Retro

Mattel Classic Football

January 31, 2019 Editorials

Sometimes, it’s the simple things that mean the most to us. The same can be said for video games. Some of the best, most addicting games can be such a basic concept, like Flappy Bird or Candy Crush. One of my better gaming memories is retro. It is the Mattel Classic Football handheld electronic game. The game is quite simple. You are on offense and there are three controls. You can either move up or down and move forward. That’s it. You move all the while the defenders are creeping towards you. You must weave your way in and out of the defense until you either get a touchdown or fail to after four downs. There was a time limit, and as you progress, the defense starts to move faster and it is tougher to move the ball. This game is so simple, and not difficult to pick up. In fact, I…

Three Ways That Pokemon Needs to Change

January 29, 2019 Editorials

Pokemon is a series that is loyal to its traditions, perhaps like no other — if you get a mainline Pokemon game, you know exactly what you’re getting. In a world where a franchise might take a sudden, confusing shift into a direction that you don’t gel with, staying true to the formula can be seen as trustworthy and a good thing. On the opposite end, it’s also possible for a franchise to play it too safe and things could start to get stale. While Pokemon is definitely still enjoyable, it’s a peculiar series of games in that it’s kept up with the times in some ways, but in others is very archaic and has hardly progressed. I get it: why mess with the formula of one of your biggest cash cows? But in 2019, much of its features feel like anachronisms from the past and are outdated. In some…

What Makes a Re-release Worth the Cash?

January 22, 2019 Editorials

So you’ve already beat your favorite game a few times. You have tried others, but you keep finding yourself back in that familiar world on that old console. You know every inch of that map, know exactly how the story unfolds, all of the secrets, and yet you cannot get enough. Then one day out of nowhere, you hear the news – they are re-releasing that game! But what must the re-release have to encourage you to spend that hard-earned money? For me, there are a handful of games that I would buy the re-release no matter what. That’s how special a few of the games I have played are to me. Mainly Zelda games, I would re-purchase Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask until the end of time (same with A Link to the Past, but A Link Between Worlds was mostly a remake). However, a key thing with re-makes that I expect is obviously the graphics. Graphics enhancement…

Soulja Boy Has to “Boss up” in Controversial Console Debacle

November 4, 2023 Editorials

Soulja Boy had released four consoles for sale on his website which were quickly withdrawn. His original offering was part of his now defunct SouljaGame line and according to gamesradar.com included ” SouljaGame Console, SouljaGame Handheld, Retro SouljaBoy Mini, and SouljaGame Fuze” and that is a mouth full. There were questions about his plans legitimacy and it would appear the skeptics were right. Days after releasing his consoles he had to withdraw them from the market and the speculation is that Nintendo may have issued him a cease and desist letter. This speculation arose from a now deleted tweet in which he stated: “For anyone that thinks Nintendo is going to sue me you’re retarded. Nothings going to happen everything is legit. My console isn’t going anywhere trust me 😁 ” — Soulja Boy (Drako) (@souljaboy) December 28, 2018 Complex.com Rolling Stone did multiple stories on his console releases here and…