Well, we failed with our Extra-Life 2014 Marathon. Our team, the Vidiots, (feel free to donate) were able to make it most of the way but hit a wall in the 18th hour.

Although our team failed to stay awake, many others didn’t. The grand total as off 8am this morning was over five-million dollars raised, smashing the record from last year handily.

As much fun as we were having, we still couldn’t quite make it all the way. People started dropping off in ones and twos until there was nobody left.

All told, even though we didn’t meet our goal, I consider this a success. Our team was thrown together at the last minute and the event was sandwiched in the middle of what’s turning out to be a very challenging school year. We raised a little money, blew off a lot of steam and gave us an excuse to finally clean the living room.

We enter the last quarter of our Extra-Life 2014 Marathon with our team the Vidiots  (feel free to donate). As we enter our 14th hours it’s clear folks are starting to flag, but second winds seem to incoming.

Since the last update:

• We lost one! Our first victim is sawing logs on the downstairs couch.
• There has been even more “Towerfall: Ascension“. For the past few hours two of our more dedicated team members have been working slowing through the brutal campaign mode. Unfortunately they’re hitting the last, and hardest, levels as they’re losing more and focus.
• The other surviving team members are wandering from laptop to handheld listlessly poking at old favorites like “Team Fortress”.  I’m not optimistic that they’ll be awake much longer.

Six more hours. Six more hours!

We continue our Extra-Life 2014 Marathon with our team the Vidiots  (feel free to donate). As we enter our 14th hour it’s clear folks are starting to flag, but second winds seem to incoming.

Since the last update:

• There has been a lot more “Towerfall: Ascension” action on the PS4. The level of customization available in the game, an insanely deep but incredibly subtle handicapping system and a hugely effective sense of humor makes this a favorite of anybody that touches it.
• Because we’re gluttons for strange we also played the highly bizarre “Cho Aniki“. This homoerotic acid trip never saw translation or retail release outside Japan, but is available for the PS3 as “PS1 Classic”. Truly, this game has to be seen to be believed; and if you see it, you won’t believe it.
• Most of the time was spent with “Buzz: Quiz TV“. We’d forgotten how much fun this title was, even if the questions, after six years, seem a little dated. Still, we played six or seven full rounds so clearly it didn’t matter too much.
• We just recently, finally, started playing “PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royal“. A five gig download, 30 minute install then a full gig patch. We’re having fun, but it felt way too much like work!

We’re likely to lose people off-and-on from this point out. 10 hours left and I know I’m already feeling it.

We kicked off our Extra-Life 2014 Marathon, with our last-minute attempt at a team – the Vidiots  (feel free to donate) – about eight hours ago. I had planned on making regular updates, but I’m having too damn much fun, so shoot me.

The entire event – thanks almost entirely to the $115 our team has contributed – has raised nearly four million dollars so far and shows no sign of slowing. The strength and determination of sick kids is amazing, and this money will go to ensure that there are even more sick kids around to inspire us all!

The line-up so far as been pretty eclectic:

• Plans to begin with “PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royal” were scuttled by a corrupt game file. The game was deleted and re-downloaded.
• While that was being done, the group decided to move to the PS4 and start with some manic “Towerfall: Ascension” action. This is, hands down, one of the best four-on-a-couch games ever made.
• Staying in the same vein, we moved to some “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” on the Wii.
• The group went even older-school next with some analog “Monopoly“, which was abandoned long before it was completed.
• People wandered off to do their own things for a while and there was some Team Fortress, a little PS3 Flow, PS4 Escape Plan and a whole mess of semi-private PC and 3DS gaming.
• As dinner time approached a good idea turned ugly as we attempted to get four Dual Shock 4 controllers connected to a laptop via HDMI to play the hilariously fun “Lethal League“. The entire exercise was, um, “problematic” and athough it did work, basically, for a short time it was abandoned pretty quickly.
• Now – because why not? – they’ve decided to play “Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon because I DON’T KNOW!” on the Wii U.

(I’ve been informed that I may have missed the point of the fund-raiser. I don’t think so.)