Archive for September, 2008
Nintendo Super Mario Bros Zelda Toy Chest
September 30th, 2008 by Sean R.
Last week a new thrift store opened up in my local area. This is very exciting news, as I am always looking for new treasures.
Because I am someone who frequents these establishments looking for used classic games and retro console systems, I went to the grand opening.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a Super Mario Brothers with Zelda toy chest from the late 1980’s:
This Nintendo toy box has artwork from both Zelda and Super Mario Bros on all sides including the top.
I’m amazed that this Official Nintendo toy box is in such good condition. Below are some additional pictures. Read the rest of this entry…
NES - Battletoads
September 29th, 2008 by Sean R.
Groundbreaking for its time, Battletoads still comes across as a very polished, well constructed side-scroller.
Like most video games, the first stage contains chasms to leap over and pig-men to beat the living crap out of. Then things get weird.
You’ll encounter these freaks with long legs, and once defeated, you use their disembodied limbs as clubs. I love this game’s off-beat sense of humor.
The first stage ends with an innovative boss battle played from the boss’ perspective.
In the second stage you’ll rappel down into a pit while dealing with toad-eating plants and rope-snapping crows. Read the rest of this entry…
Nintendo 64: Perfect Dark
September 29th, 2008 by Sean R.
Using an enhanced version of the GoldenEye engine and taking full advantage of the expansion pack, Perfect Dark is an ultimate first-person shooter for the N64.
No, you don’t get the familiar James Bond characters from GoldenEye, but you do get a lovely redheaded heroine named Joanna Dark.
The game challenges you to infiltrate a futuristic corporation and lay waste to scores of guards and aliens.
The graphics are slightly improved over GoldenEye, with realistic shadowing, reflective glass, and slick modern environments.
The angular Joanna Dark is probably the most poorly-rendered object in the game, but since you’re playing from a first person perspective, it’s not much of an issue. Read the rest of this entry…
Sega Genesis: Batman
September 28th, 2008 by Sean R.
Of all the Sega Genesis Batman games (Batman, Batman Forever, Batman Returns, Batman: Revenge Of The Joker), the first one has held up best over the years.
Relatively short in length and simple to play, Batman offers clean, crisp graphics, excellent control, and well-designed stages.
Fans will appreciate how the storyline follows the movie from the factory, to the museum, to the final confrontation with the Joker in the tower.
The cut-scenes, which fill in the storyline, are brief but fun to watch. Batman’s graphics have an old-school charm. Read the rest of this entry…
Game Boy Advance SP NES Limited Edition
September 27th, 2008 by Sean R.
Back on June 7, 2004 Nintendo released a very cool Game Boy Advance SP: The Game Boy Advance SP NES Edition.
I recently acquired one of these classic pieces of gaming history for my Nintendo collection. This thing is awesome! From the official product description:
Game Boy Advance SP is going retro. The new Game Boy Advance SP looks like an itty bitty NES console.
This new Game Boy Advance SP has the same guts and everything as a regular one, but its casing looks just like the NES!
The GameBoy Advance SP NES Edition is designed to look like a classic NES controller. Below are a couple pictures that I took this morning:
Here’s another picture with classic Nintendo Donkey Kong playing:
This is one of my prized pieces in my entire Nintendo collection. My top collection piece is my Gold Nintendo 64. I’ll post pictures of that console down the road.
Posted in GameBoy Advance, Handheld, Nintendo, Photos
Sega Genesis: Golden Axe
September 26th, 2008 by Sean R.
Golden Axe is a side-scrolling medieval hack-n-slash fighter. One or two players choose between a muscular warrior, a sexy female, or dwarf character.
Your eight-stage quest is filled with barbarians, lizard men, skeletons, and little elves who try to steal your supplies.
With only one attack button your moves are fairly limited, but other aspects of the game make up for this.
Collecting magic pots allows you to cast destructive magic spells.
Some enemies ride in on the backs of creatures, and after commandeering one you can perform devastating attacks like the tail whip or fire-breath.
After each game the players are rated by performance.
Besides the normal arcade mode, there’s a duel mode that pits one player against foes of increasing difficulty.
Although the graphics and sound are plain by today’s standards, Golden Axe is a lot of fun to play.
NES - Donkey Kong
September 26th, 2008 by Sean R.
I’ve played many home versions of Donkey Kong, but this one may be the best, however that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering Nintendo invented the game in the first place.
The hero is a little plumber with a big mustache named Mario who was originally called Jumpman. The villain is a giant ape named Donkey Kong. The two main characters would go on to become legends in the game industry.
Each stage involves navigating Mario up a series of girders while jumping over barrels and fireballs in order to rescue a girl being held hostage by Kong. Read the rest of this entry…
David Crane: Classic Game Programmer
September 25th, 2008 by Sean R.
David Crane started his programming career at Atari, making games for the Atari 2600.
After meeting up with co-worker Alan Miller in a tennis game, Miller discussed with him a plan he had to leave and found a company that would give game designers more recognition.
From this meeting, he left Atari in 1979 and co-founded Activision, along with Miller, Jim Levy, Bob Whitehead and Larry Kaplan.
His games have won many awards while he was at Activision.
David Crane is best known as the designer of Pitfall!, a game that stayed at the top of the charts for 64 weeks.
Other Activision hits written by David Crane include Dragster, Fishing Derby, Laser Blast, Freeway, Grand Prix and Skateboardin’. Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in 2600, Activision, Atari, NES 8-bit, Photos
