Throwback Thursday - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Taking aim this week: The game of flutter jumps and Bashful Burts that is Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Released in the US on October 4th, 1995, Yoshi's Island was a unique masterpiece that the rest of the series it would spawn still aspires to achieve to this day.  Taking control of friendly dinosaur inhabitants that are Yoshis, players travel the island escorting Baby Mario in an effort to reunite the infant hero with his kid-napped brother (pun intended), Baby Luigi.  Each world is broken down into six levels and two castles, each with a scoring system in place to encourage through exploration and replay-ability.  In each level, players must find five carefully hidden Flowers and twenty Red coins, along end the level with 30 Star Points to earn that perfect score.  Completing such is no easy feat though, as the red coins are cleverly disguised as regular coins and the means to unlocking Flowers are not always so obvious, such as being placed in hidden passages or designed to only appear when clearing a room of enemies.

Tabletop Tuesday - Telestrations

Welcome to another Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the game of loose interpretations of questionable illustrations that is Telestrations.

Players: 4-8
Time: 10-20 minutes (per round)
Genre: Party Game

An Unexpected Return

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Video Game Music for the Holidays - Volume II

The holiday shopping scurry has begun and the jolly jingles now permeate every public space.  If you're looking for some variety to these holiday hums, then look no further as we continue our collections of music from video games, carefully selected to still fit the holiday vibe and general ambience.

Happy Thanksgiving - Top 5 Thanks / Deals in Video Games

For those looking for Throwback Thursday, such will return next week as regularly scheduled while we all succumb to food comas this Thanksgiving.  And soon to follow will be the strange shopping indulgences that are Black Friday and Cyber Monday, where many a deal will be fought over.  While we are all still of civil mind and so as not to leave you empty-handed this Thursday, why don't we take a moment and give thanks for when gaming has selflessly given us all some tremendous value and heartfelt love.  These are my Top 5 Thanks /  Deals in games:

-1- Orange Box

It's hard to find a better value in the history of games than when Valve decided to release what would be known as The Orange Box.  This infamous box contained the esteemed Half Life 2, including its two episodic expansions, the popular online multiplayer shooter that was Team Fortress 2, and a new first-person puzzler that was Portal.  Funnily enough, the small experimental game that is Portal was expected to stand in the shadows of these two other massive games, but instead exploded in notoriety as one of the best games ever made.  All of this tremendous content was enjoyed all for the price of the average single game at the time, which was a mere $50 for PC ($60 for consoles).  Sadly, this is also a reminder of what will never be a conclusion to the Half Life 2 episodic trilogy or a Half Life 3.  But it's hard to stay sad for long when this box contains so many incredible games to play.

Tabletop Tuesday - Catan: Seafarers

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the expansion to the cult classic Eurogame of sheep and wheat, Catan: Seafarers.

(Note: The Settlers of Catan is required to play this expansion.  Click here to learn more about the base game.)

Players: 3-4
Time: 60-120 minutes
Genre: Strategy

Unstoppable Power

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Video Game Music for the Holidays - Volume I

Festive decorations have begun to sprung up, store displays have long since already switched out their stock, and there's no escaping the the jolly jingles that is all around us.  The holidays are upon us.  As is a yearly tradition among my friends and family these past 5 years, I compile a collection of music from video games that fit the vibe of the holidays.  I do this for two reasons: A) It makes a unique gift of music they would likely otherwise not already own, and B) I hope to elevate an awareness and appreciation of video games as an art form.

Now that I have started this gaming blog, I'd love to extend the same thanks and cheer through this new channel towards all of you.  So stay tuned each week as I upload a past collection of tunes for your listening pleasure, all leading up to the release of this year's Holiday Ambience: 2017 Edition.

Throwback Thursday - Tomb Raider (2013 series)

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  While this blog is rated E for everyone's safe and enjoyable viewing, I should mention this week's throwback is rated M for Mature.  Parental discretion is advised for playing this game series.

Speaking of which, charting a course this week: The rebooting of the treasure looting explorer that is the 2013 Tomb Raider series.

Lara Croft, the female adventuring protagonist of the Tomb Raider series, has had a long and rich history since the release of the original Tomb Raider back in 1996.  She helped pioneer the industry for strong female characters, though was sadly also poorly portrayed with marketing for her sex appeal.  After nine entries churned out in rapid succession and a gradual decline in reprise, the series was handed off to Crystal Dynamics to revitalize the series.  With this, the decision was made to reboot the series and offer a new portrayal of Lara Croft, one that is more human and better depicts her rise to tomb raiding.  This reboot would come in the form of the aptly and simply named Tomb Raider, released on March 5th, 2013.

Super Mario Odyssey Review

Genre: 3D-Platformer / Adventure
Players: 1-2* (Light co-op features included)
Playtime: 40 hours (Includes beating the game and extra challenge kingdoms, finding all 880 moons, and just goofing off in New Donk City even when there was nothing left to be collected)

Nearly 20 years ago, Super Mario 64 heralded the dawn of a new era for 3D games and the potential joy to be found jumping around these large playgrounds of sorts.  Despite this revolutionary design, the continuation of 3D Mario games have been few and far between since then.  And with this lapse, the series also shifted to a more linear, guided experience, filled with carefully constructed levels / missions rather than the large open sandboxes to explore.  Much like was the case with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild though, Super Mario Odyssey for the Nintendo Switch looks to revisit its roots and recapture (no pun intended) the true essence that was the 3D Mario escapade.  The result is an adventure that is both a liberating and incredibly refreshing experience.  So without further ado, let's dive on into this audacious odyssey and take view of the positive and negative sights to be found.

Tabletop Tuesday - Quarto!

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the complex game of tic-tac-toe with shapes, sizes, and holes that is Quarto!

Players: 2
Time: 10-20 minutes
Genre: Strategy

It's a Trap!

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Throwback Thursday - Donkey Kong Country (SNES series)

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Swinging into the mix this week: The games of bopping Krocs and flocks of Squawks that is the SNES Donkey Kong Country series.

Released on November 21st, 1994, Donkey Kong Country was the cumulative efforts of Nintendo and their newly acquired share in the European game developer Rare.  The game boasted impressive  visuals for its time, using SGI graphics and pre-rendered 3D models.  As such, the characters and environments have a distinct styling and depth to them that is all their own, as players travel across the lavish canopies, dank caves, murky waters, industrial factories, icy mountaintops and more.  Adding to the richness of these engrossing landscapes is a top-notch soundtrack composed by David Wise.  From jamming jungle tunes to intoxicating ambient mixes, this game features some of the best tunes to be found in any SNES game.

Tabletop Tuesday - Phase 10

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the game of fun with runs that is Phase 10.

Players: 2-6
Time: 60-120 minutes
Genre: Casual Card / Family Game

A Gloomy Surprise

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Throwback Thursday - The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Coming in full steam ahead this week: The game of Chu Chu's and choo choo's that is The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

Released in the US on December 7th, 2009, Spirit Tracks is a sequel to the Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, in which the events take place one hundred years later in the land of New Hyrule.  With concerns of the disappearing tracks across the lands, engineer apprentice Link accepts the invitation of Zelda to secretly investigate this peculiar plight.  But tragedy strikes as Zelda is turned to stone by an evil chancellor, leaving her a disembodied spirit.  Rather than play the damsel in distress though, she joins Link in a grand adventure to retrieve her body and restore peace to the land of New Hyrule.  Offering witty remarks and the ability to possess Phantom Guards for some interesting puzzles, this companionship proves to be a refreshing and endearing change of pace for the series.