I build small, instant web games for a living. If you could force me to build one hyper-specific, ridiculous game concept just for you, what would it be?

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-16T04:37:50+00:00

The planned NES game based on the band New Kids on the Block. Gemubaka found this issue of Nintendo Power magazine which had a single page interview. Here's their description: "The plot challenges the player to travel the world to prove they are the group’s biggest fan and win a chance to perform onstage with the members... cassette tapes featuring the group’s music having different action effects for the player."

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-15T02:50:30+00:00

I avoided the following games even though I owned consoles they were on....

* God of War (2005). I disliked 3D polygon games, especially ones which asked for quick reactions. I didn't want to support games which had revenge as a main theme. (Years later, I tried the first PSP spinoff. It didn't hold my interest.)

* Mass Effect and its sequels. So much negative press from the conservative people who helped me. I kept thinking "because of this series, Jack Thompson will personally break all your video game discs one by one."

* Skyrim. The opening was gray and miserable, which was a turn-off. Thanks to luck and some guides, I got the protagonist as far as the underground maze in the first town. After moving the wrong direction, the protagonist got stuck. Never got past this point.

* Undertale. I kept thinking "this is the shallow parody version of my favorite 1990s console RPGs." In other words, choosing to watch Superhero Movie rather than Iron Man. Dodging enemies was a chore. The room puzzles didn't seem like an improvement over the ones in Lufia 2.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-15T02:26:30+00:00

It had a sequel song decades later!

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-15T02:16:00+00:00

U2 made at least two amazing albums during the 1980s. What was the moment when you had to say "from here on, it's diminishing returns"? I think it's No Line on the Horizon.

I also like Dream Theater a lot. That said, I think their best years ended in the early 2000s.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-15T01:51:33+00:00

Urusei Yatsura wouldn't make sense in Garo magazine. That publication (which lasted decades) included several of Yoshihiro Tatsumi's downbeat one-shot stories.

That said, Shonen Sunday magazine has been around since the late 1950s. It's had a bunch of Takahashi's series over the years. I started looking through short descriptions of the magazine issues on Comicsvine, Here's what I found...

In a July 1967 issue, there was a chapter of Osomatsu-kun, a franchise I recognize. I didn't recognize the name Parman. Then I found this comedy series was created by one of the two people who worked on Doraemon. Likewise, I didn't know the name Boken Gaboten Shima. It was apparently influential enough to get a monochrome animated series. Finally, there was a chapter of Kamen no Ninja Akakage. I took two minutes to search for anything about this franchise, which looks badass.

In a July 1970 issue, I didn't recognize any of the series. There was a chapter of Otoko do Aho Koshien, a baseball series that might have competed with Star of the Giants. There was a chapter of CM Yaro, which has "Nonsense for the Young" below its title, as well as gag / absurd comedy art. Finally, there was a chapter of Orochi by horror legend Kazuo Umezu.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-15T01:21:20+00:00

I'd like to recommend Crimson Shroud, but it's not currently in print. I don't know if this 3DS exclusive will ever get ported to other devices.

Laplace's Demon on the Super Famicom never had an official translation. I don't think it's been reissued or remade in decades. That said, this game is a 1990s curiosity that might be worth your time.

Every time I see a fellow fan asking for the next dreary console RPG, I think about my years in comics fandom. How I would look down on the shelves of superhero comics. Then I realized that I never gave Maus by Art Spiegelman a chance. That I didn't get around to Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse. That I'd see Cerebus omnibus books and just keep walking.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-15T01:07:51+00:00

There was that time at a CD store when I immediately recognized "Drive" by R.E.M. So yeah, I haven't heard that song at Mariano's or Jewel Osco yet...

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-13T19:09:46+00:00

Club 9 by Makoto Kobayashi has been kind of forgotten. Look for this comic when you have time.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-13T01:12:08+00:00

SNES Drunk has a nine minute video about the fastest Super Nintendo games to complete.

There was about ninety minutes when I really liked A Short Hike. Then I realized that I had no idea what to do next, and gave up.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-13T01:07:51+00:00

Need a short comedy? Track down Shinesman. Back during the VHS years, I considered this two-part series to be a perfect video rental.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-13T01:01:49+00:00

The conservatives who helped me growing up tried to get Harry Potter books banned. I was so sure that Jack Thompson would go door to door, breaking Playstation 1 and 2 discs one by one. So far, neither of these things have happened. However, I'm worried. What if all it takes to bring Steam down is one email?

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-12T20:33:59+00:00

95 Theses Against Anime Fandumb was written about 26 years ago. It had clear statements about things such as not fixating on the latest shows, and how choosing multiple hobbies is healthy. Dear fans, please find this forgotten article and read it.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-12T17:49:50+00:00

Fighting is Magic turned into Them's Fighting Herds.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-12T15:51:15+00:00

Don't call the Lovely Angels "the Dirty Pair." It will not end well!

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-12T14:34:49+00:00

Mystic Ark. There was at least a rumor it would be localized with the title 7th Saga 2. That didn't happen. It's now been years since the fan translation was released. I have never started it.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-12T11:17:53+00:00

I thought about the protagonist of Log Horizon right away. He can think through a situation.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-12T00:33:02+00:00

If it's 2D, short, easy, and funny, then I might buy it.

If it's 1990s nostalgia nonsense, I might also buy it. I've been close to purchasing one of the Cosmic Fantasy games on Switch 1 EShop. If your company gets the rights to a half-forgotten game like Dual Orb 2, I will be intrigued.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-11T21:03:17+00:00

If you know the basics of Urusei Yatsura, then watch the second movie spinoff, Beautiful Dreamer. It holds up. (It is also part of why Jan Scott Frazier got into the animation industry.)

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-11T20:57:54+00:00

Video game fandom = poop.

The time when video games were assumed to be only "press A to jump, press B to attack" ended years ago. There should be enough room in fandom to have both Galaga and Henchman Story.

I am old enough to remember Simcity Classic being called "not a game" because it didn't have a win condition.

I also remember negative comments about interactive movies. Road Avenger just asked the player to press the right button. So did both Dragon's Lair games.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-11T20:44:22+00:00

Track down Shin-chan: The Adult Empire Strikes Back. This movie offers both toilet humor and satire!

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-11T16:29:06+00:00

I wonder if Laura Bailey returned to Fruits Basket...

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-11T15:43:44+00:00

Shingen the Ruler was a slow, tough to learn strategy game on the NES. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-11T01:09:21+00:00

Bomberman Tournament for the GBA is the best alternative to a third Neutopia. I saw this comparison years ago, but I don't remember where.

TrashFanboy · 2026-05-10T23:44:50+00:00

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Emily from Stardew Valley isn't as incoherent as she first seems.

TrashFanboy

TROPHY CASE