Games: By Rating

A list of all the games I’ve been playing sorted by rating from best to worst.

Game of Thrones Platform: PC

8/10
This has been my least favorite of the Telltale Choose Your Own Adventure style adventures. I think my main problem with... more

Gemini Rue Platform: PC

8/10
Gemini Rue is another enjoyable point-and-click adventure from Wadjet Eye that has a sci-fi noir theme. Having gotten used to... more

Giana Sisters DS Platform: Nintendo DS

8/10
Giana Sisters is a reworking of an old Commodore 64 game that itself was a note-for-note ripoff of Super Mario Bros. This... more

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Platform: PC

8/10
Coming off of FarCry 3, I really wasn’t sure I wanted to commit myself to another massive open-world game, but San... more

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Platform: PC

8/10
GTA: Chinatown Wars on the DS was my first Grand Theft Auto game and it remains one of the best games on... more

Guacamelee! Platform: PC

8/10
This is what the kids call a metroidvania-style platformer (what a horrible term). You run around around a large,... more

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice Platform: PC

8/10
This game goes out of its way to let you know that it’s about mental illness; and that they... more

Hexen: Shadow of the Serpent Riders Platform: MS-DOS

8/10
Hexen was another mid-nineties FPS that, I swear, I played the demo of several times but never played the full... more

Hob Platform: PC

8/10
Hob is from the same studio that created Torchlight and much of the same beautiful artistic style is on display here. This... more

Hotline Miami Platform: PC

8/10
Hotline Miami is an ultraviolent, fast-paced arcade-style game that owes a lot to Smash T.V. and Berzerk. Although it uses both analog sticks,... more

Icewind Dale II Platform: PC

8/10
The Icewind Dale series is built on the same game system as the Baldur’s Gate games. Unlike Baldur’s Gate these games are focused more on... more

Ion Fury: Aftershock Platform: PC

8/10
Technically this is just an expansion pack for Ion Fury, but this is a full-game’s worth on content. The... more

King’s Quest III – To Heir is Human Platform: MS-DOS

8/10
Onward on my journey through the King’s Quest saga I go. Part III was the first in the series to really... more

King’s Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella Platform: Apple IIgs

8/10
This game has been lying dormant in a plastic bin in my basement for more than a decade. Back... more

Klonoa Platform: Nintendo Wii

8/10
This was a cartoony and fun side-scrolling platformer with nice2.5-D graphics. A bit easy and lacking the exploration and... more

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Platform: PC

8/10
Pushing balls around has never been more fun! I have really enjoyed the last few Tomb Raider games like Tomb Raider:... more

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris Platform: PC

8/10
This is the sequel to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Like its predecessor, this is an isometric puzzle... more

Legend of Grimrock Platform: PC

8/10
Legend of Grimrock brings the real-time dungeon crawl formula of Dungeon Master and Eye of the Beholder to the modern age. Perhaps the best... more

Life is Strange Platform: PC

8/10
Life is Strange uses the same branching story game play as Telltale’s games. The twist here is that your character... more

Mass Effect 2 Platform: PC

8/10
Mass Effect had a really interesting storyline and I was pretty excited to delve further into the universe of Shepard... more

Mass Effect 3 Platform: PC

8/10
Mass Effect 3 is the satisfying conclusion to the Mass Effect trilogy (ME1 & ME2). The Reapers have finally come to reap and it’s... more

Mushihimesama Platform: PC

8/10
Lately I have become obsessed with bullet-hell shmups like this. I’d see these images of these impossible patterns of... more

Nox Archaist Platform: Apple ][

8/10
Nox Archaist (no relation to Nox) has come up several times before on this site as it was a... more

Okami Platform: Nintendo Wii

8/10
Okami follows much the same formula of a typical Zelda game. You proceed through the game by defeating the boss at the... more

Old Ironsides Platform: Apple ][

8/10
Old Ironsides (Optimum Resource, Inc., 1982) is a two-player game for the Apple II that simulates Nineteenth Century naval combat.... more

Outlast Platform: PC

8/10
Outlast is one of the most nerve-racking games I have played. The game delights in distracting your attention then blasting... more

Pandora’s Tower Platform: Nintendo Wii

8/10
It’s been quite some time since I’ve played through a game on the Wii. Pandora’s Tower is certainly one of the... more

Quake 4 Platform: PC

8/10
This is essentially the same game as Doom 3 except with the lights turned on and fewer monster closets. What both... more

Quake II: Remastered Platform: PC

8/10
Decades ago I played through Quake II and I remember being quite impressed with the opening cinematic. Starship Troopers... more

Radiant Historia Platform: Nintendo DS

8/10
I bought Radiant Historia based on its reputation as one of, if not THE best RPG on the Nintendo DS. Well, it’s... more

Red Steel 2 Platform: Nintendo Wii

8/10
We are already two generations beyond the Wii and I am still getting caught up on all the games... more

Rise of the Tomb Raider Platform: PC

8/10
Part two of the Tomb Raider reboot doesn’t offer anything really new in terms of game play but that’s okay. The... more

Rise of the Triad: Dark War Platform: MS-DOS

8/10
Rise of the Triad is a first-generation FPS that technologically sits somewhere between Wolfenstein 3-D and Doom. In fact,... more

Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien Platform: PC

8/10
Although I haven’t written about them here, I have played through much of the first series of Bit.Trip games on the... more

Saints Row IV Platform: PC

8/10
Saints Row IV is an obvious rip-off of Grand Theft Auto all the way down from the open-world mechanics to the gangster... more

Sam and Max: Beyond Time and Space Platform: Nintendo Wii

8/10
Season two is more of the same point-and-click adventuring that was done so well in Season one. The puzzles are... more

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Platform: PC

8/10
The third in the reboot series which is more or less the same as its predecessors. Excellent graphics, the... more

Shadow Warrior 2 Platform: PC

8/10
Shadow Warrior 2 is a fast and wild shooter that continues in much the same vein as the first reboot... more

Space Quest Platform: MS-DOS

8/10
It’s been quite some time since I tackled a Sierra 3-D adventure game (See my reviews of Kings’s Quest I, II & III and Leisure Suit... more

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Platform: Nintendo Wii

8/10
Well, it took me about half a decade, but I finally finished Super Mario Galaxy 2. I really liked the... more

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP Platform: PC

8/10
Sword & Sworcery is a bit more art than video game. In fact, the game itself is more of a... more

Syberia Platform: PC

8/10
I’ve been playing a lot of adventure games these days. In Syberia you play Kate Walker, a lawyer working for a... more

Syberia II Platform: PC

8/10
Syberia II picks up right where the first game left off with you racing by train into northern Russia in... more

Technobabylon Platform: PC

8/10
Wadjet has produced another solid point and click adventure game that makes up for its somewhat lackluster predecessor, A Golden... more

The Blackwell Convergence Platform: PC

8/10
This and the previous Blackwell Unbound apparently were intended to be a single game with flashbacks and intertwined plot lines. Many of the... more

The Blackwell Legacy Platform: PC

8/10
The first four Blackwell games went on sale on Steam this week for around 50¢ each. These games have... more

The Crimson Crown Platform: Apple ][

8/10
This sequel to the classic Apple ][ adventure game Transylvania has you returning to the same locations as the first game... more

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Platform: Nintendo Wii

8/10
Well, this is a Zelda game. The formula has remained unchanged ever since The Ocarina of Time. The princess has... more

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Platform: Nintendo DS

8/10
It took me nearly half a decade to finish this one. Not that it’s terribly difficult, I just put... more

The Legendary Starfy Platform: Nintendo DS

8/10
I’m surprised that I enjoyed this kid-friendly platformer as much as I did. It leans in heavy into its... more

The Longest Journey Platform: PC

8/10
Fresh off of completing Broken Sword, I decided to continue my point-and-click adventure gaming with The Longest Journey. Like Nico from Broken... more

The Shivah Platform: PC

8/10
Having finished the wonderful Blackwell series, I wanted to try some of Wadjet Eye’s other offerings. The Shivah was the company’s first foray into commercial... more

The Walking Dead: Michonne Platform: PC

8/10
This three episode tangent does not appear to be connected with the other Walking Dead games. Maybe some of the characters... more

Tomb Raider Legend Platform: PC

8/10
I could have sworn I had played this game before, but I wasn’t completely sure. I get this one... more

Transylvania Platform: Apple ][

8/10
Transylvania is a hybrid text/graphical adventure originally for the Apple ][. This was a big hit back in the day... more

Ultima 7: The Back Gate & Serpent Isle Platform: MS-DOS

8/10
Considered by many to be the best games of the Ultima series, Ultima 7 is one of the most... more

Ultima Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams Platform: MS-DOS

8/10
Martian Dreams is built on the same game engine as Ultima VI. Much like that game, it is much less of... more

Unavowed Platform: PC

8/10
At this point I think we can all basically agree that every game that Wadjet Eye releases is going... more

Wasteland 3 Platform: PC

8/10
The Wasteland 2 sequel sorta came out of nowhere for me. The previous game was one of the first... more

Wolfenstein Platform: PC

8/10
I have just been plowing through the sequels of nineties FPS’s lately. This time it was back to Castle... more

Zeno Clash Platform: PC

8/10
Zeno Clash brings brawling and melee combat to the FPS genre and makes it work. Whenever a game has attempted... more

A Story About My Uncle Platform: PC

7/10
A Story About My Uncle is a game based entirely around a single game mechanic, a grappling beam. Players shoot... more

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura Platform: PC

7/10
With this game I have finally played all the key 90s RPG classics. I attempted to play a few... more

Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn Platform: PC

7/10
I have had this game sitting on my video game to-do list for a long, long time. This is... more

Borderlands Platform: PC

7/10
Billed as a first person shooter RPG, Borderlands focuses on collecting loot over story. There a lot of superficial similarity with... more

Broken Sword – Director’s Cut Platform: PC

7/10
Broken Sword is a point and click adventure game from the ninties. You will spend most of the game playing... more

Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror Platform: PC

7/10
This game is a bit of a mixed bag. I really like the main characters and it has some genuinely... more

Caladrius Blaze Platform: PC

7/10
For some time now I have been interested in playing various SHMUPs in MAME. Some of the best looking... more

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Platform: Gameboy Advance

7/10
This is the first Castlevania sequel I have ever completed. I’ve played the first five minutes of Symphony of... more

Control Platform: PC

7/10
In Control you are in control of Jesse. She’s been plunked down into a giant, oppressively designed government building... more

Crusader of Centy Platform: Genesis

7/10
Every couple of years I get back into emulation, mostly as a reaction against some massive open-world game I... more

Crusader: No Regret Platform: MS-DOS

7/10
The fake red Boba Fett is at it again in this sequel to Crusader: No Remorse and he just... more

Cursed Mountain Platform: Nintendo Wii

7/10
This “limited edition” version was one of the first games I bought for the Wii. It’s been sitting on my stack of... more

Darksiders Platform: PC

7/10
Darksiders is a game that is utterly derivative of Zelda. You are tasked with exploring various “castles,” each of which gives... more

Dead Space 2 Platform: PC

7/10
I liked the original Dead Space well enough. The sequel is just more of the same endless dark hallways, jump scares,... more

Deadlight: Director’s Cut Platform: PC

7/10
This one was a freebie from GOG.com of which I knew nothing about before playing it. Turns out, it is a... more

Defense Grid 2 Platform: PC

7/10
The Defense Grid sequel seems more like an expansion than a new game. There are new powers and customizations, but core... more

Deus Ex: Invisible War Platform: PC

7/10
This is a sequel I have been meaning to play through for a few years now. The original Deus Ex was... more

Dragon’s Lair Trilogy Platform: Nintendo Wii

7/10
It took about twenty years, but I finally beat Dragon’s Lair. That’s twenty years of dying for no reason, guessing... more

Eye of the Beholder Platform: MS-DOS

7/10
Eye of the Beholder is a real-time RPG dungeon crawl that borrows heavily from the mechanics of Dungeon Master. It’s a... more

F.E.A.R. Platform: PC

7/10
So, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks working my way through F.E.A.R. and its two expansion packs: Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate. I... more

Flashback Platform: PC

7/10
I must have attempted to play this game about a dozen times. I would download it from some abandonware... more

GNOG Platform: PC

7/10
GNOG is a cute little puzzle game in which you are left to click and poke around without any instructions... more

Grim Fandango Platform: PC

7/10
My overview of the video game classics continues with the LucasArts adventure game, Grim Fandango. In many ways Grim Fandango can be... more

Half Life: Opposing Force Platform: PC

7/10
Opposing Force is a welcome improvement over Blue Shift. First off, it’s feels like a full game rather than just a... more

Jade Empire Platform: PC

7/10
It’s been quite a while since I have been able to make myself play another BioWare Game. I really... more

Kathy Rain Platform: PC

7/10
Kathy Rain is a point and click adventure which uses the same AGS engine that all the games from Wadjet Eye games use.... more

King’s Quest Platform: MS-DOS

7/10
I am currently reveling in Sierra 3-D adventure games like the King’s Quest series and Leisure Suit Larry. As a kid, these... more

King’s Quest II – Romancing the Throne Platform: MS-DOS

7/10
I’m continuing to play the King’s Quest games in DosBox these days. Tonight I just completed King’s Quest II: Romancing... more

Machinarium Platform: PC

7/10
Okay, first things first. Machinarium is a beautiful game with excellent art direction, sound and music. However, something about this point-and-click... more

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath Platform: PC

7/10
This is the fourth Oddworld game. The first two were great 2-D puzzle platform games of which I was reminded of... more

Phantasy Star Platform: Sega Master System

7/10
I played all of the sequels to this RPG that were available on the Sega Genesis, two on the... more

Puzzle Agent Platform: ipad

7/10
This is one of the first games I bought for my new iPad tablet. Puzzle Agent is essentially a clone of Professor... more

Resident Evil: Revelations Platform: PC

7/10
I understand that this game was originally a Nintendo 3DS launch title. So, by the standards of portable gaming,... more

Ruiner Platform: PC

7/10
Ruiner rages with a riot of red. So much red. It’s like an entire game based on a Photoshop filter... more

Shadowgrounds: Survivor Platform: PC

7/10
The sequel to Shadowgrounds doesn’t offer much new. There’s the same aliens, same corny voice acting, and the same top-down shooting... more

Shadowrun Returns Platform: PC

7/10
I was initially drawn to the isometric art style of this turn-based RPG. My hope was that it would... more

Sniper Elite V2 Platform: PC

7/10
This was a free game on Steam on the day of the sequel’s release. I grabbed it without knowing... more

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Platform: MS-DOS

7/10
I remember watching my housemate play this game quite a bit back when we were in college. I don’t... more

Surgeon Simulator 2013 Platform: PC

7/10
I had hoped that when they adapted the Web version of Surgeon Simulator into a full game they would have added a funny... more