gingerbeardman
It’s brave to go up against an established franchise, but that’s just what Konami tried to do with Enthusia Professional Racing. In many ways it’s a better game than Gran Turismo but that wasn’t enough to take any substantial market share.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2011/02/01/enthusia-pro-racing/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2011/02/01/enthusia-pro-racing/
2010
It’s common knowledge that video game movie tie-ins generally result in disappointing games. So it’s interesting to see a game that takes so much inspiration from the big screen and manages to wrap it up in a great game. And all without a movie licence in sight.
Playing this again some ten years later and it is a very shallow game, a one-trick pony.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2011/01/31/split-second-velocity/
Playing this again some ten years later and it is a very shallow game, a one-trick pony.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2011/01/31/split-second-velocity/
I’m not one for traditional adventure games - ones with a long, drawn-out main quest, lots of optional sub quests, experience points, levelling up, random battles and all of that sort of stuff. I need more direction in what to do next, although I still want to have fun figuring out how to do it and on the journey getting there.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/11/25/the-wind-waker/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/11/25/the-wind-waker/
2010
As good as the N64 game, and still playable online with a modded Wii.
A remake but one that takes numerous story and gameplay cues from the much loved original and brings it bang up-to-date in terms of graphics, gameplay and production values. Fans of the original shouldn’t worry at all - the game is as worthy successor as we are ever likely to see and an essential purchase for those yearning to relive their multi-player student days. Perhaps it’s time to settle those old grudges online?
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/11/05/goldeneye-007/
A remake but one that takes numerous story and gameplay cues from the much loved original and brings it bang up-to-date in terms of graphics, gameplay and production values. Fans of the original shouldn’t worry at all - the game is as worthy successor as we are ever likely to see and an essential purchase for those yearning to relive their multi-player student days. Perhaps it’s time to settle those old grudges online?
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/11/05/goldeneye-007/
1994
As far as “zone” games go, there are none finer than Jeff Minter’s remake of arcade classic Tempest. It built on the solid foundation of the original and added all manner of power-ups and tripped-out graphics.
Playable at 60fps as part of the Atari 50 compilation.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/11/02/tempest-2000/
Playable at 60fps as part of the Atari 50 compilation.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/11/02/tempest-2000/
2000
If you’re not consumed by Wii Party and it’s horse racing mode, or sick to death of Wario Ware, Inc., and you’re hungry for more social multi-player gaming, then it might be time to revisit Bishi Bashi Special. It can currently be picked up for £3.49 on the PlayStation Store. That works out at less than 5p a game, making it quite possibly the bargain of the century.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/11/01/bishi-bashi-special/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/11/01/bishi-bashi-special/
DS Spirits Hanafuda, which for me is pretty much the perfect Hanafuda game. It looks good, controls well, lays out the cards logically and has a multitude of game modes including a Mission mode in which you have to play in a variety of ways such as winning without conceding a point, by collecting certain yaku or within a certain number of rounds. This mode in particular shows the great depth to the game and I’m still to finish the final challenge. The only bad thing about this version of the game is that it features only Japanese text. Dealing with Japanese is the third obstacle with the game, as the traditional Japanese nature of the game means that there’s very little Western interest and very few versions released that are English-friendly.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/29/ds-spirits-hanafuda/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/29/ds-spirits-hanafuda/
1999
The Dreamcast was the first truly online home video game console, and brought with it the first wave of fantastic online multi-player games that could be played on your TV. ChuChu Rocket! was one of the best, an outstanding action puzzler with a glorious multi-player mode.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/28/chuchu-rocket/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/28/chuchu-rocket/
1982
It’s a fascinating, old-school arcade game that still holds up well today.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/27/joust/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/27/joust/
2000
A decent racer. Up there with Crash Team Racing and the Mario Karts.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/26/speed-freaks/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/26/speed-freaks/
1992
This game was a real time sink for me during my formative years, with its simple rules hiding a fiendishly difficult set of puzzles that chewed through the hours as if they were minutes. It has to be said, however, that the Quavers crisps licence attached to the game was a very odd marketing move.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/22/pushover/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/22/pushover/
1997
Evil pigs, giant eggs, farting flowers, butterflies, mushrooms, a hungry monkey, a lost dwarf child, a thousand year-old wise man and a pink-haired feral boy. Yes, Tomba! may not be your average game but it’s certainly an overlooked gem.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/21/tomba/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/21/tomba/
The beautiful game.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/20/sensible-soccer/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/20/sensible-soccer/
1984
A tale of enduring love, spiders and spray cans. This charming little maze game is interesting for one major reason - you control both characters simultaneously.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/14/binary-land/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/14/binary-land/
1999
Really though, all subsequent versions haven’t added much to the original concept, which remains a great puzzle game that will keep you coming back for more. A game every bit worthy of it’s name.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/14/gunpey/
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2010/10/14/gunpey/