Black Viper manages, whether intentionally or not, to find game equivalents for all the shortcomings in typical Eurospy films.

For those who’ve read and commented on my medical adventures and subsequent musings, my thanks and an update. It’s been a little over a year since I walked out of the hospital and I can report that readers of Tap-Repeatedly know more about my medical history than the medical professionals treating me. Seem odd? Tag along on my most recent doctor visit and judge for yourself.

First, my humble thanks to everyone for the sympathetic Tap-Repeatedly response to my unexpected medical adventure(s). I continue to be warmed by your kind wishes and can happily report that I am healthy, active, and glad to be alive.

I can also report that I think I have finally solved the mystery of why I was bleeding in the first place. Sort of had to. None of the medical professionals I interacted with had any explanations to offer, so I became a detective on my own behalf. This is that story.

Foreword by Steerpike

It was 2008 – around this time of year, actually – that I sent an email to Jen, and asked in oh-so-casual a tone what it cost to maintain Four Fat Chicks, the beloved gaming site she had run tirelessly for nine years before announcing her retirement.

She told me. “Are you thinking about taking it over?” (absolutely not, I thought, I wouldn’t have the first idea how. I’m just curious).

And then: “You should talk to Brad. That’s MrLipid. He asked me the same thing.”

Well heavens, I thought. Maybe we could do it in partnership. That would make it a lot easier. He’d do the work, I’d take the credit, everyone would win. So I got Brad’s phone number from Jen and gave him a call.

Review by MrLipid A Casual Revolution Author Jesper Juul Publisher MIT Press Released 2010 Verdict: 5/5 Gold Star “Let’s start with the hype. A Casual Revolution is terrific. A succinct, informative, thoughtful examination of the forces that have been, as its subtitle says, reinventing video games and their players. Oh, and on top of all that, it’s just plain fun to read.”

What kind of games are battery powered? Well, one kind is the kind that Robert Green makes at his company, Battery Powered Games: the kind that run on Android devices. (It was tempting to write “cell phones” but that isn’t entirely accurate. More than one class of device runs Android.)

Tremble, humans, before the return of a sartorial sarcophagus so inundated with insanity, so grim in its grimoire, that it can only be known as MrLipid’s Closet of the Odd! Your greatest Weirds lie within. Do you dare explore it?

Review by MrLipid Heaven: the Game Developer Genesis Works LLC Publisher Genesis Works LLC Released September 2009 Available for PC Time Played All the way to heaven Verdict: 2/5 Rotten Egg As the fellow who reviewed the pair of games in the Wild Divine series, it seems only fitting that I take on (and offer my take on) Heaven. After all, both Wild Divine and Heaven make claims about improving the spirituality of their players, …

Review by MrLipid Pure Hidden Developer OUAT Entertainment Publisher OUAT Entertainment Released July 2009 Available for PC Time Played Long enough to fall in love…repeatedly Verdict:  5/5 Gold Star PC game development is a herd sport. If a game catches the buying public’s fancy with a new play mechanic, it doesn’t take long for the buying public to be confronted with a wide range of modestly different variations, each attempting to bring its own spin …

Review by MrLipid Three Cards to Midnight Developer Big Finish Games Publisher Big Finish Games Released May 2009 Available for PC Time Played Probably not as long as it seemed Verdict: 1/5 Roadkill “It’s later than anyone thought.” It’s been a long wait. A very long wait. But now, the waiting’s over. Which means we can go back. Back to what? Back to waiting.