Hey folks, it's time to vote for the May 2021 Together Retro theme. We have here a selection of five (5) choices, and you may choose up to two (2) of them. Revoting will not be allowed, so once you make your selection, it's set in stone.
Keep in mind that, no matter the category, we ask you play something that was released at a minimum of 10 years ago. Beyond that, take the guidelines for the category and interpret as you wish. I'm interested in discussion along specific lines and will provide greater detail in each option description. So let's get to it then.
==========================================================================
RIDING SHOTGUN
"We're taking a car ride to hell, and you're riding shotgun!"
- Hobo with a Shotgun
The shotgun is one of the most ubiquitous firearms in video games. Whether in the break-action, pump, or automatic variety, or even some of the more unusual and unique designs, the shotgun has become a symbol for close range, devastating offense and power. I have a personal belief that if an FPS can't get a shotgun right, it's not a good FPS, but shotguns appear almost everywhere that you have any kind of weapons fire in video games.
And that's why they deserve a closer examination. As the workhorse of video game arsenals, let's look at how the shotgun gets represented, how it's used, and how you feel about it as a player. No matter what game you choose to play for this, focus on that shotgun, and let's discuss.
SUGGESTED GAMES: DOOM series, Duke Nukem 3D, Grand Theft Auto series, Metal Slug series, Half-Life series, Resident Evil series, Hitman series, The House of the Dead III, F.E.A.R., S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Uncharted series, Blood, Black, Tomb Raider series, Army of Two, Metal Gear Solid 3, Halo series, The Punisher, Soldier of Fortune series, Syndicate, Turok series...you get the idea.
TACTICOOL
"Good tactics can save even the worst strategy. Bad tactics will destroy even the best strategy."
- George S. Patton
This selection is about the Tactical FPS. While slow and steady wins the race, eventually you'll have to go in guns blazing, so how do you plan for it to win the day? How do you break down your squad, be it military or police? How do you use terrain, tools, and setting to your advantage, and what approach do you take? And how does your opponent react? Consider these points as you lead your team to victory...or death.
SUGGESTED GAMES: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six series, SWAT 3, Ghost Recon series, Brothers in Arms series, Operation Flashpoint series, ARMA series, Delta Force series, Counter-Strike, Terra Nova, Red Orchestra series, Hidden & Dangerous series, I.G.I. series, Mortal Coil: Adrenalin Intelligence
THE RIDDLE OF STEEL
"For no one - no one in this world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts. This you can trust."
- Conan the Barbarian
This category is a celebration of sword combat. How does the blade handle? Do you wield it with elegance to finish your opponent swiftly or like a savage, hacking and mangling until the last of their life spurts into the dirt? Examine the style and rate the difficulty.
SUGGESTED GAMES: Bushido Blade series, Kengo, Soul Edge/Soul Calibur series, Way of the Samurai series, Weaponlord, Die by the Sword, The Mark of Kri, Battleblaze, Last Bronx, Samurai Shodown series, Onimusha, Demon's Souls
A BOY AND HIS POST-APOCALYPSE
"The apocalypse has had an apocalypse."
- Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
This category is set around a thematic element: video games set during and after an apocalyptic event has disrupted human civilization. Humanity is sent back to barbarism, usually in a world depleted of natural resources and rendered largely barren. When playing these games, it's important to focus on how these worlds were formed. Was it nuclear war? A zombie plague? Demons? How does one setting differ from another, and how do all emphasize the difficulty in the day to day struggle of simply staying alive? What sorts of threats now face humanity that did not exist before? The approach can be varied, but the quest to continue living is ever present.
SUGGESTED GAMES: Wasteland, Fallout, Metro 2033, DOOM II: Hell on Earth, Abomination, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, RAGE, Left 4 Dead, RoboCop Versus The Terminator, Crystalis, Dead Rising, Gears of War, Fragile Dreams, Terranigma, KKnD, Mad Max (NES), Nier, Silhouette Mirage
EXTERMINATUS
"Some may question your right to destroy ten billion people. Those who understand know that you have no right to let them live."
— Exterminatus Extremis
This category is a celebration of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 video games. While both series have seen an explosion of titles in the last decade, there have been a number of releases worth tracking down since the 1990s.
These games tend to have a heavy strategy bent, though not always; a few other genres are sprinkled in, which makes this all the more amusing. The point: how when playing these games do you see the Warhammer and 40k universes represented? How does the strategy play out? Do you feel over- or underwhelmed by your foes?
Also, you may be surprised to discover how widespread Warhammer and 40k games are, even before the boom of the last decade. The following suggested games list includes titles for PC, PlayStation, PSP, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, and even the N-Gage:
SUGGESTED GAMES: Blood Bowl, Shadow of the Horned Rat, Dark Omen, Battle for Atluma, Mark of Chaos/Battle March, Chaos Gate, Rites of War, Dawn of War, Dawn of War II, Squad Command, Final Liberation, Fire Warrior, Space Marine, Space Hulk, Glory in Death