iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 01/10/2026

Finished the Castlevania: Belmont's Curse demo. I have mixed feelings at this stage. Some things I like (graphics, story thus far), some things I'm not big on (combat, music). We'll see how the full game turns out... #castlevania #gaming #konami

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 06/09/2026

Pixel art of Diesel from NIKKE! Diesel's a real cutie, and one of my favourite characters in the game~ 💙 Haven't drawn anything serious in a hot minute, so I'm really happy with how this one turned out! 😊 #pixelart #nikke #fanart #gaming #digitalart

Pixel art I drew of Diesel: Winter Sweets from Goddess of Victory: NIKKE.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 29/06/2026

Alrighty, done with Mina the Hollower. Certainly one of the games of all time. 🫤 I don’t think I’ll be going back to it any time soon, if ever.

My Mina the Hollower cleared save file. Good enough.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 21/06/2026

Had an awesome time at the 2026 Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo yesterday! Met up with friends, browsed the vendor hall, saw missingNo perform awesome live music, attended a really interesting presentation by @jj-mccullough.bsky.social, and brought home some goodies! 🙏🏻💜 #vrge #gaming #retrogaming

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 22/05/2026

Introducing my latest retro acquisition: a Sony HB-101 MSX computer! One of the most gorgeous pieces of vintage consumer hardware, in my opinion. 🙏🏻❤️ Looking forward to playing games and tinkering around in MSX-BASIC on this! 🥰 #msx #retrogaming #retrocomputing #konami #retro

Overhead shot of my red Sony HB-101 MSX computer. The unit is in pristine condition, and I even have the joystick insert for the d-pad.

Sony HB-101 MSX computer hooked up to one of my CRTs, showing the BIOS boot screen.

Title screen for Penguin Adventure (Konami 1986), displayed on the CRT my MSX computer is connected to.

Wide shot of my MSX computer with my Penguin Adventure cartridge inserted, the connected CRT displaying Penguin Adventure’s pause/map screen.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 15/05/2026

Getting busy with academia again, so probably won’t be posting a lot in the near future. 🫠 That being said, here’s a sneak peek of my next major retro project, something I’ve wanted to get my hands on for a long time… 👀 #MSX #Konami #Retro #Retrogaming

An MSX Penguin Adventure cartridge in slot 1 of an MSX computer.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 14/05/2026

Finished MotorSlice. I stand by my previous statement that this is my personal GotY. Just... what a game, man. I have sooooo many questions about the lore lol, hoping we get more material (design docs, DLC, etc.) in the future to expand on things. 🧡 #MotorSlice #indiegame

Stats screen upon completing my (first) playthrough of MotorSlice. Playtime: 08:54:33, death count: 205, orbs collected: 64.

Screenshot showing I've obtained all the Steam achievements for MotorSlice (which was fairly easy to do, thankfully getting all the orbs isn't a requirement).

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 11/05/2026

Tfw you're a Metal Gear fan and the boss in the indie hack and slash parkour game you're playing both looks and sounds like REX (this game rules lol) 🧡🙌🏻 #MotorSlice

MotorSlice - Selfie before the third boss, which looks suspiciously like Metal Gear REX, albeit at least 10x bigger.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 11/05/2026

KoF ‘94 kicked my butt, but I managed to take a W as my GOAT Robert in Art of Fighting 3. The load times are hilariously long, but the gameplay’s still serviceable. 👌🏻 #kof #artoffighting

Round start, KoF ‘94, Robert vs. Joe. This did not end well for me…

Taking a win in Art of Fighting 3! Yeah!

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 11/05/2026

Finally got around to plugging in my Neo Geo CD and playing some games! Here’s some pics I took (and more in the replies). #neogeo #SNK #kof #artoffighting

NGCD The King of Fighters ‘94 team select screen.

NGCD Art of Fighting 3: Path of the Warrior title screen.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 04/05/2026

Marios. Real photo that I took on the lowest floor of a dying mall.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 27/03/2026

Honestly insane to me that I bought, transported, restored, and obtained software for an arcade cabinet running Neo Geo MVS hardware for less than what a PS5 Pro is going to cost. “Oh but getting more Neo Geo games is expensive” well at least it has games worth buying. 😒 #PS5 #arcade #Sony #gaming

My basement arcade cabinet, an imitation of a Namco Noir Cabinet housing SNK Neo Geo MVS hardware.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 15/03/2026

Happy birthday to me~ 🥳 Another year of knowledge and experience gained, here’s to many more! 💜

A mug of tea and a slice of tuxedo cake.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 13/03/2026

Tfw you open RetroAchievements and there's your GOAT on the front page 🔥 Looking forward to having an excuse to play La-Mulana again, and seeing what @authorblu.es and Mulbruk have cooked up for this! 💜🍛

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 06/03/2026

Nine of my top video games, taking a broad sample from my favourites to capture my diverse interests. 💜 my9games.com

La-Mulana (2006), Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (2008), Metal Gear Solid (1998), Risk of Rain 2 (2020), OFF (2008), Super Metroid (1994), Team Fortress 2 (2007), Castlevania Chronicles (2001), and Art of Fighting 3: Path of the Warrior (1996).

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 04/03/2026

Resident Evil 2 for the N64 is highly technically impressive, and Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls takes earlier revisions of the first two FF games and elevates them to arguably their peak forms.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 23/02/2026

And so my collection of physical Touhou media begins, with my three favourite Windows-era STG entries~ 🙏🏻💜 #touhou

Sealed copies of the 7th, 10th, and 11th Touhou Project games, viewed from the front.

Sealed copies of the 7th, 10th, and 11th Touhou Project games, viewed from the back.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 23/02/2026

Had the pleasure of finally playing and beating MSX2 Vampire Killer on actual MSX hardware at a convention this weekend. 💜🔥 #castlevania #msx #retrogaming

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 30/01/2026

And now I actually have the means to play my copy of AoF3 (load times go brrrr). 👀 More pics to come when I’ve got an answer to the cursed power input situation the Neo Geo CD imposes. #retrogaming #snk #neogeo

Photograph of a Neo Geo CD controller, with the console itself peeking in from the upper right quarter of the shot.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 28/12/2025

Pixel art I drew for my most recent blog post on the roots of the Metroidvania genre! Game formats of all the major components in the genre's history are represented here. 💜 #pixelart #digitalart #retrogaming #nintendo #konami #sony

A pixel art collection of retro video game artifacts, focused on representing the origins of the Metroidvania genre. Featured are cartridges for the MSX, NES, SNES, and Game Boy, a Famicom Disk System disk card, and a PlayStation jewel case.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 26/12/2025

As promised: Lego Game Boy pictures! Awesome little set, I love that you can interact with all the buttons, dials, and switches. The lenticular screen panels are super cool too! Overall incredibly accurate, that’s a 10/10 from me. 💜👌🏻 #lego #nintendo #gameboy #retrogaming

Lego Game Boy on its display stand, with the box and manual.

The Lego handheld and cartridges next to the real deal (with LADX substituted for OG Link’s Awakening). Incredibly accurate proportionally.

Close up of cartridge comparisons. Not quite the same grey, but it’s alright (what happens when you, being Lego, only have so many standard colours).

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 25/12/2025

Merry Christmas and happy holidays y’all! Hope everyone’s having a relaxing time~ I received some pretty awesome stuff this year from friends and family! More photos to come when I get that Lego set assembled. 💜😊

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 23/10/2025

Rolled credits on Silksong (true ending) today. Pretty good game overall, I give it a 7.5/10. Eventually I'll come back and do 100% completion and get the remaining achievements, but that won't be for a long while. 👍🏻 #silksong #gaming

Completion percentage screen in Silksong, displayed after getting the true ending. Percentage rate of 76% in 39 hours, 46 minutes, and 40 seconds.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 12/10/2025

To anyone who’s never witnessed a Neo Geo cartridge before, here’s a PS2 game case for scale. #retrogaming #arcade #neogeo #kof

PS2 version of KoF XI next to my MVS cartridge for KoF 2002.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 12/10/2025

Finally ready to show this off. My basement gaming setup is getting out of hand, not that I particularly mind though 😎 #snk #arcade #neogeo #kof

Chinese imitation of a Namco Noir Cabinet, running SNK Neo Geo MVS hardware. This now resides in my basement.
Got a copy of The King of Fighters 2002 installed, I intend to get other games eventually.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 26/09/2025

Happy 39 years of Konami’s Castlevania! One of my favourite video game franchises, I’ve collected most of the games over the years. First image is my entire collection, and the second is just the main canon (with DXC standing in for Rondo). My fav is Order of Ecclesia~ 💜 #castlevania #悪魔城ドラキュラ

All the Castlevania games I have in my collection as of now.

The canon timeline of Castlevania, substituting Rondo of Blood for Dracula X Chronicles (and Rondo is on the DXC disc so it technically still counts).

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 05/09/2025

A teaser of my current ongoing major project… 👀 #arcade #retrogaming #snk

A single slot Neo Geo MVS system in the bottom of an arcade machine.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 23/08/2025

My first ever GDQ run starts in just over an hour 👀

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 06/08/2025

Damn, I think I might be addicted to Wplace ngl (this is really relaxing and fun 💜) #pixelart

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 23/07/2025

Currently about 75% through writing a blog piece on the Super Famicom version of Art of Fighting 2. My first post investigating a single video game, it's been a bit since I've written anything like this. I'm having fun with it! Stay tuned~ 🐯🐲🔥 #blog #retrogaming #snk #aof

Super Famicom cartridge for Ryuuko no Ken 2 (Art of Fighting 2) and an SNES controller.

Photo of the title screen of Super Famicom Art of Fighting 2, displayed on my Sony Trinitron WEGA and taken with my Canon camera.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 05/07/2025

Having finally watched Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995, Leslie Nielsen & Mel Brooks), I can confirm that this is easily one of the most enjoyable Dracula adaptations ever made. No I will not elaborate. It's just great fun. #movies #dracula

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 27/06/2025

We are *so* back, y'all 🙏🏻🙌🏻💜

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 19/06/2025

Wrote about this in my most recent blog post, but still felt the need to share separately here: I've gotten my hands on the special edition box set release of Art of Fighting 3. 🤩 I LOVE this game. It's instantly become one of my most prized items in my retro collection. 🔥🐯 #retrogaming #snk #fgc

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 21/05/2025

Lupin the 3rd pixel art! Always been a fan of that scene of Fujiko on a motorcycle in the Pilot Film, so I decided to do my own take on it. #lupinthe3rd #lupinsansei #ルパン三世 #pixelart #anime #fanart #digitalart #retro

Pixel art of Fujiko Mine from Lupin the 3rd, riding a motorcycle in front of a setting sun. Based on a few shots from the Lupin the 3rd Pilot Movie and the Lupin the 3rd Part I credits.

Did my own spin on the environment, and tweaked the motorcycle design substantially so that it made more sense both proportionally and in terms of construction. There is zero consistency in that bike's construction from shot to shot in the Pilot Film; I ended up pulling a lot of inspiration from the Honda CB750.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 07/05/2025

After many months of being busy (and procrastinating), I finally got around to finishing this project. Looking forward to getting better at FGs on this! 💜 #3dprinting #fgc #arcadestick

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 31/03/2025

Found three of the Nintendo Power magazines I was looking for today: 106, 116, and 145, which contain coverage of Castlevania Legends, 64, and Circle of the Moon. My game magazine collection is pretty small, I just go for what I’m into. 😅👌🏻 #nintendo #nintendopower #castlevania

First page of the Castlevania Legends section in Nintendo Power 106.

First page of the Castlevania 64 section in Nintendo Power 116.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon coverage in Nintendo Power 145.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 16/03/2025

A few things I received for my birthday today. The Orient Express is, for the record, a gift from myself - I missed out on The Emerald Night as a kid, wanted a train like that ever since. 😅💜

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 21/02/2025

Polished up my tech pixel art stuff from last weekend. Always nice to get in some drawing time amidst my busy schedule. 💜👌🏻 If you can guess which Neo Geo Pocket Color cartridge that is, you get a cookie! #pixelart #digitalart #retro #retrotech #retrogaming #pcengine #neogeo #famicom

Pixel art of a 3.5" floppy disk, audio cassette, MiniDisc, PC Engine HuCard, Famicom cartridge, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and NGPC cartridge.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 18/02/2025

WIP of some retro tech pixel art doodles from this weekend. Planning to clean these up and post the finalized versions later this week. 💜 #pixelart #digitalart #retrogaming #retro #famicom #pcengine #neogeo

Various pieces of retro tech (3.5" floppy disk, audio cassette, minidisc, Famicom cartridge, PC Engine HuCard, and Neo Geo Pocket Color + cartridge) drawn as pixel art.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 02/02/2025

Today I spent some time testing the early 2000s Toshiba CRT I found on the side of the road last month. It’s pretty good! Here’s some Castlevania 64 pics. 👍🏻💜 #retrogaming #nintendo64 #castlevania #crtgaming

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 24/01/2025

A handful of work-in-progress versions as well. I got the general shape of the castle down pretty much immediately, and then refined some of the smaller details, lighting, and colour later. #pixelart #castlevania

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 24/01/2025

A little pixel art I drew of Castlevania (Dracula's Castle). Intending to use this as the icon for a Castlevania Discord server I run. Decently different from the art I typically do, turned out quite well I think! #pixelart #fanart #castlevania #悪魔城ドラキュラ #digitalart #castle #konami #retrogaming

Pixel art of Castlevania, Dracula's Castle, that I drew as a Discord server icon.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 03/01/2025

It was a Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia kind of day today. Got my owl familiar up to max level before fighting Barlowe~ 💜 #retrogaming #screenshot #gaming #castlevania #nintendods

Shanoa at the entrance to Dracula’s Castle, with three owl familiars perched on her.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 30/12/2024

My 2024 self-portrait. Promising myself that I'll draw my 2025 one in July/August. 😅 #pixelart #selfportrait #digitalart

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 25/12/2024

Belated happy 20 years of Cave Story! A fantastic game that helped the indie scene (and the metroidvania genre) take off - definitely need to replay this one in the near future. 💜 #retrogaming #indiegames #pcgaming #cavestory

Cave Story (2004) running on my IBM T42 Windows XP laptop.

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TheOneCalledJ @jdg.cyberspacecafe.xyz · 15/12/2024

Guys, gals, and non-binary pals, I present to you: the “New Best Price” release of Resident Evil: Deadly Silence. And I thought the “Konami’s Best” version of Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow was a comically-bad re-release in terms of box art. Goddamn. #residentevil #nds #gaming #retrogaming

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