With a new year of gaming almost upon me I decided to take a quick look back at the last year (and a couple months beyond that). Take a look and let me know what you think!
[img width=700 height=64]http://www.classicgamecreations.com/images/cgclogo1.gif[/img] [img width=556 height=490]http://www.classicgamecreations.com/images/jrd.jpg[/img]
John Dondzila is the founder of Classic Game Creations (CGC), a company that creates homebrew titles for the Vectrex. John currently resides in New Jersey. You can check out his website and purchase his games at: http://www.classicgamecreations.com. John, thanks for your time and for agreeing to do an interview with me.
Continue reading Vectrex Interview Series #3 - John Dondzila
After seeing the multiple postings throughout the site of people not able to find a final copy of Nintendo Power magazine, I did some hunting locally.
I was able to find 6 copies available for fellow members.
[img width=700 height=368]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/Webboards/S7303654.jpg[/img]
If you can't find a copy locally, and don't want to spend the $25-$50 price on eBay and Amazon, let me know. I will sell these copies for $12 shipped, and shipped in a Priority Flat Rate Padded Envelope, so my profit is almost nothing. This is for US members. For international members, the shipping for Priority Flat Rate Padded Envelope is higher, so the cost will be $20 total, if that means of shipping is acceptable to your country.
I will continue to search around, and I hope that other members will post what they can find for others before they are all gone.
SIDE NOTE: This is an attempt at helping out other members, so please do not request a copy so that you can flip it for profit.
This will likely be my last NES game playing update for the year. The last game I was able to cross off my list is probably one that most people could care less about, and that was High Speed. Nothing against pinball sims, but was the NES really able to handle them, let alone such a well known table? It definitely had its flaws, and it was painfully challenging to both launch off the table in a rocket and best the 51 million point highscore, but it wasn't all bad. It was very satisfying to get the multi-ball running, or unlock and hit the extra ball. The most annoying part of the game though was that they didn't even give the option to play just the standard High Speed game. The only way you can play it is with the annoying enemies spawning on the table attacking your ball or flippers and the out of place mini-games in which you leave the table to play another game before being returned back to where you were. It would have been nice to have just a standard version as well as the one included with the game.
[img width=641 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/HighSpeed-Ending.jpg[/img]
There is lots of time left in the year to play NES games, but I'm going to give myself a brief hiatus before attempting my 100 in 100 challenge come January 1st. Firstly I'm going to use some of that time to start cleaning contacts on my ever growing pile of NES carts so that come 2013 I'll have no problems playing them.
Secondly I'm going to try my hand at expanding my youtube channel by offering up a few different kinds of videos to compliment my gameplay vids. Duke.Togo has already started assisting me in this by helping me upload the Collectorcast episodes there in hopes of expanding our audience ever so slightly. I've also been toying around with the idea of maybe doing some Pick Up videos, Game Room Tours, Reviews, Gaming Retrospects, Let's Plays and just in general getting more involved with the very interesting youtube gaming/collecting community. Any advice or assistance in this would be greatly appreciated.
So since I started playing NES games and recording them in October 2011 I've managed to beat 224 different titles. That works out to beating roughly one NES game every second day since then (.50 games per day if I did my math correctly). Not too shabby when you consider some of the time sinks I've played through such as: Bases Loaded, Bases Loaded II, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ultima: Exodus, Ultima: Quest of the Avatar, Ultima: Warriors of Destiny, Roger Clemens MVP Baseball, etc.
Here is the full list of my NES triumphs during that time:
Beaten Since Oct.8th /100
(click on a title to see the video)
Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros 2
Super Mario Bros 3
Mega Man
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 4
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Castlevania
Adventures in the Magic Kingdom
Duck Tales
Duck Tales 2
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2
Felix the Cat
Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout
Ren and Stimpy Show: Buckaroo$
Double Dragon
Contra
Super C
Contra Force
Power Blade
Power Blade 2
Dynowarz: The Destruction of Spondylus
Metal Storm
Journey to Silius
Air Fortress
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Blaster Master
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turltes 2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3
Legendary Wings
BreakThru
Commando
Guerrilla War
World Games
Snoopy's Silly Sports Spectacular
Caveman Games
DK Classics
Jaws
Ninja Gaiden
Where's Waldo?
Bonk's Adventure
Panic Restaurant
Bubble Bobble 2
Dr. Mario
Bubble Bobble
MC Kids
Batman
Circus Caper
Roller Games
Widget
Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures 2
The Jetsons
The Little Mermaid
Monster in my Pocket
Gremlins 2
Kirby's Adventure
Kickle Cubicle
Kung Fu
Yo! Noid
Xexyz
Puss 'N Boots: Pero's Great Adventure
Wall Street Kid
The Karate Kid
Archon
Golf
Super Dodgeball
Super Spike V'Ball
Jakcie Chan's Action Kung Fu
The Three Stooges
Ice Hockey
Tecmo Bowl
Track & Field
Mario Bros
NARC
North and South
Barbie
Battle Chess
The Simpsons: Bart vs. The World
The Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak
Snow Brothers
Little Samson
Sky Shark
Ninja Gaiden II
Mike Tyson's Punch Out
The Simpsons: Bart Meets Radioactive Man
StarTropics
Little Nemo: The Dream Master
River City Ransom
StarTropics 2: Zoda's Revenge
The Jungle Book
Castlevania III Dracula's Curse
Mario is Missing
Blades of Steel
Hogan's Alley
Wild Gunman
Burger Time
Silver Surfer
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones
Ghosts n Goblins
Tetris
Pro Wrestling
Gradius
Zanac
Adventure Island
Karnov
Trojan
Excitebike
Baseball
Spy Hunter
Adventure Island II
Tennis
Battletoads
Shadowgate
Battletoads/Double Dragon
Pinball Quest
Section Z
Godzilla
Hydlide
Marble Madness
Back to the Future
Darkman
Terminator 2
Robocop
Total Recall
Predator
Robocop 2
Robocop 3
Hudson Hawk
Home Alone
Home Alone 2
Batman Returns
Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters
Die Hard
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The Krion Conquest
Adventures of Dino Riki
Ultima: Exodus
Legacy of the Wizard
Ultima: Quest of the Avatar
Darkwing Duck
Ultima: Warriors of Destiny
Legends of the Diamond
Pro Sports Hockey
Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball
Yoshi's Cookie
Kick Master
Zombie Nation
Stadium Events
Super Jeopardy!
Joust
Yoshi
Dance Aerobics
Adventures of Bayou Billy
Pipe Dreams
Ski or Die
Werewolf: The Last Warrior
Simpsons: Bart vs The Space Mutants
City Connection
American Gladiators
Roundball 2-on-2 Challenge
720
Athletic World
Super Team Games
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Gumshoe
Bases Loaded
The Addams Family Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt
Kings of the Beach
The Blues Brothers
Volley Ball
Lode Runner
3D World Runner
Twin Eagle
Dragon's Lair
The Adventures of Rad Gravity
Break Time: The National Pool Tour
Bases Loaded II
Rainbow Islands
Conquest of the Crystal Palace
Peter Pan And The Pirates
Kid Kool and the Quest for the Seven Wonder Herbs
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Dragon Strike
Slalom
Wrath of the Black Manta
Race America
Treasure Master
Krusty's Fun House
King's Knight
Mighty Bomb Jack
Bases Loaded 3
Castelian
Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll
Dirty Harry
Conan
Cobra Triangle
Spider Man Return of the Sinister Six
Tag Team Wrestling
Eliminator Boat Duel
Galaxy 5000
George Foreman's KO Boxing
Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge
Thunder & Lightning
Heavy Shreddin'
Flying Warriors
Rocket Ranger
Roger Clemens MVP Baseball
Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure
Destination Earthstar
Street Cop
Short Order/Eggsplode
Star Voyageur
Days of Thunder
Laser Invasion
Silent Service
Back to the Future 2 & 3
Overlord
High Speed
BONUS GAMES:
Assimilate
Future Plans - Destroy a ton more NES games staring next year!!!
Hello, everyone. Like many of you, I was pretty excited to see the Genre restructuring project when it was announced here on RFG. Once I got a look, I was a little worried. The Genre that contains many of my favorite games, the Space Sim genre, was absent. Suggestions and points proved fruitless and I was rebuffed. It seemed that the Vehicular Combat genre was destined to hold my beloved Space Sim games, no matter how strongly I felt about it. Once stopped and thought about the situation a bit more, I realized I may have been too hasty. Why don't you sit down for a moment. Pull up a chair, and I'll explain where I stand: Why the Space Sim doesn't work well as a genre, and why I think there should be a bit more clarity.
From this point on I could blab on about early Star Trek games and even Space Wars, but instead I'd like to focus on the two roots of the Space Sim genre, which are Star Raiders and Elite.
[img width=300 height=394]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c3/Star-raiders-game-manual-cover.jpg[/img]
Star Raiders was originally released for the Atari 8-bit in 1979. You piloted a ship, the Atarian fighter, as you attempt to destroy the Zylon fleets before they destroy your space stations. The ship is controlled from the first-person for combat and hyperspace jumps, and you can switch to a grid map to help navigate between different points. All you have to do is hyperspace jump from sector to sector, destroying Zylon ships as you go. The game is fun and very straightforward, and is still very playable (even on the original Atari 8-bit).
While the influence can be felt more on the NES title, Star Voyager, than any other game, the influence can be seen in the LucasArts space combat games (X Wing, Tie Fighter), the main Wing Commander series, and Starlancer. The focus of such games have always action-oriented, though story elements and character development began creeping in during the early nineties, even as the original "exploration" elements were taken out. Was this the right decision? Probably not, in my opinion, but it certainly helped refine the genre.
So while these games are still generically referred to as Space Sim games (sometimes as a Space Combat Sim), they would fit quite neatly in the Vehicular Combat genre (maybe under a Space genre, given that so many of them take place in outer space).
[img width=480 height=598]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Elite_org_cover.jpg[/img]
Elite, considered by some to be the first real example of a modern space sim, was released for the BBC Micro and Electron in 1984. While the game had plenty of stuff to blow up, you could also trade items (the manual often refers to your ship as a trading vessel) and engage in illegal activities, such as piracy. There are a total of 8 galaxies, 256 planets located in each galaxy to travel to, each with their own space station (and each randomly generated). While there is a main story (which in some cases requires you to literally go looking for it), there are also many other side missions and things to do. You can even skim fuel from the surface of a star!
From there things branched off. Unlike the games that where influenced by Star Raiders, there are many games in this genre that are not played from the first-person, but rather from a top-down view. Games such as Sundog, Starflight, and Star Control II, follow this trend. There are also hybrid games such as Space Rogue. Later titles include Wing Commander: Privateer, the Freelancer series, the X series, the Evochron series, and many more. Games such as the Battlecruiser series, Universal Combat, and Dark Star One share some trading elements from Elite, but tend to be more combat related that the others.
Games from this branch also tend to be referred to as Space Sim games, but are usually tagged with something like Trade, or Exploration. Me, I think the Sandbox is a little bit more accurate, given that freedom of movement and actions are a big part of what you can do (similar to the GTA and Elder Scrolls games).
Now, for those that are willing to endure it, I would like to share my personal journey through the Space Sim genre. The games included are only games that I have played, and following each synopsis I include what subgenre of Vehicular Combat I think it belongs in: Vehicular Combat (Space) or Vehicular Combat (Sandbox).
Game: Star Voyager
Platform: NES
Year Played: 1990
Star Voyager was the first game I rented, and my first experience with a non-Nintendo created game on the NES. To those taking notes you'll notice this game bears a very strong resemblance Star Raider (featured above), though certain functions had to be simplified for the NES controller (for the better, in my opinion). Regardless of that, the game, without a manual, is pretty much impenetrable, and even with guidance it can seem a little too abstract. You fly around through space, doing hyperspace jumps from area to area, fighting enemies while you search for upgrades to your shields and weapons. Not much, but still fun. On a personal level, this was the game that got me into space sim games. (Thanks for the vid, Crab)
Game: Star Trek
Platform: Arcade
Year Played: 1990
This was the first title I sought out after my experience with Star Voyager (at a local arcade called Red Baron). Oddly enough it was very similar to Star Voyager, though it was very limited in scope (though it takes nothing from the game itself). The vector graphics are great, however, though it certainly helped that I was a big Star Trek fan. The game? You fly around in space, blowing up Klingons with vector phasers. Good stuff.
Final Verdict: Vehicular Combat (Space)
Game: Star Control II
Platform: DOS
Year Played: 1992
While this game does have a versus combat mode, the main mode is very much a sandbox title. You follow a human survivor as he gathers up allies to battle the hated Ur-Quan Empire, explore a massive starmap filled to the brim with planets, converse with strange aliens, mine and sell materials, land on planets, and do a bit of ship combat as you progress. That part is particularly fun, as there are more than ten ships to fly (each representing a particular race), with each ship having a primary and secondary attack option. What sucked is that my friend who owned Star Control II would never let me play the sandbox mode unless I could beat him in the versus mode (extremely rare). Nonetheless, this only fueled my fire to go further down the rabbit hole. Great game. (Skip to 3:13 for the gameplay)
Final Verdict: Vehicular Combat (Sandbox)
Game: Wing Commander
Platform: SNES
Year Played: 1993
In the past this game was called a space sim, though later reclassified as a space combat sim. It follows the exploit of a group of combat pilots aboard the space carrier Tiger's Claw during the Kilrathi Wars. While the focus of the game is on space combat, there is quite a bit of story in between missions, allowing you to talk with many your fellow pilots as well as take a few turns on the combat sim machine. While some compain that the SNES version is dumbed down from the original PC title, I found the simplification of the controls refreshing and much more playable.
Final Verdict: Vehicular Combat (Space) (though can be quite sim-my)
Game: Starflight
Platform: Genesis
Year Played: 1994
A heavily enhanced port of a DOS game released in 1986, Starflight is arguably the most influential game for the Space sim genre outside of Elite. You hire and train a crew, take control of a derelict space ship from the future, and are tasked with saving the galaxy. Ahead of you thousands of planets and hundreds of thousands of planets, most of which can be landed on. From that point the choice is yours: Do you want to pursue the ends to the story? There are clues. Mine for precious minerals to upgrade your ship and lander? They are out there for the taking. My last time playing it I mined, upgraded my ship, loaded up with fuel and went off to explore the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
A ton of fun (and the reason I bought a Genesis!). A game that I still like to play every year or so and still manage to get a ton of play out of.
Final Verdict: Vehicular Combat (Sandbox)
Game: Universal Combat
Platform: PC
Year Played: 2004
Starflight managed to tide me over for almost a decade, but at some point I was hungry for more. Not just any sim would do, I needed something where I could explore, mine, trade, and fight (if necessary). A bit of research and I was pointed to a sale at Gamestop for two games promising the deliver.
Focusing on the advertisement, you will find the game promises multiple careers, stories, ships, and a large galaxy with over 1000 points of interest. Explore, mine, trade, and shoot at stuff. You can even land on a planet, set your mining vehicle on auto, and just run around like a goof and shoot at stuff. You can also pilot a massive battlecruiser and attack space stations. Sounds great, right? There is one tiny problem. The game is almost impenetrable from a gamer standpoint. The foldout Quick Reference chart, which contains a massive amount of information, must be memorized if you are even to fly from planet to planet. The HUD contains a massive amount of information, requires a military-level mindset to even begin to tackle. Don't know what the PEP is or why the light is flashing red instead of orange? You'll have to know to play the damn game. But that isn't even the games greatest sin, in my eyes. While options exist to explore, mine, and trade, there simply is no reason to do so, as all there is to do is to fly around, land on stuff, look at stuff, and then piss off an attacking ship and die. I hate this game.
Final Verdict: Vehicular Combat (Space) (it has sandbox elements, but the focus is on combat alone)
Game: X Series (X2, X3, Terran Conflict, Albion Prelude)
Platform: PC
Year Played: 2005-Current
This series is the reason I am writing this article. I stumbled across X2 on by accident on a Target clearance rack, and the rest was history. At first glance this title series might be mistaken for a combat sim with story elements (similar to Wing Commander), but once you start playing (and understanding the game) you start to see different. While there is a story (and in some cases more than one), the real meat-and-potatoes of this game is in the freedom. Want to trade? There is a massive economy and scores of different items to trade with, from wheat and energy cells to illegal items (drugs and slaves). Explore? There are over two hundred sectors, connected by jumpgates, some with hidden ships out in the fringes. Be a police officer? Get a police license (each of the five races has one) and patrol sectors, earning reward money for blowing up pirates and exposing smugglers. You can make money just transporting people across sectors (with the right ship setup). Later on you can assemble entire fleets of ships, organize and hire pilots to do trading runs automatically for you (my main games has nine traders, all doing runs simultaneously), buy and run space stations, and in later games build your own home base and complexes. This is one of the few series that I will buy on day one of release, confident that I will be satisfied.
Final Verdict: Vehicular Combat (Sandbox)
Currently I am immersing myself in PC games, from the old to the more modern. Among them are a ton of great looking space sim games, many of which would fall into the "Sandbox" subgenre that I am polling for. Games such as Sundog, Space Rouge, Wing Commander: Privateer, and Evochron Mercenary are intriguing sandbox-style space games, while DarkStar One and FreeSpace are great Vehicular Combat games.
Super Mario, a name we all know and love...Has he ever disappointed us? Nope. However, even our friendly neighborhood Plumber has skeletons in his closet. Today, I'm here to tell you the story of the Mario Game that could have been. This is the story of...
[img width=497 height=375]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_60EdE-4xjwk/TADDkn-sYkI/AAAAAAAAHFA/sQ3fnkPENlk/s1600/front.jpg[/img]
Super Mario's Wacky Worlds was to be developed for the Philips CD-i by a company called NovaLogic. It was to be the sequel to Super Mario World. Developers Silas Warner and John Brooks were drafted as the game's designers, and worked 24 hours a day for two weeks on the game, finishing only a part of one level to present to Nintendo. Their meeting with the Nintendo developers came at 8:00 AM on a Friday morning, and they had their short part of the game on a disc four hours before this. Nintendo was very much impressed at the two men's job, but because of poor CD-i sales was forced to cancel the game. This ended the CD-i career of Warner, who had expected Nintendo's exact reaction, however other developers such as lead artist Nina Stanley stayed with the project.
So what became of this game? It was unfinished and ultimately never released. Well, officially, anyway. There is a Prototype ISO floating around the Web that can be played, but it is far from a complete game. Anyway, after this game was cancelled, we got this...
[img width=505 height=450]http://www.mariowiki.com/images/8/8f/Hmario.jpg[/img]
That's Hotel Mario, also for the CD-i. It's a Puzzle Game with some platforming elements. The general goal in each stage is to close all the doors on every floor. However, various enemies will interfere and reopen them at times. Elevators are needed to travel between floors. It can be quite difficult at times, even to the point where it would become un-fun to the casual gamer. Anyway, this game is generally not accepted by Mario Fans, or Nintendo for that matter, despite it being a decent game.
Well, that's all. Thanks for reading! 
"Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the House, not a Gamer was stirring...Not even Izret."
Redd: Pfffft. Yeah, right! We're all gaming tonight!
Izret: Hey Redd, remember last year? You told us the story of how you saved Christmas of '98 with your Power Glove.
Slackur: ...What?
Bickman: It's true. He told this hour-long story where he supposedly saved Christmas one year with his Power Glove.
Zagnorch: Like I said, that never happened.
Redd: Yes, it did! Hell, I've got a Million Stories!
Zagnorch: Okay, smart-ass. Tell us another one.
Bickman: Oh, this oughta be good. 
Redd: Alright...this is the story of how Coleco defeated Atari and Fairchild and went on to become the leading Video Game Company in the world. It all started when--
Zagnorch: WHOA! Wait a damn minute! That never happened!
Redd: Yes it did! Let me finish!
Zagnorch: (Grumbles)
Redd: See, back in 2001, I found this old Machine that lets one travel to different universes. I used it, and ended up in a universe much like ours, except here, Coleco was the leading company. Not just in the US, but the whole world.
Bickman: ......Are you high?
Redd: Shut up and listen. See, while I was in this universe, I found an old book detailing Coleco's rise to power. Here's what I read: It started when Atari jumped into the Market with Pong for the 2600. It was a huge success. It sold out quite fast. At this point, a company called Fairchild jumped in with they're Channel F Console. It was also successful, and a fierce clash between Atari and Fairchild erupted. No one could maintain a definite lead. After about 2 years, Coleco showed up and entered into the clash with they're own Console, the ColecoVision. They licensed Donkey Kong, and it sold out in no time. With this, Fairchild gave up and left the battle. However, Atari wouldn't be knocked down that easily. They knew they needed a game to defeat the Arcade-Perfect Port of Donkey Kong, so they developed a plan...That plan was to create Two Video Games: One based off of E.T., and one that was a Port of the Arcade-Hit, Pac-Man. What could possibly go wrong, Atari said to themselves. Within a mere month, Atari unleashed Pac-Man and E.T. to widespread hatred. Atari was collapsing, and Coleco saw this as an opening. They went to Namco, and claimed they could create a Port of Pac-Man that would make Namco millions. The CEO of Namco was skeptical to say the least, but he agreed, and gave Coleco a chance. Two months later, Coleco released they're version of Pac-Man. It was they're biggest hit, and people absolutely loved it, quickly tossing aside Atari's Pac-Man for Coleco's. Coleco and Namco made more money than they thought they would, and Coleco went on to create more great games, many of them original. Atari was defeated, and could do nothing to stop Coleco. It was almost like they fell off the face of the earth. By 2004, Atari was forgotten by everyone. Nintendo tried to compete with Coleco at one point, but failed when Coleco unveiled they're newest system, which also had Arcade-Perfect Ports. No one could stand up to Coleco, and as such, Coleco just kept making more consoles, up to the point where they're name was synonymous with Video Games in general. And that, my friends, is how Coleco conquered the world of gaming.
Zagnorch: What...the...hell...
Slackur: Dude, that was painful to listen to...
Bickman: Try picturing it.
(Laugh track)
Redd: Hey, you guys asked me to tell a story, so I did. You mad?
Izret: Yes.
Slackur: And what did ANY of that have to do with Christmas?
Redd: Well, it happened during December of 2001, so...yeah...
Bickman: Your crazy.
Redd: Thank you, I try.
Bickman: (Sigh)
Redd: Anyway, from all of us here at RF Generation, we wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! 
The End.
[img align=right width=500]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/48011LuckySeven45000-1.jpg[/img]
Quick! Look over on the right side of your screen, we have exactly 45,000 screenshots in the Database! For those of you reading this in the future when we have more than 45000 screenshots, sorry, but you missed one of the great milestones of your life, better luck next time.
Seriously though, 45,000 screenshots is a lot of screenshots, and they were all submitted by members just like you. So thanks to all of you who have submitted one or more of those 45000 screenshots, without you, we wouldn't be here.
And a special thanks to member Aeroc, for not only submitting lucky number 45,000 but for also submitting what seems like another 20,000 or so screenshots over the years. Really though, this guy has over 11,000 images credited to him in our DB.
So now that we have 45000 screenshots, its only 5000 until we get to the really incredible 50,000 mark, why not help us reach that a little sooner and start submitting some screenshots? We're not super picky, you can use an emulator (just don't ask us where to find one or the ROMs, we can't tell you that), or use a video capture device on the real hardware, you can even set up a camera and take a photo of your TV screen, as long as its a good quality, we'll be glad to add it to the DB.
I ran out of baked goods, so here's Bob Barker instead.
And don't forget about the quest to finish all these milestones by the end of the year. We're half way there, and we have 11 days to finish the other three.
70,000 games45,000 screenshots- 90,000 scans - 1410 to go
- 3000 Collectors on our site (the number of people who have something listed in their collection) - 108 to go
- 5000 hardware entries - 44 to go
5000 members (number of people actively registered on the site/forum)
I am a child of the 90's, a love child. This was the age of Mode-7, Blast Processing, 3D, Playstation, and encompasses the rise and fall of Sega. So let's take a look at as many Christmas commercials from the 90's as we can possibly fit on our monitor.
Nintendo
What exemplifies the early 90's more than the constant playground war of Nintendo vs. Sega? So it makes perfect sense for retailers to pick one side of the other in this argument or face everybody's wrath!
Gee, would you look at the time? I missed the memo that I must write in rhyme! When it comes to your games, Sears has them all days. In the front or the back, come buy your new cartridge pack, and play the kiosk in store to curb your hunger for more.
Seriously, Sears kicked ass in the 90's for gamers. What the hell happened?
This is just amazing, if there is one piece of media that makes me remember what it was like being a kid in the 90's it is this right here. Entitlement of youth, grungy attitudes, snarky remarks, and a desire to sit down and play video games. I like how the rhyme goes, "South Park will be fine," as if they're just settling for it. "Yeah I'll take it, but I really wanted Mystical Ninja you dumbass parents!"
A nice, generational war, of course. Then as soon as the douchey 90's teens find out that grandpa likes to roll with some Tetris they decide that old folk aren't bad. If grandpa's hearing aid worked he might learn that Tetris was made by a dirty Communist!
Sega
So those were some pretty entertaining commercials from Nintendo's side of the ring. But does Sega always do what Nintendon't? Can they top the Big N and encourage people to buy any of the 3 systems they released in the 90's? How about the add-ons?
Sega advertising at its finest, if you want your kid to be the cool kid on the block then go out and buy him a Sega Genesis for Christmas, then every kid in the city will want a piece of that Blast Processing action.
As a constant follower of Midget Wrestling this is one of the quickest ways to grab my attention, and they have good taste in video games since they just made a ton of money selling the game to Sega, somehow.
Ok, now let's move away from North America for a moment and take a look at what Sega brought out for their Japanese commercials.
This may very well be the greatest thing I have ever laid eyes on. I am going to perpetuate the story of Segata Sanshiro as Santa Claus to my children, citing this commercial as definitive proof. If you're unfamiliar with Segata Sanshiro and why he helped the Saturn dominate the Japanese sales charts then just check out this playlist.
http://www.youtube.com/pl...S4LrAZ_n-uf5p6jRW9gx4qcFP
Word of warning, the American Saturn commercials are weird as all hell, and incredibly frightening in some cases. Search at your own risk.
Sony
A newcomer on the scene of home video game hardware in the mid 90's, Sony and their Playstation quickly rose to global dominance and kept its grip firm for over a decade. Is it because their commercials were great?
Yes, yes they were. Oh that sound and the PS logo really take me back, excuse me while I nostalgia-gasm all over my room. Again, this commercial shows what the 90's was all about, trying to find your own voice, going against the grain, and supporting Bill Clinton.
What's awesome about this commercial is that everything the singers say about Crash Bandicoot: Warped is 100% factual. This is one of the greatest parodies of a Christmas carol I've ever heard, I might start singing it this year. I feel bad for Canadians though, $50 for a new PS1 game and its already $10 off? Man, you guys will hate when I say brand new PS1 games in the States were $40. What was the exchange rate in 1998? Tell me Crabby!
Let's head back to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Crash Bandicoot and PaRappa walk up to a random guy bearing Christmas gifts, just another thing to add to my list of things to experience before I die. Cosplayers, make this happen!
...
Kick! Punch! its all in the mind.
Well that about does it for the nostalgic video game Christmas commercials. I will be going on a small hiatus until 2013 rolls around. Until then, please share if you've enjoyed this post and my others, comment with feedback, and hit that follow button on the sidebar. SirPsycho out!
After fighting with the stomach flu for nearly two weeks, I finally felt well enough to go out hunting for games again with Nick (niceguy1283).
Starting off this blog of mindless drivel is a few loose carts I picked up from Duke.Togo earlier in the month. Metroid (yellow label), and Double Dragon II on the NES. Sonic and Knuckles for Genesis, Tetris and Dr. Mario for SNES, and Mario Kart 64.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/engel762/2012-12-20_10-10-00_240.jpg[/img]
Next we have the focus of my latest spending spree, I've been wanting one for a while and finally managed to pick up a Sega Saturn.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/engel762/2012-12-20_10-12-24_796.jpg[/img]
Managed to find a few games for the Saturn... Virtua Fighter 2, Sonic 3D Blast, Road Rash, Tomb Raider, Sonic Jam, Virtua Cop (not for resale), Daytona USA (not for resale), and another copy of Virtua fighter 2, but in the not for resale paper sleeve.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/engel762/2012-12-20_10-24-12_113.jpg[/img]
Other things I came across were Mach Rider for NES, Final Fantasy: Charlies Angels er.. X-2 for PS2, Gameshark lite for Dreamcast, and a CIB copy of Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/engel762/2012-12-20_10-40-37_281.jpg[/img]
First off I have beaten one more game since last time. That game was Overlord. It's possibly the only RTS game on the NES, I could be mistaken, but I really can't think of another. RTS games don't have the best track record on consoles. I thought Overlord did a fantastic job and keeping the real time pace going though, very fluid. Pretty cool title that I'm sure not many have spent much time on. Definitely try it out if you're looking for something a bit different for your NES.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Overlord-Ending-1.jpg[/img]
Now onto my plea for help
If you were a member here around this time last year you might remember I challenged myself to beating 100 NES games over 100 days. Well I had so much fun doing it that I thought I'd do it all over again! Seeing as I've beaten well over 200 games on the system since October 2011 it would be far to easy to just simply beat 100 games again. So here is the twist, none of the 100 games can be something I've beaten since October 2011. It has to be 100 "new" games.
So here is what I need from you guys. Take a look at the 2 lists below. This first list is the games I've already done and that are not eligible for my new list of 100 games. The list below that is the games I plan to tackle during this challenge so far. I'd like to pad the list a bit more so if you know of any titles that are relatively short or easy that do not appear on either list, please let me know about it. I'm looking for games that: have infinite continues (even if they are challenging), Games that can be completed in less than 2 hours once you know what to do, games that might be a bit on the long side but are fairly simple to finish, games with low highscores or not many levels to loop, or games that use passwords or saves after each level/zone, MUST BE A LICENSED GAME. If you know of a game that fits one or more of those criteria please comment or PM me with the name of it. Hopefully I'll own a copy
Beaten Since Oct.8th /100
(click on a title to see the video)
Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros 2
Super Mario Bros 3
Mega Man
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 4
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Castlevania
Adventures in the Magic Kingdom
Duck Tales
Duck Tales 2
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2
Felix the Cat
Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout
Ren and Stimpy Show: Buckaroo$
Double Dragon
Contra
Super C
Contra Force
Power Blade
Power Blade 2
Dynowarz: The Destruction of Spondylus
Metal Storm
Journey to Silius
Air Fortress
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Blaster Master
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turltes 2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3
Legendary Wings
BreakThru
Commando
Guerrilla War
World Games
Snoopy's Silly Sports Spectacular
Caveman Games
DK Classics
Jaws
Ninja Gaiden
Where's Waldo?
Bonk's Adventure
Panic Restaurant
Bubble Bobble 2
Dr. Mario
Bubble Bobble
MC Kids
Batman
Circus Caper
Roller Games
Widget
Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures 2
The Jetsons
The Little Mermaid
Monster in my Pocket
Gremlins 2
Kirby's Adventure
Kickle Cubicle
Kung Fu
Yo! Noid
Xexyz
Puss 'N Boots: Pero's Great Adventure
Wall Street Kid
The Karate Kid
Archon
Golf
Super Dodgeball
Super Spike V'Ball
Jakcie Chan's Action Kung Fu
The Three Stooges
Ice Hockey
Tecmo Bowl
Track & Field
Mario Bros
NARC
North and South
Barbie
Battle Chess
The Simpsons: Bart vs. The World
The Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak
Snow Brothers
Little Samson
Sky Shark
Ninja Gaiden II
Mike Tyson's Punch Out
The Simpsons: Bart Meets Radioactive Man
StarTropics
Little Nemo: The Dream Master
River City Ransom
StarTropics 2: Zoda's Revenge
The Jungle Book
Castlevania III Dracula's Curse
Mario is Missing
Blades of Steel
Hogan's Alley
Wild Gunman
Burger Time
Silver Surfer
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones
Ghosts n Goblins
Tetris
Pro Wrestling
Gradius
Zanac
Adventure Island
Karnov
Trojan
Excitebike
Baseball
Spy Hunter
Adventure Island II
Tennis
Battletoads
Shadowgate
Battletoads/Double Dragon
Pinball Quest
Section Z
Godzilla
Hydlide
Marble Madness
Back to the Future
Darkman
Terminator 2
Robocop
Total Recall
Predator
Robocop 2
Robocop 3
Hudson Hawk
Home Alone
Home Alone 2
Batman Returns
Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters
Die Hard
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The Krion Conquest
Adventures of Dino Riki
Ultima: Exodus
Legacy of the Wizard
Ultima: Quest of the Avatar
Darkwing Duck
Ultima: Warriors of Destiny
Legends of the Diamond
Pro Sports Hockey
Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball
Yoshi's Cookie
Kick Master
Zombie Nation
Stadium Events
Super Jeopardy!
Joust
Yoshi
Dance Aerobics
Adventures of Bayou Billy
Pipe Dreams
Ski or Die
Werewolf: The Last Warrior
Simpsons: Bart vs The Space Mutants
City Connection
American Gladiators
Roundball 2-on-2 Challenge
720
Athletic World
Super Team Games
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Gumshoe
Bases Loaded
The Addams Family Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt
Kings of the Beach
The Blues Brothers
Volley Ball
Lode Runner
3D World Runner
Twin Eagle
Dragon's Lair
The Adventures of Rad Gravity
Break Time: The National Pool Tour
Bases Loaded II
Rainbow Islands
Conquest of the Crystal Palace
Peter Pan And The Pirates
Kid Kool and the Quest for the Seven Wonder Herbs
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Dragon Strike
Slalom
Wrath of the Black Manta
Race America
Treasure Master
Krusty's Fun House
King's Knight
Mighty Bomb Jack
Bases Loaded 3
Castelian
Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll
Dirty Harry
Conan
Cobra Triangle
Spider Man Return of the Sinister Six
Tag Team Wrestling
Eliminator Boat Duel
Galaxy 5000
George Foreman's KO Boxing
Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge
Thunder & Lightning
Heavy Shreddin'
Flying Warriors
Rocket Ranger
Roger Clemens MVP Baseball
Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure
Destination Earthstar
Street Cop
Short Order/Eggsplode
Star Voyageur
Days of Thunder
Laser Invasion
Silent Service
Back to the Future 2 & 3
Overlord
2013 100 in 100 List
Color A Dinosaur
Taboo
Amagon
Galaga
Bo Jackson Baseball
10 Yard Fight
Bugs Bunny Castle Craze
Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune Vanna White
Wheel of Fortune Family
Wheel of Fortune Junior
Trog
Super Off-Road
RBI Baseball
Magmax
Popeye
Chessmaster
Jackyl
Fisher Price I can Remember
Baseball Sim 1.000
Monopoly
Jeopardy 25th Anniversary
Jeopardy
Jeopardy Jr
Fisher Price Perfect Fit
Remote Control
Double Dare
Hollywood Squares
John Elway's Quarterback
Xenophobe
Millipede
Sesame Street 123
Sesame Street ABC
Sesame Street Big Bird's Hide & Speak
Tiger-Heli
Pictionary
Anticipation
Platoon
Classic Concentration
Balloon Fighter
WWF Wrestlemania Challenge
Pinball
Jack Nicklaus's Greatest 18 Holes
Winter Games
Touchdown Fever
Urban Champion
Spy vs. Spy
Life Force
Bucky O'Hare
Gotcha
Wayne Gretzky Hockey
Double Dribble
Orb-3D
Blue Marlin
Tailspin
Astyanax
Tom & Jerry
Silkworm
Arch Rivals
Gun Nac
Castle of Dragon
Gyruss
Mickey Letterland
Mickey Numberland
Major League Baseball
Space Shuttle Project
Crash 'n the Boys
Joe & Mac
Spot
Twin Cobra
Track & Field II
Rocky & Bullwinkle
Win, Lose or Draw
Hoops
Base Wars
Whomp 'em
NES Play Action Football
Heavy Barrel
TMNT Tournament Fighters
MUSCLE
Hatris
Magic Johnson's Fast Break
Family Fued
Defender II
Cyberball
Qix
Karate Champ
Bandai Golf
Dragon Fighter
Othello
Time Lord
Wrecking Crew
NFL Football
Shooting Range
Nintendo World Cup Soccer
Flintstones Dino & Hoppy
Soccer
POW
Rush 'n Attack
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Captain Planet
Dr.Chaos
Captain America & The Avengers
The Punisher
X-Men
Wolverine
Totally Rad
Incredible Crash Test Dummies
Zen Intergalactic Ninja
The Challenge begins January 1st at 00:00 and end on April 10th at 23:59. Wish me luck!
[img width=700 height=481]http://www.pinbits.com/images/mb.jpg[/img]
At #6 on my Top 10 pinball machine countdown is none other than William's Monster Bash. Monster Bash is the total package, great gameplay and great theme. I can actually remember growing up and watching the old black and white Universal Monster movies on late night television, dressing up as Dracula year after year for Halloween (you know, when kids use to dress up as monsters), and who can forget 1987's Monster Squad, which I saw in the theater.
The classic monster theme is further entwined with, and enhanced by, a rock n' roll theme. The purpose the game is to collect all of the band members, Dracula, The Creature, Frankenstein's Monster, Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolfman, and The Mummy, by hitting specific shots on the playfield, and putting the band together for one big MONSTER BASH! The Creature joins after repeated shots to the left saucer, Frankenstein's Monster by hitting the left stand up targets under the Monster's table, Bride of Frankenstein by traveling down the left and right ramps, The Wolfman by shooting the right and left loops, The Mummy by hitting the pop bumpers and lighting the right scoop, and Dracula by completing the right stand-up targets and lighting D-R-A-C-U-L-A. Completion/Collection of each character starts that character's mode and lights specific shots on the playfield for additional scoring bonuses; modes can be stacked.
[img width=700 height=525]http://mirror2.ipdb.org/images/4441/image-12.jpg[/img]
While assembling the band, you can also work to collect each monster's instrument by shooting the ball into the Mosh Pit. Instruments can also be collected by finishing each associated monster's mode. Once all six instruments are collected, "Monsters of Rock" mode lights for additional scoring. The "Mosh Multi-ball" feature can also be lit by ripping the center spinner 6 times.
Monster Bash is a fun, loud, and exciting pin. The call outs are some of the funniest out there and are integrated well with the shots and objectives. Another of those high priced pins due to it's popularity (in the Top 5 on most pinball enthusiast's lists), Monster Bash is rarely found now on location, but it can't hurt to check out your area: http://pinside.com/pinball/map/where-to-play. However, if you do run across one out there, be sure to throw in some quarters and enjoy. Wolfman certainly has nards, and so does this pin!
[img width=700 height=294]http://mimg.ugo.com/201001/12626/monster-squad-werewolf.jpg[/img]
Well, I'm halfway through my Top 10, so here is a recap of my picks:
#10 - High Speed
#9 - Banzai Run
#8 - Attack From Mars
#7 - Diner
#6 - Monster Bash
Say tuned......
Greetings from Terra!
I was gonna do some garage-sale'ing this last Saturday, but due to poor weather conditions, I knew there would be few prospects. Instead, I decided to do a thrift crawl all the way down to Gilroy-- the garlic capital of the world, as it were-- and hit a few hiking trails down there while I was at it.
My first Goodwill stop yielded two wrapped Super Mario 3D Land posters for $0.99 each. Not much to be sure, but a decent start.
Next up was the Morgan Hill Goodwill which, until recently, I'd pretty much given up on due to its extortionate asking prices. But over the last couple months, I've been pleasantly surprised by not only the things I've found there, but also the asking prices. Sadly, the only thing the place yielded this day was a Laser Line CD storage tower for $3.99. Ever since my PS1 game collection went into triple figures, I needed something in which to store my displaced Dreamcast, TG16, and PC titles, and this should fit the bill. Now I just need to rearrange a few things to make room for it somewhere...
Up next was a nearby Target, where I answered the call of nature, washed my hands, and grabbed the Target-exclusive Skylanders Giants lightcore triple pack on special for $19.99.
On to the Gilroy Goodwill, which yielded what I thought would be the deal of the day: a CIB Kingdom Hearts Re:coded DS game for $2.99. However, when I opened the case up, it contained...
...a copy of Eragon instead.
But, I figured what the hell, and bought it anyway. I'm willing to give Eragon a shot, and I'm confident I can find a Re:coded card somewhere to make it complete. Lemons into lemonade and all that.
Then it was on to the Gilroy Salvation Army store... where I have NEVER found any games, game hardware, or accessories worth buying, EVER. Some times it was due to high asking prices, but usually it was because of a total lack of anything. Today, however, was far different-- not only did the place have a small cache of games in which I was interested, there was a half-off sale in effect. So I picked up the following CIB PS2 titles, normally priced at $3.49 each, for just $1.75 a pop:
- Gauntlet: Dark Legacy
- Secret Agent Clank
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
- Super Bust-A-Move
- Jak and Daxter
- Sega Gt 2002 / JSRF double feature for Xbox
But the big pickups were a couple PS2 GunCon bundles that had red-bar price tags on them. At the Salvation Army nearest me, this type of tag indicates that the item is considered a collectible, and is not subject to any kind of discount, even on sale days. I lamented this fact to the cashier, who replied that the Gilroy store didn't share that policy, and even the "collectible" stuff was on sale! So I asked him to free those bad boys from the display case. I gave 'em a look, liked what I saw, and threw 'em on the ring-up pile. And that's how I picked up the Vampire Night and Time Crisis 3 GunCon2 bundles for just $6.25 each.
My final grab of the day was at a newly-opened Savers, which had a sealed copy of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy for PS2 for $1.99. The place also had a few DS titles for $1.99 each that I would have bought, had they actually had any cards in them. Somebody's gotta tell the Savers folks that they should probably do the same thing most of the local Goodwills do, and keep all the game discs and cards in a binder under the checkout counter. But hey, I'm just a customer, what do I know?
[img width=437 height=768]http://www.mediafire.com/conv/9d2fe711309a2ffdfd41efd11bd1feddd6083e2af2910fd5a34f4e09a3ab82686g.jpg[/img]
On Sunday, I did a relatively short thrift-crawl on the way home from work. The first stop yielded the biggest Target-salvage cache of Wii U titles yet: 2 copies of New Super Mario Bros. U for $29.99 each, ZombiU for $24.99, and Rabbids Land for $24.99. Although I've never had an interest in the whole zombie deal, ZombiU appealed to me with its "Unique Death Mechanic", where "If you die, you wake up to play an entirely new character who is another survivor in the same terrifying position," according to a blurb on the Amazon.com product page. I also read that you can kill your zombified former self and get your stuff back. No, I don't know why I find this particular aspect of the game appealing, but at least Im willing to give it a shot.
My last stop yielded a Target-salvage Mario Kart 7 for $14.99.
[img width=628 height=480]http://www.mediafire.com/conv/0cd0cf760d26e84023f048cd9e46bafe6ab6eb78ad2e3cf2e41d4f6c1f47e39f6g.jpg[/img]
TL;DR Sidebar:
My big miscellaneous pick-up of the weekend: a Tomy Pop-Out Pirate set for $1.99. As you can see, Japan comes up with some pretty offbeat NON-video games, too.
The weekend's biggest crack-smoking moment: the new Savers pricing loose NES carts at $9.99 each. While there were a couple titles I'd have loved to add to my stack, none of 'em were even remotely worth a sawbuck. And with a no-exchange policy in effect on them, I wouldn't have been able to return them if they didn't work properly.
The weekend's biggest "I'll Pass" item: a Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition fight stick for the PS3.
Although I'm not into fighting games, I thought this bad boy looked pretty sweet, and was in surprisingly good condition. I dug how you could open it up, and store stuff inside it. Well, not a lot of stuff, just a little stuff. Stuff like some illicit substance* to help take the edge off when you're playing. But, I don't own a working PS3, so who knows if it worked properly. Also, the $40 asking price seemed a wee bit steep to me, especially seeing as how it didn't come with the game. Oh well, its not like there aren't other great finds out there for me to discover...
...and tell you all about.
Until then...
...'Late
*Illicit outside of Washington and Colorado that is.
[img width=550 height=795]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-060/bf/U-060-S-00790-A.jpg[/img]
Not too long ago I blogged about enjoying Fighting Vipers. As such I jumped at the opportunity, when I had the chance to acquire its spin-off sequel. Fighters Megamix is a mash-up of both Fighting Vipers and Virtua Fighter 2. At least that's what I thought it was. But apparently it's a whole lot more.
Let's start from the beginning. Fighting Vipers and Virtua Fighter 2 are both pretty similar games. At least as far as a game engine and appearance goes. So of course this makes for a pretty easy combo deal. You take your eleven Fighting Vipers characters and eleven Virtua Fighter 2 characters, put em together and call it a day. Sure there's some differences as far as physics go between the two games -- but you can even pick which physics engine you want to go with. And each game uses a similar three-button layout, so it's not like you have to learn one fighting style if you're only familiar with the other.
[img width=640 height=480]http://img.gamefaqs.net/screens/0/1/8/gfs_88797_2_1.jpg[/img] [img width=640 height=480]http://img.gamefaqs.net/screens/a/c/8/gfs_88797_2_2.jpg[/img]
So when I first started playing Megamix, I really felt a bit underwhelmed. It just felt to me like Fighting Vipers with double the roster. Not that that's a bad thing of course. But it didn't feel like this amazing new game either. But I was in for a bit of a surprise still.
The single-player mode of Megamix is broken down into various courses. The courses are vaguely themed -- such as playing only Vipers or only females. In each course you'll be fighting through six fighters and then unlocking a hidden boss. This is where things start to get awesome. You see once a hidden boss is unlocked and beaten, they are then also added to the roster. When all is said and done you've got over thirty characters to choose from which is a huge jump from the original Fighting Vipers.
[img width=700 height=509]http://img.gamefaqs.net/screens/2/3/9/gfs_88797_2_17.jpg[/img] [img width=280 height=210]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/7/197327/fightmeg_screen003.jpg[/img]
It's not just the fact that there are so many unlockable characters that's impressive here though. It's the sheer over-the-top fan service of them that's mind-blowing. You'll get an alternate version of Fighting Vipers' Candy, the Virtua Fighter Kids' version of Akira, along with cameos from Virtua Cop 2, Sonic The Fighters and even Daytona USA. Yes. You read that correctly. You see by the time you make it through the ninth course you'll fight the final boss of the game -- the Hornet car from Daytona USA. This is exactly the kind of insanely ridiculousness that earned Sega so many die hard fans.
My only real complaint about Fighters Megamix is a small one. There is a bit of slowdown that wasn't present in Fighting Vipers. However this only seems to occur on a few particular stages, so it's not a game-breaking deal. But when you take into consideration all the excellent unlockables plus the fact that each of the nine courses save your completion time, there is a huge amount of replayability here. Definitely a highly recommended 3D fighter for the Saturn.
The 80's were a much simpler time for video gaming, especially the earlier you go. The same can be said for the advertisements for said video games and their consoles. Since we're getting so close the holiday that most exemplifies consumerism and capitalism, let's take a look at what some video game manufacturers and/or retailers aired during commercial breaks and give them a quick analysis.
Atari
These early commercials were just as cliched as other commercials at the time, and as simple as the games they were advertising, maybe a sign of American advertisers and their constant safe bet of mass market appeal.
Oh man, I'm so sorry. I fell asleep watching this because of BOREDOM.
These Atari commercials would be so much more entertaining with Billy Mays. "HI BILLY MAYS HERE AND YOU SHOULD BUY ATARI 2600 VIDEO GAMES! CHECK OUT STAR RAIDERS, SWORDQUEST, MS. PAC-MAN AND OTHERS AT PAY N'SAVE TO GET CRAZY CHRISTMAS DEALS! IF YOU GO SHOPPING TODAY YOU'LL RECEIVE A BOTTLE OF ORANGE GLO FOR FREE!
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!
We agreed to never speak of this incident again! No seriously I am contractually obligated to never mention ET for the Atari 2600 ever. Screw the contract, this is the most hellish, torturing commercial for any Atari fan that could possibly exist. They should have buried the commercials in the desert with the games! That said its still a boring as hell advert.
Colecovision
Come buy a Colecovision and a bunch of random games from Hills for your lovely Christmas. Also buy Atari and Intellivision games because we love to namedrop and we need to LIQUIDATE EVERYTHING FOR THE HOLIDAYS WHOOOO!
Nintendo
When Nintendo stormed onto the scene the Wild West days of the 70's and early 80's was over. There was a new sheriff in town and they weren't going to let anybody rustle their cattle.
Hi, I'm Target and I paid Aretha Franklin a lot of money to sing a little jingle and appear in this Nintendo commercial. SHOP HERE PLEASE! That said this is much better than the early 80's fare, Aretha Franklin and her amazing voice keeps my attention and really puts me in the Christmas spirit. I like this one a lot.
Oh man if I was a kid in the late 80's, instead of being an infant when this commercial came out, I would have made my parents buy so much Pepsi. In fact I should have a new endorsement contract coming out since I ended the other one.
[img width=284 height=482]http://whydidiplaythis.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/pepsi-can-template.png[/img]
[img width=223 height=395]http://whydidiplaythis.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/crystal-pepsi.jpg[/img]
Stay tuned later this week to see what happened when the 90's came into being.
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