A Thinker in Space

Throughout the years, I have played many, many video games. As the current proud owner of most current gen consoles, I now have access to all current game releases, and try to make the most of this by finding games in genres I enjoy to play. However, it wasn’t always like this. Growing up, most of my gaming was done on either a PC or a PS1. And not mainstream games either – in that era of PC gaming, there were a ton of obscure game releases that don’t get discussed too often. So that’s what I’m going to do here!

What qualifies as a Deep Cut?

For the sake of this list, Deep Cuts are games that were released 10+ years ago, and that would not be known by the average gamer. Not by the average person – the average person might not know what DOTA 2 is, but DOTA 2 is certainly not a Deep Cut. If you are unfamiliar with the reference, a “deep cut” is a song by a known artist that is more obscure than their mainstream music. The games I am going to be discussing are obscure by gaming standards. You might disagree with some of my choices here, and feel that some of these games are too mainstream, but that’s fine. The category is vague for a reason, because of the next aspect that each Deep Cut will have: it is a game I played (and for most of these, thoroughly enjoyed) when I was younger.

Where do these Deep Cuts come from?

Various sources. Some are from the PlayStation, some are from random computer discs, and some are from a subscription service I was a part of many years ago. It was called Shockwave Unlimited, and it gave you full access to a library of games of varying quality (it still exists – I am not sure what its value is nowadays!).

That is where some of our most significant childhood classics come from, and though some have made their way to Steam, many are still challenging to get a hold of today. Most of the games I will be reviewing in this series I have already gotten a hold of in the past (I am a huge proponent of game preservation, and it frustrates me to no end that some old PC games are nearly impossible to play on modern hardware).

What is the goal of this series?

The goal of this series is multi-faceted. First, it is to introduce to the reader games that they might have never heard of or have never played. There are a plethora of video games out there, and many have not hit the mainstream and thus have been lost or buried. My hope is that my readers will learn about some interesting pieces of video gaming history that they might not realize exist, and perhaps even pick up one or two and give them a try! It is also a nostalgia trip for me – some of these games I have not played in years, others in over a decade. This gives me a reason to revisit them besides just for personal nostalgia. I have gone back and replayed some of these games over the years, and I find that nostalgia tripping without a purpose can sometimes feel empty and fruitless. Reviewing the game gives me a reason to play, even if the game is a slog to get through or definitely is not as good as I remember. Sometimes, I will also put a Deep Cut into my Underrated Games series – these two series will have some overlap.

What will an article look like?

An article for a Deep Cut will have a few sections (this might grow and evolve as I write these articles, so don’t expect this to be the end-all-be-all for the entire series – I intend to keep this up for a while).

First, a general overview of the game, describing what exactly the game is, and giving some of my context (why I like it, where it came from, why I want to review it). In this, I will also give an overview of the gameplay.

Next, an in-depth review of the quality of the game. Is it good? Does it hold up to modern gaming standards? Is there still a reason to go back and play it? Should the reader give it a chance? Some of these games are targeting children or young players – in that situation, I will be reviewing it with this context (is it still a solid game for young players?).

Then, I will discuss the accessibility of the game. Is it easy to get a hold of? Where can you find this game? Is it playable on modern hardware?

I will then go through anything else unique to that game and give the reader any final thoughts I have on the game to share. Some of these games are very easy to set up, some have been very difficult. But it has been quite a bit of fun to put together a list of weird and wacky games that I used to play in my childhood. Some, you might recognize, some you might even have played, but I have a feeling that the majority of my audience will never have played any of the games I will be diving into!

Preparing for this series has been a roller coaster for me. I have spent quite a few hours pulling together these games and getting them to run on my systems, and with a few small exceptions I have been successful! It has been a challenge, but an enjoyable one, and now I am ready to tackle a ton of different games from my childhood. Some of these articles will be longer, some will be shorter. Some will cover multiple games, though most will only cover one. I will be discussing a variety of genres; activity centers, arcade-style games, action games – mostly released for the PC during the late 90s to early 00s.

I am hopeful that this is an enjoyable experience for you and for me as I progress through. Some of these games are near and dear to my heart, so reviewing them with an objective lens is sure to be an interesting experience! I am looking forward to breaking these down and replaying some old favorites. Let me know if you have any games from your past that fit this category that you’d like me to take a look at! I’m always down to try new and obscure games!

Related Reading