We’re back with a fairly mundane status update; just some updates on a few things, not much progress on the queue end but still some rough ideas of where to go next, and minor site QOL.
Frozen Queue
Not much new on the queue front; I said the next queue review would be Broken Sword and that is still very much the case, though I did get a newer game for it last week I plan to cover first, being that it’s a retro compilation. Clock Tower has gotten the dusting off and now has been played through some, so I gotta spend more time with in before I’m ready to finally get that out of the way before it ends up in Legacy Queue territory.
I also plan to get the Gumball review out before the Evercade release hits, since that game’s included on the Mega Cat 3 Evercade cart! Pretty neat to see a SFG GOTY honorable mention there. Still, my pacing on the queue is holding steady and I’m avoiding taking in newer things unless they’re compilations or hyper short experiences, and that’s why you’ve seen me put out more Evercade stuff in recent days as filler means I can do other, quicker things before getting around to Broken Sword. (And yes, I will be doing the Evercade collection after the HD remaster, since I might as well cover the Sequel too!)
I also picked up the Neo Geo Super Pocket used off eBay recently, which means I can finally give it a delayed look-at. Expect a giant disclaimer at the top of the review to be a catch-all for when I eventually cover the carts several months from now. No, I am not changing my stance on this. You’re gonna have to wait a while after launch if anything NeoGeo/Microsoft comes out on Evercade, but I will cover them eventually.
Like I mentioned before, I also plan to cover the SuperStation One at some point. I think they’re about the ship the batch I ordered, so hopefully in May we’ll have something out for you all. I also aim to do whatever indie/compilation I can write up for filler between the queue reviews, that I decided to pick up myself on a whim. I kinda wanna do Minishoot Adventures as a full review now, but that’ll take a bit to write down so don’t expect an ETA on that.
Speculative Countdown Fun!
I honestly enjoyed my little writeup on Console Archives more than I thought I would while making it. Sure, it was simple, but it was fun and it got me thinking of more ideas for similar countdowns; perhaps a Vol 2 for Console Archives later down the time? ACA/ACA2? NSO stuff again? Evercade Carts? I’m unsure what sort of countdown I’d do first, but I’m definitely planning to do more, and hopefully that’s all fine with you. I promise, I do not plan on being a Buzzfeed for retro gaming compilations.
Not much else to add besides that, just that I find it nice to get a shorter opinion-y piece out now and then.
Speaking of Opinions…
Yep, my big opinion pieces are still planned. I think I’m gonna go for the Switch 2 BC one first since I took so many notes on it I might as well start on it. I was honestly real terrified the Handheld Boost Mode would torpedo my entire article, but all things considered it’ll end up being a handy little extra section at the end of the piece, and the bulk of what I tested/am looking for is still unaffected.
I played several hundred BC games on this thing and I’m absolutely not gonna list them one by one, but I hope I name a good variety of obscurities for you to consider checking out on a Switch 2. It’ll be done when it’s done.
I got a full year for that Pokemon 30th article I didn’t get done last month, so I’m not focusing on that ATM.
Busy Busy Busy
Obviously, the big elephant in the room; why the hell is SFG output slow this month? Did I get in depression alley again? Well despite the past month or so being immensely stressful, I did manage to feel a lot better mentally across the board, I’m proud to say. Unfortunately, I also have been intensifying my IRL obligations of late and getting more non site stuff to do, for reasons I’ll make very clear at the end of the calendar year. Needless to say, it’s very important to me and while it’s unrelated to the site at all, I think it’s time away from the site worth doing.
Still, even with me being more busy, I do wanna try and get 1-2 reviews a week out still. I sincerely apologize for not doing more like I used to, but the thing I need to also do is key to making sure I can do this for decades to come and not be in another rough living environment or worse, a situation where I have to move again.
Lifting a moratorium, with a Catch
I’ve mentioned this off-hand in comments here and elsewhere, but I think I’m gonna do a big bit here in case people get blindsided by a review that’s coming out this week; as of April, I am back to reviewing Limited Run Games published digital games again.
No, I’ve not gone crazy, no, my articles will not be taken down or censored, and no, I’m not bribed. I made this choice for several reasons I think you’ll find pretty valid. The first and biggest, and the main thing I double checked with their PR before I requested the code I wanted from them, is that the problem individuals at the company who were uh, quite responsible for a lot of the turmoil that the company had, and I wanted zero interaction with are no longer employed there.
The names I asked about I was specifically told do not work there anymore, and with that I did not see any reason to keep my personal moratorium on their digital games anymore. I was already kinda reviewing their stuff anyway via other publishers (like Ziggurat and Konami), and people did like those reviews of their digital collections, so I figured if I have the means to review more retro compilations, i’m gonna review more retro compilations. Thus, my moratorium is lifted, but obviously I should stress my opinions on their compilations is not impacted by this at all. I’d review them like anything else I write about, so I’m not gonna have my opinions swayed by any of this, nor will I accept any sponsorships or physical products from them. Sorry, no Doom SNES review from me unless they make it a digital release.
I figured this would be pretty obvious anyhow, but I think it’s key to stress my stance on this. If something changes (ie; new leadership of LRG gets outed or accused of something I’m not comfortable with/don’t stand for), back up the moratorium goes. But for now, consider it lifted, and I shall review their Marvel set sometime in April.
Conclusion
So, that about does it. A pretty swift moving, fast month, even if I’ve been less productive than I’d like. Still, I’ve maintained my pace I wanted with my extra load I’ve been taking on, and I hope come end of the year it turns out great and I can finally reveal what I’ve been planning to do in order to not just help myself, but so many other people who need it most.
I really don’t like the extra strain on weekends, and my weekdays already being busy means I have low energy when work is done for the day, but I truly hope eventually I get back into a rhythm that makes those queues nice and clear, and ready for those legacy queue games to get the tackling they deserve. I know I’ve been saying that for over six years now, but when I say I’ll never abandon a game I accepted, I mean it.
Until next time!