ArcadeBlock – June 2015 Review

ArcadeBlock is one of the numerous “Blocks” from the vicious shipping overcharging overlords at NerdBlock. This one is for Arcade style vidyagames (and obscure references to the 90’s sometimes).

ArcadeBlock
19.99$ Per Month + a stupidly large amount of shipping making this box close to 30$
Ships late in month via UPS
Box looks like an old NES console, good for confusing the hell out of the UPS guy

I know what you’re saying/thinking, “Beeju, it’s like the butt end of July what are you doing reviewing a June box?” My only excuse is a simple one; I’m somewhat lazy, but also I’ve had over 50 boxes arrive between June and July (what the ever loving hell) so yeah, priorities. Could I have reviewed this sooner? Absolutely. Especially since the photos have been sitting on our server for a good two weeks. Could I have finished a 20 page report on the negative PR implications of social media faster than I did? Absolutely. I swear the sole point of graduate school is to see how many pages a report needs to be before you break down and start hating the world (the answer is a steady 15 pages with a 2 page margin of error).

Moving on. The entire point of that introduction was that I got busy with school and then it got buried beneath other photos. I literally got reminded that I hadn’t done June’s when my shipping notification for July arrived. Whoops. #qualityblogging

I also just got an e-mail that my subscription was about to expire, on September 24th. Way to money grab, NerdBlock. You keep your filthy paws off my wallet.

ArcadeBlock is a geeky subscription that always includes a T-Shirt, which go up to a family friendly size 4x in unisex, 2x in fitted ladies (for an extra charge, naturally). I’ve had a few discussions with about the shipping charges, but I generally hate paying shipping for anything. Seriously, I bought a 3 months subscription to this little jerk and paid 2 boxes worth of shipping. What the hell. June’s box was light, like, seriously if I was to randomly chuck this at someone in a fit of hostility, it wouldn’t leave even the slightest dent. I expect dent worthy boxes if I’m paying a hefty premium for shipping.

Each box contains an info card that is conspicuously buried underneath the pile of loot you paid a goat for. It details the items and what they’re from – thankfully – because you know, everyone from the 1990’s played metroid (NO). The box is also themed each month, I legit don’t remember what this theme was supposed to be so let’s just call it “blue.”

Team Fortress 2 Shirt
Well the shirts are better fitted than the ones from 1UpBox, as in they don’t turn you into a giant display sausage by being so tight. I did order a 4x because well, I’m a big gal, but I typically run in the 2x range depending on the make of the shirt. This is Gildan, and it does fit well, though it cuts off at the neck because all Gildan shirts in existence do this. Team Fortress 2 is lost on me, I’ve never played this game. The red, blue and random balloon reference does remind me of the horrors of playing Mario Kart battles with D Lys.

Coexist Bumper Sticker
This would be the neatest sticker on one of those ultra tiny electric cars, you know the ones that make a vain attempt at being considered a regular car but we all know they’re just luxury metal boxes. Either way I do like this sticker because it has a pure nostalgia effect, though neither myself or D Lys could figure out what the E was.

Portal 2 Magnets
Another game I’ve never played. The portal series is crazy popular and I’m sure lovely in its own right, but all I see is a cake magnet. Cake. Magnet. Cake Magnet is on my fridge. These also remind me of the stick guy you see on restroom signs, like, maybe he’s going on an adventure then mysteriously turns into cake? You go, little bathroom sign dude. Be all you can be.

Metroid Print
I do, by all accounts, really love art prints. I have several pixel art prints of Earthbound on my wall. I love pixel art with one major caveat, I love art prints of games I’ve actually played.

RETRO Gaming Magazine
Generally I enjoy reading gaming magazines because I’m one of those people who has lost touch with the gaming world to the point I don’t know a new game has come out in my favorite series until it hits the 1.99$ bin at gamestop. However, I really don’t care for the layout of this one. It’s not fluid at all, and the articles just seem to have little information.

Max Speed Race Watch
This watch has a few key features; it’s fairly high value because of its exclusivity, it’s masculine in design, it has multiple dials and features, and finally it has the bonus effect of burning your corneas with a single switch. This is BRIGHT. Like, light up a city during a power outage bright. It is VERY neat though, and each time it turns off and on it the lights have a different design. I’d honestly keep it if it weren’t so masculine and if I didn’t have enough eye problems already.

This box wasn’t particularly thrilling, other than the fact that everything was in some sort of a blue hue besides the T-Shirt having random reds screwing with the ambiance. Honestly my favorite thing about it is the bumper sticker and I’m sure that will look spiffy on the back of my 2008 caravan. I kid, I kid, I’ll probably frame it. The rest well…. no idea. I won’t wear the shirt and the magnets are an okay inclusion but they’re magnets. Other than recreating some sort of dramatic play where bathroom stick man turns into a cake, they’re not that useful. I should have figured that I would have subscribed to the month when they stopped sending out the cool stuff, like Zelda shot glasses or Pac Man salt and pepper shakers. This is like that one month Beauteque got good all over again.

Well if you’re interested in ArcadeBlock, the initial cost before shipping and plus size t-shirt fee is 19.99 and you can sign up by clicking here.

Vidya Review – Warning, bright watch is bright

Purchased. All opinions are my own and no compensation was received. I went stupidly snarky with this idk what happened