All posts by Beatscribe

Beatscribe is an full-time indie musician with a long-standing obsession with tall things 8-bit. He has composed soundtracks for tons of mobile and homebrew games and tries to infuse them with the nostalgic flavor of the early days of gaming. Check out his latest adventures on www.beatscribe.com.

Long Distance from Infinity Shred – Album Review

There are very few artists whose songs can make one simultaneously excited, alert, relaxed and contemplative but Infinity Shred has a way of hitting all those feelings in almost every note. You may know them better as the former members of Starscream, but 2012’s “EP001” and 2013’s full length “Sanctuary” highlighted the start a new era with a new name for these chiptune innovators.

 

[Vinyl]  [iTunes]  [Bandcamp]

With the just-released incredibly impressive “Long Distance” album, we see the band has jettisoned most of their lo-fi chiptune influences but still strongly adheres to their retro-futuristic cyberpunk post rock vibe. Sanctuary established the bands epic sound; purposefully repetitive melodies that borough into your brain via lilting smooth retro synth tones, backed by slowly building shoegazy/post-rock guitars, pads and powerful drumming. The formula gets some excellent new elements this time around. Read on for the full review.

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Rom Hack Roundup: Zelda-Like SNES Fan Translations

We all wish there were about 10 more Zelda games for the SNES. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is still one of the most stunning and solid SNES titles available. While there are some great hacks we’ve covered before, there are also a lot of fan-translated games in the same vein you can check out. Many of these games were not released since the Nintendo 64 was about to come out as they came out in Japan, and Nintendo had already set its sights on the new 64-bit market.

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As usual, just follow our handy patching tutorial to get these legally obtained ROMs up and running in English.

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Rom Hack Roundup: Super Mario 64 Star Road

Twenty years ago this month, the first 3D Super Mario game made its way to North America. Although it was by no means the first 3D video game, Super Mario 64 – the flagship title for the Nintendo 64 – was one of the most comprehensive and immersive 3D platformers up to this point. For many of us, it was the beginning of a new era of console games.

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This week, we are taking a look at an amazing N64 romhack; Super Mario 64 Star Road that not only adds new levels and features, but also adds multiplayer support.

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Rom Hack Round Up: Original Games Created From Rom Hacks

In the week’s Romhack Round Up, we take a look at three impressive romhacks that go above and beyond the basic “alternate version of your favorite game.” These three games are essentially original titles built on the engines of tried and true classic game titles.

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This week, we will look at one NES series and one SNES game that can stand on their own as original works. As usual, our romhack patching tutorial will help you get up and running with these great games.

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