Guilt Battle Arena (Switch) - Let's Play - 3 Players!

Join Mike, Neil and Tom as they play a 3-player game of Guilt Battle Arena on the Nintendo Switch! Guilt Battle Arena is a frantic, local multiplayer party game for 1 to 4 players created by Invincible Cat. Make room on your couch for friends, pick an insanely cute character, and turn the competition up to 11! Engage your friends and family or compete against AI foes in frantic couch combat battles. Don’t forget to pick-up your bullet after firing your gun if you want to win!

The game is available now for Nintendo Switch from the Nintendo eShop. It's also available on PS4, Xbox One and Steam. 

To read more about the game check out the Invincible Cat Website:

http://invinciblecat.com/

And also here at the Publisher's site:

https://www.forwardxp.com/guilt-battle-arena

TMA 196 – Walking Normal

On this week’s TMA, the boys finally hash out a debate 2 years in the making! Shenmue Vs. Yakuza! We talk about what we love in the games, what we hope will be their futures and the merits of English Vs. Japanese voice acting!

Besides that, Mat’s been to Paris video game hunting and Tom’s been busy thinking of a Haiku to describe his feelings on Sonic 2 for the Master System! Yup, it’s quite a podcast!

Listen here.

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

Nigel Parkinson draws Dennis the Menace! - Manchester Comics and Reading Festival 2018

Neil popped along to the Manchester Comics and Reading Festival where he met Comic Artist, Nigel Parkinson who has been cartooning for the Beano for many a year.

Nigel kindly agreed to create a very special Dennis Menace drawing for him, thanks Nigel!

You can check out Nigel's blog at the link below: http://nigelparkinsoncartoons.blogspo...

Neil popped along to the Manchester Comics and Reading Festival where he met Comic Artist, Nigel Parkinson who has been cartooning for the Beano for many a year. Nigel kindly agreed to create a very special Dennis Menace drawing for him, thanks Nigel! You can check out Nigel's blog at the link below: http://nigelparkinsoncartoons.blogspo...

Death Fungeon - Steam Review (PC)

A REVIEW BY IAN CHANDLER

Death Fungeon by Ritual Games is the latest 8-bit style puzzle platformer that has elements of classics like Super Meat Boy and Prince of Persia and combines them into a £1.99 little packet of fun(geon).

There’s not a story as such, it just plonks your little mediaeval sprite in a seemingly endless dungeon and challenges you to jump and puzzle your way out. You have no weapons, spells or gimmicks, this is purely about your running and jumping abilities as a player.

The action takes place flick-screen style, with ladders and platforms for you to traverse. It starts you off easy, and introduces the challenges at a good and steady pace. There’s infinite lives, no time limits and when you die it starts you back at the beginning of the same screen you died on. The game also auto saves each screen you enter so you can leave and come back and not lose any progress. This makes an ideal game to play in short bursts, and also makes you want to keep coming back to see just how much further you can get.

The puzzles in the game often revolve around getting past the large ogre-like guards. They have 4 stages of alertness, from asleep to running around angrily, which is heralded by the blowing of a suitably mediaeval horn. There are large cauldrons for you to hide in, but these only work when the guards are not alerted. Later hazards include the usual spiked pits and walls, circular saws and lava pits, with trampolines joining the ladders and ledgers to enable you to get around.

The graphics are nice and colourful, and even though you are in a dungeon there’s enough variety for it not to look too samey. Music is just one tune on repeat but you can always turn it off in the menu. The controls are tight, and when playing on a joypad I experienced no issues, which is vital for a game often requiring precision jumps and quick changes in direction.

This game is an unashamed basic platformer with bright colourful graphics, tight controls and solid gameplay. It’s not exactly original, but is a great flashback for those of us old farts who remember when 8-bit was new, yet challenging and fun for those who wouldn’t know a Commodore from a commode.

- Ian

Death Fungeon was provided for an unbiased review, all views expressed are those of BlastProcess.com

Tom Plays Shenmue (PS4) ...continued! - Let's look for Sailors!

For the first time ever Tom Plays goes against tradition and features a game twice! It is Shenmue though...and if any game deserves two episodes Shenmue had to be it!

Also this video exists, in part, as an apology for the last video, which, due to a terrible internet connection, made for a rather ugly live stream...we pre-recorded this one just to make sure it looked good!

Plus, Tom's not alone this time and brings Gareth into the fray once more! The two share the same fondness for the game and, having played it numerous times together previously, have plenty to talk about!

Blast Process @ PLAY Expo London 2018

Blast Process are no strangers to PLAY Expo, having attended the Manchester event on numerous occasions previously.

Truthfully, we had a bit of shock when it was announced that there would be no Manchester Expo in 2018...we collectively pulled sad faces...all expect for Neil who exclaimed:

'I'm up for going!'

So Neil, packed up the camera, plus cameraman and took the train down to London to attend and film some of our trademark Blast Process Interviews!

For those not in the know about the event, here's the blurb from the Official PLAY Expo website:

The UK’s favourite arcade, indie and retro games show is coming to London in August 2018! Hundreds of 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 retro gaming mayhem than London has ever seen.

Jam packed with everything you love about gaming and popular culture, the show has something for everyone.

PLAY Expo London - 11/12 August 2018 - Retro, Arcade, Pinball, Indie, Modern Gaming, Minecraft, VR, LAN, Guests, Merchandise, Tournaments and More!

What a treat indeed! It's always a great event and we've had a lot of fun attending over the years, this year though it was just Neil who got to enjoy it, here's what he got up to...

First stop was a meet up with Nils from Robot Riot, who are making a remaster of the classic GODS!

http://www.robotriotgames.com/gods_re...

Re-experience Bitmap Brothers’ cult classic 16 Bit platformer in shiny new 3D graphics and brilliant sound.

Then Neil got chatting with Jim Bagley, who's working on the ZX Spectrum Next.

Jim's been coding video games for over 30 years, so the two had plenty to talk about, resulting in a rather informative video!

 You can find out more about the ZX Spectrum Next right here:

 https://www.specnext.com

Next up, Neil spoke to James of 'Lightfoot Bros.' to chat about a brand new point and click game that's out of this world!

The Mystery Of Woolley Mountain is a brand new point and click adventure for Windows and OSX, featuring five renegade audio scientists in their quest to rid Woolley Mountain of an evil witch.

The game is being published by Huey Games and should be available by February 2019. Find out more at:

www.woolleymountain.com

Neil's adventures didn't end there however, as he approached Artist David Rowe, who was more than happy to be interviewed for the site.

David is the man responsible for some of the most memorable video game cover art from the bygone days of video gaming. Those who are old enough to remember the ZX Spectrum, Commodore Amiga and other retro consoles should be more than familiar with this man's work.

Other notable work from David would include all those lovely backgrounds featured in the classic kids TV programme, Knightmare and of course the Mean Machines magazine logo.

You can check out and even purchase much of David's work at his website, which you can find a link to below:

www.davidrowe.net

Finally, he tried to run away but Neil caught him, Community Manager Gustav Hendenborg got the Blast Process treatment and chatted with Neil about the long-awaited spiritual sequel to Sensible Soccer, Sociable Soccer!

To find out more head on over to the Sociable Soccer website:

www.sociablesoccer.com

We'd like to say many thanks to Gustav and all the rest of the lovely people that took the time to be interviewed by us at the Expo.

And with that Neil packed himself and his trusty Cameraman into the train back home.

PLAY Expo is always a fantastic event, where ever it's held (there's one in Manchester in 2019) and needless to say we'll be back next year with Singstar mic in hand, to interview more gaming greats...well...Neil will at least!

UPDATE: Since returning from the event Neil gathered up all his pickups and made a little video showcasing some of things he spent his pennies on at the event!

Read more about PLAY Expo London 2018:

https://www.playexpolondon.com/

Find out more and get tickets for PLAY Expo Manchester 2019 at the link below:

https://www.playexpomanchester.com/

- Tom

We Happy Few - Deluxe Edition (XBOX ONE) Unboxing!

Join Neil as he unravels the mysteries behind the elusive We Happy Few Deluxe Edition...

Available here.

Parry's Pickups! Episode 100 - Jurassic Park, Batman, Tetris and Shenmue!

100 episodes, over 400 games, Parry's Pickups celebrates it's final episode with an epic 27 minutes of Pickups!

The final episode of Parry's Pickups was always going to be a special one seeing that it coincided with the re-release of Shenmue 1 & 2, which receives some special treatment in this feature length episode.

Rest assured though it's not a completely Shenmue-centric episode, as Tom also shares his recent Game Gear pickups and his latest Tetris pickup!

So sit back, relax and enjoy this hundredth and final episode!

Tom Plays Shenmue (PS4)

Join Tom as he experiences one of his all-time favourite games for the umpteenth time, only on this occasion he's playing it on PS4!

Yes, Shenmue, the Dreamcast classic is now available on modern gaming platforms and it still plays as well as it ever did.

So sit back, relax and enjoy the beginning of Ryo Hazuki's quest to hunt down his father's killer and avenge his death...and play lots of Hang-On!

Shenmue 1 & 2 (PS4) Unboxing!

Not being able to contain his excitement upon receiving Shenmue 1 & 2 Remastered in the post a day early, Tom just had to film the unboxing of the long awaited re-release of one of his all-time favourite video games, enjoy!

TMA 195 – The Circle of Podcasts

It’s time for another TMA! This week, the boys discuss what they’ve been upto, the ethics of emulation, pine over gaming manuals and break down the PAL NES Regions. Of course, there’s the regular Tom & Mat foolery, as well as the boys talking about their bought and played games! Cor!

Listen here.

Parry's Pickups! Episode 99 - Tetris (yes, again) , Mickey Mouse, The Gunstringer and The Lion King!

It's the penultimate episode of Parry's Pickups! In this episode we feature a very nice Japanese only Tetris release, 2 great Game Gear games that are also available on Master System and of course a Kinect game!

It doesn't get more classic Parry's Pickups than this!

Tom Plays Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! (PS4)

One of the defining games of the original Sony Playstation had to be Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. It proved to be a very popular game when it was released back in 1997 and it's since become somewhat of classic with many gamers having fond memories of it.

In 2014 the game was re-released in a brand new version, called New 'n' Tasty! Tom's been meaning to get stuck into Oddworld for some time, having missed out on the Playstation original at the time.

So here he is, getting to grips with New 'n' Tasty, enjoy!

The Old Haunts of Forbidden Planet London | 40th Birthday Tour

We visit Forbidden Planet on it's 40th Birthday; with a trip down the streets of London taking a look at where Forbidden Planet opened its first store.

https://forbiddenplanet.com https://twitter.com/ForbiddenPlanet

Forbidden Planet image archive https://forbiddenplanet.com/plu/posts...

Pokémon - Z Power Ring Unboxing and Demo

If you've seen this mysterious Pokémon accessory hanging around your local discount store then you might wonder what it is and if it's worth the £3.99 price tag, at least that's the current price of the 'Pokémon Z Power Ring' here in the UK if you happen to shop somewhere that sells 'Bargains' for the 'Home' ;)

If you're in doubt about this strange curiosity or just need some help deciphering it's mysteries then you've come to right place!

Parry's Pickups! Episode 98 - No Man's Sky, Tetris & Dr. Mario, Sunday Vs. Magazine and Silent Hill!

It's been a pretty fun week in gaming for Tom, he's discovered No Man's Sky, found a great new PSP fighting game and added another Silent Hill game to the collection...

...however he could not play his new Tetris game because his SNES doesn't work properly...so that wasn't so good...

Tom Plays No Man's Sky (PS4)

Tom was one of those who wasn't convinced by No Man's Sky when it was first released, however after ending up with a copy, the game that divided it's audience seems to have him hooked...

Now excuse me as I go and mine some more carbon...

#KILLALLZOMBIES - Steam Review (PC)

A REVIEW BY IAN CHANDLER

#killallzombies by Beatshapers is a twin stick shooter that retails for the not-unreasonable £3.99 on Steam, and is also available for PS4, X-Box One, and even the much-neglected PS Vita. The Steam version was the one tested here.

The action takes place on a three-quarters overhead view arena with a hexagonal floor which you can scroll about a screen-width in all directions, and plays like a modern-day version of that 90’s arcade classic Smash TV. (showing my age again here….)

There are 3 Game Modes. Survival which is to kill as many as you as can before they get you, Vault Defence which gives you a base to defend, and Co-Operative which means 2 players can play on the same screen, although you share the one health bar. Hmmm….

Common to all modes, the game eases you in with a simple handgun and a few undead to run around and shoot. If you get very close you can do melee kills but be careful as your energy bar can go down very quickly if you linger amongst the rotting hordes…

After a certain number of undead are killed, you get to select a power up from a selection of 4, which change randomly each time. There are over a hundred of these, certainly too many to list here, but include poison shots, extra time, improved melee damage or smart bomb equivalents that just kill everything. You also get power ups like Health or other weapons that appear randomly on the screen.

Later levels introduce turrets of spinning spiked poles, vehicles dropping from the sky (the floor flashes red briefly before they appear) falling meteors and even flying saucers.

One of the big selling points Beatshapers are touting is its Twitch streaming interactivity, which enables spectators to issue voice commands which affect the gameplay, by changing player’s stats, spawning more or less zombies or even flip the screen to a different perspective. There is a cool down timer though so at least you can’t be spammed.

I will confess to not testing these features, as there seemed to be a lot of issues getting the stream to work properly. This may well have been due to my connection and you may have more luck.

The minimum specs for this are low so you could pretty much run it on a potato, but even though I am running it on a Ryzen 7 and GTX1080, there was slowdown when a lot of zombies were on screen at once on later levels which seemed odd. I did all the relevant checks and even re-installed the game but there were still these occasional issues which was unfortunate.

And that is basically it. Run around, shoot, repeat. This is definitely a far better 2 player experience, as both you can run about laughing and killing zombies in a variety of gruesome ways, whilst trying not to blow each up. As a Single player game the shallowness of the gameplay is revealed, and means it’s best played in small doses.

Taken in that way, there’s fun to be had here, even though the occasional glitches and overall lack of polish knock a few points off. Still, for less than the price of a Big Mac meal you get a fun little shooter that fans of the genre will enjoy.

- Ian

To learn more about the game, head over to the Beatshapers website:

http://www.beatshapers.com/zombies/

#KILLALLZOMBIES was provided by Beatshapers for an unbiased review, all views expressed are those of BlastProcess.com.

Creepy Road - Steam Review (PC)

A REVIEW BY IAN CHANDLER

Creepy Road from Groovy Milk and Grab Games is the latest Metal Slug-a-like on Steam for £9.99. The soundtrack is also available for £1.27.

The story goes that grizzled trucker Flint Trucker is on his way home when a crazed circus bear runs out in front of him, causing his truck to crash. The only way for Flint to get home is to walk through the woods, gunning down all in sight, whilst trying to work out what’s driving every creature he meets homicidal.

The art style Is really nice, with excellent use of colour, and the soundtrack compliments what’s going on very well. There are a few repetitive speech samples which play throughout but you generally end up ignoring these after a while.

The game starts you off with a revolver, which is fine for the smaller enemies like homicidal rabbits and pigs carrying hams, but as you progress you grab better weapons to help take out larger enemies -a favourite being a gun that turns enemies into poop- as well as grenades and molotov cocktails. I found myself mainly using the shotgun as it had the best balance of speed of fire and stopping power, with most enemies taking 2 shots to kill. You can shoot in either direction or straight up, but there is no diagonal fire which was a pain.

As for the enemies, you’ll be up against bears on unicycles, floating pandas, birds that drop swordfish on you and rednecks with shotguns and flaming torches. And this is the first couple of stages! Whilst the variety of enemies increases as you move through the game, the variety in the game itself doesn’t. You’re basically walking right to left shooting whatever is in front of you. The scenery may change, but the action doesn’t. There was a Boss fight at the end of the third stage, and later in the game there is a flying section which sees you riding a missile, but it’s basically pretty repetitive. There is a life meter for Flint, checkpoints as you go through the game and infinite lives so how far you get will really depend on your patience and how much work you want to put in.

As one of the loading screens suggests, I played with an Xbox 1 controller, and in later stages of the game I found serious glitches where the game would suddenly have Flint walking in one direction I wasn’t pointing in and firing when I hadn’t pressed a button. This lead to at least one death where it sent Flint straight into a landmine which was frustrating to say the least! I checked everything and the controller was functioning perfectly, so I can only assume this is an in-game glitch which will hopefully be patched, because as it stands, it’s quite game breaking.

So, what we have here is a gorgeous looking side scrolling shooter that looks like it’s escaped from the App Store, with fairly repetitive gameplay and some serious control issues. Worth a look? Well if you like Metal Slug and want to take a chance on the control issues being ok for you then sure, but perhaps wait for a Steam sale, as at the moment it’s really only fun in quick bursts and when it behaves itself!

- Ian

To learn more about the game, head over to GroovyMilk's website below:

http://groovymilk.com/

Creepy Road was provided by GroovyMilk for an unbiased review, all views expressed are those of BlastProcess.com.