Gray Beard Nerd
Bio
A nerd who is into cars, video games, movies, book and more. I love to write and hope to share what I have written with others. Please enjoy!!
Stories (64/0)
A Pinto Odyssee
One of the best things about loving cars is that you are never without a story to tell. People own cars because they need them, but people who “love” cars will often own something just for the connection they share with it. Maybe it was a dream they had growing up to own one, maybe they worked on it with their dad as a kid. Maybe they are enamored with its aesthetic or engine or any other number of factors. But for whatever reason car lovers will often buy something unloved for the purpose of restoring it or cherishing it in its own way. Silently we challenge ourselves to bring something most would count as lost back to life. It is a pathological and crazy obsession that we often will share with our friends. Sitting around a campfire or dinner table we muse that if we had the time or the money we would do this and or that and we laugh knowing that it will likely never happen. One such group of friends responsible for the youtube channel Fuzzy Dice Projects got together around a campfire and dreamed up a challenge that to most people would sound ridiculous, but to me, a person with a like mind, it sounded like a grand adventure. But instead of just musing they made it a reality and fortunately they had the foresight to invite the internet along for the journey and a Pinto Odyssey was born.
By Gray Beard Nerd2 years ago in Wheel
Horizon Forbidden West
It is 2022 and one game, another action open world RPG, is making a big impression on gamers. The rich environments it displayed, the diverse combat systems, the engaging lore and world sucked players in and everyone who has played it already are clamoring for a sequel. That game was Eldin Ring. Man Horizon just can not seem to catch a break when it comes to releasing a game, like it is doomed as a franchise to be overshadowed. Which is a shame as honestly I loved this game, though it certainly is still not perfect.
By Gray Beard Nerd2 years ago in Gamers
A Link to my Past
Life is pretty stressful right now and in the midst of that stress I wanted to play a game that was in essence perfect. Perfect balance of difficulty, exceptional world building, fun and engaging but also comfortable and familiar. A game that would not overstay its welcome and did not have achievements to check off a list. I wanted the video game equivalent of a comfy blanket to snuggle in and chill. A tall order for most games but A Link to the Past is not most games.
By Gray Beard Nerd2 years ago in Gamers
Kena: Bridge of Spirits Review
Ever wanted to play a Disney movie, I mean not Kingdom Hearts and not an actual Disney film per say. But a game that exudes the charm of a Disney modern film but also contains some darker undertones like some of the forgotten classics. Sort of a Reya and the Last Dragon meets the Black Cauldron. Kena may just be right up your alley, it turned out to be right up mine. Kena is the first game made by the Ember Lab, a company that till now has only really animated for commercials. My personal introduction to the company was through watching their fan film a Terrible Fate, which centers around the origins of the circumstances of Termina when Link encounters it in the game Majora's Mask. In fact some of Majora DNA comes through in the design of this game, but perhaps I am getting ahead of myself.
By Gray Beard Nerd2 years ago in Gamers
Horizon Zero Dawn Review
Five years ago an open world action RPG was set loose on the world that forever changed the gaming landscape. The rich environments it displayed, the diverse combat systems, the engaging lore and world sucked players in the world since has been clamoring for a sequel. That game was, Breath of the Wild. I jest of course because while many of the above is true 2017 will go down in history as a stellar year for games in general.
By Gray Beard Nerd2 years ago in Gamers
Help I need sleep!!
I thought I had put all this behind me. I have always been a night owl and ever since I was young I would stay up late and sleep as late as possible. But having children, particularly small ones, changes a lot of your habits. I was always told to sleep when the baby sleeps, but what do you do when the baby doesn’t sleep? But of course when my children were small I was in my 20’s. I am not going to say it was easy but looking back in light of what I know now it was not all that bad. Perspective is a powerful tool and this last year I learned that looking back I have never had a time in my life where I was truly sleep deprived, until now.
By Gray Beard Nerd2 years ago in Families
Ranking 2-D Metroid
Over the last few weeks I have been quickly playing through all the 2-D Metroid games in reverse order of release. Starting with Dread I worked backward through my catalog playing all of the way back to Super Metroid. I have written reviews for each on which I will leave links to throughout if you want to see my thoughts spelled out in detail about each game. Throughout this journey though I was left with one burning question, which is the best? I would never consider my choice to be the definitive one and I am sure the list I am about to post here will be filled with controversy. Just bear in mind that this is my list, not yours. You are entitled to disagree, in fact I encourage you too, no one person should have the say as to what game is best over another. My list is just based on my personal preferences which I will try and explain as I go. So let’s get to it, going in reverse order here is my ranking of 2-D Metroid from Super to Dread.
By Gray Beard Nerd2 years ago in Gamers
Super Metroid Review
We have reached the granddaddy of an entire genre. I am well aware that Metroid on the NES and Metroid 2 on the game boy paved the way for the success of Super Metroid. But it was Super that, in my opinion, made gamers sit up and take notice. This is the game that inspired Symphony of the Night and this is the game that continues to serve as the benchmark for Metroidvania to this day. Hollow Knight, Dead Cells, Axiom Verge, and the Ori games, all of them owe a huge debt to Super Metroid for paving the way. Not to mention the excellent follow ups in its own franchise, Fusion, the Prime games, Zero Mission, Returns and of course Dread. This game is Genesis and the most amazing thing about it is that when compared to all the games it has since inspired it holds up remarkably well.
By Gray Beard Nerd2 years ago in Gamers
Metroid Fusion
Okay, it is time for a confession. My first real experience with 2D Metroid ever was Fusion. I had played the original NES game at a friend's house as a kid and I had just finished Metroid Prime around that time and loved it. However, that was the extent of my experience with the franchise. Some time around 2002 a friend of mine sold me his Gameboy Advance, but being a broke college student the only game I had for a long time was Mario Brothers 3. I went to visit my cousin for a week who lived about four hours away and there it was, sitting on a shelf in his living room. I asked him if I could play it while I was there, he said I could keep it. I slotted it into my Crystal Blue GBA, flipped the switch and fell in love instantly with Metroidvanias.
By Gray Beard Nerd2 years ago in Gamers
Zero Mission Review
Okay let’s address the elephant in the room. The Original Metroid on the NES is far, far less replay-able than let’s say Mario and Zelda. About a year ago I beat it for the very first time on the NES classic. But, if it were not for two factors I would have never even attempted such a feat. First I had a map, a friend of mine gifted me a Nintendo NES classics collector's book that contained information on all the classics contained on the little console including maps and tips. The map in the book included a step by step guide to beat the game. The second factor was the use of save states to save my progress rather than having to rely on lengthy passwords. Using the guide I was able to complete the game in a matter of hours, as it is surprisingly not a very long game. I enjoyed the experience and will probably review it one day but boy did it need a remake. Fortunately Nintendo provided and that remake stands as the definitive way to play the game today. More than that, some have gone as far as to label it the best Metroid game ever. Do I agree? After recently playing Dread, Samus Returns and Other M I decided it was time to find out.
By Gray Beard Nerd2 years ago in Gamers
Other M
Ever heard the phrase franchise killer? Eleven years ago Other M hit store shelves and its effect on the storied franchise was nothing short of catastrophic. Whether you hate the game or maybe even love it, the ripples it created had long lasting effects on the franchise. It would take seven years before another Metroid game to come along, unless you count Federation Force, which most people do not. But beyond that Samus would not come back to our home televisions for eleven years.
By Gray Beard Nerd2 years ago in Gamers