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Interview by Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
BitBeam Cannon are the devs behind a few upcoming Amiga titles
So you liked Final Fight and Streets of Rage back in the 90's right? If the answer is "yes" then I think you're going to get a kick out of BitBeam Cannon's upcoming Beat 'em up. If the answer is "no", well you can keep reading because Daemon Claw just might be your cup of tea.
I reached out to Mike and Corey, BitBeam's masterminds, for exclusive access in to Metro Siege and Daemon Claw. What they gave me, far surpassed my expectations. They allowed me the following interview (which I hope you'll enjoy), a first access play of Metro Siege on my Amiga 500 Mini and exclusive commentary in to the games' development. Before we take a deep dive in to the interview here is an overview of what Metro Siege and Daemon Claw are about, from BitBeam's very own, Mike: "For Metro Siege, BitBeamCannon is teaming up with PixelGlass and Enable Software to deliver a 2 player co-op beat em up for classic Amigas and many modern platforms. The team's goal is not just to make the best beat em up game for classic Amiga, but to make a brawler that can stand its ground against all of the greats of the genre, whether they be in the arcade or on consoles. Beat Em Up's have always been the favorite of Metro Siege's lead designer, and this results in one of the most sophisticated combat mechanics in any beat em up, with the most fun elements collected from many of the games he's played over the the decades. Metro Siege provides a large assortment of basic attacks, aerial attacks, combo attacks, back-attacks, low attacks, dash-attacks, super-attacks, grabs and throws to let each player mix things up and play in the style they want to play in the moment. On top of this, Metro Siege ads even more combat options in the way of blocking and counter-attacks. Holding attack and back will block basic attacks. Blocking strong attacks like jump-kicks will reduce damage, but players will be knocked back a bit, requiring a second or two to recover. Once skilled enough to initiate your block a split second before the moment of impact, you'll automatically parry the enemy attack and perform a special counter-strike, dealing bonus damage to the enemy wile also earning back a bit of health and special attack power. On top of this already robust mix of fighting options Metro Siege let's you enjoy throwing enemies into each other and multiple ways to hit them while they're down. There's a risky knee or elbow drop to deal heavy damage to a fallen foe, but if they get up or roll out of the way, or you just miss your mark, you'll slam yourself into the pavement, taking damage yourself and leaving yourself temporarily vulnerable as you recover. The final playable character is not yet revealed, but Metro Siege will offer three distinct character to play as, each offering a different move set and playing style to further add to the variety and replay value. This demo includes the first 3 mostly complete levels and the first full boss fight scene, but behind the scenes many more levels are in varying degrees of partially implemented. Metro Siege has been in development for over 3 years, but don't worry, that doesn't mean it will take the team a year to make each new level. Now that the games engine and tool set are fully developed progress on filling in the unfinished content is drastically faster. That said, because each member of the team has their own day job to deal with and fluctuating available hours on any given day, they can't yet give an estimated delivery date for the full game. The best thing to do in this regard is to follow BitBeamCannon on social media for all the latest updates so you can easily track their progress".
"The other project BitBeamCannon is currently working on is this fast paced side scrolling action game, DaemonClaw. The game design, code, and graphics are all being done by BitBeamCannon, with the original soundtrack being made by non other than Amiga music legend Allister Brimble.
Set in its own flavor of D&D or Tolkien type world, DaemonClaw let's you take control of a noble but brutal warrior who uses his magically augmented fists instead of a sword to try to save humanity from a sudden concerted assault from many of the mythical creatures of the world. Despite the family resemblance, DaemonClaw is not a MetroidVania or a Platformer. The focus is purely on the high speed combat and learning to use magic abilities you build up which are unique to each level. The magical gauntlet our hero wields to bash his way towards world peace adapts and channels its power differently in each environment, adapting automatically to best deal with the type of enemy currently impeding his progress. The big difference with DaemonClaw's development is it's being built and perfected first for modern platforms, then highly customized ports will be made for classic systems like Amiga and Megadrive, lovingly re-tooled to but best to each particular systems strengths. In fact, the Amiga version will actually be made using the same core code and tool set developed for Metro Siege. On that topic, BitBeamCannon has a question for you hard-core Amigan's out there: Assuming they can only make one Amiga version of DaemonClaw, would you rather it run on OCS/ECS Amigas like Metro Siege does, or would you prefer if they made it for AGA Amiga's so the Amiga version can rival the MegaDrive version without compromise?'
1/ Tell us a bit about yourselves and what inspired you to get in to video game development?
Corey got into art at a young age and started doing digital art in MS paint as a kid. He fell in love with games on the NES and into the 16 bit era. In his later teen years Corey started creating art for games as a hobby in events like game jams. Mike's first passion as a kid was to be a comic book artist, but fell in love with games as they developed from the 8 bit era onward, and he fell in love with pixel art starting with the commodore 64. He developed most of the skills he'd later use as a professional pixel artist on the Amiga with Deluxe Paint and Brilliance. 2/ What are your personal histories with Amiga Home Computers? Or in fact, any genre of gaming? Mike is the one who grew up with Amiga computers and it was a huge part of his development as a pixel artist and frustrated game designer who in his teens dreamed of someday proving that games could have been made for classic Amiga which could rival Mega Drive classics not only in overall quality but in gameplay design as well. 3/ How long has Metro Siege been in development? It started a bit over 3 years ago. Momentum is only increasing but since each team member has their own day-jobs and families demanding their time, we can't estimate when it will be finished. This whole time we've also been building our Youtube channel, social media presence, and our other major game project, DaemonClaw, which will also end up with a classic Amiga version. 4/ Can we expect physical releases from any of your upcoming projects? We want a physical release for every game we make, and so far it looks like that won't be a problem, as many established publishers have been contacting us with interest in being the ones to make the physical versions. 5/ It seems like Final Fight in particular and Streets of Rage influenced Metro Siege. How true is this statement? Spot on. As far as games go, those were the two biggest influences, Streets of Rage 2 was the biggest influence regarding gameplay and Final fight was more of a visual influence. Beat Em Ups are Mike's favorite genre and he's played nearly all of them across consoles and arcades over the decades, and with Metro Siege, he's trying to take and improve on what he thought was the most fun elements from all of them. On the visual and story telling side, he's pulling more influence from the 80's Hollywood vigilante movies which had inspired the entire genre to begin with. 6/ What can you tell us about the Scorpion Engine and what issues have you had so far with the development? The Scorpion Engine is developing at a remarkable rate and it's creator, Erik Hogan has been extremely helpful and responsive to feedback and feature requests. Every time Mike did run into any kind of limitation, he reported it and it was fixed within literally days (sometimes hours). Mike only just begun a Scorpion Engine made game project recently, and the progress he's been able to make and resulting quality is a testament to this amazing game dev tool. 7/ Along with Metro Siege, Daemon Claw and Cyberjack are also due on the Amiga. Have you got release dates in mind for these? Due to the nature of our collaborations we can't currently give time estimates with any useful degree of certainty. This first (modern platform) version of DaemonClaw will certainly be the first game we finish. Then the second likely to be finished will be Metro Siege, and the Amiga version of DaemonClaw will then be made using the Metro Siege code base, which is called “Engine 9000”. While that is being done, we'll no doubt also be busy working on Cyberjack and we already have some other great games planned for the future. We also plan to pursue ports of both DaemonClaw and Metro Siege to Megadrive and perhaps other retro systems. 8/ I’m a HUGE fan of pixel art. Have you got any inspirations for pixel artistry? If you'd like some nerdy deep dive discussions on pixel art, including in some of the most iconic classic game we have a playlist on our Youtube channel ( BitBeamCannon ) called Forensic Pixology, and Corey plans to eventually make a series of pixel art tutorials. There are already some great time-lapses of Corey creating much of the art for DaemonClaw to check out as well. Also, we're not in any way affiliated with his channel, but we've been watching the great videos by Brandon James Greer (that's also the name of his Youtube channel), which are fun and inspiring pixel art challenges he gives himself, typically based on some kind of current pop-culture theme. 9/ How would you both describe Metro Siege to someone who had never heard about it? It's a fun game and we can't wait for people to be able to play it. It's all about keeping two players on their toes and pleasantly surprised with additions and twists to the tropes of the Bet Em Up genre. We're making sure to provide very different characters to play as with very different moves and attributes. The more the player masters their move set and the fighting mechanics the more they will realize the huge range of play styles they can choose in any given situation. Metro Siege has it all: blocking, counter-attacks, hitting enemies while they are down, and eating sweat, sweat trashcan turkey! 10/ Where can everyone find you on the internet? Our website is www.bitbeamcannon.com and links to all of our social media can be found there. Our Youtube channel is BitBeamCannon. Interview by Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
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Alice Sisters coming soon to the Sega Genesis and Sega Mega Drive
PRESS RELEASE
It's the comeback of the most famous duo of PixelHeart: Alice and her little sister! After having saved their mother from a tragic end, the two sisters will try to defeat the terrible villain of the mountains this time.
You can find on our website two limited editions containing the game cartridge, a manual and a certificate of authenticity. We guarantee that our Retro Gaming Games are as close as possible to the quality of the packaging of the games of the time. We use professionals to manufacture each of our products. You will have the choice between two versions: a MEGADRIVE version and a GENESIS version. 500 copies of each will be available on our website. You can can pre-order here:
About the game:
The big bad of the mountains has captured Alice and her sister's mom, help them save their mother! Each of the sisters have their own power, Alice can change her size by jumping on the magic mushrooms. Her small size will allow her to pass through narrow spaces, but be careful because she won't be able to jump very high or very far! Alice's sister can send bullets to repel enemies or break rocks. Go through the levels and solve puzzles by activating the right lever, the right switch, and by finding the coloured keys to open the different doors. Beware of the various enemies! Key Features
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The Amiga 500 Mini in 2022
The Amiga 500 Mini has taken 90’s gamers by storm! The A500 Mini:
“A compact reimagining of the Amiga 500 home computer, featuring perfect emulation of not only the original A500 but also the Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) of the A1200. Play one of the included 25 classic Amiga games, selected from a simple to use carousel, including all-time greats like Alien Breed, Another World, Chaos Engine, Simon the Sorcerer and Worms. Or play the games you own from USB stick. Plus save and resume your game at any time to help you finish those punishingly difficult classics!” (Retro Games Biz) What’s in the box?
What are the bundled 25 Amiga Games?
Glory Hunters original Game Boy
Mexican indie game developer César Arminio with his design studio 2think (creator of Pato Box) and software house Bitmap Soft are teaming up to bring you Glory Hunters, a new physical release for the Game Boy with their Kickstarter campaign. Glory Hunters is an all-new action-adventure RPG for the original Game Boy with a unique and original twist: you progress through the game by obtaining achievements.
Key Features
Hey Team 24. I thought I’d do something a little different this time. I wanted to write a small piece about my ten favourite games of all time as of currently writing this piece. I’ve been gaming for around thirty years now. I started off back in the day with a ZX Spectrum 48k and I would say I’ve pretty much played at least one console on each generation since then.
Gaming has been so important to me over the years. It’s provided lots of entertainment and on some occasions, it has provided company for me when I’ve been alone or in darker times. The games I have played have given me lots of joy when I have played them. Whether it’s the fun mechanics, gripping storylines, or just plain silliness. Each one of these is special to me in its own way. So sit back, relax and have a good read. Who knows, there may be one here on my list that you have never tried. Tekken 3 (PlayStation) It’s mad to think that Namco’s biggest 3D fighting franchise has been with us for nearly thirty years. I believe and I hope that we get something for the 30th anniversary of Tekken. The epic saga featuring those mad Mishima’s has provided lots of action and innovative combat for a long time in homes and arcades all across the world. I’ll never forget when I first heard the cracking shoulder pop noise when Paul Phoenix did his takedown move back in the original game. It holds so many memories for me. It was the first and only game I ever went to a midnight launch for. My dad was NOT happy, as he had to take me. Tekken 3 in my opinion is certainly the best 3D fighter for me of all time. It has a great roster of characters both old and new. Some of the soundtracks have really stood the test of time. I often play Jin Kazama’s stage theme through my smart speaker when I’m doing the dishes. The gameplay is wonderful, especially as the sidestep mechanic was introduced in Tekken 3. This gave a new edge to the combat and opened up many new ways to attack and also defend. There are so many modes to play the game, you can spend hours on it. I also have to add the cherry on top. Tekken Bowling. Absolutely awesome. If you’ve never played it, you really should. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii) So it’s a no brainer that a Zelda game would make this list. The hardest choice was to just pick one. I could have filled this list with Zelda games but the one that really drew me in was Twilight Princess. Once you get over the pretty long intro/tutorial section then you enter into a wonderful story in Hyrule. I think what swayed this for me was the use of the Wii’s motion control. The excitement of swinging the remote to use Link’s sword is brilliant. How long had we imagined for years to be able to do that? The basic premise is the same, save Hyrule from Ganon, go to dungeon, collect special item, use item to kill boss, move onto next dungeon. That’s what we love about Zelda. This game featured two awesome aspects for me. First of all is Midna. Midna is by far Link’s best companion he has had in any of the Zelda games, she is a character who is charming and witty from the start and her storyline arc really got me and made for a wonderful conclusion towards the end of the game. The second…. LINK CAN TURN INTO A WOLF! Yes, that’s right a wolf. The gameplay mechanics with the wolf mode are second to none and proved to be a wonderful experience. Again, if you haven’t played this one get it on the Wii as the GameCube version can set you back in the region of £50-£80 quid. Ouch 
Feel the wrath of Axel's punch Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 2 (Sega Megadrive/Genesis)
I was so happy when Streets of Rage 4 got released a couple of years ago for the modern consoles. I can safely say it was a great game to play and offered hours of fun and replay value, it was such a throwback to the glory days on the Mega Drive and a true testament to the legacy of Streets of Rage. To put it bluntly Streets of Rage 2 is my favourite brawler of all time. I can always come back to this game and still be as entertained as I was when I first played it back in the early nineties. We rented this game so much from our local Ritz Video store back in the day. I and my brother didn’t own a Mega Drive (we was Nintendo guys). But Dave over the road had a Megadrive and we would often swap consoles for a week at a time so we was all getting that 16-Bit goodness. I digress. Streets of Rage 2 is awesome. As soon as you hear the famous music by Yu Suzuki in Stage 1, you know this game is going to be a banging experience. The soundtrack is phenomenal and has been lauded by critics over the years, the gameplay is brilliant and without sounding like a psycho it’s thrilling to whack the bad guys with a lead pipe. It’s great as a solo game, but it’s more fun with a buddy teaming up in co-op action to sort out Mr X and his crew. It can be easily found on the plethora of compilation games out there and you should revisit it at least once a year. Mega Man 2 (NES) You’d be forgiven if you didn’t pick Mega Man 2 up back in the day. Have you seen that box art? Unforgiveable. Why Capcom couldn’t have done something else is beyond me. If you haven’t seen it, check it out on Google. This was my first experience with the Blue Bomber and I borrowed it from my friend John (who NEVER held his NES controller in his hands, he placed it on a flat surface and did it that way. Madness.) I and John would regularly swap and trade games as NES games were pricy in the early nineties. Mega Man games are notoriously difficult, they always have been and always will be. Mega Man 2 though gave us all something that we craved, and in turn made the game a tad easier and much more fun to play. It had a password system and you could write the codes in the back of your NES manuals, so it was great to carry on where you left off. The simple action platforming is perfect here. Yes there are times when you get rage, but when you complete a tricky timed section in the game (We’re looking at you Quick man) it gives you a real sense of achievement. It’s got an awesome 8-Bit soundtrack, a good challenge and in my opinion the best set of Robot Masters in the entire series. Spider-Man (PS4) Wow. What a game Spider-Man is. If you ever imagined the perfect way to play as Peter Parker then this is it. A 10/10 game for me in all aspects. Swinging all the way through the streets of Manhattan has never felt better. Insomniac and Sony got it spot on with this one. Marvel’s web slinging avenger has to save New York City from a clutch of the Empire State’s finest villains in a fantastic story. It looks absolutely sublime, the soundtrack is something straight from the silver screen. However, Spider-Man really excels in the gameplay, especially the combat. Spidey moves around the screen with ease, he has a great melee combo system for straight up fighting, he has web kicks, he has web shooters, and he has gadgets. He’s your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman. Even if you are not a fan of comic book stuff, this game is well worth a go in my opinion. This excellent game was followed up by the awesome (if too short) Miles Morales. We are highly anticipating the Spider-Man 2 which Sony showed off during the last State of Play. If it’s anything like this cracker, we are in for a treat. WWF Wrestlemania 2000 (Nintendo 64) Back in my younger days and up until recently I was a huge fan of the World Wrestling Federation. For years I would tune in regularly for Raw, Smackdown and stay up late on certain Sundays for the monthly Pay Per View events. Now, there have been an abundance of wrestling games on many consoles over the years and the majority were crap, or lacked any real depth in gameplay. Roll onto the days of the N64. THQ and AKI had previously released two great WCW games on the N64, but when they decided to go with the lure of the WWF we was treated to a great game. It’s specifically the same 3D engine but with better graphics, textures, movement and all the things you would expect from a follow up game. Its just got Steve Austin instead of Hogan, Triple H instead of DDP and so on. The roster is stacked with all your favourites from the Attitude Era. Every character has a specific move set and finishing move which is brilliant to see. By today’s standards it’s not held up as well as you would have thought, but it’s still a riot to play especially when you had three buddies round. 
Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?
Final Fantasy 7 (PlayStation 1)
It had to be in here didn’t it? The game will probably be in many gamers top 10’s. At time of writing I have not played the remake, but I am excited to do so. I feel FF7 is one of the most influential games of all time. If you look at a lot of games aesthetics through the years up to current gen, I feel the futuristic, steampunk, industrial setting of Midgar has influenced a lot of game devs. I also feel that FF& set the precedence for JRPG’s to be more of a mainstream genre rather than the niche it used to be. Cloud’s adventure and story is on par with the most wonderful stories I’ve ever read, or seen for that matter. All of the characters have so much depth to them and you all probably know the scene, but that was the first time I ever cried at a video game. The cut scene and music which accompanied it truly set the tone for what had happened. The game is turn based combat at its finest. The Summons and Limit Breaks add another layer to making the combat fun, and the use of Materia made for great, simple gameplay as RPG’s can get too complicated. FF7 does not. If you haven’t played it you should. If you haven’t played any Final Fantasy games, then this is where you should start. You can get this and FF8 on the Switch for around £30 for the pair. That’s a bargain. ! Sensible World of Soccer (Commodore Amiga) In the 90’s if you had an Amiga you was a legend. I only knew of two people who had Amiga’s. One was my Uncle who lived 200 miles away from us. We had great memories of playing Jimmy White’s Snooker there. The other was a lad in our friends group. On occasions we would all get together and just play games all day. Then one day we had access to SWOS. For me it is the perfect football game, the gameplay actually playing the football matches was simple but so so addictive, you could pull off some absolute worldies just using the joystick. I’d love to see it come back for modern consoles. What also was great about SWOS for me was the manager mode. It was the first time I can ever recall being a football manager. Buying and selling players in the transfer market was a real hoot. Granted the graphics are very simplistic and minimal and it certainly isn’t no FIFA. But it didn’t need to be back then and still doesn’t need to be now. If you can play any version of Sensible Soccer please do. This version for me is the king. Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360) If you are into all of Microsofts IP’s then chances are you either sway to Halo or Gears as your go to shooter. As much as I like Halo, I much prefer the third person, cover shooting that Gears offers. I love the Gears franchise. I do feel that the peak was Gears of War 3. In my opinion it’s the best game on Xbox 360 and nothing would change my mind. Once again we have Marcus Fenix and his crew armed with their lancers trying to take on the evil alien forces. Everything about the game is great. The action is frantic at times but that just adds to the experience for me. The story is sublime and again we had a scene which brought a tear to this gamers eye. I even enjoyed the online experience and it was a firm favourite for a lot of hours for me You could pick this game up for a quid physically now, and I am pretty sure it’s available on the wonderful Gamepass as well now. There is no excuse not to play this game….. Well unless you don’t own an Xbox? Super Mario 3D World (Wii U/Switch) I could not finish this list without having a Mario game. Super Mario Bros was the first game I ever played on a Nintendo Console. We got the Action Set at Christmas 1990, we lost so many hours to Mario and Duck Hunt. I think Mario has had so many great games over the years it’s very difficult to say what is the best. My favourite is 3D World on the Wii U and now recently ported Switch. It offers the best of both worlds for me. 2D Platforming in a 3D environment. The whole idea and concept felt very fresh at the time and I loved the cat suit power up which definitely changes the physics of the game. Combine that with the 4 Player Option, the absolutely stupendous soundtrack (Check out Bowsers World Map theme, genius Jazz.) and all the collectibles in the game, you have a winner. I’m so glad Nintendo ported it to the Switch along with the wonderful Bowser’s Fury as it gave the game out to a wider audience as well all know the Wii U did not sell so well. So there you go. There are my top 10 games of all time at time of writing. What do you think? Agree with any? Disagree with any? I love hearing feedback and other people’s opinions. Bear in mind I am always playing games from all generations, so who knows this could change next year. Until Next Time. Keep Gaming. Guest Blog post by Adam Foster @AngelicWiganer / @snoopfozziefozz
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The SNES has a humungous library that’s for sure and often we can miss titles that we didn’t play, or didn’t get a chance to play. I wouldn’t say the five titles I picked are hidden gems or particularly on the rare side. However, I do think each one of these has its own merits to be welcomed into any retro games collections. Let’s take a look at five Super Nintendo Games you need to play.
Super Tennis In my opinion no other tennis game has come close to replicating the fun and simplicity of Super Tennis. It’s still the best tennis game out there. I LOVE the main theme tune for the game, and I often listen to it time to time just on YouTube. In fact I just LOVE everything about Super Tennis. It’s easy to play, not complicated and provides a ton of fun in either single player, co-op doubles or battling a friend. The best thing about this now, is that we have access to it on the Switch online service. I recently completed the World Tour and was overjoyed with it. However if you are a collector and would like the physical version of it, it won’t hammer your wallet too much. Anywhere between £5-£12 depending on box and condition. Go and play it NOW! Batman Returns We all love a game with the Caped Crusader, well I do anyway. If you haven’t checked out any of the Arkham games then you really should they are a treat. However back in the early 90’s our mates at Konami (remember them) made this fantastic side scrolling brawler. Imagine Batman bashing up baddies in Gotham in a similar vein to Final Fight. I think it often gets overlooked as do most movie licensed games. They can’t all be tarred with the same brush. Its got good lovely graphics and that classic Konami music which adds to the experience. This one is more on the expensive side. I’ve seen prices for as low as £20 loose, going up to nearly three figures for a boxed copy. Keep your eyes peeled on the boot sales and see if you can get this on the cheap. 
Pure Nostalgia. Retro Gaming is in our blood
Retro Games! What are they? What era is retro? Who cares right?! I love retro games just as much as anybody. Why? Retro Gaming allows me to be transported back in time to those Childhood bedroom moments when we were all crowded around a 16" CRT TV waiting for a go on Street Fighter 2. Or maybe I am back in my friends watching them setup the Amiga 500 and then waiting for Lotus Turbo Challenge 3 to load. Gaming is life and that's why I like to hear from my readers, about their favourite retro games and series'. A Big thank you is in order to Sean (skijumpnose) for sharing his love of his favourite Retro Games below.
Guest Blog by David Morley
My older brother grabs the good controller. It’s the enhanced one as it’s been used more and it’s not as rigid apparently. “Hold on, let me get comfortable.” EA Sports it’s in the game! The early nineties were hard, a lack of money for my parents being the main issue. So when my oldest of two older brothers bought me a Sega Mega Drive for my birthday and gave it to me early. It was a big moment.
It’s 1993 I’m about a week away from my fourteenth birthday and forever being lifted into 16bit gaming heaven. A back story for my gaming knowledge previous to this day would be the commodore 64, my friend Paul’s bedroom and a Peter Beardsley manager game called… wait for it: Peter Beardsley’s International Manager. I recall the day like it was yesterday; the brand new Sega Mega drive box with images of the games that you could buy like Hang On, Sonic the Hedgehog, Italia 90 and Columns, pictured on the back. My first ever game was, of course, Sonic the hedgehog. The little spiky- haired dude who would refuse to jump lava in the marble zone levels consistently for about a week. The SEGA start up title blasted out and I was addicted. Even now, that little blue Sega intro is etched on my brain forever, instantly transporting me back to that moment in time. Out of the box, the Mega Drive was instant gaming. My older brother showing me how it’s done, his skills came from spending his time in the very place from where the Mega Drive evolved. Driven by the arcade generation before it, the games were in now in your home and on your television. There is a show on streaming platforms which charts the history of gaming. I urge you to check it out. 
Evercade VS - Everything you need to know
I recently completed Tomb Raider during a live stream. Fifteen brutal yet beautiful levels packed full of puzzles, wild animals, water, sand, oh and Pierre. Never before have I live streamed a game that stirred such strong feelings of nostalgia. This was something that I reflected on with my chat throughout every stream. What exactly was it that made the original Tomb Raider so special? Let’s take a Swan Dive in to the Core Design of Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider.
Solitary. That is how you / I start out on the very first level of Tomb Raider. After my Sherpa met an early death, I set out in the cold caves of somewhere in search of something. Even at this early stage of this beautiful work of art, Tomb Raider felt special. As I learnt the basic moves I felt confident in wanting to take my adventure further. The complex jumps across treacherous gaps still wreaked havoc with my vertigo but jump by jump I learnt to trust the process that Core Design had so perfectly built. Tomb Raider introduced Lara Croft as their main protagonist. A female protagonist?! This was game changing back in the 90’s. More so, that Lara had a very pronounced triangle top half. Triangle tits became a slang phrase with my friends. Triangle tits? Did Core Design really do this? Was it on purpose? No matter what the intention, Lara’s breasts were a serious talking point that arguably helped to carry the Tomb Raider brand a long way. Back in the 90’s we never left the UK. I did not travel abroad until I was an adult. Tomb Raider opened my mind up to the world, cultures and adventure. Jungles, tombs, sculptures, pyramids, waterfalls! Tomb Raider had it all. Some of my favourite memories are thinking back to playing Tomb Raider and feeling like I could escape and be in a foreign land. 
Lara Croft taking on the iconic Dino of The Lost Valley
I often hear a lot of Tomb Raider fans discuss how difficult the mechanics of swimming are. I found it to be a simple mechanic to pick up. I would go as far to say that Lara’s walking and jumping mechanics are much more difficult to master. I fell many times whilst trying to walk to the edge of a ledge (even whilst holding dow the walk button) and then there’s the moments when I jumped backwards and accidentally fell to my death. Swimming was the least of my problems. Back in 1996, we did not realise at just how blocky the controls were because there was nothing to compare it to. I am so tuned in to the fluidity of playing Shadow if the Tomb Raider that when I went back to Tomb Raider, I had to devolve my play style. Luckily, my muscle memory reverted back to my mid-90’s love affair with Tomb Raider. I was kicking ass!
Everybody has as least one memory from playing Tomb Raider on the PS1 or Sega Saturn. Or perhaps you played Tomb Raider on the PC? Back in the 90’s level five was my nemesis. I remembered the dreaded verticality and four doors. You had to unlock each of the four doors to progress to an area. At the end of the area you would obtain a key. During steam I was dreading this level but it turned out to be a breeze. I felt like I played through it seamlessly. My nightmare levels turned out to be, seven (Palace Midas), thirteen (Natla’s Mines), fourteen (Atlantis) and fifteen (The Great Pyramid). How did we manage to beat this game as kids? Natla’s mine had far too much fiery danger for my taste and an incredibly annoying mini boss that took me at least ten times to kill. Level fourteen felt like a level from Doom what with flying demons. I kept getting in to a new area and thinking “this has to be it. This has to be the end right?”. Nope. Level fourteen seemed to go on and on forever. Fortunately I had my live stream viewers to keep me company along the way.
Despite the difficult levels, there’s no denying the majestic nature of Tomb Raider and its long pasting legacy on my life. During my recent play through I could not help but think at how clever the level design was. Even more mind blowing was that Tomb Raider was created by six people from the original Core Design Team in Derby. Derby has a special place in my heart as it is my home city so I have often bragged that “me and Lara Croft were born in the same city”. As much as the game still resonates with gamers today, little can be said about the Core Design studios. Sadly is was closed and turned in to flats. Nothing is left of the original studio aesthetic.
The question is not about how much of an impact Tomb Raider had on me; it’s what would have been different if Tomb Raider had of never existed? Obviously I cannot give an exact answer. Perhaps Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series may never have existed? We certainly would not have had any Tomb Raider films. It was through the Tomb Raider films that I discovered Cambodia and the beautiful Temples of Angkor. Later in life I ventured to Cambodia to teach English. If the games had never been developed I wonder if I would have ever gone to Cambodia. Perhaps not. One thing can be said in all certainty, Tomb Raider is tremendous and I love it! Blog post by: Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24 
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