12/31/02

Looks like this'll be the last update of the year.  I've left you with something special you can enjoy before the champagne cork hits the ceiling and the ball hits the floor... just check out the reviews section.  It's a lot more functional than it once was, and I plan to sharpen up the layout in the near future.

I've also brought back Nature of the Beast, for the moment, anyway.  I've been meaning to make this comic for a while but it seems more appropriate now that the site's mascot has been on vacation for several months.

Just a couple more things before my hot date with Dick Clark... uh, wait a minute, that didn't sound good at all!  Er, disregard that, but DO listen to this.  I'm bringing back the fire sale, so if there's anything you want on the list, go ahead and order it.  If you've already ordered a game but haven't sent money for it, now's the time to do it.  Finally, if you can't find anything on the list that you really want, but have a strange craving for Emerson Arcadia games, Ward Shrake's your go to guy for multicarts.  You'll find more information about them on this site:

http://home.att.net/~wards.tech.corner/

12/27/02

I'm aware that Christmas is over, but I always have a tough time letting it go, so the banner's gonna stick around a while.

Sorry I haven't been updating much.  Truth is, I've been chipping away at a couple of other projects, most notably extracting the stupidity out of the ColecoVision version of Moon Patrol.  The game's programmer decided that, since it wasn't going to be commercially released anyway, he'd throw in some flying bras and screw around with the title screen.  I'm in the process of changing everything BACK to the way it should be, making the game a little closer to the arcade version and a lot less ridiculous.

All right, there are a few kinks I need to work out, but once I figure out how to rearrange the title graphics it'll be an honest to goodness Moon Patrol translation, rather than the official ColecoVision game of the Communist Party.

Anyway, there's a new review by Phil Estes.  Have at it.

12/14/02

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" quite like a fat guy in an ill-fitting Nights costume.  On the plus side, you're getting a lot of legitimate gifts this year along with the booby prize in the title banner.  John Roche leaps into the ring to do battle with the biggest villains in video game wrestling (they're not just bad, folks... they're even worse!), and Phil Estes ups the ante with his reviews of mech combat games on the XBox.  I suffer through another Mortal Kombat release, and for the first time in years, a batch of fresh Emerson Arcadia games.  Get 'em while they suck, folks!  Oh, wait... since they're Arcadia games, they'll be sucking for a good long time, so there's really no rush.

Oh yeah, there's more.  The mock screenshots which had first become popular in Advance Theory have spread to another section of the site, Colecotosis.  Ever wonder what Wizard of Wor might have looked like if Coleco had kept its promise to release it twenty years ago?  Now's your chance to find out, as well as see how Wizard of Wor might turn out if it were translated by one of the best homebrew game designers in the business.  Er, hobby.

Finally, this week's episode of Zoo Logic features guest appearances by the cast of Newshounds.  Thomas K. Dye agreed to participate in the furry card game I'm designing, and I thought this would be a fun way to celebrate the occasion. 

Speaking of occasions, have a merry Christmas, everyone!  Hopefully, I'll see you before the end of the year with a couple of new surprises.

12/9/02

Usually, I spend most of Sunday night working on an update for The Gameroom Blitz, and tonight is no exception.  Perhaps that's not the best course of action to take, since I have work the next morning, but my creative juices flow most freely when everyone else is asleep.  Obviously, Friday and Saturday would be the best days to tackle the site, but usually, those nights are spent on other pursuits... either emulation or outside projects like, well, this one to name an example.

Oddly, I haven't added much to The Gameroom Blitz despite devoting most of Sunday to updating it.  I had spent several hours on the layout and reviews for a Neo-Geo section, but this section is far from finished, missing a ton of reviews and a suitable title graphic.  I suspect that you won't be seeing this new feature for a while.  What you will get, however, are a couple new reviews in Advance Theory and a Zoo Logic comic.  I'm sure a half dozen other comics have already beaten me to the punch, but hey, the more people who drag Honduras(s) through the mud for its idiotic decision to ban violent video games, the better.  It would be a lot easier to take this law seriously if third world countries made some attempt to protect their children from other negative influences... like, you know, Nike's sweatshops.

Before I sign off, I need to make a few announcements.  First of all, the new profiles are on hold, as the contributors probably guessed when they didn't get their forms over Thanksgiving weekend.  They're still not finished- hell, they haven't even been started!- but I'll try to get cracking on them once my college classes are over.  Second thing... if you ordered anything from the Fire Sale and haven't mailed out your payments, please do it now.  Money's been especially tight lately, and it would be nice to afford something fun this Christmas.  I'm going to reopen the Fire Sale at the beginning of next year, and all the items that haven't already been accounted for will once again be up for grabs.  Also, if you've received items in the Fire Sale and haven't sent payment for them, please do it now.  Finally, if you're still out there, Tombor, could you send me the rating graphics for the Robot Rodeo Roundup?  I'd love to use this article but I can't run it until I've got those pictures.

I'll seizure guys later.

(Jess shakes violently and falls into an inflatable pool)

(Garry Marshall walks by and casually drops his laundry into the pool)

12/1/02

Aw, crumbs... I just lost the Contra review I wrote for Advance Theory!  Guess I'm gonna have to replace it with a new one!  Ah yes, this will be LOTS of fun to write...  it'll be the next best thing to tying the designers to a torture rack!

You'll have to forgive me.  It's really late and my brain's on vacation right now.  Anyway, I've added a couple new reviews to the site... I think you know which ones I'm talking about.  I've also given the game Survival Arts its just desserts on Fighter's Misery (thanks to Chris Farrington for the suggestion), and thrown a couple of new reviews onto the Game Boy Advance page.  The only thing missing from this update is a new comic... instead, I've put some sample artwork on the bottom of this page.  It's for an outside project I'm working on right now.  However, since video game and furry fandom seem to be mutually exclusive hobbies, it's doubtful that any of you will give a damn about it.

I'm acting like a cranky jerk right now, so it would probably be best that I just go to bed before I miss even more sleep and take that behavior to my workplace.  Good night, Gracie.