Other Games I Think Are Rad

I really dig this game. It's a throwback of early 90's arcade platformers. Especially an arcade game known as Rastan. If you're not familiar with that game, a more well-known similar game would be Super Ghosts n' Ghouls.



I do like the fact that this game allows a few concessions to allow gamers to continue on to any level that they have already reached. Granted doing that will give you the not so great ending. To get the best ending, you have to grab these secret crystals in each level, and beat the subsequent levels that unlock because of that, which are essentially even HARDER levels, AND you have to do that on ONE playthrough. But given that there are already tons of flawless speedruns being posted, it's not that incredible of a feat. I like the fact that the layout of each level never changes, so a large part of the game is simply pattern memorization.

A more recent entry into the point & click adventure games genre. This game is superbly done. It has a great noir-detective themed story, set in a fascinating futuristic sci-fi setting.

I really feel like this game is establishing a new genre, because I don't know of anything quite like it. The Bureaucracy-em-up.

You take on the role of a border check-point processing drone, in what feels like an early 80's Soviet satellite country. Your job is the soul-crushing drudgery of processing hopeful applicants to your (fictional) country of Arstotzka.

Your job is to weed out all applications who do not file their papers in the exact way demanded. Name misspelled? DENIED. Discrepancy between your id and your papers? DENIED. Do your papers have the wrong sex listed? DENIED. More restrictions come in to play later.

You have to process enough applicants each and every day to make enough money to pay your rent, provide food for your family, and pay for heat. Other factors will play in to this later.

The graphics are very primitive, almost like something that would come from the time that the game is set in. It's strangely fitting.

The music is simple, but quite catchy, and incredibly fitting.

There really isn't much to this game, but everything is there that needs to be there. It has this strangely addictive quality, just trying to make it through another day, hoping that you make enough money to get by just one more day. It gets strangely intense, knowing that Big Brother is watching, grading your performance. If you let too many people through who shouldn't, there will be penalties. Penalties that you just can not afford.

I wound up feeling a strange antipathy towards the people I was processing through my checkpoint. I hated them for coming, dreading how they would mess up their paperwork, costing me precious moments I could be using to process more people, to say nothing of the people who could actually be a threat to the country, and more immediately, my checkpoint.

This is an incredible achievement for an indie game, and it deserves to be played, if for no other reason than the fact that I'm fairly certain there's nothing out there quite like it.

This game has some of my favorite voice acting. The story of revenge that Raziel tells is what compelled me through this game. The game could be challenging at times, but I felt it was always worth it.

I hate to say it, but if you've played one Elder Scrolls game, you've played them all. This is a solid entry for the series though. Remarkable for having both the best and worst DLC's ever made. The Shivering Isles and Horse Armor. I'll let you guess which one is best.

With the gaming market stuffed to the gills with games touting their realism, or seeming to be Hollywood-inspired gritty shooters, it was a great relief to find Bulletstorm. This is just an awesomely fun, over-the-top, ridiculous, and fast-paced arcade-y shooter.



It might be that I have a soft-spot in my heart for protagonists who are kind of morons (in the vein of Ash from Army of Darkness), but the Hero of this game really struck a chord with me.

This is a simply amazing little game. The concept is simple to grasp, but can be difficult to master. Time manipulation is the key to passing the platforming puzzles. The story that is told along the way is at once thought compelling and by the end, somewhat tragic. I game that I cannot recommend enough to anyone.

Yet another Lord British game. A classic of early era RPG's. Not much to say. Gotta save the world, and only your party of virtuous heroes can do the job.

This game has absolutely superb gameplay. It has, without a doubt, some of the most fun weapons I've ever seen in a first-person shooter. One of the staples of the series, the Bullseye is still fun and effective, with it's homing bullets, and a new weapon called the Mutator is an absolute riot to use.



In a gaming market already saturated with post-apocalyptic American settings, this game initially didn't seem to offer much in the way of innovation. Especially once it was brought to my attention that this game seems to borrow a bit from Half-Life 2. But I suppose if you're going to borrow from a game, it might as well be an awesome one. I did find it odd how the game characterizes the hell out of your character, Joseph Capelli in cutscenes, but he is all but a silent protagonist when you're playing him.

Indulge in your violent side. Beat the everliving snot out of gang members with: your fists, your feet, rocks, lead pipes, brass knuckles, bike chains, trash cans, old tires and even the bodies of fallen enemies, even curb stomp enemies when they get knocked down. Don't worry, they've got it coming, they kidnapped your girlfriend, and those bastards are going to pay...

I really don't know how to describe this game in a way that won't spoil it. I'll just describe it using it's own description from Steam.



The Stanley Parable is a first person exploration game. You will play as Stanley, and you will not play as Stanley. You will follow a story, you will not follow a story. You will have a choice, you will have no choice. The game will end, the game will never end. Contradiction follows contradiction, the rules of how games should work are broken, then broken again. This world was not made for you to understand.

But as you explore, slowly, meaning begins to arise, the paradoxes might start to make sense, perhaps you are powerful after all. The game is not here to fight you; it is inviting you to dance.

Based on the award-winning 2011 Source mod of the same name, The Stanley Parable returns with new content, new ideas, a fresh coat of visual paint, and the stunning voicework of Kevan Brighting. For a more complete and in-depth understanding of what The Stanley Parable is, please try out the free demo.

I'll admit, this is an incredibly simple turn-based strategy game. It would make for a suitable Baby's First Turn Based Strategy. Not very challenging (well, it WAS challenging, when I was 12), but the music and (for the time) beautiful SNES graphics, were gorgeous. It still has a simple kind of charm to it.

Fun, old-school WWF Wrestling. Played as though it were "real." Wear down your opponents health until you can pin them. Or toss their ass over the top rope if you're in the titular Royal Rumble. Lotsa classic wrestling icons in this title. Undertaker, Bret "The Hitman Hart", Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, just to name a few.

"One of the very few games that I enjoy playing online multiplayer. What can I say? I enjoy unlocking new outfits to dress up my Spartan III barbie. Plus, Grifball is an absolute blast."

"Lord British knows how to make a good game, that's for sure. Even though he's been essentially remaking the same game for decades, I feel this is the best iteration thus far. This game if pretty heavy on the RPG side of adventure."

Good, clean, pugilistic fun. Whether your knocking out poor old Gabby Jay or the intimidating Rick and Nick Bruiser, it's always fun. Old favorites make return appearances: Mr. Sandman, Super Macho Man, and of course, Bald Bull. "My barber didn't know when to quit, do you?"

Either you survive together or you die alone. Teamwork is mandatory, unless you view survival as optional. "Oh man, that reminds of the time me and my buddy Keith decided to make bumper cars out of our riding lawn mowers..."

I must admit, I was quite surprised to hear that Telltale Games was tackling The Walking Dead. Telltale is known for more cutesy-cartoon point-and-click adventures. So needless to say, I was curious how they'd handle a game of such a graphic nature.
I can confidently say that they handled it with aplomb. They really worked hard to make sure that the decisions you make in-game have some consequence. Granted, this doesn't always pan out, but it does often enough to leave a good impression. They cleave very closely to the spirit of the graphic novel by Robert Kirkman, and they have several very touching emotional moments in the game. By the end of this emotionally taxing journey, I was just about in tears.

Easily one of the best and most fun stealth games I've played in a very long time. I really like the art direction in this game. The game seems to have an animated quality to it. I feel like this game is kind of unique among stealth games I love, because this game is entirely 2D. I also really like the fact that unlike so many modern "stealth" games where stealth is optional, where you can get out of a jam by going nuts with guns blazing, carving a path of carnage out of your mistakes, this game is strictly stealth. If you're spotted, your best bet is to run away, if you live long enough to do so. I enjoy how the game blends the idea of historical and mythical ninjas together in the gameplay and in the story. I really feel way more sneaky, clever, and just all around more ninja-like when I can sneak past guards, instead of killing them, coming and going without leaving a single trace of my passing. I love it.



I actually haven't beaten this game yet, because I don't ever want it to be over. I know I can go back and replay any level any time I want to, but still. I know, as an indie game, this game isn't going to be terribly long to begin with. I'm just really taking my time, enjoying this game to the fullest.

The first mildly educational game I played. It did make me think that the Civil War was ridiculously fun, however.

All Donkey Kong wants to do is just sit back and enjoy his bananas, but noooooo, those damn crocs have to go and steal his entire banana horde. Well, better go get em all back! This stunningly beautiful game for the SNES is complimented by an equally stunning soundtrack. One of the best platforming games ever made.

A fighting game that makes use of 1 hit kills. The tension created by the fact that a match can end with a single blow leads to some incredibly tense moments. Your death or your enemies is only a breath away... looking for the exact moment to strike... you and your opponent with weapons drawn and ready, circling each other amidst the cherry blossom trees...

I love playing as the Alien, going through stages of it's life, from Facehugger, to immature Alien, to full adult Alien. The Predator is ridiculously overpowered but is still quite fun. The Marine campaign easily had the most time and effort dedicated to it, but is my least favorite to play. Shame, really. Still a great game overall.

Interesting in the fact that originally this game wasn't intended to be a Mario game at all. It shows because this game has almost nothing in common with the first Super Mario Bros game. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the bizarro journey through the Subcon world. Princess Toadstool is easily the best character, btw.

Kinda like being Batman, only without any super-villains. Still I cannot suppress my impish glee at picking off guards one by one. This is a game that thrives on tension more than action.

The only other racing game on my favorites list. Good tunes, fast bikes, and bitchin' weapons make for a damn good time.

"One of the most ambitious NES games I've ever played. Infiltrating enemy bases for various espionage purposes, evading enemy patrols, fooling enemies with forged documents, knocking out guards with sleeping gas, or fooling them with disguises."

A shameingly fun first person shooter. The story is one of revenge. Pretty simple, you want to get back at the people who beat the fuck out of you and left you for dead. The soundtrack by Cypress Hill, helps get you into a "gangsta" state of mind.

There is something intriguing about playing a cold, emotionless killer. The game manages to combine the stealth gameplay of not being seen with the sneaky cleverness of hiding in plain sight though various disguises. There are an interesting variety of missions that complement an over-arching story. The musical soundtrack composed by Jesper Kyd is absolutely phenomenal.

This is actually the first Pokemon game that I played all the way through to completion. I captured every single pokemon that could be found in the wild, even the one-of-a-kind ones like Mewtwo, Xerneas, Zygarde, and Zapdos. I have to say, I now completely understand how addictive these games are. I just couldn't stop playing. I really felt like I had to catch them all, lol. God help me, I said it. I gotta catch 'em all. Then, when I realized the true scope of that statement, I revised it. I'll catch all of the pokemon that I can find in the wild. And that I did. So, I feel pretty satisfied.

Tension. That is what this game excels at. You never know when some scary hobo is going to jump out at you from nowhere and try to stove in your head with a length of pipe. You can HEAR them, and every once in a while you might SEE them, or... was that just your imagination? And all the while, you're wondering just WHAT is going ON here? Are you losing your mind? Oh yeah, and there's a serial killer who's toying with you along the way. I'm generally not a fan of when games try to shoe-horn melee combat into a first-person perspective game. It always seems to feel clunky and poorly implemented. In this particular case, it works. Every fight is a desperate struggle.

A "Solid" collection of games, indeed. Two of the best games from the last generation of consoles is now available on current gen systems. These two games are really quite mandatory if you intend on playing the amazing conclusion to the Metal Gear Solid series, Guns of the Patriots. Both Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater are superb games in their own right.

I've thought long and hard about adding this game to my favorites list. But I suppose that says something in the fact that I'm still thinking about this game long after I've played it.

This game certainly isn't without faults. In fact, it has MANY faults. Yet despite all of those faults, I strangely found myself enjoying playing it.

The dialogue between characters is awful. I'd say it's hilariously bad. Much of the dialogue is spoken in what sounds like an accusatory tone, as though every character were a 14 year old with a bad attitude.

Also, the checkpoint system is rather punishing. The saves the game makes are few and FAR between. This, combined with the fact that you can die VERY quickly makes for some unnecessary frustration. Also, the fact that you can't just load up a level to try for unlocking achievements or completing combat challenges or finding collectibles is really frustrating, it's also tricky to know when the game is going to move you to the next area, because you can't ever go back if you missed something.

A lot of people complain about how the game is rather linear, in that there is tons of radiation that forces you to go where it wants you to. Still, those areas where you can go are often quite large already.

The loading times that some people complain about don't really bother me quite so much after playing Skyrim, with it's absurdly long and frequent loading screens. I mean, this game IS beautiful, graphics wise, and the areas it's loading up are really quite large, so I don't hold the loading times against it too much.

The frequent real world ads in game I don't begrudge the game too much for having. If there are big billboards that you can swing from all over the place, why WOULDN'T they have advertisements on them? The only culprit I'm not happy with is Pepsi. There are Pepsi machines all over the damn place, and you absolutely cannot use those big-ass, heavy objects as weapons. They are just BEGGING to be chucked at groups of enemies. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Pepsi didn't want their product being used as a weapon.

The fact that I thought all the dialogue was awful certainly didn't pull me into the story, so I didn't care too much about the big twist at the end, which I suppose I should have seen coming, but I didn't, again, because I wasn't following it too closely. But seperate from the big twist is the big reveal near the end, that is officially the most IDIOTIC thing I have EVER heard in a video game. His "missing" wife gave her life to make his bionic arm, because bionic prosthesis need an emotional anchor to work with their user.



Okay, with all of those complaints out the way, I suppose I should tell you why it's on my favorites list. The swinging mechanic. I love it. There's nothing quite like it in any other video game I've played. Just Cause 2 comes close, but this game was designed around the idea that you're going to be swinging around, and it shows. Granted, you've got to be careful that you don't swing into a radiation area that will kill you in a matter of seconds, or land in deep water, as you'll sink like a rock, but I feel like that just adds to the tension and excitement.

Breaking up large swinging sections are combat encounters. A lot of other game critics have ragged on the combat in this game. I suppose if you play this game as a straight up shooter, it might not hold up. I, personally, was using the arm to it's fullest extent. I was making hit-and-run attacks, chucking heavy objects at my enemies, chucking enemies at other enemies, or grappling an enemy with my arm and flinging myself at the enemy, or hurling an enemy or object in the air and then punting the item at other enemies. I enjoyed mixing it up like that as often as I did just playing it straight, using guns and grenades.

This game can (as of 09/14/2012) be bought used from Gamestop for $5. Less than the cost of a McDonald's combo meal. I feel like there's no reason not to go out and pick this game up.

A faithful PC rendition of the AD&D 2nd Edition Campaign setting of Birthright. Fantastically deep and challenging.

It should be noted that to get the most out of this game, you really should have played the three Metal Gear: Solid games that came before this. Possibly even the original Metal Gear game on the NES. However, if you have played all of these games, you will be able to get the most out of this amazing conclusion to the Metal Gear story. Hideo Kojima really went out of his way to make sure that each and every single loose end gets wrapped up. The gameplay is superb, as is standard for the Metal Gear games. It's a great stealth system they have set up, and for better or for worse, if you dick up the sneaking around part you can more than likely whip out the heavy guns and blast your way out of your mistakes.



This can be a really difficult game for me to recommend to people. Not just because of the legendarily long cutscenes (there are several cutscenes that go on for more than 40 minutes). This is a game that seems unsure of whether it wants to embrace the ridiculous (especially the absurd boss fights) or play it straight and be a commentary about the proliferation of Private Military Contractors and the rapid advance of war technology. The result can be a confused mess when it comes to setting a tone.
All that being said, I still find plenty to love about this game. The stealth mechanics are still as solid (get it? SOLID?) as they've ever been in the Metal Gear series, and it's still just as exciting.

“This is more DOOM. Not much has changed from the first game. New Super Shotgun, larger levels, and twice the number of Boss demons, with some Bosses from the game appearing as common enemies in later levels. Also, I love the box art for both games. And their soundtracks.”