Throwback Thursday - Super Mario Galaxy (series)

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the esteemed Top 10 games I can't recommend higher.  Shooting for the stars this week: The games of interplanetary hopping and alien octopus stomping that are the Super Mario Galaxy series.

Released in the US on November 12th, 2007, Super Mario Galaxy elevated not only the Mario series, but the potential of all platformers to soaring new heights.  As the much anticipated 3D Mario title for the Nintendo Wii, many a player's imagination was ignited as Mario took to the stars quite literally, jumping through many a creative level of spherical rotating designs.  While the game may not be quite as built for sandbox exploration style gameplay as with its previous 3D predecessors, the linear structure of these carefully crafted levels ensured phenomenal pacing and a myriad of clever ideas that never failed to delight and induce a sense of awe and wonder.  I'll never forget the first time I leaped off a planetoid, only to continue flying to the other side underneath.  Or the thrills of fighting Bowser on a spherical planet of lava, making full use of the 360-degree rotation to orchestrate wild encounters of fireballs and chases for victory.

Tabletop Tuesday - Cover Your Assets

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

Shuffling into the mix of clever card games - The game of stacking cash under the mattress in Cover Your Assets.

Players: 4-6*
Time: 30-60 minutes*
Genre: Casual Card / Family Game

Throwback Thursday - Portal

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the esteemed Top 10 games I can't recommend higher.  Turning the world on its head this week: The game of companion cubes and cake ruses that is mind-bender, Portal.

Released on October 10th, 2007, Portal was just a small added-on game to what is one of the greatest deals to be found in gaming, known as the Orange Box, the likes of which included Half-Life 2, it's episodic expansions, Team Fortress 2, and as mentioned above, Portal.  Little did anyone know that this small, experimental first-person puzzle adventure would blow everyone's expectations out of the water in being one of the most innovative and compelling masterpieces to grace the medium of gaming.  Built around the simple concept of a gun that creates two colored portals at any one time to travel between, Portal challenges players to expand their way of thinking and creatively use the laws of physics to solve puzzles and navigate these peculiar testing facilities.

Speed Date

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Tetris Effect Review

Genre: Puzzle Game
Players: 1
Playtime: 6 hours (Includes clearing the main Journey mode, trying out each of the various Effects modes, and playing around a bit in Theater mode)


When Tetris Effect was first announced at E3 2018, the combination of one of the world's most infamous puzzle games, Tetris, being directed by one of the industry's highest regarded musical game developers, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, sounded like a match made in heaven.  With such high pedigrees packaged together in such visually dazzling flair, this is an experience that certainly leaves an impression of awe and wonder.  But does it bring enough new ideas or innovation to make visiting this classic puzzler worthwhile once again?  Ready those blocks as we line up the pros and cons to fall in place with this review.

Throwback Thursday - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the esteemed Top 10 games I can't recommend higher.  Readying their blade this week: The game of dungeons and caves and descendants to save that is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Released on November 21st, 1991, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was the third installment in the Zelda series and much anticipated debut for the new SNES console.  After some experimentation as an RPG side-scrolling adventure with Zelda II, A Link to the Past marked a return to form with classic top-down, dungeon crawling fun.  Making full use of this powerful new hardware of its time, players were vividly immersed exploring this intricate world full of layered heights and overlapping bridges.  It's a game that I consider to be the perfect embodiment of pure gameplay; A perfect balance of exploration, action, and puzzle-solving.  And it all begins with one of the most memorable intros in all of gaming, with Link making for a daring rescue at Hyrule Castle on a dark and stormy night.

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

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Throwback Thursday - Metroid Prime Trilogy

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the esteemed Top 10 games I can't recommend higher.  Locking onto the target this week: The games of planetary exploration and alien annihilation that are the Metroid Prime Trilogy.

After the release of Super Metroid for the SNES in 1994, there was an 8 year wait until the series would see return to a home console, that being Metroid Prime on the GameCube.  Produced by Nintendo and their new 1st party developers of Retro Studios, Metroid Prime marked a bold move for the series as it transitioned into the world of 3D as a first-person shooter action-adventure, an unusual mix of genres.  But by golly did it work.  One of my fondest memories not just in Metroid Prime but in all of gaming is the incredible immersion felt wearing the helmet of Samus Aran, seeing steam fog up the visor or the intense blast of a charged shot emit a brief reflection of your eyes.  Quite simply this was one of the most expertly designed and engrossing adventures you're likely to find in gaming.

Tips for Code Names - Secrets to Success

Code Names is a popular party game that has broken its way into many a home, thanks in part to its ease of accessibility and multitude of various versions sure to appease any fan.  From Code Names Disney to Marvel, Harry Potter, and more, a game of Code Names is sure to be found on most game enthusiast's shelves these days.  While tactics and strategies are certain to vary depending on the specific crew of players that make one's team, there are some tips and tricks that can be generally applied across the board.  So if you're looking to give your team a leg up on the competition, see below for a few pointers in becoming an ace agent:

A Mechanic's Touch

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Throwback Thursday - Shovel Knight

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the esteemed Top 10 games I can't recommend higher.  Striking the Earth this week: The game of gems to dig and justice to give in indie hit that is Shovel Knight.

Inspired by the likes of retro titles such as Mega Man, Zelda II, Duck Tales and more, Shovel Knight was developed to pay homage to these classics while delivering a unique retro throwback for the modern age.  After a very successful Kickstarter campaign, Shovel Knight finally saw release on June 26th, 2014, to which it not only certainly achieved its goal in emulating these NES greats, but it surpasses them in every possible way.  Despite its entirely silly concept behind it, there is in fact some superb writing which displays plenty of genuinely witty humor and at times stoic intrigue, such as with each conversation that proceeds an encounter with the members of the Order of No Quarter.  It gives the characters and world a weight of history and considerable depth, an impressive feat for fast-paced platformer at that.  Speaking of which, as great as the writing is, the wildly inventive shovel-based action gameplay is where this game truly shines.  Let's dig in (pun intended).

Happy New Year - Top 5 Anticipated Games of 2019

With the dawn of another new year before us, there is again a fervent energy and excitement over the pending prospects of what is to come in this expectant future.  While I typically recommend tempering one's expectations, let's go ahead and let loose for a moment to ignite our imaginations over the wonders of tomorrow.  Because let's be honest, 2019 is looking to be one of the most stacked game line-ups imaginable.  Here are my personal Top 5 Anticipated Games of 2019:

(Note: This only includes announced games with a set release date of 2019)

-1- Kingdom Hearts III

Because of a brief one month delay, Kingdom Hearts III cheats its way onto yet another Top Anticipated list, but that doesn't mean the anticipation to play this game has become any less.  Rather, with only a few short weeks to go, the excitement to dive into this thrilling conclusion is just about beyond compare.  With many more worlds revealed throughout 2018, such as Monsters Inc., Big Hero 6, Frozen and more, it seems there is a heavier focus on 3D animated Disney / Pixar movies this time around.  I suspect such was likely the case to boast the stunning quality of animation / rendering this game is now able to achieve, that being almost indistinguishable if not better than the original films.  Note I did not include any clips this time around as leaked copies of the game are out in the wild, so I advise to tread lightly in your searches should you want to keep this magical finale spoiler-free.  The wait is almost over.