MegaMan52

Got this one for free with the remote.

Introduction In the '80s and '90s, it was actually quite common to find video game related shows. There was Pac-Man, Saturday Supercade, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Legend of Zelda, and Captain N in the '80s, and Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Mega Man in the '90s. This continued in the late '90s/early 2000s with shows like Donkey Kong Country, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Sonic X, and MegaMan NT Warrior. Then there were the game shows. Americans were treated to video game shows such as Video Power, Nick Arcade, and GamePro (a TV show version of the magazine). Canadians, however, got their own video game show: Video & Arcade Top 10. The show ran from 1991 all the way to 2006 and was shown on YTV, and usually featured Nintendo systems from the NES to the GameCube (Game Boy games were also shown). Occasionally, PlayStation games were also featured. I watched the show a fair bit during the N64 and GameCube eras. The show was divided into multiple sections and wasn't strictly about video games. The main part of the show was the competition, where a few gamer's could play different games (usually two different games per episode). There was the tips and tricks section for both new and classic games. Then there was the top 10 prize wall section near the end of the show, where the winning contestants got a chance to win one of various prizes. I remember in 2004, one of the prizes was Mega Man Anniversary Collection for GameCube. There were usually/always video game prizes, but also other prizes that weren't video game related that kids could enjoy. Music and movies were also featured. Even though I watched the show a lot, I apparently didn't record very many episodes. I found one VHS tape containing a single episode from the N64 era, and appears to be from 2000 or so. Since I'm Canadian, I guess I might as well talk about it. So that'll be the focus of this blog. Memories of the Show Game Action The main part of the show. Nicholas Picholas was the star of the show for almost its entire run. In each episode, a few kids would play a couple different games. The particular episode on the tape I have features San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, both for N64. Other sections of the show would be shown during the action, then it would return to the competition. There were two rounds, each featuring a different game. After a round, the winning contestant would be taken to the prizes. After the first round, different contestants would play. I remember an episode that featured Mario Party on N64. Original Game Boy games would be played with the SNES's Super Game Boy, Game Boy Color games would be played with the N64's Wide Boy, and Game Boy Advance games would be played with the GameCube's Game Boy Player. Music Featuring music instead of gaming, this was the only part of the show I didn't care much about. It's not that I didn't care about any music, it's just that I was watching a video game show and wanted to see video games not music videos. That's what channels like Much Music and MTV were for. They also had quiz questions. While were on the subject of music, though, I'll mention that the shows theme song sounded like the music from Crashman's stage in Mega Man 2. Tips and Tricks Not to be confused with the magazine of the same name, some tips and tricks for both new and classic games were mentioned, and footage of the game being talked about was shown. I remember Sonic Adventure 2: Battle being shown in this section. The episode on the VHS tape I have has tips and tricks for NBA Courtside 2 and Star Craft 64. Letters Gamer's sent letters asking a question about how to do something in whatever game they were playing, and Nicholas would read them to the audience and viewers. Also notice the fan art. Movies Movies for teens and younger kids were also shown and talked about. Top 10 Prize Wall After a round, the winning contestants would be taken to the prizes. The kids who won that day would be blindfolded and then put his or her hand into a container that had balls with numbers on them. Whichever number was shown on the ball indicated what prize they got. Most of the balls were white, but one of them was a red ball. The red ball, if pulled out, allowed the winning contestant to choose any prize he or she wanted. Every contestant was a winner, because even the losing players still got a prize. The prizes included a copy of the games being played, as well as other things like game accessories, Timex Watches, and puzzles. Who could forget the Pokémon craze in the late '90s/early 2000s? Even if you didn't care much about it, you couldn't escape it. 2000 was the year Pokémon The Movie 2000 was released, which I remember watching in the Theater (and got on VHS last year). And YTV, the channel that played this show, also played the Pokémon cartoon. Stores were full of Pokémon merch and apparel. Everyone was talking about Pokémon at the time. Other Stuff Even Nintendo got in on the fun with these shirts. Ah yes KFC. It's finger lickin' good. Conclusion Video & Arcade Top 10 was fun to watch. It was just one of many video game related things that Canadian gamer's liked. When Canadian kids weren't busy with school, playing video games, watching movies, browsing the Internet, or reading an issue of Nintendo Power, perhaps they were watching cartoons or maybe an episode of Video & Arcade Top 10. I know I watched the show a lot. -MegaMan52

Got Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror complete and near-mint. I got the PSP version because it is uncensored. Got this barely used Toshiba HDTV for free. I've got a bunch of CRT TV's, and got one for free last month. And yes, sometimes I get modern TV's for free too (not as often, though...usually I have to pay up). The stand still has the plastic. It has four HDMI ports and one Component connection. I didn't get the box so I don't know the exact size of the screen, but it looks like it's around 40 or 45 inches. I have two game rooms that are full of shelves, games, consoles, and TV's. My living room is also full, with even more TV's and shelves. So the basement is the only area in my house that I can hook this up. Not sure what consoles I'm going to hook up to it. Maybe a PS3, or maybe even Nintendo's next system (unless it has 4K, then I would probably just hook it up to my 4K TV instead). Participated in Capcom's recent survey and got this Mega Man wallpaper for phones.

"Cowabunga!" Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers completed.

Mickey's Chase is complete. I remember playing this last year too. Not very difficult, though some of the later levels have some tricky parts. Music is pretty good (Capcom and all). Game is a little short, but long enough IMO. Just a good, fun game.

Donkey Kong Land III completed. Got all of the DK coins, Bonus coins, unlocked the Lost World, and completed every level.

Noot Noot! Decided to playthrough a Japanese exclusive: completed Pingu using my original Game Boy that I've had since the early '90s. Actually kind of a fun game. Short and sweet.

Mega Man III completed.

Oh well, it's been 24 years since the last Eggerland game. I wouldn't mind at least one more someday.

The Jungle Book is complete. Played it in Disney Classic Games Collection on Switch. I did not use any save states or button codes. I've played it before. The game is a little frustrating at times, but it's decent. Very similar to the NES version, which I remember liking and would like to play on a real NES again someday (rented it in 1994/1995 and haven't played it on a real NES since).

StarTropics should've been at least a trilogy, in my opinion. I do like that Nintendo has at least been willing to release StarTropics on the Wii, Wii U, Switch, and NES Classic so more people have a chance to play it, and hopefully the sequel is released on the Switch's NES App eventually. More Adventures of Lolo games would've been nice, not only because they're good but also since there have been lots of retro-style games on modern systems. As for what franchise went too far, I don't know. Call of Duty I guess.

Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan completed. Played it in TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection on Switch. Played through every level without any of the turtles getting captured. I didn't use any save states or button codes. The game isn't even hard, and it's short. Oh and if anyone's wondering which turtle is in that one pic, it's Raph.

Double Dragon is complete.

Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge completed using my blue Game Boy Pocket. Edit: Looks likes JamesRobot already played this game, and Ankos played Kirby's Dream Land 1 and 2. Guess I gotta pick up the pace.

Donkey Kong Land completed. I've played this game a lot since 1996, so I knew where to find all the secrets.

Interesting. I have the games, but don't have these plushies. Are you the guy who posted this blog in 2014? http://www.wafflefoot.com/blog/2014/4/29/adventures-of-lolo-promotional-plush-characters

Yeah, I saw that years ago on a Kirby site called Kirby's Rainbow Resort: http://www.kirbysrainbowresort.net/info/merchandise/misc.htm Eventually bought it on eBay a few years ago, despite not being CIB. I think it goes well with my spice orange GameCube (which is CIB...remember buying it for $100 and the shipping was free). Oh, and those vehicles were shown in the Kirby anime and one of the DVD's loosely based on Kirby Air Ride: And about the discs, the ones I didn't know about were the SSX Tricky and Super Monkey Ball 2 demo discs (though I'm not surprised that the latter exists).

Played some Sonic the Hedgehog 3 last night, in time for its 30th Anniversary. In case anyone's wondering, I played it on my Genesis. Normally, I wouldn't care what platform I play Sonic 3 on (even if it's the Sonic & Knuckles Collection PC version, which I also have). But I decided to play it on the Genesis. I think that was the right thing to do on the day of its 30th Anniversary.

Always nice to see more GameCube guys here. Even I didn't know about some of those discs.

Guess I might as well play Sonic 3, but what platform should I choose? Probably Genesis. But maybe Genesis, GameCube, and Switch.

Mega Man II completed.

Super Mario Land is complete.

One of the best sports games on the NES.

Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break complete. I think I played this last year too. Gotta love that credits music. Sounds awesome with a Sound Bar and Subwoofer.