QCF: Retro Game Crunch

t's certainly no secret that in my faded, old, dying eyes, the golden years of gaming are now a bygone era with only reminders of its glory remaining in my collection of cartridges and CD ROMs that, for the most part, currently reside in the closet of my studio. Pixels and bits trump system specs and polygons. FOR LIFE!

To that end, I'm loving PC gaming more and more, especially with the increasing number of retro-inspired and old-school feeling titles on services such as Desura, Steam and the Humble Store. Sure, there are typically zero physical copies appearing for the PC platform for these games, but that doesn't make the games any less fun and often times, they are nice and affordable.

One game that is sure to strike the fancy of any retronaut like myself is Retro Game Crunch, a delightful collection of 3^rd generation-inspired titles, complete with the huge pixels, lo-fi sound and often-brutal difficulty old-timers like myself crave the ever-loving bits out of. Each title is totally different from the last yet somehow manages to stay just as fun and fresh between games. But for $15, is it worth your time? Get ready for a Ser Flash Seven-Part Machine-Gun review for Retro Game Crunch!

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QCF: Republique-Episode 2: Metamorphosis

 This Review was Frelanced by Rob Rich; you can find his other work here.

 few months have passed since Hope first began her desperate escape from implied brainwashing at the hands of her rather nefarious captors. Or are they her protectors? Nothing is entirely clear or as it seems in the world of Republique, and Episode 2: Metamorphosis keeps things just as confusing.

This new episode takes Hope through The Library as she attempts to get in touch with the one person she’s relatively sure she can trust in this lavish prison. But can she get to him in time? Well, that’s for you to find out.

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QCF: Transistor

ast year’s PAX East left me with an overwhelming anticipation that I never thought could still manifest itself within this old jaded jerk of a player; it quickly seeded itself into a plantation of hope that gradually grew with every day it’s release date approached closer. I left the Supergiant Games booth with a tear in my eye, knowing that this day would come, when I would be able to reach full circle with their sophomore effort—Transistor.

Granted, the expectations for Transistor may have been tempered with heavy prospects, considering that it rides the coat tails of its famous older-brother Bastion, but the journey of Red and her unlikely ally doesn’t exist to simply prove that lightning can strike twice.

No, what makes Transistor so special is the message it carries; is a message that incredible narrative experiences can be achieved in video games no matter the shape, size, or budget, but more importantly—only done so because it is a video game.

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QCF: The Last Federation

hat’s not to love about flying through space, fighting pirates and warlords, all while getting to decide which planets live or die? Taking command of the galaxy sounds pretty sweet. Arcen Games has created a visually pleasing, expansive simulation that allows even the most casual gamer to jump into space and rule the universe. There are a few missed marks along the way, but The Last Federation is a good base with lots of potential to improve with DLC.

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QCF: Full Bore

t’s refreshing to play a game that quite literally drops you into the wild and leaves you to your own devices after a relatively quick intro. The world exists on a 2D plane and you play as this little bore. You can move left, right, fall down, and climb adjacent blocks at 45-degree angles. The little bore can also tunnel through dirt and shove blocks around. As you explore you’ll meet the denizens of this underground world whom offer up subtle clues about the game play and the world they inhabit. To boil it all down you’re going to be collecting diamonds buried in the mine.

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QCF: Duck Game

ucks make everything better, there’s no denying it, cartoons, sound effects, sandwich meat, pets, efficient means disposing of expired bread, there’s no limit to how they can improve our way of life; shit, I mean have you guys seen Fly Away Home? That movie’s amazing!

Anyway, getting back on track, it was only a matter of time before a developer took it upon himself to give us the Duck Game we all deserved; it’s called Duck Game.

While most of you may cynically write it off as another local multiplayer Towerfall clone, I can assure you that it’s one of the best times I’ve had with the Ouya yet, and helps define just why the android console is the best indie sweetheart to go to the dance with.

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QCF: Steamworld Dig

hen developers attempt to shove a veritable smorgasbord of buzz-worthy elements and tropes into their games, they’re banking on killing that sales bird among consumers with the two forecasted stones of expectations in the video game marketplace. The first is being able to promote a distinction of unique gameplay that’s conveniently composed of familiar elements that gamers know and love from other titles—it’s an assumptive projection for success that mostly results in being a shallow disaster than an innovative title.

Which is what makes Steamworld Dig from Image & Form Games a completely unexpected surprise that gloriously earns the title of being a worthy exception to the trend—The titles has now expanded to Steam, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita and is now, more than ever, one of the easiest must-own games to obtain out of 2014 to this very day.

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PPR Presents Versus-Samurai Gunn VS. Towerfall

e’ve talked about the renaissance of local couch play and its recent comeback thanks in large, to the efforts of passionate independent developers—and one particular pair of games that have raised the bar. Matt Thorson’s Towerfall has breached into new territories on the PS4, and has pushed the bar even further, but Teknopants to the frenetic kill-or-be-killed sensibilities to a whole new level; well, at least that’s what Andrew thinks, because George thinks he’s full of shit.

Welcome to the newest edition of VS, there are no friendships, no feelings, and no mercy—only compelling discourse that will determine a winner or accomplish nothing more than a bunch of entitled white dudes arguing over nebulous horseshit. So here's Andrew to lead things off.

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