When I was first introduced to console emulation on the PC, Nesticle (an old NES emulator) was the big kahuna. New emulators were popping up right and left, with increasing frequency and increasing quality. I remember when SNES9X got emulation of the SuperFX chip running – man, that was a good time. Being able to run Starfox and have it actually look correct was a big deal. Over the years, lots of progress was made. Bleem! and UltraHLE were released to much fanfare because of the advanced nature of the applications, and the fact that the consoles they emulated (the Playstation and Nintendo 64) were still considered modern consoles.

The console emulation scene came to a slow crawl around 2003, when both the lack of ability and lack of interest was making it increasingly difficult for programmers to work on emulators for even the previous generation of consoles. One needs only to look to Emulator Zone to see what I mean. Whereas back in the emulation heyday, there would be in upwards of twenty posts per day about various goings-on, there is now roughly one post each month. For what was once a flourishing community, this is very sad, indeed.

To get to the point of this writeup, I’d like to introduce to you, Dolphin. An emulator for both PC and Mac, Dolphin emulates both the Nintendo Gamecube and Wii systems and claims to do so nearly flawlessly. Judging by their Wii compatibility page on their wiki, they aren’t lying. Me gusta.

Having not had the chance yet to try it out for myself, I can only wait patiently until I’m able to dump a game of my own and give it a spin. If you’re so inclined, take it for a whirl and let us know how it goes in the comments.

The Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series has come a long way since its inception on the Playstation One in 1997. Originally a top down, mission-driven game, GTA put players in the role of a career-criminal and sent them on mission after mission to loot and plunder. A second game was released in 1999, closely following the release of two London-based expansion packs to the first game. The second game introduced the idea of doing missions for different gangs, introduced a new saving system, and progress was made by achieving a set point score. The first two titles can be had for free, incidentally, on Rockstar’s website as part of their Classics Series.

Grand Theft Auto III was the first major departure from classic GTA gameplay, featuring fully-3D gameplay, along with complete overhauls to the way missions and rewards are dealt with. GTAIII was also the first in the series to offer an honest-to-goodness storyline to follow, and many argue the game was the catalyst that ushered in an era of cinematic-style storytelling in video games.

It’s hard to argue against that point (although I’d personally say it was Metal Gear Solid) when there were so many GTA clones and cinematic games in the years following that it practically became its own genre. Violence in video games became a hot-button issue with parents and politicians alike, even more-so than it was when the original Mortal Kombat became a hit.

The Grand Theft Auto series went on to father seven more games (most notably Vice City, San Andreas, and GTAIV), with an eighth one on the way. The new title, Grand Theft Auto V, is rumored to be set for release in 2012, and it will take place in a city similar to modern-day Los Angeles. Sources are quoted as calling it “the big one.”

I can’t wait.

The collection’s two games, both redone with enhanced HD graphics and effects, shows that a good game, is a good game, is a good game. This is why I’m such a fan of the classics – you simply can’t argue with a good experience.

Back when Ico was first released on the Playstation One, people were still unsure about what 3D gaming was going to bring to the table. There were 3rd person action games and shooters that were crafting their own definition of 3D gaming, but they could barely be considered inspired or artistic. Ico changed all of that.

A truly artistic game, with a unique graphical style, Ico told the story of a young boy with horns who is locked up in a fortress. Through his travels in the fortress, he meets a young princess whose mother plans to sacrifice her daughter in order to achieve prolonged life. The boy then makes it his duty to escape the fortress, along with the princess. The gameplay is fun and challenging, with various puzzles to solve, and labyrinth rooms to explore. The graphics and soundtrack were the greatest of their time, and the direction of the game showed that the creators weren’t just making a game – they were making a statement.

Years later, Shadow of the Colossus was released for the Playstation 2 and earned the same (and greater) high marks that its predecessor, Ico, drew. The game told the story of a young man and his horse and their battles against the many colossi of a vast forbidden land. The young man had brought with him to the land a woman whose life he was hoping to restore. Like Ico, Shadow of the Colossus had a style all its own. A very cinematic experience, SOTC utilized various camera angles and effects to deliver a truly immersive experience.

Even though Ico and Shadow of the Colossus were breakout games, both were hindered by the technological limitations of the consoles they ran on. Now, however, with the processing and graphics power of the Playstation 3, these games truly pop and shine in all their deserved glory. And hey, for around forty bucks, you can’t beat it.

Oh, here we go…

Never mind the fact that the movies are a terrible adaptation of the canon storyline of the Resident Evil universe. I’ve been a fan of the series since its release in North America in 1996 on the original Playstation, and I’m resigned to the fact that we will never see a true Resident Evil film. C’est la vie. I can’t help but be grateful that my girlfriend stumbled across this turd of a movie, however, because otherwise, I would still be in the dark about this.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is under development and scheduled for release on March 20, 2012 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Set in the same time as Resident Evil 2 and 3, the game puts the player in the role of Umbrella Corporation’s Security Services, a cleanup crew of sorts sent into the city to destroy all evidence of Umbrella’s involvement in the outbreak, and to kill any survivors. Sounds tasty, doesn’t it?

Operation Raccoon City is a 3rd person shooter and appears to be similar to Left 4 Dead in many respects. Apart from a single-player campaign mode, you’ll be able to play co-op with up to three other players. The gameplay footage looks amazing – the graphics all rendered in stunning HD, looking smooth and fluid. If we’re not going to get a proper remake of RE2, this will have to suffice.

The game introduced six new characters as members of Umbrella’s crack team of henchmen. Spectre, Vector, Beltway, Bertha, Four Eyes, and Lupo are new playable characters, each with their own unique skills and abilities. Returning to the foray are stalwarts Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, who reprise their roles in the earlier games in the series.

As more information pours out on this game, it will surely look better and better. Stay tuned.

Gears of War 3 is the final game within the series, and from what I have heard, it’s a good one. The story line is actually based on a book series. The novels are written by science fiction author, Karen Traviss. I wonder if she knew that her story was going to be made into a video game, let alone one of the most popular video games out there.

The game is made for only Xbox. It was  developed by Epic Games. It is a third-person shooter video game that involves a war between humans and creatures, known as Locust. Up to four people can play the game, but you can have computers play with you as well. The setting of the game is on a fictional planet, Sera. If you know anything about the story line, this game begins two years after they sunk the Jacinto.

There are some new features incorporated into this latest version. One of the best aspects, or so my friend says, is the ability to tag opponents. What this does is tell the human allies where the enemy is located. If you are playing with computer allies, the computers will automatically focus their efforts on those who are tagged. You can now also swap weapons and ammunition with other allies during the fighting.

It is supposed to be the last installment of this set of video games; however, if the author keeps writing novels, who knows? Maybe they will add in another version. From the reviews, it seems as though Gears of War 3 does a fantastic job answering any unanswered questions. It completes the story wonderfully, and it has had positive reviews.

Also players, there are some unlockables in this new game, so be on the lookout for those. Don’t you dare cheat!

I should note, by the way, that I’ve never been big into “high definition.” Being a fan of old 8 and 16-bit classics, I never saw the need for progressive scan or a huge screen. In addition to this, I found out a few weeks ago that apparently I’ve needed glasses for most of my life and didn’t know it. I can’t tell you how crystal-clear my gaming experience is now. Games like the Metroid Prime series and Resident Evil Chronicles series on the Wii just pop now, and really look their best. Apart from the games that were designed with this sort of technology in mind, if you’re connecting your computer to a display like this, you can prepare to be equally amazed at how enhanced classics like Square’s Chrono Trigger will look. It truly is amazing, and I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this for so long.

If you’re like me, and you have had trouble letting go of that old standby called the tube television even though you’ve got the funds, make the leap. It doesn’t have to be particularly fancy or big, just make sure of a one simple thing. Go for an LED backlit display – you’re going to get a better picture out of it with less power consumption. LED displays are also more reliable than plasma and traditional displays. It may cost more up front, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Now where was I…? Oh, that’s right! I was going to play Diablo II on this huge display!

Released on June 23, 1991 to critical acclaim, Sonic the Hedgehog ushered in a new era of video games and spawned the greatest rivalry in the industry. With its fast-paced gameplay, beautiful stage art, unique characters, and easy accessibility, Sonic changed the way we thought about side-scrolling platformers. Up until then, platform games were defined by the likes of Pitfall, Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man. These games, while fun and brilliant in their own right, lacked something critical that Sonic brought to the table – chaotically fast gameplay.

The premise is simple. You play as Sonic, a hedgehog with an ability to run super fast. You are tasked with rescuing your fellow woodland creatures from the evil Dr. Robotnik (later named Dr. Eggman) who is transforming the animals into robotic slaves. Your power and abilities come from collecting rings and other various power ups that give you an edge over the various robot enemies you encounter in the game. Apart from simply destroying the robots and rescuing the animals, you must traverse many different locales filled with various hazards and pitfalls. The trick is, you must do all this while cruising at a blazingly-fast speed.

Sonic the Hedgehog was just the first in a long line of games, which saw the decline of the series begin in 1996 with the release of Sonic 3D Blast. For how quickly the series rose to prominence, it tanked just as fast. By 2000, it appeared as though Sega had forgotten what Sonic was all about, and had abandoned the 2D gameplay that made Sonic stand out from the crowd (save for releases on portable game systems). This seemed to change with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, which was released on consoles and portable systems alike.

The original game that spawned several generations of inventive (and often times lackluster) games, Sonic the Hedgehog was brilliance and innovation exactly when it was needed.

Red Dead Redemption came out in the United States for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 a little over a year ago on May 18, 2010. Since then, it has won multiple awards including several “Game of the Year” awards. One could argue that it’s the successor to Red Dead Revolver, which came out in 2004.

The game is set in the West back in 1911. The lead character in the game is John Marston, who has been forced to hunt down three of his former gang members after the government captures his wife and son as ransom. Marston used to be an outlaw as well, so the government needed his bounty hunting skills to catch his former cohorts.

Of course, seeing as though this is a Western game, there is a lot more to the story than just trying to find the three ex-gang members. Throughout the game play you are sent on quests, you experience ambushes, ride-by shootings, other encounters with people and animals, public hangings, and more. You can hunt for animals, gamble, participate in duels, and experience the Wild West as much as you want.

Throughout your travels, you can build Marston’s reputation as a good one or a bad one. Building his honor would include taking in an outlaw alive instead of killing him, or saving an innocent person. A negative reputation would obviously be built by killing civilians or committing other crimes. The better your reputation, the more accepted you are in the game. You can also prevent your fame from being changed by masking Marston’s identity with a bandana.

This interactive game certainly requires a lot more attention than any of the other games my cousin has ever played. I’d give it a thumbs up, just based on the fact that it is making my cousin work!

Released in 1986 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Metroid was revolutionary in several ways. Being the first game to be a truly open adventure, Metroid did away with the linear nature of video games and replaced it with a free-roaming environment where a player (if skilled enough) could reach nearly any area they’d like and break the intended progression set by the developers.

In addition to being the first truly open-ended video game, Metroid was the first game to incorporate a password system for the player to resume the game where they left off. This held true only for the North American version of the game, while the Japanese release utilized a disk system for saving the game. Not only was the password system used for resuming play, but it would allow modification of game elements, such as the famous “JUSTIN BAILEY” code, which allowed the player to play as Samus Aran in her swimsuit instead of her spacesuit.

Speaking of swimsuits, Metroid was instrumental in ensuring that females in video games weren’t just treated as damsels who needed to be rescued. Samus was introduced as a hard-as-nails bounty hunter who could kick ass and look beautiful doing it.

The story goes that Samus Aran is a bounty hunter who is sent to the planet Zebes in order to find and destroy the hideout of intergalactic Space Pirates, who have stolen dangerous creatures known as Metroids from a research vessel in order to use them as biological weapons.

Metroid’s adventure-oriented gameplay focused on exploration and smart battle tactics rather than the shoot ‘em up strategy that prevailed in so many games at the time. A treasure trove of power-ups and weapons were at the player’s disposal, including boots that allowed you to reach impossibly high platforms, an ice beam for freezing enemies (and the only effective way to deal with Metroids).

The game’s sizable world, combined with the engaging and sometimes eerie music produced a strong feeling of isolation while playing the game, making the player feel truly alone in the mission. The game was influential in many future games in the adventure genre, not the least of which was the series of ten sequels the original has game spawned thus far, and is held in high regard as one of the most paramount games of all time.

By now I’m sure you’re familiar with the plot, so I’ll make this short. A large pharmaceuticals company named Umbrella is secretly developing biological weapons to sell to various governments around the world. This is done in a laboratory hidden under a large mansion that housed the workers. The primary bioweapon that Umbrella is developing (the T Virus) had a nasty side effect of turning its test subjects into, for lack of a better term, zombies.

An accident in the lab causes the virus to spread and suddenly zombies are attacking people in the forest near the mansion. A S.W.A.T.-like team of police are dispatched to investigate, but a helicopter malfunction leaves them stranded them at the mansion. From there, it is a bitter and bloody fight for survival.

Was that short enough? I hope so. Anyway, I remember cutting my teeth on this game, nearly pissing myself in terror at several points. Resident Evil’s schtick was about surprises and gruesome enemies. It was about giving you just enough ammo to get by and ensuring that you had to use your wits if you wanted to finish the story. Weapons were plentiful. Handguns, shotguns, grenade launchers and even a rocket launcher was at your disposal in this game. The problem was, ammo was at a premium, and so were health items. It was an effort in conservation and tact.

The graphics at the time were considered good. The game used rendered 2D backgrounds and 3D characters that interacted over the “painted backdrop” which made for a realistic 3D experience without using a lot of processing power. This, along with the spooky musical score made the game an instant favorite.

Resident Evil was a critical and financial success, spawning several sequels and movies, and even a series of novels. Even after losing a fair amount of its horror influence over the years in lieu of a more action-packed game, Resident Evil remains a blockbuster series with every new release.