Todd's columns have appeared in many publications such as GamePro, Electronic Gaming Monthly, PC Gamer, and Electronic Games. Todd is a founding member of GiN and speaks from an "old school" gamer's perspective. Embracing the notions of all classic gaming, game soundtracks, and the original "hardcore style," he also shuns the trends he feels are ruining the game industry, such as the embracement of 3D, the over-saturation of MMOs, and misleading game advertising.
What was I thinking last year? Why did I almost give up my copy of High Heat Baseball 2001 in exchange for that travesty called World Series 2K1? Fortunately when I saw WS in action, I immediately changed my mind, and stuck with perhaps the most in-depth baseball sim I ever played. However, there are still idiots out there who will pass on a masterpiece like this solely because the graphics aren’t all that great. Unfortunately the same thing can be said about this season, with High Heat 2002. I’ve called various software stores in the area, and they told … Continue reading High Heat 2002 is Real Baseball Fun→
Squaresoft and I have not had a peaceful relationship. The reason is two words: Final Fantasy. I’m always asked why I hate this series so much, and I explain every reason. Maybe it was because I find that being hit by random encounters every step is a complete pain. Or then again, maybe I hate having to sit through countless scenes of poorly animated FMV with mute, dorky-looking characters with hands bigger than their faces (we all know what THAT means, right Zidane?) Or more importantly, having to deal with a cumbersome command interface fast enough to avoid seeing 20 … Continue reading The Bouncer Bounces Forward→
Metropolis Street Racer follows two trends in gaming. The first is that this is the latest in a dominant series of Dreamcast racers (Sega Rally 2, Sega GT, the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series, Ferrari F355 Challenge, Test Drive Le Mans, etc.) The second is that like many other great titles (Starcraft, Half Life DC, etc.) it is constantly delayed. What was supposed to be launched in the spring of 2000 just came out late January 2001. I had a taste of MSR at last year’s E3, and once again on a demo disc last November. Both were quite uneventful, as … Continue reading MSR: Majestically Superb Racing→
For a game that was originally planned two years ago, Bungie’s Oni was praised as the most anticipated game at trade show after show. That praise has continued through 2000 (including a feature at E3), and was also planned to be a launch title for the PlayStation 2. However, that never happened. In fact, it was not released until February 2001, and after playing it on my PlayStation2, I wonder why it got so much praise. To me, it’s just average. I know a lot of anime buffs will easily get hooked into Oni because the game begins with an … Continue reading Oni is Only Average→
Ok, it’s no secret to anyone out there; I don’t like RPGs! I do not see how anyone can sit there for hours on end watching FMV look-alike characters getting slaughtered by opponents who use the cheap all out attack (cough, Super Nova, cough, Final Fantasy series, cough) over and over again. Not to mention that I hate having to stay in one small area all day beating foes that cheaply pop out of nowhere in order to get a high enough level to beat a boss. I will admit that some RPGs I do enjoy (Grandia 2 instantly comes … Continue reading Phantasy Star Online is Ultima for Console→
Sometimes I hate my job! I really hate it when I express loyalty towards a system, only to have the system’s developer stab me in the back. I’ve been there before, most noticeably with the Atari 7800 (Dang you Tramiel! I should have known when you were fired by Commodore that you’d be up to no good.), and when Nintendo shoved their 8-bit NES to the back burner when they launched the SNES without backward compatibility. No wonder why I am so harsh against certain companies! Unfortunately, I never thought I’d be expressing the same hatred against Sega. I’ve been … Continue reading Backstabbed→
Tokyo Xtreme Racing was definitely a surprise hit when the Dreamcast launched last year. Granted there was much not variety in courses (there was only one, but it was big). The feeling of racing on the actual streets of Tokyo was quite a thrill. Considering that it reminded me so much of the DC Beltway, I felt quite at home with the first title, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Tokyo Xtreme Racing 2 follows the same formula. There still is just the one course, but it is three times larger than before, involving more offramps to use and more shortcuts. Cars … Continue reading Tokyo Road Rage Continues→
I admit that when it comes to computer memory, I don’t know much about it. All that matters to me is that it makes all my programs run faster. However, last summer I was having trouble with my computer. With the old PC100 memory I had installed, I was having trouble getting my brand new Athlon 700 to run properly. Seems that every time I tried to run Windows 98, that hideous blue screen of death greeted me. Fortunately, Colorado-based Mushkin Enhanced Memory Systems came to my aid. Providing me with one of their new PC150 HSDRAM memory chip, I … Continue reading Mushkin Can Revitalize Your PC→
As a veteran of Quake 3 Arena on the PC, the term "Low Ping Bastard" comes greatly into play. LPBs, as they are commonly known, have the luxury of playing games such as Quake 3 behind the safety of a T1 line, meaning that they can easily pick off sorry 56K modem users without any trouble whatsoever. LPBs claim that it’s their skills that win, and not their connection. That is obviously not the case. Take a look at all the killboards on any server. No matter whether the server is based in Washington, DC, or in San Francisco, CA, … Continue reading Dreamcast Q3A-Fragging Heaven for High Ping Victim→
I want to make something perfectly clear right now…YU SUZUKI IS A GENIUS! Forget Miyamoto or that guy who designed Final Fantasy…Suzuki-san should be walking away with the AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award with all the stuff he has developed. His resume is filled with many exceptional titles: Hang-On, Space Harrier, Out Run, Virtua Racing, Daytona, Virtua Fighter, and Ferrari F355 Challenge to name a few. With so many great titles on his wing, I can only wonder why he has not received as much credit as he deserves. Now with his latest venture into gaming, Suzuki-san is diverting away from … Continue reading Shenmue: Vast World, Vast Game→
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