Gaming off the Beaten Path

I am always going to prefer old school games to modern ones.  I would never say never, but its unlikely that will ever change.  Gaming always had an “indy-ness” to it, even with big budget titles.  With that came a certain sense of creativity that has since been lost. However, modern gaming offers a bevy of conveniences that absolutely improve the player experience.  One of the biggest is easy access to cheap games.  I have talked about PS Plus/Games with Gold at length, but even beyond those services there are massive libraries of budget titles, including this week’s entry Anodyne.  How budget was it?  I spend $0.99 on this game.  Ninety Nine cents.  That’s the cost of a doughnut at Dunkin Donuts.  I don’t know if I have ever bought a game for less (although through a strange BoGo promotion in the early 00s, GameStop did once give me, not charge me, give me, $1.50 to take a game.)   But at that pric...

While traditional platformers aren’t all that common anymore, many games have taken elements of their gameplay and spun them off into other genres, like rogue-likes. I should back up for a second, because even though Spelunky has randomly generated levels, it is technically not a rogue-like in the strict definition as it doesn’t not have most of the role-playing elements the genre calls for (It's also not really that new, having come out in 2008). It is what some people call rogue-lite, as it lacks a level system or a turn based gameplay.  I wouldn’t call it that though.  In doing research for this game, I learned that some in the community have yet another name for games like this: Procedural Death Labyrinth.  I couldn’t think of a more appropriate description of Spelunky if I tried.  Gameplay wise, it is pretty simple.  You explore a mine filled with various enemies in a free range, 2D platforming style.  You have two goals, stay ...

Last week I discussed my initial thoughts on Phantasy Star IV, a JRPG for the Sega Genesis.  As you could probably tell, I liked it quite a bit and was impressed by what it accomplished technically.  That’s great, but what was it that made the game truly stand out. First, we need to start with the story.  It starts out as fairly simple RPG fare.  You play as Chaz, a young hunter’s guild member on the planet of Motavia.  Once a lush, green world, Motavia has become a mostly barren desert planet full of monsters.  That’s bad news for most civilians, but it also means plenty of work for Chaz and his mentor Alys, a hunter so respected that she has been assigned a critical mission offered by the Motavian University.  That mission sets the pair on a path that will reveal the origin of the monsters, the reason for Motavia’s decline and the true level of danger the galaxy will soon face.     I think the best part of the s...

As I have mentioned numerous times, I grew up a Nintendo/Sony kid.  Most of my experience with Sega/Microsoft/Etc. Consoles came from playing at relatives’ houses, so my experience with them was very, very different. You see, I mostly stuck with those consoles because of their deep RPG libraries.  Up until I was older, I probably couldn’t have named a single RPG for the Sega Genesis.  Add in the fact that most of my time with those consoles were spent on more action oriented, quick playthrough games or multiplayer titles and you can understand why I lacked frame of reference with these games. The first I had ever really heard of Phantasy Star was via Phantasy Star Online for the Sega Dreamcast, a game that was probably too far ahead of its time for its own good.  It wasn’t until later that I found out there was an entire series of these games, that were traditional JRPGs dating back to the Sega Master System.  It wasn’t until even late...

I figured I would start the 10s list with the game that will be least interesting to talk about.  A little clarification here, whenever I talk about sports games, I always group them together by generation rather than year.  I think all of the Madden games from this era are great, these particular three just did the littlest of little things better than the others.  These games need to be looked at almost more like expansions than sequels. Unlike a lot of games I have talked about so far, there is absolutely no doubt the Madden Football franchise is a household name.  It’s one of those series’ that most non-gamers have heard of and a favorite of casuals everywhere.  Of course, it also has a massive competitive circuit that was one of the first true E-Sports leagues to garner attention.  It can trace its roots all the way back to the 90s on the 4th gen consoles and its still a massive cash cow for EA today.  Thanks to some shenanigan...

So I figured I would start with one of the PS Plus games of the month for my first Gaming on a Budget column.  I mean, what’s cheaper than free!  Well, technically you pay for the service, but whatever.   Anyway, I always get excited to see which games will be available for download when the end of the month draws near.  Will it be a big time, A-list title?  An obscure hidden gem?  Who knows.  I have to say that for the most part, Sony does a good job.  Hell, in January we got the first three Uncharted games!  Those were all A-list titles and are important parts of Sony’s catalog.  Personally, I don’t love them, but they are good, solid, 8.5/10 games and if you haven’t played them, the price is right.  But everyone already knows about Uncharted, so I am going to focus on the OTHER game this month.   Which is...Goat Simulator?  I remember hearing about it when it was launched, but I thought it was...