Galaga Arcade1Up

Now that I’m starting to settle down in Jacksonville, I’ve been requesting shows in the area to get a better lay of the land. Right now, the only venues I’ve been to are Decca Live and Jack Rabbits. Jack Rabbits, based on the bands they are booking, is fast becoming my favorite venue in Jax.

Tonight, I’ll be heading out to Underbelly, or rather re-named/re-branded to Albatross. I know ‘underbelly’ sounds scummy and shady, but at least it’s a known name for the last decade. With the new name, I’m not sure what that is! Is it a bird?

Anyway, hopefully I’ll get to check out more music in the area.

As for the gaming, I finally got around to putting together my Galaga Arcade1Up. I’ve had this thing in the original box for more than a year, because I knew eventually, I had to move to Jacksonville, and it was just easier to leave things in its compact state. When I put it together, I soon realized I did not bring my Pac-Man and Street Fighter II console controllers… so instead of putting the Galaga side art, I prefer the bright yellowness of the Pac-Man side.

I seriously don’t really have the space for these cabinets. If you’re in the same boat, do yourself a favor and invest in a cab that has a ton of games on it, rather than a cab that only plays Galaga and Galaxian. That’s my biggest complaint about these first generation Arcade1Up machines. For about $300 (on sale), you can get a Pac-Man machine that has 14 other games on it, including Galaga.

My computer is all setup. I lost two computer monitors in the move (all my fault), but thankfully Alienware OLED monitor is in working order. I had the original Alienware box with all the protective cardboard that helped with the long move. I suggest, if you are planning on moving, to keep the original box, if you can.

I also kind of lost my Corsair keyboard, so I’m using my Asus Azoth keyboard, as my main driver, with a cheap (but very good) Inland 10-key. Both are wireless, but sometime I’ll plug them in to recharge the battery or have instant connection (to conserve battery when in Bluetooth mode, the devices often go to sleep).

I also lost my Razer Speakers (it just broke in the move!), so now I’ve reverted back to an old Sony Portable Bluetooth Speaker. This thing is built like a tank and just as heavy… but it still works after 11 years and it sounds great. I have other speakers in the house, but this one has the best sound (in my opinion).

In free video games news, Dead Island 2 is currently free on Epic Games. I bought this game when it first came out in 2023 on Steam. I got it on sale and never really played it… one day, maybe last year, I found out I got an automatic next-gen upgrade for Dead Island 2 for free. That’s the cool thing about PC gaming… unlike Nintendo or Sony that charges $10 for something like this.

If you have Amazon Prime (gaming.amazon.com), you can get Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus for FREE on Xbox/PC (Games Anywhere). The Xbox free games are great, I previously got Wolfenstein: Old Blood, Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Mindcraft Legends for Xbox. I love it, keep it up with the free Xbox games! At the rate we’re going, I feel like we’re going to get Doom next.