Reigniting Gunscape for a New Generation

As for keeping Gunscape in the library, I feel a large enough fanbase has to exist before it gets too quickly sunsetted.

Gunscape PosterBlowfish Studios

Gunscape is a retro first-person shooter and Minecraft builder which could use a lot more polish to play on the go. It plays better on a proper computer screen because constructing maps is easier with a mouse and keyboard than what’s pre-defined on the Nintendo Switch. As a result, the controls don’t feel as intuitive when building, but perfect when fighting.

Otherwise, if you’re playing in another person’s sandbox with their construct, there’s a bit of fun to be had, assuming they added a story to go along with the map. The default scenario isn’t all that compelling, and I struggled to wonder why I’m roaming through this zombie laden lab at all.

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Japanese Fever Dreams Are Never Made of These. NeverAwake to the Latest Update.

NeverAwake has a big update! Version 1.1 is coming tomorrow and fans will get more than a few nightmares to keep you awake.

neverawakeRelease Date: Jan 19, 2023
Avaiable for Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PS5

NeverAwake is a twin-stick shoot’em up that’s ready to banish nightmares! This game breaks away from the conventions of horizontal and vertical shooters, and truly makes use of the 3D space to make fighting a lot more fun. And here, you fight against creatures that only the fertile Japanese Shinto world can dream up!

Set in the mind of a young girl’s horrifying dreams, what’s experienced may well hit close to home with the themes and motifs being offered. That’s because some therapists theorize the brain is trying to make sense of those waking world’s life experiences. In this game, you are helping Rem fight her problems! This game originally released in September 2022, and it now has a huge, mesmerizing update!

This multiplatform release is from Japanese developer Neotro Inc and it is published by Phoenixx.

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Looking Back and My Hopes for Pokémon Go in 2023 (After its First Community Day)

Despite problems from last year, Niantic’s Pokémon GO is still a game played around the world. Hopefully it’ll fare better this year.

Pokémon Go

Niantic’s Pokémon GO had quite the mish mash of hits and misses back in 2022. From massive coding gaffes that made gameplay frustrating to the release of new pocket monsters with statistics that can break the game, I’m glad this year is off with a good start. This weekend’s Community Day bonus went off without a hitch! Although how the new pokémon is supposed to appear at stops is said to be a bug by this software developer, I hope they can leave it alone because it makes finding them easier.

I’m guessing the coders learned from their mistakes. As I look back at everything they’ve offered in the past, all I did was shake my head. Whoever wrote the code didn’t consider all the permutations, or considered the issues that would go along with “copy and overlaying” one Pokémon’s appearance (and statistics) over another, or where spawns should exist, leading to these pocket monsters disappearing off the map! As a result with the former problem, if placed in a battle environment, there would be unbalanced fights. That is, their biggest gaffe was with Zorua. This mimic was launched at the end of Community Day in early October. The lack of testing caused this Pokémon to get crazy stats and, if used in PvP battle or raids, it would break the game.

As we enter 2023, a new ‘mon for completionists is finally released! This weekend released the elusive Kecleon, and it likes hiding. Thankfully, it does not copy the abilities of another pocket monster. But, it won’t pop up unless gamers touch every spinner in hopes this invisible wonder is there.

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Examining Why Speedrunning is Fun with Running with Speed: The Fastest Gamers on Earth

This documentary chronicles the surprisingly rich and complex history of the fastest video game players in the world. It’s aptly named Running with Speed.

Running with Speed Documentary PosterToday, Wild Arrow Media, in conjunction with Good Deed Entertainment, officially released the feature documentary film Running with Speed: The Fastest Gamers on Earth, chronicling the surprisingly rich and complex history of the fastest video game players in the world (known as speedrunners) and the unprecedented millions these unsung heroes have raised for charity over the past decade. The film is available on major VOD platforms including Apple TV, iTunes, Amazon, Google, YouTube Movies, Vudu, and Microsoft.

From January 6 through 15, in conjunction with and in support of this year’s Games Done Quick, a portion of the proceeds from each download of Running with Speed will be donated to the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

“Speedrunning is as popular as it has ever been and runners continue to push boundaries — like beating Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, while blindfolded! A big part of the thrill for fans is witnessing speedrunners execute high level strategies in real-time, as they whittle world record times down to the millisecond,” said director Patrick Lope. “With the onset of streaming platforms like Twitch, select runners are finding ways to make a living from their persistent endeavors. It’s both uncanny and remarkable.”

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Bread and Fred’s Ready for Winter Play with this Steam Demo

Bread and Fred takes the challenge to new heights by introducing the cooperative element of two pals forever-connected on their way to the finish line.

Bread and FredBread and Fred, the co-op platformer developed by Sand Castles Studio and published by Apogee Entertainment, climbs into view with a new demo on Steam for PC featuring remote play just in time for the holidays, before swinging towards launch in 2023. 

Wrap up in some scarves, grab your best bud, and work together on a momentous co-op journey to help adorable penguins, Bread and Fred, reach the top of the snow-capped summit. Get in sync and jump on one, two, three! You’ll have to be clinging and swinging across platforms, ledges, and gaps. Triumph over every hurdle in a winter wonderland that is equally as cute as it is challenging.

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat are attached at the hip, but which friend will be the weakest link? Hold on tight with Bread’s little penguin flippers and anchor to the ground as Fred times the perfect swing to clear massive gaps, pulling their companion up the ledge before gravity drags them back down the slippery slopes. Don’t get cold feet! Take the lead or take orders when planning a path upwards, and talk things out before every attempt. 

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Zombies Before Solstice? Not Quite, but They’ll Be Here Next Year with Into the Dead

“The Into the Dead franchise has enjoyed incredible success over the last 10 years,” said Mario Wynands, CEO of PikPok.

Into the Dead: Our Darkest DaysLeading games developer and publisher PikPok® today announced that development has begun on the PC-first title Into the Dead Our Darkest Days, a new installment in the highly successful Into the Dead franchise.

Texas, 1980. Walton City has fallen to a zombie outbreak, and escape is the only chance for survival. Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days is a side-scrolling shelter survival game that tasks players with guiding a group of desperate survivors from refuge to refuge in an attempt to get everyone out of the city alive. Here, players have to scavenge for supplies, craft tools and weapons, fight off the dead, and keep moving as the zombie threat closes in. While their experiences will lead survivors to gain new skills, players will also need to manage their physical and psychological needs because in this world, there are no second chances—and death is permanent.

It’s rare to get a videogame such as this, and that’s why this game is worth noting before we get comfortable for the winter season.

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