Pre-Orders for My New Book Are Now Open - Retro Pop Culture A to Z Volume 2: From Activision to Zelda

 

PRE-ORDERS ARE NOW OPEN!

I’m incredibly excited to announce that my first book in three years is now available for pre-order!

Retro Pop Culture A to Z Volume 2: From Activision to Zelda will ship in September of this year.

And as a special thank-you to everyone who pre-orders, I’ll include a FREE GIFT with your book!

U.S. residents only, at least for now.

To pre-order your signed-or-unsigned copy, please send $32 via Venmo to @Brett-Weiss-18. Or, you can message me on Facebook to get my PayPal information.

 The $32 includes:

• $25 for the book

• $7 for shipping & handling

Want your book signed? Just include a note with your Venmo payment letting me know. If you’d like it personalized, tell me the name you’d like me to make it out to. Otherwise, I’ll simply sign my name.

Thank you so much for supporting my work and helping make this new book possible. I can’t wait to get Retro Pop Culture A to Z Volume 2 into your hands!

Pre-order yours today!

The sequel to Retro Pop Culture A to Z: From Atari 2600 to Zombie Films, Retro Pop Culture A to Z Volume 2: From Activision to Zelda was a pure labor of love. There are 60 chapters on a wide variety of topics, including Activision and Atari 2600, the ColecoVision, cartoons, comic books, classic monsters, classic rock, the Console Wars of the 1990s, the Nintendo 64, robots in popular culture, Super Mario Bros., and The Transformers, to name just a few. If you want the full story on the Intellivision Amico debacle, this is the only place to get my perspective.

It's a diverse list, but the overriding theme remains the same: nostalgia. Each chapter is a deep dive into the subject, with most featuring quotes from collectors, experts, and/or celebrities. One of my favorite aspects of being a writer is interviewing interesting people such as Q*bert co-creator Warren Davis, Emma Caulfield (Anya on Buffy the Vampire Slayer), John Schneider of Smallville and The Dukes of Hazzard fame, and Lydia Criss, the ex-wife of former KISS drummer Peter Criss. I even go into detail on my unpleasant interaction with William Shatner.

 If you’ve ever stayed up all night watching your favorite film series in its entirety, dug through a box of cereal to find the prize, devoted an entire room of your house to your video game collection, camped out for concert tickets, spent a weekend treasure hunting at garage sales, or cosplayed as your favorite superhero or other fictional character, Retro Pop Culture A to Z Volume 2: From Activision to Zelda is for you. Most of the essays are reprinted from my years of working as a journalist, writing articles for newspapers and magazines, but there are some BRAND NEW essays as well. EVERY essay has been UPDATED FOR 2026, and EVERY essay features NEW “FONDEST MEMORY” ANECDOTES.

****THESE PAGES WILL APPEAR LARGER AND CLEARER IN PRINT

 The book includes:

 *60 essays on nostalgic pop culture favorites

*More than 117,000 words

*More than 240 black-and-white photos

*Quotes from celebrities and experts

*Production histories

*Author anecdotes

*And much more!

 Here’s the full list of essays:

 Introduction

1. Activision and the Atari 2600

2. Activision Classics: Top 10 Games of the 1980s

3. Back to the Future Part II: What it Got Right; What it Got Wrong

4. Barbie: She’s a Real Doll

5. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

6. Bettie Page: Queen of the Pinups

7. Black Lightning Strikes: Tony Isabella on Creating a Milestone Hero

8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Interview with an Ex-Demon

9. ColecoVision Christmas

10. Comic Book Fanzines: The Golden Age of Fandom

11. Daredevil: Blind Ambition

12. Dracula: Dead and Liking It

13. Dragon’s Lair: The Interactive Cartoon

14. The Dukes of Hazzard: Good Ol’ Boys Never Meanin’ No Harm

15. Dungeons & Dragons: The Neverending Quest

16. The Exorcist: A Film So Powerful It Will Make Your Head Spin

17. Flash Gordon: Savior of the Universe

18. The Original Flash TV Show: Gone in a Flash, Remembered for Decades

19. Frank Frazetta: Muscles, Monsters, and Masterpieces

20. Frankenstein: The Monster That Refuses to Die

21. Gilligan’s Island: A Three-Hour Tour

22. Harry Potter: Muggle Mania

23. The Hunchback of Notre Dame: A Legend That Still Rings True

24. Intellivision Amico: A Family-Friendly Fiasco

25. Jr. Pac-Man: A Chomp Off the Old Block

26. Ken Kesey Takes It Further: LSD, Literature, and Life on the Road

27. KISS: The Lydia Criss Interview

28. Lois Lane: Press Pass to Peril & Passion

29. Mickey Mouse Club: Of Mice and Mouseketeers

30. Mickey Mouse: The Mouse That Roared

31. Mr. Do!: An Apple a Day Keeps the Monsters Away

32. Night of the Living Dead: A Graveyard Smash

33. Nintendo 64: A Dozen Hidden Gems

34. Nintendo Entertainment System: Night of the Living Sprites

35. Obscure ColecoVision Arcade Ports: Coleco’s Cabinet Curiosities

36. Obsessed with Comics: Becoming a Collector

37. Peanuts: Going Nuts Since 1950

38. Photonovels: From Screen to Printed Page

39. Pinocchio: A Nose for Trouble and Truth

40. Planet of the Apes: Still Going Ape

41. Robin: The Boy Wonder Years

42. Robots in Cartoons: Toon in to Tomorrow

43. Robots in Popular Music: The Beep Goes On

44. Robots in Video Games: Wired for War

45. Rock Concert T-Shirts: Worn to Be Wild

46. Rolling Stone Magazine: Time is on its Side

47. Sears Catalog: Where Every Page Has a Price

48. Summer of Love: It Was (Almost) 60 Years Ago Today

49. Super Mario Bros.: Plumbing the Depths of Gaming History

50. Tabloid-Sized Comic Books: Making a Big Impression

51. The Time Machine: The Future Isn't What It Used to Be

52. Transformers: More than Meets the Eye

53. Under Fire: Classic Light Gun Shooters

54. Video Game History: The Early Years

55. Vincent Van Gogh: A Brush with Immortality

56. William Shatner: Captain Jerk

57. X-treme 16-Bit Showdown: Console War of the 1990s

58. Yesteryear's Arcade Hits: Game Boy Edition

59. Zaxxon: Beyond the Space Fortress

60. Zelda: Four Decades of Hyrule Heroics

Acknowledgements

 

My Tour of the Amazing Brady Bunch House in Studio City California

 

My wife Charis and I recently had the incredible opportunity to tour the famous Brady Bunch House in California, and it was an experience we’ll never forget. Walking through those rooms that so many of us grew up seeing on television was truly surreal. It felt like stepping right into a piece of TV history, with so many familiar details bringing back memories of one of the most beloved shows of all time.

A huge thank you goes to HGTV for the amazing restoration and the incredible job they did bringing the house back to life. The attention to detail was unbelievable, and you can really see the passion and care that went into recreating the magic of the original Brady home. Being there in person was something special, and sharing the tour with everyone has made it even better.

I’m so grateful that my video tour of the house has now passed 40,000 views! Thank you to everyone who watched, commented, shared, and took the time to enjoy this nostalgic trip with us. It means a lot to know that so many people enjoyed coming along for the tour.

Thank you again — and here are some kind comments on the video:

@scarletredmagic6724

I do have to say this is the best tour of the Brady home then other videos you really pointed out each and every detail the shelves everything I love it thanks for the great video 🥰

@Edde0425

This was great to watch. Bobby was always my favorite since we were about the same age when I was watching it after school. They did an amazing job recreating this.

@whouse7

Great job walking and talking through all the props!!! Yes, I remember just about all of them; how about when Marsha's bf tried to steal Greg's football play book... haha. Thanks for posting 👍

@Just.G

I loved the episode at Kings Island Amusement Park, Season 5, Episode 11! I dragged my sister there in the 2000 so I could reminisce about the scenes, we laughed a lot. Great video tour of the home. Thanks for sharing!

@roxangel6271

This was so much fun; thank you so much for taking us on the tour. I remember this house so well and what a great job they did recreating it. From what I heard there was no second floor on this house so they had to add it. My favorite Brady was Jan and of course Peter was my crush lol... I like your wife, I remember all the songs, what a great time. Thank you again!

@suegomez677

Loved the tour! Great job! Thank you so much! You guys were great to watch and funny as well. I made the trip out there a few years ago to see the house, but only the outside. They weren't offering tours at that time. I am a huge Brady Bunch fan from back in 1969. Watched the episodes hundreds of times. Barry Williams and I also share the same birthday. Some day I'd like to make it back to see the inside! 😊

@paulfranklin5861

Thank you for sharing your video, I absolutely love it! If I lived in the area, I would definitely do the Brady Bunch House tour! One of my favorite 'Brady Bunch' is episode 23 from the first season and its subtitle is "To Move or Not To Move", where the kids haunt the house because Mike and Carol want to sell it and move to a larger home and the kids want to stay put. So, the Brady kids haunt their house because haunted houses aren't selling! Anyway, I love all of the Bradys, but my favorite Brady kid is Jan. Thank you again, your video tour is awesome!

Texas Frightmare Weekend 2026 Preview - 20th Anniversary!

 

Texas Frightmare Weekend – May 22-24

20^th Anniversary Show

For horror fans, spring in Texas means one scary thing: Texas Frightmare Weekend. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, TFW has grown into one of the largest horror conventions in the nation—and I’ve been fortunate enough to attend since the very first show back in 2006, when it was held at the small Grapevine Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. That inaugural event already boasted an impressive guest list, including Joe Bob Briggs, scream queens Linnea Quigley and Brinke Stevens, effects legend Tom Savini, and more. A Lifetime Achievement Award was even presented to the “founding father of bad cinematic blood,” Herschell Gordon Lewis, making it clear from the start that this convention was serious about honoring horror history. Even in those early days, you could feel the passion in the room. It was intimate, grassroots, and packed with die-hard fans. Two decades later, the show has expanded dramatically, but the spirit remains the same—and I still have a great time every year.

For the past few years, the event has taken place at the much larger Irving Convention Center (500 West Las Colinas Blvd, Irving, TX 75039), and it fills the venue wall-to-wall with horror energy. Texas Frightmare Weekend is famous for its celebrity meet-and-greets, autograph sessions, professional photo ops, cosplay, film screenings, panel discussions, and awesome parties. The vendor floor is a collector’s paradise, offering everything from rare vintage horror memorabilia and autographed items to DVDs, VHS tapes, Blu-rays, toys, action figures, original artwork, and horror-themed clothing.

This milestone 20th anniversary celebration features some incredible reunions and major guests. Horror fans will be lining up for the Saw reunion with Tobin Bell, the chilling Jigsaw himself; Shawnee Smith, who became a franchise mainstay as Amanda; and Leigh Whannell, co-creator and writer of Saw who later directed acclaimed genre hits like Insidious: Chapter 3 and The Invisible Man. It’s a rare opportunity to see key architects of one of the most successful horror franchises of the 2000s together in one place.

Equally exciting is the announcement of the Halloween III: Season of the Witch reunion (my second favorite film in the franchise), featuring Tom Atkins—beloved for roles in The Fog, Night of the Creeps, and Escape from New York—alongside Stacey Nelkin and writer-director Tommy Lee Wallace. Halloween III has evolved from misunderstood sequel to cult classic, and this once-in-a-lifetime reunion will be a major draw for fans of the franchise.

Beyond the reunions, the guest list is stacked with familiar faces from horror and beyond. Warwick Davis, known for Leprechaun, Willow, and multiple Star Wars and Harry Potter films, bridges horror and fantasy fandoms. Mira Sorvino, an Academy Award winner for Mighty Aphrodite, also starred in genre fare like Mimic. Skeet Ulrich is forever linked to Scream and The Craft, two defining films of 1990s horror, and he was great as Jughead’s dad in Riverdale. Billy Zane brings crossover appeal from Demon Knight, Dead Calm, and the blockbuster Titanic. And Gina Gershon, known for Bound and Face/Off, adds even more star power to the lineup.

From its humble beginnings in Grapevine to its current status as a nationally recognized horror powerhouse, Texas Frightmare Weekend has become a permanent highlight on my calendar. Whether you’re a lifelong horror devotee, a memorabilia collector hunting rare treasures, or simply someone who loves the electric atmosphere of genre fandom, this 20th anniversary edition promises to be something special. I’ll be there—just like I have been since 2006—and I can’t wait to celebrate two decades of frights.

For hours, schedule, and other information, click HERE.

Rescue from Poseidon’s Gate for Atari 2600 by Audacity Games - REVIEW!

 

Rescue from Poseidon’s Gate

Audacity Games

Atari 2600

Action/Adventure, 1 player

2025

Created by David Crane

 

Rescue from Poseidon’s Gate for the Atari 2600 was developed and programmed by David Crane, best known as the creator of Pitfall! and co-founder of Activision. It is the newest release from Audacity Games, a company formed by Crane along with Garry Kitchen and Dan Kitchen, dedicated to producing fully packaged new titles—“probrews” as some have called them—for vintage Atari hardware. Like earlier Audacity releases, the game includes a professionally printed box and manual, a scannable QR code for uploading scores to an online leaderboard, and a physical cartridge that works on both original Atari consoles and modern clone systems.

I picked up my Collector's Edition review copy (thanks, Garry!) this past weekend at the Houston Arcade Expo, where I once again caught up with my friends from Audacity Games. I’ve known the group for years, having spent time with them at various gaming conventions and events at the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas where their passion for preserving and extending the legacy of classic gaming always shines through.

 

In the game, players assume the role of a deep-sea diver on a mission to rescue the Amphitrite mini-sub, which has become trapped on the ocean floor 100 fathoms below the surface. The adventure unfolds across five sequential phases, each with distinct objectives and hazards. It begins with a controlled descent, during which the player must manage air supply while avoiding or shooting dangerous sea creatures.

Upon reaching the bottom, the diver explores the sea floor in search of Poseidon’s Gate, the grotto where the stranded mini-sub is located. Movement here involves short, floaty hops reminiscent of lunar gravity, requiring careful timing. The third phase introduces the Shark Grotto, where the diver must fend off waves of sharks with a harpoon to free the mini-sub. After the rescue, the player retraces their path toward the ship’s anchorage, conserving air and avoiding familiar threats, before reaching the final phase—climbing the ship’s anchor chain to the surface. Success depends on balancing ascent speed with limited oxygen, all while evading additional underwater dangers. Throughout the journey, air management remains central to gameplay, with emergency air tanks available to replenish supply. Running out of air before reaching safety results in failure.

 

The game unfolds at a slow and methodical pace, which is one thing that makes it so absorbing. The deliberate movement heightens the tension, forcing you to think carefully about each action—this is not an easy game. The graphics are gorgeous, among the best ever seen on the Atari 2600. The player character is large, detailed, and smoothly animated, while the bubble effects and recognizable sea creatures lend the underwater world a surprising sense of depth (so to speak) and personality. It’s a technically impressive showcase for the 2600, reflecting Crane’s mastery of the hardware even decades after his original breakthroughs. While it’s not my favorite Audacity release (that honor belongs to Casey’s Gold), it is a quality title.

The undersea world is filled with both hostile and helpful creatures, as detailed in the game’s colorful manual. Among the threats are Red Crabs that steal small sips of air when touched, Electric Eels that attack aggressively on sight, and three species of Jellyfish—blue ones fast and deadly, purple ones sluggish, and orange ones drifting cooperatively to block movement. Even brief contact with a jellyfish drains air and stuns the diver. Rock Crabs are instantly fatal, easily recognized by their bright orange shells and black-tipped claws, while Sharks, the apex predators of the sea, can drain about a third of the diver’s air with a single bite. Yet not every creature is dangerous. Goldfish are harmless and worth 150 points each, with all 150 needing to be touched or harpooned for a perfect score. Sunfish, which are armor-plated and not to be shot, can buoy the diver up or push him down. The Gold Crab provides small sips of air when touched and may also hold treasure, though killing it to claim its riches forfeits its life-giving benefit. The elusive Seahorse is rare but required for a perfect game.

Treasure plays a major role in scoring. Gold Crabs scavenge valuables dropped by careless tourists, and the diver must choose between harvesting treasure or preserving a source of oxygen. The treasures—rings, watches, necklaces, money bags, and gold coins—are worth from 1,000 to 5,000 points, with an extra life available for certain totals. No treasures appear in Practice Mode. Points accumulate across all five phases, and a Status Screen accessible via the Select button displays elapsed time, lives remaining, air tanks collected, and total score. Achieving a perfect score requires completing all phases, collecting every treasure, touching all 150 Goldfish and three Seahorses, and finishing without missing any items.

 

Players who complete the rescue of the Amphitrite mini-sub while achieving at least 50,000 points gain entry into the “Deep Sea Daredevil Club.” By uploading their qualifying score to Audacity Games’ online leaderboard via smartphone, players become eligible to receive an embroidered membership patch (available for a small shipping and handling fee). Those who achieve a perfect score earn the right to receive an additional “Perfect Game” patch, commemorating their accomplishment.

 

Rescue from Poseidon’s Gate continues Crane’s long and influential career in game design, which began in the late 1970s with Atari and Activision. Like other Audacity Games projects, it fuses new gameplay ideas with the technical and aesthetic limitations of the original 2600 hardware. The manual, filled with diagrams, cute illustrations, and plenty of information, evokes the charm of early Activision instruction booklets while adding modern enhancements such as QR-enabled score tracking. The result is a carefully created blend of classic Atari/Activision style and modern production values—a deep dive into nostalgia that shows how the retro gaming spirit still thrives today through Audacity Games’ commitment to keeping that legacy alive.

RIP Billy Chaser - Interview from 2019: The Game Chasers, Adventures in Game Chasing Movie & More

With the tragic passing of Billy Hudson, aka Billy Chaser, I decided to share the interview I did with him for CultureMap when The Game Chasers Movie—which ultimately became Adventures in Game Chasing—starting filming, way back in November of 2019. Bill was generous with his time and provided some interesting history on The Game Chasers’ YouTube channel and lots of background info on the film. RIP, Billy, you were loved by many.

BRETT WEISS: How did you meet Jay?

BILLY CHASER: Blockbuster Video. We worked together at a store in Grand Prairie.

WEISS: Were you guys movie buffs?

CHASER: More gaming than movies, but yeah, we liked movies, too. We’d work our shift then go play video games. I lived in an apartment at the time and was studying at The Art Institute in Dallas. This was in 1999.

WEISS: How long did you work at Blockbuster?

CHASER: Less than a year. After that, I got a job at a television station.

WEISS: When did you guys start The Game Chasers channel?

CHASER: We started it in 2010 and began making videos in 2011.

WEISS: Was the channel your idea, and you approached Jay with it?

CHASER: Yeah.

WEISS: Was he receptive to the idea right away?

CHASER: Yeah, he’s generally up for anything. He loves video games and that sort of thing.

WEISS: I assume you guys were going around looking for video games long before you started the show?

CHASER: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Three to four years before the show started, we would go out to flea markets and pawnshops and Craigslist finds. It was a competition in a way. We didn’t go out together as much as we would separately. After work, I’d hit a pawn shop and show Jay what I had, and he’d get mad and say, “I can find better stuff.” So he’d go to a Good Will or a Salvation Army and find stuff. He and his wife at the time were double-teaming it and finding all those games at different places and collecting them.

WEISS: Lots of good finds, I’m guessing?

CHASER: During that three-to-four-year time frame, we probably amassed about 70 percent of our collection. It was much easier to find stuff back then.

WEISS. Oh, I can relate to that for sure. What was the germ of the idea for the Game Chasers show? What inspired you?

CHASER: I was already making videos on YouTube. My professional background is in video and film. We were watching a show called American Pickers. I don’t know why, we just liked it. I’d go over and hang out, and we’d watch American Pickers. It was entertaining, and one day it hit me that we should do a show like this, but make it about video games.

We were watching one episode, and they went to this place that had a bunch of junk, but in the corner they had a Vectrex just sitting there. They never mentioned it, they never touched on it, they never talked about it, and I’m sitting there like, “Dude, there’s a Vectrex in there, why aren’t you picking that up? C’mon, man!”

WEISS: They probably thought it was just a crappy old black-and-white TV or something.

CHASER: Yeah, the Vectrex is amazing. It drove me crazy, so I’m like, “Dude, let’s just do this with video games. We’ve got a Toy Chasers show as well. We collect toys, too. G.I. Joes, Transformers—basically all the stuff we grew up with, because we’re still big kids.

WEISS: What are some of the challenges and annoying aspects of filming The Game Chasers?

CHASER: The annoying aspect is that since we keep it 100% real, sometimes we go out and find nothing, which is getting more and more common. Getting kicked out of flea markets, the pressure to produce something that you have no control over is a challenge because we can’t control if a flea market is going to have vendors that carry games. A regular show like American Pickers has all these producers and people who work on them. They can send them out to places to look for stuff, because in TV, time is money. There’s no way that if we were on TV they would do it the way we do it, because that’s a waste of resources, going out on a weekend and potentially finding something or finding nothing. On TV, you have to meet a schedule. It’s just us, and we have no control over what we’re going to find.

WEISS: What is your favorite aspect of creating the show?

CHASER: I like the technical aspect. I hate going out and shooting because it’s stressful trying to find something so we can make a decent video, but once I sit down in my cave to edit it, I can relax and do my thing. Probably the best part is reading the comments after we post a video. When people say that they love it. We get messages from people saying they really appreciate the videos, that they helped them when they were going through a rough time. It makes it all worth it.

WEISS: The show is definitely entertaining. I find myself cracking up when I’m watching it. Do you guys have a background in comedy? Do you enjoy comedy films?

CHASER: We grew up liking the same type of 80s and 90s comedy road movies. We share the same type of humor. We incorporated a lot of that into the show naturally. Our animated cartoons are where we go really crazy, where we get as creative as we like. That’s what I really enjoy doing. The more scripted stuff. I love creating something out of thin air that never existed before. I can’t really do that with Game Chasers, because whatever happens, happens, depending on the situation. But with cartoons and a movie, I can create something from my mind that never existed.

WEISS: What is the movie going to be about? Is it going to be similar to the show, or maybe something completely different?

CHASER: Think of it as a fictionalized retelling of the Game Chasers in a prequel kind of way. It’s kind of how the Game Chasers came to be, but fictional. It’s a road trip comedy, but with elements of…it’s deeper than that. It’s not an hour-and-a-half of raunchy comedy with fart jokes. It’s got heart and soul and a lot of that kind of deep stuff. It’s basically Jay and I tracking down the original NES that we used to play as kids and how we use that to reconnect with our youth.

WEISS: But it’s fictional and scripted.

CHASER: Right. It’s fictional and scripted, but with elements of reality. Real life is boring. The things that happen to us in real life are boring, so you’ve got to “movie it up” and make an entertaining movie. The core soul elements of why we go and connect with these games and why we play them—that’s there, the essence of the movie, the heart and soul of the Game Chasers. While it may be in a different format, the basics of the Game Chasers are still there at the epicenter of it all.

WEISS: What can you say about casting at this point? Other than you and Jay, who is going to be in the movie?

CHASER: It’s going to be a combination of people fans have seen on The Game Chasers, people they’ve grown to know and love. There will also be a few people fans haven’t seen that will add a great deal of interest to the film. We’ve got our eyes set on one well-known Hollywood actor for a role. I want people to know that the movie won’t be just us taking the camera out and shooting the movie ourselves. We’re going to be hiring a professional film crew, a cinematographer, a VX artist who works on The Walking Dead and The Orville.

WEISS: What are some of the challenges associated with putting on a video game convention?

CHASER: One challenge is how many of these shows are popping up now. There’s over saturation to some degree, which can be both good and bad. A good thing is that people are used to them and know what they’re about. They can come out and have a good time and know what to expect, but also the vendors only have a finite amount of things to sell. If somebody visits one show, maybe they don’t want to go to another. A “been there, done that” sort of thing.

WEISS: Did you and Jay start Retropalooza because you noticed that the Dallas/Fort Worth area didn’t have much in the way of retro gaming conventions?

CHASER: That’s something we talked about. At this point, it’s mostly Jay who does it. Originally, we tossed around the idea of doing a show…crap, at this point is was more than six years ago. There was Screwattack Gaming Convention [in the Dallas area], but it wasn’t really like the other conventions we went to. It was more like a party for Screwattack fans. Sure, there was a vendor room where people could buy and sell, but it was more of an afterthought. We wanted to do a really big convention with a ton of vendors where people could come out and buy, sell, find anything they want.

WEISS: Yeah, Retropalooza is much more mainstream than Screwattack. That show was great fun, but they definitely catered toward their audience. They didn’t really do that much outreach to the community, at least for the first couple of shows.

CHASER: It was nothing like what we had in mind for the area. We tossed around the idea for a convention, and I kind of wavered on it at first, because I’m not a fan of organizing things. I’m the “artsy” guy for lack of a better word. I hate making calls and all that other stuff that goes into putting on a convention. I was like, “If you want it done, you’re going to have to do most of it. He kind of took it over and to where it is now.

WEISS: For you, what is the retro gaming culture like in the Dallas/Fort Worth area?

CHASER: It’s still going really, really strong. Every month, Facebook groups get together to buy, sell, and trade at a store or whatever. There are so many stores that have popped up in recent years. The DFW retro gaming scene is probably the best in the country. It seems to have the most people, the most competition. It’s a hotbed for buying, selling, and the overall celebration of it.

Dallas Fan Festival 2025 Preview – Celebrities, Collectibles, and Pop Culture Fun

 

Dallas Fan Festival is coming up October 4–5 at the Irving Convention Center, and I’m already buzzing with excitement. This year’s guest list is packed with familiar faces from across television, movies, gaming, and fandom. William Daniels will be there—Mr. Feeny himself—as well as Ed Begley Jr., and Dean Butler, who fans know from Little House on the Prairie and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (one of my favorite shows). Glenn Morshower from 24 will also be making an appearance, and of course two of my personal favorites, Kathy Coleman and Wesley Eure from Land of the Lost. As a huge fan of that show, a nostalgic favorite, I can’t wait to see them again, and it’s always extra fun since we’ve become Facebook friends over the years.

Another guest I’m looking forward to is Robbie Rist (I definitely grew up Brady—he was Cousin Oliver on the show), along with Melody Anderson from the Flash Gordon movie (another favorite). That colorful and quirky film holds a special place in my heart, and getting to see Melody again is a real treat—the first time was way back in 2006 at Comic-Con San Diego. Even better, Sam J. Jones will be back—Flash himself—and I have great memories of hanging out with him at the Houston Arcade Expo when we were both guests.

As a hardcore gamer, it will be cool seeing Samantha Kelly (Princess Peach) and Kenny James (Bowser). Adding to the mix will be a roster of talented voice actors from anime and video games, plus an array of comic book creators, making this event a true celebration of fandom across generations.

But Dallas Fan Festival isn’t just about the celebrity encounters. The weekend will be full of Q&A’s where fans can hear behind-the-scenes stories, autograph and selfie opportunities to make those memories tangible, and an incredible vendor room packed with comics, toys, memorabilia, collectibles, artwork, retro games, and more. There will also be cosplay, trick-or-treating for kids and families, and panels, demos, and workshops that give fans a chance to dig deeper into the creative worlds they love.

For me, part of the magic of a convention like this is the sense of discovery. You never know what you’ll find in the vendor hall or who you’ll meet in the halls—maybe a favorite actor, maybe a fellow fan who loves the same obscure show you do. I’ll be filming the event for my YouTube channel so you guys can come along for the ride, and you can bet I’ll be on the hunt for retro games and vintage toys to show off. It’s a mix of nostalgia, community, and the thrill of the hunt for something new to add to the collection. With so many favorite guests on the schedule and so much to see and do, I can already tell this Dallas Fan Festival will be one for the memory books.

PAX West 2025 Gaming Expo Report - MY FIRST!

Labor Day weekend in Seattle was unforgettable—my first-ever PAX West (and my first time in Washington state!), and I was struck by just how huge and full of energy the event was. From wandering the vendor booths to checking out demos, there was something exciting around every corner. One of the biggest surprises was the number of retro games on the vendor floor—NES, SNES, N64, Genesis carts and consoles filled three large booths. I even came across a few rarities I never expected to see at a show like this, making it feel like a collector’s dream. A short walk away, near the tabletop and retro console sections, the free-play arcade was buzzing with Japanese candy cabs, pinball, and classic machines that instantly brought the nostalgia flooding back.

The showroom floor itself was nonstop—rows of booths filled with indie experiments and AAA heavy-hitters side by side, including a forthcoming Masters of the Universe game I’m excited about. I picked up three titles from Limited Run Games (couldn’t resist!) and showed them off in my video recap, which you can watch HERE. Still, the highlight of the whole trip was Nintendo’s enormous setup. Their two massive booths showed off the brand-new Nintendo Switch 2, with playable demos of big titles like Kirby Air Riders, Pokémon Legends: Z-A – NS2 Edition, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Borderlands 4, and more. Kirby Air Riders was the real standout for me—it was the first time the game had been playable in the U.S., and it’s already shaping up to be something special ahead of its November release. Entry even required a “Warp Pipe Pass,” which added a fun, exclusive feel. Getting hands-on time with the Switch 2 and catching a glimpse of what’s coming next was easily the most memorable part of the weekend. Aside from seeing friends, of course.