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Tom's Gaming World! - Episode 12 - Streets of Rage 4, E-Shop Pickups and Switch Pro Controller
It’s been a busy week in Tom’s gaming world, not only has he been improving his Switch setup with an alternative dock solution but he’s been going crazy in a recent E-Shop sale and has finally got hold of the Switch Pro Controller! Oh and Streets of Rage 4 was released…
Tom's Gaming World! - Episode 11 - Buggy Heat, SEGA AGES, Panzer Dragoon and Christmas Crisis
Join Tom as he talks latest pickups and what he's been playing recently, including two recent SEGA AGES releases for Switch, Sonic 2 and Fantasy Zone.
Tom's Gaming World! - Episode 10 - Philips CD-i Special!
What's new in Tom's Gaming World this week? The Philips CD-i that's what!
The CD-i is one of the consoles that Tom grew up with and he's been wanting to get hold of a replacement 450 model for some time, now the time has come!
In this latest episode, join Tom as he chats CD-i, discusses the journey he's been on to get hold of a working copy of V-Rally 2 for Dreamcast and also shares his latest console setup.
Tom's Gaming World! - Episode 9 - Controllers, Dreamcast, Gran Turismo and more!
We're back! Tom's Gaming World returns in this brand new episode. Join Tom as he reviews a few controllers (no surprises there), chats Dreamcast, and highlights recent gaming pickups as well as sharing what games he's been playing recently. Enjoy!
SLS (SEGA) PS2 Wireless Surf Wave Controller Overview and Review
Ever wanted a wireless controller for PS2? Well, Tom has been after that very thing for a while, he finally settled on the Surf Wave controller...and it's SEGA branded!?
Originally known as the AirStyle and created by FounTech, SEGA later licensed this same controller and manufactured it through their SLS (SEGA Logistics Service) arm, which deal with the maintenance and distribution of Sega hardware within Japan. They also released a few other controllers, the Surf Wave being one of the most notable.
Join Tom as he gives an overview and review of the controller and attempts to solve the mystery of why the particular one he has acquired is lacking the SEGA branding on the pad itself...enjoy!
Tom's Gaming World - UPDATE
Tom's Gaming World is still exists! Join Tom as he gives an update on the current status of the series, which due to moving residence has fallen off the radar for some time. Hopefully Tom will be back soon but for now, please enjoy this update.
Tom's Game Room Update/Tour 2019
It's really been a year since the last one!? Yes it has indeed, and while not much has changed in terms of the layout, there's a lot more stuff in the Game Room and you guessed it, no where to put it!
So before this whole room gets a re-think, join me as I give you a tour of its current state... - Tom
Tom's Gaming World! - Episode 8 - Death Crimson, Alisia Dragoon, Rockin' Kats, Golden Axe and more!
After a 2 month hiatus Tom returns with plenty to talk about!
Join him on this latest episode of Tom's Gaming World as he discusses his recent pickups including Death Crimson 2 for the Dreamcast while also giving some special attention to the following Retro games;
Alisia Dragoon for Mega Drive, Rockin' Kats for the NES and Theme Park on SNES.
Tom's Gaming World! - Episode 7 - Saturn Mission Stick, Space Harrier, Guilty Gear and more!
On this episode of Tom's Gaming World, Tom introduces us to his Sega Mission Stick by demoing it with the Sega Arcade Classic's port of Space Harrier for the Sega Saturn as well as taking a more in-depth look at the recently released Guilty Gear 20th Anniversary Pack plus much more!
Lawless 2019 - A Celebration of British Comics and Tribute to Carlos Ezquerra
Back in the day comics would print a coupon which you could cut-out and present to your local newsagent to reserve the next issue (and the issues following on from that). Now fast forward to the present day and thanks to social media we were all prepared and notified to the renaming and recalibrated Lawgiver (the Judge Dredd convention) into Lawless (the convention of British comics). So, on the 18th of May Neil found himself in Bristol once again with Tom’s camera and this is the result!
For more on Lawless; https://www.facebook.com/groups/14170...
As a guide these approximate timings might be of use;
Lawless event guide 6sec, Steve McManus 15secs, ROK of the Reds fan and Judge Glass 20secs, https://www.rokofthereds.com/ Colin MacNeil 30secs, Marshal Metta Lawson and Johnny Alpha 47 secs, Glenn Fabry 51secs, Soviet bloc hypnosis leaflet 1:08secs, Ian Gibson 1:16secs, John Higgins 1:29secs, http://artofjohnhiggins.com/ Absolute Batman: The Killing Joke 1:34secs, --That matches the carpet!-- Tribute to Carlos Ezquerra 1:40secs, Carlos Art Droid 3:07secs, Welcome to Lawless from Lawless! 3:12secs, Panels! 3:16secs, Draw off! 3:23secs, Max Normal 3:31secs, --Buys a self-portrait!-- Dan Cornwell 3:40, https://dancornwell.wordpress.com/ Henry Flint 3:46, https://henryflint.wordpress.com/ Torquemada 4:01secs, Mike Collins 4:06secs, http://www.freakhousegraphics.com/ Abigail Bulmer 4:20secs, https://abigailartryder.wixsite.com/d... Steve Austin and Dylan Teague 4:41secs, http://www.stevenaustinart.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dylbot2099/ John Wagner [don’t blink!] 4:44secs, Original art for sale 4:49secs, Sector 13 fanzine 4:57secs, https://www.facebook.com/sector13thef... Battle Badger 5:01secs, https://www.facebook.com/beasthunting... art ninetwo studios 5:08secs, https://www.artninetwo.com/ Awesome Comics 5:24secs, David Lloyd and Patrick Goddard 5:32secs, http://www.lforlloyd.com/ https://twitter.com/PaddyGod1 Planet Replicas 5:45secs, https://www.planetreplicas.com/ Steve McManus closeout 5:51secs, Judge Death – THE SENTENCE IS DEATH 5:56secs
Tom's Gaming World! - Episode 6 - Mega Retron HD, Lemmings Pickups, Knuckles Chaotix and more!
Tom's back with the latest update in his Gaming World! This time we finally get see the 32X in action and take another look at the Mega Retron HD clone Mega Drive/Genesis console from Hyperkin. There's also pickups galore!
Blast Process @ PLAY Expo Manchester 2019
Another year, another PLAY Expo! This year the event returned to Manchester at the new venue of Manchester Central and Mike, Neil and Tom were there to experience the show, for those not clued up on the event, here’s the blurb from their website:
‘The UK’s favourite arcade, indie and retro games show will return in 2019! Close to 1000 consoles, handhelds, computers, arcades, pinballs and PC's all running the very best in classic and modern video games and all free to play!
Organised by experienced video game events specialists Replay Events the show will be full with features, exhibitors and more gaming mayhem than Manchester has ever seen.
Jam packed with everything you love about gaming and popular culture, the show has something for everyone.
PLAY Expo Manchester - Modern Gaming, Indie, Retro, Arcade, Pinball, Minecraft, VR, LAN, Guests, Merchandise, Cosplay, Tournaments, Education, Communities, Tabletop Gaming, Photo Shoots and More!’
The event felt somewhat different from previous years, largely down to the location, Manchester Central has a very different feel from Manchester’s Event City where it’s been held previously. Our feelings were that things were perhaps spaced out a bit more to make up for a slightly smaller scale event, however saying that there was still plenty to enjoy. Especially if you want to actually play games at the event, there was a plethora of consoles to sample, even some older rarer examples as well as the modern consoles and the previous generation of systems.
Check out our event overview video to see exactly what was on offer:
We took to the Games Market on arrival, where plenty of vendors were in attendence selling their wares, check out the video below to see what Tom picked up at the event:
Of course it wouldn’t be a Blast Process outing without a visit to the Indie section where Neil got the chance to sit down and chat with a games developer who's been working in the industry for a fair few years now...Kev Brady.
Currently he's single-handedly converting the PC game Melkhior's Mansion, developed by Richard Jordan with graphics by Craig Stevenson and Music by Alberto Gonzalez to the ZX Spectrum Next, an exciting piece of kit in itself.
Kev gave us a great insight into his process in this interview and we'd like to thank him for taking the time to talk to us, I think you'll agree, a top bloke all round.
Check out our interview with Kev below:
If you're interested in reading Kev's development blog you can check it out at the link below:
https://specnext.dev/blog/author/kevb/
And with that, the team waved Manchester Central goodbye and headed back home. We had a great time and can certainly recommend PLAY Expo to anyone with an interest in gaming, especially those who enjoy the Retro side of things.
Thanks again to REPLAY Events for putting on another fantastic show and we’re already looking forward to the next time we get to experience another, wherever that may be!
You can read more about the Manchester event at the link below and keep your eyes peeled for more REPLAY Events coming to a location near you soon!
Tuckers Newsagent & Games | Black Mirror Bandersnatch Birmingham Shop Tour
If you go down to the woods today. You're sure of a big surprise... or in our case Birmingham Central Station! For here you'll find one of two pop-up shops designed to promote the Bandersnatch episode of anthology series Black Mirror. The Bandersnatch episode was a choose your own adventure story with multiple endings and heavily referenced the 80s UK computer gaming scene. So naturally our interest was piqued. The shop was for display only and nothing was for sale and entry was impossible.
As you can see there are Easter Eggs aplenty (check out the staff name badge) and we will also publish a video of the complete rolling game demos. So in the spirit of the age please press pause on the cassette tape player and await part 2…
PART 2:
Well here’s the promised Part 2 of the BlastProcess visit to the Tuckers Newsagent & Games ‘store’ promoting the Bandersnatch episode of anthology series Black Mirror. So be prepared to type LOAD””; unpause the cassette and be ready to watch Part 2.
For further interest you might also want to visit in-universe Tuckersoft website:
And the official Oliver Frey page (Crash and Zzap64) where you can purchase prints of his works and those he created for the show although the Metl Hedd prints have sold out at time of writing:
Tom's Gaming World! - Episode 3 - PSVR, Celeste, Super Bomberman 2 and more!
Hope you've all had a great Christmas and New Year! In this latest episode join Tom as he shares his thoughts on the Playstation VR, tells us what he thinks of Celeste and plays a little Super Bomberman on the SNES...and that's not all!
Tom's Gaming World! - Episode 2 - R-Type, Horizon Shift 81' and more!
Tom's back with Episode 2 of 'Tom's Gaming World'!
On this episode Tom takes a look at R-Type 3, the newly released Switch Shooter Horizon Shift 81' and Aladdin on the SNES.
We also get updates on the 8Bitdo Gamepad situation and Tom's current SNES console setup. Enjoy!
Blast Process @ EGX 2018 (BIRMINGHAM NEC)
EGX is the biggest gaming event in the UK, this year it took place at the Birmingham NEC from the 20-23rd of September, and as always Blast Process were there to cover the event.
The first thing we did was head off to the Indie area to see what caught our eye. Neil’s attuned Indie senses soon locked onto the Curve Digital stand where ‘Carried Away’ was being exhibited. With this trusty Singstar Mic in-hand, Neil switched into Interview mode!
In 'Carried Away' you construct ski lifts, jumps and bridges from a range of building materials to help your passengers navigate the ups and downs of the treacherous mountain landscape. Master the rope physics and the stresses and strains it will put on your constructions. Cutting corners along the way will compromise the safety and comfort of your passengers. When design alone isn't enough, turn to your skiing skills to get that extra nudge towards your destination.
Carried Away is available on Steam Early Access right now! The full game will arrive Early 2019 along with a version for Nintendo Switch!
After we’d had a good chinwag with the Hugecalf boys another Indie gem glistened on the horizon, the game in question was Eagle Island…
We were really struck with Eagle Island, it’s a game created and developed by mostly one person, Nick Gregory, who kindly agreed to be interviewed by us.
We'd like to extend a thanks to the rest of the team at Screenwave Media (who are publishing the game) who were very welcoming and friendly, we enjoyed chatting with you guys!
Eagle Island will be available on Steam in the not too distant future, you can add it to your Wishlist at the link below:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/68...
After our stint in the Indie section we went off to see what else EGX had to offer, Tom however, only had eyes for one game though, so he led Mike and Neil to the Bandai Namco area where a certain weapon based fighter was gathering plenty of attention…
Yes, the long-awaited Soul Calibur 6 was playable at EGX 2018, once Tom got the game in his sights he challenged Mike to a duel, best of 3, who will win? Let's fight!
After Soul Calibur it didn’t take Tom long to spot another favourite games series of his, Team Sonic Racing and the game was playable at the Sega stand…so it was decided, we would film the first ever ‘On Tour’ episode of our regular ‘Tom Plays’ series…
Lastly we decided to chill out with some Arcade games, it was there that we bumped into Anthony from Retro Games Party who kindly agreed to chat with Neil about providing Arcade Machines for events and of course, the joys of Arcade gaming!
To find out more about Retro Games Party, check out the link below:
And that was that! As well as spending a bit more time looking around other various areas of the massive event, we had had our fill of EGX 2018 and headed home. Honestly it’s a fantastic event and well worth your time, head on over to the official EGX website to find out more and make sure you grab tickets to next year’s event as soon as they’re available!
- Tom
BROTHERS Board Game Review
'Brothers' is a board game created by Christophe Boelinger with art by Xavier Houssin. It's an abstract strategy type game, featuring a Modular Board with a Tile Placement game mechanic. It's easy to set-up and learn and would be suitable for kids and adults alike.
GAME DESCRIPTION: You and your brother are peaceful farmers... Or at least you were! Your herds are getting too big for the pasture. Outsmart your brother by placing your enclosures so he can’t correctly place his and show him that you’re the one with a head for cattle in the family.
Blast Process were lucky enough to be sent a copy for review but before we get into playing the game it must be unboxed first! So lets lift the lid on 'Brothers' and see what's inside shall we!?
Brothers is a small but perfectly formed package that's built from quality materials and makes for a simple, fun unboxing experience. But, how does the game play? Is it any fun? How easy is it to learn? We answer all those questions in the video below!
As you can probably tell, we enjoyed the game a lot, it was simple to set up, easy to learn but delivered a strategic and fun experience. The Blast Process Team are happy to report that we give 'Brothers' a massive thumbs up!
- Tom
You can find out more about the game here: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2...
Also head on over to the Ankama website for more great games: https://www.ankama.com/en
Tom's Game Room Update/Tour 2018
So this is still a thing...for a few years now I've been giving an update and tour of my Games Room, a funny little room that is presently fit to bursting!
There's a few new additions to share and a couple of changes to discuss, the biggest being this is probably the last time you'll see this room as I anticipate by this time next year (July 2019) I'll have moved out of my current residence and be living in pastures new.
So, all's left to say is please enjoy this little tour around one of my most favourite of places. If you have any questions about what you've seen in the collection or what you think of the setup, just leave a comment below.
- Tom.
Barrage Wargames Show Feature
Barrage Wargames is an event that takes place in Stafford, UK that is dedicated to Wargaming and also a spot of D&D, in short if you enjoy table top games of a Historical, Fantasy or Sci-Fi nature, you're sure to enjoy the event!
John Potter Guildford, the event's organiser was kind enough to give Neil a guided tour of the event, taking him around all of the event's 3 halls and chatting with some of the show's key exhibitors.
For more info about this yearly event, check out of the link below:
http://staffordwargames.wixsite.com/b...
To find out more about 'House of Bread', the event's chosen charitable cause, you can follow the link below: