Archive for the ‘Review’ Category

The Making of Prince of Persia (Journals 1985-1993) by Jordan Mechner

The second (of two) books Jordan Mechner self-published is another set of his own hand-written journals, this time covering the development of Prince of Persia and its sequel, Prince of Persia 2. The journal begins as Karateka has become the #1 best selling game on the Apple II. Not only does Mechner make 15% royalty […]

Mischief Maker’s Top 10 Unique Games

One of the biggest joys of indie gaming is the creative freedom bedroom programmers have to try crazy new ideas or genre-blends that no AAA developer would dare gamble their multi-million-dollar operations on. Here’s a list of some of the more unique games of recent years that offer something you probably haven’t experienced before. 1. […]

A Look at the Commodore 64 Mini

If the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist, the greatest trick marketing executives ever pulled was convincing consumers to purchase the same things over and over. For example, in my lifetime I’ve purchased five copies of AC/DC’s Back in Black — once on vinyl, once on cassette, once […]

Mischief Maker’s Chill Game List

Like the title says. Games to help you chill out, maaaaan. Trine 2: The Complete Story To this day one of the most beautiful games ever created, and yes that is also in comparison to Trine 3 and 4. Trine 2 is a side scrolling puzzler with a heavy emphasis on its physics engine and […]

Recent Cyberpunk Games for the PC

#1 is still Satellite Reign. A modern re-imagining of Syndicate that nails the rain-soaked Blade Runner vibe. My one complaint about the game is all the action takes place in corporate parking lots, you won’t get into any firefights on the gorgeous streets unless you seriously fuck up. #2 is Ruiner. If you want the […]

Mischief Maker’s Top 10 Quarantine Games List!

Going stir crazy from being stuck inside all the time? Want to eat the lotus of videogames, but want only the finest curated lotus? Here’s 10 excellent games you may not have heard of, in no particular order, to take your minds off Captain Trips: Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark For years I’ve wanted a proper […]

The Caltrops Top 50 games of 2010-2019: #10-1

Welcome! It was a long time going, but these are the ten best games of the decade, as decided by the Caltrops forum. Here are links to the other entries in this web series: Honorable Mentions: Part One Entries #50 – 40 Entries #39 – 30 Entries #29 – 21 Entries #20 – 11 #10 […]

The Caltrops Top 50 Games of 2010-2019: #20-11

We’re counting down the 50 best games of the decade. Previous entries: Honorable Mentions: Part One Entries #50 – 40 Entries #39 – 30 Entries #29 – 21 And now … 20 through 11! #20 – YAKUZA 0 by Sega (2015) Steam Link Worm says, “Yakuza is essentially a game in the spirit of Shenmue […]

The Caltrops Top 50 Games of 2010-2019: #29-21

We’re counting down the 50 greatest games of the decade, 2010-2019. Previous entries: Honorable Mentions: Part One Entries #50 – 40 Entries #39 – 30 Below are #29 through #21. #29 – POKEMON GO by Nintendo, 2016 Available on your phone in the app store. This was a phenomenon. I attribute all the thinking a […]

The Caltrops Top 50 Games of 2010-2019: #39-30

We’re counting down the 50 best games of the decade, as tallied by the readers and posters of the Caltrops forum over the last ten years. Honorable Mentions: Part One Entries #50 – 40 #39 – THAUMISTRY: IN CHARM’S WAY by Bob Bates (2017) Steam Link Bob Bates made two games under the Infocom label […]