more frequent articles, please consider donating to my Patreon account.

Don’t want to commit to a regular payment? I’ve now got a PayPal ‘tips’ jar: if you like what you read feel free to chuck yer man Scullion a couple of quid here or there and help stock up my Irn Bru fund so I can continue working away like a bastard.

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Alternatively, if you’re a UK reader and can’t afford to support me on Patreon, please do your normal Amazon UK shopping via this link. Tired Old Hack is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk and affiliated sites.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Switch) single-player review

Published on by Chris Scullion4 Comments
Nintendo / Sora Ltd / Bandai Namco
Nintendo Switch

Well, it’s finally here. Actually, it was here a week ago but I didn’t get code until the day before launch so you’re getting a review now.

Regardless, the point remains: Super Smash Bros Ultimate is now on Switch, giving Nintendo’s already popular system another massive boost. And, judging by early sales figures – roughly 1.3 million sold in Japan already, toppling Red Dead 2 in the UK and the like – it’s clear it’s going to be a huge success.

It’s safe to say this is mainly down to Smash’s multiplayer gameplay. After all, Smash has always been known as a multiplayer fighter first and foremost, and with this new Switch version once again offering support for up to eight players simultaneously it goes without saying that many of the fans buying the game are doing so to fight against their friends or online.

Not everyone likes playing online, though, or playing with their pals, or just people in general. Some folk – yer man Scullion included – are strictly solo gamers, and in that situation it’s maybe a little less immediately clear how long the game’s going to last. Well, I’m going to tell you. Continue reading “Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Switch) single-player review” →

Interview: Suda 51 talks Travis Strikes Again, retro game development and The Smiths

Published on by Chris Scullion8 Comments

Goichi Suda is one of my favourite game designers.

Known better as Suda 51 (51 is ‘go-ichi’ in Japanese), he’s considered by many to be the Quentin Tarantino of video games: notorious for making stylised and offbeat games with a mature subject matter, a dark sense of humour and more references than an over-enthusiastic CV.

Although in recent years he’s given us the likes of Lollipop Chainsaw and Killer Is Dead, Nintendo gamers know Suda better for two of his older offerings: Killer7 on the GameCube, and the No More Heroes games on Wii.

It’s the latter that sees yer man Scullion and yer man 51 making contact once again. I first interviewed Suda more than a decade ago, as part of an Official Nintendo Magazine preview of the first No More Heroes. When its sequel came out in 2010, I caught up with him again for a second interview. Continue reading “Interview: Suda 51 talks Travis Strikes Again, retro game development and The Smiths” →