SNES Omnibus Writer Spotlight #50 - Cierra Caballero

If memory serves, I was the first person Cierra Caballero interviewed for PopNerdTV, a geeky news site covering all the cool things in life, such as comic books, movies, and video games. She interviewed me at the 2016 Retropalooza video game con in Arlington, TX, where I was selling and autographing my books. I could tell right away that she was a cool and fun person to be around, thanks to her chill attitude and big smile.

Cierra and I have been friends ever since, and we’ve even collaborated on a few projects, such as my 50th anniversary feature on Night of the Living Dead and a story I did for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on the Texas Frightmare horror convention. Cierra is a purveyor of all things pop culture, but she’s especially keen on horror, and she’s always interesting to talk to about things that go bump in the night. I was very happy when she agreed to write a story about SimCity for my latest book, The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and Its Games,Vol. 2 (N–Z).

Here’s her bio from that titanic tome:

Cierra Caballero is a versatile writer and show host whose passion for creating and storytelling lead her to wanting to create her own path in the entertainment world from a young age. From writing articles, to singing in a band, to hosting her own horror edutatinment show “Jump Scare” on PopNerdTV, there is no limit to the mediums she wants to create in. Cierra stars in Berenice and Irene, a comedy web series she co-created with Jacqueline Davis.

Ozzy Osbourne, Wanna Play Pac-Man?

In the latest episode of my new YouTube series, Tales from a Retro Gamer, I talk about the time I met Ozzy Osbourne and asked him if he wanted to play Pac-Man. We also met Sharon, as well as Ozzy's band. Earlier in the day, we met Metallica at a record store signing. You can watch the video HERE. Thanks for watching!

The Final 12 Games Announced for the Sega Genesis Mini

And the final 12 games for the Sega Genesis Mini are:

- Tetris

- Darius

- Road Rash II

- Strider

- Virtua Fighter 2

- Alisia Dragoon

- Columns

- Dynamite Headdy

- Kid Chameleon

- Monster World IV

- Light Crusader

- Eternal Champions

Strong titles. I think it will be a trip playing Tetris on the Genesis, and I'm a big fan of Columns, Road Rash II, and Strider. Can't go wrong with Darius, a cool shooter, and Light Crusader and Alisia Dragoon are hidden gems.

Old School Gamer Magazine #10 Now Available -- READ FOR FREE!

Old School Gamer Magazine #10 is now available! And you can read it for FREE. Simply click HERE to download the new issue. You can subscribe to the digital or physical edition HERE. Enjoy!

Forever Classic Podcast Appearance

I was on the Forever Classic Podcast recently, where we talked video game history, writing about video games, and more. You can listen HERE.

SNES Omnibus Writer Spotlight #49 - Kelsey Lewin

When I went to my first Portland Retro Gaming Expo more than two years ago, one of my primary objectives was to meet the Seattle area YouTubers, specifically the “Metal Jesus Crew”: John Riggs, Reggie Williams, John Hancock, Kinsey Burke, and Kelsey Lewin (I had already met Metal himself and interviewed him for a Retropalooza article). They were as cool and as nice as I expected—what you see on their channels is what you get—and it was great talking to them in person, as opposed to mere online correspondence.

I discovered that Kelsey grew up near me in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, so the next time she was in town, we went to The National Video Game Museum in Frisco, and then had some dinner later that day at a video game-themed restaurant called Nerdvana. Her brother went with us as well, which was cool. What struck me about Kelsey is that she’s mature, intelligent, and composed beyond her years. She’s also a lot of fun. We had a blast playing the world’s largest Pong machine, checking out the rare games, investigating the back room (thanks to John Hardie for the grand tour), and talking about all kinds of geeky stuff.

At the Portland Retro Gaming Expo the following year, Kelsey’s boyfriend proposed to her at the Saturday night auction in a highly unusual way, which you can check out HERE. It was awesome watching it live, and we were all super happy for the couple.

If you enjoy watching Norm “The Gaming Historian” Caruso’s videos, you should subscribe to Kelsey’s channel. She recently hit 100,000 subscribers—she really knows her stuff! I’m honored that she has a story in The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and Its Games, Vol. 2 (N–Z). Want to know why Kelsey is obsessed with strange and unusual gaming items? It’s in the book.

Here’s her bio as it appears in The SNES Omnibus Vol. 2:

Kelsey Lewin is a YouTube content creator covering weird and obscure games, consoles, and accessories. She co-owns Pink Gorilla Games, a retro and import video game store in Seattle, Washington, and she donates her spare time to the Video GameHistory Foundation.

New Video! - Arcade Gaming on a Budget

Tales from a Retro Gamer episode 2 is now online! In this video, I discuss Breakout, pinball, and how my brother and I played arcade games on a VERY limited budget. You can watch the video below or click HERE to watch it in full screen. I'm trying to grow my channel, so if you like the video, please consider clicking on thumbs-up and subscribing. Thanks and enjoy!