MegaMan52

Drinking an Orange Soda and using my NES Coasters.

I don't collect for one system in particular. I mostly buy imported games and games for NES, GameCube, and Switch, but occasionally PS1, PS3, Xbox 360, Game Boy, and Arcade games as well (got a Pac-Man Arcade1Up machine a month or so ago).

Some examples:

3>5>4>6>2>1>11>7>8>10>9>MM&B

Game Boy games (cause I can):

V>IV>III>I>II

Score: 23,600

Welcome. The NES is also my favorite game system.

Nice Xbox.

Bonjour monsieur.

My Chuck E. Cheese "Chuck o' lantern." I'll take a better pic later, but you can click on the pic to see more details.

Edit: Here's a better pic:

Beat Donkey Kong Country. Found all of the bonus areas in addition to beating all of the levels.

This is a pretty impressive version of the game. All of the levels and bonus areas from the original are intact. The graphics are watered-down obviously, but are detailed for a Game Boy Color game.

This version of the game is notable for its extra features. Among those features is an additional level called Necky Nutmare, which I recorded a video of and got through without getting hit (see video above). There are sticker packs hidden in some of the levels that unlock pictures, which can be printed with the Game Boy Printer (which actually works with the Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Player, because they are compatible with Game Boy Pocket and Color Link Cables). Some levels have green bananas, indicating that a sticker is hidden nearby and can be found by using DK's hand slap. The game saves progress automatically, so instead of a save point Candy has Challenges that are basically variations of the bonus areas in the levels. You earn coins for winning these Challenges (I won them and got all six coins). There are some added minigames as well (one of which was updated and included in the GBA version).

Many of the music tracks are from Donkey Kong Land, though they sound slightly different. Other music tracks, like the credits music, are Game Boy Color versions of Donkey Kong Country's music. The original music for the Stop & Go Station level (and similar levels) was removed, so the music from the Mine Cart levels plays instead. The snow levels play the "Ice Cave Chant" music, while the Slipslide Ride level plays the Kremlantis music from Donkey Kong Land.

I had a lot of fun playing. Even in 8-bit, DKC is awesome (and so are the Donkey Kong Land games).

Oh, and I played the game with a Hori Digital Controller. The controls are very similar to the SNES version. A is jump, B is for doing rolls/cartwheels, and X/Select are for switching between DK and Diddy.

I've been playing my Arcade1Up Super Pac-Man machine that I bought earlier this month. Pretty cool machine, but I noticed that the water in Pac-Land looks a little weird. Pac-Man Museum + doesn't have this issue.

Arcade1Up Super Pac-Man 7 in 1 

Pac-Man Museum + (Switch)

October is usually a very busy month for me, not only because of the usual things that I have to do (like work), watching horror movies, Halloween, and buying video games and related items, but also because it is the month of my Birthday.

First, here are some things I've bought in the last few weeks:

Video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyeDrt5AyjZ/

Local purchase. I bought an Arcade1Up Super Pac-Man Arcade machine. It includes these games: Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pac-Mania, Pac-Land, Galaga, Galaxian, and Dig Dug. There are options included for every game, including an option to turn pixel smoothing on or off. It looks basically new, and the seller included the box, manual, riser, and other parts.

Got Season 5 of Cobra Kai.

Also a local purchase. Got Top Gun: The Second Mission for the NES, fully complete and in near-mint condition (the styrofoam is inside the box). The box still has the wrapping and hangtab. While the game itself may not be that great, it is still nice buying something for my favorite game system again.

An '80s Chuck E. Cheese Token. This one is Canadian; the other side of the Token is in French.

And now, my Birthday...

I contacted my family and told them I was interested in having my Birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. This was my second time celebrating my Birthday there, as I had my Birthday there last year. This was the same location I went to last year. Since I'm in Canada, it still hasn't been updated to the 2.0 remodel that many U.S. locations have now. But, it still has modern features like cards and wristbands, E-Tickets, the option to order food from a table, etc. There aren't any Chuck E. Cheese locations near where I live, so it was kind of a long drive. But it was worth it, because I got to see my family. Also, like last year, I was there on my real Birthday (not before or after).

Just a quick note, Chuck E. Cheese is fine for adults. They don't have an age limit for Birthday Parties, and if you don't believe me you can go to the FAQ section on their website and see for yourself: https://www.chuckecheese.com/faqs/birthday-parties/. They also serve Beer and Wine (which I don't drink; I had orange soda). Also, I don't believe adults are too old to play video games or eat pizza.

I brought my card and blue Play Band that I got last year, but was asked if I wanted a new Play Band. They gave me a red one with points on it for playing the games.

They made a pumpkin-shaped pepperoni pizza. The top has a "stem" crust, and the middle has eyes and a smiley face. I've noticed that the pizza at Chuck E. Cheese gets mixed reviews. Everytime I've been there, the pizza tastes and smells really good. Stuffed crust only makes it better.

I got to sing, dance, and get a photo-op with the mouse himself (notice the fangs). I don't dance much, but the Birthday dance at Chuck E. Cheese isn't very difficult. I wore a Chuck E. Cheese Birthday shirt and hat, both of which I bought earlier this year. There were multiple cameras and phones being used, so sometimes I had to turn and didn't always know where to look.

I bought some of their limited edition Halloween merchandise, including a Vampire Chuck E. Cheese plush and a light-up cup. I remember these were mentioned on the website last year, but they didn't have any left on my Birthday. Luckily, they still had some left this year.

Got some cotton candy too. They also gave me a Birthday card.

I was given two bonus tickets worth a thousand tickets each, and more tickets from using the Ticket Blaster (wind tunnel). I used the tickets on this Tails toy (which also includes cards), as well as the cotton candy shown above. I got a Knuckles toy there during the summer.

I took home what was left of the pumpkin pepperoni pizza. We also ordered two other pizzas that my family took home with them.

And, of course, I got a chocolate cake with a picture of Chuck E. Cheese on it (same as last year). Took home a few slices.

For presents, I was given a book with a collection of some of the original Ninja Turtles comics from the '80s.

Beat Mickey's Chase.

So it's pretty similar to Super Mario Bros. 2, M.C. Kids, and, of course, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers in that you throw blocks at enemies. The game is pretty easy until Stage 5-1, then it gets a little tough. However, the battle with Pete is pretty simple once you know the pattern. You just jump on the block, then jump over three balls, move underneath him to the right (don't jump), wait for him to jump to the left, grab a block, turn right, throw it at him, and repeat until he's defeated. Alternatively, you could try ducking instead of jumping but it doesn't always work (you can still sometimes get hit when ducking).

Beat Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.

That's ten games in the last month or so.

Beat Tony Hawk's Underground 2.

As a direct sequel to Tony Hawk's Underground, it features your created skater (now a pro) entering a "World Destruction Tour" with two teams: Team Hawk and Team Bam. You switch teams on occasion.

The tour includes Boston, Barcelona, Berlin, Australia, and Skatopia, among others. Your created skater has his own set of goals, but they aren't enough to move onto the next level. You have to find your teammate (such as Chad Muska or Mike V, depending on who you choose at the beginning of a level) to unlock a new set of goals. There are also guest and secret skaters (such as Jesse James), some of whom use scooters, go karts, or other vehicles instead of skateboards and also have their own set of goals. Every level has an Arcade machine that allows you to get high scores within a time limit (the amount of points required to complete the goal gets higher with each level). The Arcade machines play sound effects from Pitfall on the Atari 2600. The high score list for Skatopia has a hidden message; the "initials" form a message that celebrated Neversoft's tenth anniversary at the time (their tenth anniversary is also mentioned in the credits).

All of the create-a-modes from previous Tony Hawk games are included. This game adds create a graphic. Your created graphic appears when you spray paint walls, or do sticker slaps (wallplants).

Other additions include Classic mode, Focus control, and freaking out. Classic mode has the same levels as Story mode, but the goals are from earlier Tony Hawk games like collect the S-K-A-T-E letters and find the Secret Tape. Filling up your special meter and pressing the L button activates focus control, which slows things down and makes it more likely that you'll pull off and land tricks more accurately. Pressing the Y button when you screw up fills up a meter, allowing you to get pissed off. Whether you're playing as your created skater or a teammate, their anger increases and they do different things depending on how full the freak out meter (like throwing their boards, or breaking them with their heads).

The game also has a large number of returning levels and unlockable characters. Some of the returning levels include the Warehouse from the first THPS, and Canada from THPS3. One of the unlockable characters is Shrek. I am not making that up.

The soundtrack has over 50 songs, including Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and Metallica's "Whiplash".

I didn't really care much for the destruction or the Jackass vibe the game has. And sometimes the game is just plain ridiculous. In Barcelona, for example, you throw a tomato at a bull and then it escapes its cage, damages part of the city, and leaves piles of crap all over the place. These things don't ruin the game or make it less fun, though.

Still fun after almost twenty years.

Downloads this week. I'm gonna receive some packages next month, so I'll add some more exciting stuff to my collection then.

Downloaded F-Zero 99 near its release.

Downloaded the newest update for Sonic Frontiers, which adds a ton of content and improvements. I need to get back to playing this before Sonic Superstars is released. It's been a few months.

So I bought the physical release of Sonic Origins Plus on Switch in the summer. The physical release actually only contains the regular Sonic Origins on the card, with a code to download the Plus content. The Plus DLC adds the twelve Sonic Game Gear games. I don't really need these because I have Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Gems Collection, as well as some of the original cartridges. Also, gotta love the inaccurate descriptions for some of the games. Sonic 1 on Game Gear is not a port of the Genesis version, it's a different game with different levels and (mostly) different music.

The Plus content also adds Knuckles as a playable character in Sonic CD and Amy as a playable character in Sonic 1, 2, CD, and 3 & Knuckles, which were the main reasons why I downloaded it.

A Sega Master System version of Mega Man 2 (homebrew). It has the opening and the first eight levels, but it wasn't completed. There are no enemies in the levels, and it's impossible to reach the end of some of the levels. For example, the blocks in Heatman's stage don't appear. On the other hand, the music is really good and some of it actually sounds better than the NES version (like Metalman's stage). For some reason, though, Airman's stage has the music from Spark Mandrill's stage (Mega Man X).

Downloaded a proof of concept version of Sonic the Hedgehog for GBA. It has all of Green Hill Zone, part of Labyrinth Zone, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are playable, and the music sounds almost identical to the Genesis version. So what's the point of this? Well, it proves that Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (the official GBA version) could've been better.

Downloaded Mega Man 3 Revamped. There's a hack called Mega Man 3 Improvement that adds a lot of things that were cut from the regular Mega Man 3, such as a planet near the beginning of Gemini Man's stage, an unused version of the Dr. Wily escape scene with more detailed backgrounds and the full version of the Dr. Wily Fortress map music, and the full version of Protoman's theme during the ending. Improvement also adds an opening, reduces lag, adds the ability to switch weapons on the fly, and fixes bugs. I recorded a video of Mega Man 3 Improvement and uploaded it on the day of Mega Man 3's 30th anniversary.

Mega Man 3 Revamped is an updated version of Mega Man 3 Improvement, with most of the same changes. It makes some adjustments to the stage layouts, fixes more bugs than Improvement, and has some more detailed backgrounds. The background in Top Man's stage, for example, resembles the more detailed background that was used in beta versions of Mega Man 3.

On 8/25/2023 at 10:38 AM, drxandy said:

$25 PS1 with cables, memory card, dualshock and extra gamester controller (Mandy saw it about to be put out at the thrift and was like eh? Eh? Really having to twist my arm over it. I was like "I doooo have some rewards points I could use", flipped it over to see which model and was like uhhh yah we don't have this one. 

Scph-9001

Nice. So a few months before the slim PS one.

Do you have the launch model (SCPH-1001)? That one really takes me back to that era, so I bought one several years ago along with a longbox copy of Rayman. If you don't have it, I recommend getting it.

Or get the Japanese launch model (SCPH-1000).

Beat Deja Vu I & II: The Casebooks of Ace Harding.

Deja Vu I:

I usually play the NES version. This version has icons instead of text for its interface.

The NES version was heavily censored, but this version is censored even more. Joe's Bar is called Joe's Place in this version. At the beginning of the game, the text about Ace being injected with something in the NES version was removed. That's not the only text that changed, though. There are text differences throughout.

I do like the updated visuals. The GBC version has a darker, grittier look than the NES version.

Most of the music is intact, and all of the areas and rooms have the same music that plays in the NES version. One difference I noticed, though, was in Ace's office (or when you're in front of the door). After shooting the guy behind the door, the same music keeps playing (the music that plays when you find the dead guy near the beginning). In the NES version, after shooting the guy in Ace's office, different music (the Deja Vu theme) plays. In the GBC version, the music in the section doesn't change after shooting the guy unless you leave and come back. So unless you know to do that, this version makes you listen to some obnoxious music while you gather files in Ace's office.

The NES version's end screen showing Ace Harding was removed, unfortunately. Instead, there's some text on a black screen saying what happens after Ace's victory and then Deja Vu II starts. The ending music is still in the game, but it only plays in Deja Vu II.

The NES version got me into detective movies and shows, such as Dick Tracy.

Deja Vu II: 

I remember this was supposed to be released for the NES in 1993, under the title "Ace Harding: Lost in Las Vegas", and saw screenshots of it in Nintendo Power. It is the main reason why I bought Deja Vu I & II on Game Boy Color several years ago.

Not surprisingly, the sequel is basically like the first game but with new places to go (as well as some locations from the first game).

Near the beginning of the game, you can play Poker and earn chips. This is an easy way to make money for train rides. Riding in Cabs is free in this game.

Train rides, as mentioned above, are another mode of transportation in this game. However, you can't just get on one. You have to read the schedule in the Train Stations to find out when the Train you need to get on is arriving (or if its boarding), and which track it is on.

You get to see Ace's rundown apartment at one point in the game. You also get to visit some of the same areas as the first game.

Like the first game, the GBC version of Deja Vu II is heavily censored. Joe's Bar is once again called "Joe's Place", for example. It wouldn't surprise me if this version is also even more censored than the unreleased NES version, like how the first game is more censored than the NES version.

I hope the unreleased NES version is found someday. I wouldn't mind playing it.

I've seen all of them up to Casino Royale (2006), and have the 24 movie collection on Blu-ray that came out a few years ago. I also have GoldenEye and The World is Not Enough on VHS.

As for which is my favorite, that was kind of a tough decision.

Goldfinger is memorable for some of its famous lines, like "Do you expect me to talk?" followed by "No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!".

I remember Thunderball being longer than most of the others, running at about two and a half hours. It wasn't a bad movie, but kind of dragged on.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service stood out to me because it was the first movie Sean Connery didn't play Bond, the only time George Lazenby played Bond, and Bond gets married only to lose his wife at the end of the movie.

I enjoyed You Only Live Twice mostly for the fact that Donald Pleasence (Dr. Loomis from Halloween) played Biofeld.

The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker were fun to watch because they have Jaws, who is probably my favorite of the Bond villains. Jaws also appears in Everything or Nothing for GameCube (which also includes both Brosnan's likeness AND voice).

And then we get to the Brosnan era, with movies like GoldenEye and The World is Not Enough. Tough call, but I guess I'll pick GoldenEye as my favorite. It's a good mix of humor ("Beg your pardon, I forgot to knock!" WHAM!), action, and is long enough without being overly long like Thunderball. This was the era, in my opinion, where the Bond movies went from good to really good.

On 9/16/2023 at 3:57 AM, fcgamer said:

Don't think I've seen Somari with that label before. Nice find.

Beat Tony Hawk's Underground.

I still remember all the hype this game had twenty years ago. I read about it in Nintendo Power (still have the issues that I read twenty years ago), as well as on sites like Planet Tony Hawk and the official Tony Hawk's Underground site (which had not only pics and videos, but also a music player with songs not featured in the game except for one). The series peaked with this game, and many were talking about it.

The first major new feature this game has over previous games is the story mode (instead of a Career mode) that stars your own created skater (who is suppose to be you) going from a local unknown skater to a pro. Then there's getting off your board, allowing you to run and grab ledges and wires, or climb up ladders. In addition to having the Create-a-Skater and Park Editor from previous games (both of which are improved and have added features), this game introduced the Create-a-Trick, Create-a-Deck, and Create-a-Goal modes. You can also drive a bunch of vehicles.

There are also some extra things you can do in the levels for fun. For example, Vancouver (Canada) has a skating rink with a puck and nets. You can get on the ice and kick the puck into the nets (the game will also let you know that you scored a goal). Also, you gotta love the logos and ads spread around in the levels. Like a McDonald's ad in the Hawaii level that shows a BIg Mac meal. Oh yeah, I remember the option to "super size" drinks and fries. I also remember Super Size Me came out the same year.

There are eight main levels, and four unlockable levels. Three of the unlockable levels are from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2: Hangar, School, and Venice.

The soundtrack has a whopping 77 licensed songs, two of which are unlockable KISS songs.

Besides the THPS2 levels, there's also another secret level called "Hotter than Hell" (love that this game is mostly uncensored BTW, which further proves that the GameCube wasn't and isn't just for kids).

There are letters in the level that spell "KISS". If you touch all the letters, a KISS music video plays. If you touch the letters again, the band will appear in the level (the level has a stage) and play "Rock 'n Roll All Night" complete with most of the things you'd expect from a concert (flames, cheering, etc.).

I think the classic Tony Hawk games are still a lot of fun. The graphics in the game aren't the greatest (even for 2003), but I do like that the game has Progressive Scan and Widescreen support. It also sounds damn good on my Sound Bar and Subwoofer.

Other Game Boy games worth importing.

Beat Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Party Games.

It is basically a compilation of Micro Games from Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Micro Games on GBA, though there are some added features.

There are several one-player modes that I needed to complete. First up was the "Stage Clear" mode, in which you play Micro Games from all of the different genres. The last Micro Games in each genre are "boss games", which are usually longer. One of the boss games is similar to Punch-Out!!, and another is a vertical scrolling shooter similar to games like Galaga and Galaxian.

Completing the Stage Clear mode unlocks the All Mixed Up, Hard, and Thrilling modes, among other things. All Mixed Up has you playing the games from the various genres, but in a random order. In hard mode, the game moves at a fast speed from the beginning and the games are played in a random order. In Thrilling mode, the games are again played in a random order and you're given only one chance to play as many games as possible (lose once, and it's game over).

Scoring 30 or more points (winning 30 or more games) in All Mixed Up mode unlocks the Time Attack mode. Playing this mode unlocks the credits. It doesn't matter how fast you are in the Time Attack mode; simply playing it unlocks the credits. The credits are interactive, similar to Melee. You control a space ship and shoot question marks to make the first letter of a name appear. The game keeps track of how many letters you shoot.

I've had this game in my collection for over a decade. I played it a lot the year I got it, and unlocked everything. I nearly forgot how fun and addicting it is. There's an Album section where you can pick any of the Micro Games, which are already unlocked. You can adjust the speed and difficulty, set new records, and there's a practice option. The games in the Nintendo genre include many of the best NES and SNES games, like Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, F-Zero, and Mario Paint (Fly Swatter game), and it even has some Game & Watch games. There are also some humorous takes on certain Nintendo games, like "Unexcite Bike" which has Wario riding a Motorcycle through an Excitebike track while avoiding the characters from that game (who try to bump into him) and "Grow Wario Grow" which has Wario getting a mushroom in Super Mario Land so he can grow bigger than Mario.

I think the gameplay in this game still holds up after almost twenty years (or already twenty years, if you count the Japanese release and the GBA version), and up to four players can play. The mix of fast-paced games and lots of humor makes it perfect for parties. The multiplayer mode even has a jump rope game that allows up to SIXTEEN players to play with the SAME Controller.

The game has lots of extra content too, like a Sound Test, Character Profiles, cutscenes, and music videos.

Pingu is decent.

One of my favorite imports.

Worth importing even if you have Dexter's Laboratory: Robot Rampage.

22 minutes ago, ikk said:

Player's Choice releases (51):

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Title

007: Everything or Nothing

007: Nightfire

Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2

Enter the Matrix

F-Zero GX

FIFA 06

FIFA Football 2003

FIFA Football 2004

FIFA Football 2005

Finding Nemo

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life

Incredibles, The

Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The

Luigi's Mansion

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Mario Party 4

Mario Party 5

Medal of Honor: Frontline

Medal of Honor: Rising Sun

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

Metroid Prime

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Need for Speed: Underground

Need for Speed: Underground 2

Pikmin

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc

Resident Evil Zero

Shrek 2

Simpsons: Hit & Run, The

Sims: Bustin' Out, The

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle

Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut

Sonic Heroes

Sonic Mega Collection

Soul Calibur II

Spider-Man

Spider-Man 2

Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly

Starfox Adventures

Super Mario Sunshine

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

WWE Day of Reckoning

I couldn't find any good lists for the PAL Player's Choice releases, so these are all I've seen for the past few years. If you notice any missing, please letting me know.

That list is missing Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow.

Currently drinking some Ice cold, caffeine-free soda. I sometimes put it in the freezer for an hour or two. Orange, grape, and Sprite are my favorites. I usually drink plain water, but when I want something that has flavor and is less boring I drink soda.

Beat the remake of the first Spyro the Dragon game in Reignited Trilogy.

"You're toast, Gnorc!"