Game of the Year 2014 Will Not Be Titanfall, But Dad Face

Matt Hawkins
Attract Mode
Published in
11 min readSep 25, 2018

Time once again to survey the Instragrammed landscape, and admire all the weird and wonderful ways in which video games are represented.

That also includes people doing their best to deal with the cold weather. We’ve seen how Israel slides down a mountain already, around this time last year, come to think of it.

And if you’re thinking of doing the same, better dress for the occasion. In that instance, I’d highly recommend Infinity Shred’s brand new line of winter apparel…

Who out there enjoys scarfs? Pixelated scarves, to be exact. Well, be sure to check out what Dannel is sporting! Something that Jeff Donaldson, aka Notendo, has come up with…

Though as Angela Musser demonstrates, sometimes you just need the right tools to tackle the cold. Like Minecraft blade, IRL. Also, a chainsaw and Guy Fawkes mask…

Or you could just stay indoors, where it’s nice an toasty, and play some games! Doesn’t even have to be the electronic kind either, like Diego’s kid sister(?) demonstrates…

Now the last time I did this, I was in the Great White North. So I may as well pass along some pics from that; like this super cute pixelated mountie sweater that I totally would have gotten if it wasn’t $200…

As previously noted, was primarily in town for Bit Bazaar: Winter Market. Highlights were plentiful, like the card game that Bento Miso came up with, in which every exhibitor was represented, like the boys at CAPY…

You also had actual video games, including the latest version of MK Ultra’s Knight and Damsel

Was actually in Toronto a couple of weeks, mostly to learn the lay of the land (I’m moving there later this month). Another thing I was able to partake in was Bento’s Games With Friends. Some students were on-hand to show off their handiwork, including this board game version of Smash Bros

Not long afterwards was Christmas. Check out this rad French graphic novel I got from my buddy Dave Roman, who figured I’d dig a comic about some kid who is obsessed with video games! And not just because I happen to resemble him…

Meanwhile, my pal Tracey made felt goodies for everyone, like this Pikachu ornament…

Am not certain if miki800 is responsible for these Mario and Bowser in traditional Japanese garb, or simply came across them…

For Chris, Friday night is a glass of single malt Scotch whisky and Spelunky on the Vita…

On a similar note, this is how Dom rang in the New Year…

Sticking with booze, Nullsleep was in Japan a few months ago, and swung by a place that I swear to God will by my first stop if I ever return to Japan…

There he hung out with legendary doujin shump maker ZUN, playing one of his games from 15 years ago on an equally old Japanese laptop!

Jeremiah also swung by Akihabara, where he picked up this insanely awesome looking Bluetooth controller…

And at the Tokyo Radio Department Store, they have vending machines that give out FM sound chips…

You can also buy chiptune making chips at Comiket as well…

Speaking of chips, here’s Israel modding his Saturn…

I have no idea who sixteenbit is, but the fact that his posse of Miis are all great men in Sega
history is enough for me to know that he’s a-okay in my book…

Staying on the Sega hype train; John got himself that Mega Drive-styled iPhone case and it actually looks MUCH better than I expected it to…

JJSignal shares with us how he starts his day…

Know what looks even tastier? These Samurai Gunn cookies that Giant Robot had for a recent Game Night…

The co-produced by Attract Mode (well, co-produced by Adam to be more precise) Famicar recently made an appearance…

Swear to God, have never been so jealous of a person’s sticker collection like miki800’s…

Courtesy of Taku Yamamoto are what appears to be vintage Nintendo stickers featuring Mario and Link. Thing is, they look familiar, but I don’t think these particular illustrations ever made it out of Japan. Unless I didn’t examine my SMB3 instruction manual close enough…

Colleen might be less than impressed with her earnings, but a $2 lottery ticket that nets $5 is profit nonetheless, plus those Jersey school teachers have to get paid somehow…

Meesh recently decided to decorate her abode with prints featuring Pokemon, Sailor Moon playing a fighting games, and… Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice…

Alex Savage’s latest zine features the Taiko no Tatsujin mascot on the cover, and what I believe is the McRib on the back…

Renaud sums it up best with: ”This is a children’s book about a sequel to a skin of an iPhone game”

And here we have two things that Lacey enjoys a whole lot, and to a considerable degree, wrapped up in one tidy little package…

It’s that time again, in which I highlight Kyle’s really dumb, and really fat (yet totally awesome) cat Chums…

Chummly apparently likes watching Kyle play Final Fantasy 14

Some folks might recall the pinball laundromat that’s in Kyle’s neck of the woods; when we stopped by there the other weekend, the owners were celebrating their dog’s birthday, so all the games were free! Her name is Hana, though everyone calls her Choco…

Sunshine Laundry’s selection is pretty ace, though I do wish they had the Rolling Stones pinball game, if only for the chance to knock Mick Jagger over with a ball. Guess I’ll need to go wherever The Arcade Hunters took this pic…

Do any of you also remember the wacky import PSone/PS2/Dreamcast nights I engage in? Remember Suzuki Bakuhatsu? Here it is, alongside the world’s only mine-cart racing, sandwich making, dating sim in existence

Also swung by VideoGamesNewYork the other day. And believe it or not, new Dreamcast games keep getting maid…

I have no idea what the going rate is for a Robotic Operating Buddy, but I have a hunch that their asking price is way, WAY over market value…

Late one night (at least from the looks of it) Heather came across a Met in an alley somewhere…

”#Tbt to that time I got my hair cut like a Final Fantasy character in 2006…for a game that still hasn’t come out”…

I don’t know why, but I am perpetually fascinated by photos of people playing the Oculus Rift. In this case we have my buddy Dave Mauro, as captures by Karl Schmid

I will never fail to be surprised and impressed by all the different ways that Kimika is able to incorporate/channel Gengar into her attire…

Speaking of keeping things nice and coordinated (unfortunately, I totally forget who produced the following pic… it’s not someone I normally follow… sorry, but it’s tough keeping track of who did what, especially when there’s like 75 pictures!)…

According to Jerzy people coming up with names for 2600 games back in the day was either the easiest job in the world, or the hardest…

It’s now that other time again, in which I highlight some wacky as hell Super Famicom game that I had no idea existed, but which is just another day in the life of Stu Brett

Ever hear of the Sonic Booms? Chris Charla is a fan it would seem. I’d expect their hair to be, I dunno, different…

Man, Anamanaguchi’s Eurotour shirts are pretty boss…

At first I thought this was some Japanese dude’s apartment, but as it turns out, Mat Skat is just some guy in the US that’s super hardcore into shmups (which I can dig)…

The most interesting part of the set-up above (IMHO) are the sticks. and Jeremy Nguyen is the lucky owner (only one of 300 actually) of a Hori Fighting Edge White…

But even better than that is sixteenbit’s custom Genki Rockets stick…

Back to shmups, and Taku’s Instagram feed; he recently swung by Wonder Festival, where several gorgeous garage kits on display. Like these diorama of Gradius and Fantasy Zone

Plus Splatterhouse

Would love to know what the story is behind these Mega Man toys…

I can’t bring up Mega Man without also mentioning Lamar! Though he’s been on a Sonic kick as of late, which compliments his longstanding obsession with Akira Toriyama quite well, as it turns out…

Dude still loves his Dragon Quest and girls, that’s for certain…

Lamar’s co-worker Stu Livingston did this really sweet Samus sketch; I like her pre-Varia suit shoulders the best…

Karen apparently made these years ago, and stumbled upon them just recently. So when Nintendo does Minotaur Mario in Super Mario 3D Moonshine, remember, someone else thought it first…

I always dig it whenever Campbell Whyte renders something M-rated in his family friendly style…

Mingjue Helen Chen is someone else I’ve worked with in the past, for an art show (and can’t wait for the next opportunity); she does a pretty mean Sakura…

I’ve known Raina Telgemeier for about ten years now, yet I had zero idea she was the least bit familiar with Tekken!

Another pic from Angela; the second in her totem series, this one Mortal Kombat-themed…

I desperately wish these Mister Raroo game hardware and software were real…

Ryan O’Donnell, one of the minds behind AREA 5, is a man who is always going to strange and mysterious places (and always has a camera handy, thank goodness)…

And finally, cuz it’s Valentine’s and all, a Space Invaders chocolate heart that miki800 (of course) stumbled across…

Originally published at blog.attractmo.de.

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