Forums > Contributor Zone > Alpha Marathon 2013

Hey, all. Remember when EmP, our much-beloved resident cynic, made the Alpha Marathon as a way to encourage everyone to review a game starting with every letter of the alphabet throughout the course of the year? Remember when he won twice in a row, only to be throttled in the event's third year of history? Humiliated, EmP dropped off the face of the Earth never to continue the topic again. Or maybe the discontinuation of the trial simply had to do with increasing lack of interest in the community and otherwise busyness in life on part of the creator to continue. Either way, I'm bringing it back for another shot.

For anyone interested in challenging themselves this year, all you have to do is post a list of all 26 letters (and the infamous #) and fill them up as you write reviews. The winner will be the first person who reviews all 27 characters by the end of the year. Of course, anyone who manages this feat should be commended, as it's really quite difficult when you're running a busy life.

The only thing you should remember is to let us know from time to time when you've updated your list, as we won't always come around to check it.

And with that, let the race begin!

What espiga does in his free time
[Eating EmP's brain] probably isn't a good idea. I mean... He's British, which means his brain's wired for PAL and your eyes are NTSC. - Will

It would be good for me to write some reviews. I've had to put aside my fiction writing to get my school work done, finishing editing this war memoir, and finalize a major film deal (fingers crossed). So if I can fit in some reviews it'd be a good release for me. This would be about two a month, so... Aw, heck, why not? As long as I can count my Mass Effect review.

#:
A:
B:
C:
D:
E:
F:
G:
H:
I:
J:
K:
L: Little Nemo: The Dream Master
M: Mass Effect Trilogy
N:
O:
P:
Q:
R:
S:
T: Tomb Raider
U:
V:
W:
X:
Y:
Z:

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

27 reviews? Here goes:

#:
A:
B:
C:
D:
E:
F: Final Fantasy XIII
G:
H:
I:
J:
K:
L: League of Legends
M:
N:
O:
P:
Q:
R:
S: Spec Ops:The Line
T: Tomb Raider
U:
V:
W:
X:
Y:
Z:

Mobius 1, engage...

I might as well try. Here's my record for the year...

#:
A: Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you steal our garbage?!! (3DS)
B: Battletoads (NES)
C:
D: Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (3DS)
E:
F: Fortune Street (Wii)
G:
H:
I:
J:
K:
L:
M:
N:
O:
P: Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (3DS)
Q: Quackshot: Starring Donald Duck (Genesis)
R:
S: SimCity (PC)
T:
U:
V:
W:
X:
Y:
Z:

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto

Might as well. I can't say I'll go out of my way to complete this but let's see how many I can knock out. (Not many for the foreseeable future, as the two games I'm slated to review this month are already duplicates.)

#:
A: Anarchy Reigns
B: BioShock Infinite
C: Crysis 3
D: DmC: Devil May Cry
E:
F:
G: Gears of War: Judgment
H:
I:
J:
K:
L:
M:
N:
O:
P:
Q:
R:
S:
T:
U:
V:
W: The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series
X: XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Y:
Z:

You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it.

Oh ho! And who was it that throttled EmP that year? Who was it? That's right, yours truly! I abstained from doing this last year, but I think I'll try a hand at it again this year. I'm off to an okay start so far...

#: 10-Yard Fight (NES)
A: Action 52 (NES)
B: Bloody Good Time (PC)
C: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS)
D:
E:
F: Final Soldier (TG16)
G: Godzilla: Kaijuu Daikessen (SNES)
H:
I:
J:
K: Kirby's Dream Land (GB)
L:
M: Mega Man 2 (NES)
N:
O:
P:
Q:
R: RoboCop (NES)
S: Sacred (PC)
T:
U:
V:
W: WWF Royal Rumble (SNES)
X:
Y:
Z: Zeno Clash II (PC)

Excessive Excess:
Faria (NES), Chains (PC), Battle Arena Tohinden (PS)

The only thing my milkshake brings to the yard is a subpoena.

I currently have nine. I also have three that begin with the letter "S" and two with "D".


#:
A: Abadox
B: Bloody Warriors
C: Captain Commando
D: Dragon Quest VI: Maboroshi no Daishi
E:
F:
G: Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou
H:
I:
J:
K:
L:
M:
N:
O:
P:
Q:
R: Romancing Saga 3
S: Secret of Mana
T:
U:
V: Vay
W: Willow
X:
Y:
Z:

THOSE ACCURSED DUPLICATES!!!!!:
Dead Moon
Salamander
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

FOR THE RECORD: I won this thing three times. Three! I've completed it twice, and it's also been completed only by previous winner, Joe, and sneaky efforts by Suskie and Schultz. I miss Schultz; someone track him down.

For us. For them. For you.

I think EmP, Suskie and I are tied now. Oh, it's going to be a battle royale!

The only thing my milkshake brings to the yard is a subpoena.

I updated the leaderboard for everyone. If I made any counting errors (going from 5 to 6 can be rough for me), let me know!

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle