Akita Is My Famicase Game Of The Year 2021
Much like this time last year, more or less, it’s my first post after yet another grueling semester of grad school. At least it was my very last one; while it’s not in my hands as of yet (I believe it’s still being printed up), I nonetheless now hold a MLIS, aka a Masters in Library and Information Sciences.
Yes, I am now officially a “legit” archivist. Yet I’m undecided as to whether or not I’ll be concentrating on video games, specifically game culture, as one might naturally expect, or lost/obscure media, which comprises the bulk of my non-Attract Mode related activities (aka all the stuff I do for the FORT90 FILM CLUB & FORT90 TV).
Anyhow, in the meanwhile, and also just like last time, time to dig into this year’s entries for the My Famicase Exhibition! And… as also stated previously… am just not feeling it when it comes to this showcase anymore. Not to sound like a party pooper or art snob, but it has largely become the same old, same old.
Which isn’t a crime or anything, nor a surprise; after 26 years, it’s impossible for ideas to not get recycled. COVID probably didn’t help either, yet I also assumed that the exhibition was going to be put on hold as a result, which honestly would have been a chance for rest and refocus. Which obviously didn’t happen.
BTW, I should maybe explain what I believe constitutes a good or bad Famicase. And… it depends? At the end of the day, in my humble opinion, it takes more than just pretty illustrations or fancy graphic designs to convince me that what I’m seeing is an actual piece of software for the Famicom (meaning it doesn’t necessarily have to be a game). One either that was produced some time back when, or something made today, either by a developer or perhaps just an artist.
And yes, that’s an awfully subjective take, with no hard and fast rules. More of a gut feeling. And yes, having craftsmanship absolutely does help, yet far more important is originality, which regardless of what has come before, is nevertheless always achievable. Hence why my list of faves has slide down from 25 to 20; here are the rest…
Oh, and in previous years, after presenting a bunch of Famicases, I’d either go over stuff I’ve been sharing over at Twitter (tho I now have dedicated “digests” for that, which I’m way behind on, again due to being busy with grad school & recovering from grad school) or plug whatever something that’s happening elsewhere (as usual, got some really cool stuff in the pipeline that I can’t talk about right now, sorry).
Last time I share pics of a very Ultraman-esque take on Mario in Bowser, in toy form. Well… I ordered both, but due to various “reasons”, I never got Bowser. But least Mario eventually arrived safe and sound…
