Growing up, I was lucky enough to have a computer in the house from a very young age. I was even luckier to have cousins who introduced me to some of the greatest games of all time. Games like Monkey Island, Crystal Caves and Commander Keen. Later I would discover Duke Nukem and Doom. That’s why, this year is really exciting.
Doom returns
Originally launched in 1993, Doom is quite possibly the most iconic game in history. Ridiculous levels of violence coupled with multiplayer mayhem, Doom had a little bit of everything for everyone. Such was the popularity of the networking side of things, internet providers and network maintenance teams had to release anti-Doom protocols to stop people from playing.
After a few less than impressive sequels and a pretty poor film, Doom is back in 2016. We’ve been playing the latest beta after an open weekend and are probably a little disappointed by it. We hope this may just be down to the limitations of this release being a beta and still plan to enjoy a retro buzz when the game launches in May.
Ron Gilbert returns with Thimbleweed Park
Ron Gilbert is to adventure gaming what Martin Scorsese is to movies. Few might be aware that there are huge parallels between the famous Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and one of Gilbert’s best known creations in Monkey Island. That is however a conversation for another day, as we need to focus on the sheer excitement that comes with a new Ron Gilbert game edging nearer.
Thimbleweed Park is a fascinating approach to game design by Gilbert and his partner in crime Gary Winnick. This duo, now known as Terrible Toybox are the very same t
hat brought us Maniac Mansion. Before you go getting onto a retro buzz, downloading DOS Box and SCUMM VM, take a moment to back this project. Thimbleweed Park has been crowdfunded by enthusiastic followers of these legendary game creators. The game takes inspiration from early point and click adventure games, with inventories and on screen, clickable instructions.
Thimbleweed Park is a fresh take on gaming, as you try to solve the mystery of a washed up dead body through five playable characters. You are guaranteed to enjoy some great dialogue and puzzles while having some of the best adventure game writers lead you on a journey. Also, if you simply haven’t been able to live with the guilt of pirating copies of the creators earlier games, they will forgive you once you purchase Thimbleweed Park. How nice.
Doom is available for PC, Xbox One and PS4 from mid-May, with Thimbleweed Park available from late July into August.