If you had to name the first three significant arcade games in the industry -- and we're talking historically significant, not the game you first fell in love with -- the answer would have to be Pong (1972), Space Invaders (1978), and Pac-Man (1980). Each helped...

Angry Birds has soared through the list of killer app titles for the iPhone and iPod touch, and it's not hard to see why. This highly accessible title has players seeking revenge on a herd of green pigs that have stolen a collection of bird eggs. Reprisal comes in the...

It is a common belief that E.T. for the Atari 2600 is “the worst game ever!” -- a notion repeated ad nauseum on internet forums -- yet this couldn’t be further from the truth. The following five games are closer to the bottom of the Atari 2600 barrel, and they...

In Classic Gamer Magazine Vol. 1, Issue #6, five classic games were compared to their modern day, upgraded remakes. The classics won in decisive fashion, 4 to 1. The only remake in the list that bested its progenitor was the PlayStation version of Q*bert, which takes...

In an industry where originality is at a premium, it is not surprising to see the same games appearing on as many platforms the market will support. After all, companies need to be profitable and not every console system has the user base to justify spending the added...

Konami’s ongoing Bemani series (short for the company’s first interactive music game, Beatmania) has proven that rhythm-based games are more than the flavor of the month. Yet their overall appeal caters more to Japanese tastes than the American palate, especially when...

Expansion packs are notorious for providing minimal additional content at a premium price. Age of Mythology: The Titans is a glorious exception. There's plenty of new content -- a whole new single-player campaign, a new civilization (The Atlanteans) and adjusted...

The legendary Ryu Hayabusa is finally back to doing what he does best, that being a wall-jumping, star-throwing, sword-slashing, bat-killing, magic-conjuring überninja. It’s the way it should be. By sparing Master Ryu from an unfulfilling life as a Dead or Alive...

As a video gamer for many years now, I am probably like most other people who pursue a particular interest or hobby: I want to share the joys of my pastime with the people I love. I am always looking for games that my wife might like playing with me, for example,...

Just as creator Ian Fleming’s books helped popularize espionage novels and romanticize the daring life of a spy, MGM’s Bond films have created a visual impression that has managed to transcend the printed page and become part of pop culture. Though many actors have...

No, it’s not an ode to Street Fighter II’s Guile, but rather a focused compilation of Sonic the Hedgehog melodies created by Spencer Nilsen, a music composer, arranger, and producer best known for his work on first-party Sega CD games. Yet Sonic Boom, which...

Simply put, there's no reason Pulseman shouldn't have been released in America. This 1994 Mega Drive import (developed by future Pokemon designers Game Freak and published by Sega) has it all: beautiful graphics, inventive design, and intense action. Yet it remained...

Ten years ago this month, Nintendo released the simply titled Donkey Kong for the Game Boy. At the time, it didn't seem like much of a mile- stone, but it has since become the gold standard of how to update a classic game without losing the soul of the original. The...

The Sega CD was an interesting yet risky experiment by a company trying to build on its momentum at a critical time during the Genesis’ life cycle. It was a ballsy move designed to not only trump competitors Nintendo and NEC, but to also address two key Genesis...

Before he was a convicted felon, before he chomped off Evander Holyfield's earlobe, and before he promised the press he would consume an opponent’s children (presumably with a nice Chianti), Mike Tyson was congenial enough to be welcomed into the world of Nintendo....

Back in the day when my Atari 2600 was brand new and still smelled of plastic, I used to receive a handful of cartridges each year: one for my birthday, two at Christmas, and perhaps two for special events throughout the year. If I managed to save up my allowance, I...