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

  It's time to talk about PS1 RPG number 3,252-5C. Okay, there aren't THAT many of them, though sometimes it feels like it. It really is amazing to think about how popular RPGs, especially JRPGs, were during the late 90's and early 00's. I miss those days, I really do. Of course, there was plenty of love for RPGs in other sub-genres as well, especially strategy RPGs. Final Fantasy Tactics was the catalyst for the genre's mainstream popularity in the west, but it was far from the only one. I've already reviewed a handful of strategy RPGs, including Shining Force, Front Mission 3 and Saiyuki: Journey West. It's not my favorite genre, but it's definitely up there and it may be the genre I like the most but know the least about. A lot of strategy RPGs never really left Japan until more recently, Fire Emblem comes to mind. I mean, when Super Smash Bros. Melee came out, a lot of gamers and even reviewers were legitimately confused as to who the hell Roy and

I struggled for a long time with surviving. And, no matter what, you keep finding something to fight for. Another week, another timely post. I have yet to "The Last of Us" on HBO, but I have heard nothing but effusive praise. What little bits I have seen look pretty great and seem to jive with what I've heard in reviews. One of the biggest positives I've heard? It actually follows the plot of the game. Oh My! A show about a video game that actually follows said video game? Who would have ever thought that would work? Doesn't everyone know video games don't work as TV shows and you have to completely change the plot and characters to make them fit? Did they learn nothing from the smashing success of Resident Evil? Look, not every video game plot is going to work as a full-on television show. You would have to venture pretty far from the plot of, say, Tetris to create a good or even workable program (that's an extreme example, but you get the point). But tha

I don't normally do stuff like this, but it's not often I see so much hype around a game like Chained Echoes. I really like to try and finish games before I say anything about them, but my ex-journalist brain keeps yelling at me that "TIMELINESS IS IMPORTANT" and there is no way I am going to finish this game any time soon. So, I want to strike while the iron is hot and give some initial thoughts on Chained Echoes. For those who are unaware, Chained Echoes is an independently developed, old school style JRPG available on just about every modern gaming device. It was developed over the course of seven years by a single developer. Yes, you heard that right, one developer. From all accounts, developer Matthias Linda was a huge fan of 4th gen RPGs and wanted to create a game similar to iconic titles like Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy VI. Not going to lie, it definitely shows. Before I continue, I want to clarify something very important about my reviews

It's time to continue our now-annual tradition of starting the year with an old sports game review. A few weeks ago, I talked about Cricket. Now it's time to talk about how we put bats on balls on this side of the pond. I can't, for the life of me, determine when this edition of Triple Play Baseball came from. A quick web search will show that it came out in 2001 and is the only game in EA's baseball sim series that doesn't have a year attached to it. You would think that you would just find the year that's missing, but the same search will also turn up information on Triple Play 2000, 2001 and 2002 and they all appear to be unique games. Maybe this is Triple Play 2001.5? I guess we shouldn't get that wrapped up in such things. I mean, does it really matter? Of course not. The quality of the game is what's important. And Triple Play Baseball has to be at least decent, right? I mean, EA was on fire at this point and with their quality control and attent

 It's time to close out another year with our 4th annual GOTBP Year-End Review. Still can't believe it's another year down filled with good games, bad games and everything in between.  By now I think both of you guys know the drill. I hand out totally meaningful awards that totally aren't just my random opinion for best game, worst game, most surprising, most disappointing and most deserving of a modern update/remake. So, without further ado, lets recap this year's games (all scores out of 10). Remember, 10's games and non-gaming related reviews are ineligible. Suikoden II - 9.75 Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - 9.25 NFL 2K2 - 9.25 Doom II - 9.25 Twisted Metal: Head-On - 9 Fatal Fury Special - 9 Pokemon Trading Card Game - 9 Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - 9 Saiyuki: Journey West - 8.5 Team Sonic Racing - 8.5 Kirby's Return to Dreamland - 8.5 Ristar - 8.5 Twisted Metal: Black - 8.25 Knights of the Round - 8 Mega Man - 8 Mortal Kombat - 8 Killer Ins

  I'm not going to lie, I was extremely shocked to see this game available for download in the United States. Soccer, or even rugby, is one thing. I know of plenty of American soccer fans. I know a handful of rugby fans. I'm not sure I've ever met someone here in here in the States that has even a passing interest in Cricket. Wait, did you think this was going to be a 3D platformer about a cartoon cricket? No, this is actually a game about the sport of cricket, the one where you throw a ball at wickets while the opposition tries to hit it with an enormous, flat bat. I know I don't play modern games very much, but I had to give this a shot. Because honestly, I don't think I know a single thing about cricket other than the fact that it exists. I guess it's similar to baseball and I think both are based on a game called rounders, but I really don't feel like, looking it up. I talked a little bit about my lack of knowledge of auto racing or motocross in past rev