Todd Hargosh, Testing Director

Todd's columns have appeared in many publications such as GamePro, Electronic Gaming Monthly, PC Gamer, and Electronic Games. Todd is a founding member of GiN and speaks from an "old school" gamer's perspective. Embracing the notions of all classic gaming, game soundtracks, and the original "hardcore style," he also shuns the trends he feels are ruining the game industry, such as the embracement of 3D, the over-saturation of MMOs, and misleading game advertising.

Recent Posts

Fearing The X

XSux"XLax"X-anything derogatory. Until last week this has been my opinion about Microsoft’s black and green monster. I had my reasons to feel this way too. The initial presentation at E3 couldn’t be described as anything but disappointing. In addition, the fact that Microsoft originally forced stores to bundle their systems with extra junk was not a turn-on to me. Sega’s final betrayal of Dreamcast owners by making Shenmue II an Xbox exclusive didn’t help either. (Although now DC owners can be lucky enough to import a European copy to play here) Not to mention the fact that I was being … Continue reading Fearing The X

Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II

When Nintendo unveiled their Rogue Leader demo at Spaceworld 2000, I was a skeptic. I could not believe how realistic the X-Wings appeared as they flew across the screen. The detail of every paint scratch, every bolt, every R2 unit and every pilot almost resembled what could be seen in a theater 20 years ago. That skepticism came to an end at E3 when I went hands-on. This time, I wasn’t playing the Battle of Yavin as I have before in countless Star Wars titles (X-Wing, Rebel Assault, Star Wars Arcade, and many others), I was actually living it. It … Continue reading Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II

MGS2: Even Better than the Original

Metal Gear Solid was a masterpiece back in 1998. It was so good, in fact, that I wanted it to be our choice for Game of the Year. Unfortunately, that honor went to, of all things, Heart of Darkness on the PC? What were all the readers smoking that year? Didn’t they glance upon the visual execution that took the PS1 to its limits? What about the superb voice acting, arguably the best ever heard in a video game? Or didn’t they notice the intelligent storyline and perplexing plot twists? In any case, I think MGS was screwed out of … Continue reading MGS2: Even Better than the Original

Shenmue meets the Sopranos

Now that I have completely backed out of my support of Sega (sorry Peter, your apology letter didn’t help either!), I had to look elsewhere to find a title to make up for a decent replacement for Shenmue 2. Never did I realize that it was right in front of me all along. When I first got into Grand Theft Auto 3, I was immediately impressed with the complete freedom I had over the entire environment; even more so than I was when I played Shenmue last year. Granted my freedom was slightly limited by the storyline before, but it … Continue reading Shenmue meets the Sopranos

Tokyo Express

Originally this commentary was going to be entitled "What the hell is up with EA lately?" However, some shocking events taking place the Tokyo Game Show have caused me to do a minor change. I will still go into the sudden change (for the better) of what Electronic Arts has been up to lately, but I must begin with some bad news. As I predicted back at E3 this year, and as Ken noted in his last week’s corner column, Sega was full of hot air when they claimed that they would still support the Dreamcast until first quarter 2002. … Continue reading Tokyo Express

NHL 2002 Gets its AI Back

This review comes on the night after the first Washington Capitals game which I attended. Granted this stupid town is obsessed with Michael Jordan and basketball at the moment. Hey idiots, bear in mind that one player will not help the stinking Wizards. Can you say Deion Sanders? There is no denying that Jagrmania is rich at the MCI Center, as his addition to an already strong defense and killer goaltender might be DC’s underrated saving grace. And if tonight’s 6-1 victory over the defending Eastern Conference champ New Jersey Devils is an indication, I suggest everyone quit looking at … Continue reading NHL 2002 Gets its AI Back

Spy Hunter is an Instant Classic, Again

I love the classics. I love them so much in fact that I find it blasphemous to attempt to update them. And while there are some very impressive remakes available (Tempest 2000 immediately comes to mind) most of the remakes I have played either turned up to be slightly disappointing, or some ended up being so badly altered that it bears nothing to the classic it was based on. Frogger is a good example of the latter. The 1983 Midway classic SpyHunter has been an all time favorite of mine. I can never forget how much money I spent on … Continue reading Spy Hunter is an Instant Classic, Again

EA Footbal 2001 Report Card

This joint review is being written on the night following the first week of the NFL season: a week that has provided plenty of surprises (Minnesota losing to a Chris Weinke-led Carolina Panthers), and the obvious (the Redskins getting their Butt kicked by the Chargers of all teams!) There were also personal highlights, such as my Jags winning and Urben’s Jets losing big, and lowlights as Fox Sports centering their Ravens game solely on Rayenthal "I got away with aiding a murderer" Lewis. These surprises also seem to carry to the PS2 gridiron as well. Last year, when Madden 2001 … Continue reading EA Footbal 2001 Report Card

Echelon Attacks Traditional Sims

Although my interest in PC gaming has slowed down to a crawl (most likely because of the lack of monetary surplus compared to the extensive cost of new hardware to meet demand), I still take the time and patience to try out new PC titles that can actually run on my system. Imagine my surprise when Emperor: Battle for Dune, not only ran on my old Athlon 700, but ran well. But still when I go back to PC games, I still think of the one title that got me started in PC titles more than anything else (except maybe … Continue reading Echelon Attacks Traditional Sims

GT3 Could Be the Grandest Racer Ever

Maybe I should take back what I said in my commentary a few months ago, and my initial regrets for the PlayStation 2. Granted when it came out there were very few high quality titles available, save perhaps Madden and SSX. But in the last few months I have noticed the quality of PS2 games improving greatly. ZOE, Red Faction, Starfighter, FIFA 2001, and the MGS Demo (remember Breeden, it’s only a DEMO, there will still be more in the final release!) are just a few of the many great titles coming out, and from what I’ve seen at E3, … Continue reading GT3 Could Be the Grandest Racer Ever