Rhianna Pratchett on Game Writing
If a thousand people were asked about their dream job, ‘writing for video games’ would probably rank highly – but, as with all dream jobs, the reality differs from the dream. There’s a reason very few people succeed to make names for themselves in this competitive industry: writing a game from start to finish, alone […]
[INTERVIEW] Basking in ANOTHER LIGHT with RED VOX.
My last interview with self-professed binyot [Urban Dictionary: A idiot who plays baby games] Vinny Pizzapasta was a suitably weird mishmash – essentially two separate interviews: one about his Youtube channel and streaming group, the glorious mess that is Vinesauce; the other about his indie rock band Red Vox, whose subject matter ranges from melancholy introspection to PTSD […]
Partying Hard with Alex Potapenko
‘Tycoon’ games have been around for almost 20 years now: from RollerCoaster Tycoon to Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis to last year’s Planet Coaster, business management simulators are the quiet stars of the industry. They tend to have niche fanbases, but it’s also hard to come across a gamer that hasn’t, at some point, played and […]
Darkest Dungeon and Red Hook Studios
I’ve always loved difficult games. From the nail-bitingly complex Dwarf Fortress to The Binding of Isaac to Bloodborne and Furi, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of beating a level, puzzle, or boss, and knowing you overcame a challenge with nothing but skill. Even when things go wrong, and the game seems unfair, you know […]
Nippon Marathon with Onion Soup
Party games have long been a staple of any gamer’s diet: Mario Party, Wario Ware, Gang Beasts – games where you can enjoy an evening of healthy competition with your friends and family. …And by ‘healthy competition’, I mean bloodthirsty rage as your best friend steals your lead and kicks you all the way back […]
Building Schools with Ryan Sumo
In 2015, Introversion Software released Prison Simulator, a neat little indie game about building and managing your own prison full of unstable maniacs. You could run a totalitarian institute with metal detectors on every door, spotless kitchens, and a dead-eyed guard for every inmate… or leave a few walls unbuilt just to see what happens. […]
Exploring GoNNER with Ditto
In a games market where top-tier graphics, high-resolution explosions, and lush environments are king, it’s good to take a step back and appreciate what a game actually is. A game is a set of systems working together to deliver an interactive experience to the player. In other words, you could strip away the explosions, the […]
Killing Six Billion Demons With ABADDON
Today, I’ll be taking a step back from video-games and their music and honing in on another entirely soundless medium. I’m talking about the world of webcomics, where visuals are king and stories are told through over-the-top action. In particular, I’ll be looking closely at a unique little gem drawn by the artist known only […]
Fighting Tooth and Tail with Pocketwatch CEO Andy Schatz
The RTS (Real-Time Strategy) genre has always been a favourite of mine, though I’ve never been any good at them. From succumbing to a two-minute zerg rush in Starcraft to shaming my ancestors in Total War: Shogun 2’s online mode, I would have given up my career as a general long ago if it wasn’t […]
DISTRUST – Cheerdealers and Horror Gaming
It seems like my interviews happen in phases. Following my interview with Death Trash creator Stephen Hӧvelbrinks, I was lucky enough to get in touch with Cheerdealers, the developer behind newly-released survival horror game, Distrust – which also happens to be a top-down RPG-lite. Getting my hands on Distrust for the first time, I noticed how […]
Exploring the macabre and light-hearted world of DEATH TRASH
The top-down RPG was once a staple of any gamer’s diet, with ageless gems like Diablo and Fallout leading the charge. The genre has mostly migrated to indie developers these days – which is only a good thing. Indie games are known for their innovation and willingness to mix up the formula, which are the […]
VINESAUCE & RED VOX
Musician, streamer, bogan, jabroni. Vinny Pizzapasta professes to be many things, but his life work speaks for itself. From Vinesauce, the Twitch.tv streaming channel that raised over $137,000 in its recent charity event to Red Vox – the band whose genius lyrics includes the eternal lines: ‘Vomit in the ball pit; step right in and drown in […]
[INTERVIEW] UNWORTHY & ALEKSANDAR KUZMANOVIC
When I first saw Unworthy’s trailer footage, my first thought was that dev Aleksandar Kuzmanovic had taken a very difficult task upon himself: to compete in a market of side-scrolling ‘soulslike’ games (‘scrollslike’, if you will) with severely limited graphical and combat systems. The pixel-art is minimalist, the colours restricted to black, grey, and blood-red. […]
[INTERVIEW] SUNDERED & Thunder Lotus Games
My reviews so far have overwhelmingly been about colourful, beautiful indie games starring gorgeous music and hideous monsters. Today, ladies and gentlemen, is no exception. It’s just the way things have panned out – but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Sundered by Thunder Lotus Games is a quirky, indie action platformer featuring the most […]
[INTERVIEW] BLASPHEMOUS & The Game Kitchen
The term ‘Souls-like’ is thrown around a lot these days. First used to describe games whose mechanics are directly inspired by Dark Souls, its meaning has loosened over time, to the point that people will compare games that are even moderately difficult to the Souls series. Each new game seems to be ‘the Dark Souls […]
[FILM NEWS] IT Trailer
Months ago, Warner Bros. Pictures teased their remake of Stephen King‘s thrilling horror classis IT. At last, the full trailer has arrived, remaking many classic scenes and re-introducing viewers to this childhood terror.
[INTERVIEW] Captain Flinthook & Tribute Games
In the wake of my interview with Castlevania’s Adi Shankar, I was in the mood for some good old metroidvania. For those not in the know, ‘metroidvania’ is a subgenre of the action-platformer (think Mario), taking inspiration from the explorative, pseudo-RPG styles of the Metroid and Castlevania series. In my opinion, metroidvania’s stand out as […]
[INTERVIEW] NEUROVOIDER – Thomas Altenburger
(For your reading pleasure, please listen to NeuroVoider’s soundtrack, ‘The Wrath of Code’ by Dan Terminus, HERE.) The history of video-games is a relatively short one, yet incredibly diverse. From the simplicity of Pong and Space Invaders to 8-bit pixel adventures in Mario – all the way to the hyper-realistic, hyper-bloody shooters of today. […]
[FILM NEWS] THOR: RAGNAROK New Trailer
Before The Avengers: Infinity War hits our screens, there are just two steps to go – Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther. Closing off the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ‘Phase 3’, these films deal with huge concepts: kingdom and invasion. In Thor: Ragnarok, our hammer-slinging hero finds himself in exile after Hel, goddess of the underworld, decides […]
[FILM NEWS] PACIFIC RIM 2 Teaser
When Pacific Rim hit cinemas, it was as much an experiment as it was an action blockbuster – emulating ‘Godzilla Vs’ movies in a return to an old cinematic craze. Opening alongside Grown Ups 2, it was dwarfed in the box-office by Adam Sandler – a fact that would not deter director Guillermo Del Toro […]
[INTERVIEW] ADI SHANKAR & CASTLEVANIA
Castlevania was first released for the Family Computer Disk System in 1986, and has since become a cultural phenomenon – inspiring the ‘Metroidvania’ genre that would give birth to Shovel Knight, Cave Story, and even Dark Souls. With its combination of a gorgeous Gothic art-style, surprising violence, and extensive bestiary of monsters, Castlevania has become […]
[FILM NEWS] A WRINKLE IN TIME Trailer
We’re living in a boom of sci-fi, action-adventure flicks. From Valerian to Jupiter Ascending to Maze Runner and The Hunger Games, it seems modern cinema has found a new zeitgeist besides superhero movies. A Wrinkle in Time, based on the novel by Madeleine L’Engle, stars Storm Reid (12 Years a Slave), Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine, […]
[FILM NEWS] BIRTH OF THE DRAGON Trailer
Birth of the Dragon is the Bruce Lee biopic we’ve all been waiting for – at least, that’s what the trailer promises. A stylised, action-packed version of the martial arts master/world-renowned actor’s career, distributed by WWE studios and directed by George Nolfi (The Adjustment Bureau, The Bourne Ultimatum), Birth of the Dragon was first shown […]
[INTERVIEW] RUGGNAR & Early Access Games
We are in the golden age of electronic entertainment. The rise of Netflix and Amazon Prime has paved the way for fresh new shows to be released en masse, without having to compete for broadcasting slots. Soundcloud and Bandcamp allow musicians to share their music with the world and build their profiles without signing onto any […]
[FILM NEWS] DARKEST HOUR GARY OLDMAN Trailer
The biopic has received great attention in recent years, from Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg to Abe Lincoln (both vampire-slaying and politicking, in that order). Winston Churchill‘s life has been well-covered in film, but our modern cinematic culture allows for a more frank, genuine telling of these grand figures’ lives. So is the project of […]
[FILM NEWS] GOON 2 Trailer
The sequel to 2011’s knock-out hockey comedy Goon has finally been revealed. Goon: Last of the Enforcers continues the tale of Doug “The Thug” Glatt and the Halifax Highlanders. Starring Seann William Scott (American Pie, Ice Age), this sequel promises a hilarious return to the outrageous, black-eye and missing-teeth world of professional hockey.
[FILM NEWS] JURASSIC WORLD 2 Filming Concluded
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has reportedly finished filming, and it’s looking promising. In this sequel to 2015’s reboot Jurassic World, Chris Pratt reprises his role as dino tamer Owen Grady, with series newcomers Toby Jones (Dad’s Army, Sherlock), Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs), and James Cromwell (The Green Mile) set to electrify audiences. In […]
[EVENT NEWS] SFW IN THE CITY
The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Weekender (SFW) has, up until now, been hosted yearly in North Wales. This year, SFW In The City has been added to the roster and will take place on 07th & 08th October at the O2 Academy in Sheffield – a major move for the long-running weekend of geekery. Previous events […]
[FILM NEWS] KIDNAP Trailer, Halle Berry Movie
Halle Berry is Hollywood’s understated action girl. Though much criticism surrounds her role in 2004’s Catwoman, it did launch her career in a new direction – her role as Storm in the X-Men movies has become her most iconic, with other high-octane roles including Cloud Atlas, Dark Tide, and the soon-to-be-released Kingsman 2: The Golden […]
[FILM NEWS] THE GREATEST SHOWMAN Trailer
In his directorial debut, Australian visual effects artist Michael Gracey faces a challenging task: bringing to life the story of circus pioneer P.T. Barnum, in musical form. In The Greatest Showman, Hugh Jackman stars in his second musical role since Les Miserables, with a big-name supporting cast including Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and singer […]
[FILM NEWS] ARMED RESPONSE Trailer
Following in the spirit of The Marine and, in essence, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s entire film career, WWE Studios is once again taking steps into the world of cinema. Teaming up with Gene Simmons of Kiss fame, they have provided one of their top profile wrestlers to the project. Seth Rollins stars alongside Wesley Snipes […]
[FILM NEWS] BREATHE Trailer
After starring in countless top-grossing, critically successful series such as the Planet of the Apes and Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Andy Serkis has finally turned his eye to the directing world. Breathe is his debut directorial role, starring Andrew Garfield (Never Let Me Go, The Amazing Spider-Man) as Robin Cavendish, a real-life polio sufferer and lifelong […]
[FILM NEWS] DEATH NOTE New Trailer
A Netflix adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba‘s wildly popular manga/anime series Death Note was such an odd concept, many fans believed it would never happen. But, from concept to casting to production, director Adam Wingard (You’re Next, Blair Witch) has made good on his promise. Death Note is the story of a young man who is […]
[FILM NEWS] JUMANJI REBOOT Drops First Trailer
Robin Williams classic Jumanji is getting a reboot…sequel…thing? And it’s looking pretty weird. In a star lineup, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black play the game avatars of a bunch of high-school students. The video-game ‘Jumanji’ sucks these students into a tropical world full of beauty and danger, where they […]
[FILM NEWS] MARVEL’S INHUMANS Trailer
Plans to adapt Marvel‘s Inhumans to the big screen have been discussed since 2011. Comic fans looked forward to an entirely new superhero team, taking its place beside the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, following the financial failure of ABC‘s Agent Carter, the network sought a new Marvel show to […]
[TV NEWS] MARVEL’S INHUMANS Trailer.
Plans to adapt Marvel‘s Inhumans to the big screen have been discussed since 2011. Comic fans looked forward to an entirely new superhero team, taking its place beside the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, following the financial failure of ABC‘s Agent Carter, the network sought a new Marvel show to […]
[GAME NEWS] CRASH BANDICOOT N. SANE TRILOGY Launch
For gamers of my generation, the Crash Bandicoot series was a favourite growing up. You run. You spin. You jump on boxes. But Crash was so much more than the sum of its parts. Naughty Dog stood out as a developer for creating fun, colourful experiences and mascots with polished systems – and continue to […]
[FILM NEWS] BABY DRIVER Released
From the Cornetto Trilogy to Marvel to a Pharrell Williams music video (“Gust of Wind“, for anyone interested), Edgar Wright has enjoyed plenty of high-profile work in the past few years. So now, with the release of the much-anticipated Baby Driver, expectations are high. Following the tale of a young getaway driver, the film stars […]
[FILM NEWS] THE FOREIGNER – JACKIE CHAN Trailer
Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan star in The Foreigner, a dark action thriller about a restaurant owner who seeks revenge for his daughter’s death. The trailer has finally dropped: The movie’s production caused a panic when a bus was exploded during a stunt on Lambeth Bridge. Chan, at 63, is expected to give his […]
[GAME NEWS] ELITE: DANGEROUS Releases June 27th.
Frontier Developments’ spacefaring sim has come to console. Originally released for Microsoft Windows in 2014, it has since gained a dedicated fanbase – large enough to inspire this major move. In Elite: Dangerous, you play as an explorer in a wide, beautiful, and often dangerous galaxy. Starting with just a spaceship and a small amount […]
[INTERVIEW] OneShot
Today, I’ll be focusing on something small and different – OneShot, an adventure developed by indie team Little Cat Feet. I’m interviewing Casey Gu (also known as Nightmargin), musician and artist for OneShot. Hopefully, she can shed light on this new turn and provide some insight into the world of video-game music, a field not […]
[FILM NEWS] VENOM + SILVER & BLACK – the Many-Worlds Theory
The MCUniverse was not enough, and it’s all getting a bit confusing. ‘The Marvel Cinematic Universe’ refers to a shared continuity between a number of different movie ‘worlds’: Iron Man, Thor, Dr Strange, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, and soon Spider-Man (the third reboot in a decade!) and Black Panther. This allows filmmakers to craft […]
[FILM NEWS] SUICIDE SQUAD – Director Regrets
Though DC’s ‘Suicide Squad’ performed well in the box office, it was almost universally slammed for poor editing, character development, and pacing. Director David Ayer was initially dismissive of criticism, calling critics ‘vitriolic’ and stating the movie was ‘made for the fans’. Many Recently, however, Ayer has doubled back on his statements, coming […]
[FILM NEWS] HAN SOLO Movie Chaos at Disney
There’s trouble afoot in the Disneyverse. Ever since the inception of the Star Wars Cinematic Universe, there has been an outcry from diehard fans of the original series: from the Extended Universe being declared non-canon to Mark Hamill’s criticism of the new writers, Disney has faced contention in every creative element. Once again, […]
