Top 11 Best Black Video Game Characters: Revised 2013

It's Black History month and its time to honor and remember all the Black people that have made and impact in history. In Honor of Black History month I have made a top 11 list of the best black video game characters that have made an impact in video games. I made a list in 2011 but since then I have played a couple of new games with characters that have claimed their spots on this list. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Adam/Skate – Streets of Rage Trilogy – These guys are rock. Adam was in the 1st Street of Rage and he gets kidnapped in Streets of Rage 2. That is when his 11 year old brother Skate joins the team to save his brother. Skate is also in Streets of Rage 3 on his roller blades taking out bad guys. These brothers tie for the eleventh spot on our list because they are hardcore fighters.

10. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: If you have ever reached Iron Mike Tyson in this game you know how bad ass he is. He can knock you down with just two punches and that’s only if you have full health. Tyson is beatable but its takes and lot of trial and error and I have yet to beat him. I will defeat him one day though. He was a great boxer in real life and he is a great boxer in the video game world.

9. Eddy Gordo – Tekken 3 – He is an excellent fighter in Tekken 3. He is a master of the Brazilian fighting style Capoeira. He is also a break dancer which really helps his fighting. He can beat you up while walking on his hands.

*8. Clementine – The Walking Dead – Clementine is a tough little girl. She survived a zombie apocalypse on her on until she was rescued. She had to grow up quickly and she is also a very good shot. Her self-reliance and toughness for a little girl get her a spot on this list.

7. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker – Michael Jackson wasn’t only a great singer and dancer. He was an awesome Video Game character as well. He could use magic to make his enemies dance and after then dance they would die. He didn’t just defeat his enemies with Magic and Dancing he also was able to transform into Robo-Michael. When He became Robo-Michael he could fly around and shoot laser and missiles and annihilate his enemies. For this reason he claims the number 6 spot on the list.

*6. Lee Everett – The Walking Dead – Lee is a character that came out of left field for me. Lee has tons of responsibility thrown on him he come across a little girl named Clementine and he ends up being her guardian and he does a good job taking care of her. He has to make a lot of tough decisions good and bad. He knows when to make the tough decision which earns him a spot on this list.

5. Captain David Anderson – Mass Effect Trilogy – Captain Anderson isn't a playable character in Mass Effect, but he plays a very important role in the success of Commander Shepard’s Mission. He also help Shepard in his pursuit of becoming a Specter. Captain Anderson is an awesome role model and mentor to Shepard. Captain Anderson is also voiced by Keith David making him even more awesome because Keith David is awesome too.

4. Barret Wallace – Final Fantasy VII – He has a gun arm do I really need to say anything else? I will say something else thought he is an awesome party member for Cloud and he is very powerful as well. His limit brakes are awesome his level 4 limit brake is called Catastrophe and he pulls hot magma out of the ground into his gun arm and he destroys his enemies with it.

3. Roland the Solder – Borderlands – Roland is a true solder. He can regenerate his ammo and if a team member is low on health he has an ability where he can shoot his teammate and it heals them. He is a natural leader and he is an essential person you want to have on your team.

2. Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson – The Halo Series – Sergeant Johnson is a take no crap kind of guy. He always has a cigar in his mouth and will fight whatever is in his way. He once hijacked a Scarab and then teamed up with the Arbiter to take out the brute Tartarus. His one liner are awesome as well.

1. Augusts Cole a.k.a. Cole Train - Gears of War Trilogy – Cole is the best character in all of Gears of War. He is there so that you don’t shoot Baird because Baird is a jackass. Cole is by far the best character on this list. The first time you encounter him you know he is a true bad ass. He always has something cool to say and he it freaking awesome. He gets the number one spot because you can’t stop the train baby.

Other Notable Characters: Sergeant Foley – Modern Warfare 2, Zack – Dead or Alive Series, Coach – Left 4 Dead 2, Louis – Left 4 Dead, Romeo – Halo 3: ODST, Shaq – Shaq Fu, Doc Louis – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! & Punch-Out!!, Fortune - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jacob – Mass Effect 2, Jax – Mortal Kombat Series, Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2, Balrog –  Street Fighter Series, Dee Jay –  Street Fighter Series, Mr. Sandman – The Punch-Out!! Series

There are so many other characters that haven’t been named and there will continue to be more in the future so you may see a new list next year. We will just have to wait and see.

*New Addition to the list

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: Knuckles Chaotix

Today’s game of the day is Knuckles Chaotix for the Sega 32x.

This is a very fun game. If you have played any Sonic games you will have no problem with this game. The thing that makes this unique is the fact you always have a partner and they are connected to you by the power rings you both hold. This doesn’t matter too much in one player mode, but in two player mode you must work together if you don’t have teamwork you won’t complete anything in the level together. You start off as Knuckles for the opening stage and you meet Espio the Chameleon and he becomes your first partner. After beating the opening level you can pick from Knuckles the Echidna, Mighty the Armadillo (who previously appeared in the 1993 arcade game SegaSonic the Hedgehog), Espio the Chameleon, Charmy Bee and Vector the Crocodile. The game also featured two additional partners known as Heavy the Cook and Bomb the Bomb. These character you can get from the claw machine where you get your partner in one player mode (You can use the claw machine in two player mode as well). Heavy and Bomb are pretty much useless. Heavy is a robot that kills everything he runs into and is indestructible. Bomb is quick but all he does is blows up when he gets hit and hurts enemies around the explosion and he can also hurt his friends as well. This is a very fun fast paced game like all the Sonic games. This is one of the better games on the 32x and its pretty rare now a days. When it came out it got mixed reviews you either loved it or hated it. I was part of the group who loved it. If you have a 32x this game is worth picking up. Check out the video below to see some of the game play.

Resources: Knuckles Chaotix Wiki

Great Finds: Sega 32x and Model 2 Sega Genesis

The other day I was looking through my local Goodwill and I came across something great. I found a Sega 32x with a Model 2 Sega Genesis with all the hook-ups and 2 controllers all for twenty dollars.

 

I have been trying to find for a long time for the right price. The only thing missing were the metal prongs which you don’t need for the 32x to work and the ram was missing but that's easy to find. This was a great deal and a great find. I have found other 32x systems for around that same price without any hook-ups complete 32x systems were being sold for $50 - $60 on average. I feel that is too much for a 32x and I don’t know why it’s hard to find a 32x with hook-ups. I’m just happy I found this 32x because there are a few games that were on the 32x I really enjoyed playing.

This was another great find I had but my hunt for games is never over. Wish me luck as I continue the hunt and I also wish all of you luck in your hunt for games as well.

Top 11 Best Black Video Game Characters

Check out my revised list.

Black History Month is a time to reflect back on all the great black people who made a different in the world. People like the North Carolina A & T Four, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and many more have made a huge impact on the world today. In Honor of Black History month I have made a top 11 list of the best black video game characters that have made an impact in video games. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Adam/Skate – Streets of Rage Trilogy – These guys are rock. Adam was in the 1st Street of Rage and he gets kidnapped in Streets of Rage 2. That is when his 11 year old brother Skate joins the team to save his brother. Skate is also in Streets of Rage 3 on his roller blades taking out bad guys. These brothers tie for the eleventh spot on our list because they are hardcore fighters.

10. Balrog/Dee Jay– Street Fighter Series: These guys are awesome Balrog is a Boxer who is a tough brute I remember the first time I fought him he tore me up. Dee Jay is a cool Kickboxer from Jamaica. These guys both differ in personality Balrog being a bad guy and a stone wall, and Dee Jay being a cool guy who can fight and loves to have fun. They tie for the tenth spot because they are both great boxer and great characters in the Street Fighter series.

9. Mr. Sandman – The Punch-Out!! Series: This guy has been in every punch out that I can remember he is very notable for having very fast and explosive moves. He is one of the toughest guys to fight in any of the Punch Out games. I remember in Super Punch-Out!! on the SNES after knocking him down twice he jumps up and comes at your with a barrage of attacks and you have split seconds to get in and hit him. If you are not quick to dodge him you will get knocked out even if you haven’t been knocked down once.

8. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: If you have ever reached Iron Mike Tyson in this game you know how bad ass he is. He can knock you down with just two punches and that’s only if you have full health. Tyson is beatable but its takes and lot of trial and error and I have yet to beat him. I will defeat him one day though. He was a great boxer in real life and he is a great boxer in the video game world.

7. Eddy Gordo – Tekken 3 – He is an excellent fighter in Tekken 3. He is a master of the Brazilian fighting style Capoeira. He is also a break dancer which really helps his fighting. He can beat you up while walking on his hands.

6. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker – Michael Jackson wasn’t only a great singer and dancer. He was an awesome Video Game character as well. He could use magic to make his enemies dance and after then dance they would die. He didn’t just defeat his enemies with Magic and Dancing he also was able to transform into Robo-Michael. When He became Robo-Michael he could fly around and shoot laser and missiles and annihilate his enemies. For this reason he claims the number 6 spot on the list.

5. Captain David Anderson – Mass Effect Trilogy – Captain Anderson isn’t a playable character in Mass Effect, but he plays a very important role in the success of Commander Shepard’s Mission. He also help Shepard in his pursuit of becoming a Specter. Captain Anderson is an awesome role model and Mentor to Shepard. Captain Anderson is also voiced by Keith David making him even more awesome because Keith David is awesome too.

4. Barret Wallace – Final Fantasy VII – He has a gun arm do I really need to say anything else? I will say something else thought he is an awesome party member for Cloud and he is very powerful as well. His limit brakes are awesome his level 4 limit brake is called Catastrophe and he pulls hot magma out of the ground into his gun arm and he destroys his enemies with it.

3. Roland the Solder – Borderlands – Roland is a true solder. He can regenerate his ammo and if a team member is low on health he has an ability where he can shoot his teammate and it heals them. He is a natural leader and he is an essential person you want to have on your team.

2. Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson – The Halo Series – Sergeant Johnson is a take no crap kind of guy. He always has a cigar in his mouth and will fight whatever is in his way. He once hijacked a Scarab and then teamed up with the Arbiter to take out the brute Tartarus. His one liner are awesome as well.

1. Augusts Cole a.k.a. Cole Train - Gears of War Trilogy – Cole is the best character in all of Gears of War. He is there so that you don’t shoot Baird because Baird is a jackass. Cole is by far the best character on this list. The first time you encounter him you know he is a true bad ass. He always has something cool to say and he it freaking awesome. He gets the number one spot because you can’t stop the train baby.

Other Notable Characters: Sergeant Foley – Modern Warfare 2, Zack – Dead or Alive Series, Coach – Left 4 Dead 2, Louis – Left 4 Dead, Romeo – Halo 3: ODST, Shaq – Shaq Fu, Doc Louis – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! & Punch-Out!!, Fortune - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jacob – Mass Effect 2, Jax – Mortal Kombat Series, Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2

There are so many other characters that haven’t been named and there will continue to be more in the future so you may see a new list next year. We will just have to wait and see.

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.

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.

Great Finds: Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis

The other day I was looking through Goodwill and I came across a Super Nintendo. The SNES came with 1 controller and 2 games in great shape. The games are Zombies ate my Neighbors and Fatal Fury 2.

The SNES didn’t have any hook up but lucky for me I picked up an extra set of SNES av cables for only $1. The SNES with the controller and 2 games only cost me $5 so even though I need an ac adapter everything cost me $6 for the system. Also the system works where I have a SNES I was able to use the hook ups from my 1st SNES and it worked just fine.

A week before finding the SNES I found another Model 1 Sega Genesis. It had the hook ups and the system works but no controllers.

The Genesis only cost $7 so again it was a great deal even without controllers. It’s easy to find controllers and AC adapters without breaking the bank. I have been getting lucky and my local Goodwill store I just hope I my luck continues and I find some more great systems, games and accessories.

Game(s) of the Day: Michael Jackson's Monnwalker

In Memory of the late great King of Pop Michael Jackson


Today’s game(s) of the day Is Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker for the Arcade and the Sega Genesis.

These games were based on the movie Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker.
The Arcade game was made first and it was a multiplayer adventure where you could be Michael Jackson in a White Suit or a Red Suit it all depended on which slot you put your quarter in. Some versions let you play with three players which had Michael Jackson in a Black Suit. The point of the game was to go around and save children and defeat the bosses. You could dance to wipe out all the enemies and you can also receive the Robo-Michael power up. He was a metal Machine that shot lasers from his arms. This was a great game and it was very fun to play. Here is video of the game play of the arcade game.

The Sega Genesis version is a bit different then the arcade version. This game is a side scrolling adventure. The point of this game is you go around and save the same little girl in the red dress with a teddy bear and there are a lot of those little girls. You are armed with glitter to throw on the enemies and you are armed with your special moves including: Michael Jackson’s signature hat throw, you can spin around and the make everyone on the stage dance with you and wipe them out which should only be used in boss battles, and last but not least you get the Robo-Michael power up its pretty rare but its way different and way cooler then Robo-Michael‘s in the arcade version. In the Genesis version he is a giant robot that flies around and shoots lasers and rockets it also reveals the location on all the little girls but you can rescue them. This games weren’t the best games and there were pretty repetitious, but when this game came out there weren’t many games like this that were based on a celebrity. It’s still a fun game and no matter what you say about MJ remember what Dave Chappelle said, “He made Thriller…THRILLER”. The Angry Video Game Nerd did a review on this game and he was brutally honest as usual but he didn’t rip on it as bad as most game he reviews. It’s a great video you can check it out below. This video was made before while Michael Jackson was still alive and it contains explicit language and content viewer discretion is advised.

To see more of the Anger Video Game Nerd's reviews click here.

My friend also wrote a blog post about Moonwalker in memory of Michael Jackson click here to check it out.

Michael Jackson was an amazing artist and no one can compare to him he was the King of Pop and will forever be missed.

Great Finds: Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64

The other day I was looking around at a Goodwill when I came across a box that had a complete Nintendo 64 with 2 controllers. I looked through the box and there was also a complete Model 1 Sega Genesis with 2 controllers in the box also.

I looked to see the if there was a price tag and to my surprise the price was $25 so I picked it up and took it to the cashier and she rang it up. All together everything was $27 with tax. The Genesis also had a game with it Sonic 2. This has probably been one of the best deals I have found in a while and I'm very happy I found 2 working game consoles for a great price.

Game of the Day: Coach K College Basketball

Today's game of the day in Coach K College Basketball

The main reason I picked this game as the game of the day is because the Duke Blue Devils won the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship yesterday and being a Duke fan myself I'm very happy about it. Another reason this is a very good basketball game and how many College Coaches have their own video game? Not many. Coach Mike Krzyzewski is a living legend he now has 4 NCAA championships to his name and he also Coached the USA Men's Olympic team and brought home the Gold in 2008. But enough about Coach K lets talk about his video game. This basketball game is one of the better basketball games released on the Sega Genesis. At the team select screen there is something called the Coach K Report. This is where he gives some facts about the two teams selected. Its a solid sports game and lots of fun. If you have a Sega Genesis its worth picking up you can find the game on eBay, Amazon, or a vintage used game store for a great price. Even if you are not a Duke fan this game is still worth picking up.