I'm excited to announce a new addition to the Sharp Skull Team, DatSwampertAzz. He's joining the team as a games analyst and helping to keep the process smooth in game judging. He's an avid player of Yu-Gi-Oh and reader of comics and of course has a history in video games as much as me.
Other news is that I'm in production of original music and updating the format of both the show and the blog. I really did like UncleBibby's - Happy, which served as an opener track for the first 3 episodes, but I'm seeking a bit more of an original tune now Some big overhauling is coming! It won't be an overnight change but slowly the Fresh Picks and Sharp Skull Productions will shape into a more concise vision.
Also, in light of the recent events going on in the Gamer Gate controversy I'll have a bit to say on that myself. Be on the lookout for a response.
That's all the news I have for today, stay Grim guys. You can find me trawling the GMC.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Update: Break time!
We'll be back in the coming months and we appreciate the feedback on our content and we're taking into consideration all suggestions that have been given.
We're doing alot of brainstorming and working with new ideas and scheduling and even a bit of recruiting.
We definitely learned a bit from this.
Stay tuned for updates!
We're doing alot of brainstorming and working with new ideas and scheduling and even a bit of recruiting.
We definitely learned a bit from this.
Stay tuned for updates!
Friday, September 26, 2014
The Crop (9/14/14)
| Game Title | Description | Link |
| Abducted | This game caught me by the description, I'll admit. It was a nice Quirky little game in which you betray your snowmen brethren by avoiding a spaceship and getting them captured instead of you. It was kind of unnerving, running from impending doom and such, lol. But being a traitor is fun. | http://gamejolt.com/games/action/abducted/34333/ |
| Blinded | Puzzle game that told a story of abduction and desparation. The mechanics were unique in which it relied on your exploration to navigate through the halls. A couple creepy things here and there. The ending left me scratching my head. | http://gamejolt.com/games/puzzle/blinded/34398/ |
| Burn down the clown | Challenging yet addictive game. The game is simple enough, drop the block onto the see-saw and jump the clown through flaming hoops for points to appease the sick, sadistic crowd that boos you everytime you catch 3rd degree burns. | http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/burning-down-the-clown/34206/ |
| Bwall | Small game in which you're basically playing 2 player pong… by yourself… with the mouse. | http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/bwall/34306/ |
| Candlelight | Developmental Build of a game that looks promising. The art style is beautiful and the gameplay is solid. I just wish there was more to play. | http://gamejolt.com/games/platformer/candlelight/34548/ |
| Chaos Shell | The gameplay is not glitchy but the design is flawed. Lack of options made this a pretty damn painful experience. I was confused by the lack of story and the decision to give characters faces. The mouse sensitivity was low and moving the ship moved the reticle, so aiming was a chore. A lot of design decisions made me question. Like bombs being used sending your orb to a random point in the arena. However the game is decently challenging if you can look past all that. | http://gamejolt.com/games/action/chaos-shell/34304/ |
| Forest Hunting 3D | That was pretty standard of a game, very similar to the arcade versions | http://gamejolt.com/games/shooter/forest-hunting-3d/34257/ |
| Freedom | Very short game. Not much to say. It was nicely done. | http://gamejolt.com/games/shooter/freedom/34464/ |
| Get your ass to Mars | I'd really like to know WHAT is eating me… This game needs to explain some things. But on a positive note: it was a decent challenge when you get used to the floaty jump and landing physics. | http://gamejolt.com/games/platformer/get-your-ass-to-mars-2014/34258/ |
| Gold Ball Journey | I didn't enjoy this very much. Not very well put together; Wonky jump controls and strangely large hitboxes and just overall boring. | http://gamejolt.com/games/platformer/gold-ball-journey/32167/ |
| Her | I'll be honest, I did not play this. It was originally intended but for some reason it was lagging terribly. But I'm interested in getting to play this sometime, it looks interesting. | http://gamejolt.com/games/platformer/her/34498/ |
| Her Nightmare: Rage Quit | This game was one of the most fun I've had being humiliated by the game. It reminds me of a mix of I wanna be the guy and Megaman. Except extremely less toxic. When I died I actually wanted to continue, not rage quit. | http://gamejolt.com/games/platformer/her-nightmare-rage-quit/34465/ |
| Kiwi 64 | Very funny homage o Nintendo 64 games like Mario and Banjo Kazooie But still unique enough to keep your attention. It's best asset is that it doesn't take itself too seriously | http://gamejolt.com/games/platformer/kiwi-64/33914/ |
| Magical Symbols | Hands down one of the best Flash games I've ever played. It definitely shows that a lot of care went into the design. The puzzles are challenging and very rewarding. I definitely recommend | http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/magical-symbols/34232/ |
| Off the Wall | This was quite the journey. This is a game that if I talked about any part of it I'd spoil some fun. Play it for yourself. | http://gamejolt.com/games/platformer/off-the-wall/34335/ |
| Oneiric Gardens | http://gamejolt.com/games/other/oneiric-gardens/34347/ | |
| Outbreak | Well that was weird. Uh. The game starts off with a bit of atmosphere with the whole setup but it immediately topples it by throwing litterally a ton of zombies at you in 5 seconds. But it also strangely gives you the objective to find tools. While zombies come at you faster than Usain Bolt. | http://gamejolt.com/games/shooter/outbreak/34397/ |
| Petcat | What a nifty little experiment. Uh that's about all I have to say about that one. | http://gamejolt.com/games/other/petcat/34473/ |
| Raid Joust | Was really fun to play and the gameplay is simple enough to grasp even on the first try. It's a tad unforgiving though, or maybe I'm just being salty. | http://gamejolt.com/games/action/raid-joust/34233/ |
| Reincarnation | A small tongue in cheek humor flash game about the theory of reincarnation. There are many many differently lives you can live. | http://gamejolt.com/games/adventure/reincarnation-fv/34199/ |
| Robomon Arena | The game mechanics are solid to say the most. But it can stand to be a bit more exciting to play | http://gamejolt.com/games/strategy-sim/robomon-arena/34489/ |
| Save the Chicken | An fantastic game about saving poultry from the tyranny of gravity, lol. All seriousness this game may be a bit on the easy side (for me at least) but it was definitely worth playing. I hope there's a mobile version somewhere | Link |
| Sledge and Roll | A beat em up? I'm not sure what to classify this game as to be honest. Inspired by Towerfall it has a bit of variety to its gameplay but it's also a tad slow. | http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/sledge-n-roll/34292/ |
| Sound in boxes | Took me a while to understand what was going on but once you figure it out this is a fun tool to mess around with! | http://gamejolt.com/games/strategy-sim/sound-in-boxes/34279/ |
| Speed Rally Pro 2 | The graphics looked incredible. It definitely looks like a PSP game and holds itself together well. The mode variety is nice and car selection is nice. But the strange physics engine and long races are a big turn off. | http://gamejolt.com/games/sports/speed-rally-pro-2/34231/ |
| Street Law 2030 | Very very fun little game that's both retro and challenging. It's simple to grasp and engaging | http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/street-law-2030/34287/ |
| Subway Debacle | The gameplay is fine and the graphics are amazing but however, there's no indication on how far the train even is. And Mr. D moves pretty slow. | http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/subway-debacle/34318/ |
| The surfer Dolphins Attack | A fine little arcade game about dodging dolphins on a surfboard | http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/the-surfer-dolphins-attack/34177/ |
| Walk the plank | That was pretty fun. Not much else to say other than your crew is a buncha jerks | http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/walk-the-plank/34487/ |
| Waterside Resort: Fun in the Sun | Extremely Challenging puzzle game that I swear sometimes does not have solutions | http://gamejolt.com/games/puzzle/waterside-resort-fun-in-the-sun/34289/ |
Saturday, September 20, 2014
News this week! (9/14/14)
We have some BRAVE new material coming for fans of games like Brave Frontier and Clash of Clans.
My SSM partner kidlghtng4 will be creating vids showcasing and commentating on his experiences in both Brave Frontier and Clash of Clans, both of which he's a huge fan of. He'll also be getting involved in some more mobile experiences of gaming that we're planning but I'm afraid that's all I can say on that one. So keep your eyes peeled guys!
Other news is I'm moving the Fresh Picks series releases to Wednesdays, to go better with my work/school schedule. As seen, I've been routinely off with releases because time constraints were very restricting combined with my other responsibilities. So with a Wednesday release I'm more free to give out the content you guys love!
My SSM partner kidlghtng4 will be creating vids showcasing and commentating on his experiences in both Brave Frontier and Clash of Clans, both of which he's a huge fan of. He'll also be getting involved in some more mobile experiences of gaming that we're planning but I'm afraid that's all I can say on that one. So keep your eyes peeled guys!
 |
| Preview of the overlay |
Other news is I'm moving the Fresh Picks series releases to Wednesdays, to go better with my work/school schedule. As seen, I've been routinely off with releases because time constraints were very restricting combined with my other responsibilities. So with a Wednesday release I'm more free to give out the content you guys love!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Gametime Batch Friday Sep, 19
Teddy Tea leaf was fun. I'm planning on completing this one but time constraints kept me from recording much.
Monday, September 15, 2014
The Crop (9/7/14)
The Crop is my compiled list of games that I pulled out to play. Not all the games make it to fresh picks but they do get mentioned. And I share my thoughts on each game and perhaps why they were or weren't picked.
Broken Net - This game looked like it would be a pipeline type game. Me naturally being attracted to arcade games of all sorts I gave it a play. It's a solid concept and that's about it. There's not much game here. There's no direction, no goal, no score. What am I doing here? And the real kicker is sometimes the maps would be generated in a way that would prevent connections cross the map or even right next to one another.
Atomicle - This game looks great and plays fine
but collecting the squares becomes literally impossible in a such a small time period that it becomes more annoying than fun.
Basic Shooter - It was very basic. However that's not to say that it didn't work well. I played this game and was a bit confused till I realized that it was a for the #30DayDev challenge, to which I can say that at least it was a functional game and was challenging to an extent.
Bonsai Worlds - Bonsai Worlds caught my eye from the start with the thumbnail. It looked like I would have fun playing this. And I've always been a fan of God games. The game played wonderfully too, even though on my first run I drove my humans extinct XD. But it gave me the option to restart and rebuild, which is nice. It really makes it feel like you're tending to a garden that you can come back to.
Boxhead - My initial thoughts on viewing the thumbnail was a more dark, noir-style mystery/adventure game. Uh, saying I was far off is a bit of an understatement. It's not really a game as it is more of a small storytelling experience. I was right about the dark theme though. I don't want to spoil it so feel free to experience it yourself.
Broken Net - This game looked like it would be a pipeline type game. Me naturally being attracted to arcade games of all sorts I gave it a play. It's a solid concept and that's about it. There's not much game here. There's no direction, no goal, no score. What am I doing here? And the real kicker is sometimes the maps would be generated in a way that would prevent connections cross the map or even right next to one another.
Brood Stop - This game was another small shooter game and I liked the challenge issued by the developer in which he said "LET THE RAGE QUITS BEGIN" So I thought I'd check it out. Well yea, a game that's designed to kill the player would make them rage quit. It produces situations that are 10/9 unavoidable death sentences. It was indeed a frustrating play. (Yes I'm salty #RQ)
Cheer Cubes - The game looks great even from a thumbnail. I loved the work that went into the art and the care that went into the game design. It was enjoyable even if there wasn't alot to play. There could have been more than 30 puzzle levels I feel that would have been nice. Oh and some music... please? (creepy pasta green cubes man)
Don't touch the flames - Small arcade game that felt a bit clunky in its design. It wasn't a broken experience but it just didn't feel rewarding.
Escape Eternity - Escape eternity almost turned me away because the dev declared it a WIP. But luckily I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. The game's got a nice way of telling a story as well as challenging the player.
Flower Power - This game looks attractive. That was my first thought. I saw 3D models and was a bit skeptical on that and hoped that it didn't spend too much on the models and not enough on game being functional. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that the game runs well and is actually fun. I look forward to playing it more.
Gun Party - I saw an almost naked dude and demon teddy bears and was immediately put off. But I thought about it being a game with perhaps a dark or quirky sense of humor. All I got was a strange game with functional controls but just wasn't enjoyable. Also it's a good thing I'm not epileptic because the flashing lights were not only distracting but annoying. If you are epileptic, I caution you about playing this game in a dark room. (#awfulgamejam and #seizurejam) Oh.
Knight Tour - Small game using the knight chess piece to collect coins by using its unique movement pattern. It's a cool concept and it's pulled off competently. It's just the game lacks polish.
Landing - Another small game that has a decent concept it's just there's not much to it. It's not a bad game however.
Love Bandit - I lol'd at the concept of stealing others happiness for my own benefit. The cartoonish bandit and art style was well done in my opinion and the game doesn't take itself too seriously. I wanted to play more.
Maximus Cerebrum - An interesting adventure game about rebelling against our purpose. I liked the whole experience and loved the progression via exploration. And that it's mainly a true adventure game with a story. This is definitely worth playing.
Moon 2156 - Another Adventure game that manages to be creepy somehow with 8-bit graphics. The themes are dark and some of the situations are unnerving. I liked it alot.
Munky Blocks - Munky blocks control scheme is kind of confusing at first. But once you get the hang of it it's a really fun game with a decent challenge curve and also plenty of levels.
Neutralizer - This game is very hard. They teach about the game and then throw you right in the fray without a second thought. It doesn't start slow and builds up it starts fast and sometimes even unfairly. It's hardcore for reflex fanatics.
Orc Diplomat - I'll be honest and this sounds weird but this game just moves way too smoothly. I felt like I was playing ice levels in mario and was somehow accidentally moving over some small blocks that I thought I had to jump while others stopped me. The attacking also felt so limp and loose and unreliable. Alot of this game felt unreliable.
Periodic Blitz - This game is solid. A jewel match and click game at its core but it allows you to click on pairs of 2 jewels so point racking was far too easy.
Pit Adventure - I couldn't stop saying "What the hell is going on?" This was another story experience that was interesting to say the least
Red Flood - It was over with a bit too quickly. I liked it though.
Spheres of influence - It was relaxing and challenging and sometimes downright impossible with as many spheres and bombs appeared. But this game was good fun.
Teddy Tea leaf - I thought it was a great strategy game. I liked how the scenarios panned out and made sure that I kept on my toes. Other than the strange control layout ( I mean really was WASD that hard?) I truly liked this game.
Valax eon - Another storytelling experience that I think was surreal enough for me to enjoy.
Znake - I loved the old arcade versions of snake and I loved this one. In a strange twist of my criticism being taken seriously the developer improved on this game's design and made it more challenging and fun.
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