The original mines in the first version of Minesweeper were intentionally designed to resemble naval mines. The popularity of Minesweeper led to the creation of several copycats, including Minesweeper X, Crossmines, and Minehunt. However, many believe that Minesweeper itself was inspired by the 1983 ZX Spectrum game Mined-Out. Fans of Minesweeper were very disappointed when…
Tag: Microsoft
Fun Fact: Bill Gates Was a College Dropout
Despite being one of the richest men to ever live, Bill Gates dropped out of college. He was a student at Harvard University.
Video Game History: Blinx: The Time Sweeper (Xbox)
When the Xbox launched in 2001, Microsoft was desperate to establish key franchises to stand out from the pack. Nintendo had Mario, Sega had Sonic, Sony had Crash Bandicoot (sorta), and they felt like they needed a mascot for the system as well. While Master Chief eventually became the supreme choice for a mascot, they…
Things I Like: Banjo and Kazooie (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)
I was a tiny bit surprised that Banjo and Kazooie joined the cast of Super Smash Bros. Microsoft acquired Rare from Nintendo a little after Melee, and they basically killed Banjo’s chances of making it to Brawl. But Microsoft actually has a pretty friendly relationship with Nintendo now, so both companies have no problems giving…
Things I Like: Spiral Mountain Stage (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)
Spiral Mountain serves as Banjo & Kazooie’s home stage. I never got into the N64 classics, but apparently all the games start you there. Think of it like Green Hill Zone in the Sonic series, but for Banjo and his bird friend. The stage isn’t too wacky. But from what I could look up, it’s…