Moon Diver isn’t just a throwback to the days of old, it’s basically a time machine that takes you back to the good old days of video gaming. You (and up to three of your pals) take control of a super badass ninja and slash the shit out of everything in your way. The plot is your typical ‘save the world’ storyline you see often, but you’ll be too busy enjoying yourself to care. Just like all those old school titles, it’s HARD. Not like Ninja Gaiden or Castlevania thankfully, but it will give you a challenge. If you like classic side scrollers, please check this out. It’s even more fun if you bring along some buddies. There is even some downloadable content available for it as well. Oh yeah, if this looks a little bit like Strider, that’s because its director was Koichi Yotsui, who helmed the legendary Capcom classic.

Recently, Duke Nukem Forever was released. As everyone knows, this game was in development for so long, that it was feared to be canceled at one point. With the lukewarm reception the game has received, it might as well have been canceled. However, not all games are fortunate enough to see a release, let alone after this long. The following is a list of releases that never made it off the cutting room floor. BTW, this list does not include ports or translations of games that were canceled, just games that were canceled completely, so you can miss me with the emails about why the Dreamcast version of Shenmue 2 isn’t on here.
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Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh was the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran. He won Time Magazine’s ‘man of the year’ award for 1951, and was even called ‘The George Washington’ or Iran. He nationalized the oil industry ticking off the British. The C.I.A led a coup against him, removed him from power, and replaced him with the Shah of Iran. In this free-to-download game (I use the term ‘game’ in passing) developed by Peter Brinson and Kurosh ValaNejad, you get to learn some history about one of the world’s most misunderstood regions, and it’s got a pretty unique art style to boot. Don’t worry, I won’t beat you over the head with round 56789324324 of the ‘games as art’ debate. I’m just saying though, if you’re one of those people that think it is, then this is another piece of evidence supporting your argument.
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To the layman’s eye, Terraria may seem like another Minecraft rip off. However, if you give this platformer a chance, you’ll find a bit more to it than that. After customizing your character, you are then given several tools for digging. All you have to go on (beside the game wiki) is a man who offers you a few hints as to what to do. Your task ideally is to build, build, build. Your tools give you the means to gather the materials you need to build houses, weapons, and other supplies. The houses allow people to move in, and before long your empty world is a village full of people who can provide goods and services. Oh, and there are also enemies to fight. The slimes and other small creatures you battle during the day are rough enough, but when it gets to night, you’ll have to deal with zombies, demons, and other strong creatures. Thankfully you can create weapons that will come in handy. The game encourages exploration, but it’s imperative that you concentrate on building. The game also features online multiplayer. The game controls well with a keyboard, but it would benefit from keypad/joystick support. The game is fun and addictive, and you’ll want to go deeper and deeper as you play, and the game’s 16-bit pixelated art style will appeal to old-school gamers.

Global Warming, Climate Change, or whatever you want to call it, is a great source of controversy. There are many who believe that it is a very real possibility and a serious threat. On the other side, there are people who believe that Global Warming conspiracies are part of an anti-corporate/anti-christian conspiracy to raise taxes and give power to big government. U.K-based Independent developers Red Redemption seem to be on the former side, and have produced the game Fate of the World, a successor to thier 2006 browser game Climate Challenge.
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The world is coming to an end. Unlike 2 weeks ago, it really is happening this time. Instead of some douche evangelist, it will end at the hands of a mythological demon with a fish for a head. There is no way to prevent it. Instead, it falls upon you to gather everything that was great about the world so you can build a new one. You’ll do so by controlling an avatar which rolls over everything it wants to gather, causing it to stick to him. Waitaminute, where have I heard this before? Okay, so TWEOTW may share some similarities with a certain game created by Namco, but if Saint’s Row taught us anything, it’s that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So if you got a few bucks, you can download this fun title. It may not be original, but it is fun.

Make no mistake, this is the latest entry in Konami’s Contra franchise. For real, check the main menu theme and game over theme. Despite it’s anime look (courtesy of developer Arc Systems) and sci-fi setting, this entry contains all the hyperactive shoot-em-up action that you expect from the series. The story is pretty generic, with the typical evil government and you as a former soldier out to stop them, but who plays a Contra game for the story? You (and a buddy if playing co-op) grab your guns, and blast everything that moves, picking up weapon upgrades you find en route. You can play in traditional arcade mode, or an all new ‘Rising’ mode where you can earn new moves and weapon upgrades. Extra characters are available for download. Uprising is part of Konami’s attempt to start a spin-off franchise with Hard Corps (originally released on the Genesis during the 90s), and if future titles are as good as this, Hard Corps will represent a new direction for the Contra franchise just as it did all those years ago. Weather you’re a fan of Contra, or just like old school 2D action, you’ll want to download this title.

What better way is there to launch a new Nintendo console than with a flagship series? If Mario isn’t available, then there is always Zelda. The Twilight Princess is the Zelda title fans have waited for ever since before the Windwaker on the Gamecube (remember that footage of Link battling a skeleton knight?), and it was also a good preview of what we could expect on the Wii. As Link, you set out to save the kingdom of Hyrule from a creeping darkness that is slowly taking over it. At times you travel to the world within this darkness, where you take the form of a wolf as you seek out a way to burn it away. After getting rid of the darkness, you can then explore the light version of the world. The game does a good job of utilizing the new motion controls without making anything feel forced. You shake the Wiimote to swing your sword, and you can even aim it to fire your bow. You can also use it in a fishing minigame. Although the animations are a bit canned (remember, this was intended to be a Gamecube game), the controls are intuitive and fun. This is classic Zelda action at its best. You explore dungeons and gain new items that help you make your way through them, and you encounter bosses which force you to think your strategy through. Keeping in Nintendo tradition, Link doesn’t talk, although the story is still moving as there are plenty of water cooler moments and twists to keep you progressing through the game to see what’s next. With a new Zelda game on the way, now is the perfect time to check out this modern-day classic.