Work has mostly calmed down as classes settle into their rhythms. Though it has been slightly hectic getting ready for my brother-in-law’s visit because I have been neglecting my housecleaning duties for quite a bit in the rush. Luckily, he’s not super judgy but I’d rather have a cleaner house than a REALLY dirty one!
On the nostalgia front, I’ve been trying to get the social media posts updated and scheduled so I don’t lose steam there. I haven’t missed a day in two years so far, so I’d rather not miss one in the next two years. It has become a bit easier since I removed Twitter/X from the equation once they stopped allowing viewing of posts without an account. I wasn’t as badly affected by the Instagram removal of Super Cool Game Club since I hadn’t really gotten it off the ground before they removed it.
I have put in redirects from here to Cringe Cinema.Club for the more notorious non-family friendly content. Since that is my little cesspool of guilty-pleasure films, it makes sense to have things like Sadomania there than here. Especially since very few people have seen it, and most people coming to a feel-goody nostalgia site most likely wouldn’t want to see it!
This week, while off on Wednesday, I started on the Unreal Engine 4 C++ The Ultimate Shooter course on Udemy. This course goes through creating a third-person shooter and many of the myriad difficulties associated with it. It is not networked, however, I am planning on going through the Unreal Engine 5 C++ Multiplayer Shooter course next. Both are by Stephen Ulibarri. After that, I’ll look at Unreal Engine 5 – Gameplay Ability System and Realize Your Level Design Ideas with UE5 and Blender.
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.
Infinifactory free on Epic Games
Infinifactory is the free game this week on the Epic Games Store.
Design factories that assemble products for your alien overlords in a first-person 3D environment.
Microsoft announces 1900 employee layoffs among its gaming division and cancels upcoming MMO Odyssey (Game Developer)
Microsoft announced 1900 employee layoffs in its gaming divisions, including Blizzard entertainment president Mike Ybarra.
Report: Microsoft follows Activision Blizzard merger with 1,900 layoffs (gamedeveloper.com)
Ruiner dev Reikon Games reportedly lays off 80% of staff (Game Developer)
Raikon has allegedly cut 80% of its staff. They released the first-person shooter Ruiner in 2017.
Ruiner dev Reikon Games reportedly lays off 80% of staff (gamedeveloper.com)
Black Forest Games cuts nearly 50% of their staff (Game Developer)
Black Forest Games, the creators of Destroy All Humans, has reportedly cut nearyl 50% of their existing staff.
Destroy All Humans dev Black Forest Games reportedly cuts 50% of staff (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.
January 21st, 2024
Pixies – “Wave of Mutilation”
Avocado Bikini
Sword of Hope (1989)
Married with Children (1987-1997)
January 22nd, 2024
Reel Big Fish – “Sell Out”
Kissing Potion roll-on lip gloss
Toxic Crusaders (1992)
Enemy Mine (1985)
January 23rd, 2024
Aimee Mann – “That’s Just What You Are”
Jell-O Pudding Pops
Happy Happy Boarders (2000)
Romancing the Stone (1984)
January 24th, 2024
Local H – “Bound for the Floor”
70s Vinyl Floors
Ultima: Runes of Virtue (1991)
The Keep (1983)
January 25th, 2024
The Orb – “Little Fluffy Clouds”
Bean Bag Chairs
Yoshi’s Cookie (1992)
Fire and Ice (1983)
January 26th, 2024
Soul Asylum – “Misery”
Floral Sofas
Zoop (1997)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
January 27th, 2024
Big Daddy Kane – “Ain’t No Half Steppin'”
Fondue Parties
Shanghai (1989)
Crocodile Dundee (1986)
Weekly Tears
Gary Graham (1958-2023)
Gary Graham was an American actor, musician, and author. He is best known for his roles as Detective Matthew Sikes in the television series Alien Nation (1989-1990) and Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005). He had an illustrious film career as well, appearing in films like Hardcore (1979), The Hollywood Knights (1980), All the Right Moves (1983), The Last Warrior (1989), RobotJox (1989), and Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022).
He passed away on January 22nd, 2024.
Nerene Virgin (1946-2023)
Nerene Virgin was a Canadian actress and journalist well known for her role on the children’s television show, Today’s Special.
She passed away on January 15th, 2024.