Third Console Curse - Part One
Third Console Curse - Part One
5
Special
Published on July 31, 2026 6:30 PM - 20 minute read
Is every third console doomed before it launches? Casey explores the curse.

In console gaming, there is a legend known as the Third Console Curse. Most consoles are not successful enough to receive a follow-up. If they are, then a third console is still not guaranteed. It is a hard industry not only to break into, but sustain a market share in. Yet something happens with the third console every time. It fails to meet the company's initial goals. Maybe it still sells fine, maybe the console has a wonderful library of games. Even if that is the case, the company loses market share and is in a worse spot at the end of the console's life than they were going into it. It could be arrogance from success. It could be a lack of perspective from being too used to success. Maybe it's just rotten luck. But it's consistent.

PS2 Top 26-50 on Metacritic
6
Blog Entry
Published on February 28, 2026 2:23 PM - 7 minute read

I only have a few here I put on my must-play list, but I like to look at everything anyway and perhaps try something new if I can find it for cheap enough. Remasters are also of interest since sometimes they vastly improve the experience. So this is Metacritic's top PS2 games 26-50 with comments. 

A PS2 Top 25 Looksee
4
Blog Entry
Published on February 14, 2026 2:51 PM - 9 minute read

I'm going down the Metacritic list for PS2 and seeing what might be worth trying out. Journey along and see the sights. 

PS2 Overview
6
Blog Entry
Published on November 15, 2025 2:39 PM - 8 minute read
Hackin' and a Slashin'
0
Blog Entry
Published on March 21, 2025 2:23 PM - 6 minute read

Played this week. 

Valentine Reviews!
4
Blog Entry
Published on February 1, 2025 2:35 AM - 5 minute read

Valentine’s Day is coming up, so I got you all something special.  Game reviews I’ve recently written over at GamerDad.com!  Just what you wanted, right?  Right?  Well, anyway, please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe post a ‘like’ or comment or two.  I’d appreciate it.  OK let’s begin!

A Look Ahead to 2006-2010
2
Blog Entry
Published on May 25, 2024 2:12 PM - 4 minute read

This is roughly the Xbox 360/PS3/Wii generation that I'm revisiting in July. I thought I'd take a peek at the top 16 on Metacritic for these years which will become my retro game list for that month. I like to make some notes on each too. 

Sneak Peek at the Early 2000s
7
Blog Entry
Published on May 18, 2024 4:53 PM - 3 minute read

I can't resist looking ahead to the games I'm going to try and play for my retro gaming in June. This will cover the years 2000-2005, which is the Xbox/PS2/GameCube/Dreamcast/GBA generation roughly speaking. This also becomes a sort of shopping list when I'm out at the game stores. I like to make some notes along the way too, so here is the greatest games of all time list from Metacritic, 1-16,  for those years. 

Another Week of the Gaming Grind
3
Blog Entry
Published on May 17, 2024 5:55 PM - 4 minute read

It's been an interesting week trying to work down the metacritic list for '95-'99, grinding for Game Pass Rewards points and beating Diablo IV. Details follow. 

I Must Wait
0
Blog Entry
Published on May 15, 2024 1:49 PM - 7 minute read

This is what my friend's Barbarian in Diablo IV says all the time as we're battling together. I can't resist repeating it whenever I hear it. He's got to work on keeping his rage meter filled. Anywho, I'm waiting for his cleaning lady to finish with his apartment before we game it up today (my day off). I thought I'd relate my progress on the late 90s Metacritic list I'm made. 

Games '95-'99
6
Blog Entry
Published on May 11, 2024 1:37 PM - 3 minute read

I can finally source Metacritic on a complete list of games across all systems. '95 seems to be the start of where they have enough reviews to use. I thought I'd post their list of top 14 games and then my current list of May retro plays picked for very different reasons. I do this just for fun and hopefully a little conversation. 

Easter Reviews!
10
Blog Entry
Published on March 18, 2024 1:10 AM - 5 minute read

Easter is the next holiday coming up, so here’s an egg hunt with reviews I’ve written lately over at GamerDad.com!  Please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe post a ‘like’ or comment or two.  I’d appreciate it.  OK let’s hop to it!

Nerds Without Pants Episode 274: Conversations Flowers Have
Nerds Without Pants Episode 274: Conversations Flowers Have
1
Podcast
Published on November 1, 2023 2:00 PM - 2 minute read
My name is Alan Wake. I'm a writer.

Welcome back to Nerds Without Pants! Julian has a big announcement this week: the beginning of a project to upload and archive the entirety of NWP’s 11 year history on our channel! Then we talk about a ton of games before getting into some light headlines.

Fan Expo Philadelphia
4
Blog Entry
Published on June 5, 2023 6:38 PM - 3 minute read

Went to Fan Expo in center city Philadelphia on June 3rd with a friend of mine who was after celebrity signatures. I met several, plus comic creators and a lot of cosplayers. 

Nerds Without Pants Episode 252: We Need to Talk About Xbox.
Nerds Without Pants Episode 252: We Need to Talk About Xbox.
1
Podcast
Published on May 18, 2023 12:40 AM - 1 minute read
Man, I wanted to do a generic YouTuber face for this...

This episode of Nerds Without Pants is coming in a wee late, but we think you’ll dig it! We start with Headlines, and close the segment with a beefy discussion about Xbox: where it’s been, where it’s at, and where it’s going.

Game Ads Again: 1-pagers
2
Blog Entry
Published on May 15, 2023 6:01 PM - 2 minute read

I grabbed all the rest of the Outlaw Nation comics in the bargain bin to see what other game ads might be found. There were a good number of them. Here are the 1-pagers.

The Game-hoard Grows
6
Blog Entry
Published on May 6, 2023 1:26 PM - 2 minute read

This is what I picked up last time I was at Classic Game Junkies. I'm also including an item I saw there but didn't buy. 

RETROspective: Goemon's Mystical History
10
Blog Entry
Published on January 28, 2023 3:32 PM - 16 minute read

cover

Nerds Without Pants Episode 232: Radio NWP
Nerds Without Pants Episode 232: Radio NWP
4
Podcast
Published on September 14, 2022 3:00 PM - 3 minute read
You're listening to 101.5, The Game, KNWP!

Hey there! This is the craziest Nerds Without Pants EVER! We only got a handful of songs for Stage Select, so instead of talking about 7 or 8 songs and calling it a day we decided to create an entire two hour block of radio programming that approaches UHF levels of insanity. Yep, this is happening. Check it out!

Elevator Action
Elevator Action
6
Review Rewind
Published on March 21, 2022 2:30 PM - 8 minute read
Tactical Espionage Action

“Elevator” and “action” aren’t words that typically belong in the same sentence. But lo and behold, Taito released an arcade game in 1983 that would pair a mundane function with the trappings of a spy thriller in the game Elevator Action. You play the role of a secret agent that finds himself at the top of everyone’s hit list. Avoiding certain death requires cunning, skill, and riding a lot of elevators. It made a big enough impression to become a cult classic that people remembered fondly.

Retro Review: Winback
8
Blog Entry
Published on January 15, 2022 12:44 PM - 7 minute read

cover1

Out of this World
Out of this World
8
Review Rewind
Published on July 13, 2021 3:00 PM - 7 minute read
The Great Escape

Out of this World (aka Another World) was initially developed and released for the Amiga and Atari ST personal computers by French game designer Eric Chahi in 1991. The game was later ported to the Super Nintendo, among other home consoles. Out of this World garnered much praise for its intriguing visual style and storytelling ability. In most games from this era, text or dialogue was usually the vehicle used to drive the story forward. But this one did it differently. Instead, the ever-changing situations, dangers, and victories all worked together to tell the story without a word.

Captain N's Favorite 3DS Games
5
Blog Entry
Published on February 26, 2021 6:23 AM - 21 minute read

The 3DS celebrates its 10th anniversary

Nerds Without Pants Episode 185: Epic Lute
Nerds Without Pants Episode 185: Epic Lute
5
Podcast
Published on September 23, 2020 3:00 PM - 2 minute read
Be excellent to each other!

Welcome to Nerds Without Pants! Well, we asked for epic video game music, and y’all did NOT disappoint. Let’s get right to it!

The Games of the Turbo Grafx-16 Mini: Part 4
6
Blog Entry
Published on August 19, 2020 12:37 PM - 7 minute read

As I mentioned in previous TG-16 Mini blogs, the Mini has two different menus you can choose from.  One has US releases on the TG-16 side, and one has Japanese games on the PC Engine side.  Since we’ve gone over all the US releases, now we’ll look at the Japanese ones.  I’ll split these into two blog parts.  In the first one we’ll look at the Japanese games I’m not so familiar with, and then in the final blog we’ll look at the games I’m more familiar with.  So let’s get started!