WintLizard

I was reading a book recently that featured a buglike alien race that had a fear of not being surrounded by others of their kind, requiring their spaceships to be bursting with crew members. It got me thinking about what their games might be like and I had a few ideas for human games they might like

1. Pokemon

Im specifically thinking of the early games but later ones are pretty much the same. Everywhere you go in Pokemon their is someone to talk to. The towns have npcs all over inside and out and every route has people from forest trails to the deepest mountain caves.

2. Dynasty Warriors

The crowds in these games are less friendly but if you have a fear of not being in a crowd this game will help you. Massive amounts of enemies swarm you during every battle.

3. Final Fantasy X

I wanted to mention this one for a specific reason. You could answer this question with any rpg that has npcs to talk to. I would say what puts FFX as more "crowded" than the rest is the pilgramage setting. Other games with the same locations would just have monsters, but due to it being a location on a pilgrim trail you see a lot of other people passing through. Areas that could be easily shown as empty/barren instead have an npc to talk to

I'm very curious, what games felt crowded to you? Do you prefer games with lots of other people around, or do you like to go where no one has gone before?

Sourced from PC-98 bot on twitter! If you love PC-98 art as much as I do check them out!

https://x.com/PC98_bot?t=XTPSesg0TVPthOGqMywO3g&s=09

Finding my uncle's old Atari is a big part of what got me into retro gaming, so I'm always happy to talk about a system that I think goes underdiscussed in retro spaces. There are definitely some games that have aged less gracefully than others, but theres also a lot of fun to be had with the system.

RIVER RAID

First up is my #1 favorite Atari game. The systems are pretty simple, shoot obstacles and don't run out of fuel but the game keeps throwing enough in your way to give a feeling of danger. The sounds are perfect and I still play this game a few times a month.

Yar's Revenge

Break through the bad guys shell and blow them to hell. Another game with a great feeling of danger, and I love firing off the larger beam when you get one. Look up a guide if you've never played this one, it can be a bit obtuse to a first time player.

Stampede

The first Atari game I ever played, and I still play from time to time. It may look simple, but having to decide when to dodge, when to bump a horse, and when to lasso makes for a fun gameplay loop. If you enjoy Tapper you might enjoy this game.

Frog Pond

This one is best with a buddy - you each compete to see who can eat the most flies. Suprisingly competitive, the alignment/aiming is skillful and there arent enough flies to go around.

Human Cannonball!

Yeeting this little dude across the sky is so fun whether he makes it or not. Missing this game is what inspired me to make this post. Its way more fun than the simple graphics would imply.

HALL OF SHAME

There are a lot of arcade ports on the Atari, some good like Missile Command, and some not so good. Which takes me to the worst game of the system

Pac-Man

If you love this game I'm sorry but its terrible. All the dots are squares, pac is hard to control, and the sound is subpar. I think its worse than ET with or without the fan patch. I can't imagine a huge pacman fan plugging this in and being anything but disapointed.

So those are my faves. What Atari games do you like/dislike? Have you played the system or never bothered? Is Atari Pacman your favorite game of all time? Let me know!

Stumbled across this today and I think its awesome! No affiliation between this gameclub and that one, just similar names.