James Tocchio

I’m very overwhelmed by life right now and feel like I’ll never be successful, and that I’m letting down my kids and wife. So I’m reminding myself that I bought this car with an exploded engine for $800, and then I rebuilt it and gave it to my wife and she loves it.

One night twenty years ago, my pet cat had this sudden strange sore on his paw and he was limping around my apartment, bleeding and being sad. There was a veterinarian office on the corner across the street, so I loaded him into a crate and walked him to the vet. It was about 8 pm, not too late.

“Well, what do I owe you??” And he said “No, it’s fine. I don’t work here.” And I said “What do you mean?” And he said “I’m a janitor. I just clean the place.” And I said “Oh.” But I thought “You just shaved my cat, sir.” And being 20 years old I said “Alright, well. Thanks man.” Then walked home.

One night twenty years ago, my pet cat had this sudden strange sore on his paw and he was limping around my apartment, bleeding and being sad. There was a veterinarian office on the corner across the street, so I loaded him into a crate and walked him to the vet. It was about 8 pm, not too late.

The vet said “It doesn’t look like it needs stitches, but I think we’ll put some antibiotic ointment on it and bandage him up. He’ll need a cone to keep from messing with the bandages.” “sounds good,” I said. The vet got the supplies and went to work. In about ten minutes, the job was done.

One night twenty years ago, my pet cat had this sudden strange sore on his paw and he was limping around my apartment, bleeding and being sad. There was a veterinarian office on the corner across the street, so I loaded him into a crate and walked him to the vet. It was about 8 pm, not too late.

And I said “Oh hey, thanks, my cat seems to have a problem. Are you all open right now?” And he said “Yeah, come on in, come in.” He brought my cat into an exam room with me and he gently coaxed him out of the crate, gave him some pets, felt his bones and examined the cut with a light.

One night twenty years ago, my pet cat had this sudden strange sore on his paw and he was limping around my apartment, bleeding and being sad. There was a veterinarian office on the corner across the street, so I loaded him into a crate and walked him to the vet. It was about 8 pm, not too late.

"We showed it to my colleagues in sales and marketing, and everybody hated it," Layden says. "But I thought, This is Masaya Matsuura. He made PaRappa the Rapper. We respect him." An excerpt from my conversation with Shawn Layden for my Vib Ribbon Oral History. www.designroom.site/vib-ribbon-o...

It took almost 15 years for Vib Ribbon to come to the USA. It's one of the most beloved games in PlayStation's catalog for many people, and it's one of the most inventive games of its era. Here's Vibri in Astro Bot.

"We showed it to my colleagues in sales and marketing, and everybody hated it," Layden says. "But I thought, This is Masaya Matsuura. He made PaRappa the Rapper. We respect him." An excerpt from my conversation with Shawn Layden for my Vib Ribbon Oral History. www.designroom.site/vib-ribbon-o...

I’m the coach of my daughter’s softball team, and at practice tonight many of the girls were avoiding the ball, flinching away from plays, jumping out of the box, cuz they’re afraid of getting hit with the ball. To convince them that getting hit with the ball is no big deal…

I reviewed Finding Polka in the newest issue of @debugmag.com. This hand-drawn hide-and-seek adventure sketched entirely in ballpoint pen by @lidlocks.bsky.social is one of the most moving games I've played this year! You can read it now by subscribing to Debug in print or digital: debu.gg/sub

Freelance game journalists are so stubborn and stupid and absolutely in love with this dumb medium. We have to scrape and claw for every opportunity, beg for access to developers, work multiple jobs to make ends meet, and we do it with so much heart and love for the people who make and play games.

If you like something someone writes about a game, just tell them they did a good job. It's a little human kindness that means a lot. I'm grateful for every opportunity I've been given, love my editors and those who have spoken with me, and care so much about creating something good. On we go.

There are many reasons I think PS3 is the greatest PlayStation console of them all, not the least of which is that it’s the first time we could play Vib-Ribbon in the USA. This is such a special game. If you haven’t played it yet, get it on the PSN Store now before it goes away forever next year.