Ride hoverbikes & eat ramen in shootracer Desert Child

Here’s something to mollify the ceaseless march towards decrepitude. Desert Child [itch.io page] is a stylish sidescrolling shooter where you ride a hoverbike across the sandy remains of a half-deserted earth in an attempt to escape the planet and fulfill your racing dreams on Mars. You need $500 to get a ticket and you’ll need to keep your bike in good working nick and your belly full of cheap noodles while you’re at it. I’ve had a go. It’s not easy (it even feels a little broken in terms of balance) but it is still in early development, so cut a hoverbiker some slack and look at this phwoar trailer.
… [visit site to read more]

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The games that channel Twin Peaks

This article was originally written before the new Twin Peaks series started, and was exclusive to the RPS Supporter Program.

Twin Peaks is back and I’m just about as excited about that as I’ve ever been about anything in the world of television or cinema. It’s not Twin Peaks in particular that I crave, though when it was good it was very very good, it’s David Lynch himself. I’m hoping The Return will be a distillation of every idea he’s considered during the years he’s been away from the screen, and if that means we get some Inland Empire and Rabbits mixed in with any more conventional mysteries, I’ll be a very happy person indeed.

What are the best games to play for that David Lynch vibe though? I’ve got five of them here, some very much expected but a couple you might not have considered.

… [visit site to read more]

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IF Comp 2017 opens for scribes and crowdfunds prizes

The annual Interactive Fiction Competition has opened for authors, and is crowdfunding for cash prizes with the hope of raising a $6000 prize pool. That might sound like a lot to ask, until you remember that every year the IF Comp results in a smorgasbord of good stuff and suddenly it seems like too little. If you are one of those word vomiters and you want some of that dripping tale money, you have until September 1 to register your disgusting intentions.
… [visit site to read more]

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Five Nights at Freddy’s creator jumps back from series

Several years ago, I went through a list of over 1,000 fan-made games inspired by Five Nights at Freddy’s. And that was before the jumpscare ’em up series really took off. Several games (and one troubled spin-off) later, creator Scott Cawthon has confirmed that he was working on a Five Nights 6 of sorts – but confirmed this by announcing its cancellation. The pressure of fan expectations was too high, he says, so he’s stepping back to spend more time with his family and make something else. Sounds sensible. … [visit site to read more]

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EGX opens Leftfield Collection signups

Hey, you: are you making a neat video game? Submit it to the Leftfield Collection at EGX 2017. Of the noise and colour of the games show organised by our corporate overlords, this curated lineup is always my favourite part. David Hayward, who runs the wonderful Feral Vector events in Yorkshire, always picks a smashing lineup but he, y’know, needs games to pick from. Submissions opened today so if you’re making something neat, drop him a line. Me posting this is entirely selfish, cos I want other people to make all the efforts that culminate in a section I can casually saunter into for a good time. … [visit site to read more]

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Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective remastered

Against all odds, a new Bubsy game is coming this autumn. Some cynics might say that such a rubbo ’90s platformer series apparently reaching ‘retro icon’ status is yet more evidence that video games mistake recognisability for merit, but me, I know this is proof that Arcane Kids saved Bubsy with their 2013 bootleg game Bubsy 3d: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective [official site]. After the bobcat rode a coffin luge into the afterlife, how could he not life forever? Well! Aging plugins made the browser game a bother to play, but Arcane Kids have now released a standalone downloadable version with an added epilogue chapter. In it, Bubsy reflects on his career as an artist. … [visit site to read more]

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Have You Played… Age of Empires?

Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day of the year, perhaps for all time.

They’re making a HD version of it, so it must be good, right?
… [visit site to read more]

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