Retrospectives

Old cartridges, old discs, old memories. A second look at the games that came before.

  • Binding of Isaac (PS4) – Crying in the Basement | WOTS Retrospective

    Grotesque, brilliant, and deeply uncomfortable, The Binding of Isaac is a roguelike that weaponized trauma, tears, and procedural chaos—and in doing so, reshaped an entire genre. Fifteen years later, it’s still impossible to forget.

  • Punch-Out!! (NES) – Little Mac, Big Memories and Bigger Asterisks | WOTS Retrospectives

    Punch-Out!! for the NES is one of my earliest gaming memories—an endlessly replayable boss rush of patterns, timing, and wildly dated stereotypes. Little Mac may be the underdog, but this game still punches way above its weight.

  • Retrospective?: Experiencing Resident Evil Without Nostalgia

    What’s it like to experience one of gaming’s most iconic horror franchises for the first time as an adult? With no nostalgia, no childhood memories, and no idea what an ink ribbon even is, I dove headfirst into Resident Evil—starting with co-op action in RE5 and slowly spiraling into haunted mansions, parasite cults, and giant…

  • From Gameboy to HeartGold: Why the Pokemon Remakes Are the Way to Go

    A nostalgic deep dive into Pokémon Gold and why its DS remake, HeartGold, might just be the better way to relive your childhood. From dead batteries to better mechanics, here’s why sometimes the remake beats the original.