Year 6: October Update

This year is flying by, as it always does, and although I expected to make less videos this year, I thought I'd be able to have more blog posts than I've managed. Comments are rare so I'm not sure if anyone looks forward to posts but I do apologize. Since my last update a few months ago LEGO unveiled an Atari 2600 set at the end of July that is now available for $239.99. Atari is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and though the company itself has changed ownership numerous times since over the decades that I wouldn't call it the same company, it is the anniversary of its founding even if it is technically a renamed Infogrames these days. 

With the holidays approaching I was going to recommend custom LEGO minifigures that had been in a testing phase earlier this year but I can't seem to find it now (you can make basic figures at LEGO.com but not the detailed ones with added text that I'm thinking of). Those were going to be around $11.99 if I recall correctly and maybe it will officially launch soon even if I don't see it at this moment. There are third-party companies that offer something similar for minifigures, however, they are not official. Another custom creation option are action figure from Hasbro that cost $59.99. The Hasbro "Selfie Series" requires using an app to take a photo and then have it digitized onto an action figure type of your choosing, such as Power Ranger, G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Marvel, and Ghostbusters. Also, as mentioned yesterday in the Quest for the Dungeonmaster post, Hasbro announced new action figures in a line called Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon Classics that features characters from the 1983 Dungeons & Dragons cartoon.

The Sega Genesis Mini 2 released on October 27th for $99.99. It can only be purchased through Amazon.com and orders are being fulfilled by Amazon.jp as Sega opted to only sell it through the Japan retailer. Apparently, this has to do with the shortage of electronic components and keeping the costs down, and so the system is likely somewhat limited, certainly more so than the first Genesis Mini. This one looks like the Model 2 but has upgraded hardware over the first Mini and actually has a dozen Sega CD games built-in along with 48 other games, including some that were never previously released on the 16-bit console.

When I was working on posts for Batman Day last month I did try to make a video for a Batman game but discovered my Batman Commodore 64 game is broken. I never understood how to advance past the first level as a kid and now with the Internet available I found someone else playing the game. In their video there is a platform that in my game is not complete as there is a graphics glitch that cut it in half and because Batman cannot jump (or swing in this instance), I cannot complete the level. I'd have returned the game back when I got it had I known it was actually defective; I just thought I was overlooking something. Oh well. 

I've probably already posted any Halloween related games or toys I own over the previous five years so I don't really have anything special for the holiday to share. However, I can post this McDonald's sign again that I must have used at least three or four times on the blog already...

Happy Halloween,

Jonathan

[YouTube] Quest for the Dungeonmaster Game (1984)

https://youtu.be/CfhRkMuGihA

TSR's 1984 board game isn't directly based on the pen-and-paper Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) but rather the Saturday morning cartoon (1983-85). This is my first video dedicated to a single board game in part because fantasy worlds are fun and I enjoyed the cartoon when it aired, and, of course, most things related to D&D have cool artwork (like the Colorforms set I showed previously). Plus, it's a fairly simple video to put together which always helps and it has some monsters so it vaguely works as a Halloween video, maybe. Also, this year the Dungeon Master character made a return in the video game Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms and Hasbro recently unveiled some new action figures based on the show in a line titled Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon Classics. As you'll seen in the video or the photos below, the board game surprisingly doesn't use dice or even a spinner. Instead players move around the board and interfere with their opponent's movements using cards.

Comic Book Heroes and Cartoon Stars (GamePro - March 1991)

It's been a while since I posted an article from GamePro magazine so here one is. It features five reviews of video games starring a comic book or animated character, one TaleSpin preview, and some mentions of upcoming games at the time. Considering the mascot of Domino's pizza is included, I wouldn't say the magazine's title is completely accurate. Along with the Noid, there are games where players control Dick Tracy, Silver Surfer, The Punisher, and Mickey Mouse.