Rampart: Good Arcade Game, Not a Great Console Game

Rampart is a game that I’m pretty sure I’ve played before, but I don’t remember. It is a combination of a strategy game and Tetris. Originally released as an arcade game in 1990, Rampart was eventually ported to just about everything. It had some influence over the Tower Defense genre, which would become popular inContinue reading “Rampart: Good Arcade Game, Not a Great Console Game”

Paperboy 2 on the SNES is a Good Arcade game

Paperboy 2 was released in 1991, and depending on the version of the game you’re looking at, it was developed and published by a different company. This game wasn’t in the arcades, but it has many similarities to an arcade game. I’ll be looking at the SNES version, which was published by Mindscape. There wereContinue reading “Paperboy 2 on the SNES is a Good Arcade game”

Gauntlet II: A Good Sequel but Nothing New

Gauntlet II isn’t too different from the first game. The gameplay is essentially the same, the same four characters are in the game, and the graphics are mostly the same. This isn’t all that surprising given that the game was released shortly after the first in the arcades. This was a conversion kit for theContinue reading “Gauntlet II: A Good Sequel but Nothing New”

The Simple Joy of Roller Coaster Tycoon

Roller Coaster Tycoon is a highly relaxing game. I love these games where you have to manage resources and accomplish a simple goal. There is no win condition, and the stakes for not completing a scenario are low. In this game, you build and run a theme park. The big draw is building roller coasters,Continue reading “The Simple Joy of Roller Coaster Tycoon”

Board Games to Pixels: Parker Brothers on the Atari 2600

I’ve looked at quite a few companies that published games on the Atari 2600. While many of them were shut down in 1983 and 1984 following the North American Video Game Crash, some kept going. A few companies left the video game market but kept going because of other business ventures. This brings us toContinue reading “Board Games to Pixels: Parker Brothers on the Atari 2600”

Digital Blood: A Story about Wizard Video Games

Making a video game based on a movie is a good idea. You get instant name recognition and might get fans of the film to buy the game. The game doesn’t have to be good, but it does have to be playable. As long as the movie has fans, you can exploit the source materialContinue reading “Digital Blood: A Story about Wizard Video Games”

Journey Escape to Frankenstein: The Unfinished Tale of Data Age

Data Age is an interesting company, not because of the owner, not because of the developers, but because they just disappeared. The company released eight games and had several in the prototype stage. Like many companies from this time, there is very little information about it. However, Data Age is a bit different. It doesn’tContinue reading “Journey Escape to Frankenstein: The Unfinished Tale of Data Age”