August Update

The one with the hottest new fashions

Author

Darren Hupke
August 16, 2025

Hey everyone! Darren here with a brief summer update. Things have been quite busy at Pixels and Polygons HQ, with work marching along swimmingly on the next 32 Bit Library book, the release of Beat ‘Em Up Vol 1, my trip to Long Island Retro Gaming Expo, working on the final two issues of Retro Game Zine (and something extra) for the year, and more already filling up the month! Keep reading for info about it all!

Beat ‘Em Up Vol 1 was released on 8/8, and I have shipped all the Kickstarter rewards to backers. I have an additional stock available on pixelsandpolygons.net, but do you know what else I have? T-shirts!

One of many colors available now!

So you can not only get your own copy of my latest book RIGHT NOW, but you can dress for the occasion and read it in your very own comfort soft shirt today.

In addition to the Beat ‘Em Up shirt, I have a number of other designs based on the amazing Ry-Spirit artwork from the Retro Game Zine covers, and some logo-only options. Take a look right now to see them all for yourself.

See them all, plus color variants, at pixelsandpolygons.net

An update on the next 32 Bit Library book: This is the one with 50 games that were released as part of Sony’s “Greatest Hits” lineup. This gives me a chance to mix it up and cover some games that wouldn’t typically get covered in my traditional format. Sorry, Activision fans, there is just too much junk there to do a whole book about them!

My personal goal is to have all the writing done for the games by the end of the month. I probably have 2/3rd’s of it done already, then I’ll start an InDesign file and start dropping in my content. I have been playing and capturing screenshots as I write the entries, so even though I am moving through the list at a slower pace than my previous volumes, I am doing 100% of the work along the way.

This should all mean a Kickstarter being prepped in September, and hopefully launching at the end of that month if I stay the course. Is anyone excited for more 32 Bit Library?

Retro Game Zine will continue, with the Mario Tennis (GBC) issue hitting in September, along with the Um Jammer Lammy issue chasing it for October, but what’s in store for November and December? Why it’s Harvest Moon and Snatcher! Work is progressing well, and I am super excited about the guest contributors for these issues. I’ll share more when the Kickstarter begins in early September.

Work-in-progress look at RGZ011

In addition to the final two issues for the year, I am working on a Retro Game Zine 2025 Annual. What this will be is a book/compendium/omnibus collecting all 12 issues from 2025 into a single collection. I am also working with an artist who’s got a long history of creating original covers for gaming magazines for a special cover for this edition… Find out more when the Kickstarter goes live!

My trip to Long Island Retro Gaming Expo was amazing. I got to meet a few folks I have only interacted with over the internet in person, hosted my own panel, sold some books and zines, and bought some cool retro gaming junk! I broke down the whole show and talked about it in a bonus episode of the Pixels and Polygons podcast. You can listen to it right now on most podcast platforms, and over on Sounstone.network right now! Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, tell a friend, and help me out!

That’s all I got for you this month! Check out the shirts, grab yourself a new book or zine, and catch up on the podcast. I plan to stay busy through the end of the year, so I will likely be back next month with another update. Thank you for your time and for your support!