Mike's 2015 Boxed Nintendo 64 Collection

I got my Nintendo 64 for Christmas of 1996.  It was the first Nintendo console that I knew about before its release, so I was super hyped about it and Super Mario 64 especially.  Since I got my Nintendo Power subscription starting in 1993, I was able to read all about the upcoming "Project Reality" or "Ultra 64," as it was originally known, and drool over all the new games.

Ironically, Nintendo Power never me sent the Super Mario 64 issue, so I had to buy it from the store.  That really irritated me because the system was released in September and I had to wait until December to get one, so I at least wanted to read all about it and study maps and strategies until then.

Luckily, I did get to play the system once before its release.  My father took me to Sears (either for Christmas shopping or so he could buy tools) and Super Mario 64 was available to play on the demo unit in the video games section.  I had to wait in line behind a few kids, but I got my turn, and it was wonderful.  Ironically, no one was playing the Sega Saturn or PlayStation demo kiosks.  Everyone wanted to try Mario 64.

In California at least, the console was sold out during the holidays of 1996, and things like extra controllers were really hard to find.  My mother had to search all over town to find the system, but she finally checked Best Buy at the right time and was able to get me the system plus Super Mario 64 and Wave 64.  I spent the holidays playing through both games, and it was loads of fun.  I just couldn't put the controller down.  The Nintendo 64 also marked the first console that was purely mine (my brother and I shared the NES and SNES).

My system is in excellent condition and still works flawlessly.  I still have one of my original controllers, although I replaced the analog stick about a year or two ago.  I originally picked up a second controller right after Christmas of 1996, but the analog stick finally broke after about 10 years, so I had to replace it.  At the time I was able to simply order a brand new one directly from Nintendo's website, but it didn't come with a box or anything.  However, I kept my original controller box from around 1996, so it didn't really matter.

The system is stored in the same "system house" that I mentioned in my NES collection blog post.  It came from the Super Power Supplies Catalog from Nintendo Power.

The Nintendo 64 saw fewer control options than either the NES or SNES (it didn't have light gun, as one example), but there were still some good third-party controllers if you knew where to look.  A company named Interact became the successor to Asciiware (at least in my mind) by putting out turbo controllers and joysticks.  Interact had actually released some programmable controllers on the SNES, but I never got to try them.

Sometime in 1997 I spotted the Sharkpad Pro 64 in Best Buy (they used to have an awesome video game section), and I instantly decided that I had to get one.  It kept the same basic form factor as the official N64 controller but came in clear plastic and featured turbo.  I bought it on the spot.  Unfortunately, my original one broke on me within a few years, but I was able to replace it with another new one a few years ago off eBay.  In my mind, it's the best third-party controller on the system.  It feels like the spiritual successor to the NES Max and the Asciipad.

However, the Sharkpad Pro 64 apparently had a design flaw (I think with the analog stick), so Interact quickly issued a redesign called the Sharkpad Pro 64 2, which featured a bat-shaped design instead of the original three-pronged design.  I actually bought one of those after my original version broke, but I hated the feel of it (it was hard to hang onto the sides), so I sold it.  I store the Sharkpad in one of the common controller cases that stores used to carry.

I spotted the Arcade Shark a little while after I got Sharkpad (either 1997 or 1998), and I decided to get it as well.  Like with my NES and SNES, I picked up two standard controllers, a turbo pad and a joystick for the N64.  However, the Arcade Shark also broke on me a few years after I got it, so I bought a replacement around 1999 or so.  I then replaced that one with a third Arcade Shark a few years ago, so the box is from the recent one.

I remember seeing the V3 Racing Wheel in stores back during the N64 era, but I at that time I didn't have much interest in getting one.  A few years ago I decided to buy one off eBay (it was only $30 brand new), and it ended up being a lot of fun.  It works great with arcade racing games.

The Nintendo 64 was the first system where I started keeping the boxes and manuals for all my games and accessories, so I still have the original packaging for every game and item that I purchased brand new as a kid (except for the Arcade Shark, which got replaced, and one of my 12-game organizers).

The reason I have both a separate Expansion Pak box and Donkey Kong 64 is that I received the Expansion Pak before Donkey Kong 64 came out (it was released prior to the game).  So when I got Donkey Kong 64 for Christmas of 1999, I simply gave my friend the extra Expansion Pak and kept the packaging.

I only recently picked up the official Cleaning Kit.  Before that I used a third-party brand.  Controller Paks came in either a box or a blister pack (I think the box was only for the first year or two of the system), so although I have two Controller Paks, I only have one box due to one of them coming in a blister pack.

One of the 12-game organizer boxes is my original one.  Even though I bought two of them back in the late '90s, I lost one of the boxes somehow.  I managed to find a replacement box this year though.

I have two different Sharkpad Pro 64 boxes because I kept the original box (the smaller one on the left) even though I threw away the first controller after it broke.  When I bought the new controller off eBay a few years ago it was still sealed in its original packaging, so I ended up with two boxes.  I was really surprised to see that there were two different versions for the packaging. 

I picked up the following titles while the Nintendo 64 was still being sold in stores: Super Mario 64, Yoshi's Story, Mario Kart 64, Donkey Kong 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Wave Race 64, Excitebike 64, Dr. Mario 64, The New Tetris, Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Castlevania, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, Rampage: World Tour, Bass Hunter 64, Top Gear Rally, World Driver Championship and Vigilante 8.  So those are the original boxes from my teen years, which you can see in the picture below.

Hydro Thunder, Gauntlet Legends, Spider-Man, Quake and Turok Rage Wars were picked up sealed within the past few years off eBay and Amazon.  Killer Instinct Gold, Goldeneye 007, Doom 64 and Quake II were picked up used within the past few years, but in really good condition.

I have a real soft spot for the Nintendo 64, and a lot of good memories, but it only ranks as my fourth favorite Nintendo console behind the NES, SNES and Wii.  Although it has an excellent library, 2D games aren't represented very well (nearly everything is 3D), some of my favorite old franchises aren't on the system (hello Double Dragon, Metroid and Punch-Out!!), and the controller is uncomfortable and prone to wearing out.

However, the system has some excellent 3D platforming and racing games, and a legendary selection of FPS titles.  The multiplayer games are also excellent, although I prefer the more accessible, arcade nature of Wii multiplayer titles (not to mention NES and SNES games).

Star Soldier

I'm a big fan of vertical-scrolling shooters, so I've been keeping an eye out for some good ones to add to my collection (provided that they aren't too expensive).

I have the Star Soldier sequels on the Wii's Virtual Console, so I decided to get the original one for the NES, especially before it shoots up in value.  Since this game is really affordable, I picked up a sealed copy for a low price. 

I remember playing at least one shooter at a neighbor's house when I was a kid, but I don't know what game it was.  It could have been Gun Nac, but I'm just not sure.

In any event, I look forward to completing this one.

The All-Seeing Eye

High Voltage Software was handing these out at their booth at E3 2009.  It's a squishy ASE.  Now if I can only get it to levitate...

Mike's 2015 Boxed SNES Collection

My brother and I received our Super Nintendo for Christmas of 1992 (which of course included Super Mario World) along with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Street Fighter II: The World Warrior.  Before I that I had only played the Super Nintendo once at a friend-of-a-friend's house (it was Super Mario World, as I recall).  I also did not know about the SNES before it was released.  I didn't have a Nintendo Power subscription at that time and I don't remember any kids at school talking about the system.

I still have the original system and only the bottom half has turned yellow.  I think the yellowing varies based on the year the system was produced.  I've noticed that launch systems tend to be yellow almost all over.  But my system runs great.  Super Nintendos are built like brick shithouses.

I picked up the system organizer from the Super Power Supplies Catalog from Nintendo Power magazine in the mid '90s.  The SNES version is different from the N64 version in that the drawer is divided into three section.  Other than that, it's pretty much the same as the N64 version.

I store my additional games in a 24-game organizer that I picked up fairly recently off eBay.  It keeps the dust off the games and prevents sun bleaching on the labels.  I still have some of my original cartridges including Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, Super Mario Kart, Tetris Attack, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Killer Instinct.  I replaced my brother's Final Fantasy II with a complete copy a few years ago.  I also sold some games I used to own such as the first Street Fighter II (Turbo makes it irrelevant), The Addams Family, and Bass Masters Classic.

I still have the original two controllers that came with the system.  For some reason, the R buttons broke their hinges early on, so when you clicked the buttons, both the inside and outside of the button would depress.  It was weird.  A few years ago I managed to secure some replacement R buttons from a used game store online, so that fixed the shoulder button issue.

One of my close friends had an Asciipad when I was growing up, so that's how I became aware of that controller.  I think I picked up my own Asciipad around the mid/late '90s.  I also picked up my own Super Advantage joystick around the same time.  I loved the NES Advantage, so I had to get the Super Nintendo version.  I sold my original one a few years ago and purchased a brand new off eBay for a fairly decent price.  Also, I actually own two Asciipads because one of them has a D-pad that doesn't work at times.  Strangely, the cords are different lengths on each controller.  Certain Asciipads have really short cords while others have long ones.

Some people don't know this, but Asciiware actually made the NES Advantage and simply licensed it to Nintendo.  This was mentioned in a controller feature in Volume 49 (June 1993) of Nintendo Power magazine.  So it's no wonder that Asciiware released a Super Advantage themselves.

My same friend who owned an Asciipad also owned a Super Scope, and I managed to borrow it around the mid/late '90s along with Super Scope 6.  I thought it was really cool, so I got myself a used but complete in box Super Scope off eBay around 2011.  The thing is in excellent condition.


I got the Super NES Mouse off eBay a few years ago brand new for a really good price.  I don't remember using one of these back in the day, but I was certainly aware of it.  I originally picked up a Super Multitap in the late '90s when I became interested in retro four-player games, but I replaced it with a complete in box Super Bomberman Party Pack a few years ago.

The Konami Justifier light guns were picked up very recently.  You can use both at the same time for Lethal Enforcers, which is really cool.  You can have to connect the pink gun to the blue one through a daisy chain, similar to Panasonic 3DO controllers.

Unfortunately, the SNES is the only system where I didn't manage to keep the system box.  My parents must have thrown it out either the day we got it or the next day.  However, I did manage to find a replacement box a few years ago off eBay, and it's the exact same type that my system came in. 

The official S-video cable has the Japanese packaging because the U.S. packaging is almost impossible to find due to it coming in a type of bubble/blister pack with cardboard backing, which people obviously threw away.  Plus the cable wasn't popular.  Not many people ever used S-video, and you had to order the cable from Nintendo directly.  There was an order form in the back of the SNES instruction manual.

I have always liked different controllers and accessories, so that's why I have multiple big box versions of games.  I have the boxes for both Konami Justifier light guns.  The box for the pink gun is hard to find.

Like with my NES, I only have a few original boxes from my childhood, and that's because they were mid/late 16-bit era releases.  I started hanging onto game boxes by then.  Super Mario Kart, Yoshi's Island, Tetris Attack and Killer Instinct are my only original boxes.  Everything else is a replacement or something I picked up complete in box later on.

Overall, the SNES is my second favorite Nintendo console.  It is, quite literally, a "Super" NES because of how it continued a lot of popular series that started on the NES and simply beefed up the graphics and sound.  However, I tend to find the NES games to be higher quality, although it's a tough call in some cases.  But the NES tends to have more games in my favorite series (3 Mario games on NES vs. 1 on SNES, 2 Zelda games on NES vs. 1 SNES, 3 Castlevania games on NES vs. 2 on SNES, etc.), so I favor the NES.  Still, the SNES is a damn good console.

Mike's 2015 Boxed NES Collection

Based on all my purchases over the last three years, I've decided to update my pictures of my retro gaming collection.  My collection is boxed, so save for a few exceptions, I have all the boxes and manuals to go with my games and systems.

Like before, I'll start with the NES and move forward from there.  The handhelds will be covered after the home consoles.

I got my NES around 1988, but I was too young to remember when I first played it.  I have no memories of opening the box or hooking up the system.  I just recall playing Super Mario Bros. 1 and 2 with my mother as a very young child, perhaps when I was still in preschool.  A few years ago I asked my mother why she bought the NES (I don't remember my brother or me ever asking for one), and she simply said it looked like something fun for the family, so she got it.

We got the NES Action Set with the gray Zapper (this was the first version of the Action Set.  The red Zapper came later, around 1989).  The console, controllers and Zapper are all the originals from my childhood, and they work just fine.  The pins inside the system have never been replaced.  I don't think that most systems need their pins replaced.  It's typically the dirty connectors on the cartridges that cause problems.



The system is kept in a "system house" that was sold in the Super Power Supplies Catalog from Nintendo Power magazine.  I got the system organizer sometime in the mid '90s after I had picked up system houses for my SNES and Nintendo 64.  I had to mail in the order form with a check from my parents and then wait 4-6 weeks for delivery with no tracking numbers or anything.  It's too bad I didn't keep the boxes for the system houses.  Those things are hard to find.

There were two different versions of the system house.  One version had the drawer divided into two sections.  This was the Nintendo 64 version.  The other had the drawer divided into three sections.  This was the SNES version.  Both versions could hold the NES and its game, but the N64 version worked better for storing accessories, so I went with that one for the NES.

Although my brother and I had the NES Max and NES Advantage when we were growing up, I replaced them a couple years ago with better-condition ones (I bought a sealed NES Max and an opened, but in-box NES Advantage off eBay).  I picked up the Power Glove a few years ago.  There's a post here on the blog about when and how I got it.


I picked up the cartridge storage cases off eBay a few years ago.  Some of the cartridges are my originals from my childhood, such as Super Mario Bros. 2, Kung Fu, Zelda II, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, Double Dragon, Donkey Kong Classics, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yoshi, Yoshi's Cookie and Tetris 2.  I don't recall if IronSword is the original cartridge that my brother owned.  I don't have the original Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge that came with my system.  I think my mother sent it to a cousin or someone else living in the south.


I only managed to keep a few boxes from my childhood.  Back in the day most people didn't keep them.  No one considered them collectable.  Unlike today, most people simply didn't have a collecting mentality.  They simply wanted to play the games.  Boxes were irrelevant.  It was really no different than throwing out the box that your TV or camcorder came in.  So I lost a ton of NES boxes and had to replace them.  Others I simply acquired complete in box since I never owned the cartridges before.

Ironically, the NES Action Set box is my original from my childhood.  My mother stuffed it in one of the closets shortly after it was opened and so it went unnoticed until around the time the Nintendo 64 came out.  By that time I started keeping video game boxes (I thought they were really cool), so I when I discovered it in the closet, I made sure to save it.

I got the NES Four Score much later on, around the late '90s.  However, it was just the adapter by itself, so I replaced it with a sealed unit a few years ago off eBay.  I had an NES Cleaning Kit back in the day, but it was the one with Mario on the cover.  I probably lost it, so I got the original version without Mario this year.

Only a few of the game boxes are my originals: Yoshi, Yoshi's Cookie and Tetris 2.  These games were released late in the NES's life span, and so I think by then I either decided to keep them or my mother simply stuffed them in the closet as well.  I can't quite remember.

I have most of the inserts for these games, even the plastic bags in some cases.  Some of these games were picked up sealed fairly recently, such as Shatterhand, Super Glove Ball, and To The Earth.

There are some games I used to own as a kid but somehow lost such as RC Pro Am, Rocket Ranger (terrible game), and I think T & C Surf Designs.  However, I have no interest in owning those games again.  There are also plenty of other games that I played at other people's houses.

The NES is my favorite Nintendo system, hands down.  There's just something magical about the games, and I love all the different controllers that I can use.  For me, NES games just beat SNES games head-to-head, such as Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Punch-Out!!  In the instances where it's a close call, the NES simply has more games from the same series (Mario, Zelda, Contra, Castlevania, Double Dragon, Ninja Turtles), so it wins in my book.