Gaming off the Beaten Path

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

The greatest side scroller ever released. Mega Man X took one of the NES's biggest series and brought it into the 16 bit realm. Despite being released early in the system's life cycle, MMX has some of the greatest graphics of its generation. Players control X, a more advanced version of mega man. All of the enemies are now based on animals and each has a unique power and an excellently designed level. The game features some of the best abilities in the series. All of the bosses weapons are extremely useful. The game is challenging, as even with the right ability the bosses are hard. However, it is not mind numbingly impossible like the later MMX games for the PS1. Really, simplicity is key. The game follows such a simple formula...and yet it is so great . Pros: Level Design, challenge, graphics and sound, old school fun cons: may be a little too old school for some

The first Lunar game was great. The second was even better with its more expansive quest and better story line. Although the game is set in the same world of Lunar, just enough changes have been made to make it feel fresh and interesting. While the cast of characters are every bit as quirky as their counterparts from the first game, they are a bit stronger when it comes to more serious moments. Gameplay wise, traditional RPG elements are mixed with strategy to create an interesting battle system. It allows for more strategy than the 1st game and the ability to combine crests to create new magic also helps (PS1 version). The graphics are beautifully done 2d style animation, and the sound is awesome. Oh, and the final boss battle of this game may be the single best of all time. (Note: The PS1 and SCD versions were fairly different, but the same game at their core. All screens from the PS1 version) Pros:Story line, long, epic, awesome extras and epilogue , graphics, unique cha

No one really knew what to expect when Mario made his first trip into 3d. Sure, we had all seen stills, and they looked awesome, but how would the game control? How would the levels be structured? When Nintendo unveiled the new N64 controllers, people became even more skeptical. A joystick? On a console? When the game finally did come out it was the only one released with the N64 at launch besides the below average Pilotwings 64. Super Mario 64 was an instant classic. It revolutionized gaming and single handedly established the 3d platformer . Its style was borrowed by Crash Bandicoot , Gex , and Rayman , but none of those franchises could quite live up to Super Mario 64. The controls are spot on, the graphics are awesome and the worlds are huge and well designed. This game is truly great. Pros: Great level design, strong controls, expansive, addictive, balanced challenge, unique Cons: Camera can be awkward at times