Much of my week has been completely dedicated to my blatantly average day job. Not that I don’t like IT, but this is one of those weeks where I was doing the same thing on repeat and hoping against hope that something interesting would come along. That’s because most of it was unboxing and setting up Mac Studio Ultras, Wacoms, and Apple Studio displays. While my student employees did most of the literal heavy lifting, I was caught in JAMF-land getting the configurations ready to deploy for classes starting next Tuesday.
Enough about real life, though. This is nostalgia! I’ve been posting and scheduling posts about movies and games on the socials for Cringe Cinema Club and Super Cool Game Club.
Below is the December YouTube music playlist.
And the January playlist on YouTube as well:
Weekly Finds
I pull a lot of the items about gaming and movie news here from a number of sources: The Atari Age forums, Retro Indie News, Time Extension, IGN, Retro Hour podcast, Itch.io, Facebook, Twitter, etc. What shows up here will change weekly depending on what I happen to find in the wild. I try to include the original sources in the links.
Surgeon Simulator developer Bossa Studios confirms layoffs (Game Developer)
It seems that there are 19 people who were laid off. There are now 40 people remaining at the company.
Surgeon Simulator developer Bossa Studios confirms layoffs (gamedeveloper.com)
Daily Drop Roundup
You can get daily drops in your socials wherever you live. First Facebook link is the the Nostalgia Drop page, and the second is to the group. The group is more fun.
December 31st, 2023
Stabbing Westward – “What Do I Have To Do?”
Pocket Rockers
Like two songs? Wanna hear them on repeat? Then have I got the product for you! Pocket Rockers were a fashion accessory AND a musical phenomenon from Fisher Price. Some schools banned them for disrupting class. Imagine: instant theme music when entering the room.
Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (1987)
Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (1987) – Patrol around Layton and solve crimes. Pull people over and “die” from not checking your car according to police procedure. Ah yes, Police Quest!
Into the Night (1985)
Jeff Goldblum’s wife cheats on him, so he drives around hooks up with Michelle Pfeiffer. As happens with beautiful models, dangerous Iranian terrorists are after her. One of Pfeiffer’s only nude scenes in her filmography.
January 1st, 2024
Tia Carrera – “Ballroom Blitz”
Perl (computer language)
Perl was created as a utility scripting language by Larry Wall for report processing. It quickly created a layer of obfuscation previously unknown by new programmers having to support existing code. Plus poetry.
Secret of Mana (1993)
Secret of Mana (1993) – sequel to Final Fantasy Adventure and one of the most beloved action-RPGs for the Super Nintendo. Randi, Primm, and Popoi must rescue Mana seeds of Elemental spirits from the empire.
Body Rock (1984)
Body Rock (1984) – Now that breakdancing is an offical Olympic sport, it’s time to revisit Body Rock… or hold out for a better film like Beat Street or Breakin’.
January 2nd, 2024
DEVO – “Girl U Want”
1974 School Lunch Menu
I wasn’t in school in 1974, but it shows that things didn’t change much.
Legend of the River King (Game Boy Color 1999)
A RPG where fishing is the main gameplay element instead of a side-quest. Sign me up!
Wayne’s World (1992)
One of the few Saturday Night Light films that actually worked. Wayne and Garth were fun through the entire film…unlike most of them that had a one-joke pony spread through two hours of boredom. Plus Tia Carrera!
January 3rd, 2024
Oingo Boingo – “On the Outside”
System Violators – Mid-80s computer club
I have absolutely no verification for this photo I nabbed from Reddit, but it LOOKS like a computer club from the mid-80s and I kind of want to be their friend.
EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus (1991)
One part educational package, one part game. Or two parts game, I guess. EcoQuest had a good message and was a fun adventure game that I’ve never replayed. Also co-designed by Jane Jensen!
Teen Wolf (1985)
When Alex P. Keeton grows hair in unwanted places, hilarity ensues as he goes into full wolf-mode as a high school basketball player who learns that even being a hairy, scary wolf cannot stop the clock at the big game.
January 4th, 2024
XTC – “Dear God”
Judge’s Guild 1980 Dungeons & Dragons Club
The Judge’s Guild has been publishing D&D works since the 1970s. Here is their high school D&D group. https://www.facebook.com/judgesguild
Persona 2: Innocent Sin (1999)
Persona 2: Innocent Sin (1999) – Finally released in the West on the PSP, Innocent Sin characterizes the struggles between two high schools caught in supernatural shenanigans as rumors start to become reality. Recruit and fight demons with your friends.
Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)
Take one dead dude and two party guys who don’t want anyone to know he’s dead. And let the hilarity ensue.
January 5th, 2024
They Might Be Giants – “Minimum Wage”
For the “nobody wants to work anymore” crowd.
Valley Speak
Valley speak was everywhere in the 80s. From gagging me with a spoon to adding “like” to every other word to the ridiculous lilt at the end of every sentence, Valley Speak was all the rage. Frank Zappa’s song “Valley Girl” and the 1983 film did not help the situation.
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (2000)
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (2000) – Eternal Punishment was released in the US on the PlayStation, but without Innocent Sin, there were some holes in the plot. Maya, a playable character in Innocent Sin is the main protagonist.
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
First Blood was a dramatic portrayal of John Rambo as illustrated in David Morrell’s novel. This film has nearly nothing to do with that one. Rambo goes into Vietnam to rescue POWs with explosive firepower and massive machine guns.
January 6th, 2024
Crash Test Dummies – “God Shuffled His Feet”
Wearing Multiple watches
This trend was really odd, though with watchmakers like Swatch revisioning watches as a fashion statement, it kind of makes sense. Kind of. I mean, how ridiculous were we, wearing several watches up and down our arms?
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (1993)
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (1993) – Among Sierra game fans, the Gabriel Knight series is especially loved for its characters, elaborate storytelling, and fresh Louisiana supernatural background.
Clash of the Titans (1981)
One of my favorite PG movies with boobies. Perseus must solve a number of quests to save his true love, Andromeda. In the process, he sees the breasts of mortals, goddesses, and a medusa before cutting off her head and stoning a Titan with it.
Weekly Tears
Laura Lynch (1958-2023)
Laura Lynch was one of the founding members of the Country band The Dixie Chicks.
She passed away on December 22nd, 2023.
Tom Wilkinson (1948-2023)
Tom Wilkinson was an English actor whose performances for Michael Clayton and In the Bedroom netted him two Academy Awards. He is known most for his performances in Shakespeare in Love and The Full Monty.
He passed away on December 30th, 2023.
Glynis Johns (1923-2024)
Glynis Johns was a British actress, singer, and dancer. She starred in over 60 films and most known for her role as Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins. She also originated the role of Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music (1983).
She passed away on January 4th, 2024.
David Soul (1943-2024)
David Soul was an American-British actor and singer. He was most-known for his role as Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson on the series Starsky & Hutch.
She passed away on January 4th, 2024.