Retro Game of the Week - 02/03/2020

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 02/03/2020
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME
This week's retro game of the week is the one and only, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time! Let's delve into this retro game of the week!

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released on the Nintendo 64 in November 1998. The player takes the role of the iconic main character Link as he has to save the Princess Zelda and the land of Hyrule form a evil king called Ganondorf. Helping Link is a little fairy called Navi and an ocarina that plays different songs in order to progress through various gates.

This game follows four other Zelda games, The Legend of Zelda (NES), Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES), A Link to the Past (NES), and Link's Awakening (GBA). However, in the fictional chronological order of the game, Ocarina of Time is 4th out of the 18 Legend of Zelda games released.

Geekette's Thoughts: I have never played this game before (mainly due to not owing a N64), but I have always wanted to play it as I am a fan of the Zelda games. However, I am attempting to play the Zelda games in chronological order, starting with Skyward Sword.

That wraps up today's (late) Retro Game of the Week. Hope you enjoyed it! So until next time.

Peace Out,
Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 24/02/2020

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 24/02/2020
SILENT HILL
Welcome back to another blog post! This week we are delving into the Horror genre with the PS1 classic, Silent Hill.



Silent Hill was released for the PS1 on February 23rd 1999. Which means that it is 21 years old (shock faces here). The game was based around Harry Mason trying to find his daughter in the town of Silent Hill, but lurking within the fog are scary creatures waiting to attack you. While attempting to find his daughter, Harry also has to try and figure out the mystery around Silent Hill.

This game is your typical 3rd person shooter game with many horror aspects included. The game can utilize the feature of the dual-shock controller to alert the player if Harry's health is low by making it vibrate, as the game has no health bar or ammo bar present.

One very cool feature of the game is the rendering aspects that the game used. When the game was being developed, the developers noticed that the smoke was not rendering the way that they needed it to show the rest of the map. As a result, they decided to leave the smoke to be unrendered and allow the buildings to begin to show when the player gets closer to them.

Geekette's Thoughts: I recently started playing this game and it is amazing. I am not very good with horror films normally, but I thought I'd give this game a shot. The use of the smoke covering the enemies and the buildings makes the game much more eerie and spooky. I would rate this game 4/5 as it is an amazing game, but the lack of health bar and ammo bar makes the game slightly harder to control.

So that sums up today's retro game of the week. Stay tuned for more awesome updates coming your way!

So until next time,

Peace Out,
Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 03/12/2019

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 03/12/2019
GRAN TURISMO
Hey all,

I'm back with a new post and it happens to be the time for Retro Game of the Week! This week's game is the PS1 classic, Gran Turismo.

I decided to review this game as it is one of my favorites and it happens to be the 25th Anniversary of the PlayStation being released!

Gran Turismo is a driving game that was released on the PlayStation in 1997, but it did take 5 years to complete! The game featured a simulation mode where the player had to qualify to complete in different events with their licenses and the categories. There is also an Arcade Mode where the player could select from a number of cars and tracks. My personal favorite choice is the New Dodge Viper.

I have fond memories of playing this game when I was younger and it was one of the very first games I had played (even though I was never very good at it!).

That concludes today's post on the Retro Game of the Week. I hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for the next post!

So until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 14/10/2019

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 14/10/2019
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
This week's blog post kicks off with a blast from the past, Sonic the Hedgehog!

This loveable game was released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive (if you are from the U.K.) or as the console was known in the States, the Sega Genesis. The main character of this game is a blue hedgehog called Sonic, and you as the player have to run around the different levels collecting gold rings. Simple yes? There is also an antagonist called Doctor Robotnik who tries to stop Sonic at the end of every level.

The game itself was one of the most played games on the Mega Drive, receiving a lot of attention from critics who loved the game itself and it was also one of the best selling games for the Mega Drive.

Personally, I do find this game a little bit challenging as I cannot seem to get past the Green Hill Zone 1. Nevertheless, it does not stop me from trying every time I play this game and I love it.

Anyway, that's all from me today.
So until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 30/09/2019

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 30/09/2019

SPACE INVADERS

Retro Game of the week is back! And this week we have a personal favourite of mine which is Space Invaders! So, let's delve into the history of this magnificent game.

Space Invaders was originally released as an arcade game produced by Midway in 1978. Since its original release, the game has been ported over to the Atari and then recreated many years later for consoles like the PS1. 

The aim of this game is very simple, it is to shoot down enemy ships and aliens. This game has been recreated so many times, and can even be played online using flash. This game has changed over time to keep up with the ever changing graphics and consoles. 

One of these sequels/changes is the Space Invaders game released in 1999 which was released on the PC, N64, and PS. This title had an impact via the changes as it had included 3D graphics, which no other arcade game had really done before. It also had some decisions made by designers that would upgrade the game such as putting a picture in the background and not having the defenses which were iconic for the game.

Nonetheless, Space Invaders still one of my favourite games to this day, as I have grown up playing it. I do like seeing all the different variations to the game, as it makes me think what other people have come up with in return with their own ideas.

So until next time,

Peace Out - Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 26/03/2019

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 26/03/2019
SCOOBY DOO MYSTERY MAYHEM!
This week's retro game of the week goes to a personal childhood favourite of mine, Scooby Doo Mystery Mayhem.

This game was released in the years of 2003/2004 for the Gameboy Advanced, PS2, GameCube, and Xbox. The aim of this game was to control Shaggy and Scooby through different levels, as they try to return ghosts, zombies, and other monsters to the Tome of Doom. Along the way they would put on various disguises to hide themselves, until they find the page they need.

Been a little kid and playing this game, some of the controls were extremely hard. For example, if you were trying to capture a ghost or other monster, you would have to press the buttons on the controller in a particular order. This was frustrating when I was younger, as I struggled immensely to complete this. My favourite part, however, was the ghost disguises Shaggy and Scooby wore in the first level, as for some reason, I found this the most entertaining.

That sums up this short, but sweet segment for my blog. Stay tuned for more exciting posts coming your way!

So until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 12/09/2018

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 12/08/2018
SPYRO THE DRAGON
This week's Retro Game is Spyro the Dragon.

Released on the 10th September 1998 (yes 20 years ago!) on the PlayStation. The game featured a purple dragon called Spyro who had to go and rescue his friends who had been frozen in time by the evil Gnorc.

There is also a dragonfly who also helps Spyro called Sparx. He is cute. Spyro has always been one of my favourite characters since playing the game Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. He was one of the figurines that came with the game.






That sums up this week's retro game of the week. Hope you all enjoyed it!
So until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 09/09/2018

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 09/09/2018
STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC
This week's retro game goes to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

This game was released in 2003 for the Xbox, but has recently became available for backwards compatibility with the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It was also released on Windows, Android, Mac OS X and iOS.

The game itself is set 3,000 years before A New Hope and is a RPG game. You can customise your character to suit your needs. I have recently started to play this game myself and I have chosen to be a Female Soldier. You start off on a Republic Ship which has been taken over by the Sith. There your actions and choices affect whether you are on the light side or on the dark side.



Another fun bit about the game is that you can choose attributes to suit your needs. My attributes are computer use, demolitions and stealth.

That does it for this week's retro game. I thoroughly enjoy playing this game, even though the graphics kinda give me nightmares!

So until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 28/08/2018

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK 28/08/2018
THE SIMPSONS: HIT AND RUN
It's that time of the week when we cover this week's retro game of the week. This week it is the classic The Simpsons: Hit and Run game from 2003.



The game was released on the PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox and GameCube. The game itself was modelled after the Grand Theft Auto games but it featured the Simpsons family as the playable characters.

The plot to the game was that there were mysterious vans appearing in Springfield and this led to stranger things like Crop circles. The Simpsons became curious, so them and their friend Apu decided to investigate the strange goings on.

In the game itself you can play as Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and Apu. These characters all had their own 'episode' so to speak in where they would drive around and complete missions to finish their episode. Not only do you drive around in your car, smashing objects and hitting pedestrians, but you can also walk around and explore Springfield.

You can earn coins and spend them on clothes for the character or on new cars. One of the cars that you can purchase is Homer's Plow King truck.



Personally, I love this game as it has some of the best quotes such as 'I am Evil Homer' or 'I have no insurance!' I give this game a 5 out of 5 as it is one of the classics that everyone played as a kid.

That does it for this week's retro game of the week. Stay tuned for the next blog post.

Until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 14/08/2018

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 14/08/2018
LEGO STAR WARS: THE VIDEO GAME
This week's retro game is Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, a game that I remember playing a lot in my childhood. This game was released in 2005 on the Gameboy Advanced, Windows computers, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox and Mac OS X.


Lego Star Wars: The Video Game was the first of the Lego video games to be produced by the company Traveller's Tales (or TT games), who would then go on and produce all of the future Lego games.

The game itself is set in the prequel trilogy (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith). The aim of the game is for the players to play through the different chapters of the movies. Each of the movies were called 'Episodes' (like in real life) and then those episodes were broken down into 'Chapters'. The players also walk around collecting studs (the Lego game's currency) and unlocking Free Play mode, which allows the player to choose any character that they have unlocked to play on that level.

This game was a childhood favourite of mine as I always loved blowing things up with the lightsabers. I also remember it as one of the first Lego games that I played, as my dad had it on the PlayStation 2. My favourite level on it was probably the Invasion of Naboo level as I love the design of the city, but I also loved the hub, Dexter's Diner.


So that does it for today's short but sweet retro game of the week. I hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for my next blog post.

So until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette

Retro Game of The Week - 04/06/18

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 04/06/18
MARIO KART: DOUBLE DASH!
This week kicks off with the Retro Game of the Week. The game of the week this week is Mario Kart: Double Dash!

Mario Kart: Double Dash! is a game that was released on the Gamecube in 2003. It follows the other Mario Kart games in which the game allows the user to control the Mario characters around the different Mario themed racetracks. There is one major difference between this game and the other games within the Mario Kart series. It allows the user to select not only one character, but 2 characters. The game allows the user to change between the different characters when the player uses a powerup.

The game itself included another revolution of the Mario Kart game series. This game included a LAN option which allows the player to play online with other characters. This uses the Nintendo Gamecube's Broadband Adaptor, which allows the user to connect over the internet to play their Gamecube with other players.

My favourite character in this game is Luigi because he always has one of the most awesome cars in the game series.

This sums up this week's Retro Game of the Week. Coming soon this week includes Game of the Week, another 2 parts to the Hogwarts Mystery walkthrough and a new weekly review which is going to remain a surprise until I publish the post.

So until next time!
Peace Out - Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 16/05/18

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 16/05/18
PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE
Hey everyone and welcome to this weeks Retro Game of the Week. This week we will be looking at Professor Layton and the Curious Village, a DS game which was released for the Nintendo DS.

The story of Professor Layton and the Curious Village is that Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke travel to the village of St. Mystere. They recieve a letter from the recently deceased Baron asking them to search from the Golden Apple. But they are not the only ones who are looking for the Golden Apple.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a puzzle-adventure game that was released in Europe in 2008 for the Nintendo DS and in Japan in 2008 for mobile devices. This was the first game released for the Professor Layton series. The game sold over 3.17 million copies overseas (not including Japan).

One of the puzzles that I remember is the fox and chicken. In order to complete this puzzle you have to move the foxes and chickens to the other side of the river. But you could not leave one chicken on their own because the fox will eat them (if there is one more fox).

This game means a lot to me as it was one of the first DS games that I owned. The hardest part of this game was the different puzzles, which got harder as the game went on. I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who likes puzzle games.

So that's it for today and my next article will be a review of a new game. If anyone has any other ideas on what can be included in my blogs please feel free to let me know.
Until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 17/11/17

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 17/11/17
POKEMON RED/BLUE
This weeks retro game of the week is Pokemon Red/Blue. Pokemon was a game that was designed by Nintendo. The main aim of any Pokemon game is that the player can chose from one of three Pokemon to start of with and then they go and battle other trainers or wild Pokemon.

A Pokemon is a creature in a fictional world that the player has to try and find and collect. Pokemon Red/Blue was the first installment of the game series. Today, the Pokemon series has 17 games in total. It was released on the GameBoy.

Pokemon Red/Blue was released in the UK on June 10th 1999. When Pokemon Red/Blue was released in Japan, it was originally Pokemon Red/Green with Blue coming later. In 1997, it had sold at least 3.56 million copies in the UK, 9.58 million copies in the US and 10.4 million copies in Japan.


My favourite Pokemon from this game has to be Squirtle. I mean he is too cute to resist. The only bit that I found hard were all of the battles once you reached a higher level.

That's it for today, so until next time
Peace Out - Geekette