Blogger Archive: slackur 
[img width=450 height=546]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-005/gs/U-005-S-04820-A.jpg[/img]
No, nothing on a Threshold Reboot/Remake. One can dream.
If memory serves (and at my age, sometimes memory drops the ball and just kind of wanders aimlessly) I think the first "shmup" I ever played was Threshold on my C64. It was on a combo diskette with headliner Saboteur, and I only got to Threshold out of curiosity after clearing Saboteur a few dozen times. When I finally did, I was hooked! Something about Threshold still really clicks with me. There are plenty of other favored games of its ilk from the early eighties, from granddaddy Space Invaders to other favorites of mine such as Spider Fighter. Yet there's always something about your first, right?
Continue reading An Amateur Shmup Fan's Thoughts On Some Recent Releases
[img width=700 height=393]https://arcades.atgames.net/wp-content/uploads/Gamer-pro-web.jpg[/img]
For us gamers who grew up between the 70s and the 90s, arcade machines often have a special place in our hearts. Fast forward to now, and there's never been a better time for fans of retro arcade games! For years (in some cases, even decades) some of these were only accessible to a few surviving arcades and those with decent computer know-how. As a teen, I couldn't imagine that my adult self would be able to literally go to a Walmart and buy a slightly scaled-down version of the four-player Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cab.
Continue reading Thoughts on the AtGames Legends Gamer Pro
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As I was staring at the computer pondering ideas for this article, I was contacted by a trucker buddy of mine. He had stopped after a long day and wanted to hop online and play, only to be greeted with the need for a significant download patch on the game. Between inconsistent internet availability, slow download speeds, and a limited window in which to play, his gaming was thwarted. It is sadly a common occurrence for him.
Continue reading Another Angle on History and Gaming Compilations And Rereleases
[img width=600 height=359]https://www.earlytelevision.org/images/museum_front-index.jpg[/img]
Collectors of retro video games, as collectors of all media, stand against the ravages of time's arrow. Said arrow only goes in one direction and as it inexorably pushes all forward it simultaneously leaves all behind. As the the grand philosophers in Spaceballs once posited:
Col. Sandurz: Now. You're looking at now, sir. Everything that happens now is happening now.
Lord Dark Helmet: What happened to then?
Col. Sandurz: We passed it.
Lord Dark Helmet: When?
Col. Sandurz: Just now. We're in now now.
Lord Dark Helmet: Go back to then!
Col. Sandurz: When?
Lord Dark Helmet: Now!
Col. Sandurz: Now?
Lord Dark Helmet: Now!
Col. Sandurz: I can't!
Lord Dark Helmet: Why?
Col. Sandurz: We missed it!
Lord Dark Helmet: When?
Col. Sandurz: Just now!
Lord Dark Helmet: When will then be now?
Col. Sandurz: Soon.
Continue reading The Early Television Foundation and Museum
[img width=550 height=688]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-215/bf/U-215-S-06800-A.jpg[/img]
Happy New Year! As we head into 2021, we all know it is a different world than even a year ago. Most brick-and-mortar retail, including for video games, has taken a very rough beating. Somewhat surprisingly, even online stores often had a short supply of many new games. If ever there were a catalyst to speed up our medium's transition to primarily digital download, it was 2020. Conversely...
The retro game market spiked in prices, as would be expected. Even PS4s and XBox One systems became hot commodities in some areas, not to mention the Switch. The massive increase in at-home workers using programs like Zoom meant less bandwidth for online play and slow download speeds. If anything, for me the last year was another reminder of why I enjoy collecting physical copies of video games.
Continue reading Thoughts on Gaming and Collecting Going Into 2021
[img width=200 height=445]http://www.rfgeneration.com/PHP/watermark.php?ID=U-240-H-00040-A;type=hw;number=00;sizex=200[/img]
As a guy who has stood in long lines more than once for a new console, the impending release of the new gaming hardware generation this time around just had not lit the same fire. A combination of more strained finances, a gaming backlog of comical proportions, and a lack of day-one gotta-have-'em games meant while I would like to eventually own the new hardware, I was fine waiting. But it just so happens, I have a wonderful Beloved (and also several now-spent gift cards and rewards points) and after a sudden opportunity we now have a shiny PlayStation 5. As the title suggests, I'd like to offer my initial impressions.
Continue reading Initial Impressions On The Playstation 5 and Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch
[img width=700 height=393]https://www.nintendo.com/content/dam/noa/en_US/games/switch/d/door-kickers-action-squad-switch/door-kickers-action-squad-switch-hero.jpg[/img]
It is interesting when I reflect on action movies; once a perpetual staple of the entertainment diet of my youth, as I got older I wasn't as interested in them as much. Ditto the buddy-cop genre; I have fun with a good movie but over the last couple of decades I enjoy a video game version much more. Given my affinity towards co-op gaming in general it is a natural fit, and one of my recently discovered favorites is Door Kickers: Action Squad.
Continue reading Door Kickers: Action Squad
[img width=700 height=394]https://media.playstation.com/is/image/SCEA/ghost-of-tsushima-screenshot-03-ps4-26may20-en-us?$native_lg_nt$[/img]
All pics taken from the official site
I don't play many open world games. My weekly gaming time is usually spent in multiplayer or in one-hour sessions during bike workouts. Thus a vast, open gaming experience (that often includes tons of mini-quests and various collectibles stretching for dozens of hours) is just not for me in this particular phase of life. There have been exceptions; I think Horizon: Zero Dawn is one of the best games of the current generation. Even when I decide to sit down with an open world game it takes a lot for me to be able to see it to the end. Tsushima has been out for almost two months, and although I've played it pretty much since release, I just now finished it. This means such a game must have really been worth it, and I do definitely recommend Ghost of Tsushima, though with some caveats.
Continue reading Thoughts on Ghost of Tsushima
 Bonus points if you recognize this OG save state device.
Any gamer who has played for a few decades knows the moment; you pick up a favorite from your childhood, a game you put a ton of time into long ago, and now you seem to have lost all skill you once possessed. Maybe your reflexes are strangely different from half a lifetime ago, or you've spent so much time playing other types of games that a particular skill-set has just withered. Either way, gamers my age and older likely know the sad realization of trying to replay an old favorite and just hitting a brick wall.
Continue reading The Saving Grace Of Save States
[img width=700 height=218]https://www.evercade.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/evercade-full-width-homepage.jpg[/img]
I've had time to give this new system the full run-down at this point. While I'm somewhat philosophically opposed to giving an outright 'review,' I thought it may be worth sharing my take on it. I'm not delving too much into the technical aspects (which are widely available and the nuances debated) but rather sharing my impressions and thoughts. I hope this write-up helps those interested!
Continue reading Thoughts On The Evercade and The First Ten Carts
[img width=700 height=394]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/darksouls/images/e/ee/Bonfire_III.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20170317215005[/img]
"Welcome to the bonfire, Unkindled One. I am a Fire Keeper. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. The Lords have left their thrones, and must be deliver'd to them. To this end, I am at thy side."
I have a friend I'll call "James". James is a fire keeper, though his own flame is fading. He is a real person, and this account is factual except the name for the sake of his privacy. James is an older gentleman who lives by himself out in the country, only a few miles from our house. He lives a mostly solitary life, a literal hermit in the woods. He has lived this way for many years, most recently in a home-made yurt.
Continue reading Thoughts On Perspective
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Insert obvious Nintendon't and Genesisn't joke here
The Switch keeps taking my attention. I play other systems, I really do! Yes, there are other fantastic games not on the Switch to play right now, such as Persona 5 Royal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Doom Eternal. Our current situation requires a person to sit inside with a lot of free time, and this is a pretty great gaming season to do so! There are some epic (and incredibly time consuming) titles out right now, but personally I've found myself drawn to the Sega properties on Nintendo's excellent machine. As a gamer who fondly remembers the "console wars" between Nintendo and Sega, I still shake my head at being able to both write that sentence and mean it. It didn't even occur to me until this week that most of what I've played lately on my Switch were originally from Sega, but sure enough here we are:
Continue reading Nobody does SEGA like Nintendo
[img width=550 height=677]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-005/gs/U-005-S-04655-A.jpg[/img]
Should have suspected survival in the future requires extensive use of Imperial Shuttles.
By now you have probably read quite a few gaming articles (including on here) about how folks are doing during these tough times. In light of this moment, there were a handful of topics I tossed about when considering what to expand into a full write-up, and ultimately it seemed best just to take a few ideas and breathe them out a bit. While this may read more like a journal entry, or really a series of rambling and disjointed thoughts instead of a concentrated article, it is my hope that constructively sharing thoughts right now may be more useful and connecting than one of my gaming lists or reviews. Well, more helpful to me at least. 
Continue reading Thoughts On Gaming, Mental Health, And The COVID 19 Moment
[img width=421 height=237]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3d/Plague_Inc_loading_screen.png[/img]
Image from Wikipedia
Well gang, it looks like many if not most of us will be hanging out at home a lot more for the foreseeable future. I'll have you know I did warn my Beloved about all of that Plague, Inc. she was playing last year. In all seriousness, I do hope everyone stays safe and calm and healthy. Since much of the world is in some form of lock-down and many of us are looking at more screen time than expected, I wanted to share some suggestions on how our family is planning to ride out the upcoming season (and how gaming helps.)
Continue reading Tips On Keeping Calm And Gaming On
[img width=700 height=393]https://www.nintendo.com/content/dam/noa/en_US/games/switch/t/the-liar-princess-and-the-blind-prince-switch/screenshot-gallery/Switch_TheLiarPrincess_03.jpg[/img]
-All images from Nintendo.com-
I have a few friends, including my own Beloved, who enjoy watching certain (usually story-focused) games while I play. I figured I'd pick one to highlight for Valentine's Day, and it turns out I just finished Liar Princess and the Blind Prince. While the game does fit into such a mold and might make a great experience for a couple (although the game is not necessarily romantic in theme) there are a handful of caveats that should be highlighted that keep this game from being a perfectly polished hidden gem.
Continue reading A Valentine Suggestion: The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince
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