What's Your Geek?
A better kind of bomb to keep around the house
Bomb! is an absolutely stellar beer. It’s a super dark and roasty stout with a bunch of malty goodness. The aging it goes through on vanilla beans, cacao nibs, coffee, and ancho peppers gives the base beer a ton of subtleties and complexity. Every sip is something new and really quite wonderful.
Read moreDr. Mario has the cure for fever and the chills, just not for lazy ports
Mario has had a considerable number of occupations over the years. He’s been a tennis player, a kart racer, a plumber, and even a boxing referee, but one of his most prolific careers is that of Dr. Mario. This puzzle franchise from Intelligent Systems has been a staple in Nintendo’s lineup since 1990, and has appeared on nearly every Nintendo console since. (Sorry, Virtual Boy) However, unlike most other Nintendo franchises, Dr. Mario has endured a strange metamorphosis over the years. Where most games obtain more features with each new iteration, Dr. Mario plays host to a different story.
Read more
Jon tells the story of his first interaction with James Bond
I don’t remember the first time I played Goldeneye, but I still remember the layout of almost every level. All of the objectives on every difficulty became burned into my memory a long time ago. The stylishness of all the spy gadgets and missions touched off a feeling of obsession that we can all relate to. I just had to have more. Many of us who fell in love with what is arguably the only great James Bond game poured hours into every mode it offered and hoped the franchise would just keep on going. Unfortunately, the Bond franchise peeked right there in 1997.
Read more
How are these not cartoons already?
In episode 35 of the Stone Age Gamer Podcast, the topic of video game cartoons was discussed. Naturally, the Super Mario Bros. Super Show and Captain N the Game Master were mentioned, and it reminded me of a magnificent time. Nintendo used to have cartoons. Granted, in retrospect these shows don’t hold up so well. They have their charm, but when viewed critically, they leave much to be desired.
Read more
Why settle for ducks when there’s a safari out there?
We all remember Duck Hunt. The dog, the tree, the Zapper. It had everything. Well, almost. For all it’s charm, it lacked diversity. If you wanted a change of scenery, you had two options. You could try your hand at Clay Shooting, or you could go somewhere else entirely. Why settle for mere ducks, when you could go on a safari?
Read more
Pewter City, like damn near everywhere in this world, is a weird place.
Read more
More imagination than you can shake a cyborg teddy bear at
The more modern games get, the less likely they are to be lost and gone forever. Or, so one would think. Strange things happen in the video game industry, and companies come and go all the time. Nowhere was this sentiment more prevalent than during the Dreamcast era. Not quite old enough to be retro, but not quite new enough to be considered current, Sega’s little white box that couldn’t brought us some truly fantastic games, some of which can still only be played on the console they were designed for. One of those was a humble little game about toys, destruction, and the limitless joy of a child’s imagination.
Read more
Bug catchers as far as the eyes can see
Read more
Nintendo is more than just Mario
Nintendo wants more people like me. I’m a fanatic. I love their games, characters, and worlds, and I’ve been this way as long as I can remember. When Nintendo announced their line of Amiibo figures, my first thought was at how 6 year old me would have been flipping out about them. Today, I’m thinking about how disappointed 6 year old me would be.
Read more
It’s all about the Nibbley Pibbleys
Platformers were everywhere on the NES. Sure, there were many different types of games on the console, but no genre was more prevalent than the almighty platformer. You had plumbers, superheroes, children vaguely endorsed by McDonald’s, and anthropomorphic frogs. However, as broad as the genre was, every once in a while a platformer found a way to go against the grain. All you needed was a pair of sneaky snakes, a rockin’ soundtrack, and an isometric 3D perspective.
Read more