GOG's Huge Fall Sale is RIGHT NOW!

I am a sucker for a PC game sale and GOG knows just how to hook me. In their big sales, you can earn free games. Check it out...

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***GOG's Huge Fall Sale***
Happening NOW!

Graphic I swiped from GOG's site. Clicking it will take you to GOG.com.

GOG has most of their catalog on sale right now. Telltale games, Witcher games, LEGO games, Oddworld games, old school retro style games, and more. There's a crap-ton I've never heard of, but that's not difficult; I'm not all that familiar with retro PC games.

I mentioned FREE GAMES, didn't I? You can earn them by doing little, cost-free things on the site. Seriously. The last sale I actually earned a game without buying anything—I just didn't have any money at the time. Don't you judge me. Buying games earns you the free ones faster, of course, and to earn the 30,000 XP game, you'll definitely have to part with some cash. Which means more games. And that's a good thing.

So what are the games you can earn? Expeditions: Conquistador (5,000 XP); DEX (15,000 XP); and Victor Vran (30,000 XP). And to give an example of how the XP works when buying games, if you buy the Game of the Year Edition of Witcher III The Wild Hunt (on sale for $29.99) and The Witcher (on sale for $1.49) you'll earn 31,490 XP (29,990 + 1,500), which will net you all three games. Heck, just logging in and buying Witcher III will net you all three, since logging in gives you 1000 XP. See where I'm going with this?  

The best part about GOG games is that they're DRM-free. You don't have to be online to play. So go check it out, grab an inexpensive game, and get to playing!

*All the mentioned games are property of their respective owners. GOG does not in any way support or endorse this gaming / fan / reviews blog. The HGG is not affiliated with GOG or any of the aforementioned games, their developers, or their publishers. 

Until next time...

Throwback Thursday (#2) - How Old = Retro?

My newest blog series, in which I go on and on and on about old games, old consoles, and other old things...

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***How Old = Retro?***
Throwback Thursday

Have you ever wondered, how old does something have to be to be considered retro?

By definition, retro is anything that involves, imitates, or relates to something from the recent past.

I think we can all agree that arcade games, Atari, and NES are definitely retro: classic 8-bit graphics, tinny music, and main storylines short enough to play in one sitting.

But a phrase like 'recent past' is highly subjective. Everyone's opinion on what constitutes 'recent' could be very different. Technically, yesterday is the recent past.

With that in mind, could we now consider the Xbox 360 / PS3 to be retro with the advent of Xbox One / PS4? Those earlier consoles first came out in 2005 / 2006 respectively. That's 10-11 years old.

Huh. My youngest child is ten.

The original Xbox was released in 2001, and honestly, it feels a bit retro to me. But from a personal standpoint, I consider the original PlayStation (released in 1994) and anything older as retro. To me, playing FFVII-IX, Tomb Raider I or II, Gran Turismo I or II, the Dino Crisis games, or Sled Storm is retro gaming.

And this doesn't even get into PC gaming. Many old games have been ported to PC. But what about old PC games? I have no experience with them at all, my PC gaming only dating back a year or two. I would love some input on retro PC gaming in particular. ☺

What do you think? How old do you think a console / game needs to be before you consider it retro? Let us know in the comments section below. ♥

Until next time...

Throwback Thursday (#1) - Let's Get Retro!

The newest blog series in which I expound upon the virtues of retro gaming...

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***Let's Get Retro!***
Throwback Thursday

Where, oh where do I start with this one? How about a simple post introducing the new blog series? Yeah, that's what this first post will be. Welcome!

Let's start this off right, shall we? I started gaming on an NES. Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior... ah, memories. 

My oldest brother had an Atari once upon a time. I think he actually got it after Mom bought the NES. A friend of mine had an Atari too. That meant hours of Ms Pac-Man, Asteroids, Frogger, and some other games I'd only played in the arcade before.

On the Horizon (#10) - Tiny Nintendo

In which I talk about upcoming games or game related items I am eager to get my hands on...

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Do you remember how expensive NES games were back in the day? I'm rather surprised Mom bought any for us. She did buy a few though, and my cousins had a few more. But between us, we only had a handful of games.

To that end, I'm really excited about this: 

***Tiny Nintendo***

Image nabbed from and linked to nintendo.com,
who does not in any way endorse this fan blog.

Yeah, you read that right. Nintendo recently announced their plans to release a tiny NES that will come pre-packed with 30 classic NES games. The list is varied and wonderful, some of them childhood favorites, and others I never had the opportunity to try.

Did you know...? (#1)

And now I begin a new series of posts in which I share little gaming tidbits because.... well, 'cause I want to. These bits of info will probably be old news to many gamers, but I'm sure I'm not the only one making the switch from one console to another, or someone new to the gaming world in general. Either way, this is my blog and I'll post any old bit of outdated info I want. :D

Here goes...

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**PS3 plays PS1 games**

If you own a PlayStation 3, you can get your retro gaming on by grabbing a PS1 game (lots of cheap ones in used game stores, on Amazon, or Ebay) and plopping it in. Yeah, this is probably old news to most of you PlayStation Zealots, but for those of us just finding our PS groove—again, or for the first time—this is epic.

First, make sure you create a virtual memory card on your system. It has two virtual card "slots" just like the PS1s, which means you can only have two "active" memory cards, but you can create as many memory cards as you can fit on your hard drive. There's a "memory card utility" section under "game" in the dashboard. It's kinda self-explanatory from there.

All you do then is put in the game you wanna play and have fun. It really is that simple. It doesn't work with PS2 games, unfortunately, unless you have one of the early PS3 models—if memory serves, the 80 GB models were the ones that played PS2 games, but don't quote me on that.

Until next time... 

New Loot (#27)

Hubby's been on a retro gaming kick and decided to buy me every Final Fantasy game he could find for consoles, except for the online-only ones. I did not object.

Here's a brief list of the ones I've gotten in the last couple of weeks...

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***Final Fantasy***
Published/Developed by Square Enix

• Origins (FFI/FFII) - PS1; rated T
• Chronicles (FFIV/Chrono Trigger) - PS1; rated T
• Anthology (FFV/FFVI) - PS1; rated T
• Dirge of Cerberus: FFVII - PS2; rated T
• FFVIII - PS1; rated T
• FFIX - PS1; rated T
• FFXII Collector's Edition - PS2; rated T

image © Square Enix*

I already had Type-0 HD Collector's Edition (PS4; rated M), FFX/X-2 Limited Edition (PS4; rated T), and FFXIII/XIII-2 Collector's Edition/Lightning Returns (Xbox 360; all rated T), so that means the only one left to get is FFVII. I tried to order that, but the one I bought ended up being VIII instead of VII (seller error), so I need to find a different copy of VII. I'll probably just buy it in the PlayStation Store. It's only $10 there.

You know what? Screw that. I'll get the Steam (PC) edition of FFVII. That way I can mod the heck out of it. They also have FFIII. I'm pretty sure I'm getting ALL the FF games for PC, so... yeah. I probably didn't actually need to get all the retro disc games. LOL

*Square Enix does not in any way endorse this fan blog.

Until next time... 

New Loot! (#26)

A few non-FF games we've gotten recently... 

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***White Knight Chronicles II***

Published by Sony Computer Entertainment/D3 Publisher

Developed by Level 5/SCE Japan Studio

Released 2011
PlayStation exclusive

*Rated T for Teen*

When I first asked hubby about getting a PS3, he told me to look for playstation exclusive games and let him know how many there were that I wanted. He was trying to determine if there were enough to make the purchase worthwhile. This was one of the games I found and added to the list.

I originally wanted the first game, White Knight Chronicles, but then I discovered that II includes a remastered edition of WKC I. Soon as hubby informed me that he'd ordered a PS3, I had him order this game for me. :D

Image links to Amazon. This game is also available in the PlayStation Store. 

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***God of War***
Saga

Published by Sony Computer Entertainment/Capcom

Developed by SCE Santa Monica Studio

Released 2012

PlayStation exclusive

*Rated M for Mature 17+*

Five games in one, though the copy we got doesn't have the two games that are download codes. It's a chance one takes when ordering used games. Ah, well.

This one might have been a mistake anyway. Not sure yet. I'll have to play it and see if it's too gory for my delicate sensibilities. ;) It might end up being hubby's game, but he never really cared for bloodbaths either. We'll see.

Image links to Amazon. These games are also available in the PlayStation Store. 

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***Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec***

Published by Sony Computer Entertainment

Developed by Polyphony Digital

Released 2006
PlayStation exclusive

*Rated E for Everyone*

Hubby's latest retro score. He had to complete his Gran Turismo collection, after all. Now he's waiting for the new GT game to be finished. Meanwhile, he can relive the joy of these older games.

Until next time... 

New Loot! (#25)

This post is for the 66 games and 6 consoles we just got from my brother. This is all retro stuff, so I'm just gonna list them, instead of the detailed posts I usually do. Here we go....

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***Consoles/Hardware***

• Xbox
• PlayStation (x2)
• PlayStation 2
• Nintendo (x2)
• Buttload of controllers for each
• Buttload of memory cards for PS1 and PS2
• Game Genie for Nintendo
• Game Shark for PlayStation
• PS2 remote for DVD play
• Xbox remote for DVD play
• Necessary cords/adaptors for networking PS1s, and connecting multiple controllers
• Carrying case for PS1
• Modem for PS2

***Games***

1. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (PS2)
2. Armored Core (PS1)
3. Armored Core: Project Phantasma (PS1)
4. Armored Core: Master of Arena (PS1)
5. Armored Core 2 (PS2)
6. Armored Core 2: Another Age (PS2)
7. Armored Core III (PS2)
8. Assault Rigs (PS1)
9. The Bouncer (PS2)
10. Brute Force (Xbox)
11. ChoroQ (PS2)
12. Chrono Cross (PS1)
13. Defender II (NES)
14. Descent (PS1)
15. Descent: Maximum (PS1)
16. Destruction Derby 2 (PS1)
17. Destruction Derby RAW (PS1)
18. Deus Ex: The Conspiracy (PS2)
19. Deus Ex: Invisible War (Xbox)
20. Dino Crisis (PS1)
21. Dino Crisis 2 (PS1)
22. Disaster Report (PS2)
23. Raw Danger (PS2)
24. Disruptor (PS1)
25. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Game of the Year Edition) (Xbox)
26. Forza Motorsport (Xbox)
27. Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge (PS1)
28. Gran Turismo (PS1)*
29. Gran Turismo 2 (PS1)*
30. Gran Turismo 4 (PS2)
31. Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland (PS2)
32. Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition - PlayStation 2 (PS2)
33. The Hunt For Red October (NES)
34. Krazy Ivan (PS1)
35. The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker / Ocarina Of Time w/ Master Quest (Gamecube)
36. Lemmings 3D (PS1)
37. Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (Xbox)
38. Metal Saga (PS2)
39. Micro Machines V3 (PS1)
40. Need for Speed: Underground (Xbox)
41. Orb-3D (NES)
42. Operation Wolf (NES)
43. Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection (PS2)*
44. Pro-Pinball: Big Race USA (PS1)*
45. Pro Pinball: Fantasic Journey (PS1)*
46. Rally Cross (PS1)
47. Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2)
48. R.C. Pro-Am (NES)
49. ReBoot (PS1)
50. Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
51. RPG Maker (PS1)
52. Sid Meier's Pirates! (Xbox)
53. The Sims 2 (Xbox)*
54. Sled Storm (PS1)
55. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (PS2)
56. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Platinum Hits (Xbox)
57. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords Platinum Hits (Xbox)
58. Star Wars Republic Commando (Xbox)
59. Steambot Chronicles (PS2)
60. Test Drive: Off Road (PS1)
61. Test Drive: Eve of Destruction (Xbox)
62. Tetris Plus (PS1)
63. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (Xbox)
64. Treasures of the Deep (PS1)
65. WWF Attitude (PS1)*
66. You Don't Know Jack (PS1)

I think that's all. Unless my brother shows up today with more. It could happen, believe me. ;)

The game titles link to Amazon so you can see descriptions, reviews, and whatnot. I'm sure you can find most or all of these on Ebay as well.

*Starred games are ones we are willing to trade or sell. Email me at jaimeygrant [at] yahoo {dot} com if you are interested.

Until next time...