Random Stranger
@randomstranger.bsky.social
I like obscure old video games and make a lot of videos about them. I've documented all of the Nintendo Famicom library and I'm currently working on the PC Engine.
Pinned
Famidaily: All of It - YouTube
All of the Famidaily videos in order.
www.youtube.com
Hello, new followers!
My magnum opus is Famidaily, a complete catalog of the Famicom library across 1065 episodes. Every cartridge is broken down with information putting it in context, how to play it, and what kind of response it got.
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
My magnum opus is Famidaily, a complete catalog of the Famicom library across 1065 episodes. Every cartridge is broken down with information putting it in context, how to play it, and what kind of response it got.
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
I feel like I could do a history of buggy games video and it would blow some people's minds.
There could be a whole categorization system of buggy games, we'll call it the Molyneux Scale with 1 being "doesn't affect regular game play at all" and 5 being Cyberpunk 2077 (or your favorite here).
There could be a whole categorization system of buggy games, we'll call it the Molyneux Scale with 1 being "doesn't affect regular game play at all" and 5 being Cyberpunk 2077 (or your favorite here).
January 13, 2026 at 4:09 PM
I feel like I could do a history of buggy games video and it would blow some people's minds.
There could be a whole categorization system of buggy games, we'll call it the Molyneux Scale with 1 being "doesn't affect regular game play at all" and 5 being Cyberpunk 2077 (or your favorite here).
There could be a whole categorization system of buggy games, we'll call it the Molyneux Scale with 1 being "doesn't affect regular game play at all" and 5 being Cyberpunk 2077 (or your favorite here).
Jantei Monogatari on the PC Engine was a real sign of where the mahjong genre was going. Get ready for a lot of stories where you have to play mahjong against teenaged girls!
youtu.be/offPZWLOh1o
youtu.be/offPZWLOh1o
Jantei Monogatari/Jantei Story (雀偵物語) - PC Engine Power 189
YouTube video by RndStranger
youtu.be
January 12, 2026 at 11:22 PM
Jantei Monogatari on the PC Engine was a real sign of where the mahjong genre was going. Get ready for a lot of stories where you have to play mahjong against teenaged girls!
youtu.be/offPZWLOh1o
youtu.be/offPZWLOh1o
I don't think very much of the high-end video game speculators; it's a lot of circle jerking that tiny differences that only matter to them are huge signs of value.
That, on the other hand, is exactly what a high-end collectable video game is: notable, great condition, and easily distinguished.
That, on the other hand, is exactly what a high-end collectable video game is: notable, great condition, and easily distinguished.
Latest thing to pop up in the high-end collector world is a really beautiful Super Mario Bros. with an intact 1985 first-run matte sticker seal. Unfortunately for the seller, it's not a sealed copy—it's actually open from the bottom—but will go for a lot anyway
www.ebay.com/itm/35810290...
www.ebay.com/itm/35810290...
January 12, 2026 at 6:26 PM
I don't think very much of the high-end video game speculators; it's a lot of circle jerking that tiny differences that only matter to them are huge signs of value.
That, on the other hand, is exactly what a high-end collectable video game is: notable, great condition, and easily distinguished.
That, on the other hand, is exactly what a high-end collectable video game is: notable, great condition, and easily distinguished.
The Pro Yakyuu for the PC Engine is a baseball game.
Period.
End of story.
Okay, it also has a license from Japan's professional league which was uncommon at that point...
youtu.be/FWF_18yMtTI
Period.
End of story.
Okay, it also has a license from Japan's professional league which was uncommon at that point...
youtu.be/FWF_18yMtTI
The Pro Yakyuu/The Pro Baseball (ザ・プロ野球) - PC Engine Power 188
YouTube video by RndStranger
youtu.be
January 11, 2026 at 9:31 PM
The Pro Yakyuu for the PC Engine is a baseball game.
Period.
End of story.
Okay, it also has a license from Japan's professional league which was uncommon at that point...
youtu.be/FWF_18yMtTI
Period.
End of story.
Okay, it also has a license from Japan's professional league which was uncommon at that point...
youtu.be/FWF_18yMtTI
I want to refurb my Xbox 360 before I start proper work on my next bonus video, so I thought this morning I'd do some work on another topic that I was planning for later this year, likely toward the summer.
Anyway, I now have forty minutes of introduction material complete.
Anyway, I now have forty minutes of introduction material complete.
January 11, 2026 at 7:20 PM
I want to refurb my Xbox 360 before I start proper work on my next bonus video, so I thought this morning I'd do some work on another topic that I was planning for later this year, likely toward the summer.
Anyway, I now have forty minutes of introduction material complete.
Anyway, I now have forty minutes of introduction material complete.
For Random Game Daturday, I have Chakan the Forever Man, perenial punching bag of Genesis fans. It's based on a comic from the 1980s B&W boom and was one of those comics that looks like it came straight out of a 16-year-old's in class doodles. It was so *extreme*!
January 10, 2026 at 5:13 PM
For Random Game Daturday, I have Chakan the Forever Man, perenial punching bag of Genesis fans. It's based on a comic from the 1980s B&W boom and was one of those comics that looks like it came straight out of a 16-year-old's in class doodles. It was so *extreme*!
In this game the sound of scifi warfare is smooth jazz. It might be the weirdest soundtrack choice I have ever encountered.
January 10, 2026 at 3:35 PM
In this game the sound of scifi warfare is smooth jazz. It might be the weirdest soundtrack choice I have ever encountered.
10 minute intro that consists of the most flatly translated dialog performed by the best actors they could find around the office.
January 10, 2026 at 3:25 PM
10 minute intro that consists of the most flatly translated dialog performed by the best actors they could find around the office.
It's a Working Designs kind of day.
January 10, 2026 at 2:48 PM
It's a Working Designs kind of day.
I'm so mad at this game. It's a Cinemaware game and somehow it doesn't suck.
How am I supposed to maintain my hatred of them as the worst game developer of the late 80s and early 90s when they released something that was a bit forward looking and kind of passable?
How am I supposed to maintain my hatred of them as the worst game developer of the late 80s and early 90s when they released something that was a bit forward looking and kind of passable?
January 9, 2026 at 5:46 PM
I'm so mad at this game. It's a Cinemaware game and somehow it doesn't suck.
How am I supposed to maintain my hatred of them as the worst game developer of the late 80s and early 90s when they released something that was a bit forward looking and kind of passable?
How am I supposed to maintain my hatred of them as the worst game developer of the late 80s and early 90s when they released something that was a bit forward looking and kind of passable?
Bobblun is the cousin that Bob and Bub don't talk about.
Ready for more Mascot Misadventures
Today's Feature Line-up:
MEGAMAN: The less said about him the better… don’t worry he looked better later on in life.
Bobblun: that dinosaur thing from the Bubble Bobble series, who surprisingly looks great. (nope i had no idea that was the name either!) 🫧
Today's Feature Line-up:
MEGAMAN: The less said about him the better… don’t worry he looked better later on in life.
Bobblun: that dinosaur thing from the Bubble Bobble series, who surprisingly looks great. (nope i had no idea that was the name either!) 🫧
January 9, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Bobblun is the cousin that Bob and Bub don't talk about.
Okay, the commercial for Spin Pair doesn't fit into my video on the game, but I need to share it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD-s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD-s...
﹝PCE﹞スピンペア / SPINPAIR CM (1990/12/14)
YouTube video by 五六郎
www.youtube.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:47 AM
Okay, the commercial for Spin Pair doesn't fit into my video on the game, but I need to share it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD-s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD-s...
Namco's Final Blaster had a strange route to being released on the PC Engine as the third game in the Bosconian trilogy. It's a game that has a lot of unique gameplay elements.
youtu.be/szvvUJwrw_w
youtu.be/szvvUJwrw_w
Final Blaster (ファイナルブラスター) - PC Engine Power 187
YouTube video by RndStranger
youtu.be
January 8, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Namco's Final Blaster had a strange route to being released on the PC Engine as the third game in the Bosconian trilogy. It's a game that has a lot of unique gameplay elements.
youtu.be/szvvUJwrw_w
youtu.be/szvvUJwrw_w
Time to break out some geometry and probability to explain why the game is bad in this video.
January 8, 2026 at 6:54 PM
Time to break out some geometry and probability to explain why the game is bad in this video.
Reposted by Random Stranger
I also need to highlight someone else’s contribution to the Magfest museum this year: a slew of Japanese keitai with games on them! These were staples of Japanese gaming pre-smartphone, and it’s rad to see them presented here on their original hardware.
January 8, 2026 at 3:30 PM
I also need to highlight someone else’s contribution to the Magfest museum this year: a slew of Japanese keitai with games on them! These were staples of Japanese gaming pre-smartphone, and it’s rad to see them presented here on their original hardware.
The best arcade cabinets were the ones that used a real car as the controller, inverted the player, or have broken players' bones.
January 8, 2026 at 3:21 AM
The best arcade cabinets were the ones that used a real car as the controller, inverted the player, or have broken players' bones.
Finally getting around to watching Zipang and it's off to one hell of a start.
January 7, 2026 at 2:05 AM
Finally getting around to watching Zipang and it's off to one hell of a start.
Creative failures can be some of the most interesting things in video games. When someone tries something wildly different and then crashes out, the end results may not be fun to play but you can see the promise.
Incidentally, here's a video on Gomola Speed for the PC Engine.
youtu.be/7WVA5B75Be0
Incidentally, here's a video on Gomola Speed for the PC Engine.
youtu.be/7WVA5B75Be0
Gomola Speed (ゴモラスピード) - PC Engine Power 186
YouTube video by RndStranger
youtu.be
January 6, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Creative failures can be some of the most interesting things in video games. When someone tries something wildly different and then crashes out, the end results may not be fun to play but you can see the promise.
Incidentally, here's a video on Gomola Speed for the PC Engine.
youtu.be/7WVA5B75Be0
Incidentally, here's a video on Gomola Speed for the PC Engine.
youtu.be/7WVA5B75Be0
I'm just going to start adding fake countries to the edges of maps like I'm an early modern cartographer.
For example, I have placed the mythical country of "New Sea Land" off the coast of Australia in this map.
For example, I have placed the mythical country of "New Sea Land" off the coast of Australia in this map.
January 6, 2026 at 5:58 PM
I'm just going to start adding fake countries to the edges of maps like I'm an early modern cartographer.
For example, I have placed the mythical country of "New Sea Land" off the coast of Australia in this map.
For example, I have placed the mythical country of "New Sea Land" off the coast of Australia in this map.
I was just thinking the other day about how for the past twenty years video game companies have been terrified of even the slightest bit of friction in player experiences. Not just stuff like "don't make them wander looking for a button that blends into the background", but any game play tension.
Sony has patented an AI gaming ghost that will play PlayStation games for you when you get stuck www.eurogamer.net/sony-has-pat...
January 6, 2026 at 4:34 PM
I was just thinking the other day about how for the past twenty years video game companies have been terrified of even the slightest bit of friction in player experiences. Not just stuff like "don't make them wander looking for a button that blends into the background", but any game play tension.
I don't know what this is supposed to be, but I had to share it.
January 5, 2026 at 11:00 PM
I don't know what this is supposed to be, but I had to share it.
Gothic game update: I can't get enough ore (the cash equivalent in the game) to buy starting gear. I can't find any way of making money. Paths to the other camps have got tough enemies on them that I can't beat because I've still got nothing. I've depleted the monsters I can kill...
January 5, 2026 at 1:55 PM
Gothic game update: I can't get enough ore (the cash equivalent in the game) to buy starting gear. I can't find any way of making money. Paths to the other camps have got tough enemies on them that I can't beat because I've still got nothing. I've depleted the monsters I can kill...
I'm looking forward to seeing who gets mad at me for comparing this game to Joe Camel.
"Why can't you just let kids have fun and learn how to play the ponies from the Sylvanian Families?"
"Why can't you just let kids have fun and learn how to play the ponies from the Sylvanian Families?"
January 4, 2026 at 11:06 PM
I'm looking forward to seeing who gets mad at me for comparing this game to Joe Camel.
"Why can't you just let kids have fun and learn how to play the ponies from the Sylvanian Families?"
"Why can't you just let kids have fun and learn how to play the ponies from the Sylvanian Families?"