Unfortunately Joel Goodwin of Electron Dance and I have not been able to do Side by Side this year due to, well, the nature of the series being totally at odds with a pandemic. Joel had always planned to do a deleted scenes episode for season 5 but he got distracted. Well, that time is now, or, it was, about a month ago when he put this together, but I got distracted and forgot to post it up. Lots of amusing clips here of what was a great selection of local multiplayer games. Fingers crossed for 2021…

When your original mod has been downloaded more than 5 million times, what’s left to do? Go bigger and bolder, according to Element Studios.

25 hours of space adventuring, in a gorgeous 2.5D setting? Sign me up.

It’s not as good as the first one…

On paper, I fit the fanboy bill. I’ve decreed my love of The Last of Us to not only my gaming friends, but to my parents, wife, and kids, all of whom I’m sure are dying to hear my thoughts on the sequel. I’ve played through the game twice on each of the last two generations of PlayStations. I even dabbled in the vastly underrated multiplayer despite my failed campaign to recruit my friends. 

This proves that 1) I need new friends, and 2) I’m a devoted disciple of Naughty Dog’s tale of Joel, Ellie, and Friends. 

So then, here’s the short version: The Last of Us Part II is the most disappointing masterpiece I’ve ever played. 

He’s not! He lives. In fact he’s typing this. Hello!

I’ve failed to publish my Games of the Year (or much of anything) since 2016. I would like to do something about that. Strange as it may be to discuss my highlights from last year halfway through this one, it’s nonetheless what I’ve got for you today. Read on… IF YOU DARE.

Argh, this was meant to go out over the New Year period(!) but I’ve been burning the candle at both ends with work and… well, this turned out a lot longer than I expected!

I opened the door to 2019; felt like I was struck dead. Saw the future, but all the future was was the past repeating itself. “Fuck,” I exclaimed. “No!,” I pleaded. I tried to slam the door shut, cried in horror at the terrible revelations unfurling themselves. But there was no closing the door. Before I knew it I was on the other side, mistakes ready to be remade; but would any lessons be learned? I feared for the worst case. I was right to be afraid.

Hi, Tap-Repeatedly. It’s that time again! So… Here’s somewhere between five and ten games I liked in 2019. Below the jump!!

That’s right, I’m reviewing a movie.

Or am I? 

Was that a… movie that I just saw?

Joel Goodwin of Electron Dance and I end season five of Side by Side with, well, a sheep dog game called Disobedient Sheep. You can’t say we’ve not had variety this season!

This week, Joel Goodwin of Electron Dance and I slink around in the dark trying to kill each other in Mild Beast Games’ At Sundown: Shots in the Dark. We played this a few years back at Rezzed and loved it, and since then it’s been in active development. Much to our excitement it was finally released in January this year!

Joel Goodwin of Electron Dance and I resume our usual Side by Side programming this week with Totally Reliable Delivery Service, an ‘open world multiplayer physics game about terrible delivery drivers’. Yep, that was us!

In our second departure from playing, Joel Goodwin of Electron Dance and I discuss local multiplayer trailers. And we forget to mention a couple of (puts on American hat) doozies.

It’s Side by Side Thursday again, and this week Joel Goodwin of Electron Dance and I are whacking energised spheres and firing chicken arrows at each other in Moonradish Inc.’s Wand Wars.