13 possibly unpopular (and definitely controversial) opinions on Music, Radio & the Recording Industry

1.) Rock'N'Roll is the soul of God personified through music. End of discussion. I have spoken.

2.) I HATE Rage Against the Machine. They can take their radical Leftist politickin' BULLSHIT and cram it back up their asses where it belongs.

3.) Rap and Hip-Hop are NOT legitimate forms of music. I don't even want to regard them as a strange form of street poetry. Also, that shit gives me a headache.

And this guy don't play... Well, actually, he does play drums and guitar in several bands at once... And he's damned good.

4.) That Dubstep shit can go to Hell too. I'm not interested in listening to the soundtrack of robot porn. This shit also gives me a headache.

5.) Nirvana is overrated. Yes, you did just see a person who came of age in the 1990's talk smack about that band. No matter how much the Media insists that band defined that particular decade, they just aren't really that good. People just latched on to them because they were different from the hair bands of the late 80's and early 90's. If there's one band that might have actually defined Rock in the 1990's, it wasn't these glorified Punkers from Seattle. It would have been MetallicA or PanterA. And speaking of Punk...

6.) Most Punk is just noise and sonic garbage. Melody is IMPORTANT, dammit! If the Sex Pistols could manage to create a few melodies now and then, so can all the rest of you. I have spoken.

7.) Disco wasn't terrible. In fact, it was quite preferable to the Hip-Hop crap that followed in the wake of its demise.

8.) I hate 'NuMetal' too. It's just a bunch of rappers with guitars.

9.) MTV deserves to die. It is a shell of its former self and wouldn't really survive as a strictly music channel in today's Cable TV market anyway. Since we're talking about music on Cable TV, how do those 'Music Choice' channels on most cable and satellite systems still survive? How does that service generate income? I know they diversified into a service like SiriusXM, but SiriusXM doesn't make money, either...

10.) YouTube probably isn't going to be a good place to find music videos for much longer, either. Google seems intent on hate-fucking that platform's asshole until it dies from Super AIDS. Time to go with Vevo, Vimeo, BitChute, et al. instead. That one actually makes me sad. I really do like YouTube. It's sad to see it die.

11.) Morning talk shows on Rock Radio also need to DIE. They are annoying, boring and unnecessary. Do I really need a 4-5 hour show about two jackasses discussing politics and news articles? Does that really need to be on a Rock station instead of the talk station where it belongs? No. No, they do not.

12.) Speaking of morning talk shows on Rock stations, the local one here in NOLA is especially bad. I'm sure John Osterlind is a nice guy, but his show just annoys me. ALL of his jokes fall flat and I don't care for his overly dramatic tendencies when some news story upsets him. There was a time when morning radio was cool with Shock Jocks that actually were funny. However, all of that came to an end when Clear Channel (now known as iHeartMedia) and other media conglomerates bought every media outlet they could and homogenized them. Thanks for running radio, ya Normie jackasses...

AND FINALLY...

13.) Music is a lot like a candy bar. The first thing you do is throw away the Rapper.

The Man. The Myth. The LEGEND.

\m/O_O\m/

- Publius (And I guess my friend Levi "Blakkwylde" Clark too since I used these memes of him here in this blog AND he's a musician. Check out his band CAIN Resurrection. If you like Metal, you will love them.)

Games I want for a N64 Classic Edition

Nintendo claims that they won't do a Classic Edition of the N64, like they did with the NES & SNES. They claim that the NES Classic was just a one-off designed to give Nintendo something to sell during a holiday season since the WiiU wasn't selling well. Personally, I don't care what they claim. Money talks and bravo sierra walks. In my mind, it's only a matter of time. Both the NES Classic & SNES Classic sold entirely too well and Sony completely screwed up with their PS1 Classic Edition during Holiday 2018. Unless SEGA or Atari can put out a truly stellar product in this area, it looks like Nintendo owns the market. In my opinion, they'd have to be complete fools to walk away from it now. After all, if the NES Classic was meant to just be a one-off, why did it get a sequel with the SNES Classic?

So, here's what I would do with a N64-Mini...

I.) HARDWARE DESIRES

- The miniaturized version of the console should be released in numerous different colors, just like the original N64 was in the late 1990's. I am particularly fond of the Ice Blue one. The Jungle Green model is pretty sweet too.

- Make it possible to play with 4 players, since that was one of the major selling points of the N64 console.

- Since many found it a bit awkward, I would advise Nintendo to NOT replicate the original N64 controller for this system. Use a clone of the GameCube controller instead. The GameCube controllers can handle N64 games without any trouble. I know this because of that Zelda collector's disc that Nintendo released for the GameCube in 2003. It had the 2 Zelda games for the NES & N64 on the disc. I prefer playing Ocarina of Time that way on the GameCube as opposed to the N64 original.

- Also Nintendo, would it kill you guys to make a controller for one of these Classic Editions that has some actual length to them?! Short cables for wired controllers is a no-go.

II.) GAMES I'D LIKE TO SEE ON THIS MACHINE

Each game that I picked has been split up into sections based on genre. Some genres are better represented on the N64 than others, but I believe I came up with good options for all of them

Adventure

Kinda slim pickings for this genre, but what other Adventure games would you play on the N64?

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Arcade Ports/Arcade-style Games

This genre got lots of love on the NES Classic Edition, but not so much on the SNES model. Fortunately, N64 still had an adequate supply of games in this genre.

Asteroids Hyper 64
Robotron 64
Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth

Fighting

This genre was practically unknown on the N64. With the odd controller that N64 had, that isn't a surprise. However, there were still a few quality titles to be found in this genre.

ClayFighter: The Sculptor's Cut
Killer Instinct Gold
Mortal Kombat 4
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
Super Smash Bros.

Flight Simulators

Another genre that was practically unknown on the N64. Thankfully, this genre was also another case of 'quality over quantity' for this classic console.

Pilotwings 64
Star Fox 64
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

Platformers

This was a genre where the N64 truly excelled and there are many great titles to choose from here. However, I mostly stuck to the ones everyone remembers and loves. These, along with the Zelda games, are likely to be titles that sell the system to retro-gamers and people nostalgic for the N64.

Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Tooie
Donkey Kong 64
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Space Station Silicon Valley
Super Mario 64

Racing/Driving

Another genre where the N64 truly excelled. It was hard to narrow it down here. However, there is something for just about everyone. Regardless of whether you like racing cars, go-karts, motorcycles, jet skis, or futuristic hovercraft, this genre has something for you.

Cruis'n USA 
Diddy Kong Racing
Excitebike 64
F-Zero X
Mario Kart 64
Wave Race 64
Wipeout 64

Party/Puzzle games

I combined Party and Puzzle together because both of those genres are virtually non-existent on the N64. And most of the titles of those genres have the word 'Mario' or 'Tetris' in the title. Fortunately, some of those titles still hold up well.

Dr. Mario 64
Mario Party
Mario Party 2
Mario Party 3
Tetrisphere

RPG/Strategy

These two genres were N64's Achilles' Heel. The cartridge format's file size limitations made these kinds of games very difficult to implement on the N64. However, Nintendo still managed to create at least one memorable title in the two genres...

Mega Man 64
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber
Paper Mario
Pokémon Stadium

Shooters

Another genre where the N64 truly excelled. Sony PlayStation and SEGA Saturn (LOL) never could compete with the N64 when it came to 1st person shooters. Sometimes, even the PC couldn't keep up with the N64 in this area.

Doom 64
GoldenEye 007
Perfect Dark
Pokémon Snap (It's an on-rails shooter)
Quake
Quake II
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

Sports

N64 was rather weak with this genre as well. It had all the requisite football, basketball and baseball games you'd expect, many of them getting a new version released every year. However, those were boring when they were new. Instead, I went with some extreme sports titles and the requisite Mario sports titles that always seem to sell so well for Nintendo. Those are usually the only sports games that I would play.

1080° Snowboarding
Mario Golf
Mario Tennis
Snowboard Kids
Snowboard Kids 2

================================

And that's all, folks.  Questions, comments, outrageous objections and death threats are both expected and completely ignored. After all, I turned off the comment feature about 3 years ago because of spammer-bots. How could any of you question, comment, object or make a useless threat? :P

- Lord Publius

How to spot a THOT

For those who don't know, THOT is an acronym for 'That Ho Over There.' It is synomynous with other words for loose women like skank, slut, whore, tramp, et al. Anyway, there are various kinds of THOT. Some are harmless. Some are not. Let the THOT scale in this post be your guide.

THOT Scale

1.) God-Tier Waifu

- Does not actually exist.
- Put on this scale simply to piss women off...

2.) Nearly a THOT

- Camgirls, Cosplayers
- Send out nudes to everyone
- Have Amazon wishlists w/ lingerie
- Paypal link in Twitter profile
- Goes into heat & could die if they don't get laid often enough...

3.) THOT (AKA Gold-digger)

- Do NOT date anyone on this level.
- WILL make you broke & miserable.

4.) Mega THOT

- Do NOT approach. Avoid at all costs!
- Walking STD factory
- Patient Zero for outbreak of Super AIDS
- More dangerous than the Xenomorph from the Alien movies...

5.) THOT-Leviathan

- A legendary creature and the THOT's final form...
- Can drain Paypal accounts at will...
- She's referenced in the Bible and other ancient texts.
- Her appearance marks the beginning of the End Times...
- AKA ‘The Whore of Babylon'...

You'll have to download this and save it or open the pic in a diferent tab of your web browser to read the text.

I hope this scale helps some of you, my dudes. And remember, if you think you have just spotted a THOT, do NOT engage. Call your local THOT Patrol immediately and let the professionals handle that ho.

- Lord Publius

Random jokes and shitposting for the beginning of 2019...

1.) A few interesting things I have noticed about the French language...

After taking 2 semesters of College French, I have noticed a few strange things about some of its words. Their word for friend is 'copain.' That almost makes it look like they are admitting that friends can often be a pain in each other's asses. Lolz...

Even more noteworthy, is the fact that the word 'meme' is in their language. Although, their spelling of it would actually be 'même' instead. According to the textbook, this word means 'same' or 'even'. Well, that explains why the Left can't meme because Lord knows those Communist oddballs literally cannot even. :P

2.) MUSLIM & MIDDLE-EASTERN JOKES

Q.) How long may you look at a Muslim with one eye closed?

A.) Until the magazine is empty.

Q.) How many Muslim extremists will it take to destroy America?

A.) None, the TSA can do it all by themselves, thank you very much.

Q.) What do you call a beautiful woman in Pakistan?

A.) A tourist… Or a kidnap victim…

Q.) What do you say to a Pakistani at Christmas?

A.) A quart of milk, a loaf of bread, one Powerball ticket and a pack of Marlboros please.

Q.) How do you tell a Sunni from a Shiite?

A.) The Sunnis are the ones with the Shiite blown out of them.

Q.) Why do most Muslim rapes go unreported?

A.) Goats can't testify.

3.) Alcoholic Airlines

A man is sitting in the coach section of a flight from New York to Chicago, biting his fingernails and sweating profusely. Noticing his disturbed expression, a flight attendant walks over and says, “Sir, can I get you something from the bar to calm you down?” The man gives a nod of approval while shaking terribly. Seconds later, she comes back with a drink. He downs it quickly and seems to calm down. 

Ten minutes later, the flight attendant sees him shaking and biting his nails again. She brings him another drink which he downs immediately. 

A half hour later she returns to see him shaking uncontrollably, and almost in tears. “My goodness,” the flight attendant says, “I’ve never seen someone so afraid to fly.” 

“I’m not afraid of flying,” says the man. 

“Then what’s the matter?" 

“I’m trying to give up drinking..."

4.) LOVE & SEX JOKES

- Marriage is like a deck of cards. In the beginning, all you need is two hearts and a diamond. Twenty years later, you'll want a club and a spade.

- Scientists have discovered a food that diminishes a woman's sex drive by 90%. It's called "Wedding Cake."

- A man running for mayor was making a speech and thundered, "I want you people to know that there are over two dozen brothels in this town, and I have never been to one of them!" A voice from the back yelled out, "Which one?"

5.) RELIGIOUS JOKES

- Before performing a baptism, the priest approached the young father and said solemnly, "Baptism is a serious step. Are you prepared for it?"

"I think so," the man replied. "My wife has made appetizers and we have a caterer coming with plenty of cookies and cakes for all of our friends."

"I don't mean that," the priest responded. "I mean, are you prepared spiritually?"

"Oh, sure," came the reply. "I've got a keg of beer and a case of whiskey."

6.) Ever wonder what it would be like if Edgar Allen Poe was a computer nerd? Now, you don't have to...

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I porn surfed, weak and weary, Over many a strange and spurious site of hot xxx galore. 

While I clicked my favorite bookmark, suddenly there came a warning, And my heart was filled with mourning, mourning for my dear amour. 

"Tis not possible!", I muttered, "give me back my free hardcore!" 

Quoth the server...."404"

- Lord Publius

The Good and Bad of 2018: A short year-in-review post

I'll just make this one short and sweet. That way, it won't take you long to go through this particular post. However, I can't make that promise with some of the other posts of mine that are hyperlinked throughout this piece.There will also be various different memes, just because I feel like being a smart ass. Enjoy!

SCHOOL

GOOD

- The first semester of college (January-May 2018) went really well.

- I switched majors to business administration in this recently completed semester so I can learn to run my own business. I should have done this a long time ago. Working for other people just isn't for me. Sometimes, neither is working with them. God willing, I will never have to depend on staying in an employer's good grace for my paychecks ever again after graduation.

Like those French classes I had to take because of a State requirement...

BAD

- I actually had to switch majors. Computer Science, as its done at UNO at least, was not to my liking or going to lead to the employment/future that I want. I refuse to ever sit in another fucking cubicle ever again! That is nothing but modern economic slavery! Besides, I'm going to be 40 years old when I graduate in 2022. 40 is a bit old to be starting out as a rookie in yet another new career field. Especially if all my co-workers are going to be young 20-somethings with ZERO clue about how the real world operates.

My opinion of smart-ass college kids is NOT high.
Fortunately, UNO's student body seems to be pretty well-adjusted.

- This second semester (August-December 2018) was a real shitshow compared to the first. Besides switching majors, I made the decision to leave the fraternity chapter that I helped found in the first semester. I could list a LOT of reasons to leave, but I won't bother. The reason I left that organization is the same reason I left several others in the past: Bad leadership. Specifically, the leadership on the national level. They made a few decisions that I found incredibly disagreeable and that, from my perspective, also makes them look hypocritical. I will not be knowingly associated with any form of hypocrisy. Like Jeshua, I find hypocrisy to be one of the absolute worst things about this fallen world. There was also a lot of poor decisions made by some of the local leadership that contributed to this decision. However, those are just the rancid cherries on top of the proverbial shit sundae that I refuse to eat. Based on my experiences with them, I'd have to conclude that Fraternities are not worth a damn.

GAMING

BAD

I have not been gaming as much as I'd like... Either too tired or too busy because of school and adult obligations. :/

We all know this sad story...

GOOD

My game collecting hobby hit a LOT of pay-dirt in 2018. Some of the highlights definitely have to be getting those much-needed PC upgrades, an arcade cabinet and a working Colecovision. Talk about having extremely good luck...

I have a pretty good laugh at idiots like this one...

CARS 

BAD

I lost my old 2001 Chevy S-10 pick-up truck, which was a near and dear friend to me. How, you ask? It happened because someone couldn't be bothered to watch the damned road. Damned Louisiana drivers... So much for me restoring that truck someday and turning it into a family heirloom, like I planned. :/ 

My old truck, circa 2011.

GOOD

Bought a new (to me) car in the form of a 2016 Chevy Impala LTZ Limited. This vehicle is FAR superior to every other I have had so far, with regard to technology, luxuries, performance and gas mileage. I have no idea if this vehicle will end up being a family heirloom or not.

Easily the best all-around vehicle I have had to date.

SOCIAL MEDIA

BAD

Thanks to their censorious ways, I had no choice but to abandon Facebook. That could mean that I'll lose my only form of communication with a lot of near and dear old friends that no longer live in my area. Thanks a lot, ZuckerSperg. I look forward to when the Feds throw the proverbial book at you! 

This Cocksmoker is a disgrace to Aspies EVERYWHERE.

GOOD

I found an alternative to Facebook that I find far superior, called Minds.com. I strongly recommend that you all go there and set up accounts ASAP. You'll like NOT being censored or having to give them any kind of personal data beyond an e-mail address for registration. I promise.

The one time when welcoming Refugees is actually a GOOD idea... :P

And a few more memes about Minds, just because I can...

- Lord Publius

My game collecting adventures in 2018

2018 was a surprisingly good year for collecting new and old games. I haven't acquired this much stuff since 2013 when I lived in Maryland and had access to numerous shops that traded in old games. The best options I have here in New Olreans would be GameStop selling used merchandise, pawn shops and garage/estate sales. Or, I could just go to Amazon, sales at Target, the Nintendo eShop and Steam. (Which I did quite a lot.) Despite the sometimes limited options though, I have acquired more this year than I normally do in 2 or 3.

Now, without further interruption, I'll let the pictures I snapped tell the tale of this awesomeness that is my collecting hobby.

4 Jan 2018

Got some PS Vita games and an eShop gift card from the local GameStop, because they were having a sale.

4 Jan 2018 - Just a few fairly cheap pickups from the local GameStop...

4 Mar 2018

More pickups from GameStop and an HDMI cable for the original XBOX that I got from Amazon.

4 Mar 2018 - The HDMI cable works great. HIGHLY recommended for that platform.

17 Mar 2018

Got a few strange and random items from a warehouse raid. Now to find R.O.B. and all of his other accessories that I will probably never use... Even if I do have a copy of Gyromite...

17 Mar 2018 - A few strange and random items that I got from a warehouse raid.
Now to find R.O.B. and all of his other accessories...

20 Mar 2018

Got Doom 2016 on the Switch from Amazon. The X360 games displayed here were given to me by my good friend Levi.

20 Mar 2018 - DOOM came from Amazon.
The 360 games were given to me by a friend who no longer wanted them.

22 Mar 2018

Got a huge bounty from raiding that same warehouse from the 17th. A friend of mine is helping to clear it out for an estate sale. She always calls me whenever she finds old games and Rock records.

Picture #1 of the bounty from raiding that same warehouse again on 22 Mar 2018.
This pic (and the next) were taken in my garage.

And finally, the best acquisition so far this year with regard to retro stuff... And a lot of random old Atari & Nintendo items...

FINALLY!!! I have a Colecovision console!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed cleaning up all of that stuff I got on the March 22nd raid and making it all an official part of my massive collection. :)

1 Apr 2018

I have gone through most of the stuff from that warehouse raid on March 22nd. The Super NES, Genesis and 4 of the 9 Atari 2600 cartridges don't work right, if at all. Everything else works fine so far. I still haven't tested that Atari 2600 console and the controllers that came with it yet. I tested the carts on the Atari 7800 that I keep set up to the CRT in my game room.

The NES was the test subject in my first experiment with Retrobright. It was a raging success. There have been (and will continue to be) further experiments in Retrobright techniques with other consoles.

It was nice to have another Mad Science experiment to conduct. I haven't had one in a long while.

I've also stopped by Toys'R'Us after getting my oil changed yesterday, 31 Mar 2018. Their entire video game section was cleared out. It was redistributed to other stores by Corporate, thinking they'd sell better at other locations. So much for getting a few cheap Switch, WiiU or 3DS games...

However, they did still have a few of these Plug'N'Play toys. Even at their reduced clearance sale prices, Amazon was STILL cheaper. And that kids, despite whatever management tried to do, is why Toys'R'Us is going away. My inner child mourns the loss.

RIP Toys'R'Us... *sniff*

Right in the Feels... :(

10 Apr 2018

I had yet another raid of that warehouse from March and had yet another bountiful harvest. There wasn't as much hardware this time, though. Here's the pictures...

The Genesis worked, but the Game Gear doesn't...yet...

All the Nintendo controllers worked. The PS2 controllers don't yet.
They probably need to be disassembled and cleaned on the inside.

Here's the list of what we got in that raid on April 2nd...

NINTENDO

• Curious George (GameCube)
• GameCube Controller
• Mario Bros. (NES, doesn't work)
• NES Controller
• NES MAX Controller
• NES RF Switch
• N64 Controller
• 3 SNES Controllers
• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, loose disc)
• Super Scope 6 w/o IR receiver or targeting reticule.

PC

• Bioshock
• Half-Life 2
• The Orange Box

SEGA

• Game Gear (Doesn't work)
• Genesis Model 1
• GP Rider (GameGear)

SONY

• 1 PS1/2 controller extension cable w/ IR receiver
• 2 PS1 Memory cards
• 2 PS2 Controllers (Don't work)

XBOX

(NOTE: ALL are loose discs.)

• Aggressive Inline
• AirForce Delta Storm
• Blood Wake
• Dead or Alive 3
• Spider-Man: The Movie
• Superman: The Man of Steel

XBOX 360

• Fight Night Round 4
• Madden 11 (Loose)

NOTE: These two XBOX 360 games were given to my friend Levi, who loves his XBOX 360 and playing sports games on that console.

OTHER

• 1 DELL USB Ball Mouse
• Jakk's Pacific TV Games: Pac-Man (Plug'N'Play)
• Unopened Digital Micro SD shell/USB thumb drive
• Unopened set of high-quality RCA Composite cables

Also, I did another Retrobright experiment on a Super NES of mine over the Easter holiday. This time, I tried the liquid submersion method. Here are the mixed results...

BEFORE RETROBRIGHT...

AFTER RETROBRIGHT...

As we can see in the picture above, the top piece came out looking brand new and the bottom needed a little more work. I applied the cream and saran wrap method from the first experiment to get that bottom piece looking good again. Now, I just need to spend a few minutes re-assembling that SNES console since it actually works... And putting new rubber feet on the bottom ... And cleaning the melted rubber off the case with some Rubbing Alcohol, Mineral Spirits, M.E.K. or something...

Also, I did finally get around to testing that SEARS Tele-Games version of the Atari 2600 Light Sixer that I got from the previous warehouse raid. It doesn't work. However, I can use it for parts. I have another Light Sixer that does work, but needs new switches. Assuming that SEARS didn't change the hardware design in some way, the switches from the dead unit should work. (Editor's Note: I did fix that Light Sixer that needed new switches with the busted SEARS unit. You can read about that here.)

12 May 2018

Saw a Craigslist ad for a local coin & collectibles shop looking to liquidate their video game and home video stock. EVERYTHING was 50% off. Went there today and picked up a few nice things...

Not bad for $52.13, including tax...

Hardware & Accessories

• SEGA Saturn Mk I controllers (2)
• Carrying case for Nintendo DS consoles

Software

• Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (PS2)
• Crash Nitro Kart (PS2, Loose disc.)
• Lock'N'Chase (INTV)
• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA, Loose cartridge and manual.)
• Namco Museum (XBOX)
• Unreal Tournament (PS2)
• Video Olympics (Atari 2600)
• Wipeout Fusion (PS2)

24 May 2018

Recently updated my Raspberry Pi emulation console for the first time in 2 years. It now runs RetroPie v4.4 and has 576 games (so far) for various 8, 16, 32 & 64-Bit platforms. Those systems include...

ATARI

• Atari 2600
• Atari 5200
• Atari 7800
• Atari Lynx

NINTENDO

• Nintendo Entertainment System
• Super Nintendo Entertainment System
• Nintendo 64
• Nintendo Game Boy
• Nintendo Game Boy Color
• Nintendo Game Boy Advance

SEGA

• SEGA Game Gear
• SEGA Genesis
• SEGA Genesis 32X
• SEGA CD

OTHER

• PC Engine (aka TurboGrafx-16)
• Sony PlayStation
• Vectrex (The real thing is likely to be MUCH better.)

I've also put it in a new case that looks like the 'Toaster model' of the NES console, released in North America circa 1985. There are 2 pics below. Even the power and reset buttons are functional. :)

Still need to figure out how to install some of the still unstable emulators so I can run games from the SEGA Dreamcast, Nintendo GameCube and Atari Jaguar. Especially Jaguar... And figure out how to install the fairly stable emulators for the Atari 8-Bit and ST computers.

Anyway, here's 2 pics of the Raspberry Pi emulation console in its new NESPi case...

This thing literally fits in the palm of my hand...

Open the 'cartridge door' and you find more USB ports and an Ethernet jack.
4-player games and networking should not be a problem for this device.

20 Jun 2018

Found out the same company that made the HDMI cable for the original XBOX also made one for the SEGA Dreamcast. I ordered one from Amazon immediately and it works as advertised. It will let you play your Dreamcast on a modern HDTV with HDMI inputs. However, it won't do anything to upscale the graphics. It just gives you the option of running the console on a modern TV instead of an old CRT monitor. Since I don't have any room in the entertainment center for the HDTV in my game room (and the lack of any graphics up-scaling), I will leave my Dreamcast set up on the CRT monitor right now.

Also, I finally got around to ordering some of those tin signs based on old arcade game marquees that I found on Amazon ages ago. They are not even close to being the same size as the actual marquees, but that's not what they are meant to do. At a size of 3 7/8" x 10 1/2", they are strictly for decoration. I'm still not sure where to put them on my walls in the game room, but I will figure something out. Here's a pic of the items in question...

The decor in the game room definitely needs a few upgrades. These tin signs should help.

29 Jun 2018

Recently got another Atari T-Shirt from Wal-Mart while doing some nighttime shopping for groceries. Here's a photo of the aforementioned shirt...

It looks better in person...

Also took advantage of the Steam summer sale (which is going on through July 5th) and picked up about $47 worth of new games. Those games include the following:

• Arcade Game Series: Ms. Pac-Man
• Axiom Verge
• Ballistic Tanks
• Dimension Drive
• Riptide GP2
• Star Trek: 25th Anniversary
• Star Trek: Judgment Rites
• VVVVVV

6 Jul 2018

Bought 2 new art pieces for the Game Room & a Baseball cap with the NES controller on the front from Target yesterday. I went there to see if they might have a NES Classic Edition since they were re-released on June 29th. Of course, they didn't have any left and had no idea when more would be coming in stock. Amazon doesn't have them either. No surprises there... :/ Good thing that I already have 22 (maybe 23) of the 30 games that Nintendo put on that small device... And an emulator console made out of a Raspberry Pi that's in a small case that looks just like the NES... Muhuhahahahaha...

Anyway, here's the pic of the stuff I got yesterday...

As if the game room didn't already have enough Mario posters...

Still not at all sure where these new art assets are going to be placed. However, I did put up those arcade signs that I got last month, along with various others that I already had. Also framed a few more pictures and posters for the walls too. I don't know when I'm going to do another Game Room tour, but that tour will be pretty sweet. The room will have a LOT more features in it than it did with the last tour video that was released on 5 January 2017.

Also, I decided to spend the cash that I had on the Nintendo eShop today by getting some digital games I've been meaning to get... And two that were free downloads...

• Arcade Archives: Donkey Kong
• Fast RMX
• Fortnite (NOTE: This one was later removed for security concerns.)
• The Pinball Arcade

20 Jul 2018

Recently added Tempest 4000 to the Steam collection, now that Atari has FINALLY released it on that platform. Haven't played it yet, but it seems to be using the same soundtrack as Tempest 2000 on the Atari Jaguar. If you've never heard that soundtrack, I strongly suggest you check it out. It is some of the best Electronica/Techno/Game Music that you will ever hear.

Also, I have added a few components to my desktop, enabling me to play some of the best PC games that Steam has to offer. Here's a picture of the items in question, along with a very special book that will aid me in one of my future mad science projects...

Muhuhahahahahahaha...

Anyway, I think that new video card & power supply were money well spent. The DVI-to-VGA adapter I ordered from Amazon turned out to be the wrong one. I need DVI-D for the video card and that thing is DVI-I. Fortunately, the local Best Buy had a HDMI-to-VGA adapter that solved my issue here. Now I can continue to use both of the screens I have been using on my PC here for the last 2 years. If you don't have multiple screens for your desktop, I strongly advise you to get more. It's nice having multiple windows/programs/browsers open without them overlapping each other. Also, get yourself a free program called GoScreen. It will allow you to have 4 different desktops on your PC screen. It's quite helpful when you want to move stuff out of the way and DON'T want your taskbar to be really cluttered. 

31 Jul 2018

Upgraded my copy of Sonic Mania on my Nintendo Switch to Sonic Mania Plus. Also bought Arcade Archives: Punch-Out! and Enter the Gungeon.

23 Sep 2018

I was VERY busy at this time with school, getting a new car, et al. So, that's why I'm mentioning this about a month after the fact. On August 16th, I discovered that the NES Classic and SNES Classic were both going on sale exclusively for Amazon Prime members a few days later. As you would expect, I pre-ordered them that very moment. This was the very first time that I've ever pre-ordered anything from Amazon, despite having an account there since 2006. They arrived about a week later.

I was annoyed that the box for the NES Classic got beat up in shipping, but it's not a big deal.
I bought these two plug'n'play consoles to actually play them. Not just display them on a shelf...

I took a few shots of the two mini consoles in my hands as well, just to show how small they are... First, here's the NES Classic with my NESPi+ emulation console with a Raspberry Pi inside. The NESPi was actually smaller. I was expecting them to be the same size.

Both of these devices are really tiny...

And here's the SNES Classic in my hand...

One of the VERY few instances where you can say that good things come in a small package and it will actually be true... ;)

I'd also pre-ordered something very special from Best Buy that was going to be shipped and/or delivered on September 25th, but it got pushed back to October 16th. Oh well... :/

However, it will be a rather spectacular addition to my collection when it does arrive and I've put it together. What kind of game-related purchase will I have to assemble myself? The parts to a new gaming PC? No.... A piece of furniture? Well... Kinda. Actually, no. Not really a piece of furniture. However, it does involve a cabinet of sorts... *evil grin and mad scientist laughter*...

I'm not going to say what this purchase is or give anymore hints. All I am going to say is that it fills a gap that my game room has had since its inception in 2015 and at a fairly low price. Stay Tuned.

22 Oct 2018

On 16 Oct 2018, my game room reached a new milestone. After years of trying to acquire one, I finally have an arcade cabinet. :) I pre-ordered an Arcade1up cabinet from Best Buy over a month ago. It's the 12-in-1 Atari cabinet. It has at least 7 of my favorite Atari arcade games and a few others that I don't have any strong feelings about whatsoever.

Here's the game list:

• Adventures of Major Havoc
• Asteroids
• Asteroids Deluxe
• Centipede
• Crystal Castles
• Gravitar
• Liberator
• Lunar Lander
• Millipede
• Missile Command
• Quantum
• Tempest

Here's a pic...

It's actually a little larger than it looks...

I'm going to write a detailed review of this cabinet in another blog post sometime in the future. So far, I like the cabinet overall and have very few complaints. The games are the original ROMs from the original Arcade cabinets so, there's no issue there. The controls seem to work fine for the games that I've played so far, but I will need to get used to using buttons for the Asteroids games. I'm used to playing them on computers, consoles and portables with joysticks and D-pads. For about $400, I'd say this 12-in-1 cabinet is a damned good deal. Buying all 12 of these games in fully restored vintage cabinets would probably cost as much as a new car these days. And I mean a GOOD car, not some sub-compact piece of junk that won't last longer than its factory warranty. Either way, my game room now feels complete. I have been trying to get an arcade cabinet for that room for years and I've finally succeeded!

We still have more than 2 months left of this year. There's no telling what else I might get between now and January 1st. We have Christmas and Steam winter sales coming soon. I think I'll go light on both of them this year, spending no more than $200 at most. And I expect most of that to be on Nintendo Switch titles.

21 Nov 2018

Got a great game from the Nintendo eShop for my Switch on October 26th called Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle. It's just as hilarious and violent as you'd expect a puzzler starring Ol' Hockey Puss to be... Here's an animated GIF of a few scenes from the game...

This game is awesome...

Also picked up a few games from Target on Veteran's Day because they were having a sale. The prices were either exactly the same or slightly lower than Amazon. Also, I forgot to mention the gaming-inspired keychains, NES-inspired lanyard and new artwork that I picked up on October 18th. The keychains are of the PS1, PS2 and Atari 2600. Here's the pics...

Not sure where I'm going to put the artwork yet. However, I know exactly what the keychains will be for...

And the games that I picked up on Veteran's Day...

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
• Luigi's Mansion (3DS)
• Mega Man 11 (Switch)
• Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 + 2 (Switch)

Luigi's Mansion was only $20, so I figured that it would be a nice addition to the collection.

I'd already done all of the Christmas shopping that I planned to do earlier today, November 21st. However, I knew damned good and well that there would be more before the year was out. One thing was certain though, it had been one hell of a ride so far...

19 Dec 2018

I ended up doing some more Christmas shopping that I didn't expect. That's why this latest update didn't happen sooner.

Anyway, here's the items I have recently acquired. All of them came from Amazon, even though one of them has a Gamestop price tag on the shrinkwrap. That's kinda strange since I don't remember buying that item from a 3rd party seller.

Mega Man X Collection for Nintendo Switch and a guide book for Super Mario Odyssey.

If you must have an ugly Christmas Sweater, why not make it an Atari-themed ugly Christmas sweater? :)

The Zelda game is a gift for a younger sibling of mine. The rest are items that I acquired for surprisingly low prices.

That's all for now. There will be more after Christmas because of the game I know I have coming my way as a gift and the inevitable Steam Winter Sale.

30 Dec 2018

I bought most of my own Christmas gifts this year, with regard to new video games. (Like I do every year...) However, my relatives will get me games because they know it's an easy way to get me something that I'd want. Plus, I do have a long list that I can provide to them so they can still (somewhat) surprise me. :P

Anyway, the Smash Bros. game came from my mother. The Zelda case for my Switch came from the same brother that got the WiiU Zelda game from me. I'll hang on to that other one that I bought because, as a collector, I know that one day I will most likely pick up several more Switch systems in the future. We were even joking about this the other day. Also, I bought the Arcade Archives version of Donkey Kong Junior from the eShop for myself the day after Christmas.

That case looks sooooo much better than the Amazon Basics one that I bought earlier.

31 Dec 2018

I've decided to end this year in (almost) the same way it began, with buying points cards for the Nintendo eShop and Steam. I've also used most of the cash that I poured into the eShop today to buy 3 different digital-only games. I added $20 to my Steam Wallet and still have enough there to buy everything else that's on my wishlist at the moment, while the Winter Sale lasts. However, I'm not sure if I want to get those games or not. So, I'll just stick to the 2 that I bought today (and the rest of my enormous back catalog) for now.

Anyway, here's what I got...

Nintendo eShop

• Car Quest 
• Horizon Chase Turbo  
• Sky Force Anniversary

Steam

• Mortal Kombat XL 
• Redout: Enhanced Edition

I look forward to playing as Jason Voorhees in that Mortal Kombat game. Horizon Chase Turbo also gets very high marks from the user reviews and I do love a good arcade-style racer.

This year has been quite an adventure for game collecting and life in general. I look forward to seeing what 2019 brings my way. Hopefully, it will include Metroid Prime 4 on the Nintendo Switch and another arcade machine or two. Or, a nice pinball table. That would be awesome. I have no idea where I'd put that in my house, but I would still love to get my hands on one. See you all in the new year...

- Lord Publius