Over the past three months we’ve linked to several pieces in Electron Dance‘s series of retrospectives and developer interviews, titled “Where We Came From.” Well, in case you hadn’t realized, yes, it was indeed a series, comprised of fifteen segments, which concluded just a few weeks ago with its final entry.

Whether you missed a part here or there, or if you missed it entirely, what better time to delve into such treasures than the onset of a weekend? Be warned though: it’s as much a retrospective on 8-bit gaming as it is a journey of self-discovery. And not just for the man who penned it all, either…

Mystery awaits you: Where We Came From.

Hi everyone. Amanda here! Or AJ for short, if you want to be gender-neutral about it. Some of you may remember me from a previous article that I wrote on the site as a “celebrity” guest. Since then I’ve been asked to come back and share more things, so I’ll now be up to providing reviews, impressions, and editorials on a regular basis as a Tap contributor! Now with that out of the way, take …

Review by Zach “Ravious” Best Trackmania² Canyon Developer Nadeo Publisher Ubisoft Released September 14, 2011  Available for PC   Time Played 20+ hours (including full beta) Verdict: 5/5 Gold Star “As a standalone game, Trackmania² Canyon is a well polished racing game that is distinctly fun to play. It is well worth the value cost-of-entry and will provide hours of fast-driving excitement. Within the Maniaplanet system of creations and community, Trackmania² Canyon truly shines.”

I happen to be a fan of Insomniac Games.  I’ll be the first to admit that Ratchet & Clank sometimes feels a bit stagnant.  I have my disappointments with Resistance.  But in my experience, Insomniac is a consistent game developer that makes fun games that usually have something in them that make me laugh or go “Hey, cool!”.  I have not played Resistance 3 yet – sort of a side effect of the whole “poor …

I know what you’re thinking. You love the great taste, wholesome values and nutritional benefits of the Alliance of Awesome, but you just don’t have enough ways to absorb or interact with its lovely staff, readers and contributors. You need and crave more. Fear not, discerning gamers of impeccable taste and style. Not only is the Alliance of Awesome gifting you three awesome websites (Tap-Repeatedly, Bits ‘N’ Bytes Gaming and Electron Dance) and three awesome Twitter feeds …

Developer Splash Damage Publisher Bethesda Softworks Released May 2011 Available for PC (version played), Xbox 360 & PS3 Time Played 42 hours Verdict: 5/5 Gold star! “Minor gripes aside, Brink is a clever, bold and unfortunately underrated addition to the team-based multiplayer canon. It isn’t for everyone, but for those who can appreciate what Splash Damage were aiming for and what they have achieved, it’s nothing but a breath of fresh air in an overcrowded …

“Good day, sir. Say, that’s a fine hat you’re wearing.” “Indeed.” “Would you mind if I tried it on?” “Beg your pardon, I daresay you’re a madman, sir. You? Try on my hat? What would the lawman think?!” “By my best estimation, good sir, the lawman would hum a gay tune, tip his own headpiece, and go about his business. Why, didn’t you hear? Today’s the day the proposed law of Wearing Another Gentleman’s Hat has graduated …

Remember all those crazy 01Net rumours that everybody thought were absolutely mental, insane and totally bonkers last month? Well they just weren’t mental, insane or totally bonkers enough for Nintendo. Frankly, I don’t think anything is anymore. It turns out that at least one of those rumours is true. True and horrifying. Originally leaked by Japanese weekly mag Famitsu and later confirmed by Nintendo, the monstrously ridiculous “Expansion Slide Pad” adds inches upon inches of …

I’m incredibly saddened to announce the passing of Bill Kunkel, who died suddenly on September 4 at 61 years old.

Bill was quite literally the father of games journalism. He, along with Joyce Worley and Arnie Katz, founded Electronic Games, the first mainstream monthly video game magazine. Best known by his nom de plume “The Game Doctor,” Bill was active in the industry from the late 1970s until the moment of his death. His book, Confessions of the Game Doctor, is required reading for anyone interested in the seamier side of the industry.

Ladies and gentlemen, the winter games deluge has begun. What started with Deus Ex a fortnight ago is going to last all the way through until early December, with wall to wall gaming awesomeness appearing on store shelves as far as the eye can see. Inevitably, things are going to get ugly. As a mere mortal who still has to, ya know, buy his games, I’m restricted by what’s commonly referred to as a “budget”. …

It isn’t often that you’ll find me writing news for anything other than an MMOG, so this is a first for me.  I picked this up from the Frictional Games development blog whilst reading a huge analysis of Amnesia by The Escapist, but Hide was actually created by someone called shouldice over at the Super Friendship Club, a place where people go to talk about games they’re making and get feedback on them.  I don’t really want …

Remember a few months ago where I talked about EVE Online and Dust 514 and how CCP intend to have a console exclusive title, that plays in the first person, effect the EVE universe? No? Ok.  Read this first. Right, now we are all on the same page, CCP producer Thomas Farrer has partaken in a hefty three page interview with Gamasutra to discuss the marriage of EVE and Dust and how the two will co-exist, …

Discussing video game addiction is never a particularly easy subject to broach. At least not in my experience. Ordinarily it’s not something I particularly like to talk about at all. That could be because I’m a gaming addict in denial, or because I’m ultra defensive over my chosen hobby and quickly angered by the stupidity and banal waffle that usually follows such discussion in the mainstream media. The problem for me is that I am a gamer, …

How did I miss this? It can’t possibly wait until my SW:TOR news round-up! Bioware have announced a new player versus player warzone called “Huttball” and who better to detail it than the legendary (and very wobbily headed) Dalas Dickinson! Hit the jump, hit the jump!

In the first of my news round-ups, I thought I’d start with the mighty Guild Wars 2. It has been a busy couple of weeks in the world of massively multiplayer games after Gamescom and PAX,  so I wanted to link a good few news stories, videos and blog posts of Guild Wars 2 that might interest some of you who share my addiction, or for those that havn’t had your ear to the ground. In …