For a while now I've been auctioning off my video games, soundtracks, even an anime shirt or three. I'll be moving soon to include practically anything else in our basement, and that includes our PAX swag.

We attended PAX [Prime] for four years (2009-2012) before ultimately deciding that, for a variety of reasons, the experience was no longer working for us. However, during each of those years, we scoured the convention floor, played games and collected all manner of free (at least monetarily free) stuff. At the end of each PAX, our booty would be carefully boxed for storage. [Pictured above: the PAX 2010 collection]

Now the results can be yours. If you're into unusual and rare video game memorabilia, or just the time capsule of where popular domestic gaming was, this is for you. And there are indeed some interesting items. Fake moustache from Bionic Commando: Rearmed? Yup. One Ring on a Chain from Lord of the Rings Online? Check. Lenticular art card for Katamari Forever? Sure. There are also some ultra-rare items, such as the die-cast metal GM-authorized toy cars from the XBox Live Arcade game Scrap Metal, and the complete set of three Firefall miniature figures (but you will not get my shot glass!)

All of this should be coming to my eBay listings sometime over the next week or so. For those interested, good luck and happy bidding!

Unnamed tropical drink I got at my wife's office holiday party! Coconut rum, triple sec, grenadine, pineapple juice, apple juice. It's like the bartender pushed the random button in her cocktail generator.

EDIT: Whoops, posted to the wrong account. Sorry!

SuperGiant Games has announced Hades II, and I couldn't be more excited. The first game was my choice for game of the decade, and I sunk more hours into mastering it than pretty much any game in the modern era. The new game, while a full-fledged sequel, looks like an extension of the quality and stylings of the first game, which is good news.

Many questions remain about the main character, Melinoë (did they have to use the umlaut?), who is officially said to be Zagreus's sister. In theory, that means she is a daughter of Hades, and there is a family resemblance for sure. The Greek gods, especially the prime three, were known to be a fecund lot, so a dalliance by Hades is not exactly bizarre, but information about her mother (Nyx? Hecate? Circe?) and upbringing is something we'll have to play to discover. We know she is trained in witchcraft as well as combat, so there will definitely be a lot of new gameplay elements to explore.

It's set for Early Access in 2023, probably a full release in 2024, which is good, since I have neither the time nor a proper computer (nor even proper controller, with my XBox 360 suffering major drift issues now) to enjoy it, but two years to get there.

With the advent of December and the heart of winter, the holiday season is upon us. You may celebrate Christmas, Channukah, Kwanzaa, Yule, or even just a non-day-specific appreciation of surviving another year. Regardless of the occurrence, if you're a DM or GM deserving of a little extra appreciation, may I suggest you gift yourself the venerable Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (1st Edition) Dungeon Masters Guide.

This is, quite simply, my favorite RPG rulebook of all time, and if you have it in your collection, you probably know why. It's not for the rules -- those are antiquated, clunky, and absolutely brutal (as demonstrated by the sample of gameplay where one of the characters, in the party's first enemy encounter, is instantly devoured in a surprise attack by ghouls following one bad die roll).

What makes this book great, in my opinion, and deserving of a spot in every GM's collection, regardless of what system they actually run, is how it speaks to the experience of being a GM, not just in rules, but philosophy. Every section discussing various rule sets (and there are a ton of them) explains not only the numbers and processes but the rationale behind them. These explanations make much of the book surprisingly rules-agnostic and malleable for GMs skilled in their own games.

This is clearly a work of passion and, regardless of what anyone may think of Gygax and Arneson as game designers, their early work such as this is overflowing with creativity and style. While it is true that an editor could have been used to trim some extra fat here and there, this is perhaps the single most diverse gaming book I've ever possessed, with everything from the magical properties of gems and flowers, detailed (yet non-codified) discussion of physical and mental illnesses, and a lengthy explanations of medieval occupations which adventurers may hire. There are rules for creating magical items, a dice-rolling list for mixing potions together, extensive tables for the powers of mighty magic items, and an incredibly cool list of the ways to destroy artifacts (to this day, discussion remains about just what a "humble ant" is and how its foot could crush an ancient relic.) It is 230 pages of tiny-fonted information.

(It also, after 45 years, still provides the single best explanation of the concept of hit points in a role-playing game that I have ever seen, and one I refer back to when trying to get players to understand why their warrior might sustain 10 attacks with a longsword while the commoner on the street dies after one stab of the dagger.)

Despite its age, copies can still be found for $25-35 in many places, although prices are slowly starting to creep up after all these years. If you can't afford this (and believe me, I understand), scans of the book are also available online in a number of places. Though it's not the same tactile experience as flipping through the book, you can still absorb this old, sometimes off the wall wisdom. Treat yourself, you deserve it.

Ubisoft today announced the upcoming decommissioning of servers for 15 games, including Assasin's Creed 3, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Far Cry 3, Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands, and Anno 2070. The impact of this decommissioning varies from game to game, but at best it means the loss of all online features (including multiplayer) and at worst, it includes the loss of ability to play any downloadable content (DLC) for the game, including those you have previously purchased. Ghost Recon Future Soldier even forces you to set your console into offline mode in order to play the single player campaign.

Ubisoft is not the first company to enact these sorts of measures nor were they completely unforeseen once always-online DRM games started appearing. This is an unfortunately bitter reminder that if you purchase anything that requires an online connection to play -- from unavoidably online games like MMOs, to single-player games with online features like Diablo III, or single-player games that merely demand it like Hitman or SimCity, you are not purchasing anything but temporary access to something which will, inevitably vanish. This may be okay to you and, if so, more power to you. But for others, be informed customers, choose your purchases wisely, consider where you want to shop from and how much you're willing to pay for something that can be taken from you at will.

This is also a not-so-bitter reminder that there are thousands of computer and video games available which, once acquired, cannot be seized from you. The number of games varies depending on your tolerance for antequated graphics, sound and mechanics, and also your tolerance for morally-grey actions like downloading copyrighted games which have been completely abandoned by owners who may no longer exist. Quite a few can be purchased at sites like GOG which specialize in games without digital rights management. The list includes every console released before 2005 and most computer (PC, C-64, Apple II, etc.) games released before 2000. Many of these games I have written about on this very blog in years long past, others can be read about elsewhere. This is a great opportunity to increase your gaming experiences for anything from a pittance of your money, to just a little of your time.

With today's news that Microsoft has acquired Activision in one of the biggest mergers of all time (the biggest in video games ever, larger than then MCI acquired Worldcom, and nearly as large as when Disney acquired Fox) there is understandable concern about the future of gaming. I have seen many comments about how disturbing this development is. The merger cements what many already felt: the ongoing transition of this medium from what it started out as -- a fragmented, individualized industry into one of mega corporations that centralize the power of our hobby into the hands of the few. This was, by most accounts, inevitable as it has been in most economic institutions. A lot of people aren't fond of this, for a lot of very valid reasons. [I have mixed feelings myself; while I despise seeing Microsoft turn into the next Disney as much as anyone else, culturally Activision is a smoldering heap that needs to be razed to the ground and rebuilt, and hopefully this leads to that.]

But there's good news. In spite of all this, if you are a gamer interested in the experience of gaming and you are not bolted to the ball-and-chain of AAA (high-tier publshing house) games, then there has never been a better time to be gamer (especially in the realm of video games, but also for tabletop). Emulation makes it possible to play tens of thousands of older titles for free, at your leisure, without the issues of access and control (and, oh yes, microtransactions) that plague modern titles. Every system, from the now-ancient Atari 2600 through PCs of the 80s, the arcade and cartridge-based consoles, has myriad great experiences that are only held back (if you see it as that) by the constraints of graphics, sound and memory. Over long-past years I discussed many of these games on this very blog.

If you wish to stay within the realm of the legitimate, we have been in the golden age of indie development. Games in the AA tier like Hades, Disco Elysium and Among Us have made waves by upsetting their higher-budget counterparts with quality gameplay and that intangible feel of "love" in them. Even the true indie titles can deliver. That darling of social media, Undertale, was made on a $50K budget with no big-studio support. And depending on one's tastes and definitions, there are hundreds to thousands of other examples available on storefronts and independent websites. It may feel like a modern day treasure hunt, but unlike so many tales from the days of pirates, the treasure really is out there, and everyone can claim it.

Game development may very well change going forward, just like movies and other media have changed into what they are today. But that does nothing to the games of the past and present available to us now. If this provides you the incentive you've needed to dive into this trove of history available to us, then take it. If you don't know where to start, there are innumerable lists online of the "best games on x console" where you can get going, or tutorials on how to emulate on your own computer (in most cases, it's far easier than you think). Good luck, and enjoy.

Hey there, it's been a while!

Last time we really checked in, I was in the process of selling off my video game soundtracks and game guides. The soundtracks got put on hold for a bit, although it is going to start up again very soon. I still have financial concerns to deal with. The good news is it's not cancer, the burning down of my house, an embezzlement lawsuit or anything else that would almost certainly permanently financially ruin me.

However, it is enough that after much careful thought, I've come to the decision to liquidate my physical video game collection. This is a process that will take quite some time. I have lots of discs and cartridges that have done nothing but gather space on shelves for years and, while I have fond memories of each of them (well, okay, not Stretch Panic), they are doing me no favors as collectibles, but can serve me one final purpose in keeping the ink of my bank account black and not red.

I will not be spamming this account with the items being placed up on eBay; I invite anyone interested to check periodically (once a week wouldn't be a bad idea since I run auctions for 10 days) to see the new things that have been put up there. I apologize that I cannot sell these things off for cheap to good, deserving homes -- I am aiming to get as much as I can for them. So, you may not find many steals of deals, but you can at least know that you're buying from a straight shooter who loves and respects his games. Each of these is a cherished treasure.

Here is a link to my eBay listings for anyone interested. In the next day, auctions for Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, Gate of Thunder, Ys Books I & II (Turbo Duo), Ys III (Turbo Duo) and Final Fight (Sega CD) will be ending. In a couple hours from this post, more Sega CD and Saturn games will be going up including some big hitters like Mega Man 8, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Shining Force CD. (Down the road, I have other prized possessions like Magic Knights Rayearth, Burning Rangers, Dragon Force, Guardian Heroes, Shining the Holy Ark and Sonic Jam, and that's just in Saturn games.) Good luck to all those who are interested, and thanks for your time.

Not that anyone is particularly concerned since my content slowed to a crawl years ago, but none of my Tumblr accounts will be moving to the new paid Post+ methodology. All of my previous posts, as well as any reviews, wallpapers or other things I present will be free here, and I recommend that others remain so as well.

While I've never charged for my content in any way and actively avoided selling any of my graphic work through other venues, I support the right of others to make a profit off of the value they bring to the internet through work (and it is work) -- heck, my own wife and best friend both do it for a living! But Tumblr, in my opinion, is not the venue in which to do it when other sites exist which were designed expressly for the purpose and do it much better. Patreon, for example, has their "Lite" tier of service which takes the same amount as Tumblr (5%) but offers a suite of tools with which you can offer your content, including flexible and customizable tiers, and communication systems directed at any or all of those tiers at your whim. Even if you don't have personal feelings on the monetization of the creative culture that has been formed here, then at the very least, don't let Tumblr rip you off by providing a sub-par system for the same price.

Initial thought: That's big talk coming from someone who can name the milestone events (with corresponding episodes) in the life of Sailor Mars off the top of her head.

Second thought: Yeah, and you married this. Love you too. ❤

The Slightly-Above Average Game Guides Auction

Just a heads up! Due to the need to make space within our household and raise a few extra bucks here and there, I am auctioning off various game guides from Nintendo, Prima, Versus, and BradyGames. Most of them hail from the Super NES and Playstation era, but there’s a smattering there. If you’re interested in buying a guide that came from a good home (mine) and any of the items below strikes your fancy, feel free to pop over to my eBay listings. (I’ll also have some non-gaming anime and manga books going up later today if that’s your sort of thing.)

Up for grabs: - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night official guide - Complete Final Fantasy III Forbidden Game Secrets - Vandal Hearts Unauthorized Secrets and Solutions - Lunar Silver Star Story Complete Unauthorized Strategy Guide - Final Fantasy VII Unauthorized Ultimate Guide (no poster) - Nintendo Top Passwords Player’s Guide (1992) - Mario Mania Nintendo Guidebook for SMW (1991) - Legend of Zelda DX Link’s Awakening Strategy Guide - Street Fighter II Champion Edition Strategy Guide by GamePro - Vagrant Story Official Strategy Guide - Final Fantasy VIII Official Strategy Guide - Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Official Guide from Nintendo - Assassin’s Creed Official Game Guide - Kingdom Hearts Official Strategy Guide - Fallout 3 Collector’s Edition (hardcover) Guide

Every once in a while, events happen that, even to those outside of involvement, might be of some sort of interest. In the video gaming world, these events are almost always of some sort of online nature involving many players--the assassination of Lord British in Ultima Online, the Corrupted Blood Incident in World of Warcraft, the tribulations to kill the Sleeper in Everquest, and so on.

Eve Online has had its fair share of interesting moments. Hardly a conversation comes up about the game where someone observes that it’s a game they love reading about but have absolutely zero interest in playing (from most accounts, it really is rather like a second job, and one where you had best be good with spreadsheets.) Some of these have been tales of intrigue and machination surpassing the greatest of soap operas, others are epic online battles. This most recent event, which happened two days ago, is the latter.

The video above is essentially a time-lapse of the online fight, which took 12 hours for the battle proper (to handle server overload, Eve Online slows fights down to 10% of actual speed when playing large battles) and resulted in the destruction of over 5,000 spaceships, including over 250 Titan class ships. If that doesn’t sound like all that much, one has to understand the scale of ships in Eve Online and their real-world value implications. A Titan class ship in Eve is huge. They are almost exactly the size of the Super Star Destroyer (19km long) that appeared in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and about the same total mass as 3-4 Borg Cubes from Star Trek. And they aren’t easy to get, either, costing about 100 billion of the game’s currency. 

In-game currency in Eve Online can be traded (in high amounts) for monthly subscriptions, which allows one in a roundabout way, to determine how much “real life” money anything in Eve is worth. Currently, the cost to manufacture one Titan could buy a player between 4 and 5 years of premium in-game subscription, roughly $1200 in real life money. This is to say nothing of the 5,000 lower-class ships which were also obliterated. You don’t need to understand the reasons behind this battle to know that’s a lot of materials being wiped out. This fight greatly exceeded the previous record holding battle (the Bloodbath of B-R5RB), which happened almost 7 years earlier.

Due to the mechanics of how siege warfare works in Eve, the Keepstar structure being fought over automatically went into a final-stage freeze period for a certain period of time during the battle above, though both sides continued fighting until the server shut down for daily maintenance. Since then, things have been quiet. The fighting is expected to resume today, although it’s unclear whether the requisite sides will abandon the fight or continue the carnage. If it does, you’ll no doubt find plenty of people streaming it, although watching one of these battles play out in real time is quite a chore unless you have it on as background noise. (Considering that the Keepstar’s placement is of questionable strategic value, and its actual construction cost is only equivalent to 3-4 of the 253 Titans destroyed, I’d say it’s already gone on too long, but we all know how online gamers can be about their pride and ego.)

IGN’s Game of the Year for 2020 is Hades and I will just say this: I literally cannot remember the last year that I was both well-versed enough in the game of their choosing to agree, and also agreed so strongly with the choice. Hades is an early contender for game of the decade, quite frankly. After playing this game for more than 80 hours on my wife’s Steam account, I bought it at full price (which, even for $25 is a damn steal) and I also cannot remember the last time I did that. No regrets. The game’s visual style is crisp, beautiful and easy to follow, the soundtrack makes me wish I was still collecting those, the control is solid, the build options are huge, and the way the story ties into your dying makes loop progression feel more rewarding than any other roguelike or roguelite I have ever seen.

Do yourself a favor and play this game (he says, going back to playing the game.)

Hello, fellow teens game-lovers and virus survivors. It has been a while (and will probably continue to be a while after this post.) Many of you are sequestered to your homes of late, some of you creating impromptu offices. For whatever reason, you are probably spending more time staring at your walls than usual. What better time to consider decorating them with game-related prints?

As a reminder, I always have a number of game art and gameplay files that you can download and print at the locale of your choice, available here. Always thinking of my budget, I also realized that the yearly Monopoly Shop, Play and Win game is underway from various supermarkets. I was lucky enough to win a 20x30 print from Shutterfly there; maybe you have been too. That kind of size calls for something special, and thus I offer for oversized gameplay prints for your consideration, all timeless classics that should need no introduction: Final Fight, Contra, Devil's Crush and R-Type. The full files are available at the links below; they have not been added to the website.

This approach is not perfect: the prints above are actually 10.5"x25" and will not completely fill up a 20x30 poster--you can put them into a bigger image (say, 6000x9000 in your graphics editor) and print some smaller things in the margin if you want. And good luck finding a non-custom frame for these. Nevertheless, for those interested, the option is there. And whether you end up adorning your space with any video game material or not, be safe and well in these trying times.

Final Fight - 10.5x25 gameplay print

Contra (NES) - 10.5x25 gameplay print

Devil's Crush - 10.5x25 gameplay print

R-Type - 10.5x25 gameplay print