When It's Not Fair Use | Copyright & Plagiarism on YouTube
‘Fair use’ law is the backbone of the vast majority of gaming focussed channels on YouTube, so it stands to reason that there have been a whole lot of videos explaining just what fair use is...but unfortunately, sometimes it’s really not fair use.
Great Games With Bad Endings | The Retro Perspective
Here's a list of 5 great games that kept us on the edge of our seats right up until their bad endings. Some of them not just bad, but utterly terrible.
Injustice & the Creative Bankruptcy of Modern Fighting Games
Mortal Kombat managed to weave an engaging story between its gameplay which was continued in all of NetherRealms preceding games, it is right that the developer should receive lots and lots of praise. However, as good as this improvement is within the genre, it’s still not good enough. Because if we look back at the most feature rich fighters of all time we find that NetherRealm’s formula is tiny in scope compared to some brilliant features and gameplay systems that seem to be taken for granted nowadays.
How Nobody Absolutely Dominated E3 2017
A very mild E3 wouldn't you agree? Microsoft's new Xbox One X is set to be "the most powerful mind control device ever" but does it have any games worth playing? Bethesda seem content to re-release Skyrim til the end of time. Nintendo wants us to be excited for games that will come some time between now and the end of time...but at least Ubisoft got rid of the terrible, annoying Aisha Tyler!
South Park | PS1 | The Retro Perspective
Tom joins me once again to enjoy some tasty member berries. This time we play Acclaim's South Park first person shooter from 1999. That's when games were great! Video game journalism was just as bad though....
What Can Ride Along 2 Tell Us About the Games Industry
I know, I know. Another article about sexism, I'm as tired of it as you are but having just seen Ride Along 2 I was struck by a wave of inspiration. I found it surprisingly relevant to many recent events in the video game industry regarding censorship and representation. It got me thinking just to what extent Video Games are scapegoated and vilified as the cultural representative of "offensive" violence and sexism, while the film and music industries can do whatever the hel they want with not even a squeak of protest from the majority of people.
Resident Evil's Fall From Grace Part 3: Resident Evil 6
Previously in the series we took a look at Resident Evil 4 & Resident Evil 5 but nothing could have prepared us for Capcom's descent in to the pure madness that is Resident Evil 6. For the very first time we play the game and give our thoughts on one of the worst games ever created. Everything from the animations & textures to the characters & inventory, we lay it all bare in this in depth review. Resident Evil 6 truly is one of the markers of the decline in quality of Japanese games and things only seem to be getting worse. Whether by creative bankruptcy, laziness or pure greed, this game series has fallen from a true icon of the gaming industry to a broken, zombie corpse, shell of its former self. At the very least Resident Evil 6 is in fact the scariest game of all time...scary how horrifyingly bad it is.
Demon's Crest | The Retro Perspective
Demon's Crest, a Ghosts & Goblins spinoff and a a game literally everyone should play. Because in the age when indie platformers are being thrown out left, right and centre and a "retro aesthetic" is seen as an instant positive as these indies attempt to be throwbacks to a better era. It takes us a trip back to play an absolute masterpiece (Demon's Crest) to realise that not many of these modern games have actually lived up to their influences. But enough cynicism, let's chat about Demon's Crest for the SNES!
How Sony Absolutely Dominated E3 2016
Full disclosure, I am a Sony fanboy in recovery. There was a time I believed that Sony could literally do no wrong when it came to the video game industry. Even when they released their defective first model of the PS3 for a ludicrous £600 and removed backwards compatibility for the models that weren't destined for the dreaded yellow light of death. Now I know, Sony isn't perfect...but their E3 2016 conference was so perfect and I'm about to explain why.
The Mighty No. 9 Trailer is Bad, Quit Your Crying!
Last week, the internet had not really been talking much about Mighty No. 9. That is, until a really bad trailer for the game came out on Wednesday, 25th of May. The trailer was so bad, it currently stands at 2841 likes to 20831 dislikes on youtube and when the youtube community dislikes something...it's usually pretty bad.
Final Fantasy X/X-2 & the Awful "Will" Audio Drama
We have two videos for you today! An in-depth discussion and review of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster and a much shorter video summarising the 'Final Fantasy X -Will-' audio drama. My co-hosts Tom & Luke had never played an RPG before Final Fantasy X and 15 years later, the game remains one of their favourite games of all time.
Resident Evil’s Fall From Grace | Part 2
Following on from our in depth Resident Evil 4 review, we play Resident Evil 5 to shed some light on the most divisive title in the series. It's a game that at first glance is incredibly similar to the 4th, but with some crucial differences which quickly become the focal point of our discussion. Look out for part 3 too, because we'll be playing Resident Evil 6 for the first time ever...I'm sure it will be amazing.
Resident Evil Outbreak | The Retro Perspective
Josh was too busy to film the Resident Evil 5 review, so Jake & Arron decided to play one of their favourite games of all time: Resident Evil Outbreak. It's the greatest game never made....A very difficult game, made even more so by persistent hysteric laughter. In this game, a waitress, a plumber and a "scrotum guard" are attacked by zombies relentlessly and on all fronts. Only by using our character's special skills can we overcome all odds. Skills like: flipping a coin, our age being kept secret, being able to scream "OH GOD, HELP ME PLEASE!!" at the press of a button...and, of course, being the master of unlocking things. So come on my crew, let's play Resident Evil Outbreak!
Resident Evil's Fall From Grace | Part 1
Resident Evil was once a colossal force in the gaming industry and no moment is more noteworthy for the series than the release of Resident Evil 4 on the Nintendo Gamecube in 2005. So in this 3 part video series we want to de-construct what makes Resident Evil good so we can then start to work out what went so wrong to leave the series in the unrecognisable state it's in today. Starting with what is widely renowned as the best in the series and one of the greatest games of all time: Resident Evil 4.
Star Wars Episode I | The Retro Perspective
In the second part of our Star Wars game binge we take a look at Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace for the Playstation 1. A remarkable game, but whether that's in a good way, or bad, we'll leave that to you. Joining me again is 3D artist Tom and Star Wars Episode I veteran Luke. I hope you brought your T-14 Hyperdrive Generators because we have little tolerance for model Dx5 security doors. Have a nice day!
Why I Quit Fallout 4
Let me start by saying that Fallout 4 is not a bad game. Nevertheless...I quit Fallout 4. I didn’t finish the main story. I barely did any side quests and as I approached the final quarter of the game, I found myself utterly bored and begging for it to end.
Star Wars Battlefront II | The Retro Perspective
The Retro Perspective is a retrospective gaming talk show where we discuss the differences between the gaming industry's past and present. This time I'm joined by 3D artist Tom. We play Pandemic Studios' Star Wars Battlefront II and discuss the possible shortcomings of EA's new Battlefront game. Also on the table: the upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens and everyone's favourite...Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Shuffle or Boogie? | Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Seen by many as a massive return to form for the series, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag puts you in the shoes of pirate Edward Kenway, sailing the West Indies in pursuit of his fortune. Black Flag manages to portray the sights of the Caribbean beautifully, the ocean in particular is probably the best looking thing I've seen in a game to date. The sounds however, fall so badly short of what we should expect of a so-called "AAA" game and consistently took me out of the experience of what should have been the most immersive pirate themed video game in history.
Metal Gear Solid 4's Terrible Boss Fights
"If we're really gonna discuss how good Metal Gear Solid is, we have to discuss the boss fights, in serious depth because Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 & 3...all have exceptional boss fights..."
Metal Gear Solid V & The Bizarre Practice of Early Reviews
Gone are the days when we could play a game without knowing everything about it beforehand. When my 14-year-old self popped Metal Gear Solid 3 into the Playstation 2, do you know what I thought? “Damn, I can’t wait to see what Solid Snake and Otacon are gonna' get up to in this game." I was in for a big shock! I hadn’t tried to avoid any information about the game, nor did I actively seek it out...yet here we are years later and some people literally cannot avoid Metal Gear Solid V spoilers when the game is not even out yet.