Gaming off the Beaten Path

Dark Rift, N64 So after last week’s stinker, it’s time to mix it up a bit.  This will be our first N64 game AND our first fighting game. Fighting games are kind of hard to review in my opinion.  You can describe the controls in a platformer or FPS and its usually pretty easy to convey what you like or don’t like.  That’s harder in a fighting game as, at least for me personally, its really hard to understand control flaws unless you play them yourself. In addition, a lot of elements of other genres just aren’t that important in fighting games.  Most fighting games have nonsensical or non-existent storylines and Dark Rift is no different.  You have a collection of fighters competing for something called the “Core Prime Element,” all for their various reasons.  It doesn’t get much beyond that, but in a fighting game that’s okay. I should also mention this is a pseudo-sequel to another 3D fighter called Criticom, which I had never heard of before I di

I knew it was bound to happen when I started doing this.  After a few weeks of mediocre to good games, it finally happened.  I dug one up.  And this one really, really stinks. Yet, I am grateful.  “Brothers in Arms” epitomizes why I began blogging about games again and my feelings on the industry.  A quick web search of this game will come up with some pretty great aggregate scores. You will see reviews where its called “brilliant” or “a masterpiece.”  But a quick look at user reviews tells a different story.  They didn’t hate the game like I did, but still there is a significant difference when compared to critic reviews. But why is that?  One need only look at the bottom right corner of the box to find out.  Look down there and you will see “Ubisoft” and “Gearbox.”  A-level developers and publishers.  I am sure this game would have been similarly praised had it had “Rockstar” or “EA” in that corner.  But if it didn’t, I am positive it wouldn’t have the r

Joe & Mac, NES After taking baby steps back through gaming history, its time to jump in head first and go back to the Stone Age.   Well, I guess the NES would technically be more like the Bronze Age or something like that.  Of course, it did have its share of games based on cave men, including the subject of our post today. It should be noted that this is a port of an arcade game.  That was pretty common at the time and even the best ports fail to live up to the arcade experience.  I will only be discussing the NES game because, well, that’s the version I played.   I should also note this is a Data East game. The now defunct gaming company made some pretty good arcade games in the 80s and 90s, but its console offerings were usually pretty terrible.  We are talking like LJN level.  I can think of at least one that I plan on reviewing at some point.  Anyway, this meant my expectations were low going in.   I feel like Joe & Mac was pretty popul

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence I must say I have never been a diehard Castlevania fan.  I really liked Symphony of the Night, but I always found the SNES and NES games too slow and plodding.  I recognize their quality, but in a world of Mario’s and Mega Man’s they could never really hold my interest.   Besides, it seemed like the series died out on home consoles after SOTN.  Sure, there were tons of them on handheld consoles, but I never really owned handhelds.  I think it had a lot to do with how poorly the N64 ‘vania games were (and make no mistake about it, they were bad).  That leads us to Lament of Innocence.  I don’t remember it getting much hype when it came out and I don’t remember it being reviewed too well or too poorly.  I also didn’t remember having it in my collection, but here we are.   I guess we will start with storyline and presentation.  For those that care, this is the first game in the franchise chronologically.  It tells the stor

Wait a minute, this is supposed to be a blog about finding hidden retro gaming gems, why am I writing about a AAA title that came out like a year ago?  Well, I played it and I figured I would write a review since I don’t really play too many modern games.  Hell, I only played HZD because it went on sale for 10 bucks. I can’t say this review is completely off topic either.  One of the main reasons I stopped keeping up with newer games is my fatigue with FPS’ and open world games.  I am just so tired of them and that’s all there are anymore.  The whole “OMG ITS SOOPER DOOPER EPIC AND I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!!!” Thing wears thin when every game is like that.  Fortunately, Horizon does enough different from its predecessors.  For one, it actually has a plot.  Rather than put you in the role of a nameless protagonist, HZD puts you in the shoes of Aloy, a young girl who has been raised as a tribal outcast in a post apocalyptic world inexplicably filled with high tech b

Now that I got the last post out of my system, it’s time to start doing actual reviews.   I won’t be reviewing big name games, nor will I be covering super obscure games that never left Japan.   I am going to be talking about games that slipped through the cracks of history for one reason or another.   I am digging for hidden gems, but I’m sure to find some buried turds somewhere along the way.     Before I get started, here’s the rating scale. 0-1:   Buggy, broken, unplayable mess. Certified buried turds 2-3: You could feasibly play these, but you would never want to. Certified buried turds 4-5: Not particularly great, but playable.   Has a few redeeming qualities that might make them worth a look. 6-7: Good, solid games.   Maybe pick one of these up if you are a fan of their specific genre, or if you have played through all of your backlog 8-9: Great games.   Dig them up and play them.   Certified hidden gems 10 All-time classic.   I don’t think