https://iainblank.journoportfolio.comRSS Feed for Iain WarrenenTue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://gamerant.com/pale-beyond-simulation-management-game-best-tipsThe Pale Beyond is an exciting and challenging survival strategy game set on board a sea vessel trapped in ice at the South Pole. The player's main objective is to ensure that their crew survives long enough to be rescued, and this is a challenging feat. The game is set in a harsh and unforgiving environment where the odds are stacked against the player, and they will face one disaster after another. RELATED: The Best Survival Games On PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium As someone progresses thrTue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://gamerant.com/pale-beyond-simulation-management-game-best-tipshttps://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/the-pale-beyond-reviewPublisher Fellow Traveller has earned a cracking reputation for releasing narrative games that focus on the story without compromising on gameplay. One of their most recent titles, Citizen Sleeper, was my 2022 game of the year for this very website, so I was very interested in seeing if their first offering of 2023, The Pale Beyond, could keep their winning streak going. ‍The Pale Beyond is a tribute to 19th and early 20th-century sailors who took on the dangerous task of exploring the treacherThu, 23 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/the-pale-beyond-reviewhttps://gamerant.com/sega-dreamcast-games-with-graphics-that-hold-up-well/The Sega Dreamcast was a revolutionary console released in 1998 that marked a giant leap forward for video game graphics. The system featured advanced 3D capabilities and gave games more immersive and lifelike visuals than ever before. Sadly, the console never took off and lasted less than three years. Still, in that time, some genuinely beautiful-looking games were released for the ill-fated console. RELATED: Sega Dreamcast Games With The Best Cutscenes More than two decades later, there are Thu, 16 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://gamerant.com/sega-dreamcast-games-with-graphics-that-hold-up-well/https://gamerant.com/capcom-games-that-have-aged-the-best/Capcom games have been a staple of the gaming industry since the early 1980s. Since releasing its first arcade game, Vulgus, in 1984, the company has become one of the world's most beloved and recognizable developers. Along the way, they have created some of the most popular gaming franchises, many of which have spanned multiple decades and consoles. RELATED: The Best Horror Games By Capcom That Are Not Resident Evil From Mega Man to Resident Evil, Capcom games have remained popular throughoutSat, 21 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://gamerant.com/capcom-games-that-have-aged-the-best/https://gamerant.com/sci-fi-movies-should-have-been-series/Science fiction has long been a popular genre for filmmakers, offering viewers an escape into unknown worlds and the possibility to explore the depths of our imagination. It is no surprise that some sci-fi movies have captivated audiences so profoundly that they wished to see further exploration of the movie's worlds and characters. This article will look at some classic science fiction movies with such detailed worlds, memorable characters, and engaging storylines they had — and in many cases Thu, 12 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://gamerant.com/sci-fi-movies-should-have-been-series/https://gamerant.com/best-movies-like-assassins-creed/The Assassin's Creed franchise is one of the most successful and popular gaming franchises of all time. The combination of stealth gameplay and fascinating characters has kept gamers entertained since the original game was released in 2007.Tue, 03 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://gamerant.com/best-movies-like-assassins-creed/https://gamerant.com/best-mistaken-identity-movies/Mistaken identity has been a staple plot device of movies since the early days of cinema. There is something about the idea of changing identities that resonates with audiences. After all, who hasn't, at one time or another, wished they could switch lives with someone else, even if just for a day?Tue, 27 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://gamerant.com/best-mistaken-identity-movies/https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/5-things-i-learnt-at-egx-2022I was lucky enough to attend EGX this past weekend, and I have to say it was a great experience. This was my first time attending the show, so I had little idea what to expect. In my mind, I pictured endless rows of gamers sitting in front of monitors playing demos of the latest AAA games. Don't get me wrong, there was that, but I was surprised to discover the variety of other things to see and do at the show. In no particular order, here are five things I learnt at EGX 2022: The Future LooksWed, 28 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/5-things-i-learnt-at-egx-2022https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/10-of-the-best-upcoming-indie-games-from-egx-2022EGX was back at the Excel Centre for its annual celebration of all things gaming and geeky, and much like a two-headed cow from the Fallout franchise, there were a host of game developers and publishers in tow clamouring to show excited attendees their upcoming projects. As the dust settles and the show packs up for another year, in no particular order here are 10 of the most interesting-looking indie games on display at the show. An upcoming story-driven platform game about the work life of aWed, 28 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/10-of-the-best-upcoming-indie-games-from-egx-2022https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/voyage-xbox-reviewFor me, one of the greatest achievements of modern-day video game digital distribution is that anybody can make a game and get it out into the world to be enjoyed by people. Voyage is the perfect example of what can happen when talented people with good ideas are given that opportunity. ‍Voyage is the debut game (ported over from PC - review here!) from Venturous Studios, a Swedish indie dev team of two brothers who, along with highly talented composer Calum Bowen, have created the game single-Wed, 28 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/voyage-xbox-reviewhttps://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/rollerdrome-reviewThe year is 2030. Synthesiser music, roller skating and denim jumpsuits are back in fashion and a brutal bloodsport that combines all three is taking over the world. Welcome to Rollerdrome. The concept of the game is pretty straightforward. You play as Kara Hassan, a rookie in the International Rollerdrome Federation, a competition that involves armed players on roller skates duking it out in last-person standing deathmatches while looking as cool as possible in the process. Not only do you havThu, 25 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/rollerdrome-reviewhttps://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/rollerdrome-previewAs far as games developers are concerned there really isn’t much to look forward to in the future. If we’re not overrun by zombies, invaded by aliens or forced to survive in a post apocalyptic wasteland we’re almost certainly all going to be forced to take part in crazy televised bloodsports where death is the only runner up prize. Fresh off the critical and commercial success of OlliOlliWorld, developers Roll7 are taking this fine tradition of creating a depressingly grim near-future in videoWed, 27 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/rollerdrome-previewhttps://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/citizen-sleeper-reviewWhat does it mean to be human? This is the question at the core of Citizen Sleeper, the new indie gem from solo developer Gareth Damian Martin, aka Jump Over the Age. You play as the eponymous Sleeper, a human mind digitally inserted into an artificial body. In the game’s vision of the future, humans still have rights and AI is strictly regulated, so Sleepers have become a sort of legal loophole that allows a mass workforce of sentient beings without any rights whatsoever.Fri, 01 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/citizen-sleeper-reviewhttps://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/sniper-elite-5-review‍Moonlight sparkles off the English Channel as I crouch in the dunes somewhere behind enemy lines. I’ve rendezvoused with the French resistance and I have my mission: recover intel from a bunker on the edge of town. ‍I look at my map and identify my target. 500m northwest. I sling my trusty sniper rifle behind my back and look for higher ground to scope out my surroundings. In the distance, I hear the sound of German artillery firing on my allies out on the water. I’ll take those guns out laterThu, 09 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/sniper-elite-5-reviewhttps://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/sonority-reviewWhen I was asked by the Jump Dash Roll big boss to review Sonority, my mouth said “yes of course!” but my brain said, “oh no, I hate puzzle games!” Actually, that’s not fair. It’s not that I hate puzzle games but apart from a brief obsession with cheap hidden object games during the pandemic (it was a dark time for all of us), it’s never been a genre that particularly appealed to me. Still, it’s always good to step out of one’s comfort zone now and again so I agreed to take a look at Sonority,Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/sonority-reviewhttps://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/trek-to-yomi-reviewJapanese samurai have been a rich source of inspiration for game developers since the early days of consoles and it's not hard to see why. Let's be honest: fearless, angry dudes with cool outfits and badass swords facing off in fights to the death make the perfect recipe for video games. ‍Trek to Yomi follows this fine gaming tradition but takes things a step further by creating a direct homage to the old black and white samurai movies that have inspired so many games in the past. You play asTue, 10 May 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/trek-to-yomi-reviewhttps://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/chinatown-detective-agency-reviewI had been keeping a close eye on Chinatown Detective Agency, the latest release from Humble Games, for several months. With reading detective novels and playing adventure games being two of my favourite pastimes, I was eager to see if the game could live up to the expectations I had for it. Did it? Well, yes and no. In the game you play as Amira Darma, a former police officer who has just opened her own detective agency in, you guessed it, Chinatown. Like all good detective stories, what starFri, 06 May 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/chinatown-detective-agency-reviewhttps://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/astrologaster-brutal-backlog‍Astrologaster was released in 2019 and ended up on several “best of” lists for that year. A game based on a real-life Elizabethan astrologer physician piqued my historical interest...Wed, 20 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.jumpdashroll.com/article/astrologaster-brutal-backloghttps://medium.com/@iain.ww2/5-great-games-in-the-itch-io-bundle-for-ukraine-fa5e362616535 Great Games in the Itch.io Bundle for Ukraine For those who haven’t seen it already, the independent gaming marketplace itch.io is currently offering a huge bundle of digital content for a meagre $10, with all proceeds going towards relief efforts in Ukraine. Not only is it for a great cause, but at $10 for 992 items it’s a no-brainer purchase. That said, with that much stuff just a mouse click away it’s hard to look through it all and decide what to play first. Here are 5 recommendations of gSat, 12 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://medium.com/@iain.ww2/5-great-games-in-the-itch-io-bundle-for-ukraine-fa5e36261653https://medium.com/@iain.ww2/memo-to-fellow-white-people-re-black-lives-matter-ac45adb50653Let me start by saying I GET it. Don’t think I don’t. Like you, my parents told from an early age that racism was wrong. I was taught not to judge people on the colour of their skin, but the content of their hearts. Just like you, I’ve gone out my way to make sure that I treat people the same no matter what race they are. And that’s very noble of us all, but we forgot one thing. Just because that’s what we were taught, plenty of people weren’t, and black people are still regularly treated as sSat, 12 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://medium.com/@iain.ww2/memo-to-fellow-white-people-re-black-lives-matter-ac45adb50653