T-Pac

I finished Kid Icarus (NES) for the first time without using turbo-fire. I didn't realize there was a bad ending, though, and Palutena turned me into a farmer. Does anyone know what the in-game criteria is for the different endings? -CasualCart

I bought a PAL copy of Little Samson for $200 a few years ago. Am I proud of it? No. Do I regret it? Not a chance. Little Samson is awesome, and I'm happy to have a legit version (since I'll never afford an NTSC copy). -CasualCart

Well said, Gaia. This speaks to my soul, dude. This is why I think Bucky O' Hare has such a perfect format - the challenge is tempered by approachable segments with unlimited attempts. -CasualCart

I always use the most overpowered power-ups. [more lasers] + [more explosions] = [better video games] -CasualCart

Oof - just a few hours late with the TMNT Sage. Good luck in the contest, everyone! -CasualCart

There's the Neo Geo X from a few years back (which wouldn't be considered a 'mini' console), the Neo Geo Mini (which is the small arcade cab that you can plug controllers in and output to a TV), and the Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro (which is a plug-n-play and I believe is only limited to fighting games right now). The Neo Geo X was a perfect concept, but it was executed horribly and got discontinued. I've also heard that SNK is developing a new unit aside from the Mini and the Arcade Stick Pro, but I don't know much about it yet. -CasualCart

Agreed. To be honest, all I really want is an official Neo Geo console that uses an AES-style arcade stick and plays Blazing Star and Neo Turf Masters. That would be ideal. -CasualCart

The format is a bit different from the 'traditional' mini consoles, but there is also the Neo Geo mini. I haven't played one in person, but the reviews on Youtube are a mixed bag. -CasualCart

Yeah, imagine going back to, like, 2010 and telling retro game collectors that in a decade, people will legitimately want Player's Choice Gamecube games. They'd think it's some kind of joke. -CasualCart

Really fun prompt here, @DarkTone! Star Soldier - play through stage 1 (1 life) for a high score. Bubble Bobble - get through the first 5 screens as fast as possible (Star Soldier score is reduced based on time spent). Pipe Dream - play through level 1-1 for a high score. -CasualCart

Here we go... I love AtGames consoles. The build quality and emulation may be sub-par, but the AtGames flashback systems are more or less what introduced me to classic gaming. They're perfect for people who just want to enjoy a solid selection of retro games without getting hung-up on how perfect the execution is. That's also why I love clone consoles from Yobo, Hyperkin, etc. - I've been using those systems for years and years to play my cart-collection, and while FPGA systems are great, there's nothing wrong with cheaper clone hardware that does the job just fine. -CasualCart

I saw Akira for the first time when I was in high school, and while I haven't revisited it in years, it blew my mind at the time. It's hard to pinpoint just what made it so enticing, but I literally thought about that movie every day for a few months after seeing it. I even started reading the original comic books, but never finished because they couldn't pull me in the way the film did. Now I need to re-watch Akira to see if it still holds up against my teenage standards. -CasualCart

So I was prompted to play MagMax on the NES yesterday after reading @arnpoly 's excellent entry about it in his 'Take on the NES Library" blog. He touched on a curious note about looping the game that I wanted to see for myself... After completing 3 loops, your high-score is briefly replaced by the text, "MEIGETSU". It seems to appear after each subsequent loop as well. I don't know what it means or what it may signify in the game, and Google Translate just tells me that the word means "Famous Month"? That can't be right... Anyway, I'm curious to know if anyone can figure out the mystery here. -CasualCart

These sorting-inconsistencies drive me crazy, but there's something comforting about knowing that they drive everyone else crazy, too. -CasualCart

It may sound odd, but my views on graded games are the same as my views on things like speedrunning. It's a neat part of the hobby that I personally don't care to participate in, but I like learning about it and seeing the joy that people get from it. There's so many ways that retro gaming and collecting can appeal to people, and I appreciate that we have such a great community to share and contribute. Now I'll happily continue buying dusty cart-only games with cracked plastic and spaghetti-stained contacts. -CasualCart

Today I beat the original NES Super Mario Bros 2! I grew up on the Gameboy Advance port, so this was a bit of a trial to get through with limited continues and no saves. I'm super happy to check it off my list after making attempts at it for the past week, though. I played with my trusty arcade stick and used the Princess the whole time to take advantage of the floating-jump. I'd like to go back and try out more of the stages and boss fights, since I've just been using warp-tunnels to fast-track my playthroughs ever since I stumbled across them a few days ago. Does anyone else have any thoughts or fond memories of SMB2? -CasualCart

I only listen to albums or podcasts while playing a game when I'm already familiar with the in-game music and sound design. Otherwise I feel like I'm missing out on part of the experience. That being said, I'd agree with tuning-out the sound on puzzle games, since those generally have repetitive music and the sound effects aren't used as audio-cues for gameplay. -CasualCart

I haven't bought any games since the virus started spreading, but I'd be sure to bust out some clorox wipes or something if I did. -CasualCart

One of these days, @Gloves... one of these days... -CasualCart

That was an excellent review! I can't wait for the US orders to ship. The TG16 Mini is the first thing I've ever pre-ordered, and I'm stoked to play all the spaceship-shooters once I get my hands on it. -CasualCart

Congrats @TWarwick07 ! I've only ever finished Kid Icarus with a turbo-controller - gotta make sure to give those Eggplant wizards a faceful of arrows haha. Playing Kid Icarus for Gameboy really helped me understand the structure of the original without all the frustration (although I never did finish the GB one...) -CasualCart

No problem haha. It was worth a shot! -CasualCart