$1000!

I will always have a soft spot for this Black Box game. It loses a bit from the coin-op Vs. version, where playing against the clock adds tension, but the game's simple approach makes it accessible.

Here’s proof.

Filming another person without their written consent should’ve been illegal from the start. And, though I use my phone’s camera often to take photos of my collection, society would’ve been better off if cameras were never part of phones to begin with. The tech’s been used with a lot of bad intent.

Gran Turismo 3 was one of those games that showed the leap in technological horsepower from the then-aged-but-not-yet-retro original PlayStation to its Emotion Engine-powered successor. The future was now, and it was darned impressive.

I really like this game. Not as deep as Hot Shots Golf, but still quite accessible and fun to play. It can be had for quite cheap these days (being a PS2 sports game and all).

Man, it saddens me to see how far Zen Studios has fallen. Without that pesky Farsight Studios competing, shit’s just getting thrown up there on Pinball FX with no quality control. I like getting random points on the Pin*Bot table just for my ball rolling around. 🙄🙄🙄

This gets me every time.

This plays well on Switch 2, by the way. Easily one of my favorite games of the last few years, spotlighting some amazing music in a series that’s known for it.

Sonic Racing: Crossworlds (Launch Impressions): This doesn’t come close to unseating Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. That’s the disappointing part. The game looks nice and the Performance Mode hums along. That’s the good part. It’s a fine kart racer. I do miss the progression from the Gen7 games.

Indeed, the Chiefs are not the Cowboys. Russell Wilson just got tired of waiting and uncorked a patented pickoff pass.

Oh my goodness! PSX! I’m guessing this is the October 1996 issue, given the bangers mentioned on the cover. I haven’t seen one of these issues in a hot minute.

Getting the Brian Daboll conniption out of the way early, I see.

I bit on Crossworlds. After feeling a bit empty from the Mario Kart World experience and reading that Crossworlds has decent meat for solo players like me, it made sense. Pac-Man World 2 this week too.

On a less serious note, a few “sportsball” thoughts from this afternoon: — The beatdown of the Bengals today comes part and parcel with a Jameis Winston type of QB, which Jake Browning absolutely is. — You played with guts, Mac Jones. — That Browns defense will challenge anyone and everyone.

This is why I have a website. BlueSky is the last major option for me when it comes to social networks, so if things go even more awry here (as the trajectory paints), then I’ll still have a platform to write things about video games on. While I’d love to see forums return, it’s not realistic.

YOOOOOO! This takes me back. Fairfield Mall, Chicopee, MA. Just Fun Arcade. This machine was set up far in the back of the arcade, past the pinball machines. It was immersive— and the game volume was cranked, so you could feel the bass. I couldn’t afford to play it often (2 tokens) but I did play.

It was the “Attitude” era of arcade sports games, and, sadly, the sub-genre’s final act. Acclaim Max Sports gets a mention here, too. Outside of some success for EA’s NBA JAM reboot, though, attempts to resurrect arcade sports games often fell flat, convincing publishers that they’re dead.

A purrfect shirt choice today.

I am at the point where if a game’s physical release is only available through a “pre-order in this short window, receive sometime in the next year or two” limited print publisher, I’m no longer considering it to have had a physical release. Way worse than even Key Cards, imo.

Absolute truth.

Superman Re-Ringed. C’mon, Limited Run. I double-dog dare you. There’s no time to waste!

Olds like me see this photo and hear the yelling… MORTAL KOMBAT! Young people stream into the streets of a seemingly abandoned city, answering the call. MORTAL KOMBAT! Images of fisticuffs and violence. A character falling from a platform into The Pit. Mortal Monday? I was there.

For me? This is the Mario Kart Killer. ✅ Meaty solo content ✅ Stages, music, and racers from SEGA’s catalog ✅ Tons of SEGA-related goodies to unlock ✅ Very accessible Mario Kart games are terribad for solo players, and have been since the inception of the series. This game welcomes solo players.

This game is batshit crazy. Nonsensical. A demonstration of chaos. It’s also one of the most expensive games I own.

That logo is so 90s. I love it.

The anti-remake/remaster crowd likes to point everyone to emulation so their new/original games can be “saved” or whatever, but other than the typical “do your own research” retorts, they fail to recognize that emulation isn’t easy (or accessible) for, like, 95% of the people they’re mad at.

I always think of a common Simpsons meme when I think about Ridge Racer 64 (and Ridge Racer DS). NST did try, and Namco was nice enough to let them use the RR name— but these fall way short. You can quickly tell that this is what NST thought a RR game should be, instead of an actual RR game.

I’m (still) calling my shot: Gen10 hardware (PS6 and maybe an Xbox thing if Microsoft doesn’t wave the white flag and run from console hardware) will see $1,000USD+ price tags. I have zero reasons to doubt this outcome. I would like to be wrong, but I don’t see how I could be.

“Changes in the macroeconomic environment”, for when you can’t say “tariffs” for fear of angering the monarchy:

Just remember: All corporations are shitty— even your favorites.

For reference, when it comes to market retro console pricing: PS2: $100-$150 PS1: ~$50 NES: $100-$125 SNES: $100-$125 Genesis 1: $75-$100 Genesis 2: $50-$75 N64 (Basic): $80-$110 Dreamcast: $150-$200 Xbox: $100-$150 Gamecube: starting at ~$85 Software will obviously vary.

$1,000 is the floor.

Just a friendly reminder that preowned older/discontinued video game consoles and software are still generally reasonable in terms of pricing and offer hundreds if not thousands of hours of fun.

This loss this me hard— and my thoughts go to all who knew and interacted with Billy. I can’t even imagine the pain that his family and friends must be feeling.

This news is so incredibly difficult for me to process. I grieve for Billy’s family and close friends, and am incredibly thankful for the interactions I had with him online and in person. I wish I had more words, but nothing else seems really appropriate or meaningful right now.

Call it pity, but I took MIA -11.5 tonight for $5. Do I think the LOLphins shock the world? Heh, no. The “third Bosa brother” probably sees to that given the Swiss cheese that is the MIA secondary. But the Bills defense is down key players. Could be a track meet? Big point spreads call out to me.

Not sure if this newly-released Puzzle Quest is a “remake” or a “remaster”, but I’m really having fun playing it— and that’s what matters to me.

Captain Obvious here: @yuzokoshiro.bsky.social and the Ancient dev team absolutely hit the target with Earthion. I just played for the first time on Xbox Series X and this not hits the Genesis/Mega Drive sweet spot— but it’s one of the most enjoyable STGs I’ve played in awhile.

I will profess my love of Street Fighter EX Plus α until I draw breath no more. The soundtrack alone is outstanding— but the familiar-yet-somehow-unique gameplay has always resonated with me. In my view, the sequels don’t come close.

Gonna be *that guy* for a second. To me? The first NBA Street is my favorite in the series. I get that the two Gen6 sequels have more content and complexity— but I’m the one in a trillion who prefers simplicity and replayability. NBA Street is a logical NBA JAM evolution. And I love it for that.

My 16-bit video chronologies are now fully represented (at least until we hit 1991) with the arrival of Turbo Works, a series that will operate under a single unifying premise: "This system was so good, and it sure got totally tripped up by every imaginable setback in the U.S." youtu.be/4s9SVjnsyn8

Z-Axis was onto something here. It was janky, sure, but it was also different enough from Neversoft’s formula while feeling familiar to spell opportunity with further refinement. That special refinement wound up happening on inline skates instead of on a BMX bike, aggressively so.

I absolutely would have worn this to school as an elementary student. Fancy gadgetry for the time.

3DO started this push in earnest, before it tailed off heading into the middle of the original PlayStation Era. Need For Speed and Twisted are two other 3DO games that spring to mind when considering EA’s commitment to FMV. The Strike duology on the PlayStation also stands out for me.

The Direct did very little for me, personally. A few interest me more on Series X (FFVII, Powerwash 2) thanks to more storage space and better performance, but I’m in for a trio of games here— including a double-dip on MK (which is already preordered physically).

Here’s today’s full set of pickups. StarFox 64 has the Rumble Pak & manual inside. The Greatest Hits version of Syphon Filter 2 is still 🦭🦭sealed🦭🦭 and sports a nostalgic K•B Toys price tag. And Urban Reign PS2 is a game I’ve been looking for.

Today’s pickups have that distinct 1997 feel.

Two Wolrds Two Worlds