Is that Pacman’s Liver You’re Wearing?

London, United Kingdom: The Games Collector, a UK-based producer of both modern and retro gaming-related products is running a crowdfunding campaign to bring the music of Mel Croucher to the masses.

Who is Mel Croucher? Only the father of the British gaming industry. At a time when most computers were being used to calculate the compound interest on the revenue from a year’s worth of potato sales, Mel was selling his eclectic range of games for the ZX Spectrum through eye-catching adverts on the back pages of the popular computing magazines of the day.

What made Mel’s games particularly memorable (for those who do actually remember them) was that they often included audio tracks on the reverse side of the game cassette. From original compositions to hilarious parodies, there was something for everyone. Leider of the Pac told the tragic tale of Pacman’s lover, who wears the yellow character’s internal organs as a memento after witnessing his death in a car crash (yes, really). Put Cat Out Mother, It’s on Fire Again surprised no-one with its mention of a cat on fire, and Three Point One Four Two sounds vaguely familiar but none of us actually remember it.

Now The Games Collector has decided to inflict these sonic gems on anyone willing to part with a reasonable amount of their hard-earned wages, making the collection available on vinyl, CD and even a cassette tape for real fans of the era. In total there are five albums (two are in fact doubles) that make up Insπred: The Collective Works of Mel Croucher.

The sequel to Mel’s most famous game – Deus Ex Machina – featured a cast including Christopher Lee and Joaquim de Almeida, and one of the highlights of the collection is a real life ‘Evil Laugh Off’ between the two of them – almost but not quite justifying the asking price by itself.

Interested parties can reserve their collection through the campaigns crowdfunding page at https://igg.me/at/pimania A preview of Mel’s music is available on Soundcloud at http://bit.ly/2oHZlae

About The Games Collector

The Games Collector Ltd is the result of decades of playing and creating games and the obsessive collecting of memorabilia by its founders. With a product line-up featuring exclusive, exquisite and highly desirable collectibles, the company aims to bring fans the items they long for, and maybe even a few they didn’t know they wanted!

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The Legend of Dark Witch is coming to Playstation Vita!

QubicGames S.A. has not forgotten about PlayStation Vita fans. Fairune hit the stores just before Easter break and next week it’s time for another game to entertain you on spring afternoons – Inside System’s jRPG Legend of Dark Witch is coming your way. The game will be available on PlayStation Store from April 25th.

Every PS Vita lover knows that the best productions are those which take you on an adventure. That’s why you can’t go wrong with The Legend of Dark Witch, an action game that lets you play as Zizou the witch. Search for the stolen crystals as you fight anything that gets in your way in this classic “run and gun” game.

Thanks to the magical Segya crystals, the inhabitants of the Legend of Dark Witch universe have been granted magical powers. When they are stolen, Zizou has to embark on a journey through 6 picturesque levels where she will face unique bosses. Defeating enemies grants you much-needed experience which in turn lets you gain additional abilities.

In addition, successfully repeating a level gives you resources necessary to improve your equipment.

The Legend of Dark Witch is:

– A magical world beautifully depicted in the game

– Varied and challenging levels

– Bonuses for repeating levels

– 3 difficulty settings

Game available on PlayStation Store from 25.04.2017

Price: $9.99

Developer: Inside System

Publisher: QubicGames S.A.

Gamer’s Thoughts: Gaming Expos and Conventions

This week, it’s time for something completely different. The people over at Vegas.com inspired me to write an interesting article about my experiences on the various expo’s and conventions I went to. Why do I talk about them in my introduction? Well, they offer quite interesting Las Vegas travel deals if your planning on going to the LVL UP Expo! The LVL Up Expo is celebrating its fifth year in Vegas bringing some of the best gaming and technology experts. So, like I said before, in this article; I’m going to share some stories and experiences from the conventions I went to. In the comments, I would like to hear what experiences and stories you have from going to cons and expos. Feel also free to write a comment about the subject and or the content of this article. 

Sidenote: this isn’t a paid article.

What conventions did I go to?

I have been to quite a lot of conventions and expos. The last one I went to was in late 2016. That was GameForce in Mechelen, Belgium.

Conventions I went to are: Made in Asia, Minecon (Twice, in 2012 and 2015), an expo about gaming and education amongst others. If I’m allowed to count the number of garage sales I went to, I honestly lost count. They are quite popular in Belgium. As in,  in the spring-summer time, there is a garage sale almost every day somewhere in Belgium.

Storytime with Jonez

Let me share two stories. The first story is about one of the first expos I ever went to in my life. I wish I could the name of the expo, but it has been over ten years and I can’t find the name on the internet.

It was an expo where you went through the history of gaming. How the first games got made and how games are now. In each time period, you could buy games from other collectors. It was quite fun.

So, after we visited the area of the 80’s, one of my friends was quite thristy. Let’s call him Alex. So, Alex and I went to a soda machine. It was 1€ for a soda. But he only had a piece of 2€. So, he inserted his piece of 2€ and pressed the numbers of the soda he wanted. Instead of getting his soda and 1€ in return, he got two sodas and to make matters even worse, he got the wrong sodas. That actually happened. It was a moment I wished my mobile had a camera. So, I was able to film it. But alas, I was sporting an old Nokia back then without a camera.

Other things happened with that same soda machine, but my memory is quite fuzzy on it. I remember somebody getting two sodas with paying 1€. So, Alex got annoyed because he felt he got robbed.

The second story is more recently. So, my friends and I were just too late to pay for VIP tickets to go to a certain convention. So, we paid for the normal tickets. Fast forward to the convention itself and one of my friends saw some boxed with bags sticking out. She took one for each of us. We continued to walk and when we returned ten minutes later, a security guard was standing there and stopping people from grabbing bags.

It turns out that it was the VIP Loot bags that she grabbed. The SMITE-figurine is standing on my desk from that day on.

Going to a convention or expo?

What are some important dos and don’ts you’d suggest to someone attending their first convention?

Don’t…

… go unprepared to the convention or expo. Read up about the history, events, and exhibitions of the convention or expo. Also, this way you avoid buying duplicate games/items.

… take pictures of people cosplaying without asking. Some people don’t like to have their picture taken without them knowing.

… take too many valuable items. At cons and expos, there is always a big crowd and things can happen.

… go spending right when you enter. Take a look around before you spend all your money. Otherwise, you are out of money before lunch.

Do…

… plan out your route. But don’t overdo it. Give yourself the chance to distract you.

… enjoy your time there. Be yourself! For example, what I did at Minecon was one day to see the con and one day to see some panels.

… read up about the rules of the expo and/or con. Are you allowed to take drinks and snacks?

… go with friends that are also interested in the subject of the expo and/or convention.

What items should you bring along with you?

A wallet with some cash, a bank card, a mobile phone, a camera, a water bottle (if allowed), a snack (if allowed), a good mood, a 3DS (man, the Streetpass hits you get are crazy!).

Also, some advice, if the con or expo has an official app. Download & install it. It usually contains the map and planning of the convention. You never know when you need it.

What should you wear?

Comfortable clothing and good walking shoes. Unless you want to cosplay, then go in your costume.

Believe me, you will do a lot of walking at the convention or expo. Get a good rest the day before the convention.

Speaking about cosplay, research your character. I have seen various times that people didn’t know a lot about the character they are cosplaying and they fall out of character. This is a no-brainer of course but look at the rules of the convention or expo. Don’t go cosplaying with a gun if they aren’t allowed.

What are your favorite activities and exhibits?

My favorite activity at expos or cons are the ones where you can hear your favorite group has a panel. I attended the MindCrack panel at Minecon 2015. I was just too late to attend the panel in 2012. The room was full, so we were unable to attend.

My favorite exhibits are the ones where I can buy merchandise of my favorite games. Since I live in Europe, it isn’t that easy to get merchandise of Japanese and/or American products. Since I have to pay a big shipping fee and things like that. So, that’s why I go to cons.

And of course, I love exhibits where I can see an upcoming product I’m excited about. Oh yeah, before I forget, exhibits, where I can buy games to add to my collection or complete my collection, are great too.

Wrapping up

After the convention and/or expo is over. Feel free to take a look back at the past day(s). What have you learned, bought, experienced… I always had a strange lonely feeling the day after a convention or expo.

Usually, after I went to a garage sale, I post a picture of my loot on my personal Facebook or on my Twitter.

But, I think I’ll wrap up this article here. Thank you for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article but until then, take care and have a great rest of your day.

Publishing: Gamers to battle sleep in 72-hour charity challenge

Committed video-gamers Gamely Giving are gearing up to burn the midnight oil from 28 April to 01 May 2017 to raise £1,000 for people with disabilities.

They’ll be gaming continuously for 72-hours from 16:00 GMT as part of GameBlast17 and are aiming to raise £1,000 for SpecialEffect, a charity that puts fun and inclusion back into the lives of those with physical disabilities by helping them play video games.

Gamely Giving are a team of friends and bloggers from all over the south of the UK. They’re asking people to help them reach their target by sponsoring them via their online fundraising page.

“We love what SpecialEffect does. They make it possible for people to play the games we enjoy and take for granted by providing them with controllers custom-built to their needs so they can join in with friends and family,” said Kevin, a member of the team. “As gamers, we believe in the healing power of gaming and how it brings people together. GameBlast gives us a chance to put this belief into action by playing to raise money so SpecialEffect can deliver a bit of joy to those who need it.”

“Playing for an extended period is a big challenge, but we’re asking people to attempt it to help thousands of people who, because of a disability, can only sit and watch other people have all the fun with family and friends,” said Mark Saville, the charity’s Communications Officer. “GameBlast is an opportunity for people to do what they love best and level the playing field for individuals with disabilities at the same time.”

The charity is inviting teams of friends, family members, and work colleagues to join the GameBlast event, which has been likened to a Children in Need for gamers. It’s backed by big names in the industry including GAME, Twitch and FACEIT, and aims to raise £150,000.

“Gamely Giving’s efforts will help people like John who never thought he’d be able to play video games again because his muscular dystrophy stopped him using a controller,” said Mark. “The sponsorship raised through the GameBlast event will change the lives of much more people like John through the gift of gaming fun and inclusivity.”

Anyone can sponsor the team online at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/GamelyGiving2017 and can watch the event at www.twitch.tv/GamelyGiving. More details about the GameBlast17 event can be found at www.gameblast17.com.

First Impression: Fairune 2 (3DS) ~ A quick look.

A few years ago, I bought a game on the eShop. And with the money I had left over, I bought Fairune, a port of an iOS game. I enjoyed myself a whole lot with it. Last year, I noticed that a sequel came out on the 3DS. And today, I want to take a look at it. I have almost finished the game, but I couldn’t wait any longer to write about it. So, here is a quick look at the game Fairune 2. A game that didn’t get ported from the mobile market. And as usual, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the game and/or the article in the comment section down below!

The positives

If you played the original, this game will make you feel right at home. This game plays exactly the same as the original.

The gameplay is extremely fun. This is one of the best Zelda-inspired games I have played in a long time. Every detail on each screen is important.

 The music in this game is very enjoyable to listen to. It fits the atmosphere of the game quite well and it also has some elements from the original game.

The controls of this game are very responsive and I never had any problem with them. And the problems I had were because I didn’t use the controls in the correct way. Like trying to use an item while facing the wrong direction.

There are achievements in this game. They add to the replay value since I only noticed them after I almost finished this game. And shame on me for that, since they are right in your face in the main menu.

This game offers more than enough content to justify the price tag. Really, the length and content of this game… You get your monies worth.

The negatives

The game is sometimes too cryptic. I have gotten stuck several times because I overlooked one item or one puzzle. This is extremely annoying when you want to finish this game without a guide.

If you didn’t complete the map from the secret areas in the game, you can’t go back to them in the same playthrough. This is very disappointing since the original had the same flaw.

This game is a game with a lot of puzzles and exploring. There isn’t a battle system, deep and rich story or anything along those lines. So, this is a casual experience. This makes the game hard to recommend to gamers who don’t enjoy casual games. A shame, since this game is such a fun ride.

Conclusion

So, to wrap up this game quicky, I think that the final point I made in the negatives paragraph sums up my opinion about this game perfectly. Besides the puzzles and the exploration, there isn’t  anything else to do in this game.

If they make a new entry into this series, I would love to see a bit more depth. A more interesting battle system would be great for example.

Overall, I think this game is great and if you are a Zelda-fan, you should give it a look and play it if you are interested. If I have to give points now, I would give this game a 7/10. But, I haven’t finished the game, so I will give my final marks when I have beaten this game.

In any case, thank you for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this. I hope to welcome you in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care!

Android Games #7: Has it been a year already?

So, it’s that time of year again. It’s time… where I talk about Android games that I want to talk about but don’t have enough “meat” on their bones to get a full article. So, look at these sort of mini-quick review of these interesting Android games. So, I hope you are prepared and you have enough space left on your Android device since you might want to download these interesting games. So, for those who know this series, in this series I take a quick look at Android games that can be used as a time sink. But, some might become more then just that. And as usual, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the games and/or the article in the comment box down below. 

Word Crush: Hidden Words!

Word Crush is a game where you get a grid of letters and you have to make a word or two out of them.

You see at the bottom how many letters each word or section of the word has.

The game is really fun to play, but I play it without an internet connection often. Since some ads are in v2.1.9 bugged out and don’t close when you press the “x”.

Oh, and if you are stuck, don’t forget you can form words going in a diagonal line.

Great word puzzle game, but the only annoying thing are the buggy ads.

Score: 4/5.

Color Net

In Color Net, you have to put dots in circles. The playing field is connected with lines. Each circle is connected with at least one line.

Your goal is to put all the dots in a circle. But the catch is that you aren’t allowed to put two of the same color in a row.

I would change two things in the game. First of all, it’s a shame that this game doesn’t have a colorblind mode.

And secondly, I wish there was an easier way to saw dots. But overall, this is a great time sink! Give it a try, it’s free and the ads aren’t too annoying.

Score: 4/5

Ultra Flow

In Ultraflow, you have to get the circle into the other circle. But here is the catch, you can only swipe once.

Your circle bounces against every wall, surface or edge. And you have a limited amount of bounces.

If you are stuck on a level, the game shows you how you need to swipe. You might think that this is cheating. Yet, in the later levels, you have to time your swipe. This makes the game frustrating at times, yet rewarding.

The only thing I don’t really like in this game is the soundtrack. It’s too repetitive in some areas and I often play this game with my own music playing. That’s my honest opinion.

Score: 3,5/5

Conclusion

I’m sorry that this article is shorter as usual. I have been quite busy this week and I wasn’t able to prepare more. But, I was thinking about writing one of these, so I did. In any case, I’m really curious what Android games you guys and girls would recommend to me. Hit me up in the comment box or on social media! Maybe your recommendation might get featured on one of these articles.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this. I hope to see you in another article but until then, take care and have a great rest of your day!

Review: Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (GBA) ~ Here Come The Horns

Bulbapedia entry

My family and I take yearly trips to the seaside. I remember on the trip of 2003, we stopped in a big toy store. There was a Gameboy SP present with a demo version of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. I played it in the store and knew what I wanted to buy at the end of the trip. I wanted my own Gameboy Advance SP with the new Pokémon games. It didn’t take long before I got my very own copy of the games and that I started playing it. Now, after I have finished all three games, it’s time to take a look back to the games and decide if it was a good decision to buy and play these games or that these games actually belong in the trash. So, let’s review these games. And as usual, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section down below with your opinion on the article and/or games.

Plot and such

This game starts like every other Pokémon game starts. You move to a new town where you are asked to help the professor to set out on a journey to explore the new region. In this game, the characters are rather interesting. For some reason, the rival characters and various other characters are one of the most memorable in the whole Pokémon series.

Truth to be told, I think most have to do with the fact that Pokémon was right at its absolute peak where I lived then. Everybody was talking on the playground about the latest Pokémon they caught and how the new anime season was running at the same time then you progressed in the game. This made the game more memorable for me. So, it might possibly be nostalgia blinding me.

So, I really think that the writing in this game is really well done. Also, the secrets you could discover in the game were fun too. There was a way to catch three new legendary Pokémon in a complete side quest. In this side quest, you had to read braille to enter a door. And I didn’t look it up on the internet, I actually used the guide provided to me in the manual to translate the Braille into readable letters and figured it out that way.

What’s even more interesting, you can use this three Pokémon to trade them into the next generation and unlock a special Pokémon that way. That’s a big positive in my book!

Horns & flutes

This game has an amazing presentation. I dare to argue that even to this day, this game holds up quite good. Just think about it, this game’s engine is the basis of most Pokémon Rom Hacks.

It’s the last 2D Pokémon game since the 4th Generation went into 2,5D. But, Pokémon Platinum, Pearl & Diamond are for another review.

Something a lot of people point out about this game is the soundtrack. In nearly every track, there is a (French) horn and/or a flute present. While I enjoy listing to the soundtrack, I have to admit that this soundtrack lacks variety in its instruments. But back in the day, I didn’t really mind it. The jump in quality from the previous generation was just too big.

Visually, this game is bright and colorful. I really love exploring the Hoenn region. I love exploring it so much that I even explored it several times. Yes, I played this game several times. Something that added even more life to the game is the animations in the overworld. Things like the rain and the sandstorm or the tracks you made riding your bike in the sand made the game come more alive than ever.

A lot to do

So, this game introduces quite a lot of interesting new mechanics to play around with. Let’s first start with the new battle mechanics. This game introduced double battles. This is such a great addition to the series that to this day, spin-off ideas are put into the main series Pokémon games.

That reminds me, the gameplay of this game is really good. The whole adventure in this game is one of the best adventures you can have on the Gameboy Advance (SP). But honestly, isn’t that a given with a main series Pokémon game?

So, in this game, you also have secret bases. I have to admit that this was one of my favorite features ever. I wish they implemented in more Pokémon games. I had high hopes when they were re-introduced in the next generation as bases in the underground side-game.

And let’s not forget about the Pokémon contests, berry mini-games and the truckload of changes to the battle and breeding system. This game brought so many new things to the table, there is a lot to do in this game before you have seen and done everything.

Do I have something negative to say about this game? Honestly, one thing. That this game works with a battery. Nowadays, the battery will have run dry and time-based events won’t happen. If you can look past that, you have a great game ahead of yourself.

This game’s difficulty curve is pretty great. Apart from the rematches of trainers. I rarely lost those. But that’s a nitpick since you can choose when you do those rematches and I did them when my team was overleveled.

The last thing I want to talk about is the controls. And guess what, they work brilliantly. I have nothing to complain here.

So, that’s everything I wanted to say about this game. It’s time we go to the conclusion of this article.

Conclusion

The bad:

-The internal battery can run dry.

-No multiple save slots.

-A bit more instrument variety would have been great….

The good:

+ … yet the overall soundtrack is pretty great.

+ Good writing and pacing of the story.

+ Good difficulty curve.

+ Interesting and fun side adventures can be had.

+ Trading with the next generation!

+ Secret bases

+ Pokémon Contests.

+ …

Conclusion

If you would ask me which generation is the best Pokémon generation. I would honestly doubt. Each generation has something I really love about it. And this game is no different. When I was preparing and when I was writing this review, I had trouble finding flaws in this game.

It might be because of a lot of nostalgia, it might because this Pokémon game is that good. If you are a Pokémon fan and you haven’t played this game, I urge you to check this game out. It’s really good. I might not have mentioned a few things in my review, but you’ll find out soon enough. The post-game content is the best in Emerald by the way.

In any case, thank you for reading this review and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to see you in another article on my blog but until then, take care and have a great rest of your day!

Score: 100/100