If the last two weeks of the 1MorePodcastle haven’t given it away, I really am a sucker for simulation/management games. There’s just something about the challenge of managing virtual societies that continually draws me in. And with that, I think it’s time we look back on the 1999 mega-hit, Roller Coaster Tycoon.
Read More
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, there existed a man smart enough to retain all of his licensing rights. A man who would make one of the greatest trilogies of all time and an insane source of merchandising revenue for years to come. One of the greatest uses of those licensing rights was in video games. I am, of course, talking about Star Wars and George Lucas. For the most part, the PC had seen the best of the Star Wars games with more consistency than any of the consoles. There was, however, one console that broke that stigma. There was one console that consistently produced outstanding Star Wars titles that still hold up to this day. That console, of course, was the Sega Ge Nintendo 64. These 4 titles still rank among the best Star Wars games of all time without “Lego” in the title.
When I was a kid, I was lucky, as I had a very involved father who was quite content gaming with me for a few hours before bedtime on a school night. One game that sucked up probably several days worth of time over the years that I still dabble in from time to time is Stunts, by Br0derbund, for the PC.
What do we know about The Punisher? In a nutshell?
– He’s tough.
– He pulls off silly emo T-shirts better than most.
– He likes to shoot things.
Well, turns out that’s all LJN knows about the character too and boy are they gonna squeeze the most out of that!
It’s that time of year again. People are trampling each other for the Nintendo Wii U and deeply discounted copies of Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge, and it all gets me to thinking about video gaming stuff from Christmases past.
I have a great many holiday gaming memories. I got my Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System and even my original XBox consoles as Christmas gifts. I still recall the sting from the rushed Atari 2600 E.T. and the Babbage’s store displays that only saw copies of Donkey Kong Jr. Math left behind.
One that always sticks out, though, is when video gaming became a Christmas special itself, as ABC aired Christmas Comes to Pac-Land on December 16, 1982. I watched that first airing and am mixed about it re-airing on cable television this time of year each year. It’s a fun piece of nostalgia and gaming history, but it’s really just so messed up.
If Mothra destroys Tokyo, and Godzilla destroys Tokyo and Mothra, should we call on Godzilla? This is the Godzilla Conundrum. We talk about this and other great theories with our Canadian Sandwich: Jason Lamb, Tom Hall and Andrew Carreiro!
In 1998, a little company by the name of Bioware released a game called Baldur’s Gate. Based in the world of Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons and Dragon’s campaign, the game was met with both critical and financial success, and is often credited for reviving the RPG genre on the PC.
Now, the game is set for a re-release on November 28th, 2012. Developed by Overhaul Games, the enhanced edition brings the original Baldur’s Gate, and it’s expansions, to PC, OS X, iPad, and Android. To give you more information on this release, I managed to catch up with creative director Trent Oster. Read on to see the interview below!
Read More
Greetings Interwebs and 1MoreCastlers! Welcome to my (possibly temporary;-) debut on 1MC! Some of you may or may not know me as the host/producer of the little known retro gaming podcast, InRetroSpection. You may or may not also know that I love retro games, often times more than modern ones, though I do love me some Assassin’s Creed and Elder Scrolls. Well today is not the day for rose-colored nostalgia or gushing praise for the classics of old; no, today is is the day I get my rage on. So strap in boys and girls, cause it’s time to RetroHate!
Friends and visitors, upon seeing my little game room, inevitably ask me what my favorite game console is. I don’t really have one, honest. I like certain games on certain systems. I suppose if a loaded weapon was held to my head I could choose, but there isn’t, so I’m not. Each console or computer system has its own strengths. Even the timid Aquarius with its rubbery keyboard has an excellent port of Dungeons and Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin. I’ve done a fairly decent job of picking up domestic (US) consoles, with a few gaps I’d like to fill in over time as I branch out to explore the Euro stuff like a ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, etc. They all get play, some more than others, but I can even manage to get a friend or two over to play Dragster on the Atari 2600 for an hour or two.
Topless werewolves…
Yes, there is a new Twilight movie out and yes, I’m about to talk about an Amiga classic only known as: Wolfchild.
Which also involves topless werewolves, of sorts.
Writing this on Sunday morning… the very Sunday morning of the launch of the Nintendo Wii U.
Getting asked a lot if I picked one up. No, I didn’t… and this doesn’t speak of my opinion on the Wii U. I played it at E3 and San Diego Comic Con and actually enjoyed it very much.
An odd little factoid about me is the fact that I have NEVER picked up a game console at launch. In over 31 years of gaming, this is one thing I still can’t bring myself to do.
As the flux capacitor winds down, the podcast trio step out from the frosty DeLorean with a healthy amount of dry ice fog pouring out. They’re back from the future, and they’ve brought with them our first listener email!
If you attended a Canadian public school in the 1990’s, there’s a good chance you were exposed to the masterpiece that was Cross Country Canada. If you lived elsewhere, well, you’ll probably think that I’m stark raving mad.
Either way, read on and re-live the nostalgia/become educated about the greatest edutainment game of them all.
Read More
One of the things I often hear when I mention the Nintendo 64 is “Oh man! I LOVED Mario Kart!” Don’t get me wrong, I too very much loved Mario Kart 64, but it was not the best kart style racer on the N64. No, there was another game that took that crown and that game was called Diddy Kong Racing. This is not a statement I take lightly and I realize that it may hit some of you directly in the nostalgia, so I offer a breakdown of my opinion.
Greetings readers. It’s 3 AM, the lights are out all around the house, and Carl is plotting how to finally take over the world by vanquishing six other civilizations, in the game Civilization!
OMG I love this Emerson Lake and Palmer song!
Civilization is a classic turn-based strategy game originally released by Microprose in 1991. 1991 was a very good year and I remember it well: the SNES was released, Terminator 2: Judgement day was plastered all across movie cinema screens, but I am digressing.
If you’re at all familiar with The Gremlins, chances are you’ve also come across its cartoonish sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch. And, if you’re really lucky, you’ve also tried out this little NES gem back in the day!
What? You’re unfamiliar with The Gremlins’ plot?
Let me fill you in:
This is one that is sure to spark some controversy among many who have followed me for a long time, but the headline rings clear as a bell to me right now.
For years I’ve covered a great many people who have set “world record” scores on a variety of video games. Odds are pretty solid that if you’ve read a news story anywhere about a new video game high score over the past few years that I was the guy who broke the story and force fed it to the mainstream media.
I’m proud of having been able to do that. Covering gaming culture and shoving it out to the mainstream has been my primary focus for a lot longer than many know I’ve been doing it. It’s only just recently that I have been reminded that a gamer doesn’t need a “world record” score to be worth covering.
We’ve done it. We have successfully tunnelled a high five (theoretically) through the Internet. That’s the good news. The bad news is that both Erics are going to be a little less handy around the site.
Because their hands were destroyed.
In the tunnelling.
Podcast!
Magic. Ah yes, magic. Society as a whole has always had an obsession with magic. From tales by the Brothers Grimm, to Tolkien’s Middle Earth stories, and even Rowling’s Harry Potter, society continues to foster a penchant for magic. It manages to evoke humanity’s creativity, and need for the unknown.
As such, this obsession has found it’s way into various video games. One such example was released in 1995, when Apogee published Moonlite Software’s Hocus Pocus. Read on to discover if there was magic contained within.
Read More
Greetings readers! Carl has once again donned a wizard cap and robe. He’s gone isometric on us! Judging by the box art of this game, he’s pretty jacked too. Join him and me, in Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos, on the NES.