PixlBit

GameCube, GBA and Xbox were all released. Pokemon games won all sales awards across the board, again. Amongst the highest critically were: Halo, GTA III, Grand Turismo 3 and Final Fantasy X. Dreamcast was discontinued this year, which was probably when I got one on the cheap as GameStop started shipping them all back to their warehouses. I probably got a Xbox on the strength of Halo, Gamecube for the Rogue Squadron sequel, and a PS2 for the Red Faction port. Here's a bunch of games I played around that time, then alter, and then ones I'd like to play now. 

I watched some Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and MSG SEED on youtube. I only found a few episodes dubbed into English, most are with subtitles, which I like to avoid. It's a neat show. I'm constantly reminded of US IPs like Halo and Pacific Rim while watching it. GUNDAM just basically means the neural interface with a robotic battle suit, like with Master Chief and Cortana or the piltos and Jaegers of Pacific Rim. Seems this show, just like the hair styles, like their robots all spikey. Fun stuff, and complex. The stories in MSGW are deep in polical intrigue, Earth vs. Rebels, not unlike the colonial uprisings in the Halo universe. I enjoyed it in between lots of gaming that happened during Labor Day weekend as outlined below. 

2000 was the year of the PS2. Remember the lines as people wanted not just a game system but a DVD player? I got one later. However, Pokemon still ruled home game sales: Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver and Pokemon Stadium all contributed. Microsoft bought Bungie and PopCap was formed. Mad Krammer and I were really into the Dreamcast, and I bought a PC I could finally call my own. Here is a list of stuff I've played or want to play today in 2023 (darn it, that's 23 years ago!).

The 90s TV this week was The Pirates of Dark Water, a gorgeously animated production that reminds me of animation I saw in Heavy Metal, Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings and Don Bluth's Dragon's Lair laserdisc game. Almost immediately I said to myself, "darn this show has a wealth of interesting graphics, it must've cost a fortune to make". Turns out it did, half a million per episode according to wiki. The story isn't bad either, the characters are good and the voice acting very good. Mad Krammer and I are enjoying it sandwiched in between the following games. 

Playstation won the console wars. Super Mario 64 won at home worldwide. Firaxis, Valve and IGN were all founded this year. Coolness! That year I and my friend Mad Krammer were playing mostly FPS games ported from PC to PS, N64 and Saturn. Over the years, though, I've discovered quite a few others. 

1995, I remember it well. . . Not so well, actually, so that's why I go through the list of video games on wiki again. The biggest US games of '95 were Daytona USA and Mortal Kombat 3, but I got other ideas, a bunch of them:

I rediscovered the really great 1992 X-Men: The Animated Series. The theme music is always close at hand in my mind, and I always imagined it was from a 70s era X-Men show, a time I would've watched it as a kid, but, I think, I was watching Super Friends then and not X-Men. I guess my friend Mad Krammer and I were watching X-Men in the 90s. Well, we watched it again and it's really great. Good writing, excellent animation, nothing to complain about at all. Oh, and then there's the gaming I did this week. 

According to wiki, the Genesis and Game Boy won the sales race for consoles and handhelds; Daytona USA and Mortal Kombat II were the winners in the arcades; and Donkey Kong Country for consoles. It's interesting, but what this blog is about is more self-centered. It's my wish list. So here 'tis:

I saw this 90s animated show called King Arthur and the Knights of Justice. I was attracted by the excellent colors and drawing of the animations. It's about a football team that gets transported to King Arthur's time by Merlin to save Arthur and his knights from Morgana. It's a neat premise. I find the writting a bit dull but not stupid. The real thrill though is the inventiveness of the animation and action. I hope to watch more of it. It's all on youtube. 

Most of my gaming's been done this week. I write this waiting for an oil change before continuing one more day. With time to kill, I thought I'd write down what I've played so far.