Posts by Gavin Annand

A long time ago (in a galaxy far… no, I won’t do it), Star Wars games were regarded as some of the finest games you could find, across multiple genres. Under the guidance of LucasArts, with occasional input from respected developers like BioWare, Totally Games, Pandemic Studios, and Raven Software, Star Wars games have provided…

As Shamus young argues quite convincingly, 1997 through to the year 2000 was an absolutely phenomenal time in PC gaming. PC games were truly beginning to earn mainstream acceptance beyond the few blockbusters of earlier years (such as DOOM and Myst) and were gaining some traction against the more popular and approachable console market. PC…

As we all know, the games industry is largely beholden to trends; Battle Royale is the most obvious recent example, but there are many more examples throughout gaming history. Trends aren’t always a bad thing, particularly when it comes to games. What begins as a good idea and becomes a trend can end up becoming…

Over Christmas, I went to my parents’ place and finally sorted through all my boxes of crap that have spent years gathering dust in their garage. One of those boxes was filled with dozens of old PC games. Holding Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight (LucasArts, 1997) in my hands transported me back to Christmas 1997,…

In 1979, Warren Robinett hid the message “Created by Warren Robinett” inside the Atari 2600 game Adventure. Since then, game developers have embraced the tradition of hiding easter eggs inside their games. Some are funny, some are interesting, and some are just plain bizarre. Here’s a list of a few of my favorite easter eggs,…

Long before Star Wars Battlefront II or Fallout 76 were courting controversy, there was one game that had the gaming press throwing their hands in the air out of frustration. That game was John Romero’s Daikatana (Ion Storm, 2000). Depending on who you talked to, or what reviews you read, opinions of Daikatana ranged from…

2019 is well and truly underway, and it is yet another disappointing year for Diablo fans. While gamers hoped for a Diablo IV announcement, it turned out to be nothing more than a blatant mobile-gaming cash grab with Diablo Immortal. It was then followed with further disappointing news—no new games in 2019. Diablo fans are…

Good day, my dear readers. Brock Stroganoff Esquire, at your service. Like my contemporaries Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Frank Bruni, and the late Anthony Bourdain, I have dedicated my life to food by traveling the video game multiverse and finding the finest bytes this industry has to offer. Since you have come to me, my dear readers,…

Since its release in 2002, DOSBox has been a constant feature on every PC I own. In fact, if you’ve purchased a DOS game from Steam or GOG, chances are you’ve already been using it. This guide is a quick rundown on getting started with the standalone version of DOSBox. What is it? Prior to…

Video games are often considered to be merely a “time-waster,” a recreational activity that has little benefit apart from acting as a diversion from more “constructive” activities. Many ill-informed groups also push the notion that video games are not only a waste of time, but are detrimental to health and social interaction. But is this…