How Sad Is It…?

…that the new Intellivision console to hit the market is NOT the one that was promised all those years ago, but rather one that is a remake of the original console released by the current incarnation of that console’s main rival in what is now known as the “first console war?”

I came home from a quick round of errands when I noticed a brown box by the door. I picked it up and after taking care of some affairs, opened it up to reveal the new Intellivision Sprint console that was released in December. For those who don’t know, Atari acquired the rights to the Intellivision name and software line… and decided to develop a mini console of sorts much in the same vein as their Atari 400 mini platform; has about 45 games built in, but with the option to include other games through other means.

As of this moment, I haven’t tried the console out yet… though I did film some unboxing bits for a future Gimmick Table down the road. Still, I sit back in awe as I look at this spiffy new Intellivision console that I didn’t think would ever be a thing… if only because the only thing that came to mind when the phrase “new Intellivision console” came to mind was that piece of vaporware called Amico.

I haven’t touched much on the Amicovision business ever since it became a thing. I was intrigued by its early pitch and its desire to develop a console without resorting to crowdfunding means – basically the opposite of what then-current Atari was doing with its Ataribox device… which, by the way, did see release and was eventually forgotten about by all but a few hobbyists. After a while and all the bad press that came about, I decided to veer away from that mess and focus on more tangible things.

When news broke that Atari had purchase Intellivision (but not the Amico), I figured that any hope of that project coming to fruition would be deader than dead. I’m sure there are a small, minute number of devotees who still believe in the cause, but it’s hard to hold out hope when most of the games that were pushed as the main draws of the console (that Finnegan Fox game that caused that one guy’s jaw to hit the ground and the Cornhole game) are appearing on other platforms. Let’s be real here; once the new Earthworm Jim makes its way over to Switch 2 and other things, any and all reasons for wanting an Amicovision will have gone out the window… not that there was much reason to begin with.

It’s unfortunate that things turned out the way it did. Do I think Amicovision would have amounted to much had it saw release? Probably not; it’d be a nice little novelty for the hobbyists and collectors, but not much more than that. Still, it’d be more than what any of the backers got so far, which was empty promises and a whole lot of fuck alls. Maybe some day, Amico will see the light of day… but maybe it’s time to just call it quits and move on. Tommy Tallarico sure as hell did.

Anyhoo… that’s my five cents on the matter. Let’s move on to bigger and better things… but first, I need to go to the bathroom.

Later.

Limited Run Boss Stepping Down… And Nothing Of Value Was Lost

Source: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/01/limited-run-games-has-been-my-life-for-ten-years-josh-fairhurst-announces-hes-stepping-away

This was sent my way a couple days ago, but I’m posting about it now to keep the post streak going. Long story short; head of physical snake merchants Limited Run Josh Fairhurst is stepping down from his CEO duties, citing other opportunities that he’d rather be pursuing. Obviously, I wish him all the best in all his future endeavors, good health and all that jazz… but anyone expecting this to change the dynamics of a largely shitty enterprise is going to be in for a rude awakening.

I’ve made no secret about not being a fan of Limited Run’s business model. I’ve bought one product from them that took months to ship and when it did arrive, it was a complete afterthought. Granted, it was a fine package for what it was – it’s the TIE Fighter limited edition – but was this the sort of thing that you’d expect from someone championing physical media? Meanwhile, I’ve ordered from a couple homebrewers who made their own carts and I got those in weeks time.

So yeah, nothing against the dude personally. I don’t know him, I don’t know how much he was involved in the way that business operated, and again, whatever he does next, I wish him nothing but the best… but nothing of value was lost from this company because there was no value to be had here in the first place. Why people insist on partnering up with these snake oil salespeople to this day confounds me. Hell, I almost purchased the physical NES cart for AVGN 8-Bit and was willing to spend a premium for that thing… until I realized that I’d be giving my money to Limited Run and thought better of it. That’s how toxic that company has become in my mind.

Anyway… that’s the story. Have a nice weekend, kids.

It Begins…

The first video review of 2026 has been uploaded to Youtube, waiting to be unleashed onto the public. I wouldn’t get too excited, though. It’s not a major review, but it’s a start. And it’s an appetizer for a good run of videos that will cover the Valis series after all this time.

In other update news, all forty reviews from 2011 have been refreshed on Youtube and the blog has been updated to feature these new uploads. I’ll probably start on the first half of 2016 later this month to get THAT piece of business out of the way.

It’s going to be a fun ride, kids… and this time, it’ll start off on the right foot.

Those Brits Confound Me…

So this is old news, but I wanted to respond to a little something I read over at Inside The Ropes, the wrestling web portal of news as curated by the Brits. Particularly, their response to WWE’s Moments Of 2025 where they declared John Cena’s Heel Turn as the biggest moment of 2025. Well, those Brits being cheeky fuckers, decided that, “No, WWE! THIS is the Biggest Moment of 2025 and we will not be denied!”

And what was their choice for biggest moment, you ask?

The return of Brock Lesnar… you know, the same Brock Lesnar who showed up, beat up John Cena on one PPV, and then fucked off again.

That’s their biggest moment of 2025?

Really?

Setting aside the obvious elephant in the room that needs not be mentioned, Brock Lesnar coming back was certainly a surprise… but the biggest, most defining moment of 2025? Really? That’s your fucking choice, kids? Are you trying to pull my plonker?

Look, the John Cena Heel Turn might not have been the big success story that it was and could have gone a hell of a lot better… hell, that whole retirement tour, apart from the way it ended, could have gone better… but John Cena turning heel was a bigger deal than the 283,876,975th cameo appearance by Brock Lesnar that’ll last a couple shows before he fucks off back to his farm or something. That turn made more of an impact that Mr. Sable’s brief run. Unless he turns out to be the real culprit behind… yeah, on second thought, let’s not go there.

Anyway… just thought I’d share my thoughts…

And yes… chances are nuggets like this are the closest you’ll get to me discussing the particulars of modern wrestling as you’re going to get.

WCW Monday Nitro (Jan. 8th, 1996) – Lightweight Sports Entertainment

Today’s Nitro offering begins with Chris Benoit making short work of this Alex Wright fella… I’d use some other word to describe the massacre involved, but… yeah, it’s already feeling awkward. This is quickly followed by a pretty fun match between Eddie Guerrero and Lord Steven Regal that saw Eddie win with a backslide pin, which is a nice, sneaky move that fits the man. I’d use some other word, but that’s being too cute shortly after the awkwardness of the Benoit match.

Mean Gene interviews Sting and Lex Luger, where Luger suggests that he and Sting go after the tag titles, even though Luger is somewhat of a spotty individual. This transitions to a match between Sting and DDP (still a scummy heel at this point, for those keeping track) that sees Sting submit Yoda Man with the Scorpion Deathlock. And then we have our main event tag match that sees Hulk Hogan and Macho Man defeated Ric Flair and Arn Anderson via Hogan dropping the leg on Arn for the pin… and then Benoit and Brian Pillman are brawling with some Dungeon of Doom dorks while Giant comes out and chokeslams the babyfaces to close the show.

A nice breezy hour of Nitro; not much happening, but the wrestling was solid and I was entertained. That’s all I ever want out of an entertainment program. Good job.

 

Fifty Years Of The Infamous Spock Beer Ad

In 1976, Heineken commissioned a new print advertisement that depicted the character of Spock (a.k.a. Mr. Spock from Star Trek) with droopy ears that become erect after taking a sip of Heineken beer. You look at that for what it is and you figure “Hey, hey. Funny!”

Leonard Nimoy would sue the company for unauthorized use of his likeness. It was one of a number of sticking points that almost kept him from wanting to reprise the role in later Star Trek productions… well, aside from the whole typecasting thing that also proved to be a bit of a detriment for the career.

I don’t know when this advert first hit the scene, but this year marks its 50th anniversary. Whether that’s a cause for celebration or just some random piece of business.

I bring this up because Strange New Worlds is closing up shop; we’re due for a fourth season and eventually a fifth and final season – cut down to six episodes – will follow. Given that every year features some sort of “comedy” episode at the expense of Spock, I’m surprised that we’ve not reached a point where Spock is inflicted with some condition that causes his ears to go all droopy and the only way to cure the condition is by – you guessed it – drinking a Heineken.

Where Were You When RAW IS JERICHO(r not, I really don’t care)

Ooh! Ooh! I can answer that!

I was in the can… having a movement… yeah, that about covers it.

Yeah, so… really, am I supposed to be surprised?

The worst kept secret in the business since the last worst kept secret in the business (seriously, guys, take your pick – you’re ripe with options) took place last night on RAW and I didn’t watch… because the potential return of Chris Jericho wasn’t enough to entice me to subscribe to Netflix and watch this monumental moment, which, in turn, did not spur me to look forward to the upcoming Royal Rumble event from the benevolent and progressive kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

It’s worth noting that I’m writing this weeks before the episode airs and thus if no Jericho showed up on (from your perspective) last night’s RAW, disregard everything I’ve just said, but if he did show up… then I’ll probably watch the clip on Youtube, shrug, and move on with my life. At this point, what does it matter? It’s another WWE alumni returning “home” or whatever the vernacular happens to be and everyone will start cheering for the guy after years of calling for him to retire or whatever the case may be. Wish him all the best whenever he shows up, but I really don’t care at this point.

P.S. Well, much to the chagrin of the universe who actually gave a shit – and this is the part that’s been written after the post has been published on scheduled – Learning Tree Ocho Chris didn’t appear… however, Becky got her title back and Bron Breakker didn’t get the title he probably should have gotten. In other words, I didn’t miss much.

Yeah… About that…

I guess if you’ve been following the news, you know about a certain campaign that took place in South America this weekend. I don’t need to tell you what; you either know it or you can easily look it up because that’s been the biggest news story this past weekend.

I make it a point not to touch on worldwide international affairs on this blog because the whole point of this thing is to be a fun little place where we occasionally celebrate things of interest and crap on terrible things in the name of good fun. I steer away from points of controversy because that’s not my wheelhouse and that anything I say would get mixed up with the white noise that usually passes as “discourse” on the various online circles that these things are usually discussed.

Sometimes, it’s a matter of not knowing what to say. Other times, it’s a matter of not wanting to stir a pot that’s been stirred way too much and has gotten too volatile as a result. But most of the time, it’s simple a matter of my feelings on these matters being none of your business.

I discuss serious issues with people during face to face conversations. I’m not wasting my time discussing these issues on a platform where any moron can come aboard, take your words, and warp them to mean something different than what you meant to say. I have no problem wasting words on silly things like bashing on bad showrunners of popular franchises or talking about trivial things because that’s the whole point of this whole deal in the first place; it’s to get away from that noise in the real world.

Yes, I’ve touched on real world stuff before, but those have been rare occasions where I felt I had some proper thoughts and fears to convey. Do I have feelings on this matter? Sure. Am I conflicted? Kinda. Are my feelings on the matter any of your business?  Absolutely not. There are some things that I am willing to share with the limited audience reading this blog or watching these videos, but when it comes to other things, those I keep close to my sleeve or I discuss with other people that I know and in person. This online white noise regarding any political affair is not something that I feel comfortable or even fully equipped to contribute to without any of it being lost in the shuffle or worse, construed to fit someone else’s false narrative.

If you want someone to use their platform to discuss real world issues or promote causes that are meaningful to them, you’ve got your pick of the litter elsewhere. But for me, personally, I’d rather use this space to discuss the trivial things that interest me and bring some levity to a place that desperately needs it. And if this whole affair does indeed escalate, chances are we won’t be around to discuss things online or sharing stupid memes to discuss our frustrations.

This will be my only word on the matter.

I Asked ChatGPT To Craft An Amazing Video Game Idea

George Wood of Gaming In The Clinton Years fame had a challenge for Eidos. In Tomb Raider III, create a storyline in which Lara gets breast cancer. Imagine the drama of a vulnerable Lara Croft still persisting on her worldly adventures despite her illness. It needs fleshing out, no pun intended, but we guarantee the gaming world would be shocked, stunned, and moved by the effort to make Lara’s character more meaningful. We love Lara, but it’s about time the industry had a big shock for a change.

ChatGPT – ever the creative genius – had the following to say on this amazing video game idea.

Continue reading “I Asked ChatGPT To Craft An Amazing Video Game Idea”