Around the Network

Another long weekend! I’m not complaining, though every one of these makes it harder and harder to go back to a full work week.

Lots to share this week: plenty of articles, a few updates on future plans, and the usual shenanigans from around the broader community.

So without further ado, let’s look back at what you might have missed this week…

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MoeGamer

Sunday Shooting: Shmups Skill Test – This is the last Sunday video for a little while; I’m scaling back slightly in order to allow me a bit more time to do other things. It’s a good ‘un though — Triangle Service’s unusual “shoot ’em up minigame” compilation, Shmups Skill Test, which really needs to be seen to be believed.

The MoeGamer Podcast: Episode 21 – Profound Carnage – Chris and I have a long chat about gory games and our memories of them from over the years, along with the usual discussion of gaming news and what we’ve been playing lately.

Happy Birthday to Me (38) and MoeGamer (5)! – It’s that time of year, when both I and the site celebrate being a year older. Here’s a look back on what’s been happening over the last year.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Take 2 – Sonic Forces divided opinion somewhat on its original release — pretty much like every modern Sonic game, then — but has plenty to enjoy about it., particularly as a second attempt to make a “big budget movie” Sonic game.

Warriors Wednesday: Ganbare so Ganbare – The Shu brigade track down mystical ninj… err, dirty thief Goemon and do their best to recover the goodies he’s attempted to claim for himself.

Waifu Wednesday: Midori – I sit down for a chat with MoeGamer’s lead mascot to find out exactly who she is and what she’s up to. Things don’t quite go according to plan.

New Game Plus: Closing Out Year 2 – Rorona’s second year of gainful employment comes to a close as she finished preparations for the Annual Festival once again.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Everything Old is New Again – For those who find modern Sonic games inexplicably distasteful, there is Sonic Mania, a beautiful love letter to the 16-bit period.

So, regarding plans: as I’ve already mentioned, Sunday videos are coming to a close for now just to take a little bit of pressure off me. New Game Plus will also be coming to an end for now after the Atelier Rorona series has been finished, and will be replaced with a long-term Final Fantasy marathon project that I’ve been meaning to do for the longest time.

An upcoming Cover Game (not the next one!) will tie in with that too: I’m going to be taking a detailed look at Final Fantasy XI, which was recently voted one of the top 20 video games of the just-ended Heisei Era in Japan. It’s a game I’ve been meaning to explore in detail for the longest time, and I’ve actually already made a start on recording the videos for its slot in the eventual Final Fantasy marathon and having a blast. So why not kill two birds with one stone, I thought?

At this point, I have no idea how long it’s going to take me to get through Final Fantasy XI’s main storyline(s), but I’m having a good crack at it and making good progress so far. I’m looking forward to talking more about it, as its MMO nature means it’s one of the Final Fantasy games from over the years that hasn’t been explored nearly as much as it could have been by people who write about games.

Atari A to Z

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Three wonderful games this week: an Activision classic for Atari 8-bit, one of my favourite flight sims on Atari ST and an unreleased gem of an arcade title from Atari Flashback Classics.

Cool Stuff By People Who Aren’t Me

I am a proud Patron of Paul “Mr Biffo” Rose, the Cheap Show podcast and The Game Chasers, because all of them put out great content that is worth your support. The Game Chasers are working on a movie, too; be sure to check out their Kickstarter if you’re a fan.

Check out some examples of what these fine folks have been up to here:

And as always, let’s close out with some goodness from around the WordPress Reader.

Not Getting It: Video Games, Sex and Bad Research (Later Levels) – Kim does an extensive takedown of the latest scare story about video games.

Ellen’s Stories from Azeroth: Leaving My Guild (Upon Completion) – Ellen shares an interesting, personal tale about the social dynamics of online games, and how we can be both drawn together and pushed apart in various ways.

Live Service Games: “But It’s Good Now!” (Later Levels) – Phil posts a great piece that echoes many of my own thoughts about continuously updated games and the many problems they bring to today’s games industry.

My Life With: Out Run (Retro Arcadia) – stvnorman has some fond memories of Sega’s classic Out Run — though not the version you might be thinking of!

Maximum Gothic (Kimimi the Game-Eating She-Monster) – Those who follow Kimimi’s work will know that she has an infectious enthusiasm about very specific things, and this time around it’s the turn of a particular breed of “gaming Gothic” under the microscope.

That’s that for another week! I’m off to… probably play some more Final Fantasy XI if I’m honest. Shit be addictive.

Have a lovely long weekend if you have one wherever you are, and I’ll see you in the week!


The MoeGamer Compendium, Volume 1 is now available! Grab a copy today for a beautiful physical edition of the Cover Game features originally published in 2016.

Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed this article. I’ve been writing about games in one form or another since the days of the old Atari computers, with work published in Page 6/New Atari User, PC Zone, the UK Official Nintendo Magazine, GamePro, IGN, USgamer, Glixel and more over the years, and I love what I do.

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