Chris Trottier

Moon Bugs, released in 1983, is one of the earliest IBM PC games ever released. Precision matters here. Moon Bugs is not a DOS game. It is a PC booter. The disk bypasses the operating system entirely and boots straight into the game. No command line. No DOS prompt. Technically, it is impressive. Despite using CGA, Moon Bugs displays 16 colours instead of the usual 4. Very few CGA titles pulled that off, and almost none did it this early. In 1983, this was pushing the hardware harder than most developers bothered to try. The gameplay is another story. Moon Bugs follows the familiar Space Invaders, Galaxian, and Defender lineage. Fixed patterns. Predictable enemy behavior. Competent, but routine. You can enjoy it for a while, but it will not surprise you. If you run it in an emulator, throttle the CPU hard. At modern speeds, it becomes unplayable almost instantly. For retro computing enthusiasts, Moon Bugs is a genuine curiosity. For modern players, it is mostly a historical artifact rather than a compelling game.

BioMenace Remastered is out! And I’ve played it! It is absolutely amazing—every bit as good as I remember. This was one of the titles that got me hooked on PC shareware during the 90s, and it still holds up. This remaster is faithful to the DOS version. It adds widescreen mode, parallax scrolling, and colour tweaks. For example, Snake Logan’s skin looks noticeably less red. Even more exciting, a fourth episode has been added that really expands the original. And once you’re done, there’s a level editor—which means fans can continue to make new BioMenace adventures. Definitely one of the best releases of 2025.

Save 20% on BioMenace Remastered on Steam

The classic 2D action platformer BioMenace returns with enhanced graphics and refined gameplay. Fight your way through a city ravaged by dangerous ...

The Last Ninja Collection is out. It includes every The Last Ninja title, with versions for the Commodore 64, Amiga, and ZX Spectrum. It also bundles International Karate and Bangkok Nights. This was one of the defining video game franchises of the 1980s. The Last Ninja sold over 1 million copies on the Commodore 64 alone. At release, it was a technical flex, pushing advanced isometric graphics well beyond what most machines of the era were expected to handle. The collection is released by System 3, the original developer and publisher. The presentation closely mirrors the modern docu-retro treatment Atari has been using lately: archival, reverent, and clearly aimed at preservation rather than reinvention.

The Last Ninja Collection + Bonus Games on Steam

A tribute to the golden era of Retro gaming that brings together 7 iconic titles for the first time. This is more than a collection; it

Acclaim is back as a publisher again. Once the biggest publisher in the video game industry, Acclaim put out Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and Turok. They later branched into comics by acquiring Valiant Comics. But it all ended badly. In the early 2000s, Acclaim collapsed into bankruptcy after years of aggressive spending and declining returns. The revival is smaller and more cautious. No AAA ambitions. The new Acclaim is focused entirely on retro-styled indie games. One unexpected detail. The company is advised by Jeff Jarrett* co-founder of TNA Wrestling and now a business development executive with All Elite Wrestling.

Today, I learned that mountain beavers are not actually beavers. Despite their name, they're not even related to North American or Eurasian beavers. They are, instead, the only extant members of the family Aplodontiidae. They're considered primitive mammals. Thus, a living fossil.

Mountain beaver - Wikipedia

I’m a huge fan of Qimen, also called Keemun, black tea. It’s deep, malty, and brisk. Almost spicy, with a restrained sweetness. No bitterness if you keep the steep under 3 minutes. That assumes you’re using whole leaf, loose tea. Not dust in a bag pretending to be leaves. This matters because Qimen still shows up in English Breakfast and Earl Grey blends. Most of those are bad. Grocery-store bad. That’s not the tea’s fault. That’s the market doing what it does. If you want the real thing, look for Qimen at specialty tea shops. Especially the ones in Chinatowns. They usually know exactly what they’re selling.

Happy Winter Solstice! Shortest day of the year! Today, in Vancouver, sunset is 4:16PM.

Bio-Hazard Battle is a big reason Resident Evil is called Resident Evil outside Japan. In Japan, the series is titled Biohazard. That name could not be used in North America due to trademark conflicts. One of the existing video game uses was Bio-Hazard Battle. It was not the only conflict, but it was part of the prior art that made the name legally risky. Capcom changed course. A new title was born. The irony is that Bio-Hazard Battle itself was renamed for the West. In Japan, it released in 1992 as Crying: Aseimei Sensou. It is stranger, bleaker, more honest. But marketing did what marketing does. Developed by Sega’s CS1 team, Bio-Hazard Battle is a horizontal shooter built around biological horror rather than machines. Everything looks grown instead of manufactured. Big sprites. Loud color. Heavy dithering doing intentional work, not hiding limitations. It stands out immediately on the Genesis. Unlike Resident Evil, this is not survival horror. It is a horizontal shoot-‘em-up. Or put another way, it is forward motion under pressure. The screen scrolls fast and punishes hesitation. Charging shots matter for larger enemies. The Power Star orb doubles as shield and upgrade carrier, which means losing it hurts instantly. Screen-edge crushing is real. The game does not care if you were almost clear. The soundtrack is bass-heavy and abrasive in the best way. The Genesis sound chip gets dismissed by people who only remember weak ports. In capable hands, it snarls. This game proves it. At release, reviews were solid but not euphoric. Over time, it settled into cult status. Not a genre pillar, but unmistakable. A biological shmup with a committed aesthetic, mechanical quirks, and just enough historical impact to quietly influence how one of the biggest horror franchises in games ended up being named.