I’m dyin’, Forrest. Or at least very ill thanks to some inconsiderate monster who was cheerfully spraying germs all over the place at GDC. Serves me right for trusting the public coffee service, I suppose.
Fortunately, I cobbled together today’s update before darkness began to take me and my eyesight began to fade. And it’s content you’ve probably never read before, since GameSpite Quarterly 7 has proven to be this year’s annual “issue that no one gives a crap about.” It’s always interesting to learn which topics and formats interest people; apparently if we want to turn GameSpite into a business we should focus on commemorating the NES every issue. Sadly, we did such a thorough job of that the first time around there’s not much left to cover. I fear you’ll just have to settle for other topics instead.
- The Edge of the Screen (from any game with scrolling and many without; written by Tomm Hulett)
- The Emperor (aka Mateus, from Final Fantasy II; written by Mike Zeller)
- Ernie Alligator (from The Even More Incredible Machine; written by Scott Lowe)
- The Galaxians (from Galaxian; written by America’s sweetheart)
By the way, Retronauts appears to be back for good. A new episode went online today. You should download and listen to it so that you, too, can complain about how it’s not as good as the old show! It’s America’s new favorite pastime, did you know? Never mind that asking for the original format to return is like asking for the Beatles to have a reunion tour even though half the members are dead. Details, details.
Okay I’m going to buy GSQ7! I just can’t afford it at the moment… Next paycheck or two, most likely.
Also, I personally really like the new Retronauts. And it’s not just because “I’ll take what I can get” either. Yes, I loved the old format, but it was getting to the point where you guys were going to retread old topics, and without new people, it would have gone stale. This format, though – having random people call in keeps everyone on their toes and has you guys talking about stuff that normally would not have gotten brought up.
tl;dr: I like it.
No no no, I don’t want you or anyone to feel like you’re obligated to buy the books or to justify not having done do. I’m given no information whatsoever on who buys them, so I have no way of knowing who buys or doesn’t buy them and ultimately would rather not know. I was really only trying to express an observation that some issues are popular, but some aren’t. This one wasn’t, which I find interesting given how much people seemed to have enjoyed GSQ3. Seems this was a concept that shouldn’t have been revisited?
I feel like I learned a lot more from GSQ7 than GSQ3, which is why I was more engrossed with its content. Both are valuable in my opinion: 7 was enlightening, while 3 was like revisiting old friends.
I am the type of person who reads the bestiaries of the recent Dragon Quest games for all the colorful commentary, which is sort of how both these books operated. These themes could certainly engage readers even more as the topics venture into the 16 bit, 32bit, and modern console eras, where characters have since been considerably fleshed out and their motives made more apparent.
For example, I’d like to read some contributors’ earnest thoughts on Pokey Minch or Luca Blight. Alternatively, there might be tons of laughs to be had from write-ups on Punky Skunk or Sephiroth. I see a bright future in commemorating these older characters.
Retronauts is still great. It’s always been one of the most relevant and enlightening podcasts because the special guests and the regulars’ abilities to enthusiastically explain the histories of our favorite persistent and forgotten series. Now, it’s nice to hear you all engage with the actual community a bit more.
I don’t feel obligated at all – sorry if the tone in that post came across like that. What I was trying to say was “I really want the book! I look forward to buying it soon!” not “You are making me feel like a heel who doesn’t support the site! So, fine – I’ll buy your stupid book!”
Parish – Out of curiosity as to how viable a print zine is in this day and age, If you have any desire at all to give out sales figures it would be mighty interesting(no problem if you are reluctant to) .
____
Call in show: This would probably turn into more work then it’s worth it but, even if you don’t utilize them at all, I think accepting e-mails before hand, could broaden your scopes/ allow everyone to participate. I have a skype-add on I use to for radio-call in shows,it just constatnly automatically redials on a busy signal till it gets a connection, set the thing on, never got a connection.
The Edge of the Screen is a fantastic article—bravo! I always feared the Left Edge, especially when it would cut off ground on which to run and gain moment to cross pits.
It’s more like asking for a Beatles reunion after half the members had been laid off by Apple.
Zing!
But john Lennon remains lifeless!
I never really liked that bottom edge. That guy really loved to chow down on the play area below when I’d try to ascend to the heavens, so he could easily send me back down to Hell if I fell through a floor or staircase down to what used to be solid ground until he sucked it up in the void.
And that’s why I’m in no rush to replay Super Castlevania IV or Kid Icarus again. Bottom’s an asshole.
I don’t think there’s anything on this site I haven’t enjoyed, so I have no complaints. I don’t agree with all the opinions expressed, but that’s life.
I wasn’t gonna complain, even though what you said is true, and you still have my joystick.
I think people are less likely to want to read about 8-bit villians because they were such one-dimensional characters all sharing pretty much the same motivation: “I’m a bad guy, so I’ma steal your princess/sacred crystals/president’s daughter”.
Sure, the same can be said for every 8-bit hero out there too, but at least those heroes had the benefit of us gamers concocting rich inner lives for them while we spent dozens of hours with them, whereas the villains almost always just remained the one-dimensional boogey-men who needed to be slapped down at the end of every game.
(There’s also the problem that a lot of gamers may not even remember the boss villains from many games because so many 8-bit games went unbeaten, but whatever.)
Anyway, does anyone know of any shipping coupons that are applicable to GS7 right now? I’ve been broke until recently but I’ll probably throw down for a copy this week.
Apparently the code 2011BB works for the next six weeks for 15% off. Try it and let me know if it works so I can promote it to everyone!