Having fallen prey to the Mini game machine phenomenon, I have pretty much now wholeheartedly given myself over to just being a sucker for almost all of it.
Continue reading “The Next Big Little Thing”
This past week was E3! While this year was much different than past events, there’s still lots of news to share, including exciting retro gaming-related surprises. Let’s jump in!
Continue reading “Retro at E3 2021 (and some other recent announcements)”
Mark from Super Gamer Podcast interviewed me for episode 63 of his show! We talked about the blog, the zine, Nintendo merch, SF2, Pitfall, buying games, Metroid, gaming goals, and a bunch of other stuff too. Listen here!
Just when I said I wasn’t going to be making as many regular blog posts, here comes the return of Video Vinyl! Bet you didn’t see that coming!
Okay, so to follow that shocker, here’s a hot take:
There’s too damn much video game vinyl.
Continue reading “Video Vinyl: Shadow of the Colossus and Actraiser”
Spoiler alert: If you’ve watched my unboxing video or followed my Instagram or read my Tweets or been anywhere near me since it came out, you know that I absolutely freakin’ LOVE LOVE LOVE this machine. So if you came here looking for someone to drag it through the mud(men), go put your quarter in someone else’s blog, because I’m about to gush over this thing like the lava geyser in the electric cage scene.
HI, I’m TJ and I’m a Dragon’s Lair fanboy.
Continue reading “Dragon’s Lair Replicade: The RGSH Test”
The Pinball Hall of Fame — my personal favorite thing to do in Las Vegas, as I wrote about years ago — is in a bit of a pickle right now, and they need our help!
Continue reading “URGENT: Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame Needs Our Help! UPDATE: FUNDED!!”
You can always tell when it’s this time of year, because the blog gets kinda silent. You know I’m working on something — well here it is! The FOURTH big issue of Retro Game SuperHyper fanzine is available now!
Continue reading “Retro Game SuperHyper Fanzine Issue #4 is OUT NOW!!”
The cooler autumn weather brings a different mood to every aspect of life, and to counteract the oncoming gloom of winter’s shorter days and my disappointment about having to actually put on pants to go outside, there are some good things about it, too. I get to bust out my trusty old leather jacket, myriad delicious Oktoberfest beers appear on store shelves (especially here in Wisconsin), and my dogs love running through the leaves and, eventually, the snow.
Along with all the bundling-up and hunkering-down comes a change in my gaming mood, too. Yes, ’tis the season of RPGs, when a nice, long quest to save some crystals or prevent the destruction of the world or some such nonsense is just what the doctor ordered to get us through the months that end in “-ber” and “-uary.”
Lately, after doing some thinking about it and with no new games catching my interest, I’ve wandered back to the Ys series.
Continue reading “Ys-y Like Sunday Mornin’”
Today is Retro Game SuperHyper’s 4th birthday! Yay! You’re all invited to my party at Showbiz Pizza, tokens for everybody!
…If only, amirite? What a year 2020 has been. I obviously don’t need to get into the overall state of the world right now, but it has definitely affected my video game hobby and it’s been reflected somewhat here on the blog.
Midwest Gaming Classic got canceled this year, I canceled my trip to Tokyo, I haven’t been to any arcades, and some games and products have been delayed. The Replicade Dragon’s Lair machine, for instance, saw lots of setbacks in manufacturing and shipping. (Happily, they are finally, actually, really-for-real on the boat to the US right now, so we should be seeing that by the end of this month!)
But some good happened too — although it sucked that my job was shut down for two months, I did do a lot of blogging and gaming. The lack of arcade visits, I think, inspired me to do my Arcade1up mod project that I wanted to do. And I had time to get a head start on issue 4 of the RGSH fanzine, which is on track for January 2021!
Usually in these birthday posts, I talk about the site’s stats, how it’s doing, what my plans, are, etc. But this time, I think I’m just grateful to still be around to do what I’m doing — if I have time to post or make a video, I do, and I’m always around on social media if anyone wants to get at me. I hope you continue to enjoy the blog and my content, and look for the next issue of the ‘zine very soon!
As always, thank you so much for reading. Stay safe and healthy.
Sometimes it’s crazy to think about how much time has passed in this gaming hobby. I can’t believe that it’s been almost 20 years since Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984 was released in 2001. It seems like just yesterday that I brought it home and had it sitting prominently on my coffee table, to be frequently perused for at least the next year or two. How much stuff has happened in the world of videogames since then — heck, how much has happened in the world in general since then?!
Supercade, by Van Burnham, is itself an examination of the first significant span of video game history, from its inception as an experiment, to a new entertainment medium, to its golden age, and ultimately to the era of the industry crash in the US. A highly-respected tome amongst game fans and historians, Supercade runs well over 400 pages and is absolutely packed full of information amidst its vividly colorful layouts.
And now, in a new chapter in the history of video game…uh…history, Supercade is getting a sequel. Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1985-2001 has just been successfully funded via Kickstarter (full disclosure: I’m a backer), and promises to pick up right where the original volume left off. So I thought now would be a perfect time to revisit the first book, to suggest to us what we can expect from its successor. Continue reading “Gamers’ Library: Supercade”
If Space Invaders turning 40 two years ago didn’t make you feel old, how about today? It’s Pac-Man’s 40th birthday!
Happy belated 3.5 years to me! This coronavirus shutdown/stay-at-home thing has all our days blurring together, and I totally missed my usual April 16 date to post my annual half-year State of the Blog Address! As longtime followers may know, since the blog’s anniversary is on October 16, that means April 16 is the halfway point to another year online, so I like to step back and talk about where the blog is now, and my plans for the coming year. Continue reading “State of the Blog Address 05.06.20”
Retro Game SuperHyper 