Happy Halloween - Top 5 Costumes in Games

Halloween beckons all things spooky and candy, and of course is just a fun excuse to dress up in a wide assortment of costumes.  In the spirit of this holiday (pun intended), here's a look at my personal Top 5 favorite costumes found in world of games.

-1- Mario 64 Cap and Suit (Super Mario Odyssey)

Super Mario Odyssey features a plethora of costumes to be unlocked, all of which celebrate Mario's long and rich history in the industry.  There is one costume in particular though that packs perhaps the greatest punch of nostalgia I've ever felt in gaming - That being the polygonal renderings of the Mario 64 cap and suit.  Perhaps in part due to the heavy influences of free-roaming 3D sandbox exploration that Super Mario 64 imparts on this game, or the secret kingdom found post-credits, but this costume felt right at home and was pure joy to leap and wall jump about in every nook and cranny of every world.

Ghastly Visitors

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Fe Review

Genre: Action-Adventure
Players: 1
Playtime: 6 hours (Includes beating the game and finding roughly half of all stone tablets, crystals, and other collectibles scattered about this minimalist world)


I can be a sucker for a game with a unique art style and intriguing premise.  Such was the case when Fe was first teased back at EA's press conference of E3 2016.  Taking cues from such esteemed games such as Journey, Shadow of the Colossus, and Metroid, all the cards look to be in hand for what should be an equally evocative gaming experience.  But being developed by such a smaller, more unknown indie team, is this game able to achieve those same lofty ambitions?  Let us ascend the many polygonal heights of this world and grab our bearings of the positive and negative features to be found across this somber landscape.

Throwback Thursday - Rayman Origins

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the cream of the crop with the Top 20.  Striking a pose this week: The game of slapstick humor and soaring mosquitoes that is Rayman Origins.

Released on November 11th, 2011, Rayman Origins sees a return to the series's 2D platforming roots while also being the first game released by Ubisoft to make use of their new UbiArt Framework, a graphics engine which more seamlessly translates and incorporates their 2D illustrations into easy to use game assets.  The result of this new engine is nothing short of what feels like being inside and interacting with a Saturday morning cartoon.  The art and animation in this game is so delightfully whimsical and exaggerated, it perfectly pairs with the slapstick nature of literally slapping enemies and watching them inflate to balloon proportions before giving a satisfying pop.  The nonsensical nature of the game is only furthered by what is a very loose and silly plot, which entails our obnoxiously loud snoring clad of heroes awakening the land of the dead, who then captures all the Teensies, Electoons, and Nymphs across the various lands of the Glade.  As such, our heroes are tasked to travel through thick jungles, musical deserts, delicious tundras and more to restore peace to these outlandish lands.

Fox Down!

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300th Post! - Top 5 Posts (So Far)

Would you look at that folks.  It appears we've reached the 300th post for this portal of all things gaming.  To commemorate this milestone, I thought it'd be fun to share some stats and take a look at the Top 5 viewed posts from this blog thus far.  So without further delay, here are the posts that generated the most buzz over the past 300 posts:

-1- Throwback Thursday - Hearthstone

As part of our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, Hearthstone ranked as my 57th prominent games of exceptional craft and compelling gameplay.  At the time of that post, the latest expansion for Hearthstone had been Kobolds & Catacombs, which added a new single-player campaign mode, pitting players against a series of bosses as they built up their decks in rogue-like fashion, as well as a slew of new cards and mechanics, such as Recruit which pulls minions from your deck straight onto the battlefield or upgradable spells should certain conditions be met while they're in hand.  Since then, two new expansions have also seen release, The Witchwood and The Boomsday Project, the latter of which introduced an interesting new type of single player experience for a slew of puzzle-solving micro challenges based on various conditions, such as clearing the board of all minions or healing your character back to full health.  While the meta of this popular digital card game is constantly shifting and often times feels quite broken, the frequent incorporation of new mechanics and modes makes this game a continual joy to stay a while and warm up by the hearth.

Mario Kart VR Impressions

Last year, Mario Kart dabbled in the realm of virtual reality (VR) through a Tokyo arcade with Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, developed by Bandai Namco.  For those curious and eager to try such an experience state side, you're in luck as VR Zone arcades is now bringing several VR experiences to the US, including the much abuzz Mario Kart.  Their first venue is setup at Washington DC at Union Station, open until March 2019.  Unable to contain my intrigued interest at what the world of Nintendo can bring to VR, I went and partook in this experience this past week.  For those unable to reach this destination or just want a preview of the experience before diving into such themselves, allow me to share my thoughts and impressions on Mario Kart in VR.

Throwback Thursday - Inside

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the cream of the crop with the Top 20.  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 sprint this week: The game of moving right and curious sights that is Inside.

Released on June 29th, 2016, Inside is the highly anticipated follow-up to Playdead's critically acclaimed hit Limbo back in 2010.  At surface level, this game bears many similarities to its former counterpart: A boy who wakes up in a mysterious forest and sets off on some unknown driven purpose, solving various puzzles in which to press forward and satiate an unyielding curiosity.  However, Inside tells a story distinctly its own and raises the bar over that of Limbo in most every conceivable way.  The animation is some of the best animation to be displayed in any medium; the way in which the boy perfectly reacts to the world around him to the haunting marches of the brain-dead bodies.  Even as a 2D platformer, the world is richer and fuller than most any game you could hope to explore, completely enamoring the player with its beautiful, cinematic framing and perfect pacing.  The sound design, so wonderfully rich and chilling.  The narrative, so strange and yet so incredibly captivating, you can't help but keep thinking about long after the credits finish rolling.  It's a game that begs further discussion and an unhealthy amount of further diving into every facet of this world for deeper meaning.

Tabletop Tuesday - Zombicide

It's October again, which means it's the time for many a variety of spooky and ominous games.  So join in as we explore an overlooked tabletop favorite saved for just such a creepy time as this...the joys of making noise that is Zombicide.

Players: 1-6
Time: 60-180 minutes
Genre: Cooperative

High Five!

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Throwback Thursday - Braid

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the cream of the crop with the Top 20.  Breaking conventions this week: The game of puzzles to rewind that blow your mind that is Braid.

Released in the US on August 6th, 2008, Braid is a unique puzzle-platformer that sought to reexamine the fundamentals of game trends and traditional storytelling.  Right from the start of the game, players are presented with a mysterious, lonesome building with but a single room lit titled "2. Time and Forgiveness".  Questions and curiosity immediately arise as to why start with "2" if this is the start of journey?  What happened to "1"?  And what is this fault our character has committed that he wishes to be forgiven?  With these lingering thoughts in mind, players take pursuit into surreal and meditative worlds, to gather the many scattered puzzle pieces that may better illustrate the answers to these very mysteries.

Say My Name

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Spider-Man Review

Genre: Action-Adventure
Players: 1
Playtime: 25 hours (Includes beating the game and completing 98% of side missions and collectible gathering)


In my youth, super hero games more often than not always felt like a cheap imitation of what was to be seen in your comics or films.  They never quite captured what was the feeling or essence of being that enamored hero.  Then came Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2007, which raised the bar of what super hero games were capable of, perfectly emulating what it meant to be the caped crusader.  Now in an even rarer occurrence for that of super hero games, Insomniac's Spider-Man has swung onto the PS4 as an exclusive title, looking to reboot our friendly wall-crawler like never before.  Is this sporty new web-slinger of a game able to replicate the essence of Spider-Man as Rocksteady Studios did for that of Batman?  Or is it just another cash-in on a familiar and beloved icon?  Suit up as we swing along with the pros and cons of this super-filled review.

Throwback Thursday - Super Mario RPG

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the cream of the crop with the Top 20.  Mixing it up this week: The game of Mushroom Kingdom all-stars battling isometric monsters that is Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

Released on the US on May 13th, 1996, Super Mario RPG was the result of a rare and magical collaboration between Nintendo and Square.  Combining the whimsical nature of the Mario universe with the somber and epic tones of that the likes of a Final Fantasy RPG, this is a game that hits all the right notes in appeasing players of either preferred genre.  It's in fact a good jumping ground (pun intended) for players not overly found of the intimidating complexities or repetitive turn-based nature of RPG's.  The adventure begins on a familiar note: Bowser kidnaps Princess Toadstool (aka Peach), and Mario springs into action.  But from here, the series of choices following this very intro completely shift player expectations and set the tone of what will be an incredible grand and memorable adventure.