Retail Clerk '89

Retail Clerk '89 started as a personal exercise to learn Sega Genesis programming. It's now a complete, albeit short, game demo.

My Loser Phase

Reflections on Video Game Retail from 1992-1997

A look back at the 16 and 32 bit wars from the perspective of a lowly retail clerk. Relive all the highs and lows of the era - from the Sega CD launch to the rise of the Sony PlayStation and everything in-between.

The Complete Guide to Phantasy Star III

Maps, generation walkthroughs, and pretty much anything else you'd ever want to know about Phantasy Star III.

Midwest Gaming Classic 2022

May 7, 2022
This is something like the 15th Midwest Gaming Classic gallery I've posted and maybe the 17th event I've attended. In that time my ability to take pictures has not improved. Neither has my ability to describe things at the show. These minor issues will not stop me from highlighting the things from the 2022 show that were new or interesting to me.

Electronics Boutique March 1997 Catalog

March 8, 2022
I'm rushing this catalog scan out since it turns 25 this month. This is the most 1990s catalog I've found yet. It looks like what would happen if you asked someone to create a 1990s video game catalog today.

The only things I found interesting in a pile of mid-90s Egghead catalogs

March 6, 2022
This is likely the most boring thing I've posted on this site.. and that's after skipping the most boring pages in these catalogs.

Sega Genesis Programming Part 24: Pseudorandomness

February 21, 2022
In this installment I introduce a new cast of characters and take them on a journey through a completely absurd building.

My most played Wii U and 3DS games (sort of)

February 20, 2022
When Nintendo announced the end of the Wii U and 3DS eShops they launched a personalized tribute site. On it we could all see what our most played games were for these two systems. In this feature I question the accuracy of my lists and pay brief respects to the Wii U and 3DS.

Sega Genesis Programming Part 23: A Simple Project Template

February 19, 2022
This is cramming all my various Genesis programming tutorials and code generation tools into a project template. It contains a four room demo that shows how to use all the actions & events in the Retail Clerk game engine. I don't particularly like that name but can't come up with anything better. Anyway, if you're interested in code to build simple games that are halfway between adventure and interactive fiction on the Genesis then you should check this out.

2021 Virtual Xmas Card

December 17, 2021
For the second year in a row, here's a little holiday greeting for whoever it is that still follows this site.

Electronics Boutique Christmas 2001 Catalog

November 20, 2021
In 2001 the GameCube and Xbox tried to distract us from our collective anxiety. 20 years later can mere scans from a catalog do the same? Yes, I think they can.

Midwest Gaming Classic 2021

November 13, 2021
After an unplanned 18-month delay the Midwest Gaming Classic returned in early November 2021. Here's a gallery of various things I found interesting this time around.

Searching for English words in .bin files (or any language or file type really)

September 18, 2021
In this article I embark on a journey to find English text hidden in PC Engine CD games. It starts off quite mundane, almost sleep-inducing. Then it hits a wild plot twist that makes it worth all the effort.

Belated Recap of the 2014 Classic Gaming Expo (which I guess was the last one)

June 12, 2021
Seven years after the 2014 Classic Gaming Expo I finally got around to posting a downer recap. There are some OK photos of rare gaming items so it's not a total waste.

Converting .bin audio files to .wav in Java

February 28, 2021
Somehow you acquired images of old-school CD games that use Red Book audio but are in bin/cue format. I'm not asking any questions about where you got them. I just want to help you listen to the music if that's a thing you're in to. Here's a hastily written program to convert .bin audio tracks to .wav files using the built-in Java Sound APIs.