HoldSquare Nation Podcast #5 - Prince - Borderlands 3 - Pinball

Join outlawcurtis and myself for this week's HoldSquare Nation Podcast as we discuss the passing of , PAX East, , , and pinball hustling.

Click HERE to watch our videos in full screen. Thanks for watching!

Captain Cartridge Reviews the Video Games - My Failed Book Attempt from the Mid-1990s

During the mid-1990s, after I failed to get the Fort Worth Star-Telegram interested in a weekly or monthly column about video games, I worked up a proposal for a prospective book called "Captain Cartridge Reviews the  Video Games." It was to be a -type book, but, obviously, covering video games instead of movies. The book was to cover the current systems of the time, such as the  and . Probably the  as well.

I wrote up a pitch and a few sample pages, some of which you can read below. Unfortunately (or fortunately, considering these are pretty bad), I couldn't get a publisher interested in the project, despite a number of attempts. I was working at Waldenbooks at the time, and it pre-dates my work for the All Game Guide.


I'm not sure why I didn't go ahead and self-publish the book--probably because self-publishing in the pre-Amazon world was more expensive and more difficult. Anyway, if you want to see one of my baby steps to getting a book published, check out this crude, early attempt.

CLICK ON THE PAGES FOR A CLOSER LOOK

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The Most Famous Prince in the History of Comic Books

RIP Prince, one of the greatest, flashiest, most influential rock stars of all time. And one heck of a guitar player.

Back in 2008, I wrote an article about for #27. The article also appears in my Retro Pop Culture book.

CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR A CLOSER LOOK

Retropalooza Houston

I'll be at Retropalooza Houston April 30 and May 1, selling games, collectibles, my books, and more.

Other vendors will be there as well, of course, plus a number of notable YouTubers, including Pat the NES Punk, The Gaming Historian, and The Game Chasers.

Click HERE for more info.

Click on the flyer for a closer look!

HOLDSQUARE NATION - Videogame Podcast - Episode #4

New episode of HoldSquare Videogame Podcast!

Join outlawcurtis and myself as we discuss , Dark Souls 3, Doom, , the Intellivision, The Rolling Stones, Uncharted 4, Hot Pockets and more, from Atari to PlayStation 4!

To subscribe to the HoldSquare Reapers podcast, or just check out our other videos, click HERE.

Thanks for watching!

In 1993, I Pitched a Video Game Column to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Way back in 1993, I tried (unsuccessfully) to get a gig as a video game columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a newspaper I now freelance for. Just for grins, and to give some historical perspective on the industry at the time, I've scanned my query letter, along with a couple of sample columns that I included with the pitch to try and sell myself as a columnist and video game expert.

At this time, the original was still in development, garage sales were stupid with games, the was less than a year old (in the U.S.), FuncoLand sold Stadium Events and Little Samson for super cheap, and the Genesis and were still going strong. My collection consisted of a whopping seven consoles ("snicker") and almost 200 games ("chuckle"). And, my first paid published work was still four years away. For some reason I threw Pong under the bus in the second column, probably to appear hip and current. Enjoy this flashback to my writing past!

CLICK ON EACH PAGE FOR A CLOSER LOOK

HOLDSQUARE NATION - Video Game Podcast - Ep #3 with Brett Weiss

Join Outlawcurtis and myself as we discuss such things as going to a Star Trek Convention, the great William Shatner, Dark Souls 3, Tron, Ratchet & Clank, Playstation 4 version 3.50 software update, Little Player Video Game Magazine for Kids, and more, including Curtis' uncanny resemblance to Philip J. Fry from Futurama. Stay tuned to the end for the big reveal!

Click HERE to subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch the videos in full screen.  THANKS FOR WATCHING!

Little Player Magazine -- Video Game Magazine for Kids!

My pal Martin Alessi has a new venture that I believe is worth supporting. Little Player caters to younger gamers, covering only games that are rated EC, E, and E10+. The publisher's mission is to "provide a safe, fun and advertising-free reading experience that parents can feel good about giving their kids."

Parents who want G-rated reading content in their homes, and parents who want their kids to read more in general will appreciate the mag, but it's the kids themselves who will truly enjoy it. The full-cover zine is printed on sturdy paper, and it has large text, tons of photos, and fun, easy-to-read reviews, previews, and more, including the Top Games of 2015 and a shout-out to a vintage favorite: Lode Runner for the NES.

Any kid who brings this mag to the playground, park, arcade or other place where children gather will surely be the toast of the town and the envy of the neighborhood. You can subscribe to Little Player HERE.

Star Fox Zero for the Wii U -- Preview!

In this video, I take a quick a look at the upcoming Wii U game Star Fox Zero, giving my thoughts as well as a sneak peek at some of the gameplay. Star Fox Zero releases April 21, but you can check out some of the game below. Click HERE to subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch the videos in full screen.

Thanks for watching!

HoldSquare Video Game Podcast 2

New video podcast!

Join myself, Outlaw Curtis and Jazzy Jordan as we discuss Ratchet & Clank for the PlayStation 4, Super! Bitcon, virtual reality, the NES, Wrestlemania, Jordan's Swear Jar, and The National Videogame Museum press conference, where Curtis made a total ass out of himself.

Be sure and stay tuned to the end for a special surprise!