I’ll get to the Tutorial in a second, but I’ve really got to go into what inspired this post in the first place.
So, I finally sat down and went through DeviantArt ICON (ha!) POOTERMAN’s gallery. I’ve been meaning to download all of the icons he’s made to replace my own for a while now, and being laid up with a bad back today was the perfect excuse to get cracking and just do it.
Where hath my integrity gone? I told you in the last post that I try to avoid EB Games on principal. Well, throw that out the window, because I bought a massive bucket-list item from them today. I couldn’t help it, honest! The price on the Logitech G920 was pretty damned good, and when I rang the store to see if they had it in stock, they were super nice, so eh, what the hell. But more on that soon.
All I know is I’m going to be playing a lot of rally games over the next couple of weeks.
Starting with…
Not Pictured – Loose PAL Need For Speed and Virtua Racing.
And now for something a bit different. Something a little more personal, and a tad more ‘bloggy’ – if that is even a thing.
It’s no secret that I really, really love arcade racing games. Even games that were generally regarded as ‘sim’ games in the 32-bit era are far removed enough from reality that I can usually find something to enjoy in all of them. The more reality creeps in, the more bored I become.
But why racing games? Would you believe me if I told you I couldn’t care less about cars in the real world? It’s true – I’m the furthest from a petrol-head as anybody you’re likely to encounter. Ever. Read More →
So it’s a shorter blog today.
As you can see, I’ve been rather busy rearranging the site to be a little bit more attractive and interactive. It’s not looking amazing or anything yet, but I’ll get there in the end! Better to tweak and make changes now, and take advantage of the low site traffic. If there’s one advantage to being new, for me, it’s that.
I’ve also seen fit to include the all-new Jukebox that you see on the right hand side there! Until I sort it out, it’s only viewable on a desktop or in desktop mode on your mobile browser of choice. I’ll be changing up the music tracks every week or so, but if you’re a fan of 90s Redbook Audio, Synthwave and Arranged stuff, then you’ll be wanting to keep an eye on it for sure 😉
If there’s one racing sub-genre that is sorely under-represented these days, it’s the water-based arcade racer. When done right, it’s all blue-skies, even bluer water and wave-hopping fun. There’s just something about the aesthetics of these games that I love. It’s all in the colours, the undulating clear waters, the music and the ride. A good water racer will offer stunning visuals, great physics and a one-of-a-kind of racing experience that’ll stick with you a long time.
I think it’s safe to say that I’ve mostly jumped off of the AAA wagon.
Studios like Activision, Ubisoft and EA cater to an entirely different generation of gamers these days… and it’s definitely not something I feel a part of.
Games As A Service is not a concept I can wrap my head around. The vast open worlds, lifeless racing titles and indentikit shooters and MOBA’s lost me, if I’m being truthful, toward the tail end of the Xbox 360 era.
The SEGA Saturn is my most beloved console, this I’m sure you already know. It had my back against that filthy Sony Playstation – coz schoolyard gaming politics – and I still own my childhood Model 2.
I picked up a second unit many years ago, settling on a nice Japanese Model 1 unit that whilst a bit yellow these days, runs anything I throw at it. And with that purchase, the Japanese library opened up to me like the prettiest flower I’d ever seen.
All of the games that I could only dream about as a youngster were finally within my grasp…
… and I made the most of it.
The Atari Lynx was a beast.
It was an 8-bit machine with 16-bit co-processors and 32-bit sound. OK, that 32-bit audio still sounded pretty 8-bit most of the time, but whatever…
…A BEAST, I tells ya!
And it’s like the thing was sentient. As if to prove just how mighty it was, the Lynx would eat 6 AA batteries for breakfast in one big gulp. Though that was in 1989 – 1993 in my case. The hardier batteries of today might get it through to brunch.
There are TONS of free games out there on the interwebs. And a lot of them are trash, it’s true.
But not all of them – some are absolutely brilliant, and definitely worth your time. So here’s a sweet curated list of games I’ve put together – just for you!
They will keep you busy over the weekend, for sure. And as always, all the LINKS you need are INCLUDED!
Two years ago today, 2D arcade racer Slipstream was successfully funded on Kickstarter. It hit the ground running early in the campaign, courting potential backers with a playable demo and boasting a neat Synthwave soundtrack. Slipstream made a hell of a first impression. The combination of 2D Out Run raster scrolling and the smooth Out Run 2 drift mechanics got me straight where it hurts – my weaknesses all rolled into one.
