I remember walking into Electronics Boutique in 1998, scanning the shelves for something different. The usual suspects were there—GoldenEye, Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64—but then I spotted it. A bright orange cartridge with four familiar faces grinning back at me: Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny. South Park,…

You know what still gets me? The other day I was showing my nephew some old PlayStation games, and he asks me, completely innocent, "Why didn't they make Crash Bandicoot for Nintendo 64?" Just like that. Kid's eight years old and he's asking the question that haunted an…

Picture this: you're twelve years old, it's 1995, and your mate's just pulled out what looks like a chunky Game Boy that somehow runs actual Mega Drive games. Not watered-down handheld versions—the real thing. Streets of Rage 2, Sonic 2, Gunstar Heroes, all crammed into this brick-sized marvel…

You know that moment when you realize you've been doing something wrong your entire life? Like when you discover you've been tying your shoelaces the hard way, or that there's actually a proper way to peel a banana. That's exactly what happened to me the first time I…