Yay! Another non-gaming Lost Classic! To be fair, the subject of this movie was featured in several WWF/E and WCW video games as well as Acclaim’s Legends of Wrestling.
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This past week saw the end of one of the most brutal election seasons in recent history. Whether you voted for Barry-O or Mittens, one thing is for sure, you’ll be thankful for no more campaign ads. There are quite a few games that depict the campaign trail i(n fact, I looked at one late last year). However, how not too many games depict what happens after you step into the Oval Office, and I don’t mean city builders like Tropico and SimCity either. Rather, how many games let you control every aspect of your nation’s policies, from welfare to foreign aid? Cliff Harris/Positech Game’s Democracy 2 is one of the few games that lets players do just that.
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Contra – Legacy of War represents one of the franchise’s lowest points. As the sequel to the Genesis classic Contra – Hard Corps, Legacy of War should have used the Playstation’s processing power to bring the franchise to the next generation with full force. Instead, it became one of the bastard step children of one of Konami’s most beloved franchises, right along side the Nintendo 64 Castlevania titles.
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We here at the Powet Municipal Court accuse the defendant, one 1337 Game Design of providing a fun and engaging 80s sitcom-style turn-based strategy experience, and we present this intro video as evidence.
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Before I started last month’s Halloween motif, I did re-visitations of several old school Disney games. Now that it’s November, I thought I would bring you one more. Of course seeing as how Halloween was 2 days ago, lets take a look at one of Disney’s darker properties: Gargoyles.
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This is the fourth and final of our special series of horror-related $20GOTW for the month of October.

Developed by Ukrainian developer Action Forms, Cryostasis is a unique (if flawed) first person psychological horror game. Stepping into the shoes of Russian meteorologist Alexander Nesterov as you explore the remains of a shipwrecked nuclear ship as you try to figure out what happened to the crew, many of whom having turned into mindless beasts. With his ‘Mental Echo’ ability, you can enter the memories of the crew members, figure out what happened to them, and even try to change their fate. The game takes place in the North Pole, so naturally, you will be cold. The warmth will serve as your life meter, so you’ll have to find sources of heat to stay alive. Cryostasis moves along at a slow and linear pace, although the story is compelling for anyone who sticks with it. As Lost Planet showed players, the icy north cam be a good setting for video games, particularly horror.

Monster in My Pocket was a kids franchise that was fairly popular in the early 90s. The line consisted mainly of small action figures (similar to the Muscle figurines of the 80s), although there was also a short-lived comic series, an animates special, a board game, a trading card line, and this video game from Konami. Playing as either Frankenstein’s Monster or the Vampire (or both is playing in 2-player simultaneous mode) you make your way through 6 stages in order to stop the evil Warlock. You’re traveling throughout mundane environments like a living room and garden, but since you’re pocket size, these environments become quite dangerous. Both characters are equal in terms of skill, although they can do a double jump as well. Several monsters from the line show up in the game, and the package even contains an exclusive figurine. While this game was nothing special, it was a remarkably good NES game which you and a friend could spend an afternoon playing.

This is the third of our special series of horror-related $20GOTW for the month of October.

Developed by Jasper Bryne, Lone Survivor is a 2D-pixelated survival horror game which places an emphasis on survival and sanity. You are a nameless character who wears a surgical mask. You are stuck in an apartment in a middle of an outbreak which has caused people to turn into mindless mutants. You have to explore the apartment and find other survivors. However, you’ll have to find food and sleep in order to stay alive and maintain your sanity. You will be beset by strange hallucinations, and at times, it will be difficult to tell what’s real and what isn’t. You find weapons and ammo, but a lot of times it’s a better idea to hide from enemies rather than take them on. You’ll constantly be playing against the clock, as not only do you have to find items needed to proceed, but you’ll also have to find food and sleep on a regular basis. You’ll gain one of several endings depending on how you proceed in the world. While Lone Survivor looks like it would fit on the Super Nintendo, it’s disturbing and unique enough to fit in with today’s survival horror.