Dan Teasdale and Panzer are the dynamic duo that make up independent video game development studio No Goblin, creators of Roundabout and 100 ft Robot Golf. Hit them up on Twitter @deliciousbees and @panzerskank, respectively.
Dan: 2020’s over, baby! It’s 2021’s time to shine! Hell yeah, we’re living in the Johnny Mnemonic year!
Panzer: Aw fuck yeah, more Keanu Reeves.
Dan: To celebrate, we’ve put together a Game of the Year crossword puzzle for you to usher in the cyber future. If you want to play, just click on the Online Crossword Experience link below to get teleported to a new page that has a crossword on it.
Panzer: The clues are uhhh Mostly video game related. It’s close enough, probably. You’ll enjoy it.
Dan: You might be expecting a good crossword puzzle, since we are professional game designers with decades of experience. Please prepare to be whelmed at best. If you just want to see what we thought about video games, you can scroll down and check out some of our clue commentary below.
CLICK HERE TO ENGAGE IN THE ONLINE CROSSWORD EXPERIENCE
(...or download and print the paper crossword)
Crossword Clue Commentary
It’s at least a C+
Answer: SEABASS
Panzer: You knooooooow Animal Crossing has gotta be on here. It’s back and… well not “better than ever” but it’s back and it’s still that Animal Crossing you know and love. You catch a bug, you sell a fruit. Tom Nook is there. What more do you people want?
Dan: I didn’t get into Animal Crossing as much as Panzer, but I did set up a house on her island that I then surrounded with about two dozen seahorses that I fished out of the ocean. It’s modern art.
Panzer: This could also be our baby’s favorite game of 2020. He is OBSESSED with watching Dan fish up more god damn seahorses.
A new Pokémon that has an organ dedicated to producing “fighting energy”
Answer: KUBFU
Panzer: This clue is an obscure way of me saying I love the new Pokémon Sword/Shield DLC. The first release was Isle of Armor, and that was honestly my Most Favorite of the two (the second is Crown Tundra and it's... it’s fine. You know? I liked it.) In Isle of Armor you have to help train this little pissed off teddy bear that follows you around and kicks shit to death. Kubfu’s just a great little dude.
The DLC also introduced the idea of an entire designated area being treated like a wild area from the main game. This means you have full camera control all the time, and you’re just loose in a big crazy area full of pokémon just havin’ at it. They are everywhere eatin’ stuff and walkin’ around, yelling at each other and trying to bite you. It’s every Pokémon fan’s dream.
Dan's stuck trying to collect popcorn buckets in this remake because he's 20 years older than when he beat the original game
Answer: THPS
Dan: I’ve finished both these games before, but I’m stuck halfway through the absolutely fantastic remaster because I am unskilled in 2020. Is this what getting old is? Your body slowly deteriorating, hungover after eating only four pounds of Christmas chocolate, no longer being able to chain together the correct series of moves in order to do sick grinds to collect floating popcorn buckets in a small sandbox city? How is Tony Hawk still doing this actually For Real as someone in his fifties?