TroubleGMR’s Favorite Video Games: Final Fantasy Tactics

Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorite games of all time. I could write a long article about why and how, but suffice it to say, after I'd played it, I could not have been more eager for Final Fantasy VIII. Imagine my surprise when that wasn't the next game in the Final Fantasy...

First Impressions: Kingdom Hearts 3

Growing up, I remember important gaming decisions, made by my sister and myself, that addressed and overcame our preconceived notions about certain games. For example, when The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was coming out in 2003, my sister, one of the biggest Zelda fans ever, hated the concept. The art design was way...

80s and 90s Gamer Windfalls: Milon’s Secret Castle

Now, some people are doubtless going to argue with me on this one. I hear you. Milon's Secret Castle . . . a windfall? I never beat this game. I never even came close. It was way too hard. I didn't know anyone that even had the game, and those of my friends brave enough...

80s and 90s Gamer Windfalls: Crystalis

The Wikipedia article for Crystalis, an NES game published by SNK and released in the US in 1990, calls the game "a cult classic." I'd agree with that. It's not Final Fantasy or Zelda big, but the people that love this game, love it, and I'm among them. This is one of those games that...

TroubleGMR’s Favorite Video Games: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

The successful video game franchises often release periphery titles on handheld systems or mobile phones. Consider the Final Fantasy series. Some of those games, like Final Fantasy X and XIII, got direct sequels on the PlayStation and X Box consoles, but there are many sequels, prequels, and spin-offs on handheld systems and mobile phones that...

Adventures of a Lady Gamer: The Trial of the Xennial

I know what you must be thinking. Xennial? Where'd you dredge that up? What even is that? Are you an alien now, TroubleGMR? Watching a lot of supernatural TV shows lately, perhaps? None of the above, actually. As I've mentioned in the beginning of this series of articles, being a lady gamer has trials associated...

Life as a TroubleGMR: I Miss NES Instruction Manuals

Just picking up and playing a game, when I was a kid, was a recipe for disaster. Take, for example, one of the great NES classics: The Legend of Zelda. When you turned the game on, you were treated to cutting edge graphics . . . gray blobby cliffs and a blue-white waterfall, in all...