I'm not a big blogger (my first time here) but I do enjoy some of the post I read. I love when people make references to odd and obscure games from the past. I have been an avid gamer since I got my first Atari XE game system back in 1988. I've never held to any platform (either console or pc) and I normally play what catches my eye. Here are some of the more random or old games I've played (and still play) that I suggest you give a try.

Nexus: The Jupiter Incident (PC)

As odd as the name sounds, this is an interesting space strategy game released back in 2004. You play as Marcus Cromwell, the son of the first human born in space and war hero of the Martian War. Your father lead the first attempt at human intergalactic travel abord the ship "Noah's Ark", which was subsequently lost when you were 10. Mega-corporations are now independent states from Earth and you are a captain of a SpaceTech heavy Corvette. The combat unfolds in real time, although you can always pause the action to issue orders. This is a necessary evil, as you are commanding up to 10 ships each with several squadrons of fighters in a 3D environment, combat can be confusing to say the least. Half of the magic of this game is, once all the orders are issued, to just sit back and watch the show. The visuals of this game were stunning by '04 standards and look pretty damn fine today. Combine that with customizable weapon loadout on your ships and a fantastic briefing screen showing everything from your recent engagements to the orbits of the planets in the system your current mission is in, this is a game I urge you to try and find. I picked it up for about ten buck from walmart a couple of years ago, but haven't seen it since.

Descent: Freespace / Freespace 2 (PC)

In a genre that was pretty much created and solely inhabited by the X-wing/Tie Fighter series,I didn't even get into space combat sims until after I got Descent: Freespace for Christmas one year. I couldn't even play it right away as I didn't have a computer powerful enough to run it. Once I had built my own gaming rig (my first) a year later, I figured I would give it a try. My eyes were opened, and I now have a thirst that cannot be quenched. When mankind took his first tentative steps into space, he found nothing but barren rock and un-evolved life. He was master of space and claimed domination over every planet he reached. Then they encountered the Vasudans. They were another space-faring race, also believing that they held dominion over the galaxy as they saw it. No one is sure exactly how the war started, but it has raged for years. You are thrust into the middle of this war during its fourteenth year of conflict between The Galactic Terran Alliance and the Parliamentary Vasudan Empire. You choose the ship you wish to pilot and the weapon loadout you wish to take against your foe. The 2nd game take place a few years after the end of the first. Both are fantastic, and nothing beats the thrill of taking a 20m long fighter zooming at 180 m/s along the side of a 2 km battleship trying to take out its turrets before it takes you out.

Bust-A-Groove (PS)

Not to be confused with Bust-A-Move (although this game was called Bust-A-Move in Japan) this is a rhythm combat game where you dance off against other outrageously costumed characters. Before I had ever heard of Dance Dance Revolution, I was tappin out beats and badass moves on a demo disk that came with the official Playstation Magazine (Demo disk #9 if I recall). In an outrageous plot a la Twisted Metal, you face off against opponents to win a wish from the Groovetron to fulfill their dancin' desires. The plot was as shallow as the characters. I don't remember the game for them though, I remember the music. I'd play that game just to hear a specific song. 12 song (one for each character) of various musical genre means at least one would get stuck in your head, and oh did they get stuck.

Thats about it for now, but I'll be back with more games you should try, if that is,you can ever find them.