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How such a great game as Battle Isle II (Blue Byte, 1994) still had so little commercial success boggles my mind to this day. Maybe it was the limited market - developed by a German studio primarily known in Germany - or the lack of marketing power, who knows.... It certainly wasn’t the gameplay, which was simply excellent for a turn-based strategy game. It even innovated some features, such as being the first CD-ROM strategy game to feature 3D combat animations and unit displays using raytracing and vector graphics. Granted, that was “just” eye candy, but it set the game apart from others in the genre that could sometimes feel a bit dry to non-experts. It also offered a huge variety of units for air, sea, and ground combat, including 12 experience levels for each unit (greatly affecting battle outcomes). Controls were easy enough for new players to learn quickly, maps varied greatly in size and terrain (requiring different strategies), and the pixel-style in-game cutscenes were a nice touch. I couldn’t get enough of the Battle Isle series (1, 2 and 3 were all great, plus Incubation, which was a later spin-off). This series is gravely underrated and overlooked, one of my all-time favourites, and yet I wonder if many non-German players have ever even heard of it.show more

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22,796 views • 7 months ago •via X (Twitter)

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Westwood was such an amazing game studio. One of their timeless classics is Eye of the Beholder 2, which was released in 1991. The intro alone gave me nerd chills - anyone who ever played Dungeons & Dragons would remember Khelben Blackstaff, and if he considers you his friend, what an honour! The game itself is your typical dungeon crawler. I don't mean that in a disrespectful way but appreciating it for what it was and is, a great game of its genre. Excellent graphics (I am such a sucker for that 90s pixel style), good sound effects and music, and an easy to use interface, making the real-time fights fast paced but manageable. Among the greats of Bard's Tale, Might and Magic, Ultima, and Wizardry, the likes of Eye of the Beholder or Lands of Lore were probably a tier below, but I always loved coming back to them. To me, this game is emblematic of the early 90s, and for that I love it.

Westwood was such an amazing game studio. One of their timeless classics is Eye of the Beholder 2, which was released in 1991. The intro alone gave me nerd chills - anyone who ever played Dungeons & Dragons would remember Khelben Blackstaff, and if he considers you his friend, what an honour! The game itself is your typical dungeon crawler. I don't mean that in a disrespectful way but appreciating it for what it was and is, a great game of its genre. Excellent graphics (I am such a sucker for that 90s pixel style), good sound effects and music, and an easy to use interface, making the real-time fights fast paced but manageable. Among the greats of Bard's Tale, Might and Magic, Ultima, and Wizardry, the likes of Eye of the Beholder or Lands of Lore were probably a tier below, but I always loved coming back to them. To me, this game is emblematic of the early 90s, and for that I love it.

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43,294 views • 8 months ago

Back in the ‘90s, there was one arcade game you were almost guaranteed to find: Irem’s Ninja Baseball Bat Man. It was incredibly fun, and with support for up to four players, it was one of the best games to enjoy with friends. But did you know this? While the game was a huge hit in South Korea, it received a fairly lukewarm response in Japan and was released in very limited numbers in North America, making it virtually unknown there. Pretty strange, isn’t it? One of the reasons I loved this game was that, unlike most Irem titles, it wasn’t brutally difficult. You could have a great time with just a single credit. Most Irem games were known for their gritty atmosphere, incredibly detailed pixel art, and punishing difficulty. This one, however, stood out with its bright colors and cute, round character designs, giving it a completely different feel. If you’ve never played it before, do yourself a favor and try it on an emulator.

Back in the ‘90s, there was one arcade game you were almost guaranteed to find: Irem’s Ninja Baseball Bat Man. It was incredibly fun, and with support for up to four players, it was one of the best games to enjoy with friends. But did you know this? While the game was a huge hit in South Korea, it received a fairly lukewarm response in Japan and was released in very limited numbers in North America, making it virtually unknown there. Pretty strange, isn’t it? One of the reasons I loved this game was that, unlike most Irem titles, it wasn’t brutally difficult. You could have a great time with just a single credit. Most Irem games were known for their gritty atmosphere, incredibly detailed pixel art, and punishing difficulty. This one, however, stood out with its bright colors and cute, round character designs, giving it a completely different feel. If you’ve never played it before, do yourself a favor and try it on an emulator.

Gamer_lafan

31,198 views • 2 months ago

German game studios didn’t have massive distribution power or marketing budgets. Globally, they were probably ranked fifth (assuming the US, Japan, the UK and France were ahead). Still, some left a lasting mark, especially in the 80s and 90s. One such studio was Rainbow Arts, which created classics including the Turrican series. Turrican II (1991) was an absolute masterpiece—not surprising given the team: Manfred Trenz, Andreas Escher and, of course, Chris Hülsbeck, all part of the crème de la crème of German gaming history. If you had an Amiga, you knew who Chris Hülsbeck was. And what Andreas Escher conjured up in terms of graphics was simply art. To this day, I consider the Turrican series the best shoot ’em up on the Amiga. The graphics, music, massive levels, power-ups and gameplay were all top-notch. Sometimes I would just start the game and let the intro run non-stop.

German game studios didn’t have massive distribution power or marketing budgets. Globally, they were probably ranked fifth (assuming the US, Japan, the UK and France were ahead). Still, some left a lasting mark, especially in the 80s and 90s. One such studio was Rainbow Arts, which created classics including the Turrican series. Turrican II (1991) was an absolute masterpiece—not surprising given the team: Manfred Trenz, Andreas Escher and, of course, Chris Hülsbeck, all part of the crème de la crème of German gaming history. If you had an Amiga, you knew who Chris Hülsbeck was. And what Andreas Escher conjured up in terms of graphics was simply art. To this day, I consider the Turrican series the best shoot ’em up on the Amiga. The graphics, music, massive levels, power-ups and gameplay were all top-notch. Sometimes I would just start the game and let the intro run non-stop.

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35,705 views • 7 months ago

To this day, even 37 years later, the game I associate the most with the Psygnosis logo is Shadow of the Beast. The game itself was fascinating - in the sense that graphics and sound were both perfect 10s, while gameplay was a 3 at best. Maybe I am being a bit harsh, but I think we can all agree that there was a massive gap between how it looked/sounded and how it played. And yet its burned into my memory forever and certainly has its place in gaming history. Psygnosis published around 100 games, but that logo will always give me Shadow of the Beast vibes.

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27,765 views • 6 months ago

When Anno 1602 was published in 1998, I bet nobody outside the German-speaking market had ever heard of Max Design. They had some minor titles before, such as 1869, Burntime or Der Clou - but again, most likely unknown to any non-German player. All that changed with the release of Anno 1602, which was a complete surprise blockbuster, both commercially and critically acclaimed. It eventually turned into a franchise that is still alive today with its most recent release, Anno 117, last year. So, what makes Anno so great? For its time it showed incredible attention to detail: excellent graphics (for a business/management/strategy sim), the genre-typical and wonderful music, and above all a highly addictive “just one more minute” gameplay - seeing your empire grow through colonization and trade. While a military aspect exists in Anno, it is secondary at best. The game had what we call “Wuselfaktor” in German. Loosely translated, I would describe it as the joy of managing the small things, being happy about tiny improvements, and seeing growth and progress. Other games such as Sim City The Settlers had that Wuselfaktor too. One of the best games ever - one that just felt full of love for the small things and full of soul.

When Anno 1602 was published in 1998, I bet nobody outside the German-speaking market had ever heard of Max Design. They had some minor titles before, such as 1869, Burntime or Der Clou - but again, most likely unknown to any non-German player. All that changed with the release of Anno 1602, which was a complete surprise blockbuster, both commercially and critically acclaimed. It eventually turned into a franchise that is still alive today with its most recent release, Anno 117, last year. So, what makes Anno so great? For its time it showed incredible attention to detail: excellent graphics (for a business/management/strategy sim), the genre-typical and wonderful music, and above all a highly addictive “just one more minute” gameplay - seeing your empire grow through colonization and trade. While a military aspect exists in Anno, it is secondary at best. The game had what we call “Wuselfaktor” in German. Loosely translated, I would describe it as the joy of managing the small things, being happy about tiny improvements, and seeing growth and progress. Other games such as Sim City The Settlers had that Wuselfaktor too. One of the best games ever - one that just felt full of love for the small things and full of soul.

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119,541 views • 7 months ago

If I had to choose just one game (and no other ever again) to play for the rest of my life, I'd go with Civilization (MicroProse, 1991). You can argue some sequels were better (I can't deny that), but the "wow" effect from first playing it in 1991 was so huge it holds a special place in my heart. For a 1991 game, the graphics are pretty good, the sound fits perfectly (rather soothing!), gameplay is complex and variable, and replay value is gigantic. To me, Civilization is as close to perfection as a game can be. That's my pick. What's yours?

If I had to choose just one game (and no other ever again) to play for the rest of my life, I'd go with Civilization (MicroProse, 1991). You can argue some sequels were better (I can't deny that), but the "wow" effect from first playing it in 1991 was so huge it holds a special place in my heart. For a 1991 game, the graphics are pretty good, the sound fits perfectly (rather soothing!), gameplay is complex and variable, and replay value is gigantic. To me, Civilization is as close to perfection as a game can be. That's my pick. What's yours?

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92,878 views • 9 months ago

I still remember the thrill I felt when I first saw the opening of Tales of Phantasia. It was probably the first time I’d ever seen a Super Famicom game with a vocal opening, and it honestly felt groundbreaking back then. I also loved how the combat played out like an action game, and overall it was just a really fun experience. At the time, I never imagined the Tales series would become such a long-running franchise, but seeing new titles still coming out even now is pretty amazing. I’ve only played up to Tales of Destiny. Which game in the Tales series did you enjoy the most?

I still remember the thrill I felt when I first saw the opening of Tales of Phantasia. It was probably the first time I’d ever seen a Super Famicom game with a vocal opening, and it honestly felt groundbreaking back then. I also loved how the combat played out like an action game, and overall it was just a really fun experience. At the time, I never imagined the Tales series would become such a long-running franchise, but seeing new titles still coming out even now is pretty amazing. I’ve only played up to Tales of Destiny. Which game in the Tales series did you enjoy the most?

Gamer_lafan

44,916 views • 5 months ago

Today is the release day of the Star Fox remake. Unfortunately, it’s coming out a few days later in Korea, but it still brings back a lot of memories of when the original Star Fox 64 was released on the Nintendo 64. Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 were incredible games, but Star Fox 64 was also a huge hit when it launched. Unlike its predecessor’s simple linear progression, it introduced all-range mode, allowing players to freely fly around a 3D space during certain missions and boss battles. This made the gameplay much more dynamic and varied. It also added a new 4-player versus mode, which was a lot of fun with friends. The graphics were impressive for the time, and the full voice acting helped make the game far more immersive. Most importantly, Star Fox 64 was the first Nintendo game to support the Rumble Pak. What is now considered a standard feature in game controllers essentially started here. The shock of feeling controller vibration for the first time was far beyond anything I had imagined. I pre-ordered my copy a long time ago and have been eagerly waiting for it to arrive. Hopefully it gets here soon! Has anyone else ordered this game? 😆

Today is the release day of the Star Fox remake. Unfortunately, it’s coming out a few days later in Korea, but it still brings back a lot of memories of when the original Star Fox 64 was released on the Nintendo 64. Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 were incredible games, but Star Fox 64 was also a huge hit when it launched. Unlike its predecessor’s simple linear progression, it introduced all-range mode, allowing players to freely fly around a 3D space during certain missions and boss battles. This made the gameplay much more dynamic and varied. It also added a new 4-player versus mode, which was a lot of fun with friends. The graphics were impressive for the time, and the full voice acting helped make the game far more immersive. Most importantly, Star Fox 64 was the first Nintendo game to support the Rumble Pak. What is now considered a standard feature in game controllers essentially started here. The shock of feeling controller vibration for the first time was far beyond anything I had imagined. I pre-ordered my copy a long time ago and have been eagerly waiting for it to arrive. Hopefully it gets here soon! Has anyone else ordered this game? 😆

Gamer_lafan

18,664 views • 2 months ago

Adam Silver on tanking in the NBA: “In terms of the tanking, there’s no question that what we saw this season was unprecedented. You talked a lot about it. Your colleagues have talked a lot about it. Again, I think a bit of a group think there obviously by definition it can’t be successful for all the teams that were engaging in that strategy. But on the other hand the analytics which all the sports are using today suggest that it’s a potentially a winning strategy and that is to race to the bottom in order to get higher draft picks. I think it was a bit of perfect storm this year. You have a perception of a very deep draft class, which it appears to be some great players coming into the league. And then even fans in particular cities and even media in those cities to a certain degree were rooting for their teams to tank and saying, you know, how well can your team be managed if you’re sort of just in the middle? You either got to be great or you got to let yourself get bad. And I think we had to respond not just to the narrative but to misalignment of incentives once sort of the guard rails came off and it was an accepted practice in this league.” (Via Stephen A Smith)

Adam Silver on tanking in the NBA: “In terms of the tanking, there’s no question that what we saw this season was unprecedented. You talked a lot about it. Your colleagues have talked a lot about it. Again, I think a bit of a group think there obviously by definition it can’t be successful for all the teams that were engaging in that strategy. But on the other hand the analytics which all the sports are using today suggest that it’s a potentially a winning strategy and that is to race to the bottom in order to get higher draft picks. I think it was a bit of perfect storm this year. You have a perception of a very deep draft class, which it appears to be some great players coming into the league. And then even fans in particular cities and even media in those cities to a certain degree were rooting for their teams to tank and saying, you know, how well can your team be managed if you’re sort of just in the middle? You either got to be great or you got to let yourself get bad. And I think we had to respond not just to the narrative but to misalignment of incentives once sort of the guard rails came off and it was an accepted practice in this league.” (Via Stephen A Smith)

NBA Courtside

11,520 views • 4 months ago

In an interview, Richard Garriott stated that Ultima VII: The Black Gate was "the most masterfully executed of the Ultima series". He has also stated that the game was, along with Ultima IV, his own favorite overall. It was one of the most complex and longest roleplaying games I ever played. The world is truly massive, and only if you're into deep lore and long texts/stories (and being a rather patient player), this epic classic is for you. I sometimes wonder how terrible such a game would do today, with players' attention spans maxing out after a few minutes at best. Maybe that's exactly the reason why they don't exist anymore? Back in 1992, The Black Gate was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, being widely regarded as the high point in the series. Ultima VII is the first game in the series that runs entirely in real-time, and only pauses when the inventory, the menu, or a dialogue is open, significantly affecting combat. This was one of the bigger changes from the predecessors and something that a turn-based RPG fan had to get used to. It certainly took me some time. I'll take an educated guess and say that if you were a fan of RPGs back in the day, you played this wonderful masterpiece.

In an interview, Richard Garriott stated that Ultima VII: The Black Gate was "the most masterfully executed of the Ultima series". He has also stated that the game was, along with Ultima IV, his own favorite overall. It was one of the most complex and longest roleplaying games I ever played. The world is truly massive, and only if you're into deep lore and long texts/stories (and being a rather patient player), this epic classic is for you. I sometimes wonder how terrible such a game would do today, with players' attention spans maxing out after a few minutes at best. Maybe that's exactly the reason why they don't exist anymore? Back in 1992, The Black Gate was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, being widely regarded as the high point in the series. Ultima VII is the first game in the series that runs entirely in real-time, and only pauses when the inventory, the menu, or a dialogue is open, significantly affecting combat. This was one of the bigger changes from the predecessors and something that a turn-based RPG fan had to get used to. It certainly took me some time. I'll take an educated guess and say that if you were a fan of RPGs back in the day, you played this wonderful masterpiece.

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15,856 views • 3 months ago

Anyone remember General Zod? One of the last games of the Bitmap Brothers and also one of their best, in my opinion. Z from 1996 was such a blast. Yes, I know, Command & Conquer was published a year earlier and was more complex (and turned into a massive franchise), but I always felt that Z deserved more credit and got a bit lost in the shuffle. Great graphics, an epic soundtrack, and some fun units (who doesn't love the Psychos?) were sadly still not enough, and despite some excellent reviews, sales numbers were pretty low. Earlier games from the Bitmap Brothers, such as Speedball 2 or Xenon 2, were commercially much more successful. Maybe it was the fact that the RTS genre was already quite saturated (Dune II, Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Command & Conquer), and that pushed Z into the offside a bit, who knows. Did you play it back in the day and liked it?

Anyone remember General Zod? One of the last games of the Bitmap Brothers and also one of their best, in my opinion. Z from 1996 was such a blast. Yes, I know, Command & Conquer was published a year earlier and was more complex (and turned into a massive franchise), but I always felt that Z deserved more credit and got a bit lost in the shuffle. Great graphics, an epic soundtrack, and some fun units (who doesn't love the Psychos?) were sadly still not enough, and despite some excellent reviews, sales numbers were pretty low. Earlier games from the Bitmap Brothers, such as Speedball 2 or Xenon 2, were commercially much more successful. Maybe it was the fact that the RTS genre was already quite saturated (Dune II, Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Command & Conquer), and that pushed Z into the offside a bit, who knows. Did you play it back in the day and liked it?

exQUIZitely 🕹️

36,966 views • 7 months ago

Dune II (Westwood Studios) was released in 1992, and it cannot be overstated how much this game impacted, changed, and popularized RTS games. It felt like the floodgates opened after it paved the way for an entire genre. Yes, there were others before it, but in terms of depth, playability, graphics, cutscenes, three different (and playable) factions, and digitized speech, it was unbelievably awesome. I can only name a handful of games that captured me the way Dune II did - it was a rare gem. Controlling units individually feels tedious from today’s perspective, but it never bothered me back then. I guess you can’t miss what you don’t expect. Instead, I was totally hooked - not just on the game's concept, but also on how it was presented. For 1992, the graphics (for a strategy game) were impressive, the cutscenes had that Cinemaware quality, and the music and digitized speech added to the "I am right in the middle of this" vibe. Of course, I started with Atreides, but over time I - and probably you too - switched to the "dark side" and played Harkonnen and Ordos. The Harkonnen Devastator (epic name) was so badass. I know that Dune 2000 was released years later but I never felt it was a worthy sequel. A real Dune III would be a dream come true...

Dune II (Westwood Studios) was released in 1992, and it cannot be overstated how much this game impacted, changed, and popularized RTS games. It felt like the floodgates opened after it paved the way for an entire genre. Yes, there were others before it, but in terms of depth, playability, graphics, cutscenes, three different (and playable) factions, and digitized speech, it was unbelievably awesome. I can only name a handful of games that captured me the way Dune II did - it was a rare gem. Controlling units individually feels tedious from today’s perspective, but it never bothered me back then. I guess you can’t miss what you don’t expect. Instead, I was totally hooked - not just on the game's concept, but also on how it was presented. For 1992, the graphics (for a strategy game) were impressive, the cutscenes had that Cinemaware quality, and the music and digitized speech added to the "I am right in the middle of this" vibe. Of course, I started with Atreides, but over time I - and probably you too - switched to the "dark side" and played Harkonnen and Ordos. The Harkonnen Devastator (epic name) was so badass. I know that Dune 2000 was released years later but I never felt it was a worthy sequel. A real Dune III would be a dream come true...

exQUIZitely 🕹️

49,122 views • 6 months ago

Is this the most popular game (franchise) ever created by a German game studio? I know that "Die Siedler" (The Settlers, or Serf City: Life is Feudal) was a huge hit in Germany in 1993, but whether the game and franchise did well in the rest of the world, I don't know. Thinking of some other popular German games, but can't come up with one that was potentially better known than The Settlers. You build your little empire, connect buildings with roads, gather timber, mine ore and stone, and fight the occasional battle - all in adorable pixel style. It wasn't a particularly fast game, watching your cute little people waddle along the roads, and the occasional knights hacking away at each other. If you know another German-made game that had a bigger international impact, let me know.

Is this the most popular game (franchise) ever created by a German game studio? I know that "Die Siedler" (The Settlers, or Serf City: Life is Feudal) was a huge hit in Germany in 1993, but whether the game and franchise did well in the rest of the world, I don't know. Thinking of some other popular German games, but can't come up with one that was potentially better known than The Settlers. You build your little empire, connect buildings with roads, gather timber, mine ore and stone, and fight the occasional battle - all in adorable pixel style. It wasn't a particularly fast game, watching your cute little people waddle along the roads, and the occasional knights hacking away at each other. If you know another German-made game that had a bigger international impact, let me know.

exQUIZitely 🕹️

27,595 views • 7 months ago

Hexen II (by Raven Software) was published by id Software in 1997. It was based on the Quake engine, and added some cool features such as basic RPG stats to grow more powerful in terms of hit points or mana, increasing with your experience level. You could pick one of four possible classes, each requiring a different style of play: Paladin, Necromancer, Crusader, and Assassin. Despite reviews being mostly positive, the game couldn't generate enough sales and was deemed a commercial failure, with official sales of only 30,000 units. Among the juggernauts of 90s RTS games, Hexen II simply didn't stand out enough to leave a bigger mark. I still think it was a good game, had some unique features, and a pretty high replay value due to the four classes you could choose from.

Hexen II (by Raven Software) was published by id Software in 1997. It was based on the Quake engine, and added some cool features such as basic RPG stats to grow more powerful in terms of hit points or mana, increasing with your experience level. You could pick one of four possible classes, each requiring a different style of play: Paladin, Necromancer, Crusader, and Assassin. Despite reviews being mostly positive, the game couldn't generate enough sales and was deemed a commercial failure, with official sales of only 30,000 units. Among the juggernauts of 90s RTS games, Hexen II simply didn't stand out enough to leave a bigger mark. I still think it was a good game, had some unique features, and a pretty high replay value due to the four classes you could choose from.

exQUIZitely 🕹️

46,275 views • 7 months ago

Steph Curry reveals how growing up in Toronto helped shape his game “It was different. I love the city. So diverse. There’s so much culture there. The Raptors, that was in the middle of insanity, so every game was unreal. It’s just too cold” “I lived up there for three years while my dad was finishing up his career” “I got to play against the best of the best in Ontario” “It was also kind of a nice shot for me to get away from North Carolina, where I was playing AAU and stuff, to just get a little bit of a different competition, a little different vibe, a different style of basketball, and build my confidence from there” “And then when I got back and started playing high school back in North Carolina, I think I was better off for it” “Me and my brother would go up to the Air Canada Center, go up to the practice facility, and we shoot for the first half, and then we go watch the second half” “We were junkies. We wanted to just get shots up and play one-on-one and work on our game, but we also wanted to go out and watch the best of the best do what they did”

Steph Curry reveals how growing up in Toronto helped shape his game “It was different. I love the city. So diverse. There’s so much culture there. The Raptors, that was in the middle of insanity, so every game was unreal. It’s just too cold” “I lived up there for three years while my dad was finishing up his career” “I got to play against the best of the best in Ontario” “It was also kind of a nice shot for me to get away from North Carolina, where I was playing AAU and stuff, to just get a little bit of a different competition, a little different vibe, a different style of basketball, and build my confidence from there” “And then when I got back and started playing high school back in North Carolina, I think I was better off for it” “Me and my brother would go up to the Air Canada Center, go up to the practice facility, and we shoot for the first half, and then we go watch the second half” “We were junkies. We wanted to just get shots up and play one-on-one and work on our game, but we also wanted to go out and watch the best of the best do what they did”

Ahmad Malay 💎🔊

194,921 views • 20 days ago

40 years ago today, Ace of Aces was released. It's probably a bit too old for some of the people who follow my account but it was certainly way ahead of its time back in 1986. Superb graphics, excellent sound effects and a story/gameplay that felt highly immersive - those are the things that I remember when first playing this as a kid. Not an easy game by any means but it got you hooked fast. I am not enough of a history buff to know whether the missions were somewhat realistic but I would like to believe so. The mission briefings and the "interactive" map during the game added to that feeling of authenticity. We used to turn up the volume for this one, especially for the intro and cutscene when the mission starts and the black and white picture slide show started, with the overlapping sound effects at the 0:30 mark - it still fascinates me to this day. That cutscene uses a total of six colours and it still looks absolutely incredible.

40 years ago today, Ace of Aces was released. It's probably a bit too old for some of the people who follow my account but it was certainly way ahead of its time back in 1986. Superb graphics, excellent sound effects and a story/gameplay that felt highly immersive - those are the things that I remember when first playing this as a kid. Not an easy game by any means but it got you hooked fast. I am not enough of a history buff to know whether the missions were somewhat realistic but I would like to believe so. The mission briefings and the "interactive" map during the game added to that feeling of authenticity. We used to turn up the volume for this one, especially for the intro and cutscene when the mission starts and the black and white picture slide show started, with the overlapping sound effects at the 0:30 mark - it still fascinates me to this day. That cutscene uses a total of six colours and it still looks absolutely incredible.

exQUIZitely 🕹️

17,057 views • 6 months ago

Day 2 of playing Sekiro, and this fight, has to be my top 3 favorite Souls series fights. Just the fairness and fluid mechanics for it on top of just the rhythm of it felt like I was dancing in a game. Loving it so far. I am far from good at the game, but its been GREAT! 🔥

Day 2 of playing Sekiro, and this fight, has to be my top 3 favorite Souls series fights. Just the fairness and fluid mechanics for it on top of just the rhythm of it felt like I was dancing in a game. Loving it so far. I am far from good at the game, but its been GREAT! 🔥

Zentreya⚡🐲⚔️

31,431 views • 9 months ago

Sleeping Dogs was slept on and hugely underrated. For a game that came out almost 14 years ago, it had a development budget of 30 million dollars and it managed to do such a fantastic job at everything that it had to offer. For starters, this game had a solid story, great character, amazing fighting mechanics with different finishers, parkour, good driving mechanics and small details that some open world games today wont even bother to add. Melee Combat is fantastic, you can grab different objects from the ground and smash NPCs with them or throw at them, this added so much versatility in combat. Finishers are also extremely satisfying, any object that is highlighted in red will guarantee you that you'll get to see one of the most fun ways to finish off an enemy. While driving mechanics were nothing too spectacular, it still offered you a great way to play while driving by having Ramming added to vehicles so you could push other vehicles away while you're being chased, in-game races were also very fun to play in my experience! Its a real shame this game didn't get nowhere near the recognition it deserved because I truly believe if we'd ever gotten a sequel, it would improve upon everything that the first game lacked and it would be an amazing franchise.

Sleeping Dogs was slept on and hugely underrated. For a game that came out almost 14 years ago, it had a development budget of 30 million dollars and it managed to do such a fantastic job at everything that it had to offer. For starters, this game had a solid story, great character, amazing fighting mechanics with different finishers, parkour, good driving mechanics and small details that some open world games today wont even bother to add. Melee Combat is fantastic, you can grab different objects from the ground and smash NPCs with them or throw at them, this added so much versatility in combat. Finishers are also extremely satisfying, any object that is highlighted in red will guarantee you that you'll get to see one of the most fun ways to finish off an enemy. While driving mechanics were nothing too spectacular, it still offered you a great way to play while driving by having Ramming added to vehicles so you could push other vehicles away while you're being chased, in-game races were also very fun to play in my experience! Its a real shame this game didn't get nowhere near the recognition it deserved because I truly believe if we'd ever gotten a sequel, it would improve upon everything that the first game lacked and it would be an amazing franchise.

NikTek

291,961 views • 8 months ago

Ultima VII: The Black Gate (Origin Systems, 1992) was one of the most complex yet fun roleplaying games I ever played. Its world is huge and only if you love reading a lot dialogue and being a rather patient player, Ultima VII is for you. I often wonder how terrible such a game would do today, with players' attention spans maxing out after a few minutes at best. The Black Gate was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, being widely regarded as a high point in the series. In an interview, Richard Garriott stated that Ultima VII was "the most masterfully executed of the Ultima series". He has also stated that the game was, along with Ultima IV, his own favorite installment overall. Ultima VII is also the first game in the series that runs entirely in real-time, and only pauses when the inventory, the menu, or a dialogue is open, significantly affecting combat. This was one of the bigger changes from the predecessors and something that a turn based RPG fan had to get used to. It certainly took me some time.

Ultima VII: The Black Gate (Origin Systems, 1992) was one of the most complex yet fun roleplaying games I ever played. Its world is huge and only if you love reading a lot dialogue and being a rather patient player, Ultima VII is for you. I often wonder how terrible such a game would do today, with players' attention spans maxing out after a few minutes at best. The Black Gate was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, being widely regarded as a high point in the series. In an interview, Richard Garriott stated that Ultima VII was "the most masterfully executed of the Ultima series". He has also stated that the game was, along with Ultima IV, his own favorite installment overall. Ultima VII is also the first game in the series that runs entirely in real-time, and only pauses when the inventory, the menu, or a dialogue is open, significantly affecting combat. This was one of the bigger changes from the predecessors and something that a turn based RPG fan had to get used to. It certainly took me some time.

exQUIZitely 🕹️

16,040 views • 10 months ago

A while ago, I posted about games that looked great but had terrible gameplay/controls. The one that stuck with me was Dragon's Lair, but there were so many more mentioned in the comments that I had totally forgotten about. Today, I want to turn the question around - games that looked rather basic (or even poor) but had incredible gameplay. So, basically the polar opposite of Dragon's Lair. The choice for me was rather easy: M.U.L.E. (Ozark Softscape, 1983). Back then the graphics were ok but nothing to write home about. However, the reason why this game still has such a cult following and so many fans today - over 40 years later - is its gameplay. I never had more fun in a multi-player game. The land grabing, the auction system, supply and demand principles, and the many last second buy/sell antics have lost none of their charm. It's a game that aged beautifully because the concept and gameplay are as good today as they were back then. If you had to pick a game that ranks rather low in terms of presentation but fascinated you for its gameplay, which one would that be?

A while ago, I posted about games that looked great but had terrible gameplay/controls. The one that stuck with me was Dragon's Lair, but there were so many more mentioned in the comments that I had totally forgotten about. Today, I want to turn the question around - games that looked rather basic (or even poor) but had incredible gameplay. So, basically the polar opposite of Dragon's Lair. The choice for me was rather easy: M.U.L.E. (Ozark Softscape, 1983). Back then the graphics were ok but nothing to write home about. However, the reason why this game still has such a cult following and so many fans today - over 40 years later - is its gameplay. I never had more fun in a multi-player game. The land grabing, the auction system, supply and demand principles, and the many last second buy/sell antics have lost none of their charm. It's a game that aged beautifully because the concept and gameplay are as good today as they were back then. If you had to pick a game that ranks rather low in terms of presentation but fascinated you for its gameplay, which one would that be?

exQUIZitely 🕹️

63,284 views • 8 months ago