"content":"I’ve always been more of a Warner Bros fan than a Hanna Barbera one: Bugs and co. is, to me, a lot more recognizable than say The Flintstones or Scooby-Do. Or, for that matter, a slightly more obscure anthropomorphic bear with a green hat and a tie...",
"name":"A Decision Tree For Buying Retro Gaming Handhelds",
"content":"Every time someone asks me which retro handheld gaming console to buy, I point them towards an Analogue Pocket, or the cheaper cartridge-based emulator the Evercade. But that story is far from complete: there is much more choice than I initially real...",
"content":"April 2022 is no more. April has been all about blowing carts (see below), revisiting Go by pottering around with Webmentions (see fighting webmention spam) and discovering more personal blogs to thicken my RSS subscriptions file. I also started runn...",
"content":"April 2022 is no more. April has been all about blowing carts (see below), revisiting Go by pottering around with Webmentions (see fighting webmention spam) and discovering more personal blogs to thicken my RSS subscriptions file. I also started runn...",
"name":"Who Framed Roger Rabbit: The Monochrome Investigation",
"content":"In 1988, a weird movie was conceived that blended silly toons with investigative drama, as somehow the not-real bunny Roger was accused of cold-blooded murder, and needed a very-real toon-hating private detective to help him out. As is usually the ca...",
"content":"Small and independent blogs are always full of surprises. The more blogs I stumble upon, the more genuinely surprised I am by the things people do with their blogs. It seemed like a good idea to summarize highlights here. I hope it might inspire non-...",
"name":"Looney Tunes Racing: Not So Daffy After All",
"content":"Not every Looney game is a Tune—that’s what I learned from playing this 2D Mario Kart arcade racing clone on the Game Boy Color. The fact that it nowaday costs less than €5 should probably raise an alarm bell—if collectors aren’t after it, ...",
"content":"In the metroidvania-esque 2D brawler Guacamelee, everyone is just like the protagonist Juan: a luchador. That is, everyone appearing in the ending credits is treated equal. There are, to my big surprise, no official titles displayed. Instead, everyon...",
"content":"A great blog engine removes friction and pushes you to write more. An average blog engine has you sweating and coming up with needless details, such as tags and other metadata. For example, on my retro gaming site Jefklak’s Codex, I categorize each...",
"content":"A great blog engine removes friction and pushes you to write more. An average blog engine has you sweating and coming up with needless details, such as tags and other metadata. For example, on my retro gaming site Jefklak’s Codex, I categorize each...",
"name":"Sylvester & Tweety: Breakfast on the Run",
"content":"Licensed games—perhaps especially Looney Tunes games—are known to be mediocre games best left forgotten. For the most part, that statement is correct. But in the case of Sylvester & Tweety (Or Looney Tunes: Twouble! in USA), it could be argued th...",
"content":"TOEM is the mystery that you somehow have to discover, photograph, and take back home to show your mom. TOEM is the beauty that is the world, the kindness that are the people within it, and the lovely weirdness that is the interconnectedness of it al...",
"content":"TOEM is the mystery that you somehow have to discover, photograph, and take back home to show your mom. TOEM is the beauty that is the world, the kindness that are the people within it, and the lovely weirdness that is the interconnectedness of it al...",
"content":"TOEM is the mystery that you somehow have to discover, photograph, and take back home to show your mom. TOEM is the beauty that is the world, the kindness that are the people within it, and the lovely weirdness that is the interconnectedness of it al...",
"name":"The Analogue Pocket: The Definitive Game Boy Handheld?",
"content":"It took a long time for the Analogue Pocket to finally arrive at our doorstep. I was a few minutes too late to pre-order the very first batch more than a year ago, which was of course delayed multiple times. I was determined to jump on board as soon ...",
"name":"The Analogue Pocket: The Definitive Game Boy Handheld?",
"content":"It took a long time for the Analogue Pocket to finally arrive at our doorstep. I was a few minutes too late to pre-order the very first batch more than a year ago, which was of course delayed multiple times. I was determined to jump on board as soon ...",
"name":"Wendy: Every Witch Way - Great but Brief (and Pricey)",
"content":"2001 was the year of the Game Boy Advance and the Gamecube—not the year of the Game Boy Color. Yet, a few developers did push on, including WayForward, who would eventually release the seminal 2D metroidvania-esque platformer Shantae a full year la...",
"name":"Wendy: Every Witch Way - Great but Brief (and Pricey)",
"content":"2001 was the year of the Game Boy Advance and the Gamecube—not the year of the Game Boy Color. Yet, a few developers did push on, including WayForward, who would eventually release the seminal 2D metroidvania-esque platformer Shantae a full year la...",
"content":"January 2022 is no more. This has been a very productive work month, but a boring personal one. I managed to score a contract with tech book publisher Manning! I’m writing a book on creativity for programmers, and the first rough draft is more or l...",
"content":"January 2022 is no more. This has been a very productive work month, but a boring personal one. I managed to score a contract with tech book publisher Manning! I’m writing a book on creativity for programmers, and the first rough draft is more or l...",
"content":"January 2022 is no more. This has been a very productive work month, but a boring personal one. I managed to score a contract with tech book publisher Manning! I’m writing a book on creativity for programmers, and the first rough draft is more or l...",
"name":"Wonderland Dizzy: Better Left Undiscovered?",
"content":"Twenty-two years after the development of this NES adaptation of Magicland Dizzy, the code was rediscovered by Philip Oliver. A successful Kickstarter campaign later, it got its own physical NES cartridge release. As a non-UK resident, I’ve never s...",
"content":"Yesterday, after another quick (and disappointing) bicycle ride to the local retro game store, I started wondering: why do I actually still play video games? I’m 36 now, shouldn’t I stop doing that and find another decent and more respected hobby...",
"name":"Rayman Legends: The Not So Definitive Edition",
"content":"Back in October last year, I picked up Rayman Legends for a very reasonable price at the local mall. The problem was, the inside was empty. Read more about that in questionable game publishing methods. Suffice to say that I was annoyed. It took me un...",
"name":"Guacamelee: a Light and Colorful Four-Player Metroidvania",
"content":"“Guacaaameleeeeee! Super Turbo Championship Editiooonnn!” yells the narrator as I boot up the (enhanced edition of the) game. Woah. Even the title screen immediately makes it clear: this game is lighthearted and doesn’t take itself too seriousl...",
"name":"Guacamelee: a Light and Colorful Four-Player Metroidvania",
"content":"“Guacaaameleeeeee! Super Turbo Championship Editiooonnn!” yells the narrator as I boot up the (enhanced edition of the) game. Woah. Even the title screen immediately makes it clear: this game is lighthearted and doesn’t take itself too seriousl...",
"content":"Happy New Year—yet again! What better way to start the year than a blog post covering the entire previous year in a bird’s eye view? I like reading others' year in reviews, such as Roy’s, Winnie’s, and Mike’s. They’re humbling and somehow...",
"content":"Happy New Year—yet again! What better way to start the year than a blog post covering the entire previous year in a bird’s eye view? I like reading others' year in reviews, such as Roy’s, Winnie’s, and Mike’s. They’re humbling and somehow...",
"content":"December 2021. A shitty month with dreadfully little sunshine and permanent dark, gloomy cloudiness alternated with rain. If I wasn’t depressed yet, I sure am now. COVID spikes made us switch to online classes yet again and almost foiled my attempt...",
"name":"The Curse of Monkey Island: Guybrush Departs From Pixels With Mixed Success",
"content":"Six years after the highlight of LucasFilm Games, Monkey Island: LeChuck’s Revenge, LucasFilm turned LucasArts finally takes another stab at Guybrush’s piratey adventures in the Caribbean Sea. It took a while because the big corsairs by then had ...",
"name":"The Curse of Monkey Island: Guybrush Departs From Pixels With Mixed Success",
"content":"Six years after the highlight of LucasFilm Games, Monkey Island: LeChuck’s Revenge, LucasFilm turned LucasArts finally takes another stab at Guybrush’s piratey adventures in the Caribbean Sea. It took a while because the big corsairs by then had ...",
"name":"Irony Curtain: From Monkey Humor With Love",
"content":"What do you get when you mix the humor of The Curse of Monkey Island with the looks of Deponia and the puzzles of Broken Sword? Coat all this with a lot of Russian Red and the end result is Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka With Love, a surprisingly wel...",
"name":"Irony Curtain: From Monkey Humor With Love",
"content":"What do you get when you mix the humor of The Curse of Monkey Island with the looks of Deponia and the puzzles of Broken Sword? Coat all this with a lot of Russian Red and the end result is Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka With Love, a surprisingly wel...",
"content":"It took me almost a year to finally hook up the GameCube to my work screen, as I had intended when setting up my office space. The Dell U2421E—the source of much work enjoyjment this year—has multiple video in ports: the USB-C is used to connecte...",
"content":"It took me almost a year to finally hook up the GameCube to my work screen, as I had intended when setting up my office space. The Dell U2421E—the source of much work enjoyjment this year—has multiple video in ports: the USB-C is used to connecte...",
"content":"And out of nowhere, it suddenly was December. I’m struggling to keep up with time lately, and typing this makes me feel very old.\nI’ve spotted a trend in many other blogs I read: the weekly or monthly “what happened” meta posts and blogrolls ...",
"content":"And out of nowhere, it suddenly was December. I’m struggling to keep up with time lately, and typing this makes me feel very old.\nI’ve spotted a trend in many other blogs I read: the weekly or monthly “what happened” meta posts and blogrolls ...",
"content":"And out of nowhere, it suddenly was December. I’m struggling to keep up with time lately, and typing this makes me feel very old.\nI’ve spotted a trend in many other blogs I read: the weekly or monthly “what happened” meta posts and blogrolls ...",
"name":"Bug Fables: Almost, but Not Quite, Paper Mario 3.0",
"content":"Apart from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, the game that came packed with our shiny silver GameCube back in 2003, Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door must be my favorite GC game—or more importantly, my favorite Mario game ever. Mario & Luigi: Supersta...",
"name":"Kathy Rain: A Forgotten 1995 Point & Click Jewel",
"content":"Adventure games are dead—the title of a forum post that pops up every few months since 1996 or so. Then devs reveal a promising title at E3, the hype is real, the tension rises, the game is released, and everybody posts adventure games are dead aga...",
"content":"Few games are as dear to me as Gobliins 2 thanks to fond memories of me playing the quirky early nineties adventure game together with my father on his brand new 80486 machine. He had to drive to Brussels to get hold of the latest and greatest piece ...",
"content":"Few games are as dear to me as Gobliins 2 thanks to fond memories of me playing the quirky early nineties adventure game together with my father on his brand new 80486 machine. He had to drive to Brussels to get hold of the latest and greatest piece ...",
"content":"Collecting Skull and Bones—no, not the 2001 Cypress Hill album—is part of the October/November Halloween fun. Flipping Death, a 2018 game from Zoink, a Swedish developer I never heard of before, perfectly fits your autumny morbid craving. Zoink i...",
"content":"A friend of mine is always on the lookout for great gaming deals. Recognizing the thrill of the hunt, I too sometimes like rummaging through bins of “last pieces available” when grocery shopping. Last week, I picked up Rayman Legends for the Nint...",
"content":"Since taking blogging a bit more serious a few years ago, I’ve had the opportunity to meet some truly wonderful people. This is a short ode to blogging. It might spark others to start writing for themselves too. There are lots of “you should real...",
"content":"Since taking blogging a bit more serious a few years ago, I’ve had the opportunity to meet some truly wonderful people. This is a short ode to blogging. It might spark others to start writing for themselves too. There are lots of “you should real...",
"name":"Castlevania Advance Collection: Are GBA Vanias Still Worth It in 2021?",
"content":"You enter the Castle Corridor with a knife, handed to you by Alucard, who ushered you in, to “go to the throne room, all will be revealed”. Zombies appear to come from all nooks and crannies, secreting fedit mucus spilled all over the slippery fl...",
"name":"Castlevania Advance Collection: Are GBA Vanias Still Worth It in 2021?",
"content":"You enter the Castle Corridor with a knife, handed to you by Alucard, who ushered you in, to “go to the throne room, all will be revealed”. Zombies appear to come from all nooks and crannies, secreting fedit mucus spilled all over the slippery fl...",
"name":"Super Mario Land: Mario's Weird World Tour",
"content":"Somehow, I never managed to beat the first installment of the Mario Land series when I was younger. My sister got the game bundled with her Game Boy, while I got the traditional Tetris and later on bought myself straight into Mario Land 2: Six Golden...",
"content":"A running game meme I first encountered in Ruben Schade’s blog post, and then a “but different” version at avoiderdragon.com. I love reading and writing about (retro) games, thus these posts immediately got my attention. It’s always interesti...",
"content":"A running game meme I first encountered in Ruben Schade’s blog post, and then a “but different” version at avoiderdragon.com. I love reading and writing about (retro) games, thus these posts immediately got my attention. It’s always interesti...",
"content":"A running game meme I first encountered in Ruben Schade’s blog post, and then a “but different” version at avoiderdragon.com. I love reading and writing about (retro) games, thus these posts immediately got my attention. It’s always interesti...",
"content":"A running game meme I first encountered in Ruben Schade’s blog post, and then a “but different” version at avoiderdragon.com. I love reading and writing about (retro) games, thus these posts immediately got my attention. It’s always interesti...",
"content":"E. A. Sports. It’s In The Game!—who doesn’t remember that jaw-dropping introduction? Just in case you do need a reminder on how awesome it was to boot up FIFA Road To World Cup 98 in 1997, here’s a video highlighting all the exciting moments ...",
"content":"E. A. Sports. It’s In The Game!—who doesn’t remember that jaw-dropping introduction? Just in case you do need a reminder on how awesome it was to boot up FIFA Road To World Cup 98 in 1997, here’s a video highlighting all the exciting moments ...",
"content":"As I was writing my Evercade gaming device review, I noticed that the battery life of the new handheld machine wasn’t quite up to par, clocking in at about four hours playtime, fairly independent of the screen brightness settings. Of course I’m h...",
"name":"The Evercade: A Cartridge-based Modern Retro Handheld",
"content":"In 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, Brittany-based company Blaze came with the solution: it is not vaccine jabs, but cartridge jabs we require! Salvation at last! The Evercade handheld console site simply states:\n\nPlay Retro on the go\n\nNow wh...",
"content":"I’m a metroidvania fanboy, but to my shame, I never really finished one of the granddaddies of the genre: Super Metroid, released in 1994. Now that I finally have (spoiler: it was great), I’m keen to replay the Game Boy Advance Metroid games: Met...",
"content":"I’m a metroidvania fanboy, but to my shame, I never really finished one of the granddaddies of the genre: Super Metroid, released in 1994. Now that I finally have (spoiler: it was great), I’m keen to replay the Game Boy Advance Metroid games: Met...",
"content":"Metadata stashed in Frontmatter, isn’t it great. A neat and simple way to add some context to your writing, be it tags, categories, or whatever. Don’t forget an appropriate subtitle. Or perhaps a featured image, akin to my fancy looking sound bla...",
"content":"Metadata stashed in Frontmatter, isn’t it great. A neat and simple way to add some context to your writing, be it tags, categories, or whatever. Don’t forget an appropriate subtitle. Or perhaps a featured image, akin to my fancy looking sound bla...",
"content":"Well isn’t that typical. Just as I post my tirade on giving up Hollow Knight @https://jefklakscodex.com/articles/reviews/hollow-knight/ because of the Traitor Lord, I beat the sucker in “one last try”. Now I have to press on… Great.\n\n\n\nEnclos...",
"content":"I much prefer Sonic Mania’s Lock On to Belgium’s third Lock Down. Sigh. At least 16-bit 2D platformers make me smile: https://jefklakscodex.com/articles/reviews/sonic-mania/\n\n\n\nEnclosed Toot image",