As a launch title on the Sega Genesis, Tommy Lasorda Baseball has the distinction of being the first sports game on a system known for its sports games. It was also the first example of Sega paying big bucks for a celebrity endorsement, as they later did with Pat Riley Basketball, Joe Montana Football, and … Read more
Clearly the best game available on launch day for the Sega Genesis, Thunder Force II is a shooter that was ported over from the Japan-only Sharp X68000. While the original Thunder Force, which was only released in Japan on a variety of home computer platforms, was comprised solely of free-roaming levels, Thunder Force II oscillates … Read more
Another Sega Genesis launch title, Super Thunder Blade is a poorly-executed port of a decent arcade shooter. Combining both rail-style and vertically-scrolling levels, you pilot a helicopter while shooting at and avoiding fire from both air and ground-based enemies. While this may sound awesome in theory, the game loses it in the execution. The controls … Read more
Created by prolific Sega game designer Yu Suzuki, Space Harrier II was one of six Sega Genesis launch titles, and was a port of a popular arcade title of the day. The game is a rail shooter and feels like a combination of 3D Worldrunner (NES) and Panzer Dragoon (Sega Saturn). Your job is to … Read more
When I was a kid, the T&C Surf Designs T-shirts were a must-have part of any kid’s wardrobe and featured several characters created by artist Steve Nazar, including Thrilla Gorilla, Kool Kat, Tiki Man, and Joe Cool. Although the company for whom these characters were created still exists making surfboards in Hawaii, the iconic characters … Read more
Seaquest is yet another stellar arcade-style game from the folks at Activision. The game successfully combines elements of Defender and Choplifter and tosses it into the ocean. You pilot a submarine that rescues divers while fighting off huge fish, man-eating sharks, and enemy submarines. You have a limited supply of oxygen and a maximum capacity … Read more
Vintage Game Consoles: The Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time is a 2014 historical retrospective written by Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton. Loguidice is a well-known video game and technology author/historian with a myriad of books under his belt, and Barton is a professor of English and fellow video game historian who hosts and produces a … Read more
Episode 17 – This week on the show I review Explosive Diarrhea, a homebrew game for the Atari 2600 released by Packrat Video Games and designed by Chris Reed. Take control of a family of rednecks with food poisoning, guiding them to the nearest outhouse! It’s as much a conversation piece as it is a … Read more
Episode 15 – This week on the show, I review Clu Clu Land for the Nintendo Entertainment system, which was a 1985 launch title. An under-appreciated action/puzzle game that is definitely worth checking out.
Bonus Episode 2 – This week on the show, the Classic Gaming Quarterly Book Club takes a look at Capcom’s 30th Anniversary Character Encyclopedia.
Episode 14 – This week, I review Nigel Mansell’s World Championship Racing for the Super Nintendo. A worthy Formula One game on the SNES, a console not known for sports games!
Lifting its name from the old “Keystone Kops” films of the silent film era, Keystone Kapers was a late release for the VCS, coming out right around the time of the great video games “crash”. Unfortunately this left it buried in a pile of shovelware, which is a real shame because the game is a … Read more
Episode 13 – This week on the show, I review Tecmo Bowl and Tecmo Super Bowl on the NES, which are both classics that you undoubtedly played if you grew up in the 80’s. I also take a look at Tecmo Super Bowl 2014 from the good folks at TecmoBowl.org, which gives you the same … Read more
Episode 12 – This week, I take a look at the Super Monaco GP series on the Sega Genesis and Megadrive, which includes both Super Monaco GP and Ayrton Senna’s Super Monaco GP II. These are both awesomely fun racing games on the Genesis. The audio in the opening sequence is Galvao Bueno of Brazil’s … Read more
Episode 11 – This week on the show, Keystone Cops meets the Atari VCS, as I review Keystone Kapers for the Atari 2600. Easily one of the best games on the system, from one of the best development studios! The game was designed and programmed by Garry Kitchen and published by Activision.
Episode 10 – This week I take a look back at the entire Streets of Rage franchise for the Sega Genesis and Megadrive. These are some of the best games of the 16-bit Generation, with amazing soundtracks by Yuzo Koshiro.
Episode 9 – This week I teach you how to flip the script on your hipster buddies! Let your friends play their Genesis and Super Nintendo systems, while you play John Madden Duo CD Football for the TurboDuo and Turbografx-16 CD. This and the 3DO version have to be the two most obscure games in … Read more
Episode 8 – This week I review the Turbo Everdrive by krikzz for the TurboGrafx-16, TurboDuo, PC Engine, and SuperGrafx consoles. This device allowed you to play any HuCard game directly from an SD card. The entire TG16 and PCE library will fit on one SD card, so this is an incredibly convenient device even … Read more
Episode 7 – This week I review both golf games on the Neo-Geo AES, MVS, and CD. Top Players Golf is a completely skippable game, but if you aren’t playing Neo Turf Masters, then you just aren’t the gamer that I thought you were! If you don’t have a Neo-Geo, you can play Neo Turf … Read more
Episode 6 – This week I review all 3 baseball games on the Neo-Geo AES, MVS, and CD systems. Baseball Stars Professional, 2020 Super Baseball, and Baseball Stars 2 are all awesome games, and I wouldn’t consider my collection to be complete without all three of them!