The Mario games are basically the story of one very determined plumber with a questionable work-life balance. For over four decades, Mario has been sprinting, jumping, and power-sliding his way through the Mushroom Kingdom, rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser — a giant, fire-breathing turtle who apparently has nothing better to do. Every game starts with the same setup: Peach gets kidnapped, Mario shrugs, eats a mushroom, and risks his life navigating lava pits and haunted castles while Bowser probably just sits around watching turtle Netflix. And yet, we love it.
The brilliance of Mario games is how they somehow make plumbing-related activities thrilling. One minute you’re dodging sentient cacti in the desert, the next you’re riding a dinosaur (Yoshi) who will absolutely abandon you if you jump off a cliff. Power-ups range from practical (fireballs) to delightfully absurd (turning into a flying raccoon… for some reason). And despite Mario’s questionable career progression — plumber, doctor, kart racer, Olympic athlete — he never seems to ask for a day off. But hey, as long as Bowser keeps kidnapping Peach, Mario will keep stomping on turtles, eating questionable fungi, and reminding us all that the best adventures start with “Wahoo!”.
Here is my entire Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) game collection. So many great games here including rare, uncommon and expensive games plus hidden gems and more!
Use code 50METALJESUS to get 50% OFF plus free shipping on your first Factor box at https://bit.ly/41IEs1b
Ah, the Sega Genesis—arguably the most rebellious, leather-jacket-wearing, blast-processing-fueled console of the early ‘90s. This was the system that swaggered into the gaming scene, pointed at Nintendo’s Super NES, and said, “You call that speed? Hold my Chaos Emeralds.”
The Console Itself
Looking like a sleek, black, slightly melted VCR, the Genesis had a no-nonsense design that screamed “serious business” (if your business was making an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog run at unsafe speeds). It had a volume slider for headphones—because Sega wanted you to feel like a DJ while mashing buttons—and a giant POWER switch that made you feel important when you flipped it.
Blast Processing™ (Whatever That Was)
Sega’s marketing team conjured up the term Blast Processing™, a mysterious and scientifically dubious feature that essentially meant “our games are fast, and we have an attitude about it.” It was never quite clear what it actually did, but it was enough to make kids feel like they were piloting a fighter jet instead of playing Sonic the Hedgehog in their pajamas.
The Controller
The Genesis controller was a hulking, boomerang-shaped piece of plastic with three whole buttons (which felt futuristic at the time). Later, when fighting games became popular, Sega realized that, oh no, three buttons weren’t enough! So they released the six-button controller, which made the original feel like a rotary phone by comparison.
The Games
Sonic the Hedgehog – A game so fast it felt like it was trying to break the laws of physics.
Altered Beast – A side-scrolling “Greek mythology but weird” game where a guy yells “RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!” at you like an undead gym coach.
Streets of Rage – Where you settle all disputes with fists, steel pipes, and the occasional turkey dinner found in a trash can.
Mortal Kombat – The game that made parents gasp in horror while kids cheered at pixelated fatalities.
The Console Wars
If you had a Genesis, you were on Team Sega in the legendary Console War against the SNES. It was a brutal playground battlefield where kids debated whether Mario or Sonic would win in a fight (the answer: Sonic, if there were no walls). Sega’s advertising even threw shade at Nintendo with the iconic slogan: 👉 “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t.” (Which is hilarious, because in the end, Nintendid survive longer.)
The Legacy
The Genesis may have eventually lost the war, but it left an undeniable mark on gaming history. It was the cool older sibling of consoles—edgy, stylish, and maybe a little too obsessed with speed. Today, it lives on in retro collections, mini consoles, and the hearts of those who still hear the words “SEGA!” in their dreams.
Would you like to add any Blast Processing™ to your day? 😆
The PlayStation 3 — Sony’s futuristic black monolith of gaming — crash-landed in living rooms in 2006, looking like a sleek, alien artifact designed to summon extraterrestrial life. Weighing roughly the same as a small dog and radiating enough heat to cook a Hot Pocket, the PS3 was a technological marvel of its time. It boasted a Blu-ray player (a huge flex in 2006), stunning HD graphics, and a controller that, while wireless, still clung to its ancestors with the same button layout from the PS1. And let’s not forget the iconic startup sound — a celestial chime that made you feel like you were about to embark on an interstellar journey, when really, you were just booting up LittleBigPlanet.
However, the PS3 wasn’t without its quirks. The launch model came with a price tag so high ($599!) that it felt like Sony was daring you to buy it. Early adopters also faced the infamous “Yellow Light of Death,” which was basically the console’s way of politely imploding. And the online service? Free — but also held together with duct tape and hope. Yet despite its rough start, the PS3 blossomed into a legendary console, delivering classics like Uncharted 2, The Last of Us, and Metal Gear Solid 4. It was a machine that, in its own charmingly complicated way, helped redefine gaming and laid the groundwork for the powerhouse that Sony would become. Plus, it made a pretty decent space heater in the winter.
The Star Wars Topps trading cards debuted in 1977, coinciding with the release of Star Wars: A New Hope. Topps, already a well-established name in the trading card industry, produced a series of collectible cards featuring images from the film, behind-the-scenes shots, and character profiles. The first set, distinguished by its blue border, consisted of 66 cards and 11 stickers, quickly becoming a hit among fans. Due to their success, Topps released five additional series between 1977 and 1978, each with distinct border colors and new images. These cards became some of the most iconic and sought-after collectibles of the era, helping to cement Star Wars as not just a blockbuster film but a cultural phenomenon.
Following the original trilogy, Topps continued producing trading card sets for The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), each receiving multiple series. Throughout the decades, Topps has expanded its Star Warsofferings to include prequel trilogy sets, animated series collections (The Clone Wars, Rebels), and modern sequel trilogy releases. They have also introduced premium lines such as Star Wars Galaxy, Masterwork, and autographed cards featuring actors from across the saga. With the continued popularity of Star Wars, Topps trading cards remain a cherished collectible, evolving with new films and TV series while retaining their nostalgic appeal for original fans.
Lyrics:
.byte “I got a pocket full of quarters, “, $0D
.byte “and I’m headed to the arcade”, $0D
.byte “I don’t have a lot of money, “, $0D
.byte “but I’m bringing ev’rything I made”, $0D
.byte “I’ve got a callus on my finger, “, $0D
.byte “and my shoulder’s hurting too”, $0D
.byte “I’m gonna eat them all up, “, $0D
.byte “just as soon as they turn blue”, $0D
.byte “‘Cause I’ve got Pac-Man fever”, $00 ; Null terminator
Start:
LDX #0 ; Start at the first character
Loop:
LDA Lyrics,X ; Load character from memory
BEQ Done ; Stop when we hit the null terminator
; (Render character routine would go here)
INX
JMP Loop
Ratchet & Clank is what happens when you take a sci-fi buddy comedy, inject it with cartoon chaos, and arm a fuzzy alien mechanic with the most absurd weapons imaginable. The series follows Ratchet, a Lombax (basically a space cat with a knack for fixing things), and Clank, his tiny, sophisticated robot pal who occasionally turns into a helicopter. Together, they travel across the galaxy, saving planets from megalomaniacal villains who have an alarming fondness for doomsday devices. But the real star of the show? The weapons. Where else can you turn enemies into sheep, pixelate them into 8-bit, or launch an army of killer disco balls that force bad guys to dance before their inevitable doom?
Beyond the explosions and intergalactic mayhem, the series shines with its razor-sharp humor, ridiculous characters, and a story that somehow balances heart with complete nonsense. You’ve got a muscle-bound superhero with the IQ of a toaster (looking at you, Captain Qwark), an evil mastermind who sounds like he’s always two minutes away from a stress-induced meltdown, and a never-ending parade of wacky aliens who act like they just walked out of a sitcom. Whether you’re blasting through the classic PS2 adventures or marveling at the Pixar-level visuals of Rift Apart, Ratchet & Clankproves that saving the universe is way more fun when you have a wisecracking sidekick, a wrench the size of a canoe, and a gun that literally shoots tornadoes.
Kevin Kenson is like the tech world’s cool older brother—the one who somehow knows about every gaming gadget before you’ve even heard of it. He’s got that perfect mix of deep-dive expertise and “Hey, I just unboxed this, let’s see what happens” energy. Whether he’s testing out the latest ultra-light gaming mouse, overclocking a console in ways that would make a Nintendo engineer sweat, or figuring out if a third-party controller is actually worth your money, Kevin keeps it informative while making sure you never feel like you’re sitting through a lecture. Plus, his love for retro and modded gear means he’s just as likely to talk about optimizing an N64 as he is about the PlayStation 6 rumors.
What really makes Kevin stand out, though, is that he’s got this effortless, low-key charm—like a guy who’d help you build a PC and then casually beat you at Smash Bros. right after. He’s not about over-the-top reactions or fake hype; his excitement for tech feels real, which is refreshing in a world of exaggerated thumbnails and “YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS!” titles. And somehow, he always finds a way to answer the exact question you were just about to Google: Is this controller actually worth it? Will this SSD make my PS5 fly?—all while rocking an ever-growing collection of beanies that might just hold the key to his tech superpowers.
John Riggs is like your cool retro-gaming uncle who somehow knows every obscure NES game, can fix a busted cartridge with a mystical wiggle, and still has time to hit up every regional swap meet for hidden gems. With his signature beanie, dad-joke delivery, and an unshakable love for all things old-school gaming, he’s the guy who’ll excitedly tell you about a weird Japanese Famicom game that “never made it to the States, but totally should have.” His channel is a delightful mix of nostalgia, game restoration, and food reviews—because what’s a good gaming session without a questionable gas station snack to go with it?
He’s also got a superpower: bringing dead games back to life. If you’ve got a cartridge that won’t boot, he’ll pop it open, work some voodoo with a cotton swab and a screwdriver, and suddenly—boom—your childhood memories are playable again. And while he’s mostly about gaming, his love of junk food and random pop culture deep dives make every video feel like hanging out in a basement full of CRT TVs, Doritos crumbs, and pure, unfiltered 80s and 90s energy. If you ever wanted a gaming channel run by a guy who could talk about rare Sega Genesis prototypes and rank the best convenience store taquitos in the same breath, John Riggs is your guy.
5 Outrageous Lies about Game Sack (that may be true)
Joe from Game Sack secretly records all episodes from inside a massive, underground video game vault guarded by cybernetic Sega Genesis consoles. The vault is so vast that he once got lost for three weeks in the Neo Geo aisle.
Every episode of Game Sack is actually filmed in one continuous take with no script—Joe just absorbs game knowledge directly from cartridges by holding them to his forehead like a video game shaman.
The real reason Dave left the show is that he ascended to a higher plane of existence where all games run at 60 FPS, have no lag, and every controller D-pad is perfectly responsive.
Game Sack was once approached by Hollywood to turn the channel into a big-budget action movie, but Joe turned it down because they insisted on replacing his collection with NFTs of PlayStation demo discs.
Joe doesn’t actually own a single video game—he just green-screens everything and has been winging it for over a decade, fooling us all with pure confidence and a suspiciously large library of stock footage.
