Gaming off the Beaten Path

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

I have decided to get back into writing after a long layoff.   It’s been a while since its been part of my job description and I need to work my way back into “shape.”   If I am going to be writing during my personal time, I am going to write about something I am passionate about, so I want to continue writing about gaming.    Rather than go through the machinations of creating a whole new blog, I’m just going to use my old one.   I deleted all of the non-gaming content, so all that’s left is the top 100 games of all time list I did when I was in college.   That was several years ago and its something I would like to revisit at some point.  Because of the layoff, the number of candidates for that list has grown a ton.   I didn’t even include games from the PS3/Xbox 360/Wii generation (which at this point is the previous generation).   While I have become more of a retro gamer in recent years, I can still safely say I have played enough games from that generation to add them

Nope, no dirt cheap super combos here. No 400000000 hit attacks with the press of a button. No assists crowding up the screen so no one knows what is going on, and certainly no uber -unfair characters like Sentinel. Ladies and gentlemen, this is fighting. Street Fighter II is an icon in gaming for a reason and that is its simplicity. True skill is needed to beat opponents in this game, not playing a higher "tiered" character or being able to exploit a flaw in the game's combo system. While the characters are somewhat unbalanced, a little practice will allow any player to play any character at a high level. The game may be easy to learn but boy is it difficult to master. Perfecting special moves and combos is just the beginning. Truly great players will execute all sorts of cross ups and corner traps to take the win. Of course, if you just want to kick back and have some fun, Street Fighter II is just as awesome. The game can be enjoyed on so many levels agains

Code Veronica is the Apex of one of the greatest series' of all time. Players took control of Claire Redfield who is searching for her brother Chris in the aftermath of the Raccoon City disaster. Her travels take her to Europe, where she is captured by Umbrella Corp. and imprisoned on Rockfort Island. The island is soon overrun with zombies and other horrible freaks. To make matters worse for Claire, she has become the target of Alfred Ashford , the heir to Umbrella Corp's fortune. This game is truly the best in terms of psychological horror in the RE series. The visuals and especially the environments are disturbing and add a ton to the scares. Alfred is an outstanding villain and quite possibly the most twisted in gaming history. In terms of gameplay , the controls are spot on (by the way, I have NEVER had a problem with RE's control scheme. It adds to the game. I may address this at a later date because I could go on for a while). There are plenty of challenging enem

Hi everyone. I have been on quite the hiatus, but I promise I will finish my list. Tonight, however, I want to mix it up. I had wanted to a non-game related list but I decided on this one instead. I have thought it over and I came up with what I think are the most overrated games of all time. I don't think any of these games are bad (okay, I think one is bad, but that's it). However, they don't nearly deserve the hype they get. Some are lauded by Internet crowds because they are "cool." Others get pumped up ratings from reviewers without any good reason. Others still just aren't as good as people say. Well, enough talk, here's the list. 10. God of War God of War is a good game. No, that isn't true, God of War is a great game...for the three hours it lasts. I'm sorry, but I refuse to pay full price for a game I can beat relatively easily in one sitting. Even old NES games that were meant to be played that way take longer to beat than this. I