Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Eric Lockaby / Last Metaphor link collection

Collection of fake game reviews/interviews and other interesting stuff:


http://thelastmetaphor.com/?p=1923
http://nightmaremode.net/2011/08/_____-on-the-planet-x-a-year-of-interviews-with-jeffrey-auburn-2-8751/
http://nightmaremode.net/2011/10/raymond-carver-vs-the-mortality-of-man-%E2%80%93-a-year-of-interviews-with-jeffrey-auburn-3-12325/

http://nightmaremode.net/2011/09/deliverance-3ds-review-10226/
http://nightmaremode.net/2011/09/imaginary-games-book-review-10714/
http://thelastmetaphor.com/?p=190
http://thelastmetaphor.com/?p=1188


http://nightmaremode.net/2011/11/gaming-in-the-dark-13092/
http://thelastmetaphor.com/?p=1637
http://thelastmetaphor.com/?p=401

Lycka till med utställningen!

Monday, January 2, 2012

2011

This years GOTY list and reminiscing. Not a super thrilling year for me gamewise or otherwise; I left the blogosphere completely half-way through and have since then barely gotten any news on what has been going on. I've been reading Extra Lives, article series of growing up, watching Buffy, playing Bastion, studying tarot/heroes journey, and realizing why Majoras Mask haunts me so (it's about growing up, yes).

As always, there are hundreds of games on steam which look like they just might be good if I give them a change, but without that push from people whose opinion I trust, most of the games just seem meh and I have no energy giving them a try. Many of the games I was looking forward to have actually not been released, so next year looks good at least. Hopefully Weir, Cavanagh (even if I haven't played At a Distance yet) and increpare will get their shit together (top three from last years list) for next year and do something mindblowing. Asides from games such as Mass Effect 3 and Max Payne 3, there will be those late-coming games which I for some reason thought would be released 2011: Dear Esther, Duality ZF, Silent Hill Downpour, SpyParty, Cavanaghs game, X-com, Hazard: Journey of Life, Metal Gear Solid Rising, Unfinished Swan, Fez, The Witness, The Dream Machine, Tuning. Add some newcomers such as Kentucky Route Zero, Quantum Conundrum, Twinkling Stars, The Journey Down, Fez, Miegakure, Elysian Tale, Paradox Shift, and, to not forget, all those new wonderful games of which I yet do not know (and probably will not find out anything about since I don't read about games anymore).

Perhaps 2012 is the year when some of those games which are never to be completed actually become completed? I'm thinking Forge (sequel to Loom), the sequel to A Second Face, Team Effigys Out of Time, Planescape Trilogy, cactus sequel to mondo agency... I mean the restoration project for Kotor 2 finally got to an end in 2011, and so did Duke Nukem 4ever! So I will start the new year by playing Kotor2, and then going through the mass effect trilogy in february and mars. Overall I am now looking back at what has been, and revisiting my past through pop culture. I am hoping this is not a way of regressing, but transgressing, growing.

For the sake of disclosure and completion, this is what I've missed out on this year: Achron, Esoterica America, new Batman game, Uncharted 3, To the Moon, Gunstringer, Fate of the World, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and, silly me, almost forgot: the new zelda game. I have also wanted to play some kind of co-op game but haven't really the right friends for it. Left For Dead 2, or something in that vein. Not Gears of War though. Oh, Glitchhiker for example, in a more formal setting, would be awesome. Also I would like more vertically oriented shmups with much procedural content and many extends, as always, but still return to Kenta Chos games instead because it seems damned hard to satisfy me in that specific area. Somehow, I must have super acquired taste when it comes to them because the few I've played, well, not my cup of tea. And since Kenta Cho won't answer my emails on updating Rootage, noiz2a, and parsec47 for newer computers/higher resolutions/widescreens, I'm out of luck. Linley Henzels shmups work so so on windows 7 too, with colors getting messed up, and from hir I got an answer, but no update. Maybe the new game Angry moth will be good?

Well, here's the list. I don't think any of the old stuff has changed really, but I might as well post it.


2011


Honorable Mention

A Mother in Festerwood (Austin Breed)
American Dream (Stephen Lavelle, Terry Cavanagh, Jasper Byrne and Tom Morgan-Jones)
Balloon-Diaspora/Ruins (Jake Elliott)
Cat and the Coup (Peter Brinson/Kurosh ValaNejad)
Fotonica
Glitchhiker (vlambeer)
Hot Throttle (Cacusquid)
NightSky (Nicalis/Nifflas)
No Longer Subject to Judicial Review (NiallM)
Raccord Sniper (Nicolai Troshinsky)
Rebuild (Sarah Northway)
Soul Brother (Jasper Byrne)
Spent (McKinney)
Technobabylon Part III (James Dearden)
Wunderputt (dampgnat)
You Shall Know The Truth/The Book of Living Magic (Jonas Kyratzes)

10 The End of Us (Chelsea Howe & Michael Molinari)

9 Negative Spacecraft (Chris Cornell)

8 A History of Democratic Process in Eire/English Country Tune/Salome/Pirouette (Stephen Lavelle/Increpare)

7 Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony (Final Form)

6 Rebirth (Daniel-D. "Guert" Guertin)

5 Trauma (Krystian Majewski)

4 The Stanley Parable (Cakebread)

3 Bla Bla (Vincent Morisset)

2 Portal 2

1 Bastion





















-1984

10 Solar Fox (Arkad)

9 Excite Bike

8 Pac Man

7 Galaxian

6 Millipede/Centipede

5 Boulder Dash

4 Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

3 Pooyan

2 Robotron 2084

1 Jetpac


1985

Boulder Dash 2: Rockford's Revenge

10 Balance of Power

9 Bomberman

8 A Mind Forever Voyaging

7 Binary Land

6 Gradius

5 Field Combat

4 Ice Climbers

3 Space Harrier

2 Battle City

1 Super Mario Bros






1986

10 Alex Kidd in Miracle World

9 Solomon’s Key

8 Zanac

7 Adventure Island

6 Paper Boy

5 Balloon Fight

4 Bubble Bobble

3 Metroid

2 Legend of Zelda

1 Super Mario Bros 2


1987

10 R-Type

9 Zelda 2: Adventure of Link

8. Rainbow Islands

7 Bureaucracy

6 Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It

5 Maniac Mansion

4 Castlevania

3 Mega Man

2 Tetris: The Soviet Challenge

1 Dungeon Master






1988

10 Snatcher

9 Space Harrier 2

8 Ghouls n’ Ghosts

7 Arkanoid

6 Bubble Bobble

5 Spy vs Spy

4 Ninja Gaiden

3 Mega Man 2

2 Contra

1 Super Mario Bros 3


1989

10 Dig Dug 2

9 Twin Bee 3

8 Blazing Lazers

7 Cobra Triangle

6 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

5 R-Type 2

4 Adventures of Lolo

3 Prince of Persia

2 Dungeon Master: Chaos Strikes Back

1 Final Fight






1990

ActRaiser
Adventures of Lolo
Ducktales
Eye of the Beholder
Smash TV

10 Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers

9 Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse

8 Super Contra

7 Ninja Gaiden 2

6 F-Zero

5 Mega Man 3

4 Loom

3 Lemmings

2 The Secret of Monkey Island

1 Super Mario World


1991

10 Mega Man 4

9 Another World

8 Sonic the Hedgehog

7 Super Ghouls n’ Ghosts

6 Ninja Gaiden 3: The Dark Ship of Doom

5 Monkey Island 2: Lechuck’s Revenge

4 Area 88/UN Squadron

3 Street Fighter 2: World Warrior

2 Super Castlevania IV

1 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past




1992

Mega Man 5
The Legend of Zelda: Third Quest

10 Pocky and Rocky

9 Street Fighter 2 Turbo

8 Puyo Puyo

7 Jezzball/Maxwell's Maniac (Marjacq Micro/Dima Pavlovsky)

6 Sonic the Hedgehog 2

5 Super Double Dragon

4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

3 The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse

2 Super Probotector: Alien Rebels/Contra 3: Alien Wars

1 Super Mario Kart


1993

Jurassic Park
Shadowrun
World Heroes

10 Sonic the Hedgehog 3

9 Mega Man X

8 E.V.O: Search for Eden

7 Bart Simpson's Nightmare

6 Doom

5 Gunstar Heroes

4 Sam & Max Hit The Road

3 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

2 Day of the Tentacle

1 Castlevania: Rondo of Blood


1994

Donkey Kong Country
Jazz Jackrabbit
Mega Man X2
Micro Machines

10 Cyberdogs

9 Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

8 Beneath a Steel Sky

7 The Great Circus Mystery: Starring Mickey and Minnie

6 Puzzle Bobble

5 Uni Rally/Uniracers

4 Lode Runner: The Legend Returns

3 Contra: Hard Corps

2 X-Com: UFO Defense/UFO: Enemy Unknown

1 Super Metroid


1995

19XX: The War Against Destiny
Discworld
The Dark Eye
Warcraft 2
Zoop

10 Micro Machines 2: Special

9 Diddy's Kong Quest/Donkey Kong Country 2

8 Full Throttle

7 Mega Man 7/Mega Man X3

6 Heroes of Might & Magic

5 Gunbird

4 Alien Soldier

3 Worms

2 Strikers 1945

1 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island


1996

C-Dogs (Cyberdogs 2)
Dixie Kong's Double Trouble/Donkey Kong Country 3
Donpachi
Death Rally
Quake
Resident Evil
Sengoku Ace Episode II/Sengoku Blaede/Tengai

10 Samurai Shodown 4: Yamakuzas Revenge

9 Metal Slug

8 Leisure Suit Larry: Love For Sail

7 Three Dirty Dwarves

6 Mega Man 8

5 Nights: Into Dreams

4 Mario Kart 64

3 Diablo

2 Soul Blade

1 Super Mario 64

1997

Diddy Kong Racing
Duckman
Mega Man X
Samurai Showdown 4: Yamakuzas Revenge

10 Dungeon Keeper

9 Blade Runner

8 Worms 2

7 Fallout

6 Hellfire

5 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

3 Strikers 1945: Part 2

4 Starcraft

2 Dodonpachi

1 Final Fantasy VII

1998

Banjo Kazooie
Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now
F-Zero X
Gunbird 2
LSD: Dream Emulator
Medievil
Micro Machines V3
NHL 1999
Photopia (Adam Cadre)
Rockman & Forte
Sanitarium
Space Bomber

10 Liero (Joosa Riekkinen)

9 Fallout 2

8 Dink Smallwood

7 Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines

6 Hexplore

5 Starcraft: Broodwars

4 Grim Fandango

3 Baldur’s Gate

2 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

1 Metal Gear Solid


1999

Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty
Darkstone
Grandia
Guwange
Heroes of Might and Magic 3
NHL 2000
Roller Coaster Tycoon
Soul Calibur
Vib Ribbon
Worms Armageddon

10 Super Smash Bros

9 Castlevania/Legacy of Darkness

8 Final Fantasy VIII

7 Silent Hill

6 Unreal Tournament

5 Longest Journey, The

4 System Shock 2

3 Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast

2 Street Fighter 3: Third Strike

1 Planescape Torment


2000

Banjo Tooie
DX-Ball 2
Dragon Blaze
Galatea (Emily Short)
NHL 2001

10 Ricochet (Counter-Strike)

9 Escape from Monkey Island

8 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

7 Diablo 2

6 Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

5 Elasto Mania (Balázs Rózsa)

4 Shrapnel (Adam Cadre)

3 Deux Ex

2 The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask

1 Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn


2001

Conkers Bad Fur Day
Devil May Cry
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
Final Fantasy X
Freak Out!/Stretch Panic
Frequency
Gothic
IF Arcade
Jak & Daxter
Kingdom Hearts
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory
Pleurghburg: The Dark Age (Chrille Blomqvist)
Project Zero/Fatal Frame
Ribbons (J.D Berry)
Serious Sam
Super Monkey Ball
Super Smash Bros Melee
Zone of the Enders

10 Cyberd

9 Rez

8 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

7 Luigis Mansion

6 Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil

5 Shadow of Memories/Shadow of Destiny

4 Max Payne

3 Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal/Ascension

2 Silent Hill 2

1 Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty


2002

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Ketsui
Ratchet & Clank
Sly Raccoon
Super Monkey Ball 2
The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil (Zun/Team Shanghai Alice)
The Trials of Odysseus Kent (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)

10 Hobo Soccer (Magic Whisper)

9 Psyvariar: Revision/Psyvariar: Medium Unit

8 Pop n’ Music 8

7 Super Mario Sunshine

6 Ikaruga

5 Noiz2sa (Kenta Cho)

4 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

3 Guilty Gear XX

2 Metroid Prime

1 Metroid Fusion


2003

Amplitude
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme
Espgaluda
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Samorost (Amanita Design)
Soul Calibur 2
The Apprentice (Herculean Effort Productions)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Master Quest
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4
Warioware Inc: Minigame Mania
Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner


10 Seiklus (cly5m)

9 Perfect Cherry Blossom (Zun/Team Shanghai Alice)

8 5 Days a Stranger (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)

7 Beyond Good And Evil

6 The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

5 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

4 Silent Hill 3

3 Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

2 dodonpachi DAI-OU-JOU

1 Parsec47/rRootage (Kenta Cho)


2004

A Case of the Crabs (Pinhead Games)
Beatmania IIDX 8th Style
Glass Rose
Imperishable Night (Zun/Team Shanghai Alice)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Psyvariar 2: Ultimate Final
Polarium
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Tontie (Eyesmaze)
Tuboflex (Molleindustria)
Tumiki Fighters (Kenta Cho)

10 Levers (Patrick Smith)

9 Go go roppongi Stick!

8 Katamari Damacy

7 Cirque de Zale (Rebecca Clements)

6 Mushihimesama

5 The Apprentice II: Knights Move (Herculean Effort Productions)

4 7 Days a Sceptic (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)

3 Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines

2 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

1 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords


2005


Anna (Vince Twelve/xiigames)
Beatmania IIDX 9th Style/Beatmania IIDX 10th Style
Blue Wish (x.x)
Cedric and the Revolution (Bernie)
Conker: Live and Reloaded
Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat
Electroplankton
Espgaluda 2
Guilty Gear XX Slash
Gunroar/Val & Rick (Kenta Cho)
Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan!
Pop n' Music 11
Soul Calibur 3
The Apprentice Deluxe (Herculean Effort Productions)
We Love Katamari

10 Cave Story (Daisuke Amaya)

9 Soviet Unterzögersdorf (Monochrom)

8 Resident Evil 4

7 Psychonauts

6 Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved

5 Experimental Gaming: Tower of Goo, On a Rainy Day, The Crowd, Gravity Head, Square Off, Attack of the Killer Swarm, Riff

4 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence

3 Killer 7

2 Jade Empire

1 Pathologic


2006

Automaton (Mr Colossal)
Blue Wish Resurrection/Eden's Edge (x.x)
Hallway of Adventures (Mordalles)
La La Land 5/La La Land 4/La La Land 3/La La Land 2/La La Land (TheAnemic)
Museum of Broken Dreams (Jonas Kyratzes)
Mushihime-sama Futari
New Super Mario Bros
The Shivah/Blackwell Legacy (Dave Gilbert)

10 Torus Trooper/Titanion (Kenta Cho)

9 Within A Deep Forest (Nifflas)

8 Beatmania IIDX 11: IIDX RED

7 Pop n' Music 12

6 Sam & Max Episode 1: Culture Shock

5 Guilty Gear XX Accent Core

4 WarioWare: Smooth Moves

3 Spooks (Lively Ivy/Erin Robinson)

2 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

1 Trilby's Notes (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)


2007

Beatmania IIDX 13: DistorteD
Blackwell Unbound (Dave Gilbert)
Contra 4
Feed the Head (Patrick Smith)
Frozzd (Jesse Venbrux)
Game, game, game and again game (Jason Nelson)
Knytt Stories/Knytt (Nifflas)
La Croix Pan (TheJBurger)
Mountain of Faith (Zun/Team Shanghai Alice)
Murder In A Wheel (Renzo “Eshaktaar” Thönen)
Nelly Cootalot (Alasdair Beckett)
Pacman Championship Edition
Rorschach (Collecting Smiles)
Samorost 2 (Amanita Design)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Trilby: The Art Of Theft (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)


10 Garden of Coloured Lights/Excellent Bifurcation (Linley Henzell)

9 Sam & Max Season 1: Cont’

8 The Witcher

7 Mondo Agency/Mondo Medicals/Clean Asia (Cactusquid)

6 Mass Effect

5 Super Mario Galaxy

4 Bioshock

3 Passage (Jason Rohrer)

2 Portal

1 6 Days A Sacrifice (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)


2008

Achievement Unlocked
Aether (Edmund McMillen)
A Second Face (Jospin Le Woltaire)
Blue Wish Resurrection Plus (x.x)
Des Rêves Élastiques Avec Mille Insectes Nommés Georges (Deirdra Kia)
Do-Don-Pachi Dai-Fukkatsu
Fallout 3
Free Culture Game/Queer Power (Molleindustria)
Gateway II (Anders Gustafsson)
Geometry Wars Evolved 2
How Many…
Little Girl In Underland (Lively Ivy/Erin Robinson?)
Psychosomnium/Seizuredome (Cactusquid)
Virtual Silence/Seven Minutes (Tuukka Virtanen)

10 Rescue: The Beagles (Nenad Jalsovec)

9 The Witcher: Enhanced Edition

8 Self-destruct/Xoldiers (Terry Cavanagh)

7 Nanobots (Lively Ivy/Erin Robinson)

6 Karoshi 2.0/Execution/Pazzon/Torque/Karoshi/Karoshi Factory/Karoshi: Suicide Salaryman (Jesse Venbrux)

5 Gravitation/Police Brutality/Between/Perfectionism (Jason Rohrer)

4 Dear Esther (thechineseroom/Dan Pinchbeck)

3 World Of Goo (2d Boy)

2 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot

1 Braid (Jonathan Blow)


2009

!, Robot/Shifters Box (Ben304)
4 Minutes and 33 Seconds of Uniqueness (Petri/Kloonigames)
And Yet It Moves (Broken Rules)
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Au Sable/All Our Friends Are Dead (Amon26)
Backup/Bars of black and white (Gregory Weir)
Chaser (Connor Carpenter/shadestorm)
Devils Tuning Fork (DePaul Game Elites)
Eden’s Aegis (x.x)
Evidence of Everything Exploding (Jason Nelson)
Flow (thatgamecompany)
Play: Free Will - The Game (raitendo)
Gravity Bone (Blendo Games)
Harpooned (Conor O’Kane)
lose/lose (Zach Gage)
Mental Repair Inc (Renzo “Eshaktaar” Thönen)
Nestlings (Lewis Denby)
Repent (Aaron Oldenburg)
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Small Worlds (David Shute)
Spectre (Vaguely Spectacular)
Super Karoshi/Focus (Jesse Venbrux)
Takishawa Is Dead! (Andrew Brophy)
Today I Die (Daniel Benmergui)
The Company of Myself (Eli Pülonen)
Windosill (Patrick Smith)


10 Everyday The Same Dream/Kosmosis (Molleindustria)

9 Time Fcuk (Edmund McMillen, William Good & Justin Karpel)

8 The Marionette (Team Effigy/Auriond)

7 Korsakovia (thechineseroom/Dan Pinchbeck)

6 Radiator 1-2: Handle With Care/Radiator 1-1: Polaris (Robert Yang)

5 Tales of Monkey Island

4 White Butterfly (Linley Henzell)

3 Judith/Don’t look back/Pathways/Bullfist (Terry Cavanagh)

2 Dragon Age: Origins

1 Opera Omnia/Home/Therapy Game/Mirror Stage/The Black Yeti/Signifier (Stephen Lavelle/increpare)


2010

...But That Was [Yesterday]/Together (Michael Molinari)
After (Aaron Oldenburg)
Alan Wake
Beautiful Escape: Dungeoneer (Nicolau/calunio)
Blades of Passion (Drew Wellman)
Crimzon Clover (Yotsubane)
Conquer the Shadow World/Lackadaisium (Ultimate Walrus)
Covetous/Good Fortune (Austin Breed)
Cow Clicker (Ian Bogost)
Depict1 (Retro Affect)
Digital: A Love Story (Christine Love)
Dragon Age: Awakening
Dual Transform (Andrew Plotkin)
Eternally Us (Ben304)
Feign (Ian Snyder)
Frenzy Defense (Jan Willem Nijman)
Hero Core (Daniel Remar)
Hoosegow (Ben Collins-Sussman and Jack Welch)
Howard Glitch Game (Robert Allmand)
Leaky Worlds: A Playable Theory (Molleindustria)
Limbo (Playdead)
Loved (Alexander Ocias)
My First Quantum Translocator
Norrland/Gamma4 (Cactusquid)
Octodad (DGE2)
One Chance (AwkwardSilenceGames)
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
P0nd (Peanut Gallery)
Puji (Alexander Jhin, Matt McKnett, and Pat Kemp)
Puzzlebots (Lively Ivy/Erin Robinson)
QWOP (Bennett Fodd)
Super Crate Box (Vlambeer)
Super Meat Boy (Team Meat)
Super Street Fighter IV
suteF (Ted Lauterbach)
Symon (Singapore MIT Gambi Game Lab)
Technobabylon - Part II/Technobabylon - Part 1 (James Dearden)
Tedium (EddieC))
The Arm/Refus Q. Jibberjabber's Day Out/Flin McGraw's Last Day (tipp)
Tower of Heaven (askiisoft)
Which (Mike Inel)

10 A House in California/Hummingbird Mind (Jake Elliott & friends)

9 Life Flashes By (Deirdra Kia)

8 Snakes of Avalon (Igor Hardy/Ascovel & Baron/Alex Van Wijst)

7 Super Mario Galaxy 2

6 The Dream Machine (Erik Zaring & Anders Gustafsson)

5 The Journey Down: Over The Edge (Theodor Waern)

4 Mass Effect 2

3 VVVVV/Phobiaphobiaphobia (Terry Cavanagh)

2 Looming/The Day/Narthex (Gregory Weir)

1 Treatise/Hush/Modernauts/Primitive Pattern/Starfeld/100 Names/Queue/The Terrible Whiteness of Appalachian Nights/The Rose Garden/Catalan/Cascode (Stephen Lavelle/increpare)