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Stuntman (1986): This “Lost” Footage Was Sitting In Plain Sight
3 weeks ago

Stuntman (1986): This “Lost” Footage Was Sitting In Plain Sight

In the 12 years since the video was uploaded, it’s only received a little over 300 views. But this short film contains 12 minutes of slides and Super 8 …
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MetroidMania #-3: Is Cauldron II (1986) A Metroidvania?
2 months ago

MetroidMania #-3: Is Cauldron II (1986) A Metroidvania?

Released in the UK by Palace Software three months before Metroid, Cauldron II was a sequel to a platform collect-em-up inspired by Jet Set Willy. But the initial seeds …
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MetroidMania #-2: Is Dynamite Dan II (1986) A Metroidvania?
4 months ago

MetroidMania #-2: Is Dynamite Dan II (1986) A Metroidvania?

Released in the UK by Mirrorsoft one month before Metroid, Dynamite Dan II was a sequel to a platform collect-em-up inspired by Jet Set Willy. The original …
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MetroidMania #-1: Is Vampire (1986) A Metroidvania?
5 months ago

MetroidMania #-1: Is Vampire (1986) A Metroidvania?

Released in Spain by Dinamic one month before Metroid, Phantomas 2 was renamed upon its release in the UK by Codemasters three months later. Vampire placed you in the …
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Exploring Metroidvania: The History Of A Word
5 months ago

Exploring Metroidvania: The History Of A Word

“Metroidvania” is a portmanteau of Nintendo’s Metroid and Konami’s Castlevania. But how has its meaning changed over time?

What got its Wikipedia page deleted for almost a decade? 


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Carmen Sandiego And The Case Of The Sham Creator
2 years ago

Carmen Sandiego And The Case Of The Sham Creator

While doing a revision on my long-in-development video on the origin of Carmen Sandiego, I noticed something on the Wikipedia page for “Carmen Sandiego (character)” that I hadn’t noticed …
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A Critical Look At The Interactive Artbook “The Making Of Karateka”
2 years ago

A Critical Look At The Interactive Artbook “The Making Of Karateka”

Last Summer, game developer Digital Eclipse released The Making Of Karateka, a cross between a documentary, an artbook, a museum gallery, and a game collection, that details the story …
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Were TRON’s “Grid Bugs” A Tie-In For The Arcade Game?
2 years ago

Were TRON’s “Grid Bugs” A Tie-In For The Arcade Game?

“This isn’t gonna be easy. If those Grid Bugs get us, we’ve had it.”

As the heroes of TRON ride in their Solar Sailer toward the film’s final act, …
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Mario Origins: How A Popeye Game Became Donkey Kong
3 years ago

Mario Origins: How A Popeye Game Became Donkey Kong

The year is 1990. Nintendo has just received the latest “Q Ratings” report — a long-running popularity poll that ranks celebrities and fictional characters by weighing their popularity against …
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If Miyamoto Never Said His Most Famous Quote, Who Did?
3 years ago

If Miyamoto Never Said His Most Famous Quote, Who Did?

In a Half-Life 25th anniversary documentary that launched this weekend, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell paraphrases a decades-old bit of gaming industry wisdom, saying, “Late is just for a little …
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