(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); I write a lot about games I love. Writing for NRW has given me the platform to do that, and it's wonderful. However, I can't neglect the games I absolutely hate. Ranking high on
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); For many of us, the arcade was a shrinking thing in our early days, on its way out as we were on our way in. In my area (Central NC), the phenomenon had shrunk
In my early twenties, I dabbled in boxing for about a year. I never fought any official bouts, but I did some training and fought a few practice fights. Since I’m 5’9” and have short arms, I got my ass handed to me.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="558.0"] You asked for it, you got it![/caption] We’ve talked about a few beat em up games so far; some of them have been true-to-form classics, like Double Dragon or Golden Axe. Some of them have been departures from the
In the early 1990s, the gaming industry was truly on a roll. Graphics were becoming better and better. New ideas were blossoming like flowers on a sunny hillside. Every month, magazines like GamePro showed us new titles and systems on the horizon. The
Where you grew up as a kid probably had an effect on what system you first played a Gauntlet port on. For me, it was the eastern USA, so I played the “illegal” Tengen copy for the NES. Some in Europe played it
Sword & Sorcery. Known for buff swordsmen, scantily-clad warrior-women, and evil magic, this sub-genre of fantasy held pop culture in its jaws in the 70s and 80s. It never really went away; Robert E. Howard’s “Conan” character is still popular today as a
If you had an NES as a kid, and you lived near a video rental store that also dealt in games, Contra was probably one you tried. The difficulty curve may have thrown a lot of kids off, but Contra was (and still
Street fighter II: The World Warrior is where the franchise started for most fans; though its prequel enjoyed moderate success, it was this one that truly caught on and blew new air into arcade fighting games as a genre.
Double Dragon, originally released in 1987 and developed by Technos Japan, is an iconic representative of its genre: the side-scrolling beat ‘em up action game.
Old games used to get overly serious and realistic art. Arcade games and console games are fundamentally different in a lot of ways. While the hardware, game mechanics, and depth of narrative might be the most obvious, there is something at the core of the two that keeps them
Released internationally by Namco in November 1988, the arcade cult classic got attention (both positive and negative, though some say there is no bad press) for its over-the top themes of horror and gore.