LATEST
Release This! (weekly)
Critical Reception (weekly)
Saling the World (weekly)
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Review: Rock Revolution (11/12)
Review: Mother 3 (11/4)
VC November 3rd Update (11/3)
VC October 27th Update (10/27)
VC: Gradius II, Crappy Boxing (10/24)
VC October 21st Update (10/21)
VC: Secret of Mana, SF2SCE (10/14)
VC October 13th Update (10/13)
VC Review Roundup, Again (10/11)
VC October 8th Update (10/8)
HGM #33 - Piracy/Aerosmith (10/3)
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Review: Mega Man 9 (9/24)
VC September 22nd Update (9/22)
VC: MM2, F. Soldier, Cho Aniki (9/18)
VC September 15th Update (9/15)
VC September 8th Update (9/8)
VC: Mario RPG, Clu Clu Land (9/2)
VC September 1st Update (9/1)
Review: Guitar Hero Aerosmith (8/14)
HGM #32 - Dark Side of Famicom (8/10)
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WiiWare: My Pokemon Ranch (6/13)
VC Review Roundup (6/5)
WiiWare: Protothea (6/3)
WiiWare: Family Table Tennis (5/28)
Review: We Ski (5/23)
Feature: WiiWare Reviews, Week 2 (5/23)
Feature: WiiWare Reviews, Week 1 (5/14)
WiiWare: VIP Blackjack (5/14)
WiiWare: FFCC Part 2 (5/13)
WiiWare: LostWinds (5/12)
WiiWare: FFCC Part 1 (5/12)
WiiWare: Pop (5/12)
VC: Renegade, PPL (5/10)
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VC: Double Dragon (4/28)
VC: RCR, Phantasy Star III (4/25)
VC Review Catch-Up (4/14)
Review: Bully SE (3/28)
VC: Powerball (3/28)
VC: King's Knight (3/27)
VC: Super R-Type (3/27)
VC: Spelunker (3/21)
VC: Puyo Puyo 2 (3/17)
VC: DoReMi Fantasy (3/17)
VC: Super Turrican (3/9)
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VC: Kirby 64 (2/29)
VC: Psychosis (2/28)
VC: Phantasy Star II (2/23)
VC: Ninja Gaiden III (2/22)
VC: Commodore 64 (2/22)
VC: The Arcade Feel (2/16)
VC: Harvest Moon (2/15)
VC: Columns III (2/7)
VC: Operation Wolf (2/5)
VC: 1080 Snowboarding (2/1)
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VC: Adventures of Lolo 2 (1/25)
VC: Super Street Fighter II (1/24)
Import Review: Izuna Ni (1/19)
VC: Riot Zone (1/15)
VC: Pac-Attack/Pac-Man 2 (1/14)
Feature: 2007's Worst Wii Games (1/11)
VC: King of Fighters '94 (1/7)
VC: StarTropics (1/7)
VC: Top Hunter (1/5)
VC: Light Crusader (1/4)
VC: Bubble Bobble (1/3)
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Feature: 16 Best VC Games (12/31)
Review: John Deere HitH (12/29)
VC: DKC 3 Liveblog (12/26)
VC: Blades of Steel (12/26)
VC: Rolling Thunder 2 (12/26)
VC: Alien Storm (12/18)
VC: Cybernator (12/18)
VC: Monster Lair (12/17)
VC: Baseball Stars 2 (12/11)
VC: Ghosts'n Goblins (12/11)
VC: Pokemon Snap (12/11)
Review: Avatar Burning Earth (Wii) (12/5)
VC: Eternal Champions (12/4)
VC: Zanac (12/4)
VC: The Dynastic Hero (12/3)
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Transcript: Rein/UT3 (11/28)
VC: Ecco Jr. (11/26)
VC: Double Dribble (11/26)
VC: Vegas Stakes (11/26)
VC: Wrecking Crew (11/20)
VC: Sonic 3D Blast (11/20)
VC: Super Air Zonk (11/19)

OLD
- Mahjong Banana Dream (NSFW)
- Johnny Turbo
- Sega Ruined Our Lives
- Keith Courage
- CGE 2K3
- Other 		08/23/11 - Hey! I don't update this page anymore. I now write about weird video game stuff at my blog Dream and Friends. You should read it!

Work-wise, I write daily for GameSetWatch and continue to do columns for Gamasutra, which are both pretty good websites, from what I understand.

(Things are looking up.)

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05/05/09 - "3/23/99 - The site was started.  The world would never be the same..."

So reads the very first update to The Sardius Experience. A day later, I'd upload a Bible Buffet webpage in anticipation of the dumping of its ROM image. Parish's recent post reminded me to check and see if my own site's tenth anniversary was coming up soon, and sure enough, I'd missed it already.

Happy ten years, website.

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01/08/09 - Oh, I know better by now than to think I can get away from this website. Happy 10 years, The Sardius Experience. May you forever have a purplish background stolen from the Internet of 1999.

A lot's happened since the last time I updated. I took on three more jobs, and the work's been more satisfying than anything I've done so far, even though it's kicking my ass every day of the week. I'm now working as Head Blogger at mobile games news feed Games On Deck, educational and training simulation coverage site Serious Games Source, and the iPhone/iPod Touch news and reviews blog FingerGaming.

It's been great so far. Games On Deck and Serious Games Source are giving me good experience in hunting down and reporting relevant news (it's harder than I gave the gaming press credit for), and FingerGaming's fun just because it's starting to feel like my own site. I'm going for an NCSX Product Description Guy sort of vibe in my writing there, which hopefully works well in the silly but frighteningly fast-paced world of iPhone gaming.

Also, I have a message board again. I'd really like it if you'd register and have a look around. I don't intend for it to ever become popular or anything, but ideally, I'd like for it to blossom into something like I had in the old days -- a small community where a bunch of my friends can gather and talk about dumb video games. Man, that would be fantastic to have again.

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10/17/08 - Could be better. Could be a lot worse. I'm grateful.

I have twitter now. Will this be what finally drags me out of the creative rut I've been in for the last year or so? Probably not! Hopefully by making it public I'll be able to guilt myself into keeping it updated, at least.

If nothing else, I just want the ability to say things again. Every non-work-related thing I've written lately I've either trashed or filed away without publishing it anywhere. Everything that comes out either feels insignificant, or self-indulgent, or arrogant, or stupid, or just plain badly written. I want to write without worry. I want to have something personally rich to show for all these hours I spend in front of a monitor.

I've been keeping up with work well enough lately that I think I can dedicate some time to making this happen. Let's see how it works out.

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05/19/08 - I haven't updated the work sidebar over there in a while, but I've been busier than ever lately. I recently took on the position of Layout Guy over at Gamasutra, which gives me regular work every day of the week now. I have to maintain schedules and wake up at reasonable hours and everything. It's all kinds of nuts.

It's rewarding work, though, and I've been liking it a lot so far. It's strange to think that I'm responsible for the look and feel of a major part of a site that I've admired for years. See that big header image on the left side of the front page that leads to the daily cover feature? I made that. Isn't that weird to think about? I can't get over it.

In more hilarious news, I've also been hired on as a WiiWare reviewer for Gamepro.com. Here's the first week's results. Yes, this means that I'm rating games in terms of Fun Factor now. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. My only regret is that I didn't join the site sooner, since they no longer rate games with pictures of exploding heads. Maybe I can talk them into bringing those back.

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04/09/08 - Every time I do vocals and guitar at the same time in Band World Tour mode in Rock Band, I wonder what life would've been like if dad hadn't completely turned me off of the idea of learning how to play the guitar.

Alternate take: The first two search results for "guitar" on YouTube are Guitar Hero videos. This is somehow both amazing and unsurprising at the same time.

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04/08/08 - I got a haircut today.

This is the first one I've had since I moved to Austin, which was...about five years ago, or so? The stylist lovingly set my hair aside and asked if I wanted to take it with me. I told her she could keep it.

So yeah, no more ponytail. I keep reaching back to adjust hair that isn't there. Sleeping's going to be weird. Showering is going to take about half as long as it used to. The cut itself really isn't that bad, either! I don't look like a giant-headed grandpa anymore, and I've been told it makes me look 30 pounds lighter. Success, I guess?

Also, it seems like the secret is out that I started updating my site again! Which is cool. I planned on telling people eventually, but I was seeing how long I could keep it a secret. I don't know why. I've actually grown to like updating here. It feels like I'm just talking to myself, and despite being a public website, it somehow feels more private and personal than all the friends-locked livejournal entries in the world. Plus, updating here feels less like I'm begging for attention, you know? I worry that I give off that impression sometimes.

Today felt like such a big step forward that I ate chicken nuggets for lunch AND for dinner. And there's still some left over in the fridge. The future is looking brighter than ever.

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03/28/08 - Man, this month went by way too fast. I can't believe it's almost time to pay the rent already.

Things learned:

- Rosenberg is the worst city in the world. The rumors are true -- it really does have a convenience store called "Stop 'n Bye." They also have an all-you-can-eat fried chicken buffet, though, so I guess it's not all bad.

- A poorly lit, non-air conditioned pawn shop with rotting wood floors and a selection of Dale Earnhardt knives and rusted tackle boxes can serve as a front for what is actually a very nice and expansive porn video store.

- Don't believe your eyes! Thousands of porn DVDs can be safely hidden in an alcove obscured by tricks of perspective. Nothing is as it seems in Rosenberg.

- Professionals say that the best way to buy porn is in bulk. Buying videos individually is a waste of money. Hold on a second guys, my daughter's on the phone...wait, why are you leaving my secret porn warehouse?

- Things really are pretty okay, all considered.

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03/17/08 - Last night, I found out that the perfect way to ruin an otherwise-stirring karaoke rendition of Nine Inch Nails' The Hand That Feeds is to belch directly into the microphone during the chorus.

I'm just glad that someone around here has the courage to ask whether we will BRAAP the hand that feeds.

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02/10/08 - This is great. You should look at it.

It got me thinking about how video games eat up more of my life than I want them to. These days, it seems like whenever I talk to anyone about anything, the conversation is always going to turn to video games. I mean, it's easy enough to do, since they're my job and all, but I'm worried that it's getting to be too much. It's like, whenever I think of people now, I tend to remember them first in terms of games.

"Oh, that guy. We played The Karate Kid together that one time, before he became a gang member and started robbing convenience stores."

"Man, did that kid I babysat that one time and who started crying because I couldn't beat the first level on his rented copy of Captain Planet really just get thrown in jail for beating up his girlfriend?"

Okay, San Antonio was kind of a terrible place to grow up, I guess.

Still though. I want to be a normal person and be able to talk about music, or TV shows, or something other than video games all the damn time. It's starting to feel like I'm bringing my work home with me wherever I go. How can I fix this? Do I want to fix this? It just feels like I'm doing something wrong, somehow.

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02/03/08 - I found out today that coffee cures almost every part of a cold. I've still got snot issues, but it got rid of most of the aches and lightheadedness. Either that or I'm a goddamned addict and the "cold" was just caffeine withdrawal after going a whole two days without coffee. This sucks.

Tonight (Saturday, stayed in, 5 AM and can't sleep) seemed like the kind of night to get the secret best ending to Ducktales. I've only gotten it twice, and this is the first time I've done it on an actual cartridge.

Halfway through my second trip to the Amazon level, I realized that as long as I have a Ducktales cartridge and an NES to play it on, everything's going to be okay.

I really am the richest duck in the world.

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01/19/08 - Boy, I wish I didn't need new glasses. I can feel my vision getting worse every year, and eyestrain's getting to be a problem lately. At least I'm not blind. I think sometimes about what it might be like if I wasn't able to see, and it's just terrifying.

It'd be nice to be able to afford an eye exam and new prescription lenses. Oh, and a visit to the dentist. And maybe a physical checkup. These are future things, though. Right now I'm focusing on paying off my credit cards and selling or throwing away as much of my stuff as I can. It feels like something important's going to happen soon, and I need to be ready for it. Like I'm overdue for a major upheaval, and if I'm not prepared to pack up and move away at a moment's notice, I'll miss my chance.

I don't know, it feels like I'm lagging way behind everyone else. It feels like I should be in another city right now, doing something different with myself. Some days it feels like everything I'm doing is just to prepare for some big thing in the future, but I don't know whether that big thing is just suddenly going to come to me, or if I have to go find whatever it is myself.

I saw Rushmore with some friends tonight. What a good movie.

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01/04/08 - See? It's already been a good week. I said really weird things about Bubble Bobble, had a lot of my Korea transcriptions posted all at once, and got digged out the ass for publically shunning Ocarina of Time. Things are looking up.

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01/01/08 - This year's gonna be different.

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12/23/07 - One of the things I like best about Christmas is walking to the bathroom late at night, when the only light is coming from the Christmas tree.



There are a lot of presents this year. One of them says not to shake it, because it has a puppy inside.

I'm really very lucky to be spending Christmas with the best friends I've ever had.

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12/18/07 - Piling layers and layers of work on yourself sure helps you forget things that you want to forget. Sucks when you realize that it means you've spent all day in front of a computer, though.

Right now I'm fighting the urge to loop my sleep schedule for about the third time in the last couple of months. It just kind of happens, and there's nothing I can ever do to stop it. I think I'm past the point where my body wants to go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier, too, since it's been resulting in 12-hour naps whenever I try.

Maybe I should just tough it out and stay up later. Three days or so of not seeing the sun isn't so bad. It sure beats waking up at sundown every day.

Something's got to give, anyway.

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12/11/07 - You ever get the feeling that everyone's a better writer than you, and that you've lost the ability to even sound properly enthused about a game that you actually like a lot?

What, me? No, never.

Maybe I'm just having an off day. I always worry that it's going to stick, though.

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12/05/07 - I can't believe I finally got the chance to talk shit about Eternal Champions, in a semi-official (and paid!) capacity, almost fifteen years after I wasted money renting it. Somehow, it feels like a dark weight from my past has been lifted, and I'm now ready to move on and live a happier and more productive life.

Awhile back, I started listing all the stuff I do around the Internet for money on the left sidebar over there. You should check it out. Especially the Virtual Console links, because hits and comments for those directly translate into more money for me.

I don't know whether I should feel bad about listing interview transcriptions or not, since it's not like I did any of the actual work involved in their production. Brandon Sheffield or someone much, much, much better than me at talking to people travels around the world and interviews these guys, then an editor takes my mangled transcript and makes it into something readable...and I have the balls to try and take credit? I dunno, it feels weird.

Still, I feel like I should at least mention them, since I do spend a lot of hours these days typing those things up. I'm not trying to take credit for any of the actual hard work involved, though! Brandon, you're doing all the awesome stuff! I'm just some jerk listening to you on a computer.

Next week in news about dumb shit that you don't care about: my victory over the upstairs neighbors, who will now have their dog taken away from them since they wouldn't stop hosing its poop off their balcony and onto my porch. I'm so proud of myself, I actually went and complained and everything!

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11/27/07 - So I was ready to get started on updating a certain page, but then I made the mistake of looking at it. Oh, hello 1996 web design. I remember you. Why did I think you were readable? So yeah, new priority is now being placed on making a new layout that at least doesn't look completely terrible, then we'll see about new content.

Baby steps!

In the meantime, I've started writing about new Wii Virtual Console releases at the GamePro sub-blog OMG Nintendo, and...guys, I think I really like this. It's in blog format, so I don't have to worry so much about being all formal and professional, and so far, it's some of the most fun writing I've done in years. Usually I over-edit and second-guess myself to the point where I hate most everything I write, but god help me, this stuff is actually fun. So fun that I have to wonder how long it'll last. Watch me, I'll probably get myself fired next week or something.

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11/16/07 - So I guess I thought that taking on more freelance work would somehow help me do that thing I've been saying I'd do here for a month now. It didn't, really. This new job does give me the chance to talk about old games again, though, so that's nice. More details soon, once the thing actually launches.

Also, I made cookies.

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11/09/07



This is what I see before I go to sleep every night. I guess I could technically move things around so that I don't have to live in constant fear of a shadowy image of a big-headed baby with a prominent erection, but where's the fun in that?

I still don't have anything worth uploading, but I thought I'd update to mention the passing of Rob "Blackjax" Dwyer and Brandon "Brandver3" Murphy -- two really dedicated folks who helped the video game preservation cause a lot way back in the day and were just great people in general. Rest in peace, guys.

Next time: Something new.

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11/02/07 - I planned to have something up tonight, but then I had to go and not finish it. It's in the works, though! Seriously! It's just that I've been spending my time on other things lately, like watching 1970s Dracula porn, and exploding packets of barbecue sauce on my friends after watching 1970s Dracula porn. Look, it's complicated.

This update is dedicated to Zandor 12, who is, as far as I know, the only person in the world reading this paragraph and a half right now. Try visiting again next week. Maybe something good will happen!

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10/26/07 - I wonder if anybody would notice if I started updating my site again. Probably not! Might be nice to catch up on the Johnny Turbo stuff, though. And then there's that SegaCD thing that's like a million years old. Or I could just talk to myself on a dead website some more!

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10/19/07 - Man, has it really been two years? Huh.

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10/15/05 - Hey sup. It's been awhile.

Mahjong Banana Dream (NOT WORK SAFE) is available for reading. You may have seen it before, but if not, you haven't. Check out the other articles too, in case you've forgotten what they look like. I hear that Johnny Turbo is pretty edgy and hilarious!

Okay look I'll level with you. Most of the shit on this site right now is so old that it's barely readable to me and I hate a good percentage of it. Everything is in desperate need of rewriting, but lord knows when that will ever happen. For now, I just wanted to see if I could get everything reuploaded and try to get a feel for what it's like to actually have a website again.

As to whether anything worthwhile will come of this, we'll see! I wouldn't count on it though.