Author: Thomas Ortsik

Founder and Kinda-Editor-In-Chief at Twinstiq.
Also known as Dr. Strangethumb

The new Twinstiq site (alpha) is live

It is done! Sorta. Kinda.
The new site is here and it's somewhat beautiful. It's also broken as hell at this stage, with much work ahead of me, little new features for the reader, and the feeling that all will break down if you look at it from the wrong angle, but hey, baby steps. Our new content management system has way more potential than our previous one and I'm quite proud for actually getting this far without any previous knowledge on how to do any of this.

The reason it launches in this state? 50 Shades Of Unprofessionalism! And our previous CMS would like money again.

Next step: I'll try to fix as many issues as possible until Gamescom, teach our writers how to actually use our new CMS (yeah, potential disaster in the making), someone else will hopefully find the time to fix at least the most recent posts (pictures/videos are missing, some other stuff too) and you guys leave comments about how much you love us, that you are super proud and that you like the new design.
After Gamescom I'll look into the option to select a different color scheme (some people maybe don't like the dark as much) and you will get a bit of video content from Germany.

That's it from me for today. My brain is pretty much exploding at this point and I need to get drunk fast.

 

New Steam Store Releases: Tembo the Badass Elephant

Tembo the Badass Elephant is this week's highlight on the Steam Store. As mentioned earlier this week on the New PlayStation Store Releases, Tembo the Badass Elephant is a surprising new multiplatform property from long-time Nintendo developer Game Freak. Best known for their Nintendo-owned multimedia juggernaut, Pokemon, Game Freak has occasionally made games for other systems in the past. This, however, marks the first time that they have released a game simultaneously on multiple non-Nintendo platforms. The question is, will this be a one-time only affair or should gamers expect to be able to have more ways to play their great games in the future? Only time (and perhaps the success of Tembo) will tell.

Also out this week, an incredibly Japanesey shoot 'em up from a Swiss development studio (incredibly), a Bulgarian-made multiplayer demon hunting action RPG, and a puzzle platformer with an interesting mirror mechanic (origins uncertain). Break from tradition by going multiplatform, then jump past the break to see more of this week's new releases.

  • Tembo the Badass Elephant (Game Freak, Single-player, $14.99) (Controller Support, Steam Achievements)
  • Nandeyanen (Tchagata Games, Single-player, $1.99) (Controller Support)
  • Victor Vran (Haemimont Games, Single & Multi-player, $19.99) (Controller Support, Steam Achievements)
  • Retsnom (Somi, Single-player, $4.99) (Controller Support, Steam Achievements)
  • Terra Nova (Looking Glass Studios, Single-player, $5.99)
  • Five Nights at Freddy's 4 (Scott Cawthon, Single-player, $7.99)
  • Way of the Samurai 4 (Acquire, Single-player, $24.99) (Controller Support, Steam Achievements)
  • Olympia Rising (Paleozoic, Single-player, $4.99) (Controller Support)
  • Feist (Finji, Single-player, $14.99) (Controller Support, Steam Achievements)
[Image: Game Freak]

Andrew J Amideo

2009-06 O Small

Lara Croft

Rise of the Tomb Raider won’t be so exclusive in 2016

Highly controversial XBOX exclusive Rise of the Tomb Raider won't be exclusive for too long. Square Enix has revealed in a press release that the game will be available for Windows 10 and Steam in early 2016. For PS4 owners the wait will be a bit longer since it will remain console exclusive for a year.
"REDWOOD CITY, CA (JULY 23, 2015) – Square Enix today announced its latest title in the critically acclaimed and award-winning Tomb Raider® series, Rise of the Tomb Raider ®, will be available for Windows 10 and Steam in early 2016. The game will be a console exclusive to Xbox One and Xbox 360 for one year after its initial launch, coming to PlayStation® 4 (PS4) in Holiday 2016. Renowned developer Crystal Dynamics, a Square Enix studio, is leading development in the latest entry in the iconic series for additional platforms."
Last year the announcement of this exclusive title was Microsoft's ace under the sleeve fueling the flames in the console war. It looks like the PS4 won't be having an exclusive of the caliber of Tomb Raider to compete against Microsoft this holiday season. If you're a PS4 owner, what games are you looking forward for the rest of this year?

A New WRUPsite

The menu at the top is still a placeholder but the color scheme is final for now (a white and/or orange version is coming in the future)
Changes are coming to Twinstiq. Ok, that sounds more radical than it actually is and the keen observer probably noticed that we are constantly changing anyways (usually for the worse, but let this be a catalyst for positive change). So whats going to change this time?
We get a new site …WOOHOOO, cue the celebratory music and cut it right away… hopefully next week and in a “beta” state, but maybe after Gamescom. I’ve been working on it for quite some time now, without making any real progress, but I finally had my much needed breakthrough.
Once this and the Gamescom stuff is done, I’ll start looking into the News curation. So don’t expect too much on the content front for now, but also don’t worry. All in good time (and when this “beschissene” heatwave is over)But what’s everyone playing?

  • Andrew J Amideo (@Andoro36):  More RB6: Vegas. Maybe some Sonic Racing, if the mood strikes.
  • Billy Colley (@Amuntoth): Picked up WWE 2K15 on Steam for super cheap yesterday, so I'll be playing that. Also, me and Gog support got Shadow of the Horned Rat running finally, so it's going to be a lot of WAAAGH! for me.
  • Cody Hall (@Yoda0VGs): Rocket League, Witcher 3, Rocket League, Witcher 3, then maybe some  RockBand and Rocket League.
  • Dante: Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, TF2 and something else. I finally finished Fire Emblem: Awakening!
  • Greywolfe (@lostwolfe, YouTube): larry 5, patti's going to go and check out reverse biaz.  which, if i remember it rightly, means fiddling with some "backward tracked music."  that's going to be hilarious ;) - kyrandia 1:  the caves are all done.  which means it's time for the  next "random puzzle" - as best as i remember - you brew a thing for zanthia.  i don't remember anything other than the ingredients are totally random.  and lastly, more brawls.  this week's brawl is kind of eh.  if you have lots of cards, you're good.  if you're stuck and just starting out, you're going to get steamrolled.  i think - for this one - it would have been better if blizzard gave people pre-constructed decks.
  • Steve: Enjoying Trove when I can kill the Queue Boss. Might start Bloodborne and be better late than never.
  • Thomas Ortsik (@Dr_Strangethumb): Mostly playing being a decent boyfriend who spends some time with his beloved.

 

New Nintendo eShop Releases: 3D Streets of Rage 2!

Streets of Rage 2 arrives on the 3DS this week! In 3D, no less! The exquisite second installment to one of the greatest beat 'em up series of all time, Streets of Rage 2 is truly a must buy. I don't care if you've never played it, never heard of it, or already own a copy of every version ever released. I insist that you go buy this right now! If you still require a bit of persuasion, you can check out this glowing tribute that our own Jye Cauffle put up, a few months back.

Also out this week, The Binding of Isaac finally makes it's way to Nintendo platforms (after much delay and controversy), a decade old PlayStation 2 platformer gets a special anniversary Wii U remaster, and another fun DS game hits the Wii U Virtual Console. Beat street punks to a pulp with your bare knuckles (See what I did there?), then jump past the break to peruse this fine list of new releases.

Wii U

3DS

[Image: SEGA]

[Source: Business Wire]

Andrew J Amideo

2009-06 O Small

New PlayStation Store Releases: Hatoful F1

F1 2015 has pulled up to the PlayStation 4 this week (presumably arriving in a more playable condition than it did on Steam). The 2015 release of the yearly series from Codemasters is the first to appear on PS4 and Xbox One, and is running on a newly updated version of their EGO racing engine. You can expect this to mean better graphics and physics, this time around. However, the rumor is that F1 2015 is also lacking certain popular features that were prevalent in past year's games. So, take that as you will and perhaps do a little bit of research before deciding whether or not this one is the right game for you.

Also out this week, indie hit Journey (newly available on PS4, in case you missed it the first time or just needed another fix), Tembo the Badass Elephant (a surprising new platformer property from long-time Nintendo dev, and Pokemon creator, Game Freak), and Hatoful Boyfriend, the crazy popular Japanese pigeon high school dating sim/visual novel that started out as an April Fools joke. Do your homework, up your racing game, and then fly past the break to see more of this week's new releases.

PlayStation 4

[Original Image: Codemasters]

Andrew J Amideo

2009-06 O Small

Humble Jumbo Bundle 4

There's a new Humble Jumbo Bundle in town. Pay one dollar and you'll get Mercenary Kings, Outland and Fallen Enchantress. Pay above the average, $4.20 as of this writing, and you'll also get critic's favorite The Stanley Parable along with Endless Space and The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing 2. If you want to go the extra mile you could pay $18 or more and also get Space Engineers (Early Access).More games will be added to the bundle next Tuesday.

(Source)

Steam Sale Aftermath: AVGN Adventures

This time on Steam Sale Aftermath we'll talk about the game where the hero is the man who's gonna take you back to the past.
The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures Video Game is an action packed platformer in the style of 8-bit classic Mega Man. You're going to have to excuse me with all the Mega Man comparisons but it shares a lot with it. For instance, when you start the game you go to a world select screen where you'll choose on of eight different ones. There's a lot of variety in the levels, each of them reminding us of AVGN lore. They go from Castlevania inspired to generic ice level and from Atari Porn to Hell. At the end of each stage you'll face off against a boss where you'll have to deplete their life bar just like in the blue bomber games. Now, don't take this the wrong way, comparing it to Capcom's classic is a compliment.
Imagen

Look at the Castlevania level with that 1-up over there reminiscent of Mega Man.
Unlike the Mega Man games, you don't get a different weapon for each level you beat. Instead, you'll be killing all kind of monsters with your trusty NES Zapper and sometimes with the Super Scope upgrade. There are also special items like the Glitch Gremlin and SuperMechaDeathChrist which will help you clear the game's most difficult parts. Now that I'm talking about difficulty let me tell you one thing: this game is very hard.You'll die very often in this game. You'll die so many times that there is a good chance you'll encounter the 1,000 deaths in-game achievement sooner, rather than later. Sometimes it's so hard it's frustrating, but most of the times you'll be trying again and again until you've cleared the stage. It's definitely got that "one more try" appeal.
Imagen

Climbing ladders and shooting from them Mega Man style.
Is the game worth a try?If you like retro games like Mega Man and you find AVGN videos funny you'll have a great time with this game. I must say the humor of this game is not for everybody though. Here's a clip of the nerd himself playing the game to give you an even better idea of what you can expect, just be warned that it's full of spoilers:
The game was recently released on the Nintendo eShop if you're interested in playing it on the 3DS or Wii U. It should feel right at home there.

Opinion:  Gaming On YouTube Is Here To Stay

Words By GreywolfeI see a lot of confusion about gaming on YouTube – why would you – for example – watch someone doing a Let’s Play of a game?  Surely it makes more sense for you to sit down and play the game from end to end yourself.  Doesn’t this process of watching someone else play the game ruin it?Well, not always.

Sometimes It's Not A Game Type You Can Play

There are all sorts of gems on a gaming system, but they're not always games you can play.  For example, you may not be good at dexterity challenges, but you might be very curious about that kind of game.  Watching people play is the equivalent of

You've got to dig a little deeper
I’m not crazy about platform games, but I like them well enough that I have consistently kept trying to play them ever since the release of Mario Brothers all those years ago.  The problem – for me, at any rate, is that my hand-eye co-ordination has never been particularly spectacular, and the result is that things that seem effortless to some people [doing a long jump to hit that flag pole so that you can rack up a whole bunch of score] are particularly difficult for me to manage, let alone perfect.For the longest time, I would watch my friends play these games.  It was quite soothing.  They’d take the controller and we’d be off in our own little world.  I might tell them where and how I thought they should jump, but for the most part, it was restful.  They would play through the game and I would watch.YouTube has just made that a whole lot easier for me, because my friends aren’t always curious about the games I am, so they don’t necessarily buy into them.

There is also the case that – where I live – not all these games happened to make it to our shores.  Getting a Nintendo 64 was tricky at best and – as a result – I missed out on a lot of those games.  [And then, when my friends who had 64’s got games, they weren’t always the ones I was interested in.]

Were it not for YouTube, I would never have known how great Conker’s Bad Fur Day was.  I would not have seen how Banjo-Tooie took that game in different directions.  I certainly would never have bumped into Glover.

In our more modern time-frame, I would not have had the gumption to try Shovel Knight, [easily one of my favourite games in the last few years] I would never have been exposed to how much work was put into the more modern ports of Myst and I would definitely not have learned of Ronin.

Sometimes You're Not Really There For The Game At All

Some of the time, you've played the game before, and you just want someone else's view on it.

I tend to like laid back, non-screamy YouTube personalities. I know. A rarity.
I’ve played through and enjoyed King’s Quest probably ten or twelve times throughout my gaming career.  At this point there’s not much I haven’t seen in that particular game.  But sometimes, it’s interesting to see someone else play through it and to see their visceral reactions to some of the more crazy puzzles.  [How I hate that beanstalk.]In this case, I’m there for the person’s personality.  Which I think is an important facet that folks sometimes overlook when it comes to the Let’s Play community.  Occasionally, it’s nice to watch someone else battle with things you battled with.  To watch them reason things out and come to – maybe – the same conclusion you did.Or possibly, they just have a style of commentary that agrees with you.  Maybe they never touch on the game at all.  Perhaps they’re funny or quite serious.

In cases like these, I find the games are merely a pleasant backdrop.  A way of listening to someone else while they happen to be playing a game.  And that might be one of the most fun reasons to stop by and watch someone work through a game you’ve already played.

Sometimes, The Game Is FILLED With Fake Difficulty

Sometimes, games are filled with arbitary silliness that you don't want to wade through.  But maybe someone else has...

This little cube. How many hours I lost to it. While this isn't fake difficulty, you can bet that I carefully peeled off the colour stickers on the cube faces and stuck them back. I'd "won" the cube ;)
[You can read an article on the idea of fake difficulty here]There are some things in games that I just don’t have the patience for.  I managed – for example – to play most of Kingdom Hearts:  Chain of Memories.  I got all the way to the top of the tower, finding all the little secrets there were to find by very carefully exploring every single bit of that game world.  I genuinely liked the game and genuinely was looking forward to finishing it.Then, I got to the top of the tower and the game basically had the gall to say, “oh, hey, in the first room of the first world you ever stepped into, there was a compartment thing that you couldn’t get into.  That’s open now and it has the best sword in the game.  You can’t finish the game until you get that sword, so you’d better hustle!”

You can understand my frustration.  I’d put twelve or fourteen hours in at that point and – like most modern games – I thought I was at the end, because everything seemed to be pointing that way, but it turned out the developer was playing an elaborate game of bait and switch.

YouTube to the rescue!  I found someone who was more patient and knew what was going to happen to them and managed to watch them play through that particular segment of the game.  No, it didn’t give me exactly the same satisfaction, but good Lord, that was something the developer didn’t need to do.

Conclusion

I love that gaming on YouTube exists.  I love that it has exposed me to many an experience I was never likely to have.  I love that there’s a big and thriving community on YouTube that is just as interested in gaming as I am.  It’s also interesting to me that there’s a great cross-section of folks playing a great many different types of games.  It isn’t just all Call of Duty.  Some folks have a love for nostalgic adventure games.  Some folks are more into platform games.  It’s awesome.Next week, I’ll expound a little bit more, because there are a handful of other things I’d like to cover that I didn’t manage to get to in this article.

Images courtesy of Pixabay
Pixabay