Just a middle aged Canuck who grew up in the 8 bit world and still wants to spend time there.
When the unfamiliar imagine video games, a few common images might occur to them: mowing down fields of descending aliens, in the vein Space Invaders, or perhaps navigating a running, jumping figure through a pixelated landscape à la Super Mario Bros. After that, they might describe something like Blockbuster.
A shopping mall, this is exactly what was missing there at the foot of the castle! Good thing there are such forward-looking rulers as the evil queen enabling change for the advantage of all. Yes, it may not be the most original joke ever, but at least Eric the Unready certainly gets more out of the old fairytale clichés than certain other adventure games. The question is: does all this still hold up today?
Mr Creosote
All looks a bit… weird, right? Would you believe this one comes from 1995? Surely, they made much better looking racing games long before? Yes, they did. XTreme Racing made the misjudgement believing that "true 3D" would be an advantage in some way. Though who cares about graphics when playability is top-notch?
Mr Creosote
Zeppelins over London? History Line 1914-1918 (published as, but nevertheless completely unknown as The Great War 1914-1918 overseas) jumps back to the first world war. Being the forgotten offshoot of the Battle Isle series, I actually prefer it over the original, even if the cold facts may speak another language. The tanks in this one simply have more recognizable character 
Another Gunboat? Yes, this is actually the one I had in mind when I thought "let's review Gunboat". But then, last week's game looked tempting enough to try as comic relief appetizer. Now, on to the main course. This one sports the fancy subtitle River Combat Simulation. Simulation may be aiming a bit high. Though then, really feeling like being on a mosquito infested river somewhere in the jungle, smelling only sweat and an old Diesel engine, while being constantly shot at may not be all that desirable anyway.
Mr Creosote
Oh well, unfortunately, it is another case of more care and effort having gone into the title screen rather than the actual game. Behind the action-packed promise, Gunboat primarily leaves its player frustrated. The action is so hectic and overloaded that you'll likely follow this purple faced, bearded guy from the picture soon. Wait a minute, is this fish mocking me?
Mr Creosote
Much needed break thanks to the holidays. A good opportunity to re-visit one of the eternal classics. The Settlers fulfils this point easily. After starting out, it feels like only a moment, but actually hours have passed. Lost in thoughts, I'm watching the busy going-on of the screen. Then I perform some optimization of the transport paths in order to dissolve some traffic jam. Actually, I don't feel like urgently winning the game. My little realm is just working so well.
Mr Creosote
Officially endorsed by the mafia… yup, such a game exists. Although a little surprisingly, it is called Crime Does Not Pay. Is this really the position the mafia would take? Wait, is it possible that this sigil on the box is actually faked? Maybe the real mafia had nothing to do with this after all? In any case, which mafia would it be? So many questions…
Mr Creosote
Playing through older racing games may feel like driving through a desolate wasteland at times, indeed. Run-down ruins which maybe looked new and shiny in their day, but which are clearly past their prime. It's a genre which hasn't aged that well broadly speaking. There may be exceptions, and I will not give up my search for those gems, obviously. Today, it's Bump 'n' Burn's turn.
Mr Creosote
Bending to popular demand, a fresh look at Cannon Fodder. Honestly, I'm always really torn about these. On the one hand, it really bugs me that 90% of our audience's attention goes towards just a few games. I keep thinking that beyond reliving those nostalgic memories, there must also be some interest to discover lesser known games of days gone by, even if it's just to put rose-tinted nostalgia into perspective. Then again, maybe those popular picks are the games which have stood the test of time and which will therefore remain in everyone's mind. You decide for yourself.
Mr Creosote
How much better can it get than this? Time Commando's title screen offers a lot. If only the actual game could deliver! It's one of those games which has aged quite badly. The early 3D rendered graphics not being able anymore to mask the shallow gameplay, it's a curiosity of its time, but not much more nowadays.
Mr Creosote