Did you know? My secretest shame of all is that my favorite ongoing bit of videogame writing these days isn’t on 1UP, or in fact connected to any Ziff Davis property. Nope, it’s actually @ Play, GameSetWatch’s completely incredible biweekly column dedicated to all things Rogue. I have about zero patience for Rogue and Nethack, but I find them endlessly fascinating in the complexity and nuance that belies their simplistic appearance, so these exhaustive looks into the minutiae of genre are like voyeurism for nerds.
Well, I suppose plain ol’ voyeurism is your average nerd’s favorite flavor of voyeurism, but you get the point.
As today’s Thursday, my own weekly ongoing concern has also been updated, along with our usual podcast. Retro Roundup isn’t as interesting to me as @ Play, but mostly because it’s more familiar material. Also, I think it’s generally harder to find your own work gripping, period. Maybe next week will be more fascinating, though, given that our Retronauts topic for 2/15 is the Commodore 64. And to my recollection I’ve never actually played a C64 game. Will it be interesting or simply a train wreck? I give it even odds.
Meanwhile, I wish I had been responsible for this.
You should speak to some of the folks who make modern music with c64 chips. there’s a huge community of those dudes.
Just off hand, what do you think of Fushigi no Dungeon: Furai no Shiren?
I think that I haven’t played it.
Try it! I think it forgoes some of the more crazy elements of the genre but it’s still a lot of fun.
I recognize that the C64 was a well built robot, but he’s not our messiah. I don’t even think I’ve seen a game for the system, let alone played one. Oh, and if you would: Please slap Shane every time he mentions that a game is the secret best in its genre. I could turn that into a drinking game, but I don’t drink. And hearing him assaulted for his colloquialisms would make many a nerd’s day.
me wants more welcome to the review
“Please slap Shane every time he mentions that a game is the secret best in its genre.”
Shane needs slapped pretty much everytime he talks about fighting games too.
Kid Dracula NES? I hadn’t really played much of that one, but I really liked it on Game Boy (yeah, I know we didn’t get the Famicom/NES version), but I heard that one was kind of glitchy and unbalanced in comparison).
Oddly enough, earlier today my art professor showed us some stuff from Rosemarie Fiore. You guys must be on the same internets or something.
“..because this stuff does those things art is supposed to do to you…”
Get you laid? I’m sorry, but those kinds of girls only like to discuss Ayn Rand and the powers of sporadic bathing. Ahh, I’m just jokin’. I know a man who bought a Jaguar just so that he could play Tempest 2. Oh! He bought it full price. Depressed?
I’m surprised parish hasn’t made any comments about the MGS film.
Yay Cave Story yaaaaay
That’s an interesting coincidence. I was just listening to the game music Retronauts episode today (sorry I’m lagging a bit) and I thought the C64 was conspicuous by it’s absence because I’m always told it had amazing sound. I’m guessing none of the hosts owned one.
Anyway, I’ll look forward to the next episode since it goes further from my experience than any previous Retronauts.
Man, you guys rule. I grew up with a C64, and you’re doing a Retronauts on it for my birthday!
No apologies necessary. I’m honestly kind of amazed that people even listen to the podcast at all. And Sharkey, who is effectively the co-host, is the biggest C64 aficionado I’ve ever met.
As someone who played C64 instead of NES in the late 80s, I recommend you cover Space Taxi, but is sounds like Sharkey has you covered…
Let’s see… Beachhead, Infiltrator, Jumpman, Wizard, California Games, and just way too many more to even begin to list. The C64 was a fantastic game platform in it’s day. It’s heartening to see people taking interest in it still. Can’t wait for the next installment now :)