Old Gamer’s Almanac

Help. My life has been changed and I'll never be the same again. We're talking about an undeniable triumph of a game: Celeste. I don't know what to do with my hands. I'm shaking. It's so good and the idea of lessening its value by even putting it on our stupid list fills me with unimaginable dread. Will this show ever be the same? Maddy Thorson on is Madeline canonically trans? Music by nightcorey...

Another series in the bag! Well, at least one arc of the Halo franchise. There's plenty more Halo games to eventually cover, but we finished the fight and it's time to evaluate how this trilogy stands up to THE LIST. This is the most polarizing of the Halo games, with a multiplayer we adore but a single player we loathe. What can all of that mean for it's inevitable ranking?? Music by nightcorey....

We get to tackle a new game! Well, new to us. Seeing as we aren't fancy press that get copies of games early, this is about as fast as we can churn out an episode about a new release, but this one is very exciting. Metroid is one of Matt's beloved franchises, and an genre where Hunter tends to like other entries. So where will the most recent entry fall amongst all the other games replicating the...

It took some time, but we did it! Our first series is under our belt. Mass Effect 3 has a wild history given the state it was released in and how it was changed over time. How much of that plays into what it's like to play the game in 2021? How does it stack up against 1 and 2? More importantly, how does it stack up against Out Run and Hyper Light Drifter? Music by nightcorey. https://soundcloud.c...

This week Hunter is joined by two fellow Portland comedians to discuss the 1996 classic Donkey Kong Country 3. Or at least, they try to discuss, but it's hard to keep these boys focused. There's a lot of stuff in here about Xbox Gamer scores too, and I hope you find it as hilarious as Matt did while editing. Music by nightcorey. https://soundcloud.com/nightcorey Email us your thoughts on the ongoi...

We're continuing our journey through Xbox's golden child with Halo 2. Among the most "hyped" games of all time, it was hard not to be swept up in the furor surrounding Halo 2. But can that excitement extend into 2021? Only THE LIST can decide. Music by nightcorey. https://soundcloud.com/nightcorey Email us your thoughts on the ongoing list at oldgamersalmanac (at) gmail(dot)com. Or come talk to us...

We were very excited to talk about this incredible, classic first person shooter. While Quake follows in the footsteps of some other monumental games, it still defined some aspect of the genre that you can still feel present in most modern games! If you've played pretty much any id Software or Valve game, chances are Quake feels deeply familiar to you already! Music by nightcorey. https://soundclo...

We haven't finished the Mass Effect series yet, but in preparation for this year's Halo Infinite release, we're playing through the original Halo trilogy! Today starts with our most nostalgic entry, Halo: Combat Evolved. This also firmly establishes the Bro Arc, which is apparently taking us through to the end of the year. We'll have to have a weeaboo cleanse in 2022 Music by nightcorey. https://s...

We return to our series on the Mass Effect Trilogy with the universally beloved second entry. The characters get real good, and the combat gets better. Is it one of the best RPGs of all time, as some people say? Music by nightcorey. https://soundcloud.com/nightcorey Email us your thoughts on the ongoing list at oldgamersalmanac (at) gmail(dot)com. Or come talk to us on our main Discord (Space Cats...

The Dadlands have consumed Matt, so this week we get to premiere our first of hopefully many episodes featuring a special guest. To start this, we invited our close friend and collaborator E.J. Sanders to talk with Hunter about the grand strategy game Crusader Kings 3. The most recent release from Paradox Interactive, this is the culmination of decades of dedication to a specific genre from one st...

Published by Sega in 1986, designed by Yu Suzuki with music by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Out Run is a timeless arcade driving game. How can a person even begin to compare a classic arcade cabinet car game to the likes of Mass Effect and Hyper Light Drifter? Well, you've come to the one place contractually obligated to answer that question. Also, expect more conversations about difficulty in video gaming...

Okay, this week we have to try something weird. So far we've been talking about what we would mostly consider "Good Games." But this isn't the Good Gamers Almanac, this is the Old Gamer's Almanac where we rank EVERY game, which means sometimes we have to dip into the seedy underbelly of gaming and try games that aren't so good. First up, War of the Monsters, a deeply forgettable game from the Play...

Finally, the list is getting complicated enough to start warranting genuine debate. And this week we kick off our first series we'll be diving into with Bioware's Mass Effect. Mass Effect redefined the western RPG in many way, but within that innovation are a handful of notable missteps. Where in the ranking will it fall and will Matt regret his argument for the rest of the show? Never fear, there...

It's time to begin ranking! Hyper Light Drifter is an indie darling from 2016 described as Link to the Past meets Hack and Slash. Combing smooth combat and generous exploration, does this game have what it takes to earn the temporary label of "Best Game of All Time, or is it doomed to "Worst." Music by nightcorey. https://soundcloud.com/nightcorey Email us your thoughts on the ongoing list at oldg...

Welcome to the premiere of The Old Gamer's Almanac! We thrilled to kick off this new project. We are the definitive ranking of all video games ever, one week at a time. And here in the early days is when you'll especially feel that "one week at a time" aspect, because to kick things off, we don't really have anything to rank. But we decided to set a high bar for all other games to compete with by...

Coming soon! The definitive ranking of all video games ever, one week at a time! Join us on the never-ending quest to review and rank every game in existence. And if you're in the business of games, we'd really appreciate it if you could stop so that we can catch up. We are thrilled to start this new show and look forward to debuting the first three episodes very soon. In the meantime, please acce...