Links
These are links to other places on the web that I've decided are interesting at one time or another.
Gaming
These days I seem to enjoy reading about games more than playing them. I'm particularly partial to reading about behind the scenes details and technical insights.
I think I'd probably enjoy modern games more if so many of them weren't just sprawling open worlds, with crafting systems and an obligation to sink anywhere from fifty to a hundred hours into them.
Castlevania III Password Algorithm
An in-depth look at how Castlevania III on the NES implemented its passwords that were used to save progress within the game.
Sonic, Street Fighter and the 'golden age' of gaming magazines
This BBC article looks at the publishing war of the 90s, in which magazines vied for the pocket money that drove the quickly expanding market relating to videogame consoles. Julian "Jaz" Rignall, editor of Mean Machines, reflects on this period.
JS13K 2023: Path to Glory Post Mortem
Rémi Vansteelandt won JS13K 2023 with this game that, like every other entry, fits within a 13K zip file. This post mortem covers some interesting technical details about how it was made and shows the variety of things that have to be considered when undertaking such a project.
Frasier Fantasy
It's long overdue that Frasier Crane makes his Gameboy debut in this very well realised fan game. From Café Nervosa to KACL, this is a really tightly paced homage to a great TV show. Play in-browser and see for yourself whether or not Frasier ends up with scrambled egg all over his face.
The Polygons of Another World
Fabien Sanglard sets off on a journey through the video-games hardware of the early 90s by examining how Eric Chahi's critically acclaimed game, "Another World", was implemented on each system.
Morrowind: An Oral History
This is a great long-read by Alex Kane, over on Polygon, in which former members of the team that created Bethesda's third entry in the Elder Scroll series discuss its conception, lore and legacy.
Final Fantasy 7: An Oral History
Another of Polygon's fantastic oral histories, this time by Matt Leone, which provides an inside look at the creation and fallout of Square's industry-defining role-playing game.
Counter-Strike creator reflects on 20 years of FPS Dominance
Jeremy Ray sits with Minh "Gooseman" Le to reflect on the eduring legacy of Counter-Strike, a Half-Life mod that went on to become an esports staple.
The Making of: Dust
Dave Johnston, the creator of one of Counter-Strike's most iconic maps, reflects on the creation of Dust. According to him, few players realise that it was the product of thievery and luck...
How to Play the Secret MS-DOS Game From Your Childhood
A look back at Gorillas, a game included with the QBasic programming language. Nibbles gets a mention too, which I have fond memories of hacking at the code of. It's even possible to play Gorillas or to play Nibbles (my tip is that in QBasic you can press F5 to run the program).
Virtual BBC Micro
VirtualBeeb is a functional, 3D recreation of the BBC Micro. It was the 8-bit that could be found in schools throughout the UK in the 1980s, thanks to the Computer Literacy Project. Playing Granny's Garden on one of these was probably a rite of passage.
GoldenEye's Anti-Game Design
This excerpt, from Alyse Knorr's "GoldenEye 007" book, looks at how GoldenEye benefitted from an iterative development approach that was organic, collaborative and fuelled by enthusiasm.