Review - Excavatorrr 2 : CWOUN (PC)

Dig your way to a thousand deaths

It would appear that videogames have a long term obsession with underground digging. From the early days of Dig Dug, The Pit and Boulderdash, to more recent offerings like Mr Driller, Spelunky, SteamWorld Dig and Minecraft, it's clear that gamers have a penchant for dirt shifting shenanigans. Now lone indie developer Hempuli is adding to the (dirt) pile, with a sequel to his 2009 mine-em-up, Excavatorrr. That title may have possessed crude visuals that aped the style of the Atari 2600, but it was more addictive than nicotine and sex combined. It slipped under the radar of many gamers - which is a shame as it was (is) absolutely excellent - but hopefully this new sequel will get the attention it deserves. 

Review - SteamWorld Dig (PC)

Indie platforming action, Ya Dig?

SteamWorld Dig is yet another one of those super tedious mining games. You know, those games where you constantly dig for minerals, return to the surface, and repeat ad infinitum. Big fucking yawn, right? Well normally, yes, but SteamWorld Dig is actually good. Really good in fact. I admit, I'm a little late to the party, as SteamWorld Dig has garnered positive reviews across the board over the last month or so, but it escaped my radar as I simply couldn't be arsed with a mining game. But it was one word that changed my mind, a word that may not even really fit this digtastic title, but one that got my heart pumping. That word was Metroidvania. So it was with new found excitement that I picked up my tools and headed into the desert.