Retrospective archive
On 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, The Surprisingly Excellent Third-Person Shooter That History Forgot
For 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand's 10th anniversary this year, we give it a long overdue reappraisal.
Final Fantasy 8 Was Always Good
Reexamining one of the most divisive games in the series on its 20th anniversary.
How Crash Team Racing Challenged Mario Kart and Made Naughty Dog What It Is Today
We look back on the kart racing hit with Naughty Dog's co-founders and Crash Team Racing's lead artist.
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On 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, The Surprisingly Excellent Third-Person Shooter That History Forgot
For 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand's 10th anniversary this year, we give it a long overdue reappraisal.
Final Fantasy 8 Was Always Good
Reexamining one of the most divisive games in the series on its 20th anniversary.
How Crash Team Racing Challenged Mario Kart and Made Naughty Dog What It Is Today
We look back on the kart racing hit with Naughty Dog's co-founders and Crash Team Racing's lead artist.
From Super Fan to Producer: An Insider's Perspective on Silent Hill
GUEST POST | A Silent Hill producer reflects on what drew him to the perennially haunted series, and what it was like to work on it during its troubled years.
Kingdom Hearts 3 Primer: Making Sense of Kingdom Hearts' Notoriously Complex Story
We try to condense everything you need to know about Kingdom Hearts, so you don't have to read five million Wikis.
Roguelikes: How a Niche PC RPG Genre Went Mainstream
HISTORY OF RPGS | Mystery Dungeon tackled the daunting task of making roguelikes friendly.
The Fall and Rise of the Xbox One
The Xbox One is the best pure console on the market right now, but it's been a hard road getting to this point.
Ultimate Success: The Rise of Super Smash Bros.
Few games inspire as much passion as Super Smash Bros. But why?
How Ultima 4 and Wasteland Ushered in a New Era of Maturity for RPGs
HISTORY OF RPGS | Inside Ultima 4 and Wasteland, two critical attempts to bring meaning to the genre of RPGs.
The Complex Legacy of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on its 20th Anniversary
Even after two decades, the importance of Link's first foray into Hyrule's third dimension can't be overstated.
Warframe's Journey From Just Another F2P Shooter to One of the Best Games of the Generation
Warframe is five years old, with a new expansion and Switch port under its belt this month. We look back on how it got to this point.
How Dragon Quest Inspired the First Big Console RPG Boom in Japan, Both For Better and For Worse
HISTORY OF RPGS | A survey of the innovative RPGs to emerge in Loto's wake.
Yuji Horii Remembers the Difficult Road to Liberating RPGs from Costly Computers With Dragon Quest
HISTORY OF RPGS | The great migration away from just PCs started with Dragon Quest in 1986.
The Bard's Tale Launched the Second Wave of RPGs
HISTORY OF RPGS | Welcome to Skara Brae, and to the future.
How Wizardry Cast Story Aside in Favor of Casting Spells
HISTORY OF RPGS | In Part Two of our monthly series, Robert Woodhead enlightens us about Wizardry's pursuit of systems over story.
How the Ultima Trilogy Took a Genre from Tabletop to Hi-Tech
HISTORY OF RPGS | In Part One of our new monthly series, Lord British shares his perspectives on the process of bringing pen-and-paper RPGs into the digital realm.
On Its 30th Anniversary, Revisiting the Original Metal Gear
Hideo Kojima's stealth classic debuted on MSX on this day in 1987, and Kat and Jeremy return to Outer Heaven for a fresh take on a landmark classic.
Before Rogue One: When Games Were Filling in the History of Star Wars
The veterans who worked on X-wing remember when Star Wars was still a relatively blank canvas.
"The Greatest Star Wars Game Ever": Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
The USG team recounts their personal favorite Star Wars through the years. Today: Mike on being a Jedi for the first time.
Why the Pokemon Anime is the Most Successful Adaptation of a Videogame Ever
Game Freak's marketing juggernaut owes much of its success to its television spinoff. And it's still going.
The Time a Japanese Famicom Game Tried to Simulate American Presidential Politics
As the 2016 presidential election finally comes to a close, we look back on Japan's optimistic take on American electoral politics.
Red Dead Redemption's Curious 8-Bit Origin Story
How 2017's Western juggernaut can trace its family history all the way back to the frontier days of 1985.
At 30, Castlevania May be Dead, But Its Influence Lingers Beyond The Grave
Happy anniversary, Simon Belmont! Too bad your bloodline is as deceased as Dracula himself.
10 Years Ago, Dead Rising Kicked off a Generation that Ended Up Choosing a Much Different Path
Capcom's take on Dawn of the Dead showed what the future would hold for last generation's consoles, even if few others would borrow its hardcore approach.
Catch Our Super NES 25th Anniversary Stream Series [Next: EarthBound]
Nintendo's 16-bit behemoth has hit the quarter-century mark, and we're celebrating with live streams of the system's 25 best games! Our anniversary showcase continues next week with EarthBound.
With Yoshi's Island, the Mario Series Broke Its Own Rules
Nintendo's iconoclastic platformer defied expectations and became all the more memorable for it.
Pokémon Ranger Arrives on Virtual Console to Remind Us That Not Every Spin-off is Pokémon Go
Without a multiplayer component, is there really much point to Pokémon?
Argonaut's X, the Rough Draft for Star Fox, Highlights the Compromises of Game Design
The most technically impressive work ever to appear on Game Boy reveals a harsh truth about the realities of making games.
A Game Design Near-Miss: Double Dragon for Game Boy
Why the classic brawler's handheld version was almost (but not quite) its best home port.
Nintendo 64: Was It Phenomenal or was it A Flop?
20 years ago, Nintendo's final cartridge-based console launched in Japan. The USgamer team reflects on what the system accomplished, what it meant, and how it struggled.
How Mother 3 Escaped Development Hell to Become a Modern Classic
While this EarthBound sequel may never see an official English release, it still stands as one of Nintendo's greatest achievements.
The Legend of Zelda's Only Cartoon Aspired to Competence in a Landscape of Trash
It might not have been the most faithful adaptation, but Link's animated adventures stood slightly above typical kids' TV dreck.
The History of RPGs: How Dragon Quest Redefined a Genre
COVER STORY: 30 years ago, a small team of Japanese game designers changed the way the world looked at role-playing games.
10 Years Ago, Half-Life 2: Episode One Began Valve's Biggest Broken Promise
While it set us up for disappointment, this first Half-Life 2 episode remains one of the few treasures from Valve's most interesting era.
Virtual Spotlight: StarTropics, the Zelda-like that Kinda Hates You
This short-lived Nintendo series never escaped the 8-bit era, but its two games—now available on Wii U—bring plenty of memorable moments (and lots of pain).
The New Mutants: Four Games that Changed Drastically During Development
Things don't always go according to plan—especially when it comes to video games.
10 Years Ago, New Super Mario Bros. Made Old-School Cool… or Profitable, Anyway
The only thing truly "new" about Nintendo's DS blockbuster was the notion that maybe classic platformers still had a place in the world, but that was enough to make a difference.
Comfort Food Games: Dungeon Keeper
When it comes to Peter Molyneux's brilliant RTS/god game mashup, close to two decades later, evil is still good.
How an Unexpected Pairing Gave Super Mario RPG a 20-Year Legacy
Square and Nintendo's 1996 experiment might have seemed strange at the time, but it birthed a long line of weird and wonderful RPGs.
The Strange Origins of Your Favorite Japanese Game Developers
We all had to start somewhere—and these directors started in some pretty inauspicious places.
PlayStation 4K, Xbox "Neo," and the Unhappy History of Mid-Cycle Console Upgrades
Sony and Microsoft's plan to refresh their current consoles has become the industry's worst-kept secret, but they'll be fighting uphill against history.
Stranger of Sword City Turns Out to be More Familiar Than Its Name Suggests
While its intriguing premise isn't the only novel element this dungeon crawler brings to the table, it's ultimately business as usual.
How Nintendo Saved Baseball in Seattle
An odd chapter in Nintendo's history is coming to a close. Here's how they ended up with the Mariners in the first place.
Star Fox's History of Innovation, For Better or Worse
Star Fox Zero will be the latest game in the series to lean on innovation. Here are a few of the previous attempts, and whether they were ultimately successful.
Last of the Line: Game Boy Advance Ended One Legacy as It Began Another
15 years after its debut, Nintendo's final single-screen handheld stands out as a herald of transition.
A Trip to the Graveyard of Lost Game Technology
They say the medium's the message, but let's hope that's not true of these dead formats. The good and bad of video game tools that have fallen into obsolescence.
Behind the Art of Day of the Tentacle
COVER STORY: LucasArts alumni Peter Chan and Larry Ahern chat about the challenges of making a "cartoon adventure" under the constraints of early '90s technology.
For Great Justice: A Partial Origin Story of Gaming's Original Internet Meme
A look back at our collective fascination with a threat in broken English, as an alien took possession of all our base.
On Discovering the Famicom Disk System: Nintendo's Alternate Reality Version of the NES
On the occasion of the Japan-only peripheral's 30th anniversary, Jeremy takes a journey through its twisted rendition of the familiar NES experience.
Long Time Coming: Finishing the Original Legend of Zelda in 2016
Kat finally got the original Zelda off her bucket list this year. Here's what she found.
The 15 Best Games Since 2000: The Complete List
What are the fifteen best games from the past fifteen years? Here's our complete list.
In Their Own Words: An Oral History of Diablo II With David Brevik, Max Schaefer, and Erich Schaefer
Fifteen years after its original release, the creators of Diablo II recount the battles with Blizzard, the year of crunch, and the shower ideas that became some of roleplaying's most enduring pillars.
10 Years Ago, Resident Evil 4 Saved a Series from Itself
With this polarizing sequel, director Shinji Mikami brought newfound relevance to the property that made him a star—and paved the way for the future of action games.
The Xbox 360 Turns Ten this Weekend
Wanna feel old? Well, just read that headline again, aged one.
Use Questions on Developer: A Ron Gilbert Retrospective
Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert reflects on 30 years in the industry, and a new chance to revive his old brand of point-and-click magic.
Cover Story: 30 Years of NES, 30 Interesting NES Facts
Big historic developer interviews a little tl;dr for your caffeine-addled mind? Try these 30 easy, bite-sized tidbits about the NES instead.
How Marty McFly Saved Video Games
Wild Gunman may be a relic today, but it had a vital role to play in the past, present, and future.
Before Amiibo Cards, Nintendo Gave Us e-Reader
The notion of transmitting video game data via trading cards may seem strange, but with Amiibo Cards are simply another instance of Nintendo repurposing an old idea.
20 Brilliant Things About PlayStation
The USgamer team marks the console's 20th anniversary by recounting 20 memorable PS1 experiences.
Before There Were Indies, There Was Ambrosia
This day in video game history: A venerable little game maker celebrates its 22nd anniversary.
Futurama, a Reminder That Comedy is Hard to Translate into Game Form
On this day in video game history: We shut up and they took our money.
System Shock 2 Proved the FPS Could be More Than Doom Clones
The day in video game history: The ultimate RPG-shooter debuted.
The 15 Best Games Since 2000, Number 1: Dark Souls
Praise the Sun!
Cloak & Dagger, the Video Game Movie That Wasn't About Video Games
This day in video game history: A junior thriller that turned out to be a spy flick first and foremost, despite its video game connections.
The 15 Best Games Since 2000, Number 2: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Let's take a look at the high point of the Metal Gear franchise... Mr. President.
The 15 Best Games Since 2000, Number 3: World of Warcraft
Despite being almost 11 years old, World of Warcraft still remains the most-played MMORPG. Here's why.
The 15 Best Games Since 2000, Number 4: Shadow of the Colossus
Team Ico's beautiful puzzle platformer stands as one of the only games of its kind.
The 15 Best Games Since 2000, Number 5: Persona 4
Atlus' absurdly late PlayStation 2 RPG sparked a phenomenon that still persists to this day.
Craving Castlevania? Check Out Konami's Own Official "Bootleg"
It's not a true Castlevania game, but this forgotten handheld adventure makes a decent substitute.
The 15 Best Games Since 2000, Number 6: Minecraft
Mojang's masterpiece is all about bringing creativity to everyone.
DOOM 3 and the Challenge of Living up to Your Own Legacy
How do you top the achievement of changing video games forever? For id Software, the answer was to change directions entirely.
The 15 Best Games Since 2000, Number 7: Resident Evil 4
Capcom rejiggers Resident Evil and comes up with the best entry in the franchise.
For Some Games, the Trick to Enduring is Simply Finding the Right Platform
Occasionally, great games like Lode Runner find greater success by making the leap to new hardware.
The 15 Best Games Since 2000, Number 8: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Our first trip into Los Santos remains one of the best games in the GTA series.
Carmageddon, the Mad Max Racer That Never Was
When their licensing plans fell through, Stainless Software decided to throw social responsibility to the wind and double down on bad behavior.
The 15 Best Games Since 2000, Number 9: BioShock
A brilliant combination of influences that bucked the trends of era and genre to stand as something wholly unique.
Ecco the Dolphin, A Relic from When Caring About Earth was Good Business
Back when society briefly cared about staving off an ecological apocalypse, Novotrade and Sega converted that eco-compassion into a fascinating video game voyage.
Nintendo's Secret Strongest Genre? Golf
The world loves Nintendo for Link, but the publisher is just as impressive when it comes to the links.
The 15 Best Games Since 2000, Number 10: Red Dead Redemption
One of the best open-world games ever made.
Nintendo's Greatest Failure Had Gamers Seeing Red
20 years ago, Nintendo gambled on the unconventional Virtual Boy, bringing an end to a remarkable winning streak.
The Day That Even Grand Theft Auto Conceded Its Limits
Ten years ago, we learned where gaming's baddest, most daring franchise draws the line: At sex.
Before Tales and Dark Souls, Namco Gave RPG Fanatics the Druaga Games
The publishing giant has been cheerfully abusing gamers for decades.
On This Day in Video Game History: Patriotic Pac-Man Perfection
Yep, it's already been 16 years since Billy Mitchell racked up the highest score possible in Namco's arcade classic.
Virtual Spotlight: Harvest Moon Hits a High Point with Friends of Mineral Town
This 2003 Game Boy Advance release feels like a fitting end to Harvest Moon's first act—one that's still intensely playable today.
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary and Judgment Rites are Two Adventure Games Worth Revisiting
With Interplay's classic adventures finally making their way to Good Old Games, Star Trek fans owe it to themselves to try these lost gems.
TIE Fighter: A Gamer's Education
Kat reflects on the game that changed her perspective on gaming.
Metal Gear: Two Anniversaries, and The Future
Released 10 years apart, Metal Gear side stories Snake's Revenge and Ghost Babel feel worlds apart... yet they may speak volumes about the series' future.
Retronauts Episode 37 Keeps the Memory of Also-rans Alive
Neo Geo Pocket and WonderSwan don't command the same place in history as their competitor Game Boy, but we love them anyway.
Virtual Spotlight: Life Force, NES's High-Quality Lo-Fi Shooter
Konami's Gradius spinoff may not have enjoyed all the elaborate effects of other NES shooters, but it remains a treat to play even now.
Lego Star Wars After 10 Years: The Game That Briefly Made the Prequels Likable
Before it was an all-encompassing franchise, this little licensed gem by Traveller's Tales did the impossible.
The Return of ToeJam & Earl, the Genesis Exclusive Time Forgot
With another ToeJam & Earl on the way, we examine the Sega franchise time forgot.
25 Years Ago, Super Mario Bros. 3 Made Video Game Launches Monumental
Long before midnight GameStop lines and pre-order madness, Nintendo introduced the world to pre-release hype.
2014 Recap: Danganronpa Taught Us the Finer Points of Despair
NIS' efforts brought the entire Danganronpa series to the USA in just one year—spoiling anyone who's a fan of mystery, mayhem, and text-heavy adventure games.
2014 Recap: Driving Game Highs - and Technical Lows
This year had all the hallmarks of a fine vintage for racing games, but unfortunately while some delivered a brilliant experience, others failed to live up to their potential.
2014 Recap: Bayonetta 2 Perfects the Platinum Games Formula
More than just a sequel, this latest Platinum Games production could be the developer's finest work to date.
2014 Recap: A Vintage Year for First-Person Shooters
2014 has been a great year for FPS games. We take a look at the best of them - and explain what makes each one stand on its own merits.
The Six Secrets of Suikoden II's Success
Why Konami's freshly reissued RPG classic remains one of the best the genre has ever seen.
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