Game Review | MGSV:TPP

Name: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Year: 2015
Developed by: Hideo Kojima
Interface: PC keyboard and mouse, console controllers.
Functionality: 3rd person stealth action action adventure open world game. Go at every scenario differently. Sneak through levels passively or go through killing anyone in your way. Use vehicles, distractions, companions, or heavy guns to get through.

Thumbs Up. The game looks and plays fantastic.

Game Review | Diablo 3

Name: Diablo 3

Year: 2012 (expansion Reaper of Souls in 2014)

Developed by: Blizzard Entertainment

Interface: PC has a row of buttons at the bottom that are able to be rebound. Click with mouse to move. Controllers for PS4 and Xbox One use the face buttons and triggers for skills, and move with the sticks.

Functionality: the game involves heavy loot-grinding and trying to get the best gear possible to kill enemies quicker. You get different magic items and you can try to manipulate or forge them into better ones. You progress through 4 main plus 1 expansion acts, following the story of Diablo 3.

Thumbs up.

Game Review | Planet Coaster

Name: Planet Coaster

Year: 2016

Developed by: Frontier Developments

Interface: PC only, so keyboard and mouse.

Functionality: build and design everything in your theme park, from rides to shops to the grass and rocks on the ground. It uses modeling-like controls to manipulate options and has a high degree of customization with a strong bit of management too.

Thumbs up.

Game Review | Dark Souls 3

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Name: Dark Souls 3
Year: 2016
Developed by: Hidetaka Miyazaki
Interface: Typically a controller for the PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4 , but keyboard and mouse can be used on the computer.
Functionality: this is a 3rd person action-rpg. Use a variety of weapons and spells to defeat bosses, and return the Lords of Cinder to their thrones.

Thumbs Up. The game is incredible.

Game Review | Rimworld

Name: Rimworld

Year: 2016

Designer: Tynan Sylvester (http://tynansylvester.com/)

Interface: modern PC only. Keyboard and Mouse

Functionality: control and manage nearly every aspect of a colony and try and keep your colonists alive during fires, raids, and natural disasters.

Thumbs up. This game is incredible.

Game Review | Gauntlet (1988)

Name: Gauntlet
Year: 1988
Designer: Ed Logg, developed by Atari
Interface: This version is for the MS DOS, so the interface would be its keyboard. The arcade version uses sticks and buttons.
Functionality: move through the levels as one of 4 player. Collect treasure items to increase your score, avoid getting hit to stop your life decreasing faster. Co-op supported.
Thumbs Down.

Game Review | Kaiser

Name: Kaiser
Year: 1984
Designer: Markus Mergard (programming)
Claudio Kronmuller (Graphics and Design)
Durj Beyelstein (project management)
From Giantbomb (http://www.giantbomb.com/kaiser/3030-30935/)

Interface: Keyboard on Commodore 64 or Amstrad PC, and the Atari 8-bit
Functionality: manage a country by deciding what to do with your food and land, and how to manage your government.

Thumbs up, because I can see how a game like this would pave the way for more in depth management games, like Europa Universalis 4 (a very very in depth strategy game)

Game Review | The Hobbit (1982)

Name: The Hobbit
Year: 1982
Designer: Phillip Mitchell, Veronika Megler
Interface: keyboard
Functionality: Text based adventure game, uses its own language (Inglish) to parse verbs and sentence structure. Allows for compound commands.
Thumbs way up. Really cool game!

Game Review | Pole Position

This video was recorded on 11/29/2016 but uploaded on 12/10/2016

Name: Pole Position

Year: 1982 (released in the EU in 1983)

Designer: Toru Iwatani

Interface: Arcade Cabinet, standing or sitting. Steering wheel, two pedals, and a two-position shifter.

Functionality: You must first do a timed qualifying round to make it to the race against other cars. Race along the track and try and stay inside the edges to not slow down or hit the signs. Play on multiple tracks with different degrees of complexity.

Thumbs (mostly) up. A well made racing game for the time.

Game Review | Tempest

Video was recorded on 11/29/2016 but not uploaded until 12/10/2016.

Name: Tempest
Year: 1981
Designer: Dave Theurer
Interface: arcade cabinet with buttons and rotary control
Functionality: move your spaceship along differently shaped vector paths that converge on a center point. There are cross shapes, octagons, etc. Enemies will advance from the center to the edge where you are, and you must shoot them and progress on to the next stage.
Thumbs way up. Very intuitive!

Game Review | Atari Combat

Name: Combat
Year: 1977
Designer: Steve Mayer. Joe Decuir, Larry Kaplan, Larry Wagner
Interface: Atari 2600
Functionality: pilot planes and tanks and try and shoot your opponent.
Thumbs Down.

Game Review | Atari Combat

Name: Combat
Year: 1977
Designer: Steve Mayer. Joe Decuir, Larry Kaplan, Larry Wagner
Interface: Atari 2600
Functionality: pilot planes and tanks and try and shoot your opponent.
Thumbs Down.

Game Review | Oregon Trail

Name: Oregon Trail
Year: 1971 (developed) 1974 (MECC produced)
Designer: Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, Paul Dillenberger
Interface: Computer (HP2100, CDC Cyber, Apple II, etc.)
Functionality: Make choices to try and survive on your long trip to Oregon. Try and plan your trip from the outset, and hope your choices see you and your family alive to Oregon.
Two Thumbs Up.

Game Review 9/27/16 | Exidy Death Race

Name: Death Race

Year: 1976

Designer: Howell Ivy

Interface: Steering Wheels, pedals

Functionality: Turn the steering wheel to orient your car, use the pedal to drive to hit the "goblins." Hit goblins will leave a tombstone which makes the playing field more complicated to navigate.

Thumps Up

Game Review 9/27/16 | Super Bug - Kee Games

Name: Super Bug

Year: 1977

Designer: Howard Delman

Interface: Steering Wheel, 4-position shifter, Pedal

Functionality: turn the steering wheel to turn the car, use the pedal to move forward, use the shifter to change gear

Thumbs Sideways

Game Review 9/14/16 | Atari Pong

Name: Atari Pong
Year: 1972
Designer: Allan Alcom
Interface: one knob per player
Functionality/Gameplay: the knobs move the "paddles" up and down to hit the ball back and forth
Thumbs up

Game Review 9/5/16 | Nim

Name: Nim or NIMROD, based on the physical Nim game. Info below for NIMROD:

Year: 1951

Designer: John Bennett + Raymond Stuart-Williams

Interface/Art: The computer uses lightbulbs to show which pieces are still up

Functionality/Gameplay: It is very simple, but it does exactly what it needs to. It plays just like the physical version would.

Thumbs up