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The Portal Companion Collection Might be the Best Console Version of Portal

Wanted to share a recent Digital Foundry comparison of all the Portal console versions. According to the review, the Switch version may be the best console version of both games. Too bad Valve doesn’t support the console versions of its games more but then again they are fairly old games too.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is Radical!

Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge does a great job of capturing the essence of the TMNT arcade game from 1990, which later came to the NES. At the time there was already a TMNT game on the NES, so this was given the title of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game.” It allowed up to four players to take on the Foot Clan as each of the TMNT. You can check out the Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_(arcade_game) It also very much reminds me of the Simpsons arcade game, which was popular.

This version allows up to six players online and offline. If you’re playing on Steam, you’ll have the chance to link to... Read All Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge does a great job of capturing the essence of the TMNT arcade game from 1990, which later came to the NES. At the time there was already a TMNT game on the NES, so this was given the title of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game.” It allowed up to four players to take on the Foot Clan as each of the TMNT. You can check out the Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_(arcade_game) It also very much reminds me of the Simpsons arcade game, which was popular.

This version allows up to six players online and offline. If you’re playing on Steam, you’ll have the chance to link to your Epic Games account. I haven’t played multiplayer yet, but it seems like a great game to play with both family and friends.

I think those of us who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s as TMNT fans will get the most out of this. I don’t know how someone who grew up outside of that time will see the game. I’ve enjoyed it although I wish it was longer. The game only has 16 levels and my average time of completing each one seems to be about 6 minutes.

One of my favorite things in many of these similar classic video games is breakable environments. This game has them. There are many boxes and parts of the environment you can break which will sometimes hide things like pizza that restores your health or a variety of other helpful items. Sometimes you’ll also uncover a “cameo.” These are characters such as Irma, Vernon, and others. They’ll have a quest which is that they’re looking for certain items hidden throughout the levels in these breakable things. Irma, for instance, is looking for pieces of her diary. Completing one of these quests will give the power points

Power points are like experience points used to increase your power level. Doing so increases your health and Ninja Power Gauge. As for the latter, it will increase as you attack enemies. Once it reaches a certain point, you can use it for a special move ("Y" by default for XBox One controller). With this special move, you can attack many enemies all around you at once. You can also use it in other forms.

There are levels to the Ninja Power Gauge. You reach a new level of this by not using it when it fills up. So, once you fill up one, the next starts filling up. Once you reach three, you can activate Radical Mode. Once activated, it gives you a damage boost, but it drains the Ninja Power Gauge. It’s great to use against bosses.

There are some achievements, which you can see and keep track of in-game. Some of them have to do with seeing every story ending and finding all cameos. I’ve only played through the game with Leo and Don. Pro tip: If you don’t skip the very end cut scene, you can see what your character is up to after the story is over.

The world map reminds me a lot of the first TMNT NES game. It’s been so long since I’ve played it. It’s the same kind of map you see in Mario games.

I’ve seen that there may be more content coming.

If you were a TMNT fan growing up like me, you’ll probably love and appreciate this as much as I do or more. If you have kids, this is a great game to play with them and introduce them to your era of gaming.

Let me know what you think about this! Did you enjoy the original TMNT arcade game?

Portal Companion Collection Available on Switch Today!

The Portal Companion Collection is available on Switch today! If you wanted to replay these classic games on Switch, now’s the time.

It’s currently only available digitally with a physical release later this year from Play Asia.

https://www.play-asia.com/portal-companion-collection/13/70f7i3

Donate To Summer Games Done Quick 2022 to Support Doctors Without Borders!

Summer Games Done Quick is here and this set of charity speedruns is supporting Doctors Without Borders. It's Doctors Without Borders largest fund raising event and you should join in the fun.

Check out the incredible runs through the schedule link below and make sure to watch and donate.

https://gamesdonequick.com/schedule

Xbox App... This Might Get Me Back Into Gaming

https://i0.wp.com/news.xbox.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/WNFG_Recap_HERO-0372222a21473ac784e7.jpg

At the end of this month, Samsung Smart TVs (from 2022, not older) will have the new XBox App, and players will be able to stream games without a console!

I love Samsung TVs, but mine is a bit older (2014). The next time I buy a new TV, I will definitely stick with Samsung, and just might get a Game Pass to start playing games again!

Gaming without a console is a game-changer (no pun intended )

What say you? Would you be interested in going console-less with a Smart TV?

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/06/09/whats-next-for-gaming/?ocid=Platform_soc_omc_xbo_tw_Photo_lrn_6.9.2

Shredder’s Revenge Behind The Scenes with Tribute Games

DotEmu & Tribute Games released a three part behind the scenes documentary about their upcoming brawler Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. The first doc video talks about how they came to make the game and approach it from a design perspective, part two focuses on game design and part three is the art of the game.

It’s a great behind the scenes look at the game and each part isn’t too long. I found myself wanting a bit more which is all good as the game launches tomorrow. I imagine I’ll write my thoughts on some point after I play it so check back for my early thoughts. So far the game seems to be getting nearly universal acclaim, which is an awesome... Read All

Marvel’s Midnight Suns Coming 10/7/22 (Now delayed to 12/2)

The quick news
Here are two extra trailers to check out:

“Master of Puppets” trailer: https://youtu.be/WVZTsTXO3Nk
“Official Gameplay Reveal” with a March release date: https://youtu.be/8eeGFDDU3Hg

Marvel’s Midnight Suns is coming 10/7/22 and the embedded trailer is awesome! The embedded one has a nice cover of “Enter Sandman” in it. Playable characters include Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Venom, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Blade, Ghost Rider, Magik, and Nico Minoru. The Wikipedia entry calls the game a “tactical” RPG. “Combat will beturn-basedsimilar to Firaxis Games'XCOMseries,” according to the entry.

The Midnight Sons
The... Read All

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/13/2022 at 06:07pm

Thanks for sharing this Greg! It was not on my radar. I got a preorder in, as I am trying to collect all Marvel games. Looks interesting!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/13/2022 at 06:24pm

You're welcome! I think I found out about it when I was looking up info for the Midnight Sons, which MT mentioned during Moon Knight. I pretty much overlooked the game then still, but I recently got on Steam and saw the game in the news window (the small external one telling you something's on sale or out now). I'm definitely interested in learning more. I'm not sure I'm into the combat. It reminds me of a Kingdom Hearts game I think, so I think I could perhaps adapt and enjoy it. I can't get enough of seeing Marvel characters anyway and this one is packed full of them, especially some of my favorites (Wolverine, Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider,...). I could watch these trailers all day.

What Marvel games do you recommend? Did you play Marvel's Avengers? It gave me my intro to Kamala Khan and Kate Bishop and fell in love with both. I'd only play as Ms. Marvel. I haven't checked out the new Spider-Man addition. Have you played Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy? I haven't yet.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/13/2022 at 07:26pm

The most recent one that I played are both of the Sony Spider-Man games. They are so good!

I have Avengers and Guardians on my backlog. Maybe after I finish Everspace (not a marvel title), I will pick one of those up.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/13/2022 at 08:57pm

Oh, you reminded me! Those games are coming to PC soon! I'll finally be able to get to check them out!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 07/20/2022 at 06:09pm

Here's an "All we know" article about Midnight Suns: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/marvels-midnight-suns-everything-we-know-about-firaxis-tactical-superhero-rpg/1100-6499175/

If you visit the bottom of the official website, you can sign up for the 2K newsletter and get a free Blade skin: https://midnightsuns.2k.com/

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 08/09/2022 at 05:03am

Well, game's delayed to March 2023. I'm disappointed, because I was looking forward to this as my October game. I love how it all looks, but I need to see some game play so I can see how this actually works. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/marvels-midnight-suns-delayed-again-current-gen-releasing-before-the-end-of-march-2023/1100-6506252/

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The XBox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022

Clocking in at over 90 minutes the XBox & Bethesda Games Showcase was jam packed with gaming goodness. The standout announcements were more information about Redfall, Forza Motorsport, Overwatch 2 (now Free to Play and launches in October), Ark 2, Minecraft Legends, Diablo IV (launching in 2023), Flight Simulator free Halo update & Starfield.

It was a really fun event to watch but there were almost too many games to process and by the end some games ran together in my mind too much. That said, I am excited about a few games and we got a few news bits that were new.

Diablo IV Necromancer Diablo IV showed it final character in the Necromancer. So far no characters... Read All Clocking in at over 90 minutes the XBox & Bethesda Games Showcase was jam packed with gaming goodness. The standout announcements were more information about Redfall, Forza Motorsport, Overwatch 2 (now Free to Play and launches in October), Ark 2, Minecraft Legends, Diablo IV (launching in 2023), Flight Simulator free Halo update & Starfield.

It was a really fun event to watch but there were almost too many games to process and by the end some games ran together in my mind too much. That said, I am excited about a few games and we got a few news bits that were new.

Diablo IV Necromancer Diablo IV showed it final character in the Necromancer. So far no characters in Diablo IV are original and that's disappointing. I'm not saying the characters we are getting won't be incredibly fun but it would have been nice to get some new class in Diablo. Say what you will about Diablo III but it introduced a few new characters at launch and it's expansion. We also got a 2023 launch year for Diablo IV which is exciting.

Minecraft Legends There isn't much more information available about Minecraft Legends except whats in the trailer. That said, the official website has this information about the game.

"Discover the mysteries of Minecraft Legends, a new action strategy game. Lead your allies in heroic battles to defend the Overworld from the destructive piglins."

Minecraft strategy game? I'm totally in.

Starfield Possibly the most anticipated game in the upcoming XBox release lineup, Starfield dropped a ton of gameplay and information. While not trying to be dismissive, Starfield seems like the best story aspects of Fallout and Skyrim and are adding an entirely new space flight and dogfighting system along with the ability to travel to and explore over 1,000 planets! This game looks huge and while I was watching it with friends they noted that this looks very similar to No Mans Sky. No Mans Sky with a Bethesda coat of paint sounds awesome to me and I hope that you can go beyond upgrading the ship you start with and maybe purchase or steal other ships. Also, it would be totally awesome to get your own starbase somewhere, or build a base on an asteroid or a small moon.

With that, I'm curious what more Bethesda has to show off about what Starfield will be. I would have thought Starfield would launch with some form of Multiplayer mode and I wonder if they are going to reveal that at some point?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/13/2022 at 01:04am

I have Ark 2 info with a new second trailer (the first was released some time ago)! It's linked in my Ark post, which is right before this one.

I read about Minecraft Legends and I'm really not sure about it. While I like RTS games, it's difficult to imagine Minecraft as one without just being a Minecraft skin. I'll have to wait and see it. Minecraft Dungeons didn't appeal to me as much as I thought it would. (It's like a Minecraft Diablo game.)

It seems like we could possibly get some posts written detailing these. Starfield sounds interesting, I'm interested in learning more about it. I could easily write about Ark 2. I'm just not sure the interest is there (or rather here. I'm certainly interested.).

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/13/2022 at 06:14pm

It needed more hugging sims. WHERE WERE THE HUGGING SIMS?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/15/2022 at 08:11am

"Fallout in space." "What if Fallout and No Man's Sky had a kid?" That's the way I see it, though I'd say more specifically Fallout 4.

Guns in space. Not all of those are laser guns. I THOUGHT shooting a gun (with bullets) wasn't possible in space, but a quick Google proves I was incorrect. Still it's not like laser guns are any more logical, yet we buy into the fantasy.

I wish he didn't give a 30-40 hour campaign estimate. I feel this way often when I see people mention hours of gameplay. I grew used to spending 100+ hours on a game, so when I see <100, I get disappointed. However, that doesn't include all the exploration and side quests. 100+ seems like an easy enough milestone to reach. When I do see I've spent 100 hours on a game, I feel like I got a good amount of entertainment out of it. (Now I'm seeing games with 3,500+ hours I've spent on Steam.)

ICYMI check out the 15 minute gameplay video with Todd Howard. https://youtu.be/ZHZOTFMyMyM

Here's an article I found with some recently revealed details: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/bethesda-shares-details-about-starfields-main-quest-length-dogfighting-and-more/1100-6504617/

Travis Admin wrote on 06/15/2022 at 08:48pm

30-40 campaign is pretty generous considering there will probably be hundreds of side quests to pad that out to well over 100 hours I imagine

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/16/2022 at 12:01am

Yeah. While writing that, I talked myself into accepting it. No Man's Sky, I'd say is definitely different in that way. Heck, I've never made it to the center. I even began to feel like it's pretty much impossible. I got tired of jumping all the time.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/16/2022 at 12:35am

I’ve gone to the center a couple times, but honestly it doesn’t feel worth it with everything else they added

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:18am

If there are 1,000 planets in Starfield and those planets are procedurally created and at least marginally fun we should have content for ages.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:19am

Hopefully the planet creation algorithm is as good as the one in Terraria. And if they add bee keeping, I’m fairly certain it will be my game of the year.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:21am

LOL! Jon, you're the bee's knees! Did you (plural!) see what he said about how some is procedural and some is crafted? Also that we can't just land anywhere we want on the surface like No Man's Sky? I think it'll be ok and make sense.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:25am

> Did you (plural!) see what he said about how some is procedural and some is crafted?

I just read that interview. I hope they get the generation algorithm right. I wonder if you personal galaxy will be different or if they will generate the same 1k planets for everyone?

Travis Admin wrote on 06/16/2022 at 01:35pm

No Man’s Skyrim amirite?

Not that I’m complaining 😂

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Grab Your Free Permanent Copy of Ark: Survival Evolved On Steam Before June 19 at 10AM PDT

Go grab Ark: Survival Evolved for free on Steam before June 19 at 10AM PDT. Studio Wildcard just released a free new map to the game and also made some announcements on the official website (see link below). The embedded trailer contains the map's announcement, but there are other videos on the YouTube channel that also provide info about it and the new exclusive creatures to the map.

I haven't gotten into the game yet and I don't want to get into details. I just want this to be a quick announcement. If you're interested in reading about the new map, Ark 2 (next year) and the Animated Series (which has a full cast of very well known actors), check the link below.

Get... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/13/2022 at 12:13am

Thanks Greg, got it.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/13/2022 at 12:58am

You're welcome! There are many official free maps to go along with it. Almost all of them include at least one exclusive or exclusive-at-the-time creature. For instance, one of my favorites is Ark's beautiful version of Deinonychus on Valguero. You can see it here: https://ark.fandom.com/wiki/Deinonychus
Usually the free maps were released months after a paid DLC and often include things from that DLC.

I strongly recommend looking at mods, at least eventually. Most of my 3,500+ hours would have been extremely boring w/out mods.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/13/2022 at 04:18am

> You're welcome! There are many official free maps to go along with it.

I'll check that out. In fact, I'll download it on my PC now.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/13/2022 at 04:22am

ARK REQUIRES 125 GIGS? Wow, not quite ready for that kind of commitment yet but soon...

Wow.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/13/2022 at 07:40am

Wow, really?! BTW, you have to dl the new map separately, by finding it in the DLC part of the store page. It's about 30GB. I'm not sure I've ever paid attention to how much Ark requires or uses. I've always had it installed. I also keep my saved data backed up on a HDD. When I saw that Borderlands 3 required 100GB, I wasn't too happy about that. I have it installed, but still unplayed.

As for the new map, I'm actually really impressed that I was able to find a high level Pteranodon, Ankylosaurs, and Doedicurus near where I spawned. I was attacked by raptors, but they started running away after I punched them enough. I haven't died yet. Metal was easy to find and it's where I found my three new tames (145 or 150, perfection).

Now I've got my base built and sealed. I may have to add more walls, because I'm next to a slope and carnivores keep coming down it. I've already killed more than a few Alpha Raptors in the area. I did see the new bat, it was outside fighting w/ an Argy and a Snow Owl.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/13/2022 at 08:34am

My own Ark directory under Steam is almost 450GB, but I have a character on every map (AFAIK), except The Center (it doesn't add anything new). My backup data (saved data including configs) is almost 2.3GB.

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Rob Zombie's "The Munsters" Gets Teaser Trailer Debut

I cannot pass up writing this post! The trailer is so awesome! If you're familiar with the classic Munsters TV show, this trailer will probably greatly impress you, too! It doesn't even matter if you don't know who Rob Zombie is! (I'm a fan of the music, but not interested in the horror movies. I like the Zombie family, but I don't like zombies, except for Zombie Dr. Strange.)

Rock legend and horror film aficionado Rob Zombie said he's been chasing this project for 20 years. At first, I was concerned, knowing how much Rob Zombie loves horror movies and I do not. I was not expecting to be so greatly impressed! It's not like a scary horror movie, it's pretty much exactly... Read All

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/10/2022 at 02:14am

I will see it at some point. Never been into the horror that Rob Zombie likes to make.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/10/2022 at 04:31am

While I don't mind The Munsters I don't have much love for it. Glad Mr. Zombie does and I hope the film does well. That said if it doesn't Dig through the ditches and burn through the witches and slam in the back of my Dragula I'm gonna riot. The car was from The Munsters so ditches better be dug and the witches burned and slammed in the back of a Dragula.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/10/2022 at 03:52pm

@Will_Ball I agree that not just that I don't like the horror RZ makes, pretty much don't like horror at all. There may be some exceptions, but those are perhaps minor and unique. I don't like bloody horror (I have hemophobia after all).

@Jon I love your reply! I've been exposed to the Munsters. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that I've seen every episode or almost all of them. It hasn't necessarily been by choice, mostly just by someone in my house watching it. I liked it though. I think I do want to see this for sure though.

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