03/08/2025
LIVELY INTERNET THEORY - March 2025
Hello! Welcome to the first edition of LIVELY INTERNET THEORY. It's a kind of continuation of one of my first posts on here, so this will be dedicated to showing off all the amazing ways you can waste your time on the internet. (Put seriously: I want to compile all the sweet stuff people make and share online!)
I kind of already have the Hoarde for cataloging lots of cool stuff I find online, but these posts will give a more real-time update and a bit more space for me to gush about different things. Should also be good for quick little site updates. I have also found a new appreciation for email newsletters, so I'm also considering turning this into something you can subscribe to also... stay tuned on that.
Without further ado, here's why the internet's not dead!
Super Mario Bros. CD
The SNES had that whole thing going on with Sony and bringing CD technology to the system which didn't get to market, as you may know, but that idea lives on in things like Super Mario Bros. CD. Have you ever wondered, "what if the Mario franchise had a style-redifining entry akin to Sonic CD with so much SAUCE that you couldn't fathom how awesome it was?" Well, wonder no more, because that's what Super Mario Bros. CD is shaping up to be. A striking artstyle, a banging soundtrack and classic Mario fun.
To be fair, the star of the show, MSU-1 tech, has been around even before the whole SNES CD addon stuff picked up traction in the past few years when prototypes finally found their ways into the hands of living, breathing superfans. The MSU-1 story is terribly interesting - it was designed and mostly relegated to the realm of emulators for some time, but given its notable adoption amongst modders and homebrew developers, the chip has even found its way into the hearts of SNES flash carts, allowing it to function on REAL SNES HARDWARE.
The trailer above says they're working on a full version with a boatload of levels, but they have a demo available NOW with 5 levels. (An older version is available too with 2 of their first publicly available levels that is slightly different - give that version a shot too, why not?)
The Super Mario Bros. CD website has all the info you need on how to play this work of art on your own computer or flash cart. It's short, but due to the fantasy of it all, the amazing tunes and its immaculate vibes, you'll certainly end up playing it more than once - I definitely have.
Aggie's Digital Art Gallery
Alright, ya got your FAMILY FRIENDLY CUDDLY MARIO fixins but now it's time for the other end of the spectrum... kinda...
This here is a nifty little game that takes like... 20-30 minutes to see everything, but it's very refreshing. You can tell it's very lovingly crafted and very personal. Due to its simpler art style, it almost feels like something somebody could have made with the Net Yaroze setup way back when (IF IT DIDN'T HAVE THAT DAMN RAM LIMITATION).
There's SOMETHING of a plot in the game, though I have a feeling the creator might say something like "the plot isn't the focus" or the like. Or maybe not, idk, I've never met 'em. But the ending was very touching to me. The whole somber, melancholic feeling of it is unmatched in my book.
So stop reading and get to playing!
Uuhhhhh Magazines???
You can just go on the Internet Archive and read old tech magazines.
It might take a bit of digging to find ones worth reading, like the one I linked one line of text ago. There's also stuff like the PlayStation Magazine collection. It's pretty basic, but there's always GameInformer.
Graphic design is my CURSE
The internet is a blessed curse for stuff like this - I doubt many other libraries have archives of things like "Atomic Computers" magazine or whatever they call that first Aussie mag I linked, but peeking inside and seeing things like the ads, the outdated unfunny irreverant sexist humor, the old snazzy PC cases, what people were excited about, what people hated, what things got canceled... an amazing little timecapsule just at your fingertips.
Of course, lots of other things exist on the Internet Archive, anything from abandonware to audio sample CDs, texture sampler CD packs, old TV broadcasts... if you like digging around in various wikis online, then the Internet Archive is another place you can wander around in, and you may even come away with an uninteresting talking point to bore people with in conversations.
Paper Mother 3 Demo
Someone just made a short demo of "Paper Mother 3," or what Mother 3 would look like as a Paper Mario-styled game. Okay???? Sure??? Just flex on the rest of us and make a gorgeous demonstration of the remake of our dreams.
It's just a demo, don't expect a full remake of this caliber or style anytime soon. Or probably ever for that matter. But its creator makes some wonderful stuff, so just go follow them on the hellsite. Just to reiterate, you can PLAY this on your computer. It's very short, but incredible to experience.
JOJO2K Updates
As with many online projects, you may have noticed that the pace of content has slowed down here compared to how often I was updating stuff in the first couple months of the new site here. But rest assured! It is only because I am Cooking Up a Delicious Meal for all my adoring fans (you). Please take a look.
Please do not get excited over this. There is an 80% chance the finished project never sees the light of day, ESPECIALLY NOW that I'm posting about it. But I love sharing my little scrunkly guys like this one, I'm gonna call em Luna. Oh, the project is an RPGMaker game. Sorry for being such a basic bench. But I have a couple bits in here that will differintiate it from the other 2,000 RPGMaker games out there, so it should be a fun little romp!
I also continue to be in desparate need for more suggestions for the night portion of my radio station. If you have any chill lofi hip hop beats cool game tracks.mp3 to put on the site, mention them in the chat box below or send me an email (see the home page!). You may notice that I am a benevolent DJ who actually adds tracks people request, as evidenced from an exchange from the very same chatbox that you can read for yourself below. Keep them coming!
At least for this segment of LIVELY INTERNET THEORY, see you next month!
JOJO2K: The Site-Wide Chatbox
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