Gaming off the Beaten Path

I haven't really been in a survival horror mood as of late, so I had to find another way to keep it spooky this Halloween. I mean, few gaming series have their roots as deep in classic horror as Castlevania. I wouldn't exactly call these games scary, but they definitely lean heavily into that spooky season aesthetic that everybody is looking for this time of year. It's not exactly an "Off the Beaten Path" franchise, but it is one I'm not overly familiar with. I have certainly played the games before, I am a huge fan of Symphony of the Night and the lesser know Lament of Innocence was one of the first games I ever reviewed, but it's not a series that I am super heavily invested in. I've played most of the mainline ones, but not necessarily to completion, but I haven't really branched out to many of the lesser known titles. I certainly haven't played any of the handheld entries in the franchise before. Speaking of things that are scary, I kind ...

Well, we knew we would find our way back here eventually. I'm not sure if I've covered any series as much as I have Mega Man. I can't say I'm surprised. It's one of my favorites, the games aren't that long and they typically offer plenty to talk about.   Heck, they even kind of fit into the whole theme I'm going for. Mega Man is incredibly well known, but it always feels like the series is just a notch below some of the more iconic gaming franchises in terms of recognizability. I guess that's why the blue bomber doesn’t see as many new releases as Mario, or other similar series'. Mega Man 11 was something of a surprise for fans of the series when it was announced. It had been eight years since the previous entry in the franchise, Mega Man 10 in 2010, when MM 11 finally came out in 2018, a long but not excessive time between releases. But what was truly surprising about this new title was the new direction it took the series. Mega Man 9 and 10 were ...

Last week, we looked at the story of PS1 RPG Valkyrie Profile, a game that frequently finds its way onto hidden gems lists and other such conversations. I think I made it clear that while it had its high notes, the story and characters were just a bit disappointing for me. So now, it's time to talk about the gameplay. Could this bring the game up? Or will it knock it down to unplayable status? Well, it definitely won't make the game unplayable, but there is a lot to look at here. You see, VP is very, very different from just about any JRPG of its era. Heck, it's pretty different from most entries in the genre ever. I have to give them a ton of credit for originality, though the expirimentation doesn't always land. But there is not denying that, for better or worse, VP is a different breed in terms of combat, exploration, pacing and structure. First, let's start with the combat. Even here, it's probably where you will spend most of your gameplay time. And that...

Since I started creating gaming content, I've promised myself and the few readers I have that I was going to be as honest as possible. I'm going to do that, even if it gets me in trouble. While I try to avoid really ridiculous hot takes, I'm going to absolutely call out games that I don't really like, even if they are otherwise popular. That goes for the popular selections for "hidden gems" or "underrated" games as well. I don't do it often, but I certainly have demonstrated that I have no problem doing it. I did it relatively recently with Yoshi's Island and I've done it in the past with other games like Alundra or Jet Grind Radio. Some of those games I've liked, just not as much as others. Some of them I have actively disliked despite how well regarded they are. Sometimes I get why these games are so beloved (I hated the controls in Yoshi's Island but my goodness is it beautiful and unique). Other times, I don't (Alundra is...

These days, I'll take inspiration from wherever I can get it. I'm not a huge fan of social media, but I've found myself really enjoying the community on a platform called Channel 3 in recent weeks. It's a really great group of gamers that seem to have a lot of great discourse on gaming. I also like the gameification features, which focus on generating interaction and discussion. One of my personal favorite parts of C3 are the quests, which provide XP for completing a task or answering a question. It was a quest they offered last week that inspired this week's post. Communitiy members were asked about a game series they want to see return after a long hiatus. Since disucssing series' like that was kind of part of my mission statement when I started GOTBP, I figured I would take it a step further and talk about my top 12 series I want to see make a comeback. Before I get into this, I have to set some ground rules as to what series are eligible for t...

By the late 90's, the fighting game boom that categoized the decade was nearing its end. And while some series' stood the test of time, many others sort of faded away. While 3D fighters were still relatively new fare, 2D fighters had become so common it would make your head spin. Since the success of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat early in the decade, developers everywhere were out to get a piece of the pie. And no company took as many pieces of that pie as SNK. This is far from the first time I've talked about SNK, or even an SNK fighting game. But it is the first time in many year's I've revisited a title from one of their most famous franchises: Fatal Fury. If the title was a little confusing, don't worry, it was to me too. Garou is the Japanese title of Fatal Fury. You know, kind of like how Resident Evil is called Biohazard, or Mega Man is called Rockman. But the confusion goes even further here, because the game was released under both titles in North Am...

Since I've started reviewing games, I've always made it a point to be completely honest and transparent when it comes to my opinions, even if they aren't necessarily popular. Frankly, it rarely, if ever, even comes up. For all of the complaints I hear about mainstream gaming reviews, I feel like they usually get some semblance of close to the mark, or at the very least the same mark I have in my mind. Nine times out of 10, games that are rated highly or poorly deserve the scores they get. Maybe the big guys score a game a 10 when it really deserves a 9, but its some semblance of close.  That's why I don't like using the O word anymore. Because even if I don't like a game quite as much as more mainstream critics, I still typically like it. But even saying that about some games is bound to cause controversy.  That's kind of the spot I find myself in with this week's title, a game I don't think needs any introduction. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's ...