iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 2m

So my first source for games is usually j4u.co.jp; great prices and they operate as a Dutch auction where prices drop every day until an item sells. For more specific, harder to find things I use suruga-ya.com; pricier but when they offer free shipping you can get steals.

j4u.co.jp

J4U.co.jp - Famicom, GameBoy, PC Engine, Pokemon Figures & more

J4U.co.jp has everything of used Japanese Video Game & Pokemon Figures. Find the one you want.

010

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 1h

My guess is the trick is cornflakes.

021

Reposted by Random Stranger

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 9h

Okay, nobody went "That's a bad idea for X, Y, and Z reasons!" so we'll give it a trial stream for a few hours this Saturday. The question is what bonus video to supplement? Here are the simple options: - Spectral Tower! - Major Wii/Pro Golfer Saru! - Trains! - Yars! - Cybermage!

9181

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 4h

If I go with Spectral Tower (and that seems likely unless a bunch of Yars fans come in this afternoon), then it'll probably be a chat picks the seed and we play the 100 floor tower. It's beatable within two hours with a bit of luck and more likely it'll be about seeing how high we can climb.

110

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 4h

With full installations of games to the console's hard drive from disk, it's been a problem for a while. Efficiency is one of those unsexy problems that will never result change any single sale, but everyone offloading the problem to customer drags down the industry as a whole...

010

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 9h

9181

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 20h

I cleaned up the typo in the PC Engine Power episode which means uploading a new version of the video. So it's okay to not watch it a second time if you get annoyed that I chose to use footage from new Ranma series as the b-roll sample.

1190

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Yeah, the six hour ones weren't what I was thinking of. 😄

020

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

If people are interested, we'll give it a try with a previous bonus video as the subject. I'll let people decide what game they want to see more of. The spark for this was Spectral Tower getting an English translation, of course, but maybe people want more Pro Golfer Saru or need more Yar.

1120

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Streaming's not normally my thing since I don't like to be on for long periods and if I can't edit or pause to research and double check then I jumble up a lot. But I was thinking that people might like a bit extra on some of the oddball stuff and seeing the game without edits every ten seconds.

3141

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I've got a weird idea I want feedback on. I was thinking of doing a supplement to the bonus videos. Not a bonus bonus video, but an event following up the bonus videos. A stream a few days later that can show off the featured subject in more detail and answer questions people have on it.

4290

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

After a not very good action game, Ranma ½: Toraware no Hanayome is in the favored genre for PC Engine CD licensed games: the digital comic. However, this is one that captures the tone of its source material well. youtu.be/ebiIkeYFUn8

youtu.be

Ranma ½: Toraware no Hanayome/Ranma ½: The Prisoned Bride (らんま½ とらわれの花嫁) - PC Engine Power 321

YouTube video by RndStranger

3314

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Hasbro ate a lot of people in the late 90s in one of those regular corporate cycles of "We're geniuses and perfect, buy EVERYTHING!!" and then a few years later "Why the fuck did we buy everything?! Shut it all down!"

130

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

For Random Game Saturday, here's Qwirks. If the blobs look familiar to you, that's because this is the US Win95 version of Puyo Puyo. The version was made in the US and endorsed by Alexey Pajitnov. He's also credited with "puzzle design", but a lot of Pajitnov's game credits are iffy.

Qwirks published by Spectrum Holobyte. Alexey Pajitnov says, "Qwirks is an extremely addictive and exciting game in the Tetris tradition. I am sure you will enjoy playing it as much as I do."

3387

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

This game trailer goes to a very different place than I expected.

2222

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I wanted to visit them when I traveled to Japan because it looked very cool on Game Center CX, but it was a pain to get to. Very out of the way. I'm sure the location is what let them get such a large space for a themed arcade.

020

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I'll joke around about it, but Spectral Tower is an infamous game. Was it not worth the time to translate Ancient Roman? Making a significant game more available to people is a positive thing. And people should do what they're interesting in, not the thing that's most desired.

170

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Fixing the crashes would break the Maka Maka experience. If you can get the ending to play, why bother playing it?

040

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I didn't bother getting the guide book for II since it is considerably less insane and is instead just boringly mediocre.

120

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

1. Why would they do this Japan had Spectral Tower contained! What's next? A translation of Maka Maka? 2. Yes, I still own the strategy guide.

The Spectral Tower Perfect Guide held up in front of a bsky browser tab composing this very post...

5441

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Genuinely impressed. I stopped at the top of the 100 tower. Maybe I've done 50 or so floors of the 1000...

130

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

That was what I immediately spotted, too. "Why aren't people reading things written a hundred years before they were born instead of the things popular now?!" is a question that contains its own answer.

052

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This version was on Internet Archive along with the bad subtitles...

100

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I had a lot of fun chatting about Flying Dragon, a fighting game with some weird stuff going on. Like actually being two completely different games on one cart. Or one of the two games having severe Virtua Fighter jealousy.

1142

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

But the movie is from 1980! It would dreadfully Tab!

020

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The Coke Zero line was what I just landed on when I was checking to see if things were properly formatted. The rest is just boringly mangled and also terribly timed. Like lines being broken up into three subtitles with the first and last part displaying for less than a quarter of a second.

050

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Funny thing is, the .srt file was generated in 2018 so this is classic insanity.

1130

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I'm not completely sold on the quality of this translation.

A scene from the Japanese film Virus. The subtitles read:

Professor. Oh nice to see you
dreadfully Coke Zero here for me

3234

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

They used to kill one shark every minute for that ride, but theme parks have cut way back on that kind of thing for cheaper screen and projection effects.

040

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The core staff at least. I noticed it since I was double checking if they were the Recca team and no, they were not. But that game's not a bad match for them.

011

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Huh, the Sharp Wizard PDA in the early 90s has a port of Hatris. Oh, sorry, have to correct myself. It has TWO ports of Hatris!

A picture of the first port of Hatris for the Sharp Wizard. I couldn't find pictures of the second port or footage of it being played.

6496

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Coryoon is another super rare, super expensive shoot-'em-up for the PC Engine. It's also technically exceptional, though has an odd place with its difficulty. youtu.be/6YObL0Po8H4

youtu.be

Coryoon (コリューン) - PC Engine Power 320

YouTube video by RndStranger

2459

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Well, the good news is this probably doesn't work and is just a scam since if it was real they'd be sued out of business in a matter of weeks. I still wouldn't get it since even with lasers too low power to kill mosquitos you're risking retinal damage, but it's not guaranteed blindness.

030

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Remember to pace yourselves. If you spooky too much now, then you'll be spookied out thirty days from now.

0252

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Not only did I pursue Lu Bu, the first time I did Hulao Gate I kicked his ass.

070

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Maybe first hip-hop song in a video game that someone might actually want to listen to? 😀

010

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

It's not much but it's definitely there!

010

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I think this falls under the heading of sample beatboxing that a few games did before they could fit a full song in the game. It's an interesting one, though!

020

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I think the game has a large enough sample that it's reasonable to call it a hip-hop song. Though I think we'd all prefer to forget Hugo.

050

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Yeah, I'd put this one down as beatboxing the audio samples, but an important step!

020

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

That's definitely an earlier one. I was wondering if the song was only used on TV but it's in the game...

130

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Alice in Flagland is definitely first: January 31, 1992 and B. Rap Boyz is summer 1992. But it's a good early example!

110

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Let's get a video game rap battle going!

120

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It's out there, but it definitely has juice.

010

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I know some shows in the early 90s started using it so it seems possible that it was crossing the cultural boundary at that point.

100

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Sega CD was only six weeks old when this came out and there would definitely be hip-hop on that platform. A few games like Skate or Die are kind of adjacent but no lyrics. Because Ultrabox was a place of "We'll just do whatever", they've got a few odd firsts...

140

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I'm going to point out that there are some games that use hip-hop inspired music before this, but I'm not aware of any with lyrics unless you count beatboxing the game's voice samples. But I'll be happy for someone to find an earlier example! When it comes to video games, there's always earlier.

160