pxlflxplays-blog

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I’ve been getting slain a lot lately in Slain on the PS4. I’d been following this game on Twitter, MrAwolf had the best gifs on screenshotsaturday, but the game’s release still snuck up on me. I am happy to report that not only has he made some awesome gifs, but he’s made an awesome game.

Awesome pixel art with a great metal/ ambient soundtrack. There are some solid riffs in here! Lots of nods to Bathory in particular, with the “A Fine Day to Die” achievement for example. If your a fan of 80′s/90′s metal (the good stuff), you will find a lot to like here. The pixel art is next level retro. I just made that up, the next level retro bit, lets see if that catches on, Internet. 

And, it’s not just pretty to look at and listen to, it also serves up some hardcore 2D gameplay. I can’t tell you how many takes it took to get this video. It’s good, old fashioned hard. That’s a good thing. If you like Ghouls and Ghosts, Castlevania, pixel art, retro games, metal, or horror, this game is a must get.

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Yep, we are still liking No Man’s Sky. In this video, I try out the guns on our new ship. This thing is a bus compared to our last ship. Got to have that inventory space. If I had one complaint about games today, it would be that I spend too much time playing the inventory game; why can’t I just carry an unlimited amount of stuff? Sure it adds to the realism, but, come on, it’s a video game. I blame Gary Gygax (RIP); encumbrance was always the first rule I threw out in my D&D games. 

Last time I talked about what this type of game might mean for the future of gaming. If I can get all Elon Musk here, you can see how in a few generations these video game experiences will be superior to reality. Imagine living in a “Matrix” pod, forgetting all about the real world because you live in a paradise where anything you might want could be easily obtained. We could actually have a working economy! Musk says we are already living in a simulation. Well, maybe we are, but we can always build a simulation on top of this one that would be better than the current one. 

Imagine, no more mosquitoes or humidity! Just perfect room temperature forever. Or will we implement humidity and pest systems to add to the “realism”? I really hope we dummy up by then and realize that we can change the rules, that we are not required to suffer. I can only imagine that is the reason why the present sim contains so much pain and annoyance. Realism. Reality, bah humbug. I say we can do better.

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So many games lately, so little time. First, Neverwinter (free to play MMO) comes out on PS4, and I become obsessed with it, neglecting everything else that I was supposed to do. MMOs have a way of doing that to me. Then No Man’s Sky landed.

I’ve seen a lot of people hating on this game, and it makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with the world. Granted, I did not get into any of the hype, that’s just something I quit doing years ago, so I have no idea what promises Hello games failed to deliver. What I do know is that this game changes the entire paradigm of what a game is. I would actually call this a video experience rather than a video game- it’s an entirely new thing in a game industry that usually just puts out the same old game every year. The potential with a game like this is huge- it’s not just about what this type of game does, it is about what it could do. Just imagine what is to come, it’s a New Hope for this generation. Yes, that was a Star Wars reference.

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I’m rather addicted to No Man’s Sky so here’s my pixel art version of the Atlas.

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Furi is new today on the Playstation Store. Super hard. Everything I’m playing lately is super hard, and that’s a good thing really. Furi will demand that you use all of the buttons on your controller, and you won’t get past the first boss without mastering them all. And this game, as far as I can tell because I just started playing, is all boss battles. The play style here is reactive, you need to go with the flow; you won’t force a boss to battle you on your terms. The game play is part dual stick shooter, part fighting game. The art style is awesome, reminds me of Afro Samurai a little, but is definitely it’s own thing. Check it out, it’s free for a limited time if you have Playstation Plus.

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New video is up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0jFVnjFXd8

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Why a gaming blog?

The PXLFLX gaming channel began we my brother and myself wanted to document some of the boss battles in Enter the Gungeon. The PS4 makes capturing the video so easy, and pretty soon we were just addicted to recording our gameplay. Really, the gaming channel is mostly for our entertainment- after all, we are probably the only ones watching it. No commentary on the videos, I know people like to hear voices when they watch these things, but I don’t. Just the gameplay, please. The blog will serve as the commentary.

I want to cover the games that I think need the coverage. I’ve been playing video games since the early 80′s, and I’ve seen trends come and go. This indie game thing needs to stick around as the big studios seem content to just release the same games every year. Who can blame them, why take a risk if you have it like that? I miss the twitchy 2D games of yesterday, or rather, I missed them, past tense, as they are making a comeback.

The gaming channel and blog will mostly cover these indie games, and other titles that deserve more attention. As far as reviews go, not a fan of those either, if we cover it, we like it, simple as that. I’m not going to play something that I don’t like. What do we like? Shmups, platformers, RPGs, fighting games- we really like pixel art but we are not going to discriminate, we might play anything, even mainstream titles. Currently, we can capture video from PS4 and iOS. We will be posting videos of mobile games soon!

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80′s Tony Hawk logo

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And today releasing on the Playstation store today we have Steredenn, another game with awesome pixel art and random levels. This one plays in more of side scrolling Gradius style versus the dual stick play of Gungeon. But once again, we have random levels keeping you on your toes. No more memorization and just cruising on through. Every play is a unique experience. 

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Shmups, there is no other genre that draws one in so completely. One must remain completely aware if you are to get from one boss to the next. There is no room for error, and the latest innovation of the genre makes that really clear- random levels.

Well, it’s probably not really new, but it seems new. Enter the Gungeon combined elements of the shmup with the roguelike, every experience a unique experience with randomly generated levels and one of several possible bosses.

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Shmup Rebirth

Shmups, there is no other genre that draws one in so completely. One must remain completely aware if you are to get from one boss to the next. There is no room for error, and the latest innovation of the genre makes that really clear- random levels.

Well, it’s probably not really new, but it seems new. Enter the Gungeon combined elements of the shmup with the roguelike, every experience a unique experience with randomly generated levels and one of several possible bosses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pHXapexwGE

And today releasing on the Playstation store today we have Steredenn, another game with awesome pixel art and random levels. This one plays in more of side scrolling Gradius style versus the dual stick play of Gungeon. But once again, we have random levels keeping you on your toes. No more memorization and just cruising on through. Every play is a unique experience. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C8GMhJ2GT8

Now someone please add XP levels and a big loot system. Lots of gear that I can see on my character. Let’s just go ahead and take this Shmup/ roguelike thing to where we all know it’s going. I’m ready.