T-Pac

Whoa - these are sick, Splain! The builds look so clean! -CasualCart

Wow - lots of love for "A Christmas Story" here. Does anyone else watch those Rankin & Bass stop-motion Christmas movies? (Rudolf, Year Without a Santa Claus, Jack Frost, etc.) Those are Christmas staples for me, along with making sugar cookies, listening to Bing Crosby Christmas songs, and going to "Midnight" Mass with my family (my Church actually has it at 10pm, which is great because I hate staying up late haha). -CasualCart

@Tulpa @Sumez Thanks for the info - now I'll have to work my way through the game again and try my luck at the final bosses with that in mind. -CasualCart

Does this mean each boss that you defeat on stage 6 stays defeated even after you die or get a game-over? I've only ever made it to the first of the bosses, but I just assumed they all had to be beaten consecutively each time you made it through the level. Knowing that you only have to take out one each time you reach the boss encounter would be a huge motivation to try tackling this game again! -CasualCart

Congrats, @rockyyaknow! I imagine the reward is worth the frustration - Ninja Gaiden is brutal, but so much fun! -CasualCart

This cart may or may not have been kung-fu kicked by Jackie Chan. It plays like a charm, though! -CasualCart

I'm shocked to hear that - your photos always look so professional! You should seriously make a thread that's just a gallery of your game pictures or something. -CasualCart

I can't vouch for the intent of the thread, but I'd personally love to see some custom hardware! -CasualCart

Nintendo-On-A-Chip clones have actually been slowly making compatibility improvements over the years. Current clones can often handle games with more sophisticated mappers and chips compared to earlier models. I don't have any of the common 'incompatible' games to test on my NES clone (like Castlevania III or something), but I'm able to run Super FX games on my SNES clone, which was previously unheard of (if I remember correctly). Plus, I think the sound emulation has improved over time as well. -CasualCart

Thanks, guys! Yeah, I'm a cartoonist - an animator, to be more specific, so I'm trained to draw pretty fast haha. That Princess Peach thing probably took like 15 or 20 mins maybe - but a little color goes a long way at making a sketch look more polished than it really is. Back on topic, though - the first time I played through all of Mega Man 2, the final Alien boss and I exchanged finishing blows at the same time, and the death animations started to trigger for both Mega Man and the Alien. I was afraid the game would lock up or something, but it ended up giving me the benefit of the doubt and rolled credits. It was super cool, but I don't think I could ever do that again even if I tried. -CasualCart

Brutal. -CasualCart

In my experience, it seems that people who are into shmups are really into shmups, which means they're more willing to shell-out for good games. I'd also agree on the point about universal appeal. Nothing beats a good spaceship shooter - but it sure would be nice if they were more affordable haha. -CasualCart

I hear you on that - I settled for a PAL copy as well, but playing it isn't an issue for me since my clone system has a region switch. -CasualCart

Is Yoshi's Island technically a 'Mario game'? If not, I'll go with Super Mario World. -CasualCart

Nice!!! Here's a game truly deserving of its good reputation! Funny that you'd end up getting the NTSC version from Belgium, where I'd think collectors would be much more satisfied with the PAL version. Have you played it yet? It would be great to hear your thoughts on such a milestone game for your collection. -CasualCart

Thanks, man! I've really been enjoying all the great posts in this thread, so I wanted to put some extra effort into mine as well! -CasualCart

Here's my Gaming Timeline in 10 Games (with some fun illustrations to go along with it): 1 ) Dig Dug - In the early 2000s, I had no interest in video games based on what I'd seen from friends or on TV, but then my parents gave me a Namco plug-and-play system for Christmas. I was immediately hooked on classic 80s arcade games. The score-based gameplay was straightforward, the pixelated graphics were charming, and there was something undeniably enticing about experiencing some of the foundations of gaming as a whole. Pac-Man was a blast to play with my family, but Dig Dug really drew me in. It was action-packed and the levels changed layout to make me feel like I was always progressing toward something greater. Without a doubt, Dig Dug built my interest in classic gaming. 2 ) Warlords - My parents struck gold again with another plug-and-play console. This time, it was an Atari system with several built-in paddle games. At the time, I didn't know the distinction between these console-based games and the arcade games of my Namco system - all I knew was that I loved seeing more blocky graphics and playing titles that built the origins of an industry. Of these Atari 2600 games, Warlords was a standout to me. The multiplayer was great fun, and it was so satisfying to see the screen flash when I took down an enemy fortress. 3 ) Super Mario Advance - My first modern console was a Gameboy Advance SP. I experienced so many great games thanks to this handheld, but little did I know that most of my favorites were ports of NES and SNES titles. My love for classic games held true even when I was unaware of it. I didn't know anything about Nintendo's early systems (not even what came before the Gamecube), but I knew that I liked his handheld system with pixel-graphics like my Namco games and a huge variety of titles to explore. I was immediately hooked on platformers, and Super Mario Advance was my first foray into the genre that I have only grown to appreciate more over time. 4 ) Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 - This was, and possibly still is, the pinnacle of my gaming experience. Yoshi's Island was my favorite title on the GBA, and it seemed to do everything perfectly. The levels were varied, the graphics and music had a distinctly artistic take on the old-school vibe I loved so much (I still didn't know this was a port of a classic SNES game), and the difficulty was approachable for my admittedly sub-par gaming skills. It was the full package, and Yoshi's Island has always been a game I've eagerly gone back to over the years. 5 ) Guitar Hero III - In middle school I had my first true taste of 'modern' gaming when my family got a Nintendo Wii. I definitely enjoyed it, but aside from a few exceptions, I realize that I was more fascinated by the peripherals and gimmicks than the games. I played a lot of Guitar Hero at the time - it didn't have the unidentifiable appeal of the classic games I grew up on, but the skill and rhythm-based gameplay was addicting. 6 ) Animal Crossing: City Folk - My most shamelessly-absorbing gaming experience to date revolves around Animal Crossing for the Wii. My sister and I used to play this game every day, captivated by the seemingly mundane tasks of planting trees, fishing, and buying furniture. I had briefly played the Gamecube original at my neighbors' house when I was younger, and I was disappointed that this Wii iteration didn't have the 'old games' in it like that one did, but the curiously engrossing nature of Animal Crossing kept me occupied for several years. 7 ) Skate It - This was a unique gem that I discovered on the Nintendo DS and played intermittently throughout my teenage years. I wouldn't consider it a standout game by any means, but it drew me in as a way to have skateboarding (a favorite hobby of mine) in the palm of my hand. It was a lot like fingerboarding (Tech Decks) to me, in that I could imagine pulling off amazing tricks and continue to engage in the sport even when I was off my board. Additionally, performing tricks by swiping the stylus across a skateboard on the DS touch screen was an incredibly intuitive mechanic that paired the game perfectly with the system. 8 ) Altered Beast - This is the game that initiated my plunge into the world of retro-gaming. I came across a Sega Genesis Flashback system at a warehouse store one summer in high school, and I had to have it. I still didn't know anything about classic consoles, but I could tell by the box that this was just like my beloved Namco and Atari plug-and-play systems from my childhood. When I played through the library of pre-loaded Genesis games, I was once-again captivated by that one-of-a-kind retro charm that had eluded me for so long during my foray into the Wii and the Nintendo DS. Ristar was my favorite game of the bunch, as a clear throwback to the platformers I had cut my teeth on with the GBA. However, Altered Beast really captured that old-school style that I craved. I immediately found myself researching the library of this 'Genesis' console, and that spilled over into learning about the SNES, NES, Channel F, Neo Geo, and countless other classic consoles and systems. These were the kinds of games I had always gravitated toward, and they were all out there for me to get my hands on - I just didn't realize it before because I had never known where to look! The Genesis Flashback threw me into the hobby I had always loved but never found before, and Altered Beast was the catalyst for my retro-gaming experience. 9 ) Kirby's Adventure - Shortly after acquiring my Genesis Flashback, I ordered a NES/SNES clone console for a chance to play some of the games that originated my favorite series on the GBA, DS, and Wii. My first ebay purchases were a Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt cart and Kirby's Adventure. Kirby was everything I had hoped for - classic, 8-bit Nintendo charm in an authentic cartridge from the early 90s. I even found myself feeling nostalgic for the game when I realized it was a port of my favorite childhood Kirby title on the GBA! This solidified my enthusiasm for retro-gaming, and the NES was the king of classic consoles as far as I was concerned. 10 ) Metal Storm - In college, I transitioned from being 'someone who enjoyed classic games' to being an avid retro-game enthusiast and collector. And the game that marked this transition was Metal Storm. It was one of the first obscure titles that I came across in my research of the NES library, and it set me on a course to discover all sorts of unique games for my favorite classic platforms. Metal Storm is one of my all-time favorite NES games, and it had a significant role in expanding my interest into all things retro-gaming, from history and preservation to the online classic-gaming community. Aside from that, mechs are awesome - and who wouldn't want to mess with gravity while you blow up evil computers with your laser cannon? -CasualCart

I feel like it should be impossible to pinpoint the 'best game ever' - but the more I consider it, the more I think Tetris is a solid answer. It's simple, it's satisfying, and the formula can't really be improved without changing the foundation of what makes the game so great. Bravo, Alexey Pajitnov. -CasualCart

Haha touché. Didn't mean to sound judgmental - I was only trying to justify myself for being bad at video games. Nothing but respect for people who can handle retro games on harder settings. -CasualCart

I always appreciate when games offer an 'easy' difficulty setting. I like to play retro games for fun, not to challenge or frustrate myself. Plus, I like to experience as much of a game as possible on my own merit (without excessive use of hints or walkthroughs) - so easy settings help me progress further than I otherwise would. -CasualCart

This is really neat! What are the numbers on the scaffolding for? Some kind of interactive activity or something? -CasualCart

Just gonna sneak this in here. I've been meaning to try out my Sage design with pixel art, but I didn't start working on it until today when I realized how close the deadline was : ) -CasualCart