Twitter – Isn’t that the space between your twa… (No! No it isn’t – Ed)

The more eagle eyed of you may have noticed that the UCHG is now sharing the retro gaming love on Twitter. Since opening the account we have been exposed to some serious retro gamers, collectors and many many images of food and pussy (of both types).

We had no idea the retro gaming scene was so big and diverse, covering everything from arcades to handhelds. Despite our late arrival to the party we have been accepted with open arms and second controllers at the ready.

But who do we follow I hear you ask – Well I’ll tell you shall I…

@RetroUnite – This is the best place to start. Simply click on their list of followers and add away. There is nothing but retro gamers to be found here and you are almost guaranteed to get followed (in a good way) in return. Just make sure you promote the cause through #gamersunite

@ausretrogamer – Epic is probably a good way to describe the collection of Mr Ausretrogamer. If you are after some serious collectors porn you will find it here. Not only does he own a Vetrex he is also top bloke and always up for a chat. Be warned. Envy and jealousy are known side effects of following this account.

@RETR0JOE – Here is a gamer committed to spreading the joys of retro gaming to all corners of the globe. Follow Retro Joe and test your gaming knowledge in a few levels of Guess the Game. Alternatively you can help his cat decide what to play next.

@DefunctGames – Follow this guy to keep up to date with the best use of the term YOLO this world has ever seen. In his YouTube vids he takes one game, one life and sees how far he can get. Simple and effective yet I defy anyone to try and resist the urge to see if they can get further!

@Real_PixelJesus – As the tag line says “Died for all your Cheats and Respawned 3 days later (LAG)” What more could you ask for? Now follow him.

So there is a good  starter for 10. There are hundreds and thousands of gamers out there to follow and we would love to list them all. The best thing to do is hop on to the UCHG twitter page and follow everyone that we follow! You are also more than welcome to follow us.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our followers for their support, interaction and visiting our site.

Now are you sure that the Twitter isn’t the space between.. (Yes damn it! that is called the perineum – Ed)

Ironically this post was originally going say goodbye to Red Faction, in the wake of the cancellation of the series – but ended up saying farewell to the company that created it. However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel…

Alongside the major announcements in gaming this year like the PS4 and XBOX One, another big story was of THQ filing for bankruptcy – a bit of a surprise in that they’ve always been one of the more well-known developer / publishers – but due to some poor decisions and poor products (see the $80m shortfall disaster of the uDraw, and the Call of Duty wannabe title Homefront) they sadly took a tumble in 2012.

In the last few weeks THQ received approval for liquidation – so it’s so long to a company that gave us some very popular franchises, including Warhammer 40k Dawn of War, Homeworld, Saints Row, Red Faction, and Company of Heroes.

1001 No.80: ‘Company of Heroes’ (2006)

I have fond memories of the acclaimed Company of Heroes – a superb WWII strategy game that was less about resource management and more about combat, with some great mechanics around cover, unit deployment, and general tactics. One particular standout moment I recall was the defense of a hill against wave after wave of Nazi troops – planning and executing your own strategies, but also adapting to situations as they develop being one of the most satisfying experiences in gaming – and in fact the whole game was full of excellent moments of tension and frantic decisions.

Fortunately this franchise is safe and sound, the developer Relic sold off to Sega – with Company of Heroes 2 released recently in June 2013.

Similarly it seems that, like Company of Heroes, some other franchises will rise from the ashes of THQ – Saints Row, Darksiders, Metro, Warhammer 40k and more have been sold on to other publishers: and the upcoming South Park game lives on too under Ubisoft.

Even Red Faction has been sold off – so maybe it will return – but the best news is that Homeworld, a classic from 1999, is finally getting it’s own HD remake. That too is one of the 1001, bought by myself many years ago but never conquered – so one day I’ll get back to it…

It’s a shame when companies fold, especially due to silly decisions – and when even strong franchises can’t save them. But at least something will come out it – and we’ll get to keep playing their games.

I have a soft spot in my heart for god games, not necessarily RTS’ (where you get the god’s eye view, and which I do also enjoy) but the type where you can annihilate your creations when they start to doubt your omnipotence, or in some cases when you’re just pissed off at the world (more fun than drowning Lara Croft).

Previous games like Dungeon Keeper, Black and White and Spore have influenced newer games, one of which is my focus today; Reus.

So I picked up this game in the Steam Summer Getaway sale recently as it piqued my interest when it was first released and i’ve become mildly addicted. This addiction won’t last though sadly, as I have many other games to play and Reus is, in a sense, a sandbox game.

There isn’t a story progression like Dungeon Keeper or Black and White, instead you’re presented with a blank, baron planet at the start of every game and it’s your job to populate it with villages and then help these villages prosper.

There is still progression though, through completing achievements of varying difficulty. Each of which rewards you with possible new transmutations of plants, animals and minerals, creating much more powerful versions. This allows your villages to complete otherwise impossible tasks, such as Castles or Island Towns.

It’s a simple premise with simple graphics to boot (the sprites of people and animals remind me somewhat of Prison Architect (another awesome game)) but the game play is strangely addictive. It’s not always the same, villages always want different combinations of things each time you play through and the building projects they undertake always have random specialisations that can at times be frustrating to fulfil.

The challenge I find is trying to balance 6 different villages spread across the planet, whose borders all meet and who all are at war with not only each other, but also my giants (your 4 tools of war and creation, one for each ‘element’).

I find this game entertaining for its strategic and simple game play (retro gaming principals) and would recommend it to other fans of god games for those very reasons; it’s fun to play!