You know what’s funny about coming to retro gaming late? I missed all the “you had to be there” moments that define most people’s gaming memories. Like, I never experienced the cultural earthquake of certain games hitting at exactly the right time. But sometimes I stumble across something…

I’ve spent fifteen years in IT management understanding that sometimes the best systems are the ones that take a completely unique approach. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee is a game that took a completely unique approach when puzzle platformers were becoming increasingly standardized. You’re Abe, a mudokon trying to escape…

Here’s something I teach in my history classes – innovation requires risk-taking, and risk-taking produces both failures and masterpieces. Chrono Cross is a masterpiece produced through genuine risk-taking. It’s the sequel to Chrono Trigger, one of the most beloved JRPGs ever made. So what does Square do? They…

I came to Spyro the Dragon expecting a charming but simple 3D platformer. What I found was a game that understands that elegance beats complexity every single time. Coming from construction, I appreciate something about how the best solutions are often the simplest ones that do exactly what…