The office full of IP lawyers who are currently wearing the skin suit once known as Atari (allegedly)* recently announced that a new version of Food Fight is in the works, thanks to a collaboration with developers at Mega Cat Studios. Arriving in early 2022, new Food Fight will launch first as a timed exclusive for the Atari VCS PC/console
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On Friday, independent comic book creator Mandy Summers launched a crowdfunding campaign for Jack the Ripper: Vampire Hunter, a 48-page horror graphic novel loosely based on actual events. The project is already fully funded, having raised nearly $5 thousand at the time of this writing. Not too shabby for the first few hours. Written by Summers (Super Dead, Pirate Queen)
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I don’t know where to start with this… other than, “it’s not that bad”. Actually, I think it’s rather good. I thought that I was going to have a lot more things to pick apart; things that I wouldn’t agree with as far as the mother/daughter dynamic, the story, or the art. I only had minimal issues with the art. I
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We’ve enjoyed many different theme events here at The Splintering (the Festival of Dread, Jolly Jinglings, and Monochrome May and Attack Helicopter Week), but waiting until October for the next one just seems like too long of a wait… That’s why we’re christening this August as the inaugural 80s August! Starting next week, we’ll be posting reviews and features celebrating
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Game publisher Hamster has announced that NOVA2001, the lesser-known shoot-em-up arcade game, is now available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released by UPL in 1983, NOVA2001 is the predecessor to Ark Area. In NOVA2001, players control a space fighter that can shoot in all directions (similar to Asteroids or Sinistar). Your
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Vampires, the Chicago mafia, a troubled marriage – Markosia’s Bittersweet Vows* is certainly not wanting for high drama! Written and lettered by Alex Scherkenbach with art by Gustavo Novaes, Bittersweet Vows is an odd blend of horror, suspense, and drama set in the era of Prohibition. Much of the story follows the trials of a young couple that moves from
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Publisher Koei Tecmo recently announced that their horror title Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is scheduled for a digital release on 28 October for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, SeXbox, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC… and it will be censored on all platforms. Maiden of Black Water is an updated version of the Wii U release in 2014. Like other
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Remembering Dave Stevens on his birthday, July 29.
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As of today (that’s right now), Alien Pixel Studios’ portal-hopping, puzzle platformer Unbound: Worlds Apart is now available on Nintendo Switch and PC (via Steam). Described as a dark fairy tale, Unbound is set in a fantasy world with gameplay featuring Metroidvania (nonlinear 2D adventure) elements. Players harness the world-altering portals to defeat monsters, solve puzzles and save reality from
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Since Wyatt Holliday’s latest female-led sci-fi adventure just went live on Indiegogo (in the form of Heroine Adventure Magazine), what better time is there to bust out one of his previous books featuring another buxom female beauty? Rocket Gal and the Mole Men of Mars is a lighthearted, action-heavy comic with a standalone story. The 32-page book follows the titular
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On Tuesday, developer FlyPenguin released a new gameplay trailer for BarricadeZ, their 2D tower defense survival game that is available now via Steam Early Access. This latest trailer features the game’s basic mechanics and a few of the more advanced features of the game, including how to set up trap hallways and “Autocrafting” (if a game insists on including crafting,
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Late last week, Global Frequency Studios launched a crowdfunding campaign for Mavrics: Origins Vol. One, a 60-page graphic novel intended for fans of Battletech, Gundam, and Armored Core (what – no Iron Soldier love?). At the time of this writing, the campaign is already fully funded, so now all that’s left to worry about is stretch goals and fulfillment. Written
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Consider the word “protagonist.” I doubt that what comes to mind is someone like Jeffrey Dahmer. Unless you’re one of his eccentric groupies, any sane person would never think to themselves “That’s someone to look up to.” A fictional character to look up to and idolize would be someone like Captain America, Superman, or even Pepe Le Pew – if
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Publisher Ultimate Games has announced that Disturbing Forest – a genre-blending puzzle/adventure/survival game set in a fantasy world – will be coming to Steam PC in Q4 of 2021 with a Nintendo Switch release to follow in 2022. Disturbing Forest is the debut game by Panteon Studio, an independent development studio in Poland. According to Mateusz Kuliś, one of Panteon’s
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Earlier this month, independent comic book creator and Conquest Comics founder Liam Gray launched a crowdfunding campaign for Wonder Island: Hero of Brightwater, a 72-page graphic novel that includes the first three chapters of the Wonder Island saga. Intended for audiences of all ages, Wonder Island is a vibrant fantasy tale that looks to be inspired by multiple adventure video
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Taito and ININ Games have partnered up to release G-Darius HD, a remastered port of 1997’s arcade title… G-Darius. Developed by M2, G-Darius HD will be available physically and digitally for Nintendo Switch and PS4 later in 2021 (that’s for both North American and European territories). While the Darius shoot ‘em up series dates back to the mid-80s (or as
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Since Alex Kidd is oddly relevant this year, today we’re going back to an Attack Helicopter Week of years past to look at one of the most innovative stages from SEGA’ flagship title for the Master System, Alex Kidd in Miracle World. In the mid to late 80s, the SEGA Master System was the underdog in a sales race with
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Welcome back to Attack Helicopter Week here at The Splintering! We previously reviewed Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf in Attack Helicopter Weeks of years past, so this year, we’re diving into that game’s sequel: Jungle Strike for SEGA Genesis. Published by Electronic Arts in 1993 for multiple platforms, Jungle Strike: The Sequel to Desert Strike is very much like
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On Tuesday, renowned comic book creator, Crusade Comics founder and “Teen Sensation” Billy Tucci launched a crowdfunding campaign for Shi: Omnibus Volume 1, the hardcover book that collects all 12 issues of Shi: Way of the Warrior, the three-part Tomoe miniseries, and the 48-page Shi Vs. Tomoe, making a thicc 488-page total. At the time of this writing, the campaign
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Welcome to a special Attack Helicopter Week edition of Art Highlight, a recurring segment where contributors to The Splintering showcase a piece of original art in their collection. In honor of this week’s theme, I am revealing a gem from my vault, the original splash art page to Fantastic Four #316, Page #3. This page is an absolute beauty and
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Welcome back to Attack Helicopter Week here at The Splintering, where we celebrate all things attack helicopter, whether good or bad! And today we have “bad” in spades, folks, as we’ve chosen to subject ourselves to critiquing Airwolf published by… Acclaim. (*Shudder!*) So everyone find your seat, buckle up, and keep your hands close to yourself, because it’s going to
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Welcome back to Attack Helicopter Week here at The Splintering! Today, we’re taking off with Choplifter for the SEGA Master System. We previously reviewed Jaleco’s Nintendo Famicom port of Choplifter a while back, so let’s take a gander at how SEGA’s Master System port fares compared to its 8-bit contemporary. (Spoilers! – Pretty damn well) Among side-scrolling shooters, Choplifter is
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Over the weekend, independent comic book creator Wyatt Holliday launched a crowdfunding campaign for Heroine Adventure Magazine issue 1, “the world’s first-ever pulp heroines magazine.” Weighing in at a thicc 128 pages, Heroine Adventure #1 is a standalone, full-length pulp novel presented in 7×10 format. The project is already fully funded, so now all Holliday has to worry about is
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In the era between arcade classics like Defender and “bullet hell” shoot-em-ups like Ikaruga, the 2D shooter genre really hit its stride. The greatest titles of the 80s and 90s featured a mishmash of several genres, including sci-fi space shooters (R-Type, Thunder Force), fantasy (Wings of Wor, Lords of Thunder), and even underwater warfare (In the Hunt). However, one of
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Well, well! It looks like M2 is getting into the Attack Helicopter Week spirit! The Japanese developer recently announced that Kyukyoku Tiger-Heli will be coming to both Nintendo Switch and PS4 in Japan as a “Toaplan arcade garage” collection. Scheduled for release on 28 October, Kyukyoku Tiger-Heli will be available both in digital format for 3,960 yen and a physical
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On Friday, veteran comic book creator Andy Smith launched a crowdfunding campaign for 1stMAN 2: Learning Curve, a 52-page graphic novel that promises to recreate energy of comic books from the 80s and 90s. 1stMAN himself is a superhero described as part Spider-Man and part Captain Marvel (with The Ray’s color scheme, to boot). Here’s the official plot synopsis taken
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Today we’re unboxing our Indiegogo-exclusive copy of 499 from Richard C. Meyer and Per Berg (aka Narwhal), which recently landed at The Splintering HQ (my house). My cat was courteous enough to show up immediately upon finishing recording. On to the video…. If you want to check out our review of 499 (which you should), you can do so here.
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We love our theme events here at The Splintering, like Festival of Dread, Jolly Jinglings, and Monochrome May, but sometimes people ask me, “Why do you do an Attack Helicopter Week?” To which I answer, “Why do you hate attack helicopters, ya’ bigot!?” Do we need a reason to celebrate all of the contributions to our society that have been
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On Thursday, the crowdfunding campaign for Snowman: A Cold Day in Hell hit the blessed “six figures” milestone, raising more than $100 thousand via Indiegogo. This keeps the “six figure” streak alive for publisher ALL CAPS Comics, who has hit the $100k mark on all of its original comic book campaigns so far. What finally pushed Snowman over the threshold?
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Game publisher Hamster has announced that DARWIN 4078, the classic vertical scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game, is now available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released by Data East in 1986, DARWIN 4078 is the predecessor to 1987’s Super Real Darwin. In DARWIN 4078, your ship absorbs and converts the energy from other
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