Yesterware

   The 90's were a very interesting time in the world of video games - at least they were through my rose-colored glasses.  No one had a clear picture of where the future would take us but it seemed like everyone had a picture.  This gave rise to a ton of innovation that companies these days wouldn't dare risk trying.    One such innovation was the Pioneer LaserActive.  Basically Pioneer worked with video game companies to create a Laser Disc player with a pluggable modules that contained entire video game consoles.  At $1000 for the LD player and $600 per module, it was a contender for the crown of fiscal masochism, easily beating already prohibitively expensive enthusiast-only platforms like the SNK Neo*GEO AES.    Pioneer managed to get both Sega and NEC onboard, so LaserActive offered both a Genesis and Turbografx-16 module.  Not only did you get the world's most expensive working Genesis or Turbografx-16 inside your Laser Dis...

The somber first note of the title theme plays in my head every time I see this image. Even after completing the main quests, I find myself being drawn back to Breath of the Wild.  This is most likely because the Switch is new and shiny and I haven't been limited by such a lack of options since I was a kid.  But I also have to admit that this is by far the most satisfying Zelda experience I've ever had.  Zelda has always been a mixed bag for me. Nintendo in-store demo kiosk from the 80's. As a kid I remember Zelda being an esteemed phenomenon.  Whenever my mother took me with her while she shopped at the Richman Gordman department store in Council Bluffs, Iowa, I would immediately head left from the entrance to the electronics counter where the Nintendo demo kiosk sat.  Most of the time there was already someone playing and a line of kids waiting for a turn.  The shiny metallic gold of the Zelda cartridge practically leaped out at the eyes. The first time I...