Game Ever

02/24/2014

Happy gorgeous Monday, everybody! :)

Guess what I heard...

Little Rock's hosting a super sweet SUPER SMASH BROS. TOURNEY in just a few short weeks!

Here's the deal, as I understand it:

* Show up at JUANITA'S, downtown in the River Market district, at NOON on SATURDAY MARCH 15th!
* Give the folks at the door $8, to enter the arena!
* Put your mad Super Smash Skills to the test in either MELEE or BRAWL!
* Listen to awesome live music as you throw down! Kerrang!
* Have an absolute blast! :)

I wasn't told what the prize(s) will be for the champion(s) but, as we all know, the real payout for a competition of this nature is utterly dominating any and all opposition...IN PUBLIC!! ;)

For technical details regarding equipment and structure, just contact Jon - the gentleman spearheading this event - here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jon.barrington

Word.

Live large, Little Rock! ;)

Peace!

01/24/2014

Happy 2014, Little Rock! :)

It's great to be back!

As we embrace a fresh future together, I'd like to express my overwhelming feelings of gratitude to all the folks who made Game Ever one of the most spiritually enriching experiences of my life. :)

To the Youth:
Your warmth and individuality made Game Ever the genuinely magical place that it was. I'm endlessly honored that you guys shared so much of yourselves with us. You're smart, funny, clever, and kind - the future's in fantastic hands. :) I love you guys!

To the Adults and Young Adults:
My peers. :) From chatting about video games to sharing the ups and downs of daily life to discussing our contemplations of metaphysics, we truly connected. The support you've shown me and Game Ever throughout the years has been invaluable. It's a genuine privilege to be your friend. :)

To the Parents and Grandparents:
I am eternally grateful to you for giving Game Ever the chance to prove itself a trustworthy source of social good. Your confidence in our pledge to provide a safe and healthy place for people of all walks and all ages was the keystone of our successful development. Thanks for being so open-minded and downright cool. :)

To the Staff:
Scott, CJ, and especially Grady, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You guys handled Game Ever - an exceptionally dynamic mix of remarkably diverse social and physical ingredients - beautifully! Moreover, the care and dedication that you poured into Game Ever's community will continue to resonate for many years to come. Outstanding work, gentlemen. Thank you for being on my team. :)

To Our Investor:
Thank you for having faith in my vision. Thank you for committing to Little Rock. Your boldness is an inspiration. You have my eternal admiration.

We - all of us, together - made Game Ever more amazing than I imagined was even possible!

So, THANK YOU EVERYONE! :)

I look forward to reconnecting with you. :)

Have an amazing weekend!

07/26/2013

Happy Friday!

Well guys, we're here: Game Ever's final weekend.

Wow.

In light of the disappointment that many of us feel regarding Game Ever's departure, I think it's important to keep in mind one incredible fact that's very easy to take for granted:

Game Ever actually happened!!

And, it was INCREDIBLE!

Game Ever is, and always will be, one of the most deeply enriching experiences of my life - a beautiful blessing for which I am eternally grateful. The past few years have been freakin' awesome! :)

So, let's run our victory lap!

See you at the shop! ;)

07/19/2013

Happy Friday, Little Rock!

I trust we've all had a stupendous summer week! :)

As ever, we've got a metric ton of gaming gold on tap and at the ready! Here's a slice!

SILENT BOMBER - One of the coolest PS1 exclusives ever! From the folks behind the great Naruto: Ultimate Ninja and .hack// series.

http://www.gamespot.com/silent-bomber/reviews/silent-bomber-review-2546064/

PERFECT DARK HD - The Nintendo 64 legend is lovingly retooled for modern audiences, exclusively on Xbox 360. Ace!

http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/03/16/perfect-dark-xbla-review

ALICE: MADNESS RETURNS - Alice's wonderland has become decidedly...creepier. Sweet! ;)

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/14/alice-madness-returns-review/

~ ON THE NETWORK ~

LEFT 4 DEAD 2 - 8 players: 4 humans vs. 4 zombies. YES!

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/227426/reviews/left-4-dead-2-review/

~ THIS WEEK IN LONDON, ENGLAND ~

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-16-the-last-arcade

Best of luck, gents! :)

Cool!

See you later, guys!

When it comes to arcade games, every city has a heart. This is the spiritual and physical epicentre, towards which a metropolis' video game players are draw…

07/11/2013

Happy Thursday evening, Little Rock! :)

You know, I was at Game Ever with my daughter this week and something hit me: "Holy cow! This is A LOT of stuff!"

Then, something else hit me: "Wow, I really underestimated the scale of our move! I'm gonna need a whole month to pack everything up!"

So, due to the magnitude of my workload in August, Game Ever's final day of business is being officially bumped up to Saturday, July 27th.

With just three weekends left, I want everyone to know what a genuine privilege it has been to serve this community over the years. I've loved every minute of it. :)

Okay, onto this week's features!

3DO WOLFENSTEIN 3D - For my money, the best version of this revolutionary FPS - it's like the 3DO controller was made for it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EQlk27eAD4

WWE ALL STARS - What a blast! The wrestling icons of my youth battle it out with the mega stars of today! Macho Man Randy Savage all the way!!

http://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/wwe-all-stars-review/1900-373/

LEGO BATMAN 2 - The current high-water mark in the long-running series of excellent LEGO games. Absolutely bursting with variety and charm!

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/06/19/lego-batman-2-dc-super-heroes-review

~ MORE TOTALLY AWESOME ~

I'm tellin' ya, this thing's gonna change everything, folks!

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-11-happy-go-luckey-meet-the-20-year-old-creator-of-oculus-rift

Word!

Have a great night, everyone. :)

Peace!

"I'm a self-taught engineer, a hacker, a maker, an electronics enthusiast. I'm from Long Beach, California. I like making things. My dad was a car salesman,…

07/05/2013

Hiya, everybody!

I trust we all had a wonderful 4th of July! :)

Wow, I just thumbed through the calendar and guess what? Today begins Game Ever's 7th week left here in Arkansas! Man, time flies! ;)

And so, it strikes me that our Classics Set - bastion that it is of goodies specifically built for play on an old school CRT television - calls for especially thoughtful curation throughout the remainder of its limited time at your fingertips. This is gonna be fun. :)

~ GOLD CLASSIC - 1 of 7 ~

ROAD RASH 3DO - I'll never forget the first time I played this at a friend's house back in '94...it blew my mind!! And, it still does! Stunning stuff from Electronic Arts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuX6D-gY5VY

~ ALSO FEATURING THIS WEEK ~

BLOODRAYNE: BETRAYAL - A fancy modern take on classic Castlevania, by the talented folks handling the forthcoming DuckTales remake! Woo-hoo!

http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/10/05/bloodrayne-betrayal-review-2

DJ HERO 2 - Spin that wheel! Dude, this game is AMAZING! Two-player mix battles for the win!

http://www.gamespot.com/dj-hero-2/reviews/dj-hero-2-review-6282805/

~ AND, A SLICE OF THE FUTURE ~

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/03/how-oculus-rift-will-change-the-world-beyond-gaming

Sweet!

See you later! :)

Classic Game Room reviews ROAD RASH for the Panasonic 3DO from Electronic Arts released in 1994. Featuring music from Soundgarden, Monster Magnet, Paw and mo...

06/28/2013

Hola, Little Rock!

Summer for the MEGA win!! :D

Again, here are Game Ever's summer hours:

Friday: 3 pm - 8 pm
Saturday: Noon - 10 pm
Sunday: Noon - 6 pm

---

Do we have a bunch of fresh gaming goodness for you to investigate this week? Of course! But, you already knew that - it's the Game Ever way. ;)

So, in the interest of time, I'm just gonna focus on one new addition that's got me very, very excited: GRID 2 on our fancy racing rig!! Take a look!

http://www.gamespot.com/grid-2/videos/grid-2-video-review-6408987/

This game just hit the streets and - HOLY COW - is it sweet!!

Gold!

Stay well, guys. :)

We'll catch you later!

Peace!

One car in exchange for knowing what a man's made of? That's a price Shaun McInnis can live with in this Grid 2 review.

06/21/2013

Hiya, Little Rock!

I hope everyone's doing super well! :)

First up, Game Ever's REVISED SUMMER HOURS, starting next week!

FRIDAY: 3 pm - 8 pm
SATURDAY: Noon - 10 pm
SUNDAY: Noon - 6 pm

Hurray for summertime! :D

And now, on to this week's featured sweetness!

PANZER DRAGOON ORTA - Gold. :)

http://www.gamespot.com/panzer-dragoon-orta/reviews/panzer-dragoon-orta-review-2908662/

STATE OF DECAY - Braaaaaiiiins...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-11-state-of-decay-review

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: CHRONICLES OF MYSTARA - Finally!

http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/dungeons-dragons-chronicles-of-mystara

~ CLASSIC TUNAGE ~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6WpvBHdk1c

Giving you Will Smith's Greatest Hits, in High Quality.

06/11/2013

Hiya, Little Rock!

Here are Game Ever's summer hours:

Monday & Tuesday : Closed
Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday : Noon - 8 pm
Saturday : Noon - 10 pm
Sunday : Noon - 6 pm

Sweet!

We look forward to chillin'. :)

Peace!

06/06/2013

Happy Thursday!

Everyone's rockin' the house, I trust. ;)

Just to be sure we're clear, here are the important details regarding our FREE MOVIE EVENT, tomorrow at Game Ever.

* Tomorrow, Game Ever opens its doors at 6:30 in the evening.

* Tomorrow, Game Ever is not functioning as an arcade - no games will be playable. The evening is 100% dedicated to the screening and discussion of the recently released documentary, "100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience."

* Tomorrow, screening begins promptly at 7:00. The film, about 1 hour in length, will be immediately followed by filmed discussion.

There'll be free refreshments, too. :)

http://vimeo.com/37710554

Here's this week's featured excellence!

ASSASSIN'S CREED II - Considered by many to be the best installment in Ubisoft's landmark series, now living on our hard drive for instant access whenever you want it. ;)

http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/assassins-creed-ii

FLASHBACK: THE QUEST FOR IDENTITY - The fourth entry in my personal Sega Genesis Top 5 is also, incidentally, the first game I purchased upon returning to the States. Which makes it the first game I ever bought in Little Rock! Cool!

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/flashback/flashback.htm

ECHOCHROME II - Sony's PS Move technology is really, really amazing when leveraged by the right software. This, my friends, is that software. :)

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-12-21-echochrome-ii-review

~ AND NOW, SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ~

The Most Amazing Promotional Photograph of All Time.

http://ukresistance.co.uk/2005/09/15/the-most-amazing-promotional-photograph-of-all-time/

Wow!

Later! ;)

Video games news, opinion and lifestyle photography from the United Kingdom of the World

05/31/2013

Happy Thursday!

I hope everyone's having a great week. :)

Here are some important details regarding our FREE MOVIE EVENT, taking place at Game Ever a week from tomorrow:

* That Friday - June 7th - Game Ever opens its doors at 6:30 in the evening.

* That Friday - June 7th - Game Ever is not functioning as an arcade - no games will be playable. The evening is 100% dedicated to the screening and discussion of the recently released documentary, "100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience."

* That Friday - June 7th - screening begins promptly at 7:00. The film, about 1 hour in length, will be immediately followed by filmed discussion.

There'll be refreshments, too. Cool. ;)

http://vimeo.com/37710554

And now, a glance at this week's featured sweetness. :)

CASTLESTORM - The latest from Zen Studios, the geniuses responsible for the ridiculously amazing Pinball FX series!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w90BnjK4Jik

RANGER X - Here's the third entry in my Sega Genesis Top 5. Outstanding use of the peerless 6-button joypad and perhaps the best 2D jetpack ever! So much love!

http://www.sega-16.com/2004/07/ranger-x/

ION ASSAULT HD - My friend Ian showed me this one and, man, I'm glad he did! Imagine playing Geometry Wars with a weaponized vacuum cleaner! Super compulsive fun. :)

http://www.ion-assault.com/

~ A BIT OF A LAUGH ~

Old School pokes New School. ;P

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/05/video_a_young_person_plays_super_metroid

Ace!

We'll see you later!

Y CAN'T METROID CRAWL

05/24/2013

Happy Friday, everyone!

Summer's almost here!

And we're startin' it up in style with a FREE MOVIE NIGHT!!

Here's the word:

* MOVIE - "100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience."

http://vimeo.com/37710554

* DATE - Friday, June 7th.

* TIME - 6:30 ~ arrive, mingle, enjoy refreshments. 7:00 ~ the movie begins. 8:15 ~ the movie ends, discussion begins. 9:00 ~ the evening draws to a close.

Also, I'm extremely excited to announce that this event marks the start of filming for our documentary about Game Ever. :) So, if you're not cool with being filmed, you won't want to attend the screening. :)

So - TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY - it's on!

More info next week. ;)

And now, a taste of this week's gold!

BURNOUT REVENGE 360 - The apex of classic Burnout, running at its zenith! An essential play for anyone who likes fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq-V0NNGT5E

ECCO: THE TIDES OF TIME - Here's the second slice of heaven from my Sega Genesis Top 5, following the genius of last week's Bubba 'N' Stix. :) Essential.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7r6SAB6UyU

PIXELJUNK EDEN - A genuine treasure. Check the vid. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viLB8_u5jJ4

Ace!

We'll see you later! :)

100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience is a 67 min. historical documentary about the evolution of Japanese arcades and the culture surrounding it. Find out more…