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Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Posted by Billy
Posted on 22 October, 2016 at 12:43AM ↑ 1 ↓ 0
Rayman 2: The Great Escape

Some games fall into a category I call “mystical”. These games inspire the imagination and there seems to be more to the world than what you can see at face value. One of exemplary game series are that of the character Rayman. Just look at Rayman himself, he has no arms or legs, so his body parts just float! When I first played the demo for the Dreamcast version of Rayman 2 at nine years old, I knew it was something special. Though strangely, I didn’t really play Rayman 2 until this year. Perhaps it’s because when I rented Rayman 1 many years ago, I was put off by the crushing difficulty. Thankfully that’s not the case with the second one.

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Super Mario 64
Posted by Billy
Posted on 13 February, 2016 at 4:12PM ↑ 1 ↓ 0
Super Mario 64

I love looking at games from what amounts to the puberty of video games, there's so many things to talk about. Transitioning to 3D was an awkward time for video games. Many 3D games of the era had what are commonly referred to as "tank controls" -- You turn your character left and right, and then you move forward and backwards. You never performed these actions at the same time, until Super Mario 64SM64 changed how 3D controls were thought of, thanks in part to the analog stick on the N64 controller.

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Spyro the Dragon
Posted by Billy
Posted on 18 March, 2015 at 2:34PM ↑ 1 ↓ 0
Spyro the Dragon

I have interesting history with the Spyro series. My first exposure to it was the demo of the first game included with Crash Bandicoot: Warped, its inclusion owed to the fact that Naughty Dog and Insomniac had a working relationship. Years later I found myself in a video rental store picking out a game to rent. Spyro 2 caught my eye, and I rented it, played it, and really enjoyed it. Spyro 2 is definitely my favorite of the series, and the one I would recommend overall. However, recently I saw a 100% speed-run race of the original Spyro the Dragon, so I was reminded that I have never completed any of the Spyro games to 100% completion. Inspired, I chose to finish the original.

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Top 5, 4 and 3: Actraiser, Gun Hazard and Kirby Superstar
Posted by Swifto
Posted on 19 November, 2012 at 1:09PM ↑ 0 ↓ 0
Retro of the Week - Aria of Sorrow
Posted by Swifto
Posted on 26 August, 2012 at 10:57AM ↑ 0 ↓ 0
Guest Modern: Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth
Posted by Gilgamesh
Posted on 13 August, 2012 at 10:22PM ↑ 0 ↓ 0
Guest Modern: Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth

Released for the Wii in 2009 Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth is a throwback to the Castlevania games of old. Similar to how Super Castlevania IV is essentially a retelling of the original Castlevania Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth tells the story of Christopher Belmont, the protagonist of The Castlevania Adventure. For those of you that played the 1989 Game Boy title and thought it was crap, you're not alone! Thankfully The Adventure Rebirth is good. In fact, it's not just good it's one of the best classic style Castlevanias made.

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Retro of the Night: Castlevania: Symphony of the Week
Posted by Swifto
Posted on 5 August, 2012 at 09:36AM ↑ 0 ↓ 0
Retro of the Week - Demon's Crest
Posted by Swifto
Posted on 30 July, 2012 at 09:35AM ↑ 0 ↓ 0
Retro of the Week - Demon's Crest

I love a good bit of writing.

But I think we've established that... Quite thoroughly, I believe. (Idunno, what do you guys think?)

So for a change of pace, here's a game that has extremely little writing. Instead of descriptions, bits of flavourtext and character lingo, the mood of this game is brought about almost entirely through the use of visuals.

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Retro of the Week - Michael Jackson
Posted by Swifto
Posted on 20 July, 2012 at 6:26PM ↑ 0 ↓ 0
Retro of the Week - Actraiser
Posted by Swifto
Posted on 8 July, 2012 at 12:49AM ↑ 0 ↓ 0
Retro of the Week - Actraiser

I love it when game developers think creatively.

For example; how the heck would a developer have pitched the concept of a platformer/city building crossbreed game to a publisher? Not only that, but when the devteam has only one game under their belt previously? AND, to release it as one of the first games on a new Nintendo console?

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