Emulation Vs. The Real McCoy

When I speak to others about collecting old consoles and games, I often get asked, "Why not use an emulator instead?"  Certainly, emulators with software both legal and not-so-legal is more convenient and easily accessible than scouring eBay, thrift stores and garage sales for 30-year old games.  But I still prefer it over downloading...

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A Tale of Two Zappers

No Nintendo Entertainment System would be complete without its trusty light-gun, the "Zapper".  And while emulation marches on and the Wii is giving us perfect replicas of our 8-bit favorites for downloading, there's been very little success in replicating the functionality of this venerable light gun.  Go ahead.  Try playing...

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Impossible Mission

Elvin Atombender - an evil genius - is on the loose.  He's sequester himself inside his high-tech stronghold and you, as an acrobatic secret agent, must find a way in.  It won't be easy.  Elvin locked himself in a lair that can only be accessed by finding and assembling puzzle pieces he's hidden in his furniture....

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Wiz 'N' Liz

The Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive if you're reading this across the pond) has a library full of excellent games, many of which are "must-haves" for any owner of the console.  But you can only play so many action platformers, side-scrolling beat-em ups, adventurous outings and never-ending waves of sports games before you crave some variety....

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Club Nintendo Reward - Super Mario Characters Figurine

After a day spent registering all my Wii games and taking dozens upon dozens of surveys, I had reached "Elite Status" on Club Nintendo and was awarded a handsome looking figurine featuring the Mushroom Kingdom's most famous residents. This past Friday, it finally came. When I opened the cardboard shipping box, I was greeted with the familiar...

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The "Oddball Two's" of the NES

Quickly, name one long-running video-game franchise that originated on the Nintendo Entertainment System.  Easy, right?  I bet you can name three.  Perhaps you said Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda and Castlevania.  Those are great examples.  Each one of those series spanned multiple consoles and had graphical...

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(Re)Starting the Collection

I have very few regrets in life. Selling the video games I had throughout my life is one of them. Admittedly, it's a trivial regret. Nonetheless, taking a nice collection and putting it up on eBay or selling it off to a local reseller is something I wish I hadn't done. So what did I have and why did I sell it? Let us investigate chronologically...

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