1986 was the year I went to college which likely distracted me from the NES and SMS releases. I was most concerned with my Apple computer that year, but I'll go through all I've subsequently gotten into and some notable facts (notable to me anyway).
Only one more week left of my 70s gaming. Other than Space Invaders, a few Atari 2600 games, a pinball game, and Mattel Electronics Baseball, I haven't really been doing much. The 70s are pretty lean for video games I'm interested in. So why not look forward to a very packed September of 80s gamesI
I can't resist. My April is going to be themed around Console Generation 4, which is Genesis, SNES and Game Boy (just to name the most popular systems). I want to explore platformers, but ones that have more than just straight 2D jumping/running challenges. I like exploration and a lot of action and so the "action-platformer" genre seems right for me. But, I'm also choosing platform games that I've always been interested in trying. Here's the list I have so far.
I've come up with a 2025 plan for my gaming. The goal is to put the entire history of video games into 12 parts so I can travel in time over the course of the year (I do this for music and literature as well). Here's what I came up with.
Lots of stuff of interest to me this year. Mostly in retrospec because all I had that year was arcades and a Mac Plus computer.
You are crossing the wide expanse of Lemurian grasslands to reach the mystical gardens of Ur where the crystal goblet Crystofel is guarded by the Lamia of the Fountains of Lamneth.
Over the years, there have been many different types of cartridge software released. Where music and video media (eventually) became standardized, each game system had its own form of storage media. In addition to carrying interchangeable game software, companies tended to make the design and appearance of the cartridges themselves distinctive as a marketing gimmick. Most of us have memories of having game cartridges in boxes, not to mention blowing on the edge connectors when our games glitched out. So here's a brief overview of various game cartridges throughout history. This is not an exhaustive list.
After seeing the incredible success of Konami's shoot-'em-up Gradius, Sega sought to create an arcade game that could rival it. So in 1986, game designer Yoji Ishii (Flicky, Outrun, NiGHTS) came up with a concept that combined the whimsical sensibilities of Twinbee with a giddy samba-esque soundtrack to create Fantasy Zone. As a lighthearted take on side-scrolling shooters that later cemented the "cute-’em-up" subgenre.
Let’s have some mid-summer fun with more game reviews I’ve recently written at GamerDad.com! Please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe even post a ‘like’ or comment or two. I’d appreciate it. OK let’s begin!
We’ll finish out June with another batch of game reviews I’ve recently written over at GamerDad.com. Please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe even post a ‘like’ or comment or two. I’d really appreciate it. OK let’s begin!
There are certain combo cartridges games that leave me wondering why they were ever sold as standalone releases in the first place. I found myself asking that question after playing the Hang-On/Astro Warrior cart on the Master System. I mean, don’t get me wrong- it’s nice to have both games on a cartridge. But neither one held much weight when all was said and done. Even so, I was still able to come away with some goodwill toward Hang-On. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Astro Warrior, but I’ll touch on that shortly. So, without further ado, let’s get to it.
Note: This is my second attempt to post this blog. My first attempt, the site ate everything after the introduction to Xanadu.
While I’m glad 2020 is over, it’s hard to look forward to 2021 since just because it’s a new year, it doesn’t mean all of our problems just instantly go away. COVID is still around, as well as other crap from 2020. But every year I like to write a blog about the games I’m looking forward to in the coming year, so we’ll do that now. At least it gives us something to look forward to. And I imagine some of these games will get delayed, and there will be new games announced that we don’t know about just yet. Will we get Metroid Prime 4 or Breath of the Wild 2 this year? Maybe not, but you never know what the new year will bring. This time last year, we had no idea we’d be spending most of the year in quarantine either! OK let’s begin!
Let's take a minute to go back in time to 1986. Nintendo was basking in the success of their NES console with hits like Super Mario Bros., Excitebike, and The Legend of Zelda. Meanwhile, Sega wanted to prove that the Master System was the better entertainment medium of choice. Attempting to go toe to toe with Mario, they created Alex Kidd in Miracle World. For Master System fans, the release of this game was a day to remember. According to them, it was the dawn of a new era. According to some, Mario had met his match, and Nintendo would soon crumble under Sega's mighty fist. But reality had other plans.
This is the second half of the 80s and my college years. Nintendo revived the video game industry with the NES but what did I know about it? I played games on an Apple Macintosh and in the arcades. I had no home or handheld consoles, so sorry NES, Sega Master System and GameBoy.
College years. I had an Apple Macintosh Plus computer, mostly used for writing assignments but also some games. I had a single arcade cabinet in my tiny college town, and I went to arcades when home. I didn’t know the Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, GameBoy, or Atari Lynx even existed.
I love classic video game compilations, but you hardly see them anymore. Most video game companies now just sell their classics separately for you to download. I guess that makes them more money, but in a way, it’s also kind of sad. Luckily, SEGA just released a collection of some of their 3-D remakes on the 3DS. SEGA also sells these remakes separately on the eShop, but now you can play nine of them on a cartridge. So since I like to go over games in classic compilations, here are all the ones you can play on the SEGA 3-D Classics Collection. I’ve even reviewed a few of them a couple of years ago that were released separately, so when I come across those, I’ll make a link to my original reviews in case you want to read further!
Hey folks, I wanted to share with you all some big news. There is a video game museum opening tomorrow, April 2, in Frisco, TX, and I’m volunteering there to help out! I hope that if you are ever visiting North Texas around the Dallas and Fort Worth areas, that you can come and visit! You might even see ME!