It’s 9 September, which means it is the anniversary of the SEGA Dreamcast’s U.S. release. I’m now going to attempt a fair review of Sonic Adventure, one of the most divisive games in SEGA’s back-catalogue. While it was received very well upon its original release in 1999, its many flaws have been exhaustively laid out since. How to proceed? Should
Read more
Every now and again, we at The Splintering are going to lean on our mascot, Chomp the Termite, to go out into the world of myth and fiction to get the stories that we non-fictional types just can’t get. September 9th marks the anniversary of the SEGA Dreamcast’s release in the U.S., so Chomp thought he’d dust off his old
Read more
Zaid Comics and Gifted Rebels recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for Psycho Slumber, a 60+ page sci-fi horror graphic novel. The project is already fully funded, having raised more than $4 thousand at the time of this writing. Written by both Phillip Diaz and Adam Lawson and featuring illustrations by Juan Gedeon and colors by Eugene Betivu, Psycho Slumber is
Read more
“What are you prepared to do!?!” Publisher Hamster has announced that Lead Angle is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in arcades by Seibu Kaihatsu in 1988 and later ported to the SEGA Master System, this is the first time that an arcade-perfect version of Lead Angle (aka Dead
Read more
Publisher Hamster has announced that Finalizer Super Transformation is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in arcades by Konami in 1985, this is the first time that Finalizer Super Transformation has been commercially available since Microsoft shut down the Xbox Game Room service several years ago. One or two
Read more
My wife gets mad when I call it that… Alterna Comics recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for Blood Moon, a crossover story featuring characters from Peter Simeti’s King Cryptid and Robert Geronimo’s Blood Realm. Written by Simeti and Geronimo and featuring illustrations by Keir Covington and colors by both Geronimo and Kristian Rossi, Blood Moon is a 70+ page (72
Read more
Last week, independent comic book creator and Splatto Comics founder Richard C. Meyer launched a crowdfunding campaign for COMIC BOOK: The Comic Book, an illustrated 22-page retelling of comic book history written and illustrated by Meyer. As the campaign acquires more funding over its initial goal, the book will receive additional pages. Here’s the official pitch taken from the COMIC
Read more
I find it hard to believe that nobody could come up with a more interesting title for this game. Publisher Hamster has announced that The Ninja Kids is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally published in arcades by Taito in 1990, this is the first time that The Ninja Kids
Read more
Today, The Splintering is reviewing the most famous of all of the SEGA Genesis launch titles: Altered Beast! I know pretty much everyone interested in classic gaming knows about the original pack-in for one of the greatest consoles of all time… and most people do not have the nicest things to say about it, either. However, I am one of
Read more
It’s still thinking… Just in time for SEGA Dreamcast’s 25th anniversary (sort of… the campaign will end near the 9/9/99 US release mark), independent artist and comic book creator Brenden Swan launched a crowdfunding campaign for Am I Only Dreaming: Encyclopedia of all NA Dreamcast Games. The project is a unique art book featuring illustrations for each of the 200-ish
Read more
What happens in Abbottabad stays in Abbottabad. Over the weekend, Splatto Comics launched a crowdfunding campaign for Capture Or Kill, a black and white action comedy that is sorta kinda based on actual events. Didn’t Splatto just launch another project just a couple of weeks ago? Yes, but it reached its goal, so Splatto founder Richard C. Meyer closed the
Read more
The title is a bit nondescript. Publisher RockGame has announced that The Legacy is coming soon to Steam PC. Developed by Second Reality, The Legacy is a cooperative survival horror game set in the picturesque Carpathian Mountains of Eastern Europe. Players will hunt, manage resources, craft items, and survive long enough to uncover the dark secrets of a cursed land.
Read more
A punch of nostalgia courtesy of Konami. Publisher Hamster has announced that The Final Round is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in arcades by Konami in 1988, this is the first time that The Final Round (aka Hard Puncher in Japan) is seeing an official home release. In
Read more
Don’t sleep on this one! (Kill me) This past weekend, Splatto Comics launched a crowdfunding campaign for Superhero Fatigue, a twist on the superhero genre described as The Rockford Files meets The Boys. The project is already fully funded, having raised $15 thousand at the time of this writing. Written by Richard C. Meyer (Jawbreakers, Iron Sights) and Chuck Dixon
Read more
Independent comic creator Michael Oden recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for The Embrace 2, a 57-page follow-up to the first issue that was successfully crowdfunded in 2021. The project is already fully funded, having raised more than $6 thousand at the time of this writing. Written by Oden (SPQR, Judex, American Bliss) and featuring illustrations by Dean James (The Embrace)
Read more
Don’t get too excited. It’s not that kind of football. It’s soccer-football. Publisher Hamster has announced that Football Champ is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in Japanese arcades by Taito in 1990, Football Champ was later ported to the Super Famicom and Amiga. M International versions of the
Read more
It is with great pleasure that I present this review of Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III for the PlayStation 4!* You may be asking yourself, “Why would you care so much about reviewing a rerelease of some obscure TurboGrafx-16 (TG16) game that only five people have ever heard of?” You see, I am one of those five people, as I actually
Read more
I backed Jon Malin’s Godlike: The Romulus Saga in September 2021. Malin claimed it was going to be his best work yet — a project where he returns to interior art after Graveyard Shift II (2020). There were not a lot of details given about the project; intentional secrecy and ‘epic-ness’ were the constant themes. I ended up backing just before the campaign closed
Read more
“Ghost Ninjitsu Scroll”…? Something like that. Publisher Hamster has announced that Ninja Emaki will be released on 4 July for Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in arcades by Nichibutsu in 1986, this is the first time that Ninja Emaki is seeing an official release on home consoles In Ninja Emaki, players
Read more
Publisher Hamster has announced that Rastan Saga II (aka Nastar Warrior) is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in Japanese arcades by Taito in 1988 and later ported to the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive and the PC Engine, this is the first official release of an arcade-perfect version of Rastan
Read more
Mummies vs Frankenstein’s monster! Karloff vs. Karloff! Compass Comics recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for Joe Frankenstein 3: The Eye of Ra, a supernatural action adventure book inspired by classic tales of horror. The project is already fully funded, having raised nearly $70 thousand at the time of this writing. Written by Graham Nolan and Chuck Dixon and featuring illustrations
Read more
This week, Star Cross Comics launched a crowdfunding campaign for issue 2 of Biblical Proportions, a 32-page sci-fi adventure. Created by Joe Spicer, written by Evan David and with illustrations by Brian S. Dawson, Biblical Proportions is a Star Cross Comics crossover (Star Crossover? Kill me) featuring characters from all across the indie comics spectrum such as Hybrids, Pillowman and
Read more
The only way to victory is to suck. Publisher Hamster has announced that Rug Rats is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in Japanese arcades by Nichibutsu in 1982, this is the first time that Rug Rats (aka Wiping) is seeing a release outside of Nihon, while also being
Read more
Take a house to die for and turn it in to a home to live in. Polish game developer Image Power recently announced that Haunted House Renovator will receive a demo during Steam Next Fest from 10-17 June. Partially funded through crowdfunding, Haunted House Renovator is a unique game where players transform haunted houses into beautiful homes for the living.
Read more
The password is “fidelio.” Publisher Hamster has announced that Cue Brick is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in Japanese arcades by Konami in 1989 and later ported to the Sharp X68000, this is the first time that Cue Brick (aka Cueb Runner) is seeing an official release outside
Read more
In April the crowdfunding campaign for Reaper Book 1: The Cursed Castle, a 100+ page, black and white graphic novel came to an end, successfully raising more than $5 thousand from 128 backers. Written and illustrated by Trisha Cuffari (aka Dannphan), Reaper is a dark fantasy series presented in a manga-style 5″ x 7.5″ format. Here’s the official pitch taken
Read more
“Then He asked him, ‘What is your name?’ And he answered, saying, ‘My name is Legion; for we are many.’” -Mark 5:9 Publisher Hamster has announced that Legion is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in Japanese arcades by Nichibutsu in 1987 under the title Spinner-87 Legion, this is
Read more
Get some sleep already! Romero Comics & Games recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for the fourth issue of Red Eyes, the 56-page conclusion to the Escape from Silent City story arc. Written by David Feed and featuring illustrations by Rafael Chrestani and colors by Luka Brinco, Red Eyes is set in a dark fantasy world and follows the adventures of
Read more
Welcome back to Monochrome May, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of black and white entertainment! Today we’re going to pick apart a lesser-known puzzle game for the Nintendo Game Boy, Daedalian Opus. Published by Vic Tokai in 1990, Daedalian Opus is a Tetris-inspired twist on tangram puzzles. What’s a tangram puzzle? Tangrams are designed around rearranging various two dimensional shapes called
Read more
The ‘-un’ at the end was too much for an arcade marquee to handle. Publisher Hamster has announced that the overhead maze game Tutankham is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally developed by Konami and released in arcades by Stern in 1982, Tutankham was later ported to the Atari 2600,
Read more
The Splintering 