The first time I met Lara Croft, I was twenty-one, it was 1996, and I was standing in Electronics Boutique debating whether to spend a significant chunk of my meager paycheck on this new PlayStation game with the polygonal woman on the cover. The sales guy, sporting a goatee that was absolutely required of all game store employees in the mid-90s, noticed my hesitation. “It’s like Indiana Jones,” he offered, “but with gymnastics and better…
# Gaming with Friends: The Golden Age of Local Multiplayer The sound of plastic controllers hitting carpet. The distinct crinkle…
The Immersive Worlds of Ultima I first encountered the world of Britannia on a rainy Saturday in 1990, huddled in…
I’ve never been good at monogamy when it comes to gaming platforms. Since the 16-bit wars, I’ve been that guy…
The first time I ever saw Street Fighter II was at a rundown arcade near my uncle’s house in the…
The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, took the video game console further and higher. It has left a lasting imprint…
The first time I started King’s Quest on our family’s ancient IBM PC, I had no clue that I was,…
The early ’90s is a timehorse of competition in portable games. With its large collection and iconic titles, Nintendo’s Game…
My wife thinks I’ve lost my mind. Last Saturday, she found me in the garage at 5:30 AM, drinking lukewarm…
Warcraft Before WoW: The RTS Series I Lost Weekends To It’s kind of funny how a simple shareware CD changed…
Spyro the Dragon: PlayStation’s Purple Hero I Still Love Christmas morning, 1998. I was twenty years old and home from…
The first time I played The Secret of Monkey Island, I was sixteen and spending the night at my friend…
Christmas 1997 was a turning point in my gaming life, though I didn’t realize it at the time. My then-girlfriend…
The first time I ever saw Pac-Man, I couldn’t even reach the controls without standing on my tiptoes. It was…
The first time I saw Star Fox in action was at a Toys “R” Us demo kiosk in early 1993.…
