Bullet Heaven HD, Episode 112 - Atari Protoshmups

n the Series 6 premier, we're taking a look at TEN Atari 2600 "Protoshmup"s! Strap in, scale up and "Get Ready" for a look to the very genesis of home console shooting games!

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QCF: Bayonetta 2

here are certain games that are fully aware of the audience they’re intended for—the original Bayonetta was such a title.  The impression of vivacious action and the great deal of spectacle its sultry violence spurs on is the kind of experience that indulges in the very unique spirit of expressionism that can only be realized by video games.

And yet ironically, despite the many eccentric nuances exclusive to the culture of gaming that it did celebrate, it’s appeal and accessibility was arguably a bit niche-sized at best, finding a home within the hearts of only the most hardcore of action fans.

Bayonetta 2 rectifies a great deal of that with Nintendo’s influence, and much to the delight of everyone involved or interested for that matter, it doesn’t compromise any of the distinctive dynamics or personality of the Umbra Witch—quite the opposite actually.

The trifecta of Nintendo, Sega, and Platinum collaboration has not only produced title made of everything that a sequel should be, but Bayonetta 2’s subtle improvements help propel the approachability of it adrenaline-soaked quest into a significantly wider spectrum of player skill and interest that’s good enough to land the Wii U on some wish lists for this holiday season.

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QCF: Shantae and The Pirate's Curse

or all of the self-indulgently romanticized tributes to the nostalgic age of platform gaming, the arguably saturation of this new trend sure forgot to bring with it one of the most important components that made this particular era so riveting—the personality.

Sure, the comfortingly familiar sights of the various mascot tropes in motion like vivid colors, or obnoxiously radical attitudes slowly came together like an awesome homecoming , but this wave of passionate tributes are starting to run out on the goodwill of the source material they homage.

Leave it to Way Forward to not only keep that charming blaze of platformer fire alive, but studio’s has labored a great deal of adding a new flare of innovation to the genre with the third entry to their flagship series, Shantae. Pirate’s Curse not only capitalizes on all of the trademark charisma and features that made the franchise what it is today, but it strives on to go a step further to burnish a new layer of polish the likes that would make exceptional present-day contemporaries like Shovel Knight blush.

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PPR 90

Sneaking up on whatever you have to do can have its own little reward, and sometimes, it’s probably a big pain in the ass; The art of Stealth is truly a divided camp.

Join Andrew, George, and newcomer Gil, as they go on to discuss the duality that comes with espionage-focused titles, whether it’s the empowering sense of control, or the crippling anxiety from losing said control—the topic gets hit pretty hard and deep.

In addition, the gang goes on to talk about Bayonetta 2, Skylanders: Trap Team, Vegan Bacon, Shadows of Mordor, how gross Ann Geddes is, Sunset Overdrive, Alien Isolation, Ass to Mouth, The Uncle Who Works For Nintendo, household cats, Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker, and much, much more.

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on our Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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PPR Presents Play Play: Project AXSX Demo

ne of the more intricate nuances of video game culture strangely enough is all of the content that doesn’t leave the cutting room floor. The unreleased treasure trove of games and levels comprise a sense of personal history that actively distinguishes video games from any other media form to this very day.

When these canceled bits of code and projects actually manage to see the light of day, the gaming community strives to make sure that spread the forbidden lovejoy of these unearthed games for as many as they can to play it; and sometimes, it takes some fan efforts to go on and finish what the original team never could. Chris Senn’s effort for the famous hedgehog’s flagship Saturn effort for example is a holy grail of sorts for unreleased games; and a team of fans by the name of Project AXSX has taken it upon themselves to deliver a fan completion of the mythical Sonic X-treme.

We got our hands on a demo of it, a really early work-in-progress of it, and well, we try to be really over optimistic over whether or not this ambitious take on the blue blur deserves to exist.

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

QCF: Neverending Nightmares

reating a scary video game that's able to not only strike fear into the heart of its players, but subsequently dose them with the adrenaline needed to carry on, can be summed up into being one of the hardest no-brainer endeavors ever attempted within the media, to this very day.

The token element of the package any self-respecting thriller and horror schemed system strives to deliver, is the relationship of interaction with the player themselves.

Every role, from the blood curdling scenery, down to the unsettling instances of terror that haunt you every step of the way, are just a few of the several dealings fueled by the moment-to-moment  bread and butter frenzy, and what to expect out of the ordeal.

Although most developers are ostensibly aware of the importance behind these factors and the respective dynamics of gameplay involved, what sets the memorably traumatic games apart from the cheesy snore-fests, or frustratingly cheap gore-porn, is the calculation regarding the finer points of the scary essentials to the experience itself. The all hinging on the immaculate sense of pacing responsible for the perpetual balancing act in charge of the infrequent, yet engaging moments of agency, and the exchange of horrifying downfalls into helplessness in between them.

Infinitap's Neverending Nightmare is one of the few games of this generation, that manages to effectively nail down every nuance of the immersive horror dogma, developed with a sense of passion for the craft that's capable of leaving behind a few trembles in your hand-even after the screen has moved on to something else.

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QCF: Squid's Odyssey

hen I first saw Squids Odyssey, I couldn't help but laugh. The thought of running around an RPG as a cephalopod seemed a little weird at first (then you remember that there's a Pigeon Dating-Sim and the weirdness tends to go away.) Upon viewing the game play, I was definitely intrigued.

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QCF: Fairy Fencer F

t's nice to see NIS bounce back from the edge of financial ruin like it has. Rumor has it that the Japanese RPG developer was certain to lose its doors for good, barring the success of Disgaea 4.

Thankfully, this wasn't the case, and we've seen some great offerings lately for our troubles, and respectively theirs. From the awesome Witch and the Hundred Knight, to the fan-favorite Danganronpa, and the recently-remade Neptunia Re:Birth 1. With so many games spewing forth from NIS recently however, there's bound to be some overlap, and Compile Heart's Fairy Fencer F is a perfect example.

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