Not a song this year (I’ve largely just been appreciating old favorites), but a phrase. A fragment of last year’s Doctor Who Christmas special. “Halfway out of the dark.” My tastes are what they are, and the world as I experience it is defined by them, after all ( Read more... )

Happened to stop by this site to look at an old entry, and it left me curious. So, quick poll - do me a favor and leave a comment if you read this. I'm curious how narrow the reach over here is these days. Or how much more robust it is than I expect. Either one. We'll find out, I suppose.

With the last social circle I had on this site rapidly decamping for Dreamwidth, and the realization that right now my friends page has next to no substantive posts from anyone I've actually met in real life, I've decided its time to finally turn the lights off on this aspect of social networking. The Nintendo Project continues happily at its ( Read more... )

For what is I believe the first time, today we have two games that are actually quite good and well-regarded: Konami's Blades of Steel, and Sunsoft's Blaster Master. Both hail from the 1988 Christmas season, and, perhaps more interestingly, both are completely bizarre and perverse experiences. Having discussed the question of what 1988 is last ( Read more... )

I am going to venture a hypothesis. Actually, no. I'm going to speak authoritatively for the whole of humanity based on a minimal amount of thought and evidence. Nobody has ever enjoyed a childhood fishing trip. (To clarify, if you disagree and have enjoyed a childhood fishing trip, you are a liar and I will cut you.) I would say that nobody has ( Read more... )

It is an ironic fact that memory is a collective act, while the actual relics of historical experience are personal. Case in point - I am a nerd. Accordingly, of the following three cultural touchstones, only one is distinctly part of my memory: monster truck rallies, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and NASCAR. Thus it is unusual that these ( Read more... )

An oft unremarked upon aspect of the famed RCA Dog is that its fundamental concept of the image is that the dog is entranced specifically by the sound of his dead master's voice coming through the gramophone. The game today is Big Bird's Hide and Speak, and as you can see, we're setting up for a cheery little number ( Read more... )

I was getting ice cream yesterday, and behind me in line was a very upset child. I am usually one of those people with a certain minimalist tolerance for the reproductive errors of others. Not childfree by any measure - I desperately want kids. But my attitude towards them is much like my attitudes towards dogs - I intend to like my children. Other ( Read more... )

Sorry for the lengthy absence - moving left my access to the games themselves out of commission for several weeks longer than I expected. We now return to your irregularly scheduled programming ( Read more... )

The knockout rounds begin ( Read more... )