Compile was not known for its horizontal shooters, but in 1986 the studio released one, Gulkave, for the MSX and SG-1000 in Japan. It built off the idea of Gradius' power-up bar for its own unique system, one which makes you think and act in a far different innovative way than Konami's did.

I would love this! Always thought Dwarf was well suited to the adventure game format

just learned of the "1500 ds spirits" series. they're mostly adaptations of traditional games. but they all seem to have these really cool king of fighters-looking character designs?!

Hello new followers! If you see something you like in this photo then I’ve got a blog for you! I’ve covered obscure MSX games, cult RPG series, point n click adventures, score attack arcade games, and more. All covered through a highly subjective personal lens… gamesfromtheblackhole.wordpress.com

The A-Team theme

Thankfully, it looks like the latest patch has fixed this!

I’ve got three old posts for you this Sunday, all themed around James Bond. First up, the Bond inspired point & click adventure for Amiga, that was eventually re-released as an official 007 game… gamesfromtheblackhole.wordpress.com/2020/10/11/o...

Hello new followers! If you see something you like in this photo then I’ve got a blog for you! I’ve covered obscure MSX games, cult RPG series, point n click adventures, score attack arcade games, and more. All covered through a highly subjective personal lens… gamesfromtheblackhole.wordpress.com

RIP to one of the architects of our childhoods. Editors rock by the way… They take raw material and make it consumable, give it shape and meaning. Fellow artists are elevated by them.

Am I the only person left on earth who thinks Yuji Naka was pretty cool actually and it’s not funny to kick a man when he’s down

This looks super interesting. A sort of Crimson Shroud by way of Vanillaware… store.steampowered.com/app/4508570/...

Yay! Very lovely to be recognised among so many great sites… Make sure you read this list for more retro gaming goodness.

I hate this but I also sincerely believe he would have loved the idea

Today is the 40th anniversary of Dragon Quest so here’s an article from the archives about the HD-2D remake of the first game and the strange pleasure of playing a JRPG in a party of one… gamesfromtheblackhole.wordpress.com/2026/02/01/d...

Happy Dragon Quest Day! Celebrate by listening to me rant about how the series, and especially the first game, makes me feel bad (complimentary)

Anyone else experiencing hard lock crashes in R-Type Tactics I•II Cosmos on Switch? It’s happening to me on almost every battle now and I’ve lost hours of progress

Agreed!

From the exp. archive: Remember the DSi exclusive G.G. Series? No? Well it was pretty good. From 2015, I play Ninja Karakuri Den:

Wahey!

It took me 20 hours but I just finished Chibi-Robo after your pitch for it on the podcast last week. It's really something special, I adored it. The writing was surprisingly good. I love all the freaks that live in the Sanderson house. It reminded me a lot of Moon. Thanks for the recommendation!

digging through mobygames when you can't sleep is fun. you'll find all kinds of games you didn't know existed, like SONIC CRICKET

Old post! A Day In The Life is a suitably surreal ZX Spectrum tribute to the late, great Sir Clive Sinclair. gamesfromtheblackhole.wordpress.com/2021/09/26/a...

I passed 1000 followers this weekend and promised this would happen, so it is now DONE. The Games From The Black Hole X account is gone forever!

This!!!!

And they were clearly too busy making alarm clocks and a talking flower instead!

One new arrival this week… I’ve had great fun playing this with my daughter. The puzzles are so playful and reward experimentation so much that you can kind of play “co-op” with a kid suggesting clever things to try out.

My victory dance right now…

Preach! gamesfromtheblackhole.wordpress.com/2023/02/19/g...

Star Fox 64 has some truly memorable dialogue, but nothing beats the Lylat Wars UK localisation if you ask me.

New blog post time! This week's game is Run=Dim: Return to Earth, a Wonderswan shoot 'em up based on an anime that most people don't have nice things to say about. This is a basic game with the worst music you'll hear on the platform, but there's a strangeness to it I appreciate: #gaming #blog

It's ABSURD that this is a game from the director of Ikaruga and is one of the best rail shooters I've ever played and it has... 1 review listed on metacritic??? www.metacritic.com/game/night-s...

🚨 IT'S TIME : 'NIRVANNA THE BAND, THE SHOW, THE MOVIE' IS COMING TO THE PCC 🚨 Canada Day preview Wed 1st July Daily performances from Fri 3rd July On sale today at 1pm!

Incredible review…

Old post… What happens when the arcade racing masters at Sega take over Nintendo’s 1000Kph futuristic racing series? The result is so good it effectively stops the series in its tracks… gamesfromtheblackhole.wordpress.com/2025/06/15/f...

No new arrivals this week, so here’s something beloved from the collection…

It has the best sound design of any game ever too. I have no words. Just listen

Old post… What happens when the arcade racing masters at Sega take over Nintendo’s 1000Kph futuristic racing series? The result is so good it effectively stops the series in its tracks… gamesfromtheblackhole.wordpress.com/2025/06/15/f...

Had great fun recording this. I don’t think my N64 and GameCube picks will win the draft but I do think YOU will love them! Have a listen…

Had great fun recording this. I don’t think my N64 and GameCube picks will win the draft but I do think YOU will love them! Have a listen…

Namco's exercise bike-powered flying contraption is almost 30 years old, so we tracked down the game's director to look back.

From the brilliant @asherperlman.bsky.social Doesn't resonate with me at all, of course....

One of the best things about Demonschool that no one really talks about is that it is a secret recommendation engine for cult movies. I talk about this a LOT in the boxout of my blog post…

An official Head Over Heels sequel is a dream come true for me. I just had to write about it and spread the word. Thanks to @timeextension.com for giving me a space to write about this unexpected joy.

Master system game outsells Mario Kart in 1993. The UK was a very different market.

The only research I will need to win tonight’s draft…

CHUCKULUS for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro.... Download or play in browser: github.com/Snuggsy187/C... Coffee (no milk) welcome: ko-fi.com/snuggsy187

Hi, so I have a side quest for any charity shop fans reading this. If you live outside of southern England, please could you pop into your fave charity store and reply with what video games you found there? Photos would also be appreciated. This is research for an article. RTs appreciated!

New blog! Unlearning everything I thought I knew about strategy RPG battles with Demonschool... gamesfromtheblackhole.wordpress.com/2026/05/10/d...