Consider This

The first week of June is a marathon of well-wishes and triumph. It is a 120 hour statement of finality, punctuated by the kind of tears, hugs, and honesty that can only come about after great loss or achievement. This all happens in a space that was formerly a gathering point for Old Hollywood’s elite: a nightclub, turned dilapidated space, turned school theatre.

Our brief glimpse into 1994 allowed me to relive a part of my life when things were comfortable and simple. The biggest concern I had was usually what to watch on the new cable system, when to finish my homework, or how I would pay for the newest issue of EGM.

Mortal Kombat kind of sneaked into my life out of nowhere. I know that’s hard to believe, now that it’s a juggernaut in the arcades, on home consoles, and (if rumors are right) soon to be a Hollywood hit. But it’s true. There was a time when "Mortal Kombat" was just a misspelled phrase to me.

The day I hooked the SNES into my shelf stereo was a revelation. From my meagre television, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was impressive. Out of the stereo, it was sublime. Hidden lows boomed into existence as the title blared. Highs gained tinny clarity. The form of everything was transformed before my ears. For my cousin, this was old news.

The local video store wasn’t just a staple of my childhood, it was the most important building I could visit, given my surprisingly limited sphere of travel.

I look around, trying to anticipate a cold start, searching for that little something that will start the controlled riot I’ve been waiting for. Nothing. Just a restless mass, shifting about. Waiting. My friend zips her sweater, tosses the hood up and pulls down – hard – on the laces, bundling herself up for protection.

In terms of sheer fanservice, Star Trek Online succeeds wildly. It embraces continuity in such a way that anyone close to the franchise will immediately be dashed on waves of nostalgia. Cameos bring up familiar names, places and plots, to the point where precious inventory slots will at some point be burdened with an abundance of Tribbles.

Over the last two years, my holiday season has become a ritual full of a special kind of dread. From the time I crank the oven to put in the Thanksgiving turkey, to the time I pack away the last slice of my birthday cake in January, I dread gathering with my folks. Comparatively, I’m lucky. My family never engages in the kind of active warfare that so many other households entertain.

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. -- Benjamin Franklin

If you haven’t heard, we’re living in a 3D world. At least, that’s the world that a few tech companies want you to inhabit. But as much as I pine for a dimensional gaming experience of my own, it’s hard to justify the purchase of a 3D-anything without at least a glimmer of hope that a market exists to support the technology.

Consider This

Grey Skies

Earthbound, Never Homebound

Mortal Kombat II

Sonic CD: Sounds from the Future!

From the Fires

The Walking Dead Escape

Boldly, Gone

(thanks)

Just A Game (System)

Your 3D Gaming Future, Today

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Consider This

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