Choo Choo (Patreon)

Basketball season is underway and I’m struggling to believe ten games have passed. The Detroit Pistons are 4-6 which would not generally be a record worth excitement, but they didn’t secure their fourth win last season until January. This is what they call a “strong start” in Detroit. Bickerstaff seems to gel better with the guys than Williams did, which is to say at all. Jaden Ivey looks like the offseason was his most transformative yet. Cade looks very solid, but not like the star player so many have hoped. He’s been great with the assists and getting the ball around. Beef Stew has even been a stronger presence. Time will tell what Harris and Hardaway Jr bring to the team. I’m happy to have the game back, it really gets me through the end of the year.

I recently started playing Densha de GO! Yamanote Line with the dedicated train controller and it’s just so much damn fun. It’s a drive stick with nine levels of brake as you push it up, plus five levels of drive as you pull down. The drive can’t be engaged without pushing a button on the side of the handle to prevent accidental acceleration. A spring also pulls the stick back from drive into neutral if you release your grip. The game is all about making as close to a perfect stop as possible both in terms of distance and time. It’s all about coasting, maintaining an optimal speed while following the changing speed limits and sounding the horn at appropriate times. It’s precise, but also relaxing and feels like a very different type of arcade game.

This weekend I’ll be going to Buffalo for family matters. I’ll get to see my niece and nephew, eat some great food, and play with my parents’ dogs. I’m trying to get my reading back up to a book a month and I’m looking forward to having some time to work on that. I’ll also be editing the Yokoi Kids Annual #2 which we hope to have printed by the end of the year. We all got busy in October and had to put it aside for the month. Fingers crossed! 

-Ian