Christmas 1999 was approaching and my mum had that look—the one where she's holding a wrapped present behind her back and trying not to grin. "Don't shake it," she warned, which naturally made me want to shake it even more. When I finally tore through the wrapping paper…

You know what still gives me goosebumps? That opening crawl. Not just any opening crawl—the one from Star Wars Episode I: Racer on the N64. There I was, probably wearing my lucky Phantom Menace t-shirt (the one with Darth Maul's face that glowed in the dark, because 1999…

There I was, fifteen years old with a fresh N64 controller in my hands, expecting another colorful romp through whatever cutesy world Rare had cooked up next. I mean, come on—this was the studio that gave us Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country. Fluffy platformers with family-friendly charm, right?…

The rental shop on our high street had this bizarre policy where they'd put the most disappointing games right at eye level, like they were trying to trick you into a lifetime of trust issues. I remember staring at that Superman 64 box art—bright blue, cape flowing, all…