My two Star Fox cents: I hear and understand the whole "lol, it's the same story again." But what gets me is that apparently a Star Fox game's status as a rail-shooter is inextricably linked to it (re)telling the Lylat Wars story. 1, 64, 64 3D, Zero, and (apparently) the new one are each (1/?)

Just got back from Fellowship of the Ring in theaters! I don't think there's any compliment I can give that hasn't been said to death, but wow! Theater was packed to the gills, and the crowd was pleasant!

I'm ready to return to Breslin Center for the Michigan State Izzone Alumni Game! I've taken my afternoon coffee, rested my voice, and am prepared to channel my 20-year-old self!

Even if you were to wave a wand and undo every harm/negative Trump has ever done, his net positive contributions to humanity wouldn't even approach Reiner's filmography from 1984-1992 alone.

On the eve of Michigan State and Michigan's battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy, one of my favorite bits of trivia involving the rivalry's history: Harry Kipke is the only man to serve as head coach for both programs. He also has a losing record on both sides of the rivalry. 0-1 vs UM 3-4-2 vs MSC.

The Detroit Pistons are Really Weird About Their History: A Thread I'm fascinated by the history of sports teams, especially my hometown teams. And a recent visit to Little Caesars Arena made me realize just how odd the Pistons' perception of their own history is:

What a game between Detroit and Cleveland! Thanks SO MUCH, @mlb.com, for putting it on a weekday afternoon! It makes it more mysterious and legendary when no one can actually watch it! And eat 'em up, Tigers!

As we hit Spooky Season, I'm looking for any recs for books, pods, or YouTube videos that make for fun reading/listening! Some of the elements I love in my spooky fiction are: thick atmosphere, autumn vibes, slow-burning dread, cool monsters, supernatural mysteries, some degree of hopefulness.

Nowadays I mostly see the Berenstain Bears book where they play soccer in context of the humorously photoshopped cover, but the real book's premise is even funnier to me. It seems like a very classic trope, especially from the time: Dad loves sports, but has trouble connecting with kids' hobby (1/?)

There's nostalgia, and then there's the instrumental break of Tom Petty's Higher Place. I can't explain it...it's not even one of my top 5 songs on that album, but the way it transports me to 1995 is...powerful. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEy5...

Heard about an exciting opportunity from a small startup. The boss is a charismatic fellow. He says their "operation is small, but there's a lot of potential for aggressive expansion." Very polite, too, calling us candidates "fine gentlemen." You don't hear that in the hiring process nowadays.

One very specific, if trivial, oddity of growing up in '90s Michigan in a community where the vast majority of people had made the switch cable: Our rabbit-ears TV picked up Canadian broadcasting, and I got exposed to all these kids' shows that none of my peers had heard of.

For the first time since 2019, my Detroit Pistons will be hosting a playoff game. For the first time since 2008, they will be hosting a game while NOT being down in the series and huge underdogs. Ready for a hyped crowd! Would it be too much to ask to have Final Countdown for player intros?

College basketball PSA: despite what @cbssportscbb.bsky.social is falsely broadcasting, the UM-MSU all-time record is 97-91 among games legally played.

Fave Zelda: Tetra Fave version of the lullaby: OoT credits Fave Zelda Outfit: Tetra (if we go with only the "traditional" look, Twilight Princess)

I'd shift to a topdown perspective, tighten up the pace, and give more freedom re: dungeon order and weapons you can use against bosses. And let the Master Sword shoot beams at full health.

Favorite games for each Nintendo system: NES: SMB 3 SNES: Yoshi's Island GB: Link's Awakening VB: Wario Land N64: Banjo-Tooie GBA: Metroid Zero Mission GC: Metroid Prime Wii: SMG 2 DS: Contra 4 Wii U: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze 3DS: Link Between Worlds Switch: Ori & the Will of the Wisps

Unsolicited thoughts on John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together. It's really hard to choose between the album and TV special version of 12 Days of Christmas. On one hand, the album has: Beaker singing, which is always funny. On the other, the TV version has Fozzie repeatedly (1/?)

Name a game with a 10/10 soundtrack

Sometimes I just share music that makes me feel things. This morning, this absolute beauty popped into my head. Best track from the GBA version of DKC3? Possibly! www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9fZ...

There are these books about animals that my toddlers love ("I Wish I Were A [Insert Animal]"), and their angle is "here are these cool things about these animals, but here are weird/gross things they do that, overall, make me grateful I'm a human." And I feel like they misread/underestimate (1/?)

Happy Halloween! Arguably the most iconic spooky-adjacent song from video games is Vampire Killer, and choosing a favorite among its many versions is a challenge. For my money, I go with Rondo of Blood. It's just so aggressive, and the pauses perfectly build tension! www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlay...

The best Halloween-centric theme from a video game? Very possible! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrde...

One thing I love about the classic Mega Man series is how there is no strong consensus on ranking. Growing up in the '90s and '00s, there seemed to be a few common favorites, but any lead in the rankings seems a lot more contested these days.

What are your top 10 favorite video games? 1. Yoshi's Island 2. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze 3. Super Metroid 4. Sonic 3 & Knuckles 5. Chrono Trigger 6. Ori & the Will of the Wisps 7. Banjo-Tooie 8. Crazy Taxi 9. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door 10. Doom 2016

Call me basic, but in my brain, this is THE default "something spooky's going on" music. Timeless! www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6fL...

I'm so confused by last year's Goosebumps show. It seemed so uninterested in being a Goosebumps thing, other than the most surface-level of references. And for a property that traditionally barely ever included even the most basic of romances, the emphasis on parents having affairs and teens (1/?)

Hello? Yes, I'd like to report a crime: My local classic rock station just played 1998's "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz.

Next up, music from a game that has been near and dear to me for decades! There are better Castlevania tracks, but none emanate with the sense of "you are NOT welcome here" like this one: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUEC...

Enjoying some spooky stuff during spooky season. First up: A reminder that Castlevania 2: Belmont's Revenge for the Game Boy is Good, Actually! And that soundtrack! www.youtube.com/watch?v=puh-...

The lullaby Hush Little Baby gets really preoccupied with pulling things (mostly carts) down the stretch.

I think a good "glass half full or empty" optimist/pessimist test is whether you find the lyrics of Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" encouraging or threatening. "If your life was bad to you, well just think of what tomorrow will do!"

In celebration of the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis anniversary, my favorite titles (one per franchise for a bit more variety): 1) S3&K 2) Contra Hard Corps 3) Castlevania Bloodlines 4) Ristar 5) Streets of Rage 2 6) Shinobi 3 7) Pulseman 8) TMNT: Hyperstone Heist 9) Ecco: Tides of Time 10) Jurassic Park

N64-era Rareware: With advancing technology, we can now make games that take many hours to beat! So, if our child target audience of these cute games about fuzzy animals takes a break FOR ANY REASON, let's declare it a Game Over, the term understood by players to mean absolute failure!

Detroit sports trivia time! Since all 4 have been in Michigan, the Tigers, Red Wings, Lions, and Pistons have NEVER all played in the playoffs in the same calendar year. There has been ONE consecutive 12-month period (spanning parts of 2 years) where they were all in the playoffs. When was it?

Looking for horror film recos where kids don't die (teens and 20-somethings playing teens are acceptable)! To help calibrate, some of my faves: Babadook Poltergeist The Fog Get Out Alien Thing Terminator The Birds Halloween The Fly 10 Cloverfield Lane Trick r Treat Shining Most of Flanagan's work

Rolled credits on the Paper Mario: TTYD remake. It is beautiful, perfect, makes me feel warm and fuzzy, and I will not be taking questions on the ratio of the game's actual merits vs. nostalgia. I would be happy to chat about the game in general, though!

I'm often haunted by the early Arrested Development bit where Lucille tells Michael, "you're my 3rd-least favorite child," and, when GOB enters later, the narration says "Lucille's 4th-least favorite child showed up." That means the exact opposite of what they were trying to say!

I find it very funny that they made an "Indiana Jones is Old" and an "Indiana Jones is Really Old" movie, 15 years apart, and both introduce clear-cut ways for the character and/or actor to pass the torch. And both movies emphatically slam the door on those "outs" before credits roll.

As a Michigander, I'm over the nitpicking of "born and raised in south Detroit." I always took it as a lower-case "south," as in, closer to the southern city limits of Detroit than the north, like Corktown or something. Yes, I know it's not called that, but can we chill a little?

Gaming pet peeve: On Nintendo devices with two face buttons (usually A and B, except for sideways Wiimotes' 1 and 2), jump is usually A, and attack/run is usually B. This is cool and good. On Nintendo devices with four face buttons (ABXY), jump SHOULD be B and attack/run should be Y. (1/?)

One of my favorite things about Rogue One is when they're like "hey, we should test this new weapon," but because older things strongly implied Alderaan was the first planet it blew up, Deepfake Tarkin has to say "let's test a fraction of its power and 'just' render the planet uninhabitable."

One of my "comfort" tropes is in time-travel or alternate reality-exploring stories, where a character is alienated and uneasy by the different world around them, then find that one mentor/friend/family member who is either from the same reality or has enough of the same "core" personality (1/?)

So, we can all agree that the MCU version of Rocket Raccoon was inspired by Rattrap from Beast Wars/Beasties, right? It's okay, person on the Guardians of the Galaxy film crew who grew up watching awesome, niche '90s cartoons. You can admit it when you're ready.

Pet peeve: When cartoon characters (barring some examples with very specific tones) are temporarily turned 3D and/or live action, and they use descriptions like "there's more depth" or "things are more realistic/detailed." Why would they perceive their own world as lacking realism/detail???