Gaming off the Beaten Path

I know I've belabored this point over the last few years, but I've always maintained the 5th generation was one of the most innovative eras in gaming. In general, that's a good thing. But even I, an obvious and outspoken apologist for the 5th gen, recognize that not all of the innovations that came about were successful. I think that's a trap a lot of people fall into in their personal and professional lives. Just because something is new or different doesn't mean it's better. How many alleged life hacks actually make your life harder? Look at sports, how many NFL franchises have set themselves back years by refusing to admit some newfangled scheme their new coach came up with isn't working? That being said, trying new things will often lead to positive steps forward. That's true in gaming as well, you never know what's going to work until you try it. And that brings us to Blast Corps., a difficult-to-classify title that hit the N64 in late 1997. I m...

Lode Runner 3D This week its back to the Nintendo 64 for yet another game I have no recollection of ever purchasing in another genre that we haven’t touched yet.  We have our first puzzle game and its a surprisingly good one. First, a little bit about the Lode Runner series.  It goes all the way back to 1983, when the original game was released for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, VIC 20, Commodore 64 and PC.  It would soon find itself ported to the NES, making it one of the first third party games for the system.  The concept was simple: gather gold, avoid monsters, break blocks and reach the exit.  It was primitive and simple, but simple. It also featured a level editor, a major novelty at the time.   The game went on to spawn about 1.2 trillion sequels and spinoffs, mostly for the PC.  Most console games in the series were Japan exclusive, with this version appearing on the N64 in 1999.  The core premise is ...