Game Log

A list of all the video games I’ve played in reverse chronological order.

2013

Rambo: First Blood Part II Platform: Apple ][

5/10
This is another game, like Dream Zone, that I owned for years (decades actually) and was never able to finish.... more

The Tiny Bang Story Platform: PC

6/10
The Tiny Bang Story is a small puzzle game that I think is designed more for younger players. Most of... more

BioShock 2 Platform: PC

9/10
The original BioShock was a great game with an interesting plot and a wonderfully unique setting. I never really understood the... more

Crysis Platform: PC

9/10
Crysis feels much more like the Far Cry sequel I wanted back when I played Far Cry 2. Once again you are dropped... 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

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

A Boy and his Blob Platform: Nintendo Wii

8/10
I’m not a huge fan of 2-D platform games. Even modern ones tend to be rather shallow when it... more

Dead Island Platform: PC

6/10
This game had one of the best trailers ever. None of the narrative spark that permeates the trailer is in... 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

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

Costume Quest Platform: PC

5/10
Costume Quest feels like an off-hand idea thrown out there at a pitch meeting. I’m sure the designers had just... 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

The Elder Scrolls IV – Oblivion Platform: PC

9/10
Oblivion is a huge, open-world RPG made by the same folks who made Fallout 3. In fact, it plays very much... more

2012

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

Dream Zone Platform: Apple IIgs

8/10
Dream Zone is a graphical adventure for the Apple IIgs that I was never able to complete when it was... more

King’s Quest V – Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder Platform: MS-DOS

5/10
Despite their flaws, I have enjoyed playing all the games in the King’s Quest series up until now (I ,II, III & IV).... 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

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

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

Alan Wake Platform: PC

8/10
Alan Wake was developed by the same people who made one of my favorite games, Max Payne. Unfortunately, there is no... more

Conduit 2 Platform: Nintendo Wii

8/10
Fresh off of Goldeneye 007 I am continuing my Wii FPS fix with Conduit 2. Apparently somewhere between 1 and 2 they... more

Jamestown Platform: PC

9/10
I’ve had this game for quite a while now and have been waiting until I complete it before writing... more

Goldeneye 007 Platform: Nintendo Wii

9/10
I never played Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64. I guess the original was noteworthy for making the controls on a console... more

Dear Esther Platform: PC

9/10
Dear Esther is a noble little experiment that pushes the notion of video games as art. The problem is, it... more

Call of Juarez Platform: PC

8/10
There have not been many wild west shooters. I guess there was Outlaw for the 2600 and, of course, now there’s Red... 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

Batman: Arkham City Platform: PC

9/10
I have never really been a fan of superhero comics. What I know about Batman comes mostly from the Super... 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

Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millennium Platform: Genesis

9/10
Phantasy Star II and III are probably the only 16-bit era JRPGs that I actually completed when I was... 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

Metroid Other M Platform: Nintendo Wii

6/10
I guess the best way to describe Other M would be “disappointing.” Judging from  screenshots of the game you would assume... 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

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

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

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

Duke Nukem Forever Platform: PC

8/10
The original Duke Nukem 3D was perhaps the best of the first wave of FPS games. I also really liked Rise of... more

Far Cry 2 Platform: PC

5/10
This is the game that forced me to update my video card last year. I remember playing the first Far... more

Tomb Raider: Underworld Platform: PC

9/10
I missed out on the original Tomb Raider game in the 90s. I think I downloaded the demo 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

Fallout: New Vegas Platform: PC

8/10
Although it’s a massive 30-40 hour game, New Vegas is really just an stand-alone expansion pack to the wonderful Fallout 3. If... 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

2011

Scratches: The Director’s Cut Platform: PC

6/10
Having whet my appetite for adventure games on the excellent Sam and Max series, I thought it would be a good... more

Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Platform: PC

9/10
Having been burnt twice by buying the technically challenged Wii versions on Season 1 & 2, I decided to... 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

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

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

Painkiller – Black Edition Platform: PC

5/10
Painkiller is a first generation FPS that’s about a dozen years too late. Unlike most modern shooters, your goal is... more

Muramasa: The Demon Blade Platform: Nintendo Wii

9/10
This game is noteworthy for its incredible, painterly art style. The characters and backgrounds are all rendered with vibrant... 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

Portal 2 Platform: PC

10/10
Portal 2 is incredible. You’ll find plenty of gushing reviews just about everywhere else on the ‘net so I will... 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

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection Platform: Nintendo Wii

10/10
This is one of the best games you can buy for the Wii. There are nearly a dozen classic... more

Chrono Trigger Platform: Nintendo DS

8/10
It took about a year of on-again / off-again playing, but I finally made it through this DS remake... more

Resident Evil 5 Platform: PC

9/10
“Leathermen don’t get nervous… leathermen don’t get nervous” The immortal words of Glenn the Leatherman from Village People movie, Can’t... more

Grand Theft Auto IV Platform: PC

9/10
This was my third journey into the world of Grand Theft Auto and I am starting to pick up on the... 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

Metroid Prime Trilogy Platform: Nintendo Wii

9/10
After many months of playing I have finally finished all three of the games included in this excellent limited... more

Dead Space Platform: PC

8/10
Aim for the arms! Aim for the arms, dammit! Ever since I installed my completely unnecessary 5.1 surround audio... 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

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Platform: Nintendo Wii

9/10
I have written about The Ocarina of Time on this Web site before. That game is considered one of the best... more

2010

Dead Space Extraction Platform: Nintendo Wii

8/10
Dead Space Extraction is yet another “on-rails” Wii shooter game. The Wii, with its pointer controls, is the perfect platform... more

The Conduit Platform: Nintendo Wii

7/10
The Conduit is one of the few games for the Wii that makes an honest attempt to appeal to hardcore... more

House of the Dead: Overkill Platform: Nintendo Wii

10/10
The Wii has two areas in which it excels: family friendly games and pseudo-lightgun shooters (meaning, you point the... 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

Mass Effect Platform: PC

9/10
Mass Effect is another BioWare RPG that I picked up on Steam for five bucks during their holiday sale (along... more

Doom 3 Platform: PC

8/10
No that isn’t a black square you are looking at above. It’s a  screenshot. A screenshot from Doom 3. Forget... 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

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

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Platform: Nintendo DS

9/10
Aside from the hour or two of GTA 2 that I played on the PC years ago, this was... more

2009

Mirror’s Edge Platform: PC

9/10
Mirror’s Edge is another free-running inspired game like Assassin’s Creed. But unlike Assassin’s Creed, the acrobatic roof running is actually an... more

Assassin’s Creed Platform: PC

6/10
Pictured above is one of the many exciting “sit and watch some guys talk” missions from the PC game Assassin’s... more

Fallout 3 Platform: PC

9/10
Fallout 1 and 2 are two of my favorite computer games. Those games had a great style to them,... more

Braid Platform: PC

10/10
Braid got a lot of critical praise when it was released for Xbox. When it went on sale for the... more

Cooking Mama Platform: Nintendo DS

6/10
A nice little time killing game for the DS. Nothing too deep, but a great kids game.

Resident Evil 4 – Wii Edition Platform: Nintendo Wii

9/10
This was another bargain purchase for me. Ten dollars on Amazon during one of their Gold Box sales. I’d... more

Sam and Max Season 1 Platform: Nintendo Wii

9/10
I found this game used for around twelve bucks a few months ago. I’m glad I picked it up... 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

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Platform: Nintendo DS

9/10
A nice, light-hearted version of Zelda for the DS with some interesting stylus controls.

Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards Platform: MS-DOS

10/10
Leisure Suit Larry is one of my favorite adventure games of all time. Certainly the best of the Sierra... more

2007

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

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Platform: Nintendo 64

9/10
Well, I just finished The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and I have to say that it does live up... more

2006

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee Platform: PC

9/10
Most of the platform-type games made for the PC are utter crap (remember Duke Nukem 1 or Biohazzard, yuck!). Abe’s... more

FIFA 1999 Platform: PC

8/10
Ever since my brother was suckered into buying a 3D0 console system, I have heard good things about the... more

Nox Platform: PC

10/10
Nox is an action packed role playing game for the PC. Many would compare this to Diablo. Both feature hack... more

Deus Ex Platform: PC

8/10
Essentially a first-person shooter game mixed with lots of role-playing elements. For the most part the game is pretty... 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

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 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

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