I can't find any screencaps prove my claim, but "Dark Forces" (1995) and "Jedi Knight - Dark forces II" (1997) where overly impressive, especially regarding level design.

Enjoying the wonderful buildings and spaces drawn by Nihei, i was reminded of the feelings, i first had when standing on steep edges between huge ships and fortresses etc in those two games. I loved those games for their design. the whole SW-thing appears rather boring to me, when I think of the fun i had with those games back then.

So hey, combination of gaming post and music post (and more FPS chicanery! )

, another cyberpunk classic like Deus-Ex making a comeback. What might be real awesome about it is the OST by .

And, not part of the game but I really think you guys are gonna like this:

And yeah RAGE wound up being a really terrible game and not worth all the hype, lol!

Also on the subject of Deus Ex...

http://jayjaybe.tumblr.com/post/1020719 ... i-love-you

That's the Deus Ex: HR art director's blog. I asked him about it and he said he'd love to work on a game based on BLAME!. Man that would be awesome.

Okay, that calls for a follow, no questions asked.

Any of you guys also on tumblr? Mine's .

I've been getting into SHMUPS/STGs (Shooting Games) again lately. Reading Sidonia no Kishi really reminded me of this style of game, and in particular, R-Type.



The R-Type series by IREM is definitely worth looking into. It's a venerable series and along with Gradius, pretty much defined the 2D side-scrolling STG. Unlike most STGs that rely on lightning reflexes and utter chaos, R-Type is relatively slow-paced, methodical with an emphasis on tactics over twitch.



Onto the relevant stuff, R-Type has always had a more sophisticated aesthetic to other STGs of its time, and a very dark, twisted and Giger-esque motif to its mysterious alien antagonists, the Bydo.

Plotwise, it leans towards themes of sacrifice, phyrric victories and the inherent dark nature of humankind.
While the early games (1-3) were very light on plot (though not atmosphere,) they gradually introduced more elements to the world with every new entry, though don't ever expect heavy exposition or space opera drama.

Also worth noting, the games have amazing continuity throughout the series with enemies frequently reoccuring between games in various new iterations and backstories as well as frequent references to past games.



The series ended in 2003 with the Playstation 2 Game 'R-Type Final' which had an unprecedented amount of plot/world-building and featured 101 playable and customizable ships. The campaign featured a branching plot with some very surprising conclusions.



After that, the series continued as a turn-based strategy game on the PSP, 'R-type Tactics' with a sequel that doesn't seem likely to be localized in the west sadly. These games add significantly to the plot as well with an enormous roster of ships and units gathered from every game prior.



I highly recommend anyone with a tolerance for REALLY HARD GAMES to give it a shot. The earlier games, 1-3 are absolutely brutal. Delta and Final on the other hand are quite manageable by comparison, especially played on easier modes.
R-Type Command is good for those who enjoy slow-paced strategy games and aren't too focused on a flashy presentation.

More information on the history of the series:
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/rtype/rtype.htm

Hyperlight Drifter an apocalyptic mysterious 2d adventure game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWufEJ1Ava0

Did you seriously just mention Hyperlight Drifter? So much yes. You all need to play that game. That, along with the Live Action versions of Ghost In The Shell and Battle Angel Alita, and Kung Fury and Stranger Things makes me think we're really getting a great boost of the good old days of this genre.

I am so looking forward to Narita Boy

Hi all who read this.
I recommend you look at Rain World. Pretty cool little side scroller game where you play as a creature named slugcat, and you try surviving in a post apocalyptic land full of predators, and most importantly try finding safe spots before the next rain cycle starts.

https://youtu.be/y30S7eWT5n4