Image

About "Critical Kate" Willaert

Born on the same day as the Famicom, "Critical Kate" has been playing videogames since the NES days. She enjoys a good story, prefers arcade-style to simulators, and doesn't understand the appeal of recreational frustration. You don't want to run into her in the Facility with Remote Mines.
Latest Posts | By "Critical Kate" Willaert
Wild Gunman ’74: The Forgotten First FMV Game
4 years ago

Wild Gunman ’74: The Forgotten First FMV Game

Why was SEGA selling Nintendo games? How could a live action arcade game exist before digital video? And what movie did it appear in?
Read More

Box Art History #3: Fairchild Channel F Wanted You To Collect ‘Em All
4 years ago

Box Art History #3: Fairchild Channel F Wanted You To Collect ‘Em All

Before the NES, before the Atari 2600…

Fairchild’s Channel F was the first video game console to run games directly from a cartridge. While Magnavox’s Odyssey had game cards that …
Read More

Infographic: The Evolution Of Carmen Sandiego’s Crest
4 years ago

Infographic: The Evolution Of Carmen Sandiego’s Crest

Carmen Sandiego’s first showed up 35 years ago today in WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO? for the Apple II. But she wasn’t yet wearing her iconic red outfit …
Read More

Box Art History #2: The First Commercial Computer Games Were Distributed On Paper
5 years ago

Box Art History #2: The First Commercial Computer Games Were Distributed On Paper

Early computer game history often gets overlooked.

I’m just as guilty as anyone of overlooking computer game history. So for this series, I made a conscious effort to broaden my …
Read More

Carmen Sandiego: To Steal Or Not To Steal Walkthrough
5 years ago

Carmen Sandiego: To Steal Or Not To Steal Walkthrough

Netflix has a new Bandersnatch-style interactive adventure. But where that film was about a character creating a fictional menu-driven adventure, the new film is based on one of the first …
Read More

Box Art History #1: The First Video Games In Boxes Were For Magnavox’s Odyssey
5 years ago

Box Art History #1: The First Video Games In Boxes Were For Magnavox’s Odyssey

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” the saying goes.

This age-old idiom originally meant you shouldn’t judge a person by their shabby clothing. But in a literal sense, I …
Read More

Infographic: Mario x Pac-Man x Sonic – Primary Bros.
5 years ago

Infographic: Mario x Pac-Man x Sonic – Primary Bros.

Super Mario, Pac-Man, and Sonic The Hedgehog are three of the most recognizable icons in gaming, and their careers contain some interesting parallels.

They also happen to perfectly represent …
Read More

The Sumerian Game: The Most Important Video Game You’ve Never Heard Of
5 years ago

The Sumerian Game: The Most Important Video Game You’ve Never Heard Of

Long before Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego or The Oregon Trail, there was The Sumerian Game.

Designed in 1964 for classrooms, it was as innovative as it is …
Read More

Infographic: Identifying Carmen Sandiego
5 years ago

Infographic: Identifying Carmen Sandiego

I’m certain that Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? is the most confusing series in the history of video games. Different versions of a game might have the same …
Read More

Rarely Seen ’90s Carmen Sandiego Art By Bill Sienkiewicz
5 years ago

Rarely Seen ’90s Carmen Sandiego Art By Bill Sienkiewicz

Legion co-creator Bill Sienkiewicz designed the characters and logo for the ’90s FOX cartoon Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?
Read More