I recently started collecting PS1

Last month I started collecting PS1. Shortly after the PS1 came out is when I stopped gaming. I just lost interest in gaming as a young teen and missed a lot of amazing games and an amazing system. I found most of these for a pretty good price. I'm not talking $2 at Goodwill good but... I think I'll be busy for the next few years :) Feel free to add me to Twitter @BULLY_DOGG Love to chat and discuss anything Retrogaming related

Mega Man SNES collection

I have finally completed my Mega Man collection for SNES - soccer. It took me a while to do because I was trying to find good deals on X2 & X3. We all how know expensive these game are and they just keep going up

Girls who Game

Happy Friday!  Before you think someone has hijacked the site I figured I should introduce myself.  My name is Alana and I run http://retrogamergirl.com. OldAssGamer asked me if I would like to do a weekly article on his page and I jumped at the opportunity, so I'll be seeing you every Friday!  Make sure you leave comments and check out my site!

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What’s the difference between a “girl gamer” and a “gamer girl”?  I’ve been doing some research on this recently and all the other articles I have seen focused on current generation games and playing multiplayer online.  I don’t think it’s fair for me to comment on this part since I don’t really play any online games so I’ll be looking at this more from a retro game perspective. 

Figuring out the difference between the types of female gamers has the same problem as when you try to classify casual gamers and hardcore gamers; it’s really hard to pinpoint an exact definition.  In my mind girls like the ones that I know who play older games, tend to stick with a particular series and they are usually the more cutesy ones like Kirby, Tiny Toons or Mario.  They usually won’t go out of their way toplay a game on their own time.  If youwere to ask them, they may play a few rounds, especially if there were guys around to get some extra attention.  Theyare girls first and gamers second, it’s more of a social event for them.  You aren’t going to find them staying up allnight trying to level up their characters in Final Fantasy 6, or spending moneyon games to play.  So I would classify them as “girl gamers.”

Now a “gamer girl” is someone who loves playing games and won’t pass up the chance to do so whether they are playing with other girls, guys or by themselves, it doesn’t matter as long as they get to play games.  The games don’t have to be easy or cutesy.  They can love difficult games like Ninja Gaiden or Mega Man, sports games like Ice Hockey and games like Kirby.  From my experience they tend to enjoy a larger range of games, whether they are on North American systems likethe NES or Japanese systems like the Famicom.  In the end they are gamers who just happen to be female. 

I think there is also an extreme version of the gamer girl.  This is where I fit in the spectrum.  I love all retro Nintendo games; I have a huge collection of NES, SNES, Famicom, Super Famicom etc. games.  I have tons of Nintendo memorabilia, from t-shirts to toys, and DVD’s.  I spend all of my free time thinking about games, playing games, looking up information on games,buying games, writing about games etc. Plus if that wasn’t enough I have tattoos, both Nintendo themed. 

Nostalgia plays a huge part in gaming for me.  The first thing I did when I got my NES wasto collect all the games I had when I was a kid.  It brought back memories of hanging out with my dad and brother when I was young and things were easier.  Back then I didn’t have to work or worry about bills, we could just sit and game all day if we wanted.  Now it has become a way to escape the crazy stress filled lives that we live every day and just sit down and have fun. 

Why does it seem so hard to find gamer girls?  I’ve often wondered this myself, when I was a kid everyone played Nintendo games. Didn’t matter if you were a girl or a boy it’s just what everyone did.  Then as I got older the amount of girls I knew that played games kept getting smaller and smaller until it was just me.  What changed that caused this to happen?  I personally think that asyou get older, games are seen more as a guy thing and that people who play games are more immature.  Whenever someone I know finds out I’m a huge gamer, if they are older than me and particularly a woman, instantly start judging and make comments about how gamesare for kids or for guys.  Women seem tobe expected to be cooking, taking care of the kids, shopping for clothes andall that fun stuff, not spending money on games and spending time sitting infront of the TV playing games.  I think a lot of girls who do like playing games may not say anything in fear of being judged. 

I don’t think gaming should be viewed any differently than someone who reads, watches TV or has any other kind of hobby.  I’ve finally gotten over this and I don’t care what other people think anymore, I think being a gamer makes me a better mom and I’m sure my little guy will appreciate the huge collection of games he will be able to play when he gets a bit older. I have a Mega Man tattoo on my forearm for everyone to see and to remind myself that I am who am I because of my gaming history.  If I wasn’t a gamer I never would have went to the symphony, I never would have met such awesome people on sites likeTwitter or Famicom World and I wouldn’t have the desire to learn Japanese and go to Japan.  Gaming does not make me immature; it keeps me young at heart. 

Let me know what you think. Come visit my site at http://retrogamergirl.comor follow me on twitter at @retrogamergirls

Do u think your Elite

Like myself, a lot of us think we're Elite at a certain game or games. I thought this about my high score on Gradius. Then I found TwinGalaxies.com ! All of a sudden, my 194,200, didn't seem so Elite anymore :( The guy that holds the world record, has 8,000,000 ? Mind blowing, isn't it ? I had to dust off my game genie and see this for myself !
When I finished the game, I had 2.5 million. So, this means the guy beat the game four times in a row ? When I started playing the game a second time ,I quickly figured out that it gets harder every time and I didn't waste my time trying to get the 8 million ! If u ever wanna give yourself a good reason to bust out that game or games, head over to TwinGalaxies.com And see what ya got ?

Gradius 3 8.8

I know there is going to be some people, who disagree with me that I rated this better than Gradius & Life Force. The only thing that I didn't like about Gradius 3, was the feel. Vic Viper doesn't fly as smooth as he once did ! With that being said, this is the only Gradius, in the series, to have a pseudo-3D level ! Some more big additions were, edit mode and the ability to change the difficulty setting.

Graphics:8
Sound:8
Gameplay:9.5
Replay Value/Game Length:9
Vs/Final:9.5

Overall:8.8

DuckTales 8.5

Another classic platformer from Capcom and from the same guys that made Mega Man ! It really feels like MM but a bit different. A lot of the charters from the show, make an appearance and the music and sound are amazing ! If you have never played this game, Do it !

Graphics:8.5
Sound:8.5
Gameplay:8.5
Replay Value/Game Length:8.5
Vs/Final:8.5

Overall:8.5

PAC-MAN Tengen 7.6

An arcade game made in 1980 and is considered a land mark in video game history ! 1 of only 3 games on display at the Smithsonian and one of the longest running games in the golden era of video games !

Graphics:5.5
Sound:5.5
Gameplay:9
Replay Value/Game Length:9
Vs/Final:9

Overall:7.6

Guerrilla War 7.9

As far as I can remember, this was one of the best Run & Gun NES games ! Super fast gameplay and smooth controls ! Pretty easy but insanely fun. SNK did well with this release but the Arcade version was amazing :)

Graphics:6
Sound:6
Gameplay:9.5
Replay Value/Game Length:9
Vs/Final:9

Overall:7.9

Life Force 8.7

This is the best of the best ! I remember this being one of my fav games and now I know why. When I started replaying Gradius, I had though, how can a shmup get any better ? This is how ! Not much else I can say. Go play Life Force !

Graphics:7.5
Sound:8
Gameplay:9.5
Replay Value/Game Length:9
Vs/Final:9.5

Overall:8.7

Alpha Mission 7

Pretty much the worst shmup game I have played yet ! When I was a kid, I had Gradius and Life Force. Then my cousin had Alpha Mission and even then I hated it ! I played it for maybe 15 mins and couldn't take it anymore ! Maybe if I hadn't replayed Gradius & Life Force first, this game would have gotten more of a shot but...

Graphics:6.5
Sound:7.5
Gameplay:7
Replay Value/Game Length:7
Vs/Final:7

Overall:7

Gradius 8.5

Gradius is by far the greatest scrolling shooter series ever ! I have tried a few others like Alpha Mission and Gradius is far better than all of them ! Originally released as an arcade game in 1985, and later ported to other platforms. Such as the Commodore 64 and the NES. In 1990 Gradius was released for Game Boy, under the name Nemesis. Then in 1998 It was released for the Game Boy Color, as Gradius again.It was included on the Konami Game Boy Collection Vol.1

Graphics:7.5
Sound:8
Gameplay:9
Replay Value/Game Length:9
Vs/Final:9

Overall:8.5

Pinball 7.6

I really love Pinball games and I am really picky with them. This is Pinball, Nintendo style. I think they did a good job with this game, considering that it came out in 1985 as 1 of 18 NES
Launch titles. Pinball was originally a Nintendo Arcade game in 1984 and was also a unlockable mini game in Doubutsu No Mari(N64) & Animal Crossing(Game Cube) All in all I think this was a great game for its time and from what I hear (ausretrogamer) It's the best Pinball game for NES ! I also love how they slipped Mario into the game ;)

Graphics:5.5
Sound:5.5
Gameplay:9
Replay Value/Game Length:9
Vs/Final:9

Overall:7.6

Final Fantasy 8.2

This Is The Game That Started Console RPG's ! It is also one of my favorite NES games !! I had the Nintendo Power Strategy Guide and this game was still super hard, to a ten year old gamer, in 1990. I'm pretty much half way through the game and I can't believe how much I have missed this. Even when I was a kid, I couldn't beat it. I had to go to my cousin Yackers house and he drew me maps on my Nintendo Power maps and I finally figured it out and beat it ! Thxs Yacker

Graphics:7.5
Sound:8
Gameplay:8.5
Replay Value/Game Length:8.5
Final:8.5

Overall:8.2

Dragon Warrior 7.4

I can remember playing the hell out of this and loving it. Then came along Final Fantasy and I never touched a Dragon Warrior again ! So, I started trying to replay it and only lasted about
20 mins. I couldn't take it ! For a game that only came out 1 year before FF, this sucks ! I am gonna buy the other Dragon Warriors, to see if they got any better ? When I was at the Flea Market, everyone was selling this for $20. I'm really glad that I found it for $5 I understand that DW is the game that started console RPG's and I respect that but it was FF that's started all RPG's for me ! I really hope this series gets better, which I'm sure it will :) I think there is another 3 titles on NES.

Graphics:7
Sound:7.5
Gameplay:7.5
Replay Value/Game Length:7.4
Final:7.5

Overall:7.4

Coffee Table Doubles As Functional NES Controller

The world needs more luxurious gaming furniture and less of those gaudy leather gamer chairs with built-in speakers.

Gaming decor goes to the next level with this coffee table that actually works as a fully functional Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) controller. Talented woodworker Charles Lushear sells the massive controller table on Etsy for $3,500 (plus shipping). The exotic item's 42 inches long, 18.25 inches wide, and 18 inches high, and you might want to seek permission from your significant other before purchasing it.I truly admire how accurate the table appears compared with the original NES controller. Lushear assembled the coffee table with "maple, mahogany, and walnut with dovetail joinery and mid-century modern legs," according to the description. The glass top removes easily for gameplay, and it features a retractable cord so nobody trips up after a marathon Mario session.

Mike Tysons Punch Out & Pac-Man(Tengen)

Yesterday I got a call from a friend and he told me he knew a girl that had some games. Last night I received a call from here. She named all the games she had and there was only two that I wanted. She said she wanted $20 for both games. I see Punch Out go for as much as $40 and Pac-Man for $25.
I'm also not sure why this Tengen game is gray ? I thought they were all black ? Can someone help me out here ? So, another good way to score cheap
Games, word of mouth !

Retro Week-End Warriors

I am putting together a NES gaming week-end, every week-end ! There will be a list of games that we play and will expand with time. All names and scores will be kept on the blog. Anyone that is interested E mail me @ willsweetin69@me.com or Get at me on Twitter BULLY_DOGG

The Game List Is:

PAC-MAN
Bubble Bobble
Life Force/Salamander
Tetris
Dr.Mario
Gradius
BurgerTime
Pinball
Mike Tyson's Punch Out
Rad Racer

Big Day At The Flea Markets

Before we started the day, we thought we had three Flea Markets in our city.
When we woke up this morning, we quickly found out, we only had two :(
So, we headed to the largest one first.
I was a bit scared that I wasn't gonna
Find anything, because I have never
Done any game shopping at a Flea Market before. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't
think I was gonna find any thing :( As soon as we stepped in the place, the first thing I see is a Video Game booth.
I head on over, for further inspection and find out they are asking more fore games, than the Retro Game Shops.
It took a lot for me to walk away from this boot but I knew I could always come back. We started walking around the market and within two minutes, we found two more booths but way larger :) Prices at the first booth were similar
to the earlier booth we checked out, maybe a bit better. Tons of stuff and rare games but way too expensive.
We Proceed to move on to the next booth and the first thing I notice, is how cheap his prices are :) The game I always look for to base prices on is Duck Tales 2 & Chip n Dale 2. He had both for $65 each. The cheapest I have seen them in stores is for $80 each. As I start to realize how cheap his prices
are, I wonder if my heckling skills are up for the challenge ? The man who ran the booth, came on over and I could tell he was a super nice dude.
We got talking and I told him that I'm after the 670. The man proceeds to tell me he's got the 670 three times ? Two
For his personal collection and one that
He sells and restocks. He also said he's got a stupid amount of SNES games. Stock for years I guess ? I start
Ripping through games seeing some really good stuff, when Tyler comes charging over, pretty much red in the face :) And says that he found Tengen
Tetris. My mind started racing, thinking about how cheap I might be able to score this for. I thought with his really good prices, that he would want around $30. Pull out the game from the stack and see a $20 tag on it :) A game that I had been seeing everywhere, for a crazy price was Dragon Warrior. All the
Booths were asking $20. I got it and Rad Racer and Utopia SNES for $20.
Then I got Mega Man 5, which he had market for $40 for $25. Both Tengen Tetris and Mega Man 5 were $40 ? WTF :) I also picked up Life Force, Pinball and Alpha Mission for $20. I also grabbed two NES MAX controllers,
which I had never seen before ? He also gave me 15 NES & 15 SNES dust
protectors. I see them things go for at least $1 each on E Bay. I guess for $75
I did pretty good :)

Tetris Tengen 7.5

As some of u may know, I'm the biggest Tetris fan ! I thought this was gonna be a sick game but....It's got really cool game modes, vs ect... I found the graphics, gameplay and sound, not as good as the regular version ! I'm gonna give it another try but.... I'm pretty disappointed !

Graphics:5.5
Sound:7.5
Gameplay:7.5
Replay Value/Game Length:8
Vs/Final:9

Overall:7.6

Mega Man 2 8.4

As far as I can remember, this was the best game of the series, for NES. It wasn't the hardest game but fun as hell. Heat Man was the only difficult lvl for me. I was gonna wait until I had the complete series before I started but....
I can't wait to move on to part 3 & 4 and need to find part 1 , 5 , 6. This is deff a top game for me and I rated it higher than Mario.

Graphics:8
Sound:8
Gameplay:9
Replay Value/Game Length:8.5
Vs/Final:8.5

Overall:8.4