Gone, But Certainly Not Forgotten

Posted on January 25, 2014 by averagejosh

I’ve mentioned Retroware TV in the past, and how the site and its contributors played a large role in reinvigorating my love of retro games. It’s a tight-knit community dedicated to creating content by and for those of us who revere the games we grew up with. There is no pretentiousness among this group, just gamers who wish to celebrate, share and enjoy the history of our favorite hobby.

We got some bad news today. Justin Carmical, better known by his YouTube alias, “JewWario,” has passed away. According his wife, Jenny, it happened this past Thursday in their home. To make this tragedy even more heartbreaking, Jenny revealed that Justin took his own life. Continue reading →

What’s A Video Store?

Posted on January 1, 2014 by averagejosh

In early November, news came that Blockbuster would be shutting its doors for good. All but a handful of stores were scheduled to close shop, officially signaling the end of an era.

And while I’m not distraught over Blockbuster going out of business, I am saddened by what it represents. With the rise of streaming video services, this day has been a long time coming. I can’t argue against the convenience of these services, but to quote a friend, I won’t have any fond memories of browsing my Netflix queue. Continue reading →

Random, unorganized thoughts on Nintendo’s future.

Posted on December 18, 2013 by averagejosh

This is really nothing more than a passing thought, but I felt it was worth mentioning. I haven’t done any in-depth analysis, so take from this what you will.

Sony and Microsoft — undoubtedly the two major console makers at the moment — are in the midst of a heavyweight fight for the title ‘King of the Consoles.’ But Valve’s Steam Machines might have a major impact in that fight at some point in the future. Continue reading →

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds — Reviewed

Posted on December 18, 2013 by averagejosh

Me: “I keep looking for the Pegasus Boots, but I can’t find them anywhere.”

Friend: “Oh, man, that took me forever to figure out!”

Me: “So you’ve got them? What’d you do?!”

Friend: “You know that guy that always runs away from you in Kakariko Village?”

Me: “Yeah, I thought you had to get the Pegasus Boots to catch him!”

Friend: “That’s what I thought, too! But you actually get them from him! I can’t believe it took me so long to figure it out, but you just merge into the wall he’s standing in front of, and then pop out when you’re directly behind him. That will scare the crap out of him, and he’ll end up just giving you his boots.”

Me: “Ah! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!”

Continue reading →

Looking back on The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Posted on November 20, 2013 by averagejosh

With The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds set to release this week, it’s an ideal time to reflect upon the game it directly succeeds in the Official Zelda Timeline.

Believe it or not, A Link to the Past was released in Japan almost exactly 22 years ago, in November of 1991. It took roughly another five months for it to make its way to North America, but I wouldn’t get my hands on it until Christmas of 2002, when it made its debut on the Game Boy Advance. Continue reading →

Why We Game

Posted on August 27, 2013 by averagejosh

From an early age, most of us are drawn to video games, almost inherently. Whether it’s because of the smorgasbord of colors, the cacophony of music and sounds, or purely the interactive nature of the medium, the fact remains; we love to game. And chances are, if you’re reading this, video games are more than just a passing interest for you.

So let’s dig a little deeper. Apart from the more obvious reasons, such as enjoyment and escapism, what are the distinct, individual reasons we choose to play video games? And what keeps us coming back? Everyone has their own ideas and explanations, but it’s likely we share similar conclusions. Continue reading →

A Simple Kind of Life

Posted on June 16, 2013 by averagejosh

When I started this blog, it was my intent to write about nothing but the retro gaming experience. After doing a lot of retro and contemporary gaming, I’ve decided my primary focus will still be on gaming in the ‘SD era’ — a term I coined in my previous post to categorize games made prior to the proliferation of high definition televisions — but I will write about certain contemporary games if I think there’s a story to tell, or a message to convey.

As of this past Sunday, June 9, 2013, I’ve been spending a lot of time developing my new town in Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the Nintendo 3DS. It’s a game not unlike its predecessors. Each installment in the Animal Crossing series starts you off on a train bound for a town you’ve never been to. Another passenger — a talking cat named Rover — sees you sitting by yourself and decides to strike up a conversation. The friendly feline asks you a little about yourself, thus ascertaining your name, gender and destination (the town where you’ll eventually begin your new life). Continue reading →

Welcome to Backtracking

Posted on May 2, 2013 by averagejosh

Before actually producing content for this brand-new blog of mine, I figured I’d preface everything with a bit of a mission statement — explain why I created it. My intent is to explore and rediscover the best video games of the past — to boldly go where many gamers have gone before! To elaborate, allow me to go back in time (we’ll be doing a lot of that here).

One of my earliest memories of gaming comes from when I was about five years old. My older brother, fresh out of the Army, had given me his Nintendo Entertainment System, as he’d moved on to the flashy new Super NES. The first game I remember playing was Super Mario Bros. And I played it relentlessly — to the point I actually got blisters on my thumbs. At first, I wasn’t very good, but I really didn’t care. I was having a blast, regardless of my lack of skill. Continue reading →

averagejosh

not your average joe

Tag Archives: retro gaming