No One Fights Alone

Update 2: The marathon is over, and you guys KICKED ASS! $2500 over 24 hours is NO SMALL FEAT! NICE job everyone.

Course if you wish to help further the go-fund-me is still open. After all, Club Tartarus never made it, just sent people it's way. So if you want to help ApsuBlack's family, you can still do so right here.

It may be for a sad reason we got together, but it is really moving to see the community do so.

Thank you.

PS: source of this update: https://x.com/Jes_Maid/status/2086506964562112525

Update: A master schedule has been released so you can follow the rolling event, so at these times.:

Enter2Credits      12:00 PM CST - 3:00 PM CST     Just Chatting / REPO
                                    (1:00 PM EST - 4:00 PM EST)

Mags                       3:00 PM CST - 6:00 PM CST     Titan Talk: Just Chatting
                                    (4:00 PM EST - 7:00 PM EST)

Bones Jangle          6:00 PM CST - 9:00 PM CST     Jackbox Games!
                                    (7:00 PM EST - 10:00 PM EST)

Shyver                    9:00 PM CST - 12:00 AM CST     Burglin Gnomes
                                  (10:00 PM EST - 1:00 AM EST)

Mango                  12:00 AM CST - 3:00 AM CST     Gaming: TBA
                                   (1:00 AM EST - 4:00 AM EST)

Tyrak                      3:00 AM CST - 6:00 AM CST     Meccha Chameleon
                                    (4:00 AM EST - 7:00 AM EST)

J.C. & Saber          6:00 AM CST - 9:00 AM CST     YouTube Reactions
                                    (7:00 AM EST - 10:00 AM EST)

Rosa                        9:00 AM CST - 12:00 PM CST     Marvel Rivals 
                                    (10:00 AM EST - 1:00 PM EST)

Original Post: 

Hi everyone... normally when I post, it's either a new review or an update for Extra Life and how we are doing with it. Today is different, and different for a rather sad reason. If you have been with me on other social medias, you know I have fallen in with a group who are doing awesome things with AI to create some awesome animations, images, and even music... and this group recently has lost one of their own. He went by the online name of ApsuBlack, I will not claim to have known him, I did not. But I have seen how many have and were impacted by his passing from a hard fought bought with cancer.

This weekend, this group (dubbed Club Tartarus) is holding a charity series of streams for his family, each rolling into the other for effectively a 24 hour event this Saturday (8/8/26). The links provided by the group will be a gofundme for the family, and I am encouraging anyone who reads this to come stop in. No one should face what he did and his family needs the help.

Don't worry, I will get back to my usual Extra-Life stuff later, but right now, this is important. I will update when I know exactly how to track which stream they are at, but I suspect the best place to start will be the club's own twitter page.

Thank you for listening, and see you this weekend.

-Megabyte

Descent II (PC) Review

While I have incredibly fond memories of playing the first Descent game, it would not enter my home alone, When I picked it up, it was in a boxed set of both Descent, Descent II, an expansion pack for each, a level editor, and a few teaser pictures for the up coming and much anticipated Descent 3. Sadly we would wait several more years before we would hear about this third game again, and the expansions are a lot harder to get today then back then, but I was still excited to continue my revisit on this franchise. And it did NOT disappoint! Come on in!

Transient (PC) Review

When the dice called up this game, I had no idea what I was getting into, but the concept intrigued me. Turns out it was for good reason: it's been a while since a developer got the concept of Lovecraft quite this well... come on in.

Boltgun: Forges of Corruption (PC) Review

While our first run with BoltGun was overall satisfying, we did not complete the story just yet. For when Max Powers picked this one up for me, it was the deluxe edition, which included the DLC expansion pack and I knew I was coming back for it. And for better and for worse, it was everything I expected from more of this boomer shooter. Step inside.

MARVEL Cosmic Invasion (PC) Review

When this game was an announced, I was actually pretty excited to see it. It had been a good long while since I saw a beatem-up I was even interested in, but to see one clearly made to feel like the old games I grew up putting quarters in felt special. Add to this good cross platform play since my brothers and I are always looking for good games to play together (they are console players) and we were all in. This week, we finished up and yeah, it lived up to everything I wanted... and even made me smile with a few surprises on the way. Step inside.

Extra Life 2026 May Update

Hello everybody. It's been a hot minute since I've posted on this, but it really is something we can not forget is going on. After all, we are doing this to help sick kids who are stuck and don't have the luxury to forget.

But I am getting ahead of myself. To anyone new here, welcome in and welcome to our own little push for a little something called Extra-Life. And what is it? Well it's a charity drive run by the Children's Miracle Network in which gamers get to sign up and raise money for their local children's hospital by doing what they love. If that sounds good to you, come join the site and get signed up and come join in on the fun! The process could not be simpler!.

1. Go to www.extra-life.org and sign up. 
1. The website will feature a nice big yellow "Sign up" button which will guide you through the process. It is really easy and has all the regular processes except:
1. Picking a hospital. Who you play for is a bit more specific then just "Extra-Life." While you sign up you will also be offered a list of hospitals within the Children's Miracle Network. Once you pick one to play for, all your donations will go towards that hospital specifically.
2. Set yourself up to bring donations into your choice hospital.
1. Once again the site will have plenty of suggestions, but among the biggest things you can do is (if you are here to play video games) setup your streaming service to play through your new participation page! The site supports both Youtube and Twitch. (I am STILL hoping to see Rumble join the list one day.)
3. Start playing!
1. Draw attention to why you are playing. Once again, the site is your best place to get ideas.
2. While I may focus on video games, myself this is NOT just about those. It's about any game you can think of: Video, board, card, or hell even Tabletop. Have some friends who play D&D? Why not do some good for the world while you have fun!
4. In early November, get ready for the big one, the 2026 24-hour gaming marathon!
1. In previous years, this would be on the weekend of daylight savings to extend the marathon to 25 hours, but last year, it was decided with so many needing a raindate anyway, a week was set aside where games picked their day.

Easy, right? And that's all you need to do to use your hobby to help children who really need it. But if you are not a gamer or don't think you have the time, that is ok too. After all, we need your help to to help them, and if you help me help them, well, I'm honored and humbled.

You can find my team page easily enough: it's the big Extra-Life icon in the upper right corner of this very page.... or you can click the button below. From there, the donate button will guide you the rest of the way. Everything goes to the hospital the player you donate under is playing for and again, I thank you for anything you can do to help.

And of course we are not just gonna sit around and wait for the big event. Around here, we do our best to show off the event and what you might see during it twice a week. Our themes haven't really changed as we spend one day pushing through a franchise I still love to this day and the other basically playing with how far you can take the idea of First Person gaming... and just how varied it is

• Phantasy Star Wednesday: Come join us Wednesdays at 8 PM Eastern where we play through everything released in the US. From it's 8-bit origins all the way to the still ongoing PSO2: New Genesis! Currently we are wrapping up the Hunters Guild missions of Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 before starting Episode 2. And if you want to join in the fun, you absolutely can for free! We can be found on the Ephinea server and with all intention to let anyone interested join us! Just look for the "Red Sector" game. If you are not where we are do not worry. I've always been happy to lend a hand and get someone else started down their journey (and certain missions in particular I know really benefit from a partner in the field). So come on in and join the fun, either in chat or directly in play! You are welcome!
• First Person Friday: And this is where the REAL variety show happens. Every week we stop in as we show off games, both action and otherwise, where you see from the eyes of your character. We have played everything from Descent to the 7th Guest and we are still looking for new experiences to share! Currently we just re-opened Boltgun to play the Forges of Corruption DLC, and so far it is already intense! Come see what the 41st Millennium can throw our way every Friday, also at 8 PM Eastern.

In both cases, you can join the chat and see us on Twitch or our Extra Life Participation page and we would love to see you there! But on that note, Im afraid my time to write is up for now. I have a lot to get done before Mother's Day this weekend. Enjoy your day and keep on gaming!

- Megabyte

Escape from Monkey Island (PC) Review

After how much I absolutely loved Curse of Monkey Islands, I was actually looking forward to this game. Well I can at least say it was an eye opener for how fast a franchise can fall. Avoid this one, guys.

Desecrators (PC) Review

On First Person Fridays for Extra-Life, I am trying to alternate between more action based and more puzzle based games. With the last game being more point and click then action and a craving for more games like Descent, I found myself picking up and playing a game I had never heard of, but a certain prominent youtuber pointed out during his review of my personal favorite Boomer Shooter. And while he was right about the game being straight up sadistic from time to time, I always walked away happy with my night and somehow wanting more.

Saga of the Moon Priestess (PC) review

I've been enjoying myself playing a lot of older games as of late, particularly on stream. So when the dice called up a game that promised to relive the old days of a certain green-clothed elf on his adventures to save a princess, I figured it might just be a fun time fueled by nostalgia... both mine as a child and a new developer. However this one proved more of a warning right from the opening screen. Come on inside: this won't be pretty.

Realms of the Haunting (PC) Review

Fresh of the joy of playing Descent as a First Person Friday game for Extra Life, I found myself wanting to continue with another MS-DOS title and immediately thought of this gem. While I was taking on my fellow gamers every week in the PTMC mines, I was playing this one on my own and loving everything about it. I don't think Im giving anything away telling you that, yes, I still loved this game. But at the same time, it wasn't quite what I remembered. Let's talk about it.

Filament (PC) Review

Here we have a game I picked up on a whim when Epic Games gave it away as one of their free titles of the week. It had that kind of trailer that suggested behind the bright colors and cozy vibe, it might just hide something darker for the observant gamer to pick up on. And to be fair, that kind of feel usually gets at at least a curiosity glance. This time, maybe I should have just left it at that glance.

The Curse of Monkey Island (PC) Review

It has been a long while since I played a Monkey Island game. In fact the last time I played one, I hadn't even started this website yet. The first two were fun, but the second one left me on a rather confusing note and not entirely sure I should continue. Today, I answer that confusion as the dice called game 3 from the depts of my backlog... and I waited WAY too long for it.

Extra Life 2026 HAS BEGUN!!!!

Hi everyone! If you've been here for a while, you probably were waiting for this announcement. After all, I've been part of this event since it began as a small event on the now defunct Sarcastic Gamer website, and I have absolutely zero intent of ever stopping any time soon. For those of you who are new, welcome aboard.

As for what it is, Extra Life is a charity event that has been going on since 2008. Back then, I was a regular listener to the podcasts of Sarcastic Gamer and enjoying the antics of our hosts. (If you can guess my name in the forums there, I will be impressed.) On this particular day, it would not be so fun. In fact it would be one of the hardest things I have ever listened to... a grown man crying over the death of a child.

To explain, the man who owned the site, affectionately known to the community as Doc, is a family friend with a now older couple who's child that day lost her battle with cancer. But he couldn't just let things end on that note, so to try to help other kids in similar fights and to thank the hospital who helped her during hers, he came up with an idea: within a few weeks, the site would get together and play video games to raise money to help the hospital do just that. Her story is told here better then I ever could and I sincerely recommend going to see the video.

It was an absolute success... so much so in fact the community demanded to do it again. And so we did the next year to even more enthusiasm. The next year after that would push it even further as Doc would gain connections in the Children's Miracle Network, allowing us to not only help this single hospital, but to raise money for our own local ones and help kids closer to home.

And here we are, 10 years after Sarcastic Gamer shut down and Extra Life is stronger then ever... and I am once again humbled and honored to take part again. I have already updated the link on the side of the website to point to our team page, so feel free to come in and help us help the sick kids!

For now though, I am honored to continue the coarse started last year to both help the kids and  celebrate the games that made my tastes. to that end, I invite you to join me on my twitch page (or the above link. You can come see me in both places)! You can find it here or in the list of links to the side of this site and I am there at the following times every week:

• Wednesday at 7 Eastern time: Phantasy Star Wednesday as we march through the entire franchise! We have already done the classic 8 and 16 bit games in the series and are currently working our way through Phantasy Star Online via the Ephinea private server. Come join us on stream or even in game! I run an open room with this site's name.
• Friday at 7 Eastern time: First Person Friday where anything wherw the camera is from the eyes of your character is up for grabs to be played. Lately I've been on an MS-DOS kick, having gone from Descent straight into Realms of the Haunting, a hybrid point and click and FPS title I loved in my earlier days. Once again, I invite you to join me as we rub elbows with a biblical apocalypse.

But on that note, I think it's time for me to go. I've said one hell of a lot for a post that was supposed to be just officially throwing our hat in the ring and welcome others to join us... no complaints, just an observation that I should probably get going.

See you all later and out there in the gamespace....

- Megabyte

Silver Chains (PC) Review

This title has been a few years coming. During the big yearly sales I make a point to add titles that have been sitting in my wishlist for a while to my collection, and so I wound up with this in my library a few years ago. And while first impressions were absolutely amazing, I have to say as I put down my mouse, I am glad I got it at that steep discount. The bones are very pretty, pretty enough in fact to justify the game even with so little to it... at least until the very end.

Warhammer Quest (PC) Review

Recently in my nerd-talk conversations with my brother, we spoke about Warhammer and Warhammer 40K games and he told me how most of them are pretty awful. Between the fondness of the old HeroQuest game first impressions of this reminded me of and wanting to be optimistic, I was hoping this would be a game to prove him wrong. After all I have collected but not played a ton of these games yet. But this game really just puts a notch in the point he made.

Descent (PC) Review

Now THIS is a game I have some history with. Way back in my high-school days, I found this game like most did: by the shareware version. I loved playing it immediately, getting very good at those first seven levels on my own. I even got together with kids in my class once a week to take over the school library and have 8-player matches against each other. It was a blast! And when I finally got a the official collection with this game and it's sequel late in the life of that 486 machine, I found myself loving everything that followed. But the game would ultimately fall to the side as I found my all-time favorite games on my next PC during the Windows 98 era, including the legendary Deus Ex.

So now as I play First Person games for Extra Life every week, I had planned to open up a much forgotten title I played long ago, only to have it have some serious technical issues I am still aging the fix to as we speak. So I needed a substitute. Looking back far further into my gaming past, my eyes fell on this gem. Does it still hold up? Well.. ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY!

But as a side note, I did not play the base game this time. Like so many FPS titles of the day, the game's code has since gone open source and as such there are several source ports you can use to make it run with some modern quality of life updates. I played this one using Dxx-Rebirth so my exact experiences may be different from yours. But I did include a link to get the port yourself if you wish. Just be aware I hold no responsibility for the software. Use it at your own risk and scan ANYTHING you download! Now with that out of the way, step inside.

Tales of Berseria (PC) Review

This is it, my first taste of the legendary "Tales" games. Its a series I've heard so much good about, and an entry where the main character had my curiosity, so when the dice called it out, I jumped in eagerly. But as I finish up, I look back and, well, if you know the phrase "more then the sum of it's parts" then you are looking at a game that feels like the absolute reverse of that. It has all the pieces, but somehow is less then what it should be.

The First Descendant (PC) Review

I have been watching this title since the first trailers were revealed. Right away the world itself pulled me in with an aesthetic that harkened to one of my favorite franchises, but with a realistic looking twist. So when this became the co-op game to play, I eagerly agreed. Looking back, it started with a bang and for a while did everything I could hope for. But as I put down the mouse for the last time, the game definitely feels like it ends with a whimper, especially compared to that strong start.

Warhammer 40K: Boltgun (PC) Review

Originally this was not the game I had planned on playing next for First Person Fridays (one of my streams I do weekly for Extra Life), but things both good and bad changed those plans. On the downside, the publishers who sell the game I was originally goning play are now on my shit list for their behavior around a very public murder and for the foreseeable future you will not see anything by them being added to my work: stream or review. But on the upward swing, my buddy Max Powers sent this my way, and how could I say no to a buddy? Having put the game down, yeah it was a great time for the most part, if not a perfect one.

Thank you, but we are not done.... Extra Life 2025

UPDATE: It seems I posted this prematurely... because Extra Life itself had NOT posted the totals from the week... well now they have and you may want to sit down.

As a total for the year (so far) we have raised:

$10,552,585

EVERY GAMER who took part in game week and everyone who donated to help these sick kids should be PROUD OF THEMSELVES. Thank you all of you! Now back to the original post.

Hi everybody. How are you doing? Gameweek has just ended and while I am STILL tired 2 days later, I can honestly say it was a great time.

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, Extra Life did things a little different this year. Where as over it's long and storied history, the charity culminated in a single Game Day where gamers would play for 24 hours straight, this year a full week was dedicated so gamers could take full advantage and pick whatever day works best for them. You can see our event across several vods that currently live on our twitch page and will ultimately (for the most part) be moved to our Rumble channel so they can live for more then a week. (Yeah, that's a real issue... thanks twitch.)

But what is Extra Life, I hear some of you ask. Well to explain, lets set the way-back machine to a younger time when gaming websites were booming and I personally had found myself treating one as my online home called "Sarcastic Gamer." If you were there, it was exactly what you would have expected from a community site of the 2000s: it had a forum for gamers to talk, joke, share gaming discoveries, and it even had a podcast or two for weekly radio-style shows, and I absolutely loved all of it. But it was not always happy news. The founder, "Doc", was the one who would drop the biggest bombshell for as long as I was called it home... the day Victoria passed away. Who was Victoria? Well Doc was a friend to her family, so he knew her personally before she lost her fight with cancer in Texas Children's Cancer Center. I still remember driving into work and listening to that podcast as it had downloaded the night before, and those tears still haunt me.

But from this heartbreak came Extra Life, an event to give her legacy meaning and to thank the hospital for their efforts to help this girl in that fight. And of course the community took to it like fish to water. We would spend the next few weeks to raise money for the hospital, then do what we all do best to push it to the end: a 24 hour gaming marathon. I am still honored to be have been a part of that very first Extra Life in 08, but it wasn't enough for any of us. We would do it again in 09, an 2010, and so on... and here we are now. Sarcastic Gamer is gone, Doc has moved on to work with Children's Miracle Network directly, and the event itself has gone global through them... but we are still here, doing what we love and using that hobby to help the kids who need it most. 

And as I noted, at the very beginning, Gameweek for this wrapped up yesterday, Sunday November 16th. Personally I am grateful to be able to help out with this and to do my part. Personally I play for Boston Children's Hospital.

Looking back over the year, I can not say this was an easy one, though. I had to take roughly a month out of the situation due to medical reasons which frankly took me down hard enough, for two separate hospital stays, the latter ending with several days at my folks place to recover. Nor can I honestly say that was the only issue I've had this year... in fact I would argue 2025 was my year of Hell. BUT we still managed to bring in $400 ourselves for the event, no small amount for a small community like this. And I would like to thank you all for that.

But we are not done with this year. Extra Life takes donations year round, so if you would like to help us help the kids, we are still going through the end of the year.... you can expect the same twice-a-week Extra Life streams I've been doing for a while now... and we will be on Twitch for a little while longer since the Extra Life page will be active through December and links directly to the service. Thank you for any help you give now or in the future... the kids need it and I am humbled.

Thank you again - Megabyte: Head Archivist of the Red Sector