Blockbuster
In 2024 I fully indulged in the dabble video game mindset. Even on my quest to play 10 specific video games, I kept getting distracted with other video games. While I was recovering from surgery, I discovered Xbox 360 emulation required only an exe and not giving a shit.
I finally played Zegapain. I played xbox live games that are of no value to anyone. I played the completely forgotten Grasshopper Manufacture download game. I pumped my fist at the cave games just working. I remarked without emotion, taking care for the 4 inch gash on my torso, “Pink Sweets is pretty good.”
Even here, in The Year Of The Super Famicom, I went ahead and bought a FreeMcBoot from AliExpress. This is a device that allows you to play PS2 games off a memory card in a PS2. Indeed I bought a second such memory card just to see what other games it would have. I suddenly had the entire PS2 Library ahead of me., distracting me from my Super Famicom.
The PS2 looks great on my 1080p HDTV running component through the Retroscaler2x. I still haven’t seriously sat down and played a game this way. I did further hack my PS2 to be region free and open the world (and my wallet) to physical Japanese PS2 games.
If you’re asking why am I buying PS2 games when I could play them all for free, let me make a bunch of shrugging motions until I get a muscle cramp. I love shopping for video games.
Playing games off the memory card I started calling “Renting from Blockbuster.” It felt like it. My standards plummeted for what I’d spend 20 minutes with. I remembered how many games I rented with a Blockbuster unlimited pass. I mourned when Hollywood Video collapsed. I mourned when Blockbuster Collapsed. I mourned this year at Tsutaya all but disappearing. Once again the chance to browse media is dissappearing.
So I bought memory cards from Bookoff just to stare. It felt like voyeurism. In a way it is. I have two saved up, for the right moment to look at someone’s digital life. Often they are 300 hours of Final Fantasy XII and Winning Eleven and nothing else.
NEXT: The most baffling game of 2024.
Hinge Problems 
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