Shovel Knight

I went and purchased my first stupid amiibo thingy.  In general, I don't like the figurines because I think they're an overpriced form of micro transactions.  Also, they allow Nintendo to generate absurd profits without making proper games themselves, so Nintendo can simply use them to bail out other parts of the company that are making stupid decisions.

Notwithstanding those facts, I love Shovel Knight and wanted to access the two-player mode, which is locked behind this dumb figurine (okay, it does look pretty cool, but the figurines themselves are dumb).  Since the game itself only cost about $10 or so, I didn't mind paying an extra $14 to get the two-player mode and whatever else the figure includes.  I should hopefully post a two-player playthrough soon on Youtube.  That'll be fun.

I doubt I'll be buying any more of these things though.  There will have to be a really good reason for me to do it.

Mike's 2015 Boxed Wii Collection

Following my disappointing experience with the GameCube, I began eagerly looking to Nintendo's next console.  When Nintendo first showed off the "Revolution" in 2005 by holding up the system at E3, I immediately felt a positive vibe.  The hardware itself looked sleek and professional, unlike the GameCube with its cube shape, handle and purple color.  So I was instantly impressed by that.  It felt like Nintendo was trying to appeal to adults specifically, which I rather enjoyed since I was already in my early 20s.

Since I was in college at the time and was focused on that, I didn't pay too much attention to the video game industry in general, but I quickly heard about the Wii's new control scheme shortly after it was shown off later in 2005.  When I first saw the pictures of the Wii Remote, it scared the hell out of me because I didn't understand how I could play games with the simplified controller.  I wondered where all the buttons had gone.

However, when I saw Nintendo's promo video for the Wii Remote and the nunchuck attachment, I instantly got it.  The motion controls suddenly made sense and I began envisioning myself swinging the controller to move Link's sword on screen.  I was incredibly excited at all of the potential new ways I could play games.  It reminded me of the NES era where all sorts of crazy controllers were released such as light guns, headsets, turbo pads, the Power Glove, the U Force, etc.

Because I was able to simply walk into Target back in 2001 and buy a GameCube without a preorder, I made the mistake of trying the same thing with the Wii on its launch date.  Oh what little I knew.  I arrived at Target to find a group of 20 or 30 people all waiting to get the system.  This was my first indication that something crazy was going on with this console.

Target didn't have any consoles available to sell outside of preorders, so I simply picked up a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and continued my search elsewhere.  It took me about two weeks of calling various retailers before I finally contacted Circuit City and was told that they had the console in stock.  I raced down to the store only to have my heart stop when I didn't see any consoles on the Nintendo aisle.  Lucky for me though, when I asked an employee about it, I was told that the consoles were in the back, so the employee grabbed a console for me and I was able to finally get a Wii for myself.

When I hooked up the console and began playing Wii Sports, I was immediately impressed with just how well designed the game was.  It reminded me of the generic sports games on the NES, SNES and Game Boy that I had played as a kid, such as black box Tennis on the NES and Baseball on the Game Boy.  But Wii Sports was even more addicting than those old sports games.  The new controller was also impressive and reminded me of PC gaming because of the cursor it provided.

Twilight Princess was fun and I loved swinging the Wii Remote to control Link's sword, but I was a bit disappointed by the fact that the controls didn't work how I had imagined them.  Unlike Wii Sports, the controls in Twilight Princess simply detected whether you were swinging, and not how you were swinging.  But I nonetheless thought the controls were fun, and I liked having the speaker built into the controller (that was really neat).

That Christmas my friend Drew gave me a copy of Excite Truck, which turned out to be one of the best racing games I've ever played.  So I had three games to play that holiday season.  I was absolutely surprised when nearly everyone in my immediate and extended family demanded that I bring the system out into the living room for Christmas so they could play Wii Sports.  Everyone took turns bowling, playing tennis, etc., and my uncle and I played a ton of Excite Truck.  Even my grandmother played Wii Sports.

I hadn't seen anything like this since the NES era when my mother and her friends would play the Super Mario Bros. titles and various puzzle games.  With the N64 and GameCube, I had felt a bit isolated because usually I could only get people my age to play the systems.  But now, everybody wanted to play the Wii.  I rather enjoyed the additional company.

Nintendo kept releasing different controllers and peripherals for the system, and since I've always been fond of different controllers, I picked up things like the Wii Zapper, the Wii Wheel and Motion Plus add-ons.  I received an original-model Classic Controller for Christmas of 2006, but I only used it for a few games (mostly Monster Hunter Tri).  I only had one Wii Remote initially, but I received two more, plus a second nunchuck, for that same Christmas.  I later bought a fourth Wii Remote via Wii Play and four Motion Plus add-ons (two of the Motion Plus units came as pack-ins with Wii Sports Resort and Red Steel, and the other two were purchased separately).

I picked up the official component cables around 2010.  Before that I had been using a third-party brand that I received for Christmas.  But once I got the official cable, I gave the third-party one to a friend who needed it.

I just recently picked up the Balance Board via Wii Fit Plus.  I also picked up a storage/carrying case for it.  The peripheral is a lot of fun.  I'll be looking into additional games to use with the device.

My Wii actually had to be repaired twice a few years after I got it, which was shocking because I never had a system break on me before.  Technically, I don't even own my original Wii that I bought in 2006.  The first time I sent in my Wii to get repaired, Nintendo couldn't fix the problem, and so they just transferred my data to another system and sent that replacement system to me.  But I only found that out later on when I asked Nintendo to replace my original, thin Wii Remote straps with the thicker ones.  Nintendo said my system's serial number didn't match a unit from 2006, but when they looked further they noticed it was because I was reading the serial number from a replacement unit they had sent me.  In a way, I'm a little annoyed that I don't own my original system.  But at least I have all my original save data.

Because my Wii had to be repaired more than once, I got the official cleaning kit, which I've used a few times now.

Wii Remotes originally came in blister packs, so that's why I don't have separate packaging for them outside of my Wii system box or the large Wii Play box.  I used to have those rechargeable Wii Remote batter packs with rubber grips on the back side, but the batteries eventually died from tons of use.  Now I just use rechargeable AA batteries (Eneloops are my preferred choice).  I don't like the Wii Remote sleeves that Nintendo started releasing in 2007 (or Wii Remote condoms, as I call them), so they're sitting in their original packaging, unused.

As with the GameCube, it was really easy to keep all the packaging for my games because they were released on disc with their own protective cases.  I also kept the giant boxes for my games, like I did with the GameCube.  I'm rather fond of the white packaging for everything.  It really stands out.

Overall, the Wii is my third favorite Nintendo console behind the NES and SNES.  The console as a whole just felt like a return to form for Nintendo.  Back during the NES and SNES eras, Nintendo focused on arcade-like gaming with simple hardware that offered a bunch of control options.  The Wii did the same thing.

The Wii's simple yet versatile controller was tons of fun and helped me to get back into certain genres that I had stopped playing during or after the Nintendo 64 (such as first person shooters and light gun games).  It also made certain types of games more fun, such as sports, racing and action games.

To me, Nintendo's software quality improved drastically from the GameCube era.  Not only were Super Mario Galaxy and Twilight Princess better than Super Mario 64 and Wind Waker, but I enjoyed the triumphant return of a lot of classic games such as Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Country, Punch-Out!!, Excitebike, and Konami's entire Rebirth series.  Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort were also amazing.

One thing that ended up surprising me was that I enjoyed the Wii's multiplayer even more than the Nintendo 64's.  Not only did I play a ton of online multiplayer through games like Mario Kart Wii, Goldeneye and The Conduit series, but I played a bunch of local multiplayer with friends and family via games like Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Donkey Kong Country, and a bunch of other games.

The Virtual Console was also excellent.  Although I didn't typically buy old Nintendo games through the service (since I keep my old games), I did buy various Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 games, including the excellent Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.  This allowed me to play older games that I had missed out on without having to invest in additional hardware.

Like with my other systems, I still play the Wii to this day, and I will probably be adding more Wii games to my collection as time goes on.

Updated Gaming Setup

Here's an updated picture of my gaming setup with the new DVD cabinet.  Also, I got new carpet, which is always great.

New DVD/Game Cabinet

My prior DVD cabinet was starting to fill up and the doors kept wearing on the bottom panel whenever they opened and closed (which was scraping the paint off), so I decided to upgrade and get a larger unit.  This new one is from the same company (Atlantic), has a lot more space, and features sliding glass doors, so I can actually see my movie and game collection even when the cabinet is closed.  I like it quite a bit. 

New Purchases

My funds are a little tight right now, but I was able to pick up a couple new games for really good prices.

First up is a peripheral-based game: Wii Fit Plus.  I got this brand new off eBay and paid about half of the game's original retail price.  It's the Balance Board bundle (since I didn't have one before).

I had played Wii Fit Plus a few times before but I never purchased it or the original Wii Fit because I was already exercising plenty on my own.  I didn't need it at the time.

I'm still exercising, but now I'm at the point where perhaps I should be supplementing my work outs with this game.  At the very least, I can enjoy all the mini games.  Those are a lot of fun.

I love different controllers and peripherals, so I'll be looking into getting some more Balance Board games.  Perhaps something like snowboarding would be fun.

I also picked up Super Street Fighter II for the SNES complete in box for a decent price.  I used to rent this game as a kid, as well as Street Fighter II Turbo, even though I owned the World Warrior.  Street Fighter II is so fun that you can own multiple versions of the game and still not get bored.  The box is in good condition, and the cartridge is mint.  It has all of the inserts as well.

I also decided to buy an official cleaning kit for my Wii U.  I've had my Wii U since launch day in 2012, but I've only cleaned it by blowing it out with an air compressor every once in a while.  I'd like to avoid the repairs I had to do on my Wii, so the cleaning kit should help avoid that.  It comes in a nice DVD case, just like the games, but ironically, the case is even nicer than the game cases because there are no holes in it (those stupid "eco-friendly" cases can go to hell.  The plastic is already recyclable.  There's no need to put holes in the game cases, Nintendo.).

I actually tried using my Wii cleaning kit on the Wii U (I figured it would work since the system is backwards compatible), but the system wouldn't even accept the cleaning disk.  It couldn't pull the disc into the disc slot, which was strange.  That's when I discovered I needed a new cleaning kit for the Wii U itself.

 

The Wii U cleaning is a bit different from the Wii's.  The Wii's cleaning kit has a handle on the disc that sticks out of the disc slot, and you use it to wiggle the cleaning disc left and right.  The Wii U cleaning disc doesn't have any handle.  You simply apply the cleaning solution and stick the disc into the system.  The system does the rest.  That's much simpler than the Wii's cleaning kit.

Who knows, maybe years from now this is will become a collectible item.  Since the Wii U hasn't sold all that great and it's really hard to replace the GamePad, I suspect the Wii U will become a very collectible system in the future.

Mike's 2015 Boxed GameCube Collection

The GameCube was the first home console that I was able to buy on its release date (because I was 17 at the time).  I was actually working at Best Buy as a seasonal employee during the holidays of 2001, but I wasn't working on the day the system was released.  However, I did drop by my work to see if they had any black GameCubes, but all they had were the purple ones, and I was not buying purple under any circumstances.

I had to hit a few different stores, but ironically, I found the black GameCube in stock at the Target near my house.  I purchased the system and Luigi's Mansion.  I had to wait until Christmas to get another game (Wave Race: Blue Storm) because I didn't have the money to buy more games.

Later on I bought a second controller, which started malfunctioning a few years ago.  I replaced that one with another new controller a few months ago.  So I only have two controllers, but they're both the official ones.

I also received the Game Boy Player as a surprise gift around 2004, I think.  I didn't use the thing too much initially (it was mostly used for two-player Double Dragon Advance awesomeness), but a little after the Wii was released I started using it quite a bit more.  It is really handy, especially for Youtube.

I never saw any interesting third-party controllers for the system, so I didn't buy a turbo pad or joystick like I had done with my prior systems.  I don't even know if there was a joystick released for the system.

I have the microphone that came with Odama.  You get to yell certain commands at your troops in that game, like "press forward!"  It's fun.

I picked up the official component cables in 2009 right after I bought my HDTV.  I think I paid around $70-$90 for them in box.  The price has now shot through the roof because apparently, there's some sort of special chip inside the connector and no third-party company has managed to duplicate it.

The component cable is odd because it doesn't include the red and white audio cables, unlike most component cables that you can buy for game systems.  Instead, you have to use both the component and composite or S-video cables.  You simply leave the yellow or S-video plug unplugged, and the system automatically detects the component cable when the game starts up.  The composite/S-video cable just carries the audio.

The Game Boy Player uses the component cable for 480p mode on all Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games.  However, in 2004 Nintendo removed the component output slot on the GameCube because less than 1% of owners were using the cable.  So you need a GameCube from before that time in order to use the cable.

However, if you have a backwards-compatible Wii, you can simply use the Wii's component cables to get 480p with your GameCube games.  Progressive Scan Mode is the only way to get 60 fps because an interlaced (480i) image ultimately results in only 30fps.  However, not every GameCube game supports 480p (the two Spider-Man games don't support it).  You will still see a quality difference using component cables, however, just like you would with S-video vs. composite, because the video is separated into three signals instead of just one or two.

Most of the accessories that were released in the U.S. came in blister packs, so that's why I don't have a lot of packaging for my GameCube stuff.  The Game Boy Player came in a blister pack, so that's why there's no box for that.  I think Japan and Europe got boxes though.

My collection is fairly small, but everything is complete.  I even have the large boxes for Four Swords Adventures and Odama.  The GameCube is really easy to collect for because the games came in DVD cases instead of cardboard boxes.  So people were far less likely to throw them away.

All of my games were purchased before the Wii came out.  I just can't find any other games that really interest me.  I did rent several games back when the system was out, including Resident Evil 0, 1, 2 (well, technically I rented the N64 version), 3, Code Veronica, Burnout 2, Need For Speed and some Simpsons games, but I have no interest in buying any of those.  I also played various other games at a friend's house including Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2 and Alien Hominid. 

Overall, the GameCube is my least favorite Nintendo system (although the Wii U is competing for that spot right now.  But I suspect I'll end up liking the Wii U more due to excellent 2D games and Wii Remote support).  There weren't many games I was interested in, and to me, Nintendo's overall quality declined from the Nintendo 64 era (not that I think the N64 was Nintendo's high point).  I didn't expect that before the system was released.  I thought the GameCube would correct the flaws from the Nintendo 64 due to better hardware (easier to program for), disc-based storage, and a more comfortable controller.  But even though the GameCube ran games really smoothly (either 30 or 60 fps across the board) and finally used discs, other problems arose.

Mario, Mario Kart, Zelda, Wave Race, Wario and other games just felt worse than their prior entries on the Nintendo 64 (or in the case of Wario, on handhelds).  Super Mario Sunshine turned into way too much of a collectathon like Donkey Kong 64, and Wind Waker's art style pissed me off to no end.  I hate toon Link with a passion, but I thought Wind Waker was a decent or even good game overall.  But it was no Ocarina of Time.  There were tons of flaws in the game design.  Wave Race: Blue Storm also was not as good as Wave Race 64.

A bunch of my favorite games/genres were also missing.  Even though Castlevania made two appearances on the Nintendo 64, it was absent here.  Nintendo sold Rare to Microsoft in 2002, so games like Perfect Dark and Conker's Bad Fur Day didn't get to see sequels on a Nintendo system.  The Excitebike series disappeared and Boss Game Studios (who made Top Gear Rally and World Driver Championship) seemed to vanish.

2D gaming was also put on the back burner, similar to the Nintendo 64.  I found myself constantly going back to the Nintendo 64 or earlier systems for multiplayer, even well into the GameCube era.  Nothing was topping Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Vigilante 8 or other multiplayer games from the last generation.

The new dual analog control scheme also made first-person shooters unplayable for me.  Even though I tried XIII (I bought it used), I could barely shoot anything, and I gave up on the genre until Metroid Prime 3/The Conduit came out.  The D-pad on the GameCube controller also sucked.  Hard.

However, it wasn't all bad.  I did enjoy Wave Race quite a bit.  Mario Kart Double Dash also wasn't bad.  Two-player racing on one kart was fun, and Bob-Omb Blast was awesome.  Ikaruga and the Spider-Man games were lots of fun, and the Metroid Prime titles were the crowning achievements of the system.  In fact, Metroid Prime is my favorite Metroid game.  Four Swords Adventures is also fun.  It's a shame the system didn't turn out better though.

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).