Project, which he calls “a tribute to the foundational and beloved 8bit classic Temple of Apshai (1979).”

Old School Gamer Magazine: How did this project begin?

Van: I guess it began in spirit with the original Temple of Apshai by Automated Solutions in 1979, that I loved as a kid on the Apple ][+ and later C64. That credit goes to the great Jim W. Connelly of game dev legend. Hope to meet him someday, so I can thank him personally.

Fast-forwarding to today, Webshai began a few months ago as a Claude AI experiment in design-driven development. Im a life-long old-school career programmer, but the sudden and recent AI revolution has made code-writing skills obsolete. I’ve been “vibe-coding” as the kids call it now, on another much larger project when I needed a break.

Ive always wanted to pay homage to the classics that inspired me, so I wrote every note and observation about old Apshai that I could think of, into a design doc to see how well Claude could execute purely on a detailed vision. It was an experiment in new alternative workflows.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What makes it special?

Van: Originally I intended to make no enhancements, just a functional clone written from scratch for the web. But web accessibility is the first point-in-favor, I suppose. The most fundamental change. Just browse and go – no signup, no download, no friction.

Also, it’s genuinely roguelike – people abuse that term today, to the point that they clearly don’t know (or dont care) what it even means. But Webshai is the real deal (largely because Im also in love with Nethack, the direct descendant of the original Rogue). Instead of the original 4 static levels of Apshai (or 12, if you include the also-great Upper Reaches and Curse of Ra sequels), Webshai has a procedural level generator.  I defined 7 tiers with their own visual themes, tile sets, and monsters, 4 levels per tier, for 28 levels total.  Each level larger with more rooms than the level before it.

And even that was an arbitrary cap. With more art, I could offer 100 levels. 1,000 levels. I will, if I get enough players to justify more development.

And these are generated for each user, uniquely. No two users will see the same dungeon.

And yet yours wont change, so you can still memorize YOUR levels (NetHack is a cold-hearted bitch on that issue – new game? WHOLE new dungeon again!) same as we did when playing the original.

Otherwise, it’s primarily a nostalgia play.

Lastly, all my games are web-based. I love the ease of accessibility and delivery for the players – just browse and go. No bloated 50 gazillion derpabyte download to install.

And no risk of malware in those binaries – a problem occurring with increasing frequency, particularly in the low-budget indie market.

Don’t get me wrong, I have an embarrassingly large and venerable library of purchased games on Steam. Steam is, generally speaking, fabulous. But I wont even download indie games from Steam until the binary has been vetted by others.  And I *do not* install binaries from Itch. No hate, I applaud what they’re trying to do, but I do not trust their content creators.

And I don’t build Windows binaries. I bear an admittedly pathological hatred for Microsoft in general, and Windows in particular, both as a user and a developer. The Web is my rejection of all-things Microsoft, and of Apple as well. They work overtime to control us, limit our options, and force us into their walled gardens. The web is freedom.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Who’s the core audience?

Van: Well so far, nobody. Figure in an era of global virality, if you cant earn a following via simple word-of-mouth popularity, you’re doing something wrong. You either stand out, or you die.  Blending in,is not an option.

So thus far, I have no players. But I only dropped the open beta of Webshai maybe a week ago. Now Im looking for my first players.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Who are you trying to reach?

Van: The only crowd that I expect will really care – us 40-something/50-something old timers. To the kids these days, the old games just look primitive. Which is fair – they ARE primitive. But if you grew up on Apshai, you were left wanting more. At least I was.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Why does the preservation and homage of this era of games mean something to you?

Van: Two reasons, I think:

1 I was there, I lived it, these are the relics of my formative years, and represent some of the best times. Many a survivor of the torments of childhood, emerges from that battlefield with a guiding light. Something that led them through the darkness. For me, gaming was an HUGE part of that.

2 Those were the frontier days. The developers from that era, didn’t have game engines. They didn’t even have utility libraries. Often they didn’t even have pixels! And there were definitely no standards, no patterns. We didn’t even use the WASD UI pattern for steering yet! So what they made, was raw. It was feral. It was almost random.

And it was ground-breaking. Those early devs went out into the frontier, the wild, and they built.. whatever, whatever they could with whatever they had! And they built a whole new world and a new industry, and invited us to follow, to join them in something they called “home computer gaming” – when us users were still barely learning what a “home computer” even meant!

Old School Gamer Magazine: Why is this all important to you?

Van: That’s a surprisingly important and heavy question. Why do we game? Of what value is it? Sometimes I wonder if what I do – I was an off-and-on big-studio game dev for 35 years – is even meaningful, or just a waste of time. With all that’s wrong in the world, what do I contribute? Video games? That’s it?!

I don’t farm to grow food. I don’t build homes. I don’t heal the sick. All I do is provide entertainment.

Then I remember that 2nd grader, just 8 years old, introduced for the first time to Temple of Apshai, and I remember how a world of magic and fantasy and adventure and wonder opened up before me like an endless landscape.

And I remember, we aren’t just animals. We need more than food and shelter and our health. We need entertainment. And specifically, entertainment that challenges. That invites us to explore. 

Interactive entertainment is the next level, beyond books and movies (both of which I still cherish). Interactive entertainment let’s us be the hero, instead of some Hollywood actor having all the fun. It’s the ultimate storytelling, because we get to *tell OUR story*. Not have someone else’s story told to us, whilst we imagine ourselves as the protagonist.

And Ive done this – trying to design games, build games, and empower people to tell THEIR stories – since I was a little kid. Even before computer gaming, when tabletop D&D was all the rage.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Anything else you’d like to add?

Van: Credit where credit is due:

Half the sound FX in Webshai, were done working with Claude AI tuning programmable oscillators by ear to recreate the classic C64 sound.  The other half, was my sound artist/musician girlfriend Elisa Berlin of Noise Complaint (and who has a boss cameo in level 4 of the Catacombs tier).

The sprites were all generated on PixelLab.ai – I can’t draw a decent circle to save my life.

Tile art, all procedurally generated by Claude.

Likewise, the code was written entirely by Claude AI. I only take credit for the design and architecture of that code. Ive been developing for the web for the last 25 years, with 15 of those in Javascript.  This would have taken me AT LEAST 6 months to build by hand, but with AI it took just 6 weeks. Though admittedly it became a very back-and-forth process after the initial generative pass. Anyone who thinks using AI for game dev is equivalent to pushing some magickal do-it-all-for-me button, should try that sometime.

The post Old School Gamer Magazine Exclusive: Inside new C64 Temple of Webshai Project appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Our next Trading Card Spotlight features “ZapCristal” Cristal Laboy, who is displayed on card number 3968, from the Superstars of 2021 Collection.  Cristal is host of her own YouTube Channel with over 6,000 subscribers and counting. Her passion for video games is refreshing and her goal to show female presence in the gaming community is important to Cristal. By creating a safe environment for the gamers on her channel, it motivates her to be a spokesperson for all ages of gamers.

When did you begin your YouTube channel and what inspired you to do so?

I started YouTube 6 years ago and it was with the goal of creating more family friendly content, in which I would involve my entire family in the video creation itself. At first it was more entertainment geared, later on it went into a more educational phase, in which I was homeschooling my son and then we entered into a major rebranding phase. That is how it ended up being a gaming/journalism channel.

What is your favorite YouTube episode you have done so far, and what makes it special?

Well, I might break the rules here, but I actually have 2 favorite episodes. One is titled: “Doing Retro Collection Tour The Right Way” This one was all about breaking stereotypes when it comes to what makes you a collector and about how size doesn’t always matter because at the end of the day, it’s more about the story it tells about you and what you are into. My 2nd favorite episode is titled: “Arcade1up/ULTIMATE ROOM TOUR Of 2021!!” This is a very special project that I started in my own home and how to bring that arcade ambience into our personal spaces. It was a great experience and currently still under construction, so stay tuned for it.

What other topics for your channel are you interested in and what would you like to see more of?

I love to bring more female representation to my channel to help define more how retro gaming once started to how it is seen in modern age. I love to bring educational topics to my channel that are hard to tackle while adding the entertainment factor into it.

Do you remember your first video game / arcade you played and what do you remember about it?

Yes, I do actually, it all started off with obviously Super Mario Bros and Ms. Pacman. I grew up in a family of gamers, so gaming was a big deal for us as we assimilate it with good family quality time.

What are your opinions about today’s generation of video games?  How do you compare them to older, classic games?

I think that every era has something special to offer overall to the history of gaming that is still relatively young (to be exact, around 50yrs or so) It wouldn’t be fair to compare it to classic games due to when gaming was born into existence, techs and developers were still learning how to even make games playable. Nowadays with a structure finally being put in place, developers can focus now more on creating more immersive, story driven and even impactful games. I’ve been thrilled by seeing the evolution of companies and video games while seeing how different eras respond to the same.

Did you ever think when you were younger you would be on a video game trading card?

Never in my life hahaha, I always was a big fan of baseball cards back in the day and found it inspiring to see people who I identified with on these cards. It was a special and personal item for me. I’m glad to see how much of an impact I can make upon people’s lives and how I can make someone’s day a little bit better. Happiness is everything for me, especially when I’m doing something that I love.

If you could describe Walter Day in one word, what would that word be and why?

Special because it is paving a road to preserve and honor those who, no matter how big or small their communities might be; are leaving a legacy for future generations to enjoy.

What is your favorite portable gaming device and why?

I would have to go with the Nintendo Switch. It is a perfect hybrid between playing games you love while on the go. There’s a great library of games that till this day, I’m impressed with being able to play these in handheld mode.

Do you prefer arcade or console gaming and why?

I would say both cause each one has their own place in the videogame world. Arcades for me is a time where I can play with family and friends while not taking it too seriously because my focus would not be entirely on the game. Meanwhile, console gaming for me is more of a time where I can relax and play on my own. So, it is a perfect balance between both.

Which console company is your favorite and why?  Nintendo, Sony, Sega, or Microsoft?

Both Nintendo and Microsoft have been my favorite because they are not afraid to experiment while trying to make it a goal of offering a unique experience to their consumers. Nintendo has demonstrated this through their console designs and established first party games while Microsoft embraces the crossover between pc and console gamers and offers excellent services such as gamepass, online competitive gaming and 2nd party exclusives.

Both of them greatly support indie developers and even invest in minor studios, to give them a place to shine.

How does video game music influence games past and present?

As a content creator, I can plainly state that audio is almost more important and everything to a video, as well as for video games.  Music is what creates that ambience, emotions felt and can even help narrate a story better. Without music, you would be missing out on so many games we can easily recall nowadays because of it.

What is your favorite PlayStation game and why?

Hmm..It’s kind of hard to choose but if I were to choose one. I think it would be Puppeteer for the PS3. It’s a PS3 exclusive and it is a concept that I have never seen implemented in a platformer before.

Do you believe some video games are too violent and lead to violence in America today?

Not really, I think that it will be used sometimes almost as a clutch to validate certain facts that are now seen in society. This is something that is not relatively new, as for example, this is the same reasons certain organizations would use for pop culture trends as well as for certain music genres such as rock back in the day. Anything that is relatively young can be easily criticized or even pinpointed to say they found the cause but really these are just symptoms of a bigger picture which is mainly tied into mental health issues that have been poorly managed and taken care of. It also has to do with reshaping our education system to include more topics that are not tackled well nowadays such as more inclusion of different groups, racism, equality of genders and more.

Are video games good for relieving stress?

Yes, like any hobby. It can be helpful for relieving stress. If you enjoy and consider it to help you be in a better mental state, than yes. It is the same as if you were, let’s say sowing, gardening, listening to music or any other hobby.

Who is your favorite video game character and what makes that character special?

I have to say Ms. Pacman because Ms. Pacman was the very first video game character that was intentionally created to target the female audience. It was created to break stereotypes and barriers that the video game market had created of video games being supposedly a hobby only enjoyed by men. So for me, it holds a very special place in the video game industry.

What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘YouTube’?

Community. At least for me, it’s all about connecting with my community. They are my family and to them, I always give them my best.

Do you find boss battles to be the best part of a video game?

Not really, I guess it all depends greatly on the type of genre you are going for. sometimes it is and sometimes the focus might be driven to somewhere else, like for example: the environments or story itself.

What is your favorite multiplayer game?

Wow, there are so many. When it comes to my community, we love to play together online Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Jack in the box party games. The options are endless and it’s what keeps us together on many occasions.

If you can design your own game, what would it be about and who would be the main character?

I would love to create a game that would definitely be open world, story driven with a butterfly effect to it. It would have multiple story choices with infinite replay ability and of course with a nice twist of action to it. I want it to have an open board where players can share with others their own choices and gameplay, being each one unique in its own way. The main character would probably be someone that can represent more diversity in the community, kind of like Spiderman Miles Morales just to give you an idea.

What games today do you play today and what are your favorite genres of games?

I currently cover a huge variety of genres, both on my channel and live streams but I do have to point out that I am more driven to survival horror games, some RPG’s, platformers and open world of course. To give you an example, the last games I 100% were Link’s Awakening and Resident Evil 7 Biohazard. I’m currently playing Paper Mario Thousand Year Door and Resident Evil Village. Cuphead is by far one of my favorite mid-tier indie games.

If someone wanted to start a podcast, what advice would you give them today?

Plan, execute and analyze. This can apply really for anything in life. If you want something done right, then you just have to take the initiative and learn as you go. Also do your research and recon in whatever area you want to improve because it will help greatly shape your content as well as the audience you want it to be built upon.

Where do you see video gaming in the next 10 years?

You know it’s hard to say because we are still in a very early phase when it comes to tech, but I think that we are seeing many more games break barriers when it comes to gameplay, graphics and who knows even VR will have a more prominent place in the near future.

ZAPCristal YouTube Channel

This is one of an ongoing series of articles based on the Walter Day Collection of e-sports/video gaming trading cards – check out more information at thewalterdaycollection.com.

The post Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – “ZapCristal” Cristal Laboy appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Old School Gamer: What inspired this game?

Zack Johnson: I’ve always felt like the Wild West genre was underrepresented in RPGs.  I think it’s very similar to medieval fantasy in a lot of ways: a comprehensible level of technology (guns instead of swords,) a dangerous environment (snakes and outlaws instead of dragons and brigands,) and a primal, hero-centric mythology (gunslingers instead of knights.)

Old School Gamer: What games did you play as a kid? How did they play a part in this?

Johnson: The game that was probably the most influential on West of Loathing was probably Hero’s Quest (later renamed to Quest for Glory.)  It’s an adventure game with significant RPG elements that change the way the gameplay and the story unfold.  I also played a lot of the Space Quest games, which I’m sure influenced the tone and humor of my games, and the early entries in the Might and Magic series, which were the beginning of a life-long fondness for RPGs.

Old School Gamer: What has the development process been like?

Johnson: We spent a few months working on our backend tools and data structures before we hired the engine programmer.  Developing content for this game is very data-driven, and therefore very quick and easy for the content team to do.  Likewise, we nailed down a really straightforward art pipeline early on.  At this point, we’re just busily making new content while adding new engine features as we need them.

Old School Gamer: How would you describe this game to someone who has never played it?

Johnson: It’s a hybrid adventure / role-playing game with stick figure art and a very silly tone.  It’s like Skyrim with beans and big hats.

Old School Gamer: What do you think makes this game special?

Johnson: Our writing team has been working together for 13+ years, and we’ve gotten really good at doing what we do.  If you like our sensibilities, our games are the only place you’re going to find them.

Old School Gamer: Bottom Line, why should someone play this when it’s released?

Johnson: Because it’s fun and it’s funny and in spite of its silliness and low-fi graphical style, its RPG gameplay is surprisingly deep.

Old School Gamer: What are your goals for this game?

Johnson: After more than a decade of working on the same very old MMORPG, I’m hoping to prove that our team can produce a smaller, standalone game in a more modern gameplay idiom.

Old School Gamer: What’s next?

Johnson: Well, assuming West of Loathing sells well enough to justify keeping the team together, we’d love to continue making games in the engine we’ve developed for this one.  A hypothetical second game would probably either be a Lovecraftian horror game set in the 1920s, or a Flash Gordon-like space opera.

The post Retro Interview: Zack Johnson Talks ‘West of Loathing’ appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

About Ground Zero Hero:

Featuring a vibrant hand-drawn art style inspired by The Simpsons and Rick and Morty, Ground Zero Hero challenges players to explore a post-apocalyptic wasteland as they face off against massive hordes of marauding mutants. Pummel piñatas, crunch candy, and absorb the irradiated guts of monsters to unlock new mutations and become the ultimate mutant.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How was this game born?

Rowan Edmondson: I randomly came across Vampire Survivors before it blew up, and it struck me as something I could put a cool spin on (something about 30,000 other developers also decided).  The immediate things I didn’t like about VS like the lack of animation etc were informative to what I was imagining. 

At the time, VS didn’t actually have vampires in it, so some of the core design ideas were born from “What if Vampire Survivors had vampires and survival”, hence why GZH has a day/night cycle where vampires emerge at sundown, and light survival mechanics (candy meter).

Old School Gamer Magazine:What is your role in the game?

Edmondson: I’m a 100% solo developer – I did literally everything in the game from code to animation to music. (A couple of explosion VFX I paid for but were still heavily modified)

Old School Gamer Magazine:Love the visual identity of the game. What inspired it?

Edmondson: Thanks! It’s probably obvious there’s a huge Matt Groening/Simpsons  influence with a dose of Rick and Morty weird. I don’t really have a default art style – after 15 years as a full time indie, exploring different art styles is something that keeps the process fresh and interesting – but that combination felt
like a good fit for the themes of the game.

Old School Gamer Magazine:How can gamers get their “freak out” in this game? 

Edmondson: It’s all about crafting your ultimate hideous mutant!

Old School Gamer Magazine:What has development been like?

Edmondson: GZH was started almost four years ago, and represents a three year project of effectively working 7 days a week (it takes time when you’re a pedantic perfectionist doing everything yourself). Just about any project spanning that amount of time is going to be a rollercoaster, and this certainly was. 

The different incarnations of starting as RAD Surivor and releasing as an early demo that was totally ignored. The pivot to renaming it to Ground Zero Hero and completely redoing most of the visuals. Pausing development for a year after a second project found a publisher.

Returning to GZH development after that project was cancelled. Waking up to an email from Acclaim wanting to have a call after I’d totally forgotten even pitching to them 

(pretty sure it was late at night and I was hammered when I sent a demo link) and then the subsequent process of teaming up with Acclaim and being a part of the rebirth of the legendary publisher from my childhood. So yeah, quite the rollercoaster.

Old School Gamer Magazine:What makes this game special?

Edmondson: I think genuinely special games occupy their own creative space. Games like Bioshock come to mind – the intersection of visuals and direction and game feel creating something incomparable. I’d like to think the aesthetic, music and attitude of Ground Zero Hero combine to create something pretty singular in gaming,
despite the saturation of the genre.

Old School Gamer Magazine:What games influenced this one the most?

Edmondson: Vampire Survivors and Fallout are obvious influences. But for the creative direction, Sunset Overdrive was a major influence in terms of the whole “happy apocalypse” vibe: rainbows and candy and bullshit everywhere.

Old School Gamer Magazine:Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Edmondson: Signing with Acclaim was the most unexpected part of the whole process. When I started development there was no hint of them coming back, so landing GZH with the home publisher of some of my all time favourite games as a kid (NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, Turok) is still kinda crazy to me.

Old School Gamer Magazine:What were the major lessons learned?

Edmondson: I would probably do a hundred things differently regarding project management in Unity. Also, the nature of the genre meant I learned A LOT about optimisation at the back end.

Old School Gamer Magazine:Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Edmondson: Frankly, no. Of course there are time proven mechanics that will always have their place in the medium, but I don’t view the preservation of older mechanics as something important within itself. 

Old School Gamer Magazine:The marketplace is crowded. How do you think you stand out?

Edmondson: Hopefully the combination of the aesthetic and attitude elevate GZH to be seen as something fresh and fun.

Old School Gamer Magazine:How have your previous experiences in industry helped this game?

Edmondson: This is my 15th year as a full time indie, so it’s hard to concentrate all of that experience into how it manifested through the development of GZH. I would say that in the early years of bootstrapping as indie developers, we could only afford to pay an artist to make a few key assets and I’d then make the rest based on their art style.

Over the years I became fairly profficient at riffing on an existing style, so it definitely equipped me to realise an aesthetic I imagined as a mix of The Simpsons and Rick & Morty. 

Old School Gamer Magazine:How do you want this game to ultimately be remembered?

Edmondson: Ideally it’s remembered as fun, amusing nonsense with a banging soundtrack that sold 10,000,000,000 copies.

Old School Gamer Magazine:What’s next?  

Edmondson: Buy one of them gold plated houses. 

Old School Gamer Magazine:Anything else you’d like to add?

Edmondson: Socks then shoes.

The post Old School Gamer Magazine Exclusive: Inside ‘Ground Zero Hero’ appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Tim Kitzrow who is displayed on card number 3091, from the Superstars of 2019 Collection.  Tim is also featured on card number 4110.  You can hear the legendary voice of Tim Kitzrow on dozens of popular video game franchises such as NBA Jam, NHL Hitz and NFL Blitz among many others. Based out of Chicago, Tim’s voice is imbedded in millions of video gamers around the world with such phrases as “BOOMSHAKALAKA”, “He’s on Fire!” and “Get that out of Here!”. Tim has been traveling across different states the last few years meeting fans, signing autographs, and using his legendary voice to announce tournaments, YouTube Channels and Kickstarters.  For more information on Tim’s history and videos, go to timkitzrow.com.

How did you get the job of being the voice of NBA Jam?

I had established myself as a reliable voice actor for the many pinball titles I had done at Williams/Bally between “88 and ‘92, so When Mark Turmell started working on Jam across the street at MIDWAY GAMES, I was the first and only choice.  I believe Jon Hey, Jams producer and audio guru who wrote all the great JAM music recommended me. Luck perhaps, or as I see it, preparation and experience meet opportunity.

Do you remember when you played your first arcade game and what do you remember about the experience?

PAC-MAN in college. I remember it was addictive and that I would run out of quarters soon and that I needed them for beer. I had a Work Study job to help pay for tuition that was 16 hours a week @ $1.80 hr. So, I learned early on $28 per week would not be able to support beer and video games AND living expenses. That is why I never learned to play other video games and have been a video game virgin my entire life.

What does it take to be a video game voice actor, and what advice would you give a person today who would like to get into the industry?

Like any creative path it’s about fun, passion, and letting go. I fell in love with acting at a young age because it seemed to be the one of the few things you could do in life where you could continue to use your imagination and play, it didn’t seem like one of those scary “sell your soul for the company job” careers that terrified me as kid to think about. Today anyone can afford to buy a decent mic and play and practice on their own and make their own demo tape. All I had was a cheap push button recorder, but don’t think I did not play on that thing all the time. I never set out for this career but boy if you told me when I was a kid worrying about growing up and getting a real job that I would not only be doing this but have made such an impact that I would be on a Walter Day trading card, I’d say “wow, lucky you! talk about a birthday candle wish come true! When I meet dads’ and their sons at shows, and they are both grinning from ear to ear and the dad says “wow! You are the voice of my childhood” and the kid says with disbelief” you’re really the guy that says boomshakalaka?”I feel just like that little kid , and the little kid in me is also thinking, “ am I really that guy who says Boomshakalaka?!” Life is good.

When did you first meet Walter Day and where was it at?

I met Walter at the MGC in Milwaukee while promoting my new game MUTANT FOOTBALL LEAGUE about 4 years ago with Billy Mitchell. Fortunately, our paths have crossed at the conventions again after the shutdown.

Besides NBA Jam, what are other games you do voice over work for?

Well NFL BLITZ was my other blockbuster hit and I did all of the sports titles at Midway except for HANGTIME. Other titles include MLB SLUGFEST, NHL HITZ, WAYNE GRETSKY 3D HOCKEY, COLLEGE SLAM, SHOWTIME, NBA HOOPS, FRANK THOMAS BIG HURT BASEBALL, MUTANT FOOTBALL LEAGUE, RAGE 2. I’ve also voiced 15 or more pinball titles. Some of my favorites include, The Twilight Zone, Elvira, Scared Stiff and House of Horrors, Deadpool, Roadshow, Hotshot, NBA Pinball, World Cup Soccer and Popeye.

Do you have a favorite team for NBA Jam and why? 

I moved to Chicago in ‘87 and had come from Albany NY where Phil Jackson had coached the local CBA basketball team to the championship, and he landed in Chicago to coach MJ. I was crazy about MJ having seen him in the Olympics and having seen some of his early hype and highlights. I was there from the beginning when the Bulls sucked and watched them climb to the mountain top. A very exciting time.

Do you prefer arcade or console gaming and why?

Arcade is the true artform for me. But more from an esthetic and tactile perspective. There is something magical about the cabinets with their amazing artwork all lit up and beckoning you with their attract mode. It’s like an album cover and vinyl is sexier than a download, I guess. It’s you and the machine, the same size as you are going at it. Just holding some dinky controller played on a 19-inch tv in the early console days just isn’t the same. Unfortunately, a lot of gamers grew up on the console JAM and missed out on the electrifying arcade experience which also meant a bunch of challengers and a real game like atmosphere of competition and trash talking.

What are your opinions about today’s generation of video games?  How do you compare them to older, classic games? 

I would love to sound more intelligent and informed when it comes to game questions but as I said I made a choice early on that I could not afford the money or time to play video games and after college I was busy doing theater, working restaurants and never found a fit for games in my life. I have approached my relationship with this industry as an actor, writer, and entertainer, not as a gamer.

If you could describe Walter Day in one word, what would that word be and why?

KIND! Instantly you feel he could be your best friend growing up, or that favorite teacher you had or wished you had, or the guy you worked with who made each day bearable and meaningful. Or like Santa Clause without the costume and beard because he just radiates GOOD. A legend in the gaming community and one of the good guys.

Do you believe some video games are too violent and lead to violence in America today?

Yes. For all the realistic shooter games it says something about what people view as fun and entertainment these days and that is disturbing. Shooting games have always been popular but have evolved into something quite dark. Early arcade rifle games were my favorite and the only arcades I enjoyed as a kid in fact. A big wooden rifle and various different bulls’ eyes and moving animal targets to shoot at. At amusement parks there were the shooting galleries with targets to hit like a bullseye on a piano to make it play, or hit the beer mugs etc., but nonstop shooting other humans with the blood and guts is just something I don’t understand or relate to. If you then have mentally ill people addicted to this form of virtual role playing it cannot lead to anything positive, period.

What other work did you do in the gaming industry besides voice acting?

I have written or co-written all of my scripts starting after the original NBA JAM, so NFL BLITZ on. For the remake of NBA JAM with EA in 2010 and 2011 release I wrote the whole script. Half of the thrill for me in this business is to be the joke writer and content creator.

Did you ever think when you were younger you would be on a video game trading card?  

I had no idea the impact my games would have at all. It was just a lot of fun to have a creative outlet and make some extra money. I never saw this as a career path early on. I’m still knocked out at the thought of being on a Walter Day trading card.

Have you ever received any media coverage for your appearance on the trading card?  If so, where?

Really just in the community and the retro game shows. I had just started to discover the retro game show world at the time I received it and then Covid hit, so I’m just getting back out there now on the “tour circuit”. I’m still amazed and humbled by the honor and I made copies with my contact info on it for my business card and people are blown away by it.

Besides the games you did voice work for, which was your favorite game back in the 1990’s?

I did love Cruisin. The great designer Eugene Jarvis from Midway did that one. When I would go in for recording sessions, they had every MIDWAY arcade game in the lunchroom and that was the only one I played. I could total a Mustang or a Vette better and faster than anyone who worked at Midway!

Do you like it when Hollywood makes a movie from the video game?

Sure, it gave them something other than comic books to draw from for fantasy themes. I loved RAMPAGE created by my friend and legendary Midway designer Brian F. Colin.

Who is your favorite video game character of all time and what makes that character special?

Me in EA’s remake of NBA JAM and SHOWTIME as a secret character! What’s so special? Are you kidding me? I’m a character in a video game?! Crazy! I guess that’s why I’m in Old School Gamer Magazine and this website, plus Walter Day knows who I am!

Are you still involved with NBA Jam today, and what role do you play? 

I’ve been involved since 1993 in one way or another. Unfortunately, the title has not seen a remake since 2011 but I have been a proud ambassador for the game on my own because I love it so much and the joy it brings others. I’ve been doing various NBA JAM events with teams, including doing custom written and voiced highlights for teams which are played on their JUMBOTRON’S and on social media. I worked for 2 years with the Warriors for their back-to-back championships doing playoff series and FINALS highlight roundups Dub Jam: NBA Finals Edition  .  Throwback and 90’s nights nights have been fun for me too Houston Rockets Create NBA Jam Highlights. Including MC’ing  for halftime dunk shows, NBA JAM day for the CLippers and highlights for SPorts Center on the games 25th anniversary ‘NBA Jam’-ifying the season’s best plays | SportsCenter | ESPN . So yeah, my tombstone is going to read: “Boomshakalaka!… at the buzzer! The nail in the coffin…IT’s GOOOD!!”

Where do you see video gaming in the next 10 years?

Well with VR it’s tough to say but I think there will always be an audience for the old school arcade style quick fix, over the top fun like many of my games. It’s like, “hey, let’s take a break from this 3-hr. sim game in the metaverse and play a game, how ‘bout some NBA JAM or BLITZ?” My games are French fries, popcorn, cotton candy and ice cream in a world of  12 course “foodie only” tasting menus.

timkitzrow.com

https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/tim-kitzrow

This is one of an ongoing series of articles based on the Walter Day Collection of e-sports/video gaming trading cards – check out more information at thewalterdaycollection.com.

The post Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – Tim Kitzrow appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

PGA Tour Golf: To think that the eventual EA Sports juggernaut was built on the backs of games in the baseball and golf genres is a hard message to convey to a young gamer that sees the Madden series as the cornerstone of the EA empire today. But way before the NBA 2K franchise beat on NBA Live and dominated the hardwood and before Knockout Kings disappeared in favor of UFC, Electronic Arts broke into the sports genre with games such as Earl Weaver Baseball on PC and, PGA Tour Golf, on the Sega Genesis.

The first Genesis game to have a PGA license, the game ironically had more of an arcade punch to it, channeling the careers of the team that designed it. Developed by Lee Actor and Dennis Koble, known for their work on such Atari ports such as Pit-Fighter and Hard Drivin’, PGA Tour was the type of pick up and play experience that much like the NHL and Lakers. vs. Celtics games that followed it from EA, invited players to the genre.

Over 30 years since it was released on the Sega Genesis, Traeger still remembers what was so enjoyable about the title and how it almost never happened.

“It was really successful and the license was cool. It took the thunder out a lot of other golf games that didn’t have the licensing. Golf games, even on early technology, used a lot of data,” Traeger said. “In the early days, we would just walk the courses with cameras and try to record the data as much as we could. Then we had, individual sessions with the golfers where we were just videotaping their swings. This was way before the motion capture stuff and all that. The license gave us access to all the PGA courses and all those players. They weren’t like big superstars, so they were all pretty accessible. A lot of them were pretty technology aware. The partnership worked really well. We had a lot of data and all those courses. But the thing about the core of the game, it had been around in EA for a while. It was just a golf simulator.”

Roger Clemens MVP Baseball:

Designed by Perry Rodgers, a former Twin Galaxies Gaming Champion, member of the US National Video Game Team, co-founder of the Amusement Players Association (APA) with Steve Harris and Jeff Peters, which published the Top Score Newsletter, a predecessor to Harris’ Electronic Gaming Monthly, as well as Senior Producer of some of the original PlayStation’s biggest titles including Parappa the Rapper, Final Fantasy VII and Gran Turismo, this was an opportunity early in his career to do more than produce. Behind the wheel for the entire development cycle, Rodgers had some clear objectives for his baseball game.

“I was working at Activision. That was my first job in gaming,” Rodgers said. “I was a Product Specialist and Associate Producer. I was there for about two, two and a half years. After a while, I got this- ‘I want to make my own game’ idea. That’s obviously very common in the industry. But being that Activision was more of a publisher than a developer at the time, that wasn’t going to probably happen there. So I can’t recall exactly how I got in talks with George Metos from Sculptured Software. I believe it was because of some work that I had been doing for Activision, but I just can’t recall the details on that. He flew me out there and we talked about doing my own games. I’ve always liked sports games in general. One of the games I wanted to do was a baseball game, but I wanted to do something different.”

NFL 98

NFL 98 is easily one of the most in-depth football simulations in the history of the Sega Genesis but sadly came at a time when most people were hungry for the games on the Sega Saturn and PlayStation. Featuring a full-season mode, player creation, trades, team relocation options and a variety of in-game tuning options, it boasts a set of gameplay tools many first-generation 32-bit games do not. However, with 16-bit visuals, even the best on the Genesis at the time wasn’t enough to entice players away from sexy new consoles. As a result, NFL 98, regardless of everything it did right, is seen as a lost gem on the Genesis console.

Developed by a Spectacular Games team led by Michael Brook, who also worked on NFL 95 and Deion Sanders Prime Time NFL 96, the group was ready to deliver their best edition yet. Fixing several gameplay bugs that hampered previous versions of the series, NFL 98 is the best edition of the series and a million seller on the console. According to Brook, that had a lot to do with the love affair he and the team had with the Genesis. The reason for that affection for the console is simple – Brook helped build the Genesis as a viable console as a producer at Electronic Arts. Helping take the publisher from the PC to the Genesis, Brook saw NFL 98 as the end of a special era. 

“I loved the Genesis,” Brook said. “My feelings (at the start of NFL 98’s development) were really, ‘Boy, I’d rather be doing Genesis development.’ I was very sad to see it go away. I was feeling as if, if this were another media, like a book or a movie, I’d have a chance to keep making my mark with great products on this system. It’s too bad because while the Genesis might’ve been replaced by 32-bit platforms, it, by no means, was no longer a viable system. That was kind of sad that there really was no room for it because it just didn’t look as good even though it played great and probably better than the 32-bit machines, certainly at the start. But because of the looks, it had no hope. The industry moved much more towards marketing the visual experience. Part of that was that the way you made your money at the time was to simply sell the game, in which the publisher made all its money up front on a one-time sale. It really didn’t matter how much somebody played it – it was whether you sold it. Now we’re in a completely different era where many games are free to play and you buy features or pieces of the game later on. Gameplay is everything. At the time of the Genesis, in the 90s, that wasn’t the case.”

Coach K Basketball: Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski’s name will forever be with the college basketball gods as one of the greatest bench bosses in NCAA history. With five national championships under his belt (as of this writing), Coach K’s resume speaks for itself. Combine that with EA’s penchant for creating top-notch basketball experiences and it’s one of the best roundball games on the Sega Genesis.

However, unlike the long-time success other celebrity-endorsed games have had under the EA umbrella, Such as John Madden, Tiger Woods and evening Earl Weaver, Coach K only had one opportunity at the free-throw line, but managed to turn the experience into a three-point play. Originally released in 1995, it wasn’t until three years later that EA began its long-running March Madness franchise, which later morphed into NCAA Basketball. But regardless if it’s short tenure on the virtual court, Coach K’s Basketball left a nearly untarnished level of precision on the court during its time.

“Upon completion of NBA Live 95 we were all discussing the excitement of the NCAA Tournament and the incoming players that would be in NBA Live 96,” Dave Warfield, the game’s Assistant Producer and Designer said. “With Duke winning back to back tournaments and so many great players, it made sense for us to leverage the Live engine we had created with the Isometric view, and build on the interest of the yearly March Madness. As the team was looking at the next iteration of NBA Live, I split off to work with a small team to create a game that took the best of the NBA and created a different experience.”

Triple Play 96: It’s hard to believe, but at one point, EA Sports was extremely focused on producing quality baseball games. Way before MVP Baseball was a thing, Triple Play Baseball was a series that millions of gamers flocked to. At one point in the franchise’s history, it was a consistent million-seller on the Sony PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Before that dominance, however, EA was in a different type of ballgame on the Sega Genesis and was just trying to find its footing. At one point, the publisher had MLBPA Baseball, Tony LaRussa Baseball and even its classic PC series, Earl Weaver Baseball all trying to grab a piece of the virtual baseball pie. But somewhere between Earl Weaver’s rise on the PC and the end of the Sega Genesis lifespan, Triple Play came into existence and set the bar high enough to warrant a litany of sequels that took the series into the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, GameCube and PlayStation 2 cycles. 

But way before the game was repackaged as MVP Baseball, the Triple Play franchise was one of the last baseball games on the Sega Genesis and was put right in the middle of a dogfight for supremacy among a plethora of contenders including RBI Baseball ’94, Sega’s World Series Baseball ’96 and Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball. Just around the time when EA began to understand how important yearly updates were to their sports franchises and the adopting of that mentality with all of their other sports games, the brand knew it was time to get serious about baseball. Although they released Tony LaRussa, Super Baseball 2020 and MLBPA Baseball from 1992-1994, with no authentic MLB license, the games didn’t have the staying power as EA’s other games in the NBA and NHL. Although Triple Play 96 didn’t have an MLB license either, it was out to change the way baseball games on the Genesis felt by offering a slew of modes and features not found in their previous baseball games including hot and cold streaks, the ability to create minor leaguers and the best visuals of any of their prior 16-bit games based on America’s pastime.

The post Five Sports Games That Have Us Wish Again For Simpler Times appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How was GRIDbeat! born?

Dan Kingdom: GRIDbeat! grew out of a very simple idea I had early in the pandemic. At that point, the concept was little more than a nexus of identical nodes that the player moved between on the beat. When I discussed the idea with the team, one of the Engineers wanted to explore the idea with me and so we created a basic playable version and the game started growing from there.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How does it feel to be affiliated with Acclaim on this?

Kingdom: Having Acclaim as our publisher is a little surreal. The ‘Acclaim’ branding has a lot of heritage associated with it, of course, so seeing the logo whenever you boot up the game always makes me smile.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What was development like?

Kingdom: Developing during the pandemic was strange for everyone involved, but luckily most of us have been working in the industry for over 20 years, so we learned to adapt relatively quickly. Once we had the initial playable concept, we spent about a year just iterating on the core systems and discovering what levels looked and played like.

Luckily, we had a very clear vision of the game style and tone from the playable concept and that helped focus the game throughout development, even when it started incorporating elements we had never even considered, such as narrative elements and boss levels.

One of the things I am proud of is that the core gameplay mechanic never really changed all that much from that initial concept to the final product. It grew and evolved, but the core of it is still that simple idea of moving node-to-node on the beat.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What makes GRIDbeat! special?

Kingdom: I’m particularly proud of how well the music and gameplay work hand-in-hand. The music is the living beating heart of the gameplay experience, and it’s very rewarding to see how players react to the soundtrack and compliment how much a part of the gameplay it is. The hope during development was always to create something akin to a ‘flow state’ for players, and seeing that happen during early playtesting was immensely rewarding.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How would you explain this game to someone who just sees it online and may be interested?

Kingdom: GRIDbeat! at its heart is a dungeon-crawler with a very simple mandate: move and act on the beat. If you enjoy exploration and puzzle-solving, all set to an incredible, pumping soundtrack then this is the game for you. If you also love music games, then this will also be something you want to check out, as the music and gameplay are incredibly interconnected.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What games influenced GRIDbeat! the most?

Kingdom: Honestly, the games that most influenced GRIDbeat! were the simple vector arcade games of the 80s, such as Battlezone and Asteroids. While the gameplay is of course different, the vision of searing hot neon vector lines and a booming electronic soundtrack were the elements that existed right from the start of development. Later vector-inspired games such as Rez were also a big inspiration, and of course a variety of music games, but the ‘flow’state’ inducing effect of Tetris was also a big source of inspiration.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Kingdom: I do clearly remember when we added the Mino.Tor opponent for the first time to a test level. The Mino.Tor is a simple, 2D sprite that just moves on the beat and chases after you, but for some reason its presence in the level scared the hell out of everyone when we playtested the level. Maybe it was something to do with the way it snarls and growls at you as it chases you down, or maybe it’s just the relentless element of pursuit, but it was exciting to see how something so simple, without animation or visual effects, could evoke terror in the playtesters. Our lead engineer even had to stop playing for a while because he started getting palpitations whenever the Mino-Tor showed up.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What were the major lessons learned?

Kingdom: I think the biggest lesson we learned early on was to try everything and test often. It’s very easy to get locked into your own view of a game during development, so getting feedback early on from outside the team is critical. Are the controls intuitive? Does the gameplay make sense? Is the core mechanic satisfying? Being able to respond to this feedback is also incredibly important.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Kingdom: Fun never really goes out of style or gets ‘old’. Game mechanics that younger players might not have experienced can still be just as exciting, but the focus should always be on creating something that is ‘fun’ to play, regardless of where the inspiration comes from.

Old School Gamer Magazine: The marketplace is crowded. How do you think you stand out?

Kingdom: Visually, I think GRIDbeat! is very distinct, so hopefully the game catches people’s attention and then once they start playing they’ll find the core systems and music engaging. The game is also quite challenging, so players that are looking for something that is simple to play but hard to master should get a lot out of the game.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How have your previous experiences in industry helped this game?

Kingdom: Having been in the industry for over 20 years now, I’ve worked on pretty much every genre of game and every hardware platform imaginable, so that definitely helps focus the vision of a game as a designer. Trying to stay focused on the core concept and maintaining ‘fun’ at every step is critical, from menus to gameplay.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How do you want this game to ultimately be remembered?

Kingdom: As a huge Rhythm Action fan, I’d love for GRIDbeat! to be remembered as a worthy entry in the music game pantheon.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What’s next?  

Kingdom: We’re currently working on the first major update for GRIDbeat!, which will include new levels and some quality-of-life tweaks, and beyond that… Well, Ridiculous Games is always working on at least a few high-concept and slightly crazy games at any one time, so there’s always something to look forward to.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Anything else you’d like to add?

Kingdom: Thanks for the questions. It’s always fun to talk about a game you’ve sunk your heart and soul into

The post Old School Gamer Magazine Exclusive: Dan Kingdom Talks GRIDbeat! appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

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About Astro Burn:

Beyond The Pixels®, a London based transmedia media studio dedicated to bringing modern retro to today’s generation, announced today that they are partnering with 33 Games to launch the collectors edition of their debut title, Astro Burn.  Oozing retro nostalgia on the outside, developed for modern gamers on the inside, the collectors edition will include the Astro Burn USB Cartridge for PC and Mac, and will mirror the game’s release on Steam, GOG and Epic Game Store!

No mere shooter, this modern day cute ‘em up is an outer space adventure that’s out of this world, and guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any retro shooter fans! Astro Burn is a love letter to a gone but not forgotten era of video games, taking inspiration from icons such as Parodius and Pop’n Twin Bee,  and providing a much needed power up for retro fans looking to scratch that itch. Astro the space cat and her quirky companion AL are on a mission to return home, but to do so they need to reign bullet hell over the cute and chaotic critters in their path.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How was this game born?

HaZ Dulull: The concept really began with one simple moment: I was looking at my retro game collection, those chunky cartridges, old consoles, the beautiful SNES box art, and I felt that familiar spark of nostalgia. I missed the days where you could just pick up a game, dive straight in, put it down whenever you wanted, and still feel that magic. No over-complicated systems, no 20-button combos, just pure fun. And pixel art… it’s timeless. Unlike 3D, it doesn’t really age.

So I started sketching ideas that combined my love for space sci-fi (which runs through all my films) with the classic shoot-em-up games I grew up on: R-Type, UN Squadron, Axelay, and of course Star Fox. One morning, as I was staring at that row of SNES cartridges with a coffee in hand, my cat Mia tapped my arm for food. I looked at her, then back at the cartridges, and it hit me.

What if the pilot of the game was a space cat?

And just like that, Astro Burn was born. (And yes, Mia absolutely got an extra treat.)

Balancing nostalgia with modern polish was the real challenge. Adults crave that 16-bit magic again, while younger players (Gen Z especially) are discovering retro for the first time thanks to things like Stranger Things, Atari’s relaunch, and the explosion of pixel-art indies.

To make it work for both audiences, I focused on simplicity, clarity, and personality, while ensuring gameplay feels smooth, modern, and satisfying. The key was early and constant playtesting. I took rough builds to small game events, handed people a controller, and just watched. Their reactions told me everything: what was instantly fun, what felt dated, what needed tightening.

The game really found its identity in that process, sitting between classic nostalgia and modern accessibility, wrapped in a playful, chaotic, cat-powered universe.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What is your role in the game?

Dulull: Well as an indie developer, I wear lots of hats, so its Game Dev, Game Designer, Game Producer.  

Old School Gamer Magazine: What has development been like?

Dulull: Game development is a rollercoaster, full of highs (“This is incredible!”), lows (“What on Earth am I doing?”), and constant twists and turns where you pivot creatively or technically to make the game better than you first imagined.

I started Astro Burn completely on my own back in March 2025. But as the vision grew, I knew where my limits were. By August, I began bringing in freelance help for the more complex systems, like local leaderboards, datastore logic, and variable structures. By September, I pulled in pixel artists to replace my placeholder art with something beautiful and polished and that included collaborating with the awesome Canadian based Japanese artist Q-Yoneda!

I also imposed a 12-month deadline. I didn’t want to fall into the classic indie trap of building an overly ambitious game that drifts into a five-year production cycle while scrambling for funding. I gave myself a clear financial runway and adopted a game-jam mindset: weekly milestones, iterative builds, fast decision-making. That structure let me evolve the game while still staying on schedule.

Being an indie dev, especially one self-financing, comes with pressure. But I had to make sure that pressure never overshadowed the passion that drove me to make this game in the first place.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What makes this game special?

Dulull: Well firstly this game is unapologetically delightfully bonkers!!!  It’s a game that will constantly make you smile (I’ve noticed some of the most hardcore serious players at game conventions we showcase the game at, they would approach all hard faced, but then when they play it you can see them cracking a smile – that’s the special factor this game has, it makes you feel joy!.

The controls are simple, and its only two buttons of action (fire weapon, and trigger Special power moves!). It’s a game anyone can pick up and play without any intense onboarding, and most importantly it’s so insane that it doesn’t take itself seriously, and nor should you as the player too!

Old School Gamer Magazine: What games influenced this one the most?

Dulull: This game is a love letter to the classic cute-em-ups in the mid 90s such as Parodius and Pop N’Twin Bee.  But also other cute-em-ups like Cotton for example.  

Old School Gamer Magazine: What was behind the decision to do a physical edition for PC and Mac?

Dulull: Honestly, it was a pretty natural decision, and not really a market or technical one.

A lot of my network comes from film and TV, and most of them are on MacBooks, it’s just the norm in that world. I rarely knew anyone in Hollywood using a PC laptop. So, if I wanted those people to actually play the game, Mac support just made sense.

Since Steam supports both PC and Mac, and GDevelop lets me build for both pretty easily, it felt like a no-brainer, just making the game accessible to the people around me

Old School Gamer Magazine: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Dulull: Honestly, Astro Burn has been a bit of a rollercoaster, in the best way. It’s full of those weird little moments that ended up shaping what the game actually became.

It all started pretty simply. I was sitting there with a coffee, staring at my SNES cartridges, when my cat Mia tapped me for food. I looked at her… then back at the games… and it just clicked, what if the pilot was a space cat? Gave her a treat, and that was the spark.

The biggest turning point came halfway through development. I’d been showing the game at events, and people loved the cat, but the gameplay felt too serious. That Sunday morning, I went back and played stuff like Parodius and TwinBee, and realised I was playing it too safe. So I did something a bit mad, I mocked up a panda riding a giant mech and threw it online. The reaction was instant. That was the moment I knew… lean into the chaos.

Another big shift came when I met Q Yoneda in Canada / Winnipeg. After I got back to London, he sent over some fan art based on the demo, and I remember thinking, this is it. I couldn’t unsee it. That 90s Konami vibe just clicked into place.

Then there were all the smaller, but equally important moments. Watching players instinctively press A to shoot while I’d mapped it to X, that got changed the same night. Or when people said, “I want to read the story… just faster,” which led to replacing the skip button with a fast-forward.

And then there’s the Meow-doken… which basically came from us asking, how far can we push this? That idea of turning Astro into this giant burst of feline fury just felt right, and it quickly became part of the game’s DNA.

Looking back, all these moments, big and small, are what shaped Astro Burn into what it is now. It wasn’t one big decision… it was a series of instincts, experiments, and just listening to what felt fun.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What were the major lessons learned?

Dulull: The players are always right!! No matter what you think is in your head as a game developer, when the players feedback, take that seriously because they are the players the ones that will be buying your game! It’s like the classic saying “the customer is always right”

Old School Gamer Magazine: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Dulull: 100% if anything, it’s those early mechanics that paved the way for games today, but throughout the decades we have seen games get technologically much more advanced with graphics and immersion but at the same time they have gotten bigger and more complex, and often forgetting that less is more, and working with restrictions (graphically memory etc) leads to out of the box thinking with game design. Yet mobile games rely on simpler mechanics often referencing those retro games, which is why I think mobile gaming is so much bigger than PC and Console gaming combined! (yes, controversial statement but just look at the Matthew Ball Report that was published recently!).

Old School Gamer Magazine: The marketplace is crowded. How do you think you stand out?

Dulull: Astro Burn got signed to Publisher – Pixel Doors in Mid-March, and I remember asking them what made the game stand out for them to sign it, and they said it was the most bonkers game they have ever seen, yet it had so much heart and soul in there with the space cat character layered with the retro fun vibe. So far, the trailer has been very popular because of the vibe, perhaps it’s the vibe of the game which makes it stand out. 

I am very fortunate to have found a wonderful and experienced publishing partner with Pixel Doors, we are currently hard at work together getting the game ready for Early Access.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How have your previous experiences in industry helped this game?

Dulull: Having worked on PS1 (omg, that’s now considered as retro too!) games (such as Motocross mania) back in the day, I appreciate the restrictions of creating art work on a 256×256 texture map to fit every component of a character or vehicle and then use UV unwrap to texture onto low poly geometry, but also fast forward decades later working on massive games like DUNE: Awakening, both scales and times have taught me a lot about game development and how to navigate it, and it’s not easy! It’s not for the faint hearted!

The key thing when making games of any scale or genre, is team communication, if you have that (if anything) in a good place, then the process of making games will be fun and creative led and in turn gets the best ideas and results.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How do you want this game to ultimately be remembered?

Dulull: FUN, FUN, FUN!

Old School Gamer Magazine: What’s next?  

Dulull: We are currently working on some licensed IP projects which we can’t talk about (yet), and also doing some early concepts for the next original title coming out of Beyond The Pixels, although it’s early to announce anything, what I can say is, it will be in the cute-em-up genre and will be even more delightfully bonkers!

Old School Gamer Magazine: Anything else you’d like to add?

Dulull: Please play the demo and Wishlist the game if you like it, we need more support for indies to survive this insane business that we all love.

Follow the Kickstarter project here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/beyondthepixels/astro-burn-limited-edition-physical-indie-game

Join the Discord:  https://discord.com/invite/qV9u6krj4c

Play the Demo on these platforms:

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3810660/Astro_Burn/

GOG:  https://www.gog.com/en/game/astro_burn

Epic Games Store:  https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/astro-burn-fdb205

About Beyond The Pixels®:

Founded by HaZ Dulull with a mission to create games in a smarter, more agile way—capturing the same thrill and wonder he felt playing arcade and 16-bit console games as a kid. We use the latest tools and technology to design and produce games that reflect the simple plot and mechanics of the games we loved when growing up on consoles like SNES and the Coin-op Arcades. The simple run and gun / shoot-em-up button-bashing games that require speed, coordination and skills, layered with an engaging story that isn’t complex. Our games are that but delivered with the slick visual design flair, high speed frame rates and graphics fidelity on next gen PC + consoles for today’s generation of gamers, whilst staying in lean and smart game development approaches to keeping costs and schedule as tight as possible. We leverage smart social media and brand partnership strategy to create community for our games from day one.

The post Old School Gamer Magazine Exclusive: HaZ Dulull Talks Astro Burn appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

About Super Fanger, Courtesy of Mega Cat Studios:

Get ready for the wildest game of tag yet. Chase down your friends or evade their pursuit to avoid capture. Tackle dynamic levels and execute special moves to outsmart your rivals. Keep your nerve as you make every twist and turn count!

• 4 maps with signature twists
• Play absurd characters with unique abilities
• Unlockable surprises
• One or two players

Old School Gamer Magazine: Why does the SNES still matter?

Patryk Boczon: The SNES represents the high point of classic 2D game design. It set a standard that many modern retro-style games still try to imitate today. Some of the most influential games ever made were released on the SNES, and they continue to shape how games are designed and remembered.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What were some of the challenges in bringing this one to life?

Boczon: This was the first SNES game I developed, so one of the main challenges was learning assembly programming while simultaneously getting familiar with the technical concepts of the SNES itself. On top of that, I had to explore and establish suitable tools and workflows for development. Altogether, there were many “firsts” involved, which resulted in several steep learning curves throughout the project.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What was the development cycle like?

Boczon: Looking at the different tasks involved, the development cycle was quite varied. There were phases where I focused entirely on implementing new systems, and others where I spent days or even weeks working on sprites, designing maps, or creating music. When adding smaller features, I sometimes moved between programming, art, and audio within a single day.

Playtesting was also an essential part of the process, especially since the game is built around two-player interaction. I’d like to thank my wife for regularly playtesting and providing valuable feedback, which played an important role in shaping the final game.

Old School Gamer Magazine: How has Mega Cat helped bring this vision to life?

Boczon: I initially reached out to Mega Cat Studios because I was looking for a publisher who could manufacture physical copies of Super Fanger. During development, they provided feedback and support when needed but largely gave me the freedom to realize the project according to my vision. They also handled the final quality assurance process, which is especially important when releasing a game on a physical cartridge.

Overall, working with Mega Cat Studios was a very smooth experience. I appreciate the support of everyone who helped make Super Fanger a reality.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What’s your elevator pitch for this one?

Boczon: Super Fanger is a fast-paced, chaotic chase where grown-ups get to play 16-bit tag.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Who do you think will enjoy this one the most?

Boczon: The initial idea was to create a short but intense two-player couch versus game that you could pop in when meeting with friends. Because of that, I think it will appeal most to players who enjoy local multiplayer and competitive experiences, especially those looking for something that’s easy to pick up and jump into right away.

Old School Gamer Magazine: What’s next?

Boczon: The connection I made with Mega Cat Studios through Super Fanger led to a collaboration where I’m now developing titles for the NES with them. As for the SNES, I’ve started work on a second game, but it’s currently on hold while I focus on NES projects with Mega Cat Studios.

Old School Gamer Magazine: Anything else you’d like to add?

Boczon: Thank you for your interest in Super Fanger and for giving me the opportunity to share some insights into its development.

The post Old School Gamer Magazine Exclusive: Patryk Boczon Talks Super Fanger appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.