Gaming off the Beaten Path

 Guys, I think I did it. I've accomplished what I set out to do. I found the perfect video game. More specifically, I found the perfect video game console. Is it from Nintendo? Atari? Sega? Sony? Microsoft? No, this piece of gaming genius comes to us from Leap Frog, a company more known for their educational titles. But this time, they went above and beyond in creating what I think we can definitively say is the single greatest console ever released, the Zippity. Now I have to admit, I am a little light on information when it comes to where this thing came from. A quick web search about this definitive console will turn up...not much. I can't, for the life of me, determine when this thing actually came out, though most of the reviews I see are from about 10 years ago. The closest thing I can find on it in any official capacity from Leap Frog is a parents guide, buried deep on their website and on page 3 of the search results. Great job with SEO you guys! I myself found this gem...

After a brief break for Thanksgiving, it’s time to get back to work.  Next week I will get back to game reviews, but I wanted to take some time to discuss a major gaming milestone: the 25 year anniversary of the PlayStation. The PlayStation marked a shift in strategy for Japanese tech maker Sony, who previously had been known more for making Walkmans, TVs, stereos and essentially every electronic gadget except video game consoles.  By now, most gamers know the story of how Sony was working with Nintendo to create a CD add on to the Super Nintendo.  After deciding they were unhappy with the terms of the contract, Nintendo officials secretly met with Phillips and created a similar partnership.  On the day the new peripheral was to be announced, the big N instead announced their new deal with Phillips and that they would abandon all previous work with Sony.   Sony considered reaching out to Sega for help before deciding to release th...