This game holds a major place in my heart, and I look back very fondly on the HOURS I put into this game in the past. It’s been a very long time since I played it, however, so this will truly be a trip down memory lane. In fact, initially, I wasn’t even sure I could include it in the Game Awards, because I had no idea whether I could find a copy that I could make work on modern machines – especially since there was, ultimately, a sequel to overshadow the genius of the first one (the second one wasn’t as fun, in my opinion). Luckily, I discovered that GOG has a version that does just that… which was quite a shock to me. I doubt most of you have even heard of this game, it’s that obscure. The game is set in a fictional Chicago during Prohibition, and really does a great job of making you feel like most of your gang activities must be carefully hidden by having an elaborate system of “front” businesses for each of your venues. In fact, one of my memories of this game is literally printing off page after page of the game manual and carefully cutting and gluing it together to make a real manual so I could have a better reference to figure out what can go where. (In fact, I think I still have that little booklet somewhere in one of my storage boxes… LOL..)

I’m sure quite a few of you played this one in one of it’s iterations. I found this game when it was still Caesar II – and loved it. I played the game’s sequels, too. The third in the series is widely recognized as being better than the fourth, but the fourth was easier to capture, so I took the easy way out.

Caesar was one of four games in the Sierra city-building series, which has been a staple of my gaming history. (Spoiler: the others – Zeus, Emperor, and Pharaoh, are included in my list elsewhere…) Caesar holds the distinction of being the first game that came out in the series, and also of being my least favorite. Again, if you’re going to play it, I suggest playing either Caesar 3 or going way back to Caesar 2. Caesar 4 really isn’t all that good.

… And now for something completely different. At first glance, this looks like just another mini game you might find on your phone. Let me tell you, if that’s what it is, it definitely got an upgrade. When I first found this game, I over-looked it. Then one of my favorite Twitch streamers played it, and I had to take notice, because it really looked like a lot of fun. So, I bought the game. And almost instantly it joined the ranks of my favorite games. Despite the fact that I’ve played this game less than any of the other current favorites, I know a good one when I see it. I decided early on that maybe I should save this game until I get to play it on stream for everyone to enjoy… and I still think that was the right choice. Really looking forward to jumping into this one tomorrow!

So, I’ve been teasing about this new links & tools section for a while, but I haven’t really explained what it is I’m going to be adding… so I decided it’s about time I did that. Basically, I want to collect all my sims knowledge into one place, and make it available for everyone. I’ve […]

I have many vivid memories of this game. Most of which involved being frustrated at bugs… so I hope this dip into Morrowind won’t devolve into frustration over the same thing. This was the first time I was ever introduced to the Elder Scrolls Series, which is a series that has affected my gaming career deeply. I feel that ALL roleplaying games should have the quests crafted as lovingly as the Elder Scrolls does it. The unfortunate truth is, however, that most aren’t. Beyond that, the beautiful environments and world crafted by the Elder Scrolls teams have been amazing. You honestly feel transported to somewhere else, and are immediately immersed into this world that just.. feels REAL. One day, I sincerely hope to actually finish the game. And the next one… and the one after that. Maybe that can be next year’s project.

I have officially finished slogging through re-categorizing and updating links on EVERY. SINGLE. POST. on the blog. (around 800 of them!) All are updated for colors, links, and categories. If you happen to find one I missed or messed up on from this point on, PLEASE let me know asap with a comment on that […]

I didn’t remember how many and how long the cut scenes were in this game. While it’s not bad while you’re playing, watching it makes it really quite boring. Add to it that the second day I tried to stream it, we kept getting crashes… and this did not live up to my memory of the game, unfortunately. Would I still recommend this game? Sure, if you’re not streaming it! (LOL) Just be prepared to sit through a lot of long cut scenes… and play through individual boss fights a few times until you get it just right.

We’ve already visited with SimTower, and I would be remiss if I didn’t include this game, which is considered by many to be it’s spiritual successor. There have been other tower games, but none have captured the spirit and addictiveness of the original as closely as this one did. I’ve put nearly 100 hours into this game, and I can honestly say I really enjoy it. It’s not the same game as the first by any means – it can’t be left overnight to run to get you cash for building – but it certainly has the same spirit. The expansions for the game have added some really fun features that the original game never thought of, and increased the challenge of keeping a successful tower going. On top of that, this game has scenarios that can challenge and engage you as the player in a number of different ways.

Every Sunday, I will be publishing the Game of the Week in the same places. Also: I just published the Feburary Shell Challenge, so check that out, as well!

Under This Old Roof: Due March 2nd (#thrallshell10) for tours on my Twitch channel! Download: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/10CFF6C7838211EC81DD4A66D38FABFA