Happy 26th anniversary, PC Engine, and ever-so-slightly belated 25th anniversary, Mega Drive!

I was all set to publish a post about something else this morning--such as early impressions of Sayonara Umihara Kawase, which is set to hit the North American 3DS eShop early next year as Yumi's Odd Odyssey--but all that went out the window as soon as I realized that today is the 26th anniversary of the release of one of my all-time favorite consoles, the NEC PC Engine.

For those of you who aren't math wizards (don't worry, I'm not one myself): that means it hit Japanese store shelves all the way back on Oct. 30, 1987. (Its North American counterpart, the TurboGrafx-16, didn't see the light of day until nearly two years later, on Aug. 19, 1989.)



Amazingly, the PC Engine isn't the only 16-bit console partying it up this week. Sega's Mega Drive celebrated its 25th anniversary yesterday. (Which means, of course, it was first released--in Japan--on Oct. 29, 1988, with its North American debut following on August 14, 1989, and its European one on Nov. 30, 1990.)

Sadly, I've never owned an actual Mega Drive system (or any Mega Drive games, I believe). Oh, I've had a Genesis for some time now, but it's really not the same thing, is it? Anyway, a Japanese Mega Drive 2 (or maybe a Mega Jet?) is on my "to buy" list--along with a few other systems and about a thousand games--so hopefully I'll acquire one before my time is up.



I have owned a PC Engine, though--as well as a Core Grafx II, a Super CD-ROM2, a TurboGrafx-16 (also with CD attachment) and a TurboDuo. You'd think that would be enough to scratch anyone's PC Engine itch, but nope--I want more. Specifically, I want a PC Engine LT. Thankfully, I'm not (yet) willing to blow $1,000 or so on a single console.

Anyway, enough about me and my insane desires. This post is supposed to celebrate the existence of both the PC Engine and Mega Drive. So, here's a virtual tip of the hat to NEC and Sega for producing a pair of consoles that continue to tickle the fancy of tasteful gamers the world over.

Also: 'Happy belated birthday, Dreamcast!'

Celebrating 10 years of Lost Levels

I meant to mention this anniversary--of one of the few blogs/sites I've been following since I first discovered such things existed way back when--a couple of weeks ago when it actually happened, but I was still completely obsessed with creating (and publishing) cushion designs for Animal Crossing: New Leaf at the time and as a result forgot to do so.

So, I'm mentioning--and celebrating--it today. (With the "it" in question being the 10th anniversary of Frank Cifaldi's LostLevels.org.)



If you've never visited Lost Levels, I'd obviously highly recommend doing so now (right now, in fact)--especially if you like reading about old video games that never made it to market.

I'm pretty sure this post about Final Fantasy 64 is what first brought me to Cifaldi's site, by the way. Even if it wasn't, it's unquestionably my favorite of all of Lost Levels' posts, as I obsessed over that not-meant-to-be title far more than I'd like to admit as a teen, and the writer's insights into its existence (or lack thereof) thrill me even today.

*2*0*0*0*

Is it weird that I'm celebrating the fact that I've published 2,000 posts on this blog since I started it all the way back in early 2007?

I hope not, because that's what I'm doing with this post.

Mind you, this isn't actually my 2,000th post. That post was published a few days ago. Technically, this post is this blog's 2006th.

Still, better late than never, right?

In all seriousness, I'm pretty shocked that I've made it to this point.

I'm fairly certain I know what's kept me going for the last six years, though: all of you great folks who visit and comment and otherwise help make this a blog one that I continue to enjoy updating on a nearly daily basis.

Thank you all for your support, kindness and friendship.

See also: *1*0*0*0*

1,500 (or so) posts!

Here's a bit of random news for all of you: This blog crossed the 1,500-post threshold back on Dec. 13. Woo hoo!

I intended to mention this achievement shortly after it happened, but I lost track of it due to the impending holidays and our similarly impending trip back to my hometown of McFarland, Wisconsin.

I think I'll celebrate tonight by having an extra glass (or maybe two) of wine for dinner. Or maybe I'll celebrate by buying a game I've been lusting after for a while. Or maybe I'll do both of those things.

Anyway, thank you all for visiting and commenting on this blog. Without you, I likely would have given up on it long ago!