The game industry has been family to me when it’s come to my mental health, traumatic events, being an overwhelmed carer, & more. Support that’s saved me… as part of a dream career! I went on @gothbosscat.bsky.social’s podcast to talk about building a career in games when life is complex. You can!

Honestly getting a wee bit emosh rewatching clips from this week's episode of the podcast with @spadgy.bsky.social ❤️ It quickly became an honest conversation about his struggles & how the industry has rallied around him. Available now in all the usual places! youtu.be/9BU1BzVf7sk

Snagged the EP of a load of dot-matrix printers making ‘music’ together. Works lovely for my ears/brain. Love the vinyl sleeve with the floppy-style slots! Here’s the tunes/noises: staalplaatlabel.bandcamp.com/album/sympho...

Can video games bring people closer? Next week, we’re joined by TEDx speaker and veteran journalist @geekdadgamer.bsky.social, founder of YouTube channel Family Gamer TV and new “Tinder for Games” discovery platform, Ludocene. If you're not already subscribed, now's the time: bit.ly/43RMgx9

First thought

I always liked the notion that danmaku wasn't invented for the sake of truly crushing difficulty, but rather to make shooters more visually enticing and thrilling. It's a little sad that these types of games got assumed by onlookers to just be completely impossible instead.

Today is 20 years exactly since I went full-time writing for and about games & the game industry. Shout out to all the fascinating, creative, supportive people I’ve worked with, & the amazing projects you’ve involved me in. I’m so lucky this is how I put food on the family table… thanks all of ya!

Generous dog turd bin! (Definitely wasn’t me. 😁)

what if every franchise have a shmup spinoff just like how they have pinball and/or racing spinoffs?

Raiden IV & Raiden III x MIKADO Deluxe Edition shmups by MOSS -35% Steam on Fanatical 👇 www.fanatical.com/en/game/raid...

Cracking Sunday, sat outside in the sun, reading about Tiger Heli with a cup of tea. Absolutely loving @spadgy.bsky.social retro gamer shmup/stg articles, making me wanna play this one again! #outside #sun #magazine #retrogamer #shmup #stg #tigerheli #toaplan

Check out the United Galaxy Space Force which is Namco's universe bringing together their space related games. Lots of #shmups like Galaga, Galaxian, Bosconian, Gaplus, Final Blaster and NebulasRay to name a few. ugsf-series.com

It's what you've all been waiting for.. 👀 The Platypus Reclayed Release Date Announcement! 👏 🚀 PC, Mac, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox X|S, Nintendo Switch 💥 Launching on September 18th #PlatypusReclayed #GameDev #Shmup

Deep breath. ✨ Mindset GO! is in soft launch now! ✨ 🔵 iOS: mindset.game/app/ 🔺 Android: mindset.game/app/ 🟨 ... Or web: mindset.game Mindset is a new smart casual puzzle that tests 👀 observation and 🧠 logic. Install! Play! Share! ENJOY. And let me know how you get on. Big day. More to come... 🔮

Stumbled upon this absolute unit! I think it’s an elephant hawk moth caterpillar! Away from my moth books. Either way, and utter fitty!

18th wedding anniversary today! Pair of silly brains tangled up forever more. Seem to keep having more fun and falling for each other more. YES! I fucking love what we have. Most exciting person in the world to me!

Oops. I did it again! Definitely going to wait a while before my next NeoGeo Pocket Color pick-up… …maybe!

I wrote a six-pager on the making of Toaplan’s iconic shmup Tiger-Heli, and its 2025 ports to the Atari 2600+ and 7800/7800+! It’s in the new issue of @retrogamermag.bsky.social. Issue 275. Thanks to original Toaplan staffer Masahiro Yuge for the insights and memories! #shmups #shmup

I finally picked up a NeoGeo Pocket Color backlight mod kit! Now to brave pulling apart my first Pocket Color, which I bought around launch in 1999. 😬 Cannot wait!

R-Type Delta: HD Boosted release date confirmed! An awesome shmup, last released for PS1 in 1998/99. New visuals and a reworked score (including by Chris Hülsbeck, of C64/Amiga R-Type fame). Japanese release confirmed so far (Nov 20, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC). Physical coming to PS5 and Switch.🎉

I spoke with Torben Bakager, the co-creator of the influential Amiga shmups Hybris and Battle Squadron, about the impact of the Amiga launch on game dev 40 years ago. Such a pleasure… my first computer, an Amiga, made me fall for shmups, and inspired my career choice.

Philosoma, an early PlayStation-STG is turning 30 today. It's a rather fascinating title, mixing classic, not particularly complex shooter-system from various perspectives with ambitious (and certainly expensive) CGI-scenes - all published by Sony themselves!

With apologies to my bank balance…

Whoa! Writing about shmups has filled about 50% of my paid work over the past two weeks. For this shmup head… what a way to put food on the family table etc! Thanks shmups (and shmup devs!).

Whoa! The classic 2002 Windows shmup Platypus is being remade… with clay. Platypus Reclayed. Demo on Steam now. What an idea!

Unnecessary shmup pick-up. Is it any good? Guess I’ll find out!

IGS CLASSIC ARCADE COLLECTION is coming over to Steam after the Nintendo Switch release from 2023. This is mostly news for fans of fighting games, because of Martial Masters, but also for shmup folks due to the awesome DEMON FRONT.

In about 1996 my college decided to include me on the cover of their prospectus. I just found a copy. A very rare peak at my natural, curly hair! The shirt? Romeo + Juliet had just come out at the cinema! 🤦🏼

I finished Minishoot' Adventures. Rinsed every last thing out of it. Wow! Top-flight 2D Zelda-like (what a world layout, packed with discoveries!). Masterfully belnded with a twin-stick shmup (that gets less chilled than I suggested below 😅). So rich in great design. A favourite of recent times.

"Blaze of Storm" is a new vertical shmup that pays homage to Compile's shmups. It is scheduled for release on Steam and Nintendo Switch in late 2025. store.steampowered.com/app/3513070/ #Shmup #blazeofstorm

One of the best things I stumbled upon at @developconference.com? The mighty @patchmagazine.bsky.social! And awesome indie game mag with a big voice, distinct design, no ads, and run by an inspiring team. New to me… but they’ve been smashing it for years!

Stumbled upon some game dev themed indie wrestling at @developconference.com. Please make this a thing here every year!

The RADON Daughters have launched their ultimate weapon. Take control of the experimental gunship HALCYON and break out of the CAGE. BIRDCAGE launches on PC and consoles later this year! Wishlist now - tinyurl.com/4cy9szsk

I'm at @developconference.com all next week! Whoop! Editors and publications - let me know of you need anything covered! I can make specific sessions/interviews, sniff out angles, take on features (and news!) etc. (Not on stage this year; but no hall wanderings pics (for attention!) of me!)

I just noticed that the local mobile police station unit is made of… …1312 recycled bottles! 1312! On a police box! How the hell did the designer get that through!?

Is Shenmue Boring? We discuss this & more in our first episode of Games of Note, a podcast talking about the impact of videogames on game design & the wider industry. Listen & subscribe via; Spotify: zurl.co/KmVFK Apple Podcasts: zurl.co/ivaZM RSS Feed: zurl.co/xAQdF BlueSky: zurl.co/4YQSv

Gradius V and CAVE vibes? Danmaku Unlimited: Wyver Ultra is looking very lovely indeed! #shmups

New retro-flavoured action game with run 'n' gun vibes, by the mighty @1ccgames.bsky.social (of Space Moth and Star Hunter fame)! A game sudio forged in an arcade - actually! A bunch of us met hagning out in a tiny London arcade playing shmups, and some of the crew founded 1CC Games!

Somebody's selling a Triforce arcade system on Facebook: '£50, free shipping, likely faulty, no game'. Don't need it. Likely couldn't fix it. But... It's arcade system made by Nintendo, SEGA, and Namco, based on a tweaked GameCube that works with Sega's GD-ROM system. WANT! You buy it so I can't.

Oof... Minishoot' Adventures is a lovely place to spend time! Really delivers on the 'twin stick shooter x 2D Zelda' set-up. Chilled shmup vibes in a lovely rural world that opens up wonderfully. Big up the devs SoulGame Studio! Definately go try the demo. store.steampowered.com/app/1634860/...

New zine @controllerrevolt.bsky.social looks at video games and their culture through a punk lense… and it’s an utter banger! Well written, distinct, smart, energetic, true DIY, and expertly tackles the punk/gaming crossover and contrast. Keep your eyes on it! Here’s issue 1…

R-Type Delta is retruning as R-Type Delta: HD Boosted! 1998's original (AKA R-Type Δ) might be the best R-Type there is. And the original team have joined @clearrivergames.com‬ to work on the remake. Due this year. Such an ace shmup. I cannot wait! Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQUJ...

Lasagne or Doom level? (Via @DisturbingZone over on Insta!)

Did some shmup tests on Switch 2, out of GUNBIRD 2, Thunder Force IV, Ghost Blade HD, Ikaruga & ProtoCorgi only Danmaku Unlimited 3 had visual issues.

Tatsujin Reveals New Info On Upcoming Shmup Revival 'Truxton Extreme', Including A PC Port.

These tiny music genre ‘theatres’ keep appearing across my town. Here’s the goth one! So great. I’m on the hunt for the rumoured tiny techno theatre.

VIRAL RELOAD EX by @retrocademedia.bsky.social and DISASTER ARMS by PD_CGT are fun demos out now on Steam. Viral Reload is shmup with retro inspired graphics store.steampowered.com/app/2096020/... Disaster Arms is a run and gυn with highly original art store.steampowered.com/app/3462730/...

Well now I regret not saving enough pennies for the Switch 2 preorder! (By which I mean ‘spending all my money on tate friendly shmups’.)