Throwback Thursday - Earthbound

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Stepping up to the plate this week: The game of spiteful crows and mondo moles that is the now cult classic Earthbound.

Released in the US on June 5th, 1995, Earthbound was set in the uncertain ominous future of 199X, where a mysterious meteorite crashes down onto the sleepy little town of Onett and sets the stage for one of gaming's most unusual adventures ever.  An intergalactic time-traveling bug sends word of warning that a cosmic destroyer known as Giygas will corrupt all of Earth with his evil energy unless three boys and a girl unite and stop him.  Equipped with little but a baseball bat, a pocket full of cookies, and a surprisingly lenient and encouraging mother, players take control of a young boy named Ness as he sets on a quest to seek out the eight spiritual Sanctuaries and these three other unknown friends to save the whole world.

A Spiky Surprise

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Throwback Thursday - Kingdom Hearts (series)

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Wielding the way this week: The games of key blades and where dreams are made that is the Kingdom Hearts series.

What started as a chance encounter between then SquareSoft game producer, Shinji Hashimoto and a Disney executive in an elevator would culminate into one of the iconic crossovers ever to be seen in the medium of video games.  Kingdom Hearts first saw release in the US on September 17th, 2002, for the Playstation 2, and was heralded for its captivating mixture of serious Final Fantasy storytelling / characters with the lighthearted and endearing nature of Disney worlds / characters.  Taking the roll of an original character by the name of Sora, he and his friends, Riku and Kairi, are whisked away on an epic adventure across a vast assortment of worlds.  Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy are also on a quest to locate their missing king Mickey, who has set forth to investigate the disturbing occurrences of suddenly disappearing worlds.  Discovering Sora is the bearer of a magical weapon known as the Keyblade, he joins Donald and Goofy on a journey to find their friends and aid those in need across the many worlds they come across.

Hollow Knight Review

Genre: Action-Platforming Adventure
Players: 1
Playtime: 25-35 hours (Includes beating the game at 91% completion in 25 hours; Continued digging into Hallownest and beat the true final boss at 107% completion in 35 hours; Still so many secrets to uncover; Played on the Nintendo Switch)


Having received a wide array of praise for what looked to be a simple and eye-catching Metroidvania, I decided to dive into Hollow Knight upon its release for the Nintendo Switch.  What I came to discover during the course of exploring this massive world was a game that exceeded every and any expectation I thought possible.  I won't even try to be coy in this foreword: This is perhaps one of my favorite games I've ever played, to which I can personally find nary a fault in this masterpiece.  With that said, this isn't necessarily a perfect fit for just everybody.  So if you're still on the fence about entering this foreboding realm of the Hallownest, press on into this review as we bring to light the positive and negative facets of this incredible feat of a game.

Two is Company

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Throwback Thursday - Mario & Luigi (series)

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Leaping into the fray this week: The games of brotherly hi-jinks and time-based beats that is the Mario & Luigi series.

Making its debut on November 17th, 2003, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga marks the Super Mario license's 3rd foray into the world of RPG's.  While the Paper Mario games would serve as home for additional Mario RPG's on the home consoles, the soon to be Mario & Luigi series would offer a unique flavor of Mario role-playing goodness for the GBA and other handheld systems to come.  The two brothers feature a distinct and elongated art style as they explore strange new lands of the Bean Bean Kingdom, on a hilarious quest to rescue Princess Peach's voice that has been replaced with explosive vocabulary (quite literally explosive).  The narrative and characters that take stage in this wacky adventure all feature such rich and delightfully tickling dialog that is certain to leave a smile on your face.  I adore how almost all the locations and characters are named after a form of laughter, like Hoohoo Mountain, Chucklehuck Woods, or the main villainess, Cackletta.  And there is something just so mesmerizing and charming about the animation in this game, the way the two brothers dance and bob in battle, or how you can see Luigi's colorful striped socks because he's just that much taller than his stout brother.  But where the game really stands apart from its other Mario RPG counterparts is the clever brotherly interactions that is used both for means of exploration and combat.

Tabletop Tuesday - Top 5 Party Games

If you're planning on hosting or attending any large parties / end-of-summer bashes, odds are you may have quite a diverse gaming preference among such a wide gathering.  Between different ages, skill levels, and familiarity, there are many factors to consider to find a game that can appease the likes of a lively party.  While there are many a great social and party game to be found, I've decided to highlight the below games as they work well for most any number of player, are easy to learn, do not force what is sometimes an unbalanced nature of teams, keep players involved at all times, and have a great deal of replay-ability.  These are my Top 5 Recommendations for Party Games:

-1- Liar's Dice

If you have a handful of dice and stack-full of plastic cups, you're set and ready to captivate a party with a rousing game of Liar's Dice.  This is a game of luck, probability, and deception that anyone is capable of playing and picking up on quickly.  The suspense as bets are slowly and dramatically raised around the table until one player finally calls liar, leading to the climatic reveal of all the dice and final verdict of the bet is a continual thrill for players and bystanders alike.  That, and the loud rattle of the dice also help to draw in attention.  To learn more details on this game and how to play, click here.

An Uninvited Guest

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Throwback Thursday - Telltale's The Walking Dead

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.

Speaking of which, taking aim this week: The game series of smacking zombies with bats and Clementine will remember that in Telltale's The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead is a popular graphic novel series that explores the world after a zombie apocalypse and the difficult choices that follow in a disheveled and fallen civilization.  It's an immensely captivating read that has spawned many other forms of media.  But what is probably most surprising is that one of the most engaging and emotionally endearing experiences in this series happens to come from Telltale's take on The Walking Dead as an episodic choose-your-own-adventure style game.  In fact, the success of this particular series helped spark a revitalization of this very genre in so many more games and franchises to come.  Rather than using already established characters from The Walking Dead franchise (although a few make cameos), Telltale's games focus on a new cast of characters set in The Walking Dead universe as the apocalypse just breaks out.  The story follows a convicted Lee Everett on his way to prison, when all hell is unleashed and he comes across a little girl named Clementine.  With her parents out of town, he decides to look after her and so begins an emotional journey filled with a flux of bitter decisions and a constant chase for safety and hope.

Shaking Things Up

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God of War Review

Genre: Action-Adventure
Players: 1
Playtime: 30 hours (Includes beating the game on Normal difficulty and doing some side quests)

(NOTE: Content in this game is not recommended for all ages due to mature themes, strong language, and intense violence; Parental discretion is advised.)


The new God of War released this past April, 2018 marks the eighth installment in the prestigious series and also a bold new opportunity to reexamine the fundamentals of this iconic franchise.  A new world of wonder and lore to explore as the setting now shifts to Norse mythology.  A whole new tempo and thought to gameplay as Kratos now wields a magical axe and fights alongside his bow-wielding son, Atreus.  A fresh and captivating perspective with a new camera system that never cuts away from the flow of the game.  Santa Monica Studio has not only crafted an experience that feels rich with exciting new potential, but also a world which respects and illustrates the growth of Kratos and this series.  Does this ambitious reboot reach the highest summits of the nine realms though?  Brace yourselves as we rage forward into the pros and cons of this otherworldly fury of a review.

Throwback Thursday - Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

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.

Speaking of which, making the break this week: The game of intense brain teasers and pondering theories feasible that is Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors.

Released on December 10th, 2009, Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (or 999 for short) was the first of what would become a trilogy of thought-provoking narrative / escape-puzzle games known as the Zero Escape series.  The game revolves around nine people who are abducted and trapped together in a large freighter.  Their abductor, known as Zero, forces each captive to participate in a game referred to as the Nonary Game.  They are all given 9 hours to locate the door with the number 9 on it and make their escape.  However, each character has been given an irremovable bracelet with an assigned number 1-9.  These bracelets help them open the 9 doors scattered about their confinement, but also hold lethal consequences should any rules not be followed.  As the characters split up and seek out a means to escape, you learn that every character has a bit more depth and relation to this situation than might have been initially suspected.  And to that same effect, your situation also holds a great deal more mystery and fraught significance.