Video Olympics

image from Wikipedia

Oh man, there is going to be so much Pong at the Summer Games this year! Who's up for some dubiously titled Jai Alai?

No, wait, not like that. The 2020 2021 Olympics were introduced with dozens of tracks plucked from popular Japanese video games, including Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Sonic the Hedgehog, and, uh, more Chrono Trigger. Unfortunately, gamers were less enthused by the selection of tunes than you might expect; upset that the Olympics happened at all during a pandemic that's only worsened in Japan since the country put the games on hold last year.

In less important but certainly less controversial news, a hacker found a way to turn his coffee grinder into a peripheral for the arcade hit Bust-A-Move, with turns of the crank also turning Bub and Bob's onscreen bubble cannon. Is it strictly necessary? No... the game plays just fine with an ordinary joystick or gamepad. Is it nevertheless a fun way to immerse yourself in Bust-A-Move's color matching, bubble popping action? Yes. Can the coffee grinder bust beans while you bust a move, letting you brew a calming cup of joe after your inevitable, humiliating defeat at the hooves of a pink sheep girl? Surprisingly, yes! Like the Tomy Turnin' Turbo turned into a makeshift OutRun cabinet, the Puzzle Bobble coffee grinder is one of those whimsical projects that probably doesn't need to exist, but you'll be glad it does anyway.

One other thing before I go. I'm still using my recently acquired Super NES Classic, and I'm still enjoying the experience. Maybe I'll punch out some reviews of games that I installed on it with HakChi, since I wrote a similar article for the Sega Genesis Mini last year, and it's only fair that the Super NES gets its own moment in the sun. If you've got any suggestions for games that should be featured, let me know... I've already got Axelay, Violinist of Hamelin, and the massively repetitive yet strangely compelling E.V.O. in my reviewing crosshairs.