MegaMan52

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.

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.

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!"

Beat Winnie the Pooh's Rumbly Tumbly Adventure. Thought I might as well. The credits don't appear after beating the game. The only way to view them is by going to the options screen. Not surprisingly it is basically like Piglet's Big Game, except Pooh is the protagonist (like he usually is). Instead of cookies, there are honey pots hidden in every area of the levels/stories. I found every honey pot, as shown in the pics. Piglet and Tigger are occasionally playable, and they do what they did in Piglet's Big Game: Piglet scares Heffalumps and Woozles, and Tigger sneaks by them without being noticed. Eeyore is also playable in this game (with Pooh riding on him). Instead of having clips from a movie, this game has unlockable minigames. I unlocked those too, and beat the game 100%. Roo is playable in the minigame mode. The game is overall shorter and easier than Piglet's Big game, with only five levels/stories. BTW @Jeevan, the list could use an update.

Taking a break from the awesomeness of the consoles' T and M rated games, I beat Piglet's Big Game. There are cookies hidden in every area of most of the levels. As you can see in the pics, I got all of the cookies. The cookies are used as money to unlock different faces Piglet can make to scare Heffalumps and Woozles. If you re-visit a level, you play a sort of minigame called "The Bravest of them all". Normally, when visiting a level, Piglet has to face his fears and scare Heffalumps and Woozles. When re-visiting a level, the enemies become afraid of Piglet and all you have to do is run up to them (but within a time limit). After clearing the enemies, a bottle appears. After clearing all the enemies and collecting all of the bottles, a message saying "YOU ARE THE BRAVEST OF THEM ALL" appears indicating that the level is complete. So yeah, in other words, I beat the game 100%. Clearing levels unlocks the games' cutscenes. There's also a Projector that includes some clips from Piglet's Big Movie.

Played and beat several original Game Boy games this year. Played them on the Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Player, Switch Game Boy App, and a compilation. Beating the Extra Game mode in Kirby's Dream Land, getting 100% in Kirby's Dream Land 2 (both on the original cartridge played on the Game Boy Player, and on the Switch), beating Mega Man III, and beating all of the levels and getting all of the secrets in Donkey Kong Land 3 were probably my best Game Boy accomplishments this year.

Beat Splinter Cell: Double Agent, so all of the Splinter Cell games released for the console are completed. Mission complete. As expected, it is very similar to Chaos Theory. Most of Chaos Theory's added features, such as the OCP on the Pistol, being able to save anywhere in a level, EMF vision ("blue vision"), and a Co-op mode, are included in this game. There are, of course, some new features. The first new feature is that, in some levels, Sam Fisher has partners. They can give him boosts (or he can give them boosts) to reach higher areas. Then there's the Trust Meter. In addition to the NSA, Fisher also works for the JBA (John Brown's Army) in this game. Completing primary, secondary, and opportunity objectives causes the meter to move either left or right. If it's in the middle, both employers will be neutral. But if the meter is closer to the left or right, then one of them will think you're suspicious. If the meter is all the way the left or right, then one of them will think you can't be trusted. If that happens, you'll have to complete an objective within a time limit and get to a certain area in the level you're in (this area is highlighted on the level's map, which can be found on your Opsat). Make it before time runs out, and you'll be trusted again. Sometimes, the game requires you to make some big decisions. The decisions you make can change certain things. They don't just affect the Trust Meter, but can also change the story or make missions easier or harder. While Double Agent is a good game, I don't like it quite as much as the previous three games. And, honestly, it seems like less effort was put into this port compared to the previous three games. The first three Splinter Cell games have Progressive Scan support and GBA Connectivity, and Chaos Theory also includes widescreen support. This game doesn't have any of those. There are no exclusive weapons like the first Splinter Cell, no added sections to any of the levels like Pandora Tomorrow, and no Collector's Edition release like Chaos Theory (the Xbox 360 version did get a Collector's Edition release). Despite that, it is still fun and a reasonably good finale for the console. In my opinion, it is the last really good game in the series. I even prefer this version over the 360 version, because it is closer to being like the previous three SC games. There is a secret music track in the first level that is not in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. Check out my video above if you want to listen to it. Also, if you have the patience to sit through the credits, a cool video plays showing the game's levels and some of Fisher's moves. I have Splinter Cell: Essentials on PSP and Splinter Cell: Conviction on PC. I like those games too, but the series changed after Double Agent and those games just aren't as fun as the first four games. Conviction, for example, has less stealth and more action. Irving Lambert, Fisher's boss and best friend, dies in Double Agent. And Sam Fisher himself is just different in Conviction. But of course, I'll eventually play through those games as well. I've beaten the first four Splinter Cell games multiple times, and I should probably play through the others soon.

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is complete. This is probably my favorite game in the series. They took what was great about the first two and basically perfected it. Sam Fisher now has a knife, which can not only be used on guards but also to break open locked doors. There's a new water kill move. If you stand in some water, you can grab a guard standing at the edge and drown him. The Pistol now has an OCP, which replaces the Cam Jam from the first two games and allows you to temporarily disable cameras. With the Cam Jam, you needed to keep facing a camera. With the OCP, you just point the Pistol at a camera and press the L button to temporarily disable a camera. You can then safely move past the camera and not make noise. The OCP can also be used to disable lights. There's also EMF vision, a.k.a. "blue vision", that allows you to see cameras and lasers more clearly, making it more likely you'll aim your Pistol right at them and not miss them with the OCP. The other big improvement is that you can save anywhere in a level, instead of just at checkpoints or after completing a level. By pausing the game and choosing the save option, you can start exactly where you left off when you load your progress the next time you play. There's also a Co-op mode in addition to the main Solo campaign. The game has both Progressive Scan (yes, I actually have the GameCube's Component Cable) and Widescreen support, and looks reasonably good even on an HDTV. As in Pandora Tomorrow, your goggles vision can be changed by pressing a direction on the Control Pad. This is more convenient than cycling through them with the Z button like the first game. You can also still whistle to get a guards' attention. Amon Tobin's soundtrack is pretty much perfect. The music is so good, I actually got the soundtrack on CD. The GBA Connectivity is included again, and it was updated. I like that Ubisoft gave the GameCube version a Collector's Edition release like the other versions. They cared.

I had a feeling someone was going to say that. At least I had other things to do to make my trips more worthwhile (Monster Jam, for example). No way I was doing all that driving just for a Funko Pop figure.

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is complete. Since first playing this game in 2006 or so, I've appreciated the many new features and improvements it has over the first Splinter Cell. There's the SWAT Turn, being able to draw your weapon while hanging upside down pipes, and whistling to get guards' attention. Night Vision and Thermal Vision are now activated by pressing a direction on the Pad, which is more convenient than cycling through them with the Z button in the first one. The GBA Connectivity from the first Splinter Cell is also included. I also like that Ubisoft added a section at the beginning of the jungle level (Kundang Camp) to this version. The GBA pic below shows a map of the added section of that level.

It took a lot of looking around to find this. Oh sure, I could've easily bought it on eBay. But I would've had to pay $45-$50 because of the shipping. I checked over fifteen stores and three malls in two months. First place I went to was Walmart. They had a very small selection. It didn't surprise me that they didn't have this one. Then I went to Toys 'R Us. They have quite a large selection of Funko Pops, but don't have this one. The guy I talked to wasn't even aware that Chuck E. Cheese is still around in Canada. I noticed Best Buy had some Funko Pops online, so I went there next. They didn't have any at the store, but the guy I talked to suggested I try GameStop and Hot Topic. I went to GameStop. They too have a lot of these. I talked to a lady and asked her if they had this one, but Chuck E. Cheese wasn't even on their Computer. I decided that I needed to drive to some larger cities. After two hours of driving, I went to a mall and found some stores that sell Funko Pops. I asked the lady at the first place I went to in this mall, and she said they actually did have the Chuck E. Cheese Funko Pop but only got about three of them and sold out quickly. I went back to this store recently; I'll get to that in a minute. I went to another store in the same mall. There were two guys there. They had probably the largest selection I had ever seen up to that point, but the guy I talked to didn't know there was a Chuck E. Cheese Funko Pop. The other guy told him "yeah, there is." They didn't have it, though. Darn. That was last month. I went to a different mall recently, and found Hot Topic. Their selection was kind of small. Didn't see Chuck E. Cheese. I didn't ask about it and just left the mall, because it was very busy. There was another Hot Topic location about an hour away. Instead of driving all that way, I just decided to call them. I talked for a little while and they checked their inventory. They didn't have it. Good thing I called instead of driving all that way. I went back to the mall I went to last month and went to the store that got three or so of the Chuck E. Cheese Funko Pops. I asked if they had gotten more in, and was told they didn't. The guy there knew what I was talking about, though. This store had another location down south, and the guy asked me if I wanted him to call the store and find out if they had the Chuck E. Cheese Funko Pop. I said yes. The person at the other location said to the guy that they don't have any, but that this location (the one I was in) had one left. So the guy looked in the back. He couldn't find it. He then looked underneath the counter, and found it. One left, and it was hiding. I wonder if it was there when I visited last month. Anyway, I bought it. It was less than $20. I saved $25-$30 buying it at that store instead of on eBay. I assume this Funko Pop is easier to find in the U.S. Making use of a Summer Pass I got earlier in the Summer, I went back to Chuck E. Cheese. I've been collecting Chuck E. Cheese character cups for a while now and only needed the Helen Henny and Pasqually cups. The Chuck E. Cheese location I visited is one I've visited many times since last year. Some of the staff recognize me and know I like going there, playing games and buying merch. I brought my collector's cup (the plastic cup in the picture), but the lady, knowing that I've bought a lot of Chuck E. Cheese goodies there, gave me the Helen Henny and Pasqually cups. I now have a complete set. Even though I have a complete set of Chuck E. Cheese character cups, it still seems a bit incomplete because there are actually six main characters now. The sixth main character is a bunny named Bella. After playing some games at Chuck E. Cheese, I noticed they had some Sonic the Hedgehog toys in their Gift Shop. This one cost 1500 Tickets. When I got the Summer Pass earlier this year, I got a gift of 500 Tickets. I hadn't redeemed those yet, so I opened up the App and noticed I had less than an hour left to redeem them. So I got the Tickets and used them on this toy (which also includes two collector cards). I didn't have 1500 Tickets, so I used cash and got the toy/cards for $5 off thanks to those Tickets.

Beat the PAL release of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell on GameCube. Made use of the GBA Connectivity feature (which shows maps and guard locations) and weapon that are exclusive to the GameCube version of the game. The GBA Connectivity can also be used to unlock levels in the GBA version. Beat Sonic the Hedgehog in Sonic Origins Plus on Switch (played the Anniversary mode) and unlocked the Mirror mode. I like the added cutscenes that play at the beginning and ending, and the addition of not only the Spin Dash but also the Drop Dash.

I buy bootlegs because some of them are cool while others are just plain weird. I've gotten some bootlegs in the past, AFTER buying the real thing, knowing they are bootlegs. Bootleg Official release Haven't been fooled. Look how cheap looking the bootleg is, and how the art on the label is zoomed in/cutoff. Oh and look at the top of the bootleg cartridge; it says "GAME". Also note that the bootleg has the "Official Game Boy Game Pak" symbol on it. I still knew it was a bootleg. Bought the bootleg after buying the official release. I remember seeing a GBA DKC2 repro/bootleg on eBay a decade or so ago with a blue label. Didn't buy it. It was the only one with a blue label on eBay at the time, so I knew it couldn't have been a real one. Still could've bought it anyway, but didn't and just got the official release instead. One of the repros I bought was Resident Evil 2 on GBA. I knew before I bought it that it was a repro, not just because it doesn't have the Nintendo Seal of Approval but also because the GBA version was canceled (like the GBC version of the first Resident Evil). I bought it anyway because the prototype is obviously hard to come by. Still, I look closely before buying games. If it's a released game and looks basically identical to an official copy on the outside, I may ask sellers to open the cartridges before buying. Some sellers already open cartridges and provide pictures without being asked.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is complete. Last year, I played through the American release (backlog challenge). This time, I decided to play through the PAL release for something a little different (not a whole lot different, but a little). I made use of the GBA Connectivity (which shows maps and guard locations, and beeps to warn you that a guard is nearby) and weapon that are exclusive to this version of the game. Guess I might as well beat the sequels (Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory, and Double Agent) if no one else is going to. I've beaten those games before, and I know I can beat them again. Just hope I have the time. Took me a while to play the first one again, due to my busy schedule.

Got Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Local purchase. Got Little Big Planet on PS3, with case, manuals, and guide. Got Killzone 2 for free from the same seller who sold me Little Big Planet. Downloaded Orn, a Game Boy Advance homebrew from Tom Happ (Axiom Verge) that is based on the original Metroid for NES. These posters aren't new additions to my collection. I was looking through some issues of Nintendo Power that I've had for over a decade and decide to put up these posters: Jurassic Park (NES. SNES, and original Game Boy), Street Racing Syndicate (GameCube), and Spider-Man 2 (GameCube). Went to Monster Jam. Watched the entire show, and also got a Grave Digger toy.

I'll remember it as the first Nintendo console that disappointed me somewhat, despite having a handful of good games (Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3). It's full of shovelware, more than a lot of other Nintendo systems. I was very disappointed by the lack of a Star Fox, F-Zero, and all-new Pikmin game on the console. I didn't care for the flipped environments in the Wii version of Twilight Princess, and got (and still have) the GameCube version. The console was so underpowered compared to PS3 and Xbox 360 that it either got completely different or heavily watered down games, or missed out on certain games entirely. The Pac-Man World games on GameCube are pretty good, and I was hoping for something similar on the Wii. But nope. A whopping four years after the console was released, the Wii got Pac-Man Party (as if it didn't have enough of those kinds of games already). Sonic 4 Episode 2 and Sonic Generations were planned for the Wii, but the Wii versions were canceled. Disappointing, since Sonic was a huge deal on the GameCube. Like the Wii U, many of the Wii's better games are on the Switch or 3DS with added content. Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda: Skyward Sword, Sonic Colors, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Okami, Mega Man 9, and Mega Man 10 are all on the Switch. Heck even some of the Wii's more gimmicky games were ported to the Switch and remastered in HD, like Pac 'n Roll Remix and Pac-Motos (from Namco Museum Remix) which are included in Pac-Man Museum +. The 3DS got Donkey Kong Country Returns with more levels. It also got Kirby's Epic Yarn. I beat Super Paper Mario last year in the Spring, and haven't played the Wii since. It's one of the least played consoles I have. I'll always prefer the NES, SNES, N64, and GameCube, and despite some flaws I believe the Switch is also a far superior system than both the Wii and Wii U. I liked the Wii enough that I eventually bought one in 2012 and don't hate it, but I don't go back to it as much as most other Nintendo consoles.

Is that a Pixel Pals figure? Can't go wrong with Pac-Man. Haven't played the Ghostly Adventures games, but remember Pac-Man looked basically like that in Pac-Man Party for Wii.