Two Good Sites for Killing Time

Among other things lately, I’ve been killing some time with two sites I’ve recently discovered. Having enjoyed them, I thought the least I could do would be to share them here.

The first is a relatively new website which you might have seen spoken of elsewhere. Called “Playing Games Older Than Me,” it follows Ryan, an 18-year old who grew up with the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation-era of video game machines, and as such, was largely unfamiliar with what had come before.

His goal is simple: to fully experience what video games were like five or more years before he was born. What’s more, he’s forgoing GameFAQs, except in certain cases as noted.

Playing the likes of Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Battletoads, and numerous others, Ryan documents what he likes, hates, and the overall impression left on him. Plus, he keeps a poll running to determine what he should try next (the current front-runner is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, among Batman, N.A.R.C., and Goonies 2).

All said, it’s fun to see a younger generation of gamer tackle these classics from yesteryear, and learn what qualities one might consider enduring from each.

The second site has been around for a bit longer– since December 2004, according to its news archives. Nonetheless, it came to my attention only recently.

The site is known as SydLexia.com, and is a pop-culture website, not unlike one X-Entertainment. And, like X-Entertainment, there is little to no restraint in terms of the language used, so proceed with caution if that sort of thing turns you off.

Following is a small selection of articles I’ve checked out on the site (I’m nowhere near having viewed them all), and admittedly, most of these focus on video games:

• Syd Lexia vs. Slimer And The Real Ghostbusters Cereal: This was one of my favorite cereals when growing up, and as the wife and I have been indulging in numerous episodes of the cartoon, I had to give this one a look. Syd actually obtained a sealed box of the decades-old delicacy, and proceeded to open it, and eat it.
• 10 Things On The NES That I Really Didn’t Need To See: Nintendo of America’s censorship during the era of the Nintendo Entertainment System is nothing short of legendary. Which makes it all the more confounding how these ten things managed to make their way to our television screens unaltered.
• The 100 Greatest Virtual Boy Games Ever: …wha? “100?” But there aren’t that many games for the Virtual Boy, are there?
• Metroid: A Blind Run By Valdronius: Valdronius had never played Metroid before. Super Metroid, sure, but never the original. Here is the story of the feat, complete with graph paper maps for authenticity.
• Syd Lexia on All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros.: Everything you could ever want to know about this rare title bearing the Super Mario Bros. name. Incidentally, I’d love to get my hands on a real copy of this, but with only 3,000 made, that’s not too bloody well likely.
• Syd Lexia on Alex Kidd in Miracle World: To call Alex Kidd in Miracle World the “Master System equivalent of Super Mario Bros.” may be selling the platform short or overselling the game, but either way, it had its charm, as documented by this walkthrough of sorts. Maybe someday, SEGA will give their perceived former-mascot another shot at glory outside of their Superstar/All-Star titles.
• Eggplants on the NES: Are you a fan of eggplants? Well, Japan certainly seems to be, or at least some video game developers. I wonder how often they appear beyond the NES, though?

And that’s what we’ve got. Syd Lexia also looks at numerous other topics, from Halloween-themed Chicken McNugget Happy Meal toys to public service announcements from Transformers to lessons learned from Are You Afraid of the Dark? There’s plenty to see and enjoy.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

For a full list of places to find him online, click here.