Video Game Music: Smooth McGroove

A little while ago I came across a video of a guy who makes acapella arrangements of video game songs. He goes by the name of Smooth McGroove. He is amazing at what he does and I enjoy his music very much. I hope you enjoy his music as much as I do.

Subscribe to Smooth McGroove

Happy 15th Anniversary Final Fantasy VII

On January 31, 1997 Final Fantasy VII was released in Japan on the Sony PlayStation. Later that year on September 7, 1997 it was released in North America. This year is the 15th Anniversary of Final Fantasy VII. This was a huge game in the series because this was the first Final Fantasy game released during the 32 bit/64 bit era of video games. It was also the first time a Final Fantasy game was not released on a Nintendo System. Final Fantasy VII was the first game I ever played in the series and it was also the first one I beat. FF7 got me into the Final Fantasy series (Super Mario RPG got me into JRPGs all together). FF7 was a ground breaking game it did so much for JRPGs in North America. This game gave us awesome cinematic, a great story line, awesome music and great battles. FF7 seemed to have it all. It also confused us because the last Final Fantasy released in America was Final Fantasy III. We quickly learned Final Fantasy III was actually Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy II was Final Fantasy IV in Japan. Today all the Final Fantasy have pretty much be released in America and all remakes and re-releases have been named correctly. But back to Final Fantasy VII this was a very long game. If you want to get everything you will be playing for around 100+ hours. To get the ultimate summon in the game Knights of the Round you have to get a Golden Chocobo and to get a Golden Chocobo you have to raise Chocobos and that can be time consuming but the reward is worth it. Knight of the Round is an awesome summon it may take about Five minutes to complete but it’s so awesome, and if you want to stand an chance against Emerald and Ruby Weapon you have to have that summon a long with a few other things. If it wasn’t for FF7 I would haveo had an awesome movie which was a direct sequel to the video game Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. This movie truly captured the atmosphere the game and the CGI and animation is amazing. The movie also give you a quick run through of the game’s stor never gone back and played games like Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest. I would have gone through life never playing other great games and it’s because of FF7 I did that. So not only was FF7 a masterpiece of a video game it also opened my eyes to other great games and I am forever grateful for that. FF7 has also has a two video games spin offs: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII which was a prequel and Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII which was a sequel. Both are very good games in my opinion. It alsy line so if you haven’t played the game or don’t want to take the time to play it you can watch that on the DVD and watch the movie. The movie is worth watching even if you haven’t played the game. Final Fantasy VII has recently been re-released on the PC and can be download on the PlayStation Network. We are still waiting for a remake and I hope we get it but who knows if we will but I still hoping and praying that we get a remake. I know I’m late but its better late than never Happy 15th Anniversary Final Fantasy VII.

Knights of the Round Summon

Music of Video Games - Covers: Castlevania SOTN, Ninja Gaidan and Mega Man 2

 

Photo taken from beatportal.com.

Checking out YouTube I found some awesome covers of music from some awesome video games. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

Castlevania Symphony of the Night - Dracula's Castle




Ninja Gaidan - Level 4 - 2, Basilisk Mine Field




Mega Man 2 - Dr. Wily's Castle Part 1

Top 10 Video Game Series That Have Stood the Test of Time

These are games that came out in either the 8-bit or the 16-bit era and are still going strong in the current generation of video games.

10. Mortal Kombat – This fighting game series is an awesome series. This game series was ground breaking in the fact that is the first game to include blood and be very violent. This game also was the reason the ESRB rating system was created. The system needed to be created and it works great. So may disagree but it does work. This game have come out on almost every system.

9. Donkey Kong – This is the game that got Nintendo’s foot into the door of the gaming market. Donkey Kong is an awesome game it also introduced us to Mario who was known as Jumpman at the time. Donkey Kong has gone on to make many different times of games and they are all good games.

8. Street Fighter – Probably the most popular fighting game series. It all started with Street Fighter in the arcade but the series took off when Street Fighter II was released. Street Fighter II also had many remakes and people would buy the games multiple times. Capcom is still doing this with the Street Fighter series. Street Fighter IV came out and Capcom released Super Street Fighter IV which had a few more characters and some extra modes and not they have Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition with a few other add ons and characters. Lucky for us today we have high speed internet with Xbox Live and PSN so we can download the extra features for a lot less than buying the game. Capcom’s ability to keep releasing the same game with more stuff and keep gamers coming back for more Street Fighter is why this series is on the list.

7. Castlevania – This is another series that is still awesome. The Belmonts may not be as well know outside the gaming world but in the gaming world they are the most famous family of vampire slayers. This series of games has been going strong since the NES. Some games may not been as good as other. The old 3D games weren’t as popular but with the Castlevania games on the handheld system the series stayed alive. Then Lords of Shadow came out and showed us there is such a thing as a good 3D Castlevania game.

6. Pokémon – Pokémon is probably on of the most popular hand held games ever made. It's not just popular with kids is also popular with adults. The theme of the games is "gotta catch em all". That was on of the main goals making it a very addicting game to play. You also had different versions of the games like Red and Blue and each version of them game is pretty much the same but each version had exclusive Pokémon which meant you had to have a friend with a different version of the game to get all the Pokémon. You would have to link up your Game Boy to your friends Game Boy so that you could trade Pokémon or you could battle with your friends. Today with the DS we have Wi-Fi we can get only and find random people to trade with making its easier to trade and with the growing number of Pokémon its nice to have. There are also games on the consoles that allow you to transfer Pokémon to the console games like Pokémon Stadium. The Nintendo 64 had a Transfer Pak which allowed you to transfer your own Pokémon to the game. This is a game where you may not like the TV show or anything else to do with Pokémon, but you seem to really think these games.

5. Kirby – One of the most popular character from Nintendo other then Super Mairo. Kirby games are always awesome the game was designed to be a game for Kids and was meant to be easy. As the series evolved the game stayed somewhat easy but they added some things to make it more fun for hardcore gamers and fans of the series. Kirby is a little blob but he is a very popular blob named after a brand of vacuum cleaners.

4. Mega Man – The Blue Bomber is the most popular Capcom series out there and there are still games being made with 8-bit graphics. Mega Man also known as Rock Man in Japan is such an awesome game series. It has had is fair share of spin off games including Mega Man X which became its own series. I remember spending so much time as a kid playing Mega Man and I still have so much fun playing the games. You know a game has stood the test of time when you can have your graphic enhanced for newer games and then go back to the 8-bit graphics for the latest games in the series and people still want to play the game.

3. Final Fantasy – Final Fantasy was Squaresoft’s (SquareEnix now) final attempt at succeeding in the gaming market. Final Fantasy truly met Final Fantasy because if this game failed Square would have gone under. Final Fantasy is the most popular RPG game series out there now. They have 14 games in the main series (two of them being MMORPGs XI & XIV) along with many spin off series. These series include: Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Legend and a few sequels and prequels to some of the games in the main series. Final Fantasy has evolved over the years but you know when you are playing a Final Fantasy game.

2. Super Mario Bros. – Everyone knows who Super Mario is even if you have never played a video game. Super Mario is an awesome game he was one of the main reason the video game crashed. There have been so many types of Mario games. The most popular is platformers. He has also been in racing games, fighting games, party games, sport games and RPGs. Mario has his experience with all types of games. I don’t know if I've even know someone who doesn’t like to play Super Mario game who is a gamer.

1. The Legend of Zelda – This is a series the truly hasn’t lost any its luster. Every game in this series is awesome and I don’t count the CD-i games because they are not part of the series because they don’t have The Legend of Zelda in their names anywhere. This series is so awesome the time line can be very hard to follow but that really doesn’t matter. The game play is awesome and the stories are usually good also. No matter which game in the series I play it always feels like the Legend of Zelda. Technology gets better but the Legend of Zelda will never change. It was awesome when It came out in 1987 and its still awesome now with Skyward Sword (which I’m getting for Christmas). This is truly the game that has stood the test of time the best.

Honorable Mentioning

Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, Dragon Quest, Metal Gear, Madden, Virtua Fighter and Sim City (and its many spin offs).

Want to learn more about the Legend of Zelda time like check out this video by the Angry Video Game Nerd.

To see more of the Angry Video Game Nerd check out Cinemassacre.

Game of the Day: Final Fantasy VI (Final Fantasy III US SNES)

Today’s game of the Day is Final Fantasy VI (Final Fantasy III US SNES release). This is one of favorite Final Fantasy games in the series. This game was released as Final Fantasy III in the US on the Super Nintendo and re-released for the PlayStation as part of the Final Fantasy Anthology. Then it was released again on the Game Boy Advance as Final Fantasy VI advance. The game is the exact same as the version on the SNES. The PlayStation added some nice cinematics. The only difference on Final Fantasy VI Advance is they gave each character a job label. For example Locke is an Adventurer and Sabin is a Monk. The GBA version also has a quick save option which has been added to a lot of RPGs on hand held systems. The version I own in the GBA version. Final Fantasy VI has one of the most unique cast of characters. Each character has his/her own set of special skills. Here are a few examples: Locke can steal, Edgar can use tools and Sabin uses his blitz skills. There is also a character named Shadow who shows up from time to time. You can pay him to fight by your side but he can leave at anytime. You never know how long he will say with you it’s very random. There are also times where your adventure can split off in to different parts. You are also able to pick which part of the story you want to play first. Regardless of your choice of what order you complete the different branches they will always connect at the ends of each branch. This game like most Final Fantasy games has a killer sound track. The boss battle theme is probably one of my most favorite songs in the series. This is an awesome and there are multiple systems so it’s easy to get a hold of. If you’re a fan of Final Fantasy or turn based RPGs and you haven’t played this game you must get this game and play it. You can check out the game play in the video below.

Game Play Video

PlayStation Version Opening Video

FFVI Boss Battle Theme

PlayStation Underground

Video game magazines are an awesome thing. They let you know about the past, present and future of video game. In 1997 Sony tried something different and came out with a CD magazine call PlayStation Underground.



The first issue came out exactly 14 years ago today. It was a quarterly CD magazine that was a very great Idea. They also would release PlayStation Underground Jampacks which would give you a taste of what certain issues had to offer. The best part of the Jampacks is they would only cost $4.99. You could get 4 issues for $29.99. The PlayStation Underground was an awesome thing. It had two disks. Disc one would have interviews, codes, downloadable content and much more. Disc two would have game demos and preview videos of games. You could also unlock Easter Eggs if you hit the right button combination. On disc two of Issue 2.4 you could see the music video “Got the Life – by Korn”. In issue 4.1 there was an unlockable video tutorial for Syphon Filter 2. You had to enter a code to unlock the video and to find it out you had to look through the two discs and it would occasionally show you part of the code. When I unlocked it I found a few parts of the code and then I just guessed at the rest and got lucky. PlayStation Underground was a great idea. We had access to tons of codes, demos, videos and DLC before we had internet available on game consoles. The last issue was issue 5.1 and it was released in the 3rd quarter of 2001. The last issue was also the only issue exclusive issue for the PlayStation 2.Sony had an awesome idea realizing a CD magazine. Today we have internet magazines like EGMi (which is an awesome magazine). We can also download demos of games from our consoles. So in a time when we couldn’t do that PlayStation Underground was there.

To learn more about PlayStation Underground and what the issues had to offer click here.

Final Fantasy VII remake rumors. Is it really coming out?

We have all heard the rumors about a remake of Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VII is not only my favorite Final Fantasy game it is my favorite game of all time. I love this game and to see a remake of in my opinion the best video game of all time would be awesome. This game did so much for the series and it was the first Final Fantasy on the Playstation. It also has made a few spin-off games and a great movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. This was the perfect sequel. I’ve been hearing rumors for a long time. I then came across a blog post today saying that a remake of Final Fantasy VII has been confirmed on the PS3 (to check out the blog post click here). The post says the game is expected to come out during the 4th quarter of 2012. That should give me plenty of time to save my money to buy a PS3. That’s right I don’t own a PS3 yet I would like one and if they release a remake of FFVII I will be getting a PS3 just for this game. I really hope the rumors are true and that this remake of FFVII is confirmed. I want a remake of FFVII made and it needs to be done as long as they do take away from the first game. All the game needs is a graphics upgrade the story needs to say the same. I came across a technical demo of a trailer for a remake of FFVII and it shows the intro of FFVII with upgraded graphics I hope you enjoy this video.

I hope this game is going to be remade I am optimistic that it will be but you never know. I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed and I hope all you Final Fantasy VII fans are going to do the same.

Video Game Music: Castlevania Series and Legend of Zelda Series

I was looking at some videos and came across these covers of songs from the Castlevania Series and the Legend of Zelda series. I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I did.

Castlevania Piano Medley

Another Castlevania Piano Medley (Most of these songs are from newer Castlevania games)

Zelda II: Adventures of Link Castle Theme - Guitar Duet

Legend of Zelda Piano Duet Medley

Great Finds: Legend of Mana and a Case of Sega Genesis Games

The other day at my local thrift store I had some finds that were not just great finds they were awesome finds. First I found a pencil box with ten Sega Genesis games in it.
When I was the pencil box I saw a price tag of $15. I was like $15 for a pencil box? Then I opened it up there were 10 Sega Genesis games which were (Listed Alphabetically):


Barbie Super Model (Yeah I know a Barbie Game someone out they must want this game)
Disney’s Aladdin
Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
The Pagemaster
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic Spinball
Taz-Mania
Toy Story
Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster’s Hidden Treasure
Vectorman 2

Ten games and a pencil box for $15 isn’t a bad deal so each game's average price was $1.40 so I did good.

That’s not all though while looking through the music cds because sometime I find Playstation games with the disk in the case if you are lucky. Well I saw Legend of Mana with a black labeled case.
I grabbed the case hoping and praying that the game was in there and sure enough it was in the case. Man I was very lucky this game goes for between $40 and $60 on eBay. There wasn’t a price tag on the game so the cashier rang it up for $2 and it’s in great shape. I was so happy to get this game it’s hard to find and it’s a game on my list so scratch one more game off my list (to view my list check out this blog post: (Games I've found and games I'm still looking for).

I made out great on this hunt I hope my luck continues for next week’s game hunt. Wish me luck everyone and I also wish everyone luck in their hunt for games.

Video Game Music: Castlevania SOTN, Mega Man X and Final Fantasy VII:

Music in video games in an essential thing to have. The music sets the mood and lets you know what's about to happen and what's going on at the moment. Here are are few songs from games I really like.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Dracula's Castle

Megaman X - Storm Eagle

Final Fantasy VII - Fighting

A Stroll Down Memory Lane: Final Fantasy VII Limit Break Montage

I was looking at videos on YouTube today and I came across this montage of Limit Breaks from Final Fantasy VII. This has all the Limit Breaks except for Cait Sith's Limit Breaks. This was a great trip down memory lane I hope you enjoy this video.

Games I've found and games I'm still looking for

This Labor Day weekend was a great weekend in games for me. Between going to Ed McKay and the Hillsville gun show over the weekend I made out well. Here are the games I was able to pick up that were on my list:

Donkey Kong 3 (NES)
Double Dragon III (NES)
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest (SNES)
Donkey Kong 64 (N64)
Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (N64)
Donkey Kong Land (GB/GBC)
Donkey Kong Land 2 (GB/GBC)
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA)
Metroid Fusion (GBA)
Bushido Blade 2 (PS1 Black Label)
Mega Man X5 (PS1 Black Label)
Mega Man X6 (PS1 Black Label)
Mega Man X7 (PS2 Black Label)
Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox)
Shenmue II (Xbox)

Here are a few games I got the weren't on my list:

Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road (NES)
Marble Madness (NES)
Smash TV (NES)
Yoshi’s Story (N64)
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PS1 Greatest Hits)
Croc 2 (PS1 Black Label)
David Beckham Soccer (PS1 Black Label)
Tenchu Stealth Assassins (PS1 Black Label)

Overall I picked up 23 Games. 15 of these games were on my list.

I have updated my list as well as added a couple of other games to the list that I’m looking for.

NES

Dragon Warrior II
Dragon Warrior IV
Dig Dug II
Mega Man
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Pac-Mania
Tetris (Tengen)

SNES
Castlevania: Dracula X (Got the Japanese version)
E.V.O.: The Search for Eden
Earthbound
Kirby's Dreamland 3
Kirby's Super Star
Mega Man 7 (Got the Japanese version)
Mega Man X2
Mega Man X3 (Got the Japanese version)
Secret of Mana
Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

N64
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Clayfighter 63 1/3
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards  
Mario Party 2
Mario Party 3

Game Boy/Game Boy Color
Castlevania: The Adventure
Castlevania: The Adventure II: Belmont’s Revenge
Castlevania Legends
Donkey Kong Land 3
Final Fantasy Adventure
Kirby’s Dream Land 2
Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Received a free digital copy for pre-ordering The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds)
Super Mario Land 2

Game Boy Advance
Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure (Got a free digital copy on 3DS)
Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Metroid Zero Mission

Sega Genesis
Mortal Kombat II
Power Base Converter (Plays Sega Master Systems games on the Sega Genesis)
Samurai Showdown
Sega 32x (With all the hook-ups)

Game Gear
Sonic Blast
 
Dreamcast
Shenmue
Power Stone
Power Stone 2

Playstation
Bushido Blade
Castlevania Chronicles
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Ehrgeiz
Fighting Force
Intelligence Cube
Legend of Dragoon
Legend of Mana
Legend of Legaia
Lunar Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete
SaGa Frontier 2
Vagrant Story
Xenogears

Playstation 2
ICO
Mega Man X8
Romancing SaGa
Unlimited SaGa

GameCube
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Picked it up for the Wii)
Mario Kart Double Dash
Phantasy Star Episode 1 & 2
Super Mario Sunshine

Xbox
Ninja Gaiden Black

I had some good luck finding games and getting them at great prices. I hope to keep getting games and great prices. I will continue to update you as I get more games on my list.

Games I'm looking for

I started making a list of games I’m looking for the other day and it’s a pretty long list. My luck the Hillsville Gun Show is this weekend and sometimes you find some people selling all types of games. Here is a list of games I’m look for. Not all the games are listed but the games I want the most are listed below.

NES
Donkey Kong 3
Dragon Warrior II
Double Dragon III
Dragon Warrior IV
Dig Dug II
Mega Man
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Tetris (Tengen)

SNES
Castlevania: Dracula X (Got the Japanese version)
E.V.O.: The Search for Eden
Earthbound
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
Mega Man 7 (Got the Japanese version)
Mega Man X2
Mega Man X3 (Got the Japanese version)
Secret of Mana
Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

Sega Genesis
Mortal Kombat II
Power Base Converter (Plays Sega Master Systems games on the Sega Genesis)
Samurai Showdown
Sega 32x (With all the hook-ups)

Game Boy/Game Boy Color
Castlevania: The Adventure
Castlevania: The Adventure II: Belmont’s Revenge
Castlevania Legends
Donkey Kong Land
Donkey Kong Land 2
Donkey Kong Land 3
Final Fantasy Adventure
Kirby’s Dream Land 2
Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Received a free digital copy for pre-ordering The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds)
Super Mario Land 2

Game Boy Advance
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure (Got a free digital copy on 3DS)
Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Zero Mission

Game Gear
Sonic Blast

N64
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Clayfighter 63 1/3
Donkey Kong 64
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Mario Party 2
Mario Party 3

Dreamcast
Shenmue

Playstation
Bushido Blade
Bushido Blade 2
Castlevania Chronicles
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Chrono Cross
Ehrgeiz
Fighting Force
Intelligence Cube
Legend of Dragoon
Legend of Mana
Legend of Legaia
Lunar Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete
Mega Man X5
Mega Man X6
SaGa Frontier 2
Xenogears

Playstation 2
Mega Man X7
Mega Man X8
Romancing SaGa
Unlimited SaGa

GameCube
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Picked it up for Wii)
Mario Kart Double Dash
Phantasy Star Episode 1 & 2
Super Mario Sunshine

Xbox
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Shenmue II

There are a lot more games I would like to get, but these games are the games I want the most. Wish me luck on my hunt for all these games.

Video Games I need to beat

I own so many games and I love to buy games. The only thing is I buy so many games buy without beating the games I already own. What’s really bad is with some games I’m either at the end or very close to the end. So I’m going to make a list of some of the games I own that I need to beat.

Bioshock 2
Castlevania
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
Castlevania IV (Super Castlevania IV) (On the next to last level)
Castlevania: Dracula X
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Chrono Trigger
Dragon Warrior
Dragon Warrior III
Fable
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (I need 1 more crystal star then it’s on to the final boss)
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus
Final Fantasy IX (I’m on the final disc of the game)
Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy XII
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts II
Legend of Zelda
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 4
Mega Man 8
Mega Man X
Mega Man X4
Mega Man X5
Mega Man X6
Mega Man X7
Metroid
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (Just gotta beat level 5)
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Ninja Gaidan (NES)
Ninja Gaidan II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (NES)
Saga Frontier (This game has 7 different missions and at least 1 of them has multiple ending and it depends on the actions you take in the mission)
Skies of Arcadia
Star Ocean: The Second Story (This game has two different characters with similar but different stories and it has about 80+ endings so to see them all you will be playing a long time)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (one main character 80+ hours of game play not sure how may endings this one has)
Super Mario Bros. (I’ve come so close)
Super Mario Bros. 2 (I’ve come so close)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (I’ve come so close)
Super Metroid
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis (At the last battle)
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider III
Zelda II: The Adventures of Link

Well as you can see this list is long and the list is actually longer then want you see listed. I know some of you might look at some of these games and wonder why I haven’t beaten some of them yet. The answer to that question is I don’t know but I’m going to work hard to beat these games. I have a lot of games to beat ill add to the list and hopefully move some of these games to beaten games list. Wish me luck I’m Going to need it with some of these games. I will update you as I beat these games and mark through the game. I will also let you know what games I’ll move to after I’ve beaten a few of these.

Great Finds: Where should I start?

A week ago I went with my wife, my friend Bobby of the Video Game View and his girlfriend and we went to the beach. While we where at the beach we went to a used game store called Player’s Choice. We were able to visit 2 different locations, one in Whiteville and one in Shallotte. I was able to clean up on games that I wanted at these stores. With games at great prices who could argue. These stores were awesome. I was able to get games like Dragon Warrior III for NES, Star Fox for SNES, Metroid II: Return of Samus for Game Boy, Super Mario 64 for N64 and Star Wars: Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles for PS1. I also ventured into a random thrift shop while on vacation and they had a complete copy of Eternal Champion for the Sega Genesis for only $3 in great shape. Those were a few of the games I purchased but it didn’t stop there. On my way back home I stopped by the store Ed McKay in Winston-Salem. I picked up Final Fantasy for the NES with the box for $12. It didn’t have the instruction booklet but the box and game looked like they were untouched. I also picked up Donkey Kong for the Game Boy and I picked up Mega Man X4 for the PS1 for only $2. I also picked up a used player’s handbook for Dungeons and Dragons for half the retail value. It didn’t stop there either, the next day I came across Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow for Game Boy Advance. Over all I found so many games I want to thank my lovely wife for buying me Dragon Warrior 3 which cost $30. It was my birthday gift. Some would say $30 is kind of steep for a Nintendo game but that game alone on eBay goes for between $40 and $50. Over all I pick up 23 games and 1 book (about a game). Here is a picture and a list of all the games I got:

NES
Bionic Commando
Dragon Warrior III
Final Fantasy w/box
Legendary Wings
Micro Machines
Spy vs. Spy
Strider
Trojan

SNES
Clay Fighter 2: Judgment Clay
Kirby’s Dream Course
Star Fox
World Heroes 2

Game Boy
Donkey Kong
Metroid II: Return of Samus

GBA
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

N64
Super Mario 64

Genesis
Eternal Champions w/case and instruction booklet

Playstation
Mega Man X4
Star Wars: Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider III
Vigilante 8

Playstation 2
Activision Anthology

I was so happy to get to go to these game stores while I was on vacation. Holden Beach will probably be a regular vacation spot for me and my wife and our friends not just for the games but the Beach is pretty awesome and sometimes taking a break from games is a good thing. Well the vacation is over now so back to gaming.

Game of the Day: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Today's game of the day is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night first came out on the PlayStation. When the Xbox 360 came out they released it for download on the Xbox Live Arcade. The version on the Xbox Live Arcade has enhanced graphics in HD and it doesn't have load times. You can also unlock Castlevania: SOTN on the PSP game Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. Castlevania: SOTN start right after Castlevania: Dracula X (a.k.a Castlevania: Rondo of Blood). It starts off with Richter Belmont defeating Dracula. Then after that you find out that Richter has vanished. Then it talks about Alucard the son of Dracula he awakens to vanquish the evil. After the quick briefing you take control of Alucard and the action never stops. This game uses a non-linear style of game play (kind of like Super Mertoid) and most of the modern Castlevania games followed this style of game play unlike most of the original Castlevania games that used a linear style of game play. This game also adds some RPG elements such as: leveling up, equipping weapons and armor, learning spells, and some other goodies. Castlevania: SOTN is of the best Castlevania games every made with tons of twists and turns and an awesome soundtrack fans of action games and RPG's would like this game. This original game on the PlayStation is selling on average no cheaper then $20 and that's the greatest hit label if you want the Black label game it will run you about $50 or more it depends on condition of the game. You can always download it on the Xbox Live Arcade for 800 MS points ($10). If you are a fan of the Castlevania series this is a must own. Even if you aren't a fan or have never gotten into Castlevania this is a must own. Whether you have it on PlayStation, Downloaded the game on the Xbox Live Arcade, or even unlocked in on the PSP game Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles this game is awesome. Most people say this is the best Castlevania in the series and it's one of my most favorite games in the series and over all.