Sean Jordan, Video Game Researcher
@greatestgames.bsky.social
900 followers 1.6K following 6.9K posts
There are tons of amazing video games that have been forgotten, overlooked or which never found an audience. I'm a researcher who's going through them and finding the Greatest Games You (Probably) Never Played! Website: https://greatestgames.substack.com
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greatestgames.bsky.social
If you want to read about retro games you've never heard about that are still worth playing today (no nostalgia goggles needed!), I encourage you to check out my Substack, The Greatest Games You (Probably) Never Played.

You'll love it! And it's entirely free.

#Gaming #VideoGames #RetroGames
The Greatest Games You (Probably) Never Played | Sean J. Jordan | Substack
There are thousands of awesome video games you probably never knew existed! Here are some of them. Click to read The Greatest Games You (Probably) Never Played, by Sean J. Jordan, a Substack publicati...
greatestgames.substack.com
greatestgames.bsky.social
Of all the reviews for the seemingly overpriced and underwhelming ROG Xbox Ally X, this one made me laugh the hardest because the cover image shows a Sony console exclusive running on the hardware

If that's not evidence this thing isn't an Xbox in anything more than brand name, I don't know what is
ROG Xbox Ally X Review: A Pricey PC Handheld That Doesn't Feel Ready
A peek at Microsoft's gaming future comes at a high price
kotaku.com
greatestgames.bsky.social
I don't think I've ever read such a lengthy recap of a demo that wasn't called "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty."

That it's for a point and click adventure game is all the more striking!

Steam link: store.steampowered.com/app/2088810/...
Hit The Demo For One Of The Best Narrative Games This Decade
Perfect Tides: Station to Station has a demo better than most of the full games I've played this year
kotaku.com
greatestgames.bsky.social
My son is going to be thrilled!

He is obsessed with Undertale/Deltarune right now to the point that we're making him a Kris (Dark World) costume this weekend...
fangamer.com
Our new DELTARUNE launch features everything you might need to cook for yourself and your friends: A cute bento box, a high-definition Kiss the My Ass apron, and a pair of lounge shorts decorated with little angelic Spamtons.

Available now: www.fangamer.com/collections/...
A photo of a DELTARUNE bento box with a cute illustration of Ralsei dressed up as a chef on the lid. The lid is a light orange checkerboard pattern; the box itself is a very light turquoise that's reflected on Ralsei's glasses and frying pan. A photo of a white apron with the phrase "Kiss the My Ass" on the front in basically the same typeface used in DELTARUNE. A closeup photo of a pair of black lounge shorts. There's a heart pattern separated by clouds; an illustration of a cherubic Spamton with wings and a halo is lying or sitting on the clouds in various poses.
greatestgames.bsky.social
I'm used to seeing popular culture get recycled every 20 years or so, but seeing Street Fighter 2 get co-opted by McDonald's branding is truly one of the strangest ways I could have started my day!
Street Burger promo - Ryu Street Burger promo - Chun Li Street Burger promo - Ken vs Vega Smile Street Burger promo - Chun Li vs Smile Guile
greatestgames.bsky.social
Wow, I honestly thought this was an elaborate joke until I investigated. It's real!

In Japan, McDonald's is doing a Street Fighter collab. It's awesome and also borders of self-parody. Amazing stuff!

The commercials in the linked article are a must-watch! (I'll also put them in the thread below.)
McDonald's teams up with Street Fighter to create world warrior burgers with commercials and everything, at least in Japan
Street Fighter 6 has been undergoing a boom in Japan specifically the likes of which haven't been seen since Street Fighter 2, which is of course going to open the door to new marketing opportunities ...
www.eventhubs.com
greatestgames.bsky.social
I'm just glad Shawn Layden goofed at E3 one year and seemed to announce it so that it'd get a global release. Being American, I never got to play it on the PSX!

Probably one of the best gaffes in all of gaming history because it resulted in something positive!

Non-paywall version: archive.ph/Yyz9N
How Sony's Blunder Revived Vib-Ribbon, a Long-Lost Classic
Sony's name-checking of Vib-Ribbon at E3 wasn't received as a showing of solidarity, it was reopening an old wound and pouring in the salt.
www.wired.com
greatestgames.bsky.social
With one of the best licensed soundtracks of any game, ever!

I discovered so much good heavy metal music though that game. I'm not a genre fan, but it's clear Tim Schafer is.
greatestgames.bsky.social
Wow! Sector Zero looks neat!

Here's the Steam page for it. But check out the sneak peak below! I like the aesthetic.
greatestgames.bsky.social
If you're not familiar with Megalovania, some guy named "Radiation" made it as an Earthbound "Halloween" hack boss track.

I wonder what ever became of him? (Maybe he had something to do with Homestuck?)
Earthbound Halloween Hack Music - Final Boss (Megalovania)
YouTube video by Cameron
www.youtube.com
greatestgames.bsky.social
I posted this about six months ago, and it's worth bringing up again! (And this time, I'll include some teaser images to whet your appetite for this list of 25 musical games!)
Gitaroo Man Elite Beat Agents Crypt of the Necrodancer Sayonara Wild Hearts
Reposted by Sean Jordan, Video Game Researcher
greatestgames.bsky.social
Live A Live's boss battle music is so epic it inspired Toby Fox to create the (now-famous) track Megalovania for his own games.

(If you haven't played the awesome Live A Live, you should!)

Here's "Megalomania" by Yoko Shimomura
#videogames #vgm #videogamemusic #gaming
MEGALOMANIA
YouTube video by Yoko Shimomura - Topic
www.youtube.com
greatestgames.bsky.social
You make an excellent point!

Sega and Namco were better about preservation back in the PS1-PS2 era, especially in Japan. But today, they can't be bothered unless there's a business case for it

Capcom at least listened to GOG, even if it required assurances that the old games would still make money
greatestgames.bsky.social
And Yoot Tower, its sequel, was published by Sega PC in North America just before Yoot Saito went on to create Seaman!

I absolutely love SimTower and Yoot Tower, btw - fantastic games!
spoonshiro.com
SimTower was released in 1994 by OpeNBooK and published in North America by Maxis for Windows 3.1 and Mac OS System 7. It also had Japan-only ports to the Sega Saturn and the 3DO.

"Sim" is also just the brand Maxis stuck on it to fit in with their catalog; in Japan it was just called "The Tower".
SimTower cover art, with a sticker falsely proclaiming it's "from the makers of SimCity".  They published it but certainly didn't code or design it...
greatestgames.bsky.social
I don't think Bungie is long for this world. I expect Sony will shutter their studio and sell off Destiny to a group like Daybreak before much longer if things don't turn around.

Sony has already begun stripping their dev teams for parts this year. It's just a matter of time.
greatestgames.bsky.social
This is really neat!

Making it easier for aspiring and existing game devs to get ahold of good resources is an awesome way to give back. And since they're curating these materials and filtering out the junk, they'll be vetted by people who actually know how game development works!
Owlcat Games sets up educational resource hub for game devs
Studio partners with Fireshine Games, 11 Bit Studios, Gaijin Entertainment, and Midwest Games to build database of over 350 learning resources
www.gamesindustry.biz
greatestgames.bsky.social
Quoted for truth!

Unfortunately, generosity research finds most people expect to get something from what they give.

But you can tune that feeling of getting something to positive emotions about the greater good! That's the first step to doing good without expecting a return.
spoonshiro.com
If your good deeds and acts of kindness are purely transactional that doesn't make you a good person
greatestgames.bsky.social
Holy smokes. Watching the video in this article reminds me of playing Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, a video game from nearly 20 years ago. Real soldiers using minimaps - wow!

We've finally at that level of technology and games are driving military development. It's both awesome and terrifying.
Anduril Shows First Look at Capabilities of ’EagleEye’ Military XR Headset
Anduril, Palmer Luckey’s military tech company, unveiled EagleEye, its XR headset system built in collaboration with Meta. The News Anduril announced in May it was partnering with Meta to build XR sys...
www.roadtovr.com
greatestgames.bsky.social
The New Zealand Story (a.k.a. Kiwi Kraze) is another one of those games UK gamers know and love but which failed to make an impression in North America.

That needs to change, because it's one of the best platformers of the 1980s and absolutely worth experiencing!

#videogames #gaming #retrogames
The Classic Arcade and Console Era (1972-1989) - The New Zealand Story (a.k.a. Kiwi Kraze)
The greatest maze-navigation platformer you’ve probably never played … unless you live in Europe, where it’s far more popular.
greatestgames.substack.com
Reposted by Sean Jordan, Video Game Researcher
greatestgames.bsky.social
One of the best parts of Astro's Playroom is a stage where your PS5's GPU begins singing to you about how it does all these amazing things for you that you don't even notice. It's such a great song!

So here it is - "I'm Your GPU" by Kenneth C.M. Young
#videogames #vgm #videogamemusic #gaming
Astro's Playroom OST - 03 I'm Your GPU
YouTube video by Astro Bot
www.youtube.com
greatestgames.bsky.social
Ugh. This new Final Fantasy Dissidia game looks awful.

My advice if you want to play mobile Dissidia: Get PPSSPP and play Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy on your phone.

It's the best game in the series by a long shot and you'll be much happier with how you spend your time.

Plus, that soundtrack! Wow!
New Final Fantasy Dissidia game officially revealed for mobile devices, set in modern day Tokyo
Square Enix has officially announced its next Dissidia game in the Final Fantasy spin-off series, coming to mobile devices next year.
www.eurogamer.net
greatestgames.bsky.social
I've said this for years! I worked in an EB Games at the time and constantly told people to try Ico. They'd take one look at the cover art and nope right out.

It got easier after Shadow of the Colossus came out, though. That game sold itself!
greatestgames.bsky.social
Let's take a moment of appreciation for D'Angelo, one of the musical greats who passed away today.

You definitely know his work if you've played Red Dead Redemption 2 - he performed "Unshaken" and it's tremendous!