1997 saw the release of Deer Hunter, and prior to this, virtual hunting wasn’t a thing. Deer Hunter itself seems mostly designed as a game to get on the shelves of Wal-Mart. See, in the U.S. in the 90s, Wal-Mart was the largest (still is?) chain department store. They were the ones that could afford […]
Sega Menacer 6-in-1

For my money, the NES Zapper is the pinnacle of light gun design. Light guns were hardly new – even Maganavox’s Odyssey had one – but the Zapper had the right combination of ergonomics and a steady trickle of software to use it on. Its popularity didn’t translate into the 16-bit era though. It felt […]
Sega Menacer 6-in-1

For my money, the NES Zapper is the pinnacle of light gun design. Light guns were hardly new – even Maganavox’s Odyssey had one – but the Zapper had the right combination of ergonomics and a steady trickle of software to use it on. Its popularity didn’t translate into the 16-bit era though. It felt […]
Gearhead Garage

“Car mechanic simulator” is the game I didn’t even realize I wanted until I found out it existed. My knowledge of automotive maintenance doesn’t pass beyond “turn key and if it doesn’t start, call someone who knows what they’re doing,” but I’m not one to pass down an interactive opportunity to learn a bit about […]
SimCity

I recently joined the 21st century by finally purchasing a tablet. I previously felt I had no reason to – I use my laptop for typing, and I’m not one to lay in bed with a TV show playing on my chest. Now that I actually have one, I have been sucked in completely after […]
Duke Nukem: Nuclear Winter

The concept of Duke Nukem saving Christmas has a lot of potential, as the core ethos of both couldn’t be further apart. This is also, surprisingly, one of the most fully developed Christmas-themed add-ons for any game, with most other attempts relegated to a handful of free and/or bonus levels. Unfortunately, this is also easily […]
