To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the NES’s launch in Japan (as the Family Computer), I’m counting down the 35 greatest games to appear on NES in the U.S. You can find the first part (from 35-16) here. Now, on to the top 15 … 15. Tecmo Super Bowl (Tecmo, 1991) Football games have changed a lot over the years, drifting toward the full-season career management model of Madden NFL with the occasional unlicensed hyperactive arcade-style experience. There actually are other approaches, though! And right around the time the original Madden was making its mark, Tecmo created a gem of an alternative. Tecmo Super Bowl, the sequel to the beloved Tecmo Bowl, embodies the best of the old-school 8-bit football style. It plays less like a coaching sim than modern football games, yet it nevertheless avoids being an all-out action title, too. By walking the line between the genre’s two extremes, Super Bowl continued Tecmo’s trend of producing top-flight sports games … [Read more...] about The 35 greatest NES games, part 2
Cool dog teaches typing
The Six Worst Designed Pokemon of Generation 3
Last week, we checked out the six best designed Pokemon of Generation 3. This week were going after the worst. This article is one in a series we’re calling the Year of Pokemon, which celebrates the beloved pocket monsters and their many games. While Generation 3 is not the worst Pokémon Gen of the bunch, it is on the weaker end of the scale. Much of that, I’d argue, is the opening of the hardware and pushing the graphical limitations further than ever before for Game Freak. The designs of Generation 1 and 2 were always fairly simple comparatively. Simple in terms of color palette, form, and aesthetics with little in the way of visual flair. Generation 3 overloaded the flair, a trend that would continue as we go forward in time with the Pokémon franchise. A lot of the weaker designs, unfortunately, get lost in the shuffle. But which are the worst? Well, let’s count down what I feel are the six worst designs of Generation 3. As always, some ground rules … [Read more...] about The Six Worst Designed Pokemon of Generation 3
The Six Worst Designed Pokemon of Generation 2
I said in the last article that the Pokemon designs of Gen 2 are among the most solid of the entire series. A large number of the 100 plus added pocket monsters were eye-catching, and when first released in color on the Game Boy Color in 2000, stood out as strong additions to the roster. Unfortunately, Gen 2 is also responsible for some pretty terrible designs as well, and while the number is fewer than the other games in the series, the ones at the top of the bad pile stick out like sore thumbs when compared to the rest of the Pokedex. This article is one in a series we’re calling the Year of Pokemon, which celebrates the beloved pocket monsters and their many games. What fuels the bad design this time? A lot of factors of course will play into it but one unifying theme that hits a lot of the Pokemon of this generation stems from their forgotten status. Half of the list are a single-stage Pokémon that never really made great impressions when first released, while the … [Read more...] about The Six Worst Designed Pokemon of Generation 2
The Six Best Designed Pokemon of Generation 2
The second generation of Pokemon is often considered the pinnacle of the entire franchise. Two fully explorable regions, two new types in Steel and Dark, and plenty of new activities based on a day/night cycle that enthralled players in the year 2000. Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal are fondly remembered for being excellent follow-ups on the Game Boy Color. With every new generation, we get a slew of new Pokémon to capture as well. Generation 2 allowed us to capture 100 new Pokémon, some of which were evolutions and baby forms of monsters found in Generation 1. Generation 2 arguably has some of the best designs for the series, as it was hard to narrow down the best of the bunch to six. Who made the cut? Let’s find out. First, as always, some ground rules. No legendary Pokémon will be featured here. Second, only one Pokémon per evolutionary line will be mentioned. Finally, the list will combine design aesthetics, competitive viability, and overall impact … [Read more...] about The Six Best Designed Pokemon of Generation 2
GDC 2018 Level Design Workshop: An expert roundtable Q&A
It's that time again: to prepare for the big GDC 2018 Level Design Workshop on Tuesday, March 20th, a handful of the speakers wanted to warm up by chatting (via email) about some of the finer points of level design. Gathering question from the community, they shared some interesting insights, experiences, and learnings in a shared document that's reprinted below for your reading pleasure. The participants in this exchange, in no particular order, are: Robert Yang, NYU video game professor and indie game maker Blake Rebouche, senior quest designer at Guerrilla Games Nina Freeman, level designer at Fullbright Steve Gaynor, game designer and Fullbright cofounder Heather Robertson, indie game maker Mike Bithell, game designer and Bithell Games founder Christopher Totten, game designer and founder of Pie for Breakfast Studios David Shaver, game designer at Naughty Dog Nathan Fouts, game designer and founder of Mommy's Best Games [more detailed bios for everyone are at the … [Read more...] about GDC 2018 Level Design Workshop: An expert roundtable Q&A