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

Jam device offers gamers high-resolution fun

Gran Turismo is now available for the PC! Well, not exactly. Sure it would be nice to see Sony’s racing masterpiece released for the PC, but I’m afraid that won’t be happening for a while. Fortunately, I have found an alternative. If it’s not available for the PC, then how about patching your Sony PlayStation to a PC monitor? It can happen now, thanks to Aims’ new Jam! device, recently debuted at E3. The Jam device connects your PlayStation or Nintendo 64 from the A/V port (a special cable is provided for both systems), and is outputted into the VGA … Continue reading Jam device offers gamers high-resolution fun

Tekken 3 will increase number of PlayStation owners

I want to start this review by saying that I wasn’t really a big fan of the Sony PlayStation. For the two and a half years the system was out, I felt that most of the games that were released were nothing but 3D eye candy. Sure, there were some definite exceptions, but those tended not to be the norm. It was getting to the point that I vowed that I would never buy a PlayStation, and only a miracle would change my mind. That miracle just came true, and it’s name…TEKKEN 3! The Tekken series already has a strong … Continue reading Tekken 3 will increase number of PlayStation owners

Need for Speed 3 is hotly perusing the number one race spot

Last week I reviewed Sony’s racing masterpiece Gran Turismo and considered it to be the finest racing game ever made. This week, I took a glimpse at GT’s closest PlayStation competition, Electronic Art’s Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit. At first, I thought that it would be a disappointing sequel just like Need for Speed 2 was, and fortunately for me, I was dead wrong. This might not be as deep a racing experience that Gran Turismo was, but it sure is a lot of fun to play. Once again, Need for Speed 3 provides a wide assortment of supercars … Continue reading Need for Speed 3 is hotly perusing the number one race spot

Deer Hunter woos non-traditional gamers, but not mainstream

For the last few months all I have been hearing about is this new Deer Hunter program which GT Interactive released under their WizardWorks budget lineup. I remember WizardWorks being responsible for some pretty decent add on products, such as their amazing D!Zone extension for DOOM a few years back. I used to spend plenty of time fooling around with the new levels, there were over 900, and it was found by me to be more than worth the 20-odd dollars I paid for it. But now, there’s this new budgetware product which is meant to simulate a true deer … Continue reading Deer Hunter woos non-traditional gamers, but not mainstream

Interplay calls on VSIM technology to push gaming envelope

Interplay Production’s latest release, Die by the Sword, takes the behind the back perspective made famous in Tomb Raider and successfully incorporates it into an all encompassing sword fighting experience. The main game involves a warrior named Elric, a simple swordsman who is enjoying a peaceful evening with his girlfriend Maya. They are suddenly attacked by an army of kobolds, and Elric chases after them. Little does he know that other kobolds arrive to carry Maya away in order to be used as a human sacrifice. Returning to the area to find his beloved missing, he races to a cave … Continue reading Interplay calls on VSIM technology to push gaming envelope

StarCraft was worth the wait. Enough said

When I hear that a game that I look strongly forward to is being delayed, it puts a chill in my spine. That’s because when a game is heavily delayed, it usually means that something is seriously wrong and the final product will be a total disaster. Take Battlecruiser 3000, for instance. Here we have a product that was supposed to be the ultimate in space exploration; something in the likes of Privateer, Elite, etc. After who knows how many years of delays, what was brought to the public was an unfinished disc, complete with bugs, crashes, incomplete manuals, and … Continue reading StarCraft was worth the wait. Enough said

Gamer heaven in traveling computer game museum

It was a quiet, sunny, Tuesday afternoon, and I was walking through Washington’s National Press Building. Suddenly, something way off in one corner caught my eye. It was a tabletop version of the arcade classic Gyruss. "What is this doing here," I asked myself. This was definitely a sight for me to behold, considering that I have not seen this game (aside from emulation or console translation) for over ten years. It was then I realized I had stumbled upon a traveling classic video game exhibit entitled Videotopia, presented by the Capital Children’s Museum and the Electronics Conservancy. Videotopia is … Continue reading Gamer heaven in traveling computer game museum

Winter Heat can help Saturn platform go out with a bang

A few months ago I wrote a review of Konami’s Nagano Winter Olympics 98. Still, I am haunted by the mundane graphics and just plain God-awful gameplay. Fortunately though, I tested out Sega’s answer, Winter Heat. For me, it did a good job at cleaning out the rotten aftertaste that Nagano put in my mouth. Winter Heat is the sequel to one of the Saturn’s better, and most underrated, sports games ever released: Decathlete. Decathlete was itself was Sega’s answer to Konami’s Track and Field way back in 1986. Winter Heat follows up to Decathlete’s character selection, offering eight different … Continue reading Winter Heat can help Saturn platform go out with a bang

Microsoft Force Feedback Control is one cool shootin’ iron

Force feedback was something I had always wanted in my computer game environment. I first thought I would get it with a Nintendo 64 Rumble Pak, but basically all that is, is a little vibrator which doesn’t accentuate each force independently. Lately, I was able to get my hands on Microsoft’s new Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro joystick, and let’s just say that from the pack-ins alone, I am hooked. It’s strange that a company that just got in the gaming business when they released Windows 95 has created a controller of such extraordinary abilities. A 16-bit 386SX microprocessor works in … Continue reading Microsoft Force Feedback Control is one cool shootin’ iron

Another great notch in LucasArt’s Lightsaber

Is LucasArts’ Mysteries of the Sith just a Jedi Knight add on? Or is it a lot more? Let’s put it this way: if more companies designed add-on packs like this, then the games they are based on would be greatly enhanced. Mysteries of the Sith takes place five years after Kyle Katarn disposed of Jerec and the Seven Dark Jedi. As he is training Mara Jade, herself a former Emperor’s Hand seen in the Timothy Zahn novels, Kyle discovers a possible location for a hidden Sith temple and is compelled to discover its mystery. As he departs for the … Continue reading Another great notch in LucasArt’s Lightsaber