DOOM – then and now. Part 1.

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 18, 2016

“Guten Tag!” If you were a computer game geek back in the early 90s, you remember that one. The greeting heard ’round the DOS gaming world. It was the intro to the boss encounter on the shareware version of Wolfenstein 3D, at least on those PCs equipped with the popular SoundBlaster card. A requirement, for […]

Filed Under: Impressions, Retro - Comments: Read the First Comment

Ultima V, Publisher Contract Dangers, and Why We Needed Indie

Posted by Rampant Coyote on March 16, 2016

There were a whole lot of reasons why I was an evangelist for the indie revolution. Just making sure that game developers had a reasonable path to create and distribute their creations without having to go through the giant gatekeepers was a big one. Reducing the barriers to entry was huge. But there was another […]

Filed Under: Biz, Indie Evangelism, Retro - Comments: 2 Comments to Read

Atari Vault Coming to Steam

Posted by Rampant Coyote on January 27, 2016

“Atari Vault” is coming to Steam. With, like, global Steam leaderboards for Atari games. Which is cool. What’s unclear is exactly what original format these games will be – arcade, the 2600, the 5200, or even some of the Atari PC / Windows games? The ones mentioned by name – Centipede, Asteroids, Tempest, Missile Command, […]

Filed Under: Retro - Comments: Comments are off for this article

Book Impressions: Stay Awhile And Listen

Posted by Rampant Coyote on January 20, 2016

What a great age we live in! As a kid I was lucky to find a handful of books that would talk about my niche hobby, video games. Today? Not only are there plenty, but there are books devoted just to individual games. I’m not talking strategy guides or licensed novels about the really popular […]

Filed Under: Books, Retro - Comments: Comments are off for this article

John Romero Releases New Level for Doom

Posted by Rampant Coyote on January 18, 2016

Yeah. This happened. It's been 21 years since I made a DOOM level. Here's my version of E1M8 using DOOM1.WAD. https://t.co/ueKM7gBbXd pic.twitter.com/NlmA9aIALN — John Romero (@romero) January 15, 2016 A new Doom level by John Romero himself. It is entitled, “Tech Gone Bad,” and it’s… pretty brutal. Here’s a video of a playthrough (on full […]

Filed Under: Geek Life, Retro - Comments: Read the First Comment

Indie In Arcade Cabinets

Posted by Rampant Coyote on January 13, 2016

The arcade is dead. Well, mostly.  There are a couple of them still around in my area, which I need to go to more frequently, because it’s FUN and I want to support them. But these delightful places that in some ways defined my youth are no longer a thing. A going concern. Like phone […]

Filed Under: Indie Evangelism, Retro - Comments: Read the First Comment

Musings on Retrogaming

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 11, 2015

Sometimes I wonder if my weird retrogaming habit isn’t to appease my insatiable inner 13-year-old, who didn’t own a console system, and blew his allowance regularly at the local arcade. That kid had way more time than money, and not a lot of games (for a while). That was probably a good thing for me, […]

Filed Under: Retro - Comments: 2 Comments to Read

20 Classic CRPGs Every Designer Should Play

Posted by Rampant Coyote on November 23, 2015

Gamasutra reposted (re-advertised?) a classic but excellent article about 20 essential computer role-playing games (and a bonus non-computerized game) that every game designer (particularly RPG designers) should play. Game Design Essentials: 20 RPGs If you haven’t read it yet, or are just idly curious, the games are: Dungeons & Dragons (tabletop), Wizardry, Ultima, Wasteland, the […]

Filed Under: Design, Retro - Comments: Comments are off for this article

Twenty Years of Twisted Metal?!?!?

Posted by Rampant Coyote on November 6, 2015

Sony tweeted this week that it was the twentieth anniversary of the original release of Twisted Metal. 20 years later, still Twisted. Happy birthday, Sweet Tooth and co. pic.twitter.com/IVCAZ9DxZg — PlayStation (@PlayStation) November 6, 2015 This makes no sense to me. How can it be that old? How can *I* be that old? But my […]

Filed Under: Retro - Comments: 5 Comments to Read

The Ten Best CRPGs?

Posted by Rampant Coyote on November 4, 2015

BrainyAndNerdy has an article about the ten best (Computer / Console) RPGs you must play. Now, a part of me really wants to rail about the games that are missing from the list, the lack of “indie” titles (unless you count The Witcher and Divinity: Original Sin), or the ordering. But you know, it’s a […]

Filed Under: General, Retro - Comments: 5 Comments to Read

Happy Birthday Ultima IV

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 16, 2015

Ultima IV was released 30 years ago today. How can it be that old? How can *I* be this old? I didn’t finish it the first time I played it (on my Commodore 64). I had, you know, stuff. Eight years later, I was in college and injured. I spent the next day (Friday) laid […]

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Shattered

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 4, 2015

I returned home the other night to find half of an old CD-ROM sitting on the table. It was an original disc for Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers. It was later explained to me that it had fallen off the shelf and out of the jewel case, and our puppy, Clara (yes, named after […]

Filed Under: Retro, Tech - Comments: 11 Comments to Read

That Old School Feeling: Forgotten Realms and Divinity: Original Sin 2

Posted by Rampant Coyote on August 27, 2015

I’m gonna post a two-for-one today, because it’s all so cool. Number one: A great article from PC Gamer about how GOG.COM rescued thirteen Forgotten Realms D&D games from licensing hell. It’s both fascinating and a little disturbing as a retro-gamer. You think, “well, gee, why haven’t these guys gotten around to licensing this game […]

Filed Under: Game Announcements, Retro - Comments: 2 Comments to Read

How “Old School” Graphics Worked

Posted by Rampant Coyote on August 26, 2015

Oh, man. This brings up some memories. I worked with the Commodore 64 graphics for years. Never produced anything commercial, but I certainly struggled with these challenges. There’s something he doesn’t bring up in the video about the Commodore 64’s sprite mode. Each sprite had its position dictated by two bytes – one for X […]

Filed Under: Art, Programming, Retro - Comments: 3 Comments to Read

Not Quite 20 Years Later – A New Baldur’s Gate Expansion

Posted by Rampant Coyote on July 10, 2015

Better late than never, huh? Beamdog has announced an all-new, 25-hour expansion for Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition.  Entitled Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, it bridges the gap between Baldur’s Gate I and II. Dang, and I think I lost my saved game from when I beat BGEE a couple of years ago. Hopefully I can […]

Filed Under: Game Announcements, Retro - Comments: 3 Comments to Read

[Archive] Wizardry 8, ep. 1: A Samurai, a Valkyrie, and a Bishop Walk Into a Bar…

Posted by Rampant Coyote on June 24, 2015

Back in 2008, I did a playthrough of Wizardry 8, a game I’d missed the first time around. At the time, it was hard to acquire (yay for getting it brought back as a digital title!), and I felt (correctly!) that I’d missed out on a classic title. I blogged my efforts, but with the […]

Filed Under: Retro, Wizardry 8 - Comments: Read the First Comment



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