It's a happy day for me when I learn something new about Quake — or any classic game, for that matter. My fresh factoid for today: a seemingly unused image in Quake's data files that actually plays an important role in running the game.

I haven't been enjoying Shadow of War as much as others, partly for its diversions from Tolkien's tone/universe, a take which has got me thinking about Lord of the Rings video games I do like.

You've no doubt seen countless lists of the best video games set in the Star Wars universe today. Boring. I'd like to try something a little different and tell you what the best Star Wars video game is.

There have been many different ways of playing video games on a console (and sometimes PC) over the years. Some have been better than others.

Picking firsts in video game history isn't easy. For example: Resident Evil was the first survival horror game. Nope, try Alone in the Dark. Oh wait, was it Sweet Home (the inspiration for RE)? Massive argument ensues. At the risk of starting his own related brawl, Alex Lemcovich of Stealth Docs has put forward his idea of the first stealth game. Care to guess?

The psychological NSA experiment mysterious arcade game Polybius has popped up in a few instances on Kotaku previously, but now's the first time you can enjoy it in well-produced, documentary form. Stuart Brown of Ahoy fame, who has cranked out some quality clips in the past, decided to tackle the urban legend in an extensive, hour-long video.

Whether you're playing retro games through an emulator on Windows, Mac or a custom-built Raspberry Pi console, you need a controller. We tested some of the most popular options, from simple Xbox controllers to retro replicas and expensive Bluetooth-enabled gamepads, to figure out which are worth your money.

This video was made in 1991, but it feels like it comes from another dimension.

It's an instructional video, made by Nintendo, to help retail staff deal with customers when selling Nintendo consoles.

It's unreal.

It's strange watching the games of your childhood given a fresh coat of paint and reimagined into something new. Sometimes they turn out as good (or better) and other times... well, let's not talk about them here. XCOM is a series that landed in the former category, but what was it about the franchise that made it good reboot material? Perhaps a history lesson will help.

You've heard of Final Fantasy VII. Everyone's already told you to play Chrono Trigger. But what about the lesser-known JRPGs? What about the gems that don't get discussed all that much?

One of the filthiest games released on a Nintendo console was originally going to be just another kiddified 3D platformer. Check out some never-before-seen footage of the game that would become Conker's Bad Fur Day.

Not every Pokémon-themed handheld has to be covered with Pikachu. This lucky fan-made Game Boy Colour for example has the entire region of Kanto painted on its front by Belgian graphic artist Vadu Amka.

Perhaps it's because I've been away from a controller and mouse for a while, but I've had a real strong desire for things that can be played with the arrow keys and a few buttons lately. So let's combine those two passions in this week's Tribute Thursday with a real old gem.

Let's beat up some blokes in costume.

1994's FPS-RPG, System Shock, is an important game. It was an influence on not just BioShock and its sequels, but also a variety of game series in between, like Half-Life and Deus Ex. It was also a bitch to play on modern PCs, which is fortunately something this re-release should help with.

On 19 September, 1985, Capcom unleashed one of the toughest video games ever to hit arcades, starring a brave knight and his brave underwear.

Flat widescreen monitors? Glowing keyboards and mice? Controllers with analogue thumbsticks? The late '90s PC gamer needed not such things.

Bulky. Heavy. Ugly. That was the original Nintendo DS. And just when you think that handheld was dead, it starts trending on Twitter in Japan.

'Retro' visual aesthetics are everywhere. They're in the games we used to play, they're in marketing, pixel art. It's a movement. It's part of our cultural consciousness. But it's easy to forget that the 'pixel' look was a result of processing limitations. How did it all work? This video does a phenomenal job of explaining all that.

The retro gaming industry continues to explode. CNN reported on the secondary market for vintage games and the dusty, old cartridges sitting in your mum's attic are increasing in value -- sometimes by twice of what they were valued at years ago.