Jazz Jackrabbit: Holiday Hare

by Shaun Jex | Dec 12, 2018 | 1990s, Reviews, The Story Of...

The holidays are a special time, a season for family, warm fires, and (as we explored last week) lemmings. However, lemmings are not the only small, fuzzy animal to be featured in a holiday video game. Far from from it! The jackrabbit is also a member of that elite...

Christmas Lemmings!

by Shaun Jex | Dec 8, 2018 | 1990s, Reviews, The Story Of...

It’s the holiday season and I haven’t written about a Commodore game in a bit, so let’s mash the two things together, shall we? When you think of beloved holiday traditions, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Directing a herd of lemmings to safety through a...

Soundtrack Review: Dungeon Explorer (TurboGrafx-16, 1989)

by Adam Johnson | Dec 4, 2018 | 1980s, Columns, Console/Handheld, Reviews

Dungeon Explorer, released in 1989 for the TurboGrafx-16, is a multiplayer-capable action RPG (one of the first, in fact) with an excellent soundtrack. It garnered generally positive reviews, which cited its clever puzzles and fun gameplay mechanics (borrowing heavily...

Ji-Wen Tsao and Shark! Shark!

by Shaun Jex | Dec 1, 2018 | 1980s, Reviews, The Story Of...

A few years ago, Sprout Games published Feeding Frenzy. In 2006, a sequel was released by PopCap Games (the company behind games like Plants Vs. Zombies and Peggle). In the game, you played as a fish feeding on other fish. The more you ate, the larger you got. Of...

Astrosmash and the Blue Sky Rangers

by Shaun Jex | Nov 28, 2018 | 1980s, Reviews, The Story Of...

Some things are instantly addictive. One sweet taste and you’re immediately hooked for life. No, I’m not talking about anything illicit. I’m talking about things like Cap’n Crunch with Crunch Berries, Lay’s Potato Chips (Betcha can’t eat just one!), and Astrosmash for...

Rescue on Fractalus!: David Fox and the Beginning of LucasFilm Games

by Shaun Jex | Nov 24, 2018 | 1980s, Reviews, The Story Of...

If I were to create a Mount Rushmore of my favorite video game designers and programmers, David Fox would have to be included. His name is connected to some of the greatest games in the LucasArts catalog: Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders, Maniac Mansion, Indiana...