#GT interactive software

[suprcomputranimalracingsimulatr]

lode runner 2 (1998)

[aardwolfpack]

An exciting non-stretched gaming video!

[n64retro]

HeXen: Beyond Heretic (Raven Software, id Software / Software Creations, GT Interactive, 1997)

[nintendumpster]

[retrocgads]

UK 1998

[found-in-retro-game-mags]

Hexen

"Forget everything your mother said about running with sharp objects" (Ultra Game Players #97, May 1997)

[mvfm-25]

" Let the obsession begin, again! "

PC Zone n20 - November, 1994

[musicalueion]

[OST] Quake [1996]

Video Game

Artists: Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails

Developer: id Software

Publisher: id Software

Quake soundtrack vinyl records

Quake soundtrack on Spotify

Quake on GOG.com

Quake on Humble Bundle

Quake on Steam

Quake on Xbox.com

Quake is available to play on:

PC

Sega Saturn

Nintendo 64

PlayStation 4

Xbox One

Nintendo Switch

Xbox Series X/S (backwards compatibility)

PlayStation 5 (backwards compatibility)

[n64retro]

Quake id Software / GT Interactive / Midway Nintendo 64 1998

Quake 64

[homestuckreplay]

when your friends don't invite you to the matching username party :(

Now that we've seen all of John's friends talk at least a little bit, I wanted to deep dive into their usernames, and see what they might be able to tell us about the characters we don't know yet. For sure I've seen some weird usernames in my time on sites like MSN Messenger, but these seem especially weird, and not like words most kids would use.

There's also a weird pattern - all three of John's friends only use words beginning with T and G in their screen names. We have TT, TG and GG, so if they were doing a bit together we'd expect John to be GT, but instead he's EB - not even close. Could this be a sign that he feels disconnected from the friend group, not fully part of things, doubting that they want him around? Is it possible that the other three are all each other's 'real life' friends while John only talks to them online? Did John not want to be GT, or did nobody ever tell him there was a theme? Was he GT before, but then got mad at his friends one day and change it to spite them? Or is there another GT we have yet to meet?

Discussion of all four known chumhandles under the cut - only ~1k words :)

ectoBiologist - As discussed in my in depth John thoughts, the strict definition of this is 'someone who studies outside/external biology', which could relate to a huge variety of very niche fields - but, knowing John, almost certainly refers to the biology of ectoplasm, slime, and ghosts, a field which doesn't exist in reality but which John might consider himself a pioneer of.

As a sidenote, if John was GT, he might go in a different direction with his username. We know from TT that John regularly wears disguises while talking to her / interacting with his dad / just in daily life, and that he's into comedy and pranks (NOT clowns). Reflecting those, I came up with guisecladTrouper as a chumhandle that would fit the modifierTypeofguy pattern, as well as the letters. If anyone has any other GT ideas for John, I'd love to hear them!

turntechGodhead - TurnTech is a Chinese company founded in 2001 that makes scientific and educational software. This probably isn't the reference, but you never know; this kid could be really into science, happen to own a piece of software from this company, and have liked the word. I also think it could be short for 'turntable technology', which can be a few different hobbies - records/DJing, railroads, or sculpture/ceramics/metalwork. DJing fits his vibe but I think it'd be so cool if he was a train guy. 'Turn' relates to shaping or forming as well as changing direction, so he could be someone who develops his own technology.

This also fits really well with 'godhead', which is the true or essential nature of God in several major world religions. So this could be a suggestion of a guy with delusions of grandeur and a massively inflated ego, or, it could be someone who takes on the role of a god himself - some kind of creator. I really think this kid is going to be into invention, metalworking, and engineering. Built his own computer from scratch type of guy. I bet he owns a soldering iron and uses it for fun.

tentacleTherapist - Lots of living things have tentacles, including snails, squid, jellyfish, coral, moss animals, caecilians, the star-nosed mole, some carnivorous plants, Squidward, and mind flayers. Tentacles are generally associated with sea creatures, horror media, or both. Therapist, meanwhile, is a person who helps to heal someone's physical or psychological problems. The words sound really good when said together, but don't have an obvious link.

One idea is that she's someone who either lives near water or owns weird pets - a tank of snails or jellyfish seems reasonable - perhaps caring for or rehabilitating them from the wild. But the idea of her being into cosmic horror creates a fascinating parallel between her username and John's. John is a biologist; he studies, analyzes and understands academically, while TT is a therapist; she rehabilitates and understands emotionally. John works with ghosts and slime, while TT works with aliens and deep sea horror. It's delightful to me that they might have bonded by nerding out over paranormal lore, an interest probably neither of them shares with many people around them.

gardenGnostic - I keep reading this as a shortening of 'common or garden gnostic' as in 'your average, everyday gnostic' which, out of all the four usernames, might be the wildest one for a 13 year old to be. Much like 'godhead', 'gnostic' carries a very strong religious theme, especially with the capital letter - I know it's the syntax, but the words could be this way round for a reason. I'm definitely going to do some background reading on Gnosticism as we get to know this character to see how well it fits.

The first word could also be referencing the Garden of Eden, the original sin and the tree of knowledge; the combination indicating a character with a drive for spiritual knowledge and self-understanding above all else. In a more literal sense, I'm imagining someone who spends a lot of time outdoors and who would think nothing of a few injuries from the Slimer pogo ride in the yard. This chumhandle is also only a few letters away from 'garden gnome', which makes me think of someone who enjoys the ornamental, decorative, and whimsical.

Just as John and TT's usernames are a pair with similar themes, TG and GG's handles also match up. (Sidenote: does this mean these are the pairs of 'best friends'? Feels weird considering TT is the only one of the three who didn't wish John a happy birthday). Both TG and GG have chumhandles strongly related to religion, creation, and origins, with TG representing the mechanical and technical side of things, and GG representing the natural and environmental side.

So, that's our four chums! The most interesting thing to me is how well these pairs of usernames work together, despite John being outside of the letter pattern. Both these things feel very intentional and not like I'm reaching; they definitely mean Something in the themes, but it's too soon to say what. I'm so impatient to see more of these characters and learn anything concrete about them at all.

If you've made it this far, here's a quick poll!

[xwagnerplaguesx]

Game: Driver Developer: Reflections Interactive Publisher: GT Interactive Software Corp Genre: Action / Driving Platforms: Playstation, Windows, Gameboy Color, MacIntosh, iOS, Palm Pre

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Saturn - Mortal Kombat 2

Title: Mortal Kombat 2 / モータルコンバットII 完全版

Developer: Midway Manufacturing / Probe Entertainment

Publisher: Acclaim

Release date: 29 March 1996

Catalogue No.: T-8107G

Genre: Fighting

I've always thought the Mortal Kombat games were shit (at least in the arcades they were to me) but this Saturn version of Mortal Kombat II is the ultimate in shit. Apparently based on the PC MS-DOS version. You see, it's so bad that the Super Famicom version outdoes it in every aspect apart from actual character sizes. Mortal Kombat II on the Saturn is missing an awful lot of speech, animation, and even loads before finishing moves! The controls are just as tight as the arcade mind you but that isn't saying much since they were pretty bad in the first place if you ask me.

Overall, this is an awful conversion that really goes to show what lazy sods they were at Probe. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 by the British software house GT Interactive / Eurocom (a later release) was fantastic so why isn't this? By the way, like all Mega CD and Saturn games released by Acclaim in Japan, the instruction book is printed on shitty paper and in black & white. And for some odd reason, the disc is made in the US. Maybe it's got no region protection on it?

[doom-nerdo-666]

Something that is somewhat known is the box art of Final Doom being based off a real life type of ammo box.

Doomwiki: The box art created for Final Doom by id Software and GT Interactive uses the design of a US military M910 TPDS-T ammunition container, a type of target practice round for the M242 Bushmaster 25 mm autocannon. The design is inverted versus the usual orientation of the container.

So i wonder if any mod did a sprite for any bullet ammo pickup based on said box.

[n64retro]

Quake id Software / GT Interactive Nintendo 64 1998

[nintendumpster]

[retrocgads]

UK 1998