Shot97 Retro

  Rad Racer Nintendo Entertainment System - Fall of 1987 Square/Nintendo $39.95 *My video review for Rad Racer *Previous article *Alphabetical list of all writings *Discord for updates *Shown/played as designed, 60hz NTSC, 4:3 aspect ratio *If pics show artifacting, zoom in/out (CRT effect) In a time when cleanliness and safety were merely an afterthought to the powers of Darwin, we used to get toys straight out of the cereal box. Perhaps wrapped in plastic, though just as likely to have been tossed in the buff. Any rudimentary thought put into safety measures were likely negated once our germ laden hands went gold digging deep into the boxes crust. If they really wanted you to buy the cereal they'd guarantee a prize, however it was generally the childhood equivalent of a slot machine. Would we be hitting the jackpot today? This plastic chocking hazard of a toy, which by now was likely buried in the mountain of sugar which had fallen off your min...

  King's Quest Amiga, Late 1986/Early 1987 (Original PC-JR 1984) Sierra On-line $49.95 *My video review for King's Quest *Next article *Previous article *Alphabetical list of all writings *Discord for updates *Shown/played as designed, 60hz NTSC, 4:3 aspect ratio *If pics show artifacting, zoom in/out (CRT effect) *Some pics slightly altered to show text on top of screens Winners write the history books, so it's said, and just as in the larger scale of world politics, there's been no shortage of revisionist history through the lens of computers as well. When I say "PC", you're not thinking "personal computer", as in separate from mainframes. A micro computer that fits on your desk in the comfort of your home, which would be what a PC actually is. Whatever hardware or software you run matters not, an Atari or Commodore computer had just as much right as an IBM to be called a PC, yet I'd wager you're thinking "IBM PC", even tho...

  StarFlight Amiga, 1989 (Original DOS 1986) Binary Systems/Electronic Arts/Micro Magic $49.95 *My video review for StarFlight *Next article *Previous article *Alphabetical list of all writings *Discord for updates *Shown/played as designed, 60hz NTSC, 4:3 aspect ratio *If pics show artifacting, zoom in/out (CRT effect) I ponder, at times; If perhaps forty-seven years worth of personal gaming may have caused us to be pigeonholed into a narrow-minded view of genres. For the most part I actually find the various categories to be fairly straightforward. Running around, pointing and shooting? You're playing an action game. You might further split the fields into subcategories, if I said first person shooter you would know exactly what I'm referring to, yet any FPS would fit effortlessly into the action mold as well. Leaping over one obstacle to yet more while avoiding enemies or pits? That's a platformer. Should you find yourself tactically contemplating the big and the smal...