Memories #29: Kirby's Dream Land

This is where I go and hint at my age. 

I'm old enough to remember the time before YouTube. Before the internet. A time when video game news would reach you through these relics that were called video game magazines. If not those, it was a TV ad. The later was the first time I heard of Kirby's Dream Land.

I saw this commercial so many times I could practically quote the whole thing. This was during the time that I didn't have a Game Boy and this was one of the games that made me crave one even more. 

Also, DANG, did Kirby ever look different back in the American TV ads. 

Although Kirby's Dream Land was the first time I'd ever heard of the tough cream puff, this was not the first game in the series I played. I wouldn't play Kirby's Dream Land until either 1993 or 1994 and by that time, I had played Kirby's Adventure, widely viewed as a bigger, better game than Kirby's first outing. Even so, I wanted to play Kirby's first game. Nintendo Power's top 20 charts had Kirby in the top 5 consistently which and by the time I bought it, it was a Nintendo Player's Choice title, sporting that big, gold ribbon, letting everyone know that the version you had was discounted. Personally, I liked the gold ribbons. They were much better than that icky green of the PlayStation Greatest Hits and whoever came up with that should have been slapped furiously with a thick rolled up newspaper.

Image: MobyGames

It was a bit strange coming from Adventure to Dream Land. Kirby's now signature Copy Ability wasn't invented yet, nor could he slide. Kirby may seem basic to an outsider but in Kirby's Dream Land he was super basic. But in this case and for the time, super basic was pretty good.

My copy of Kirby's Dream Land was bought from my local Meijer. You know how they had games behind a glass case and if no one was there, you had to ring for assistance? Ah, good times. Kirby looked so happy floating towards Whispy Woods on the box art about to make him cry. For the first time. Whispy was so ingrained into my brain thanks to that commercial. Crying Whispy, in particular. I believe one of the screen shots I saw of the game in Nintendo Power was of Kirby either fighting Whispy or of Whispy already beaten and crying. I think the North American box even had a screen of Whispy on the back. I did a search while writing this up and yup, there's Whispy. I really like the shade of blue on the back and side of the box. Goes great with the logo so thumbs up for whoever came decided choose and go with those colors.

Back when games came with instruction manuals, I would look through them before starting up a game. With Kirby's Dream Land, it was no different. I still have a lot of my old manuals, so the one for Kirby's Dream Land may be packed away somewhere. 

The story of Kirby's Dream Land goes like this: King Dedede steals all of the citizens'food along with their Sparkling Stars. Huh. I completely forgot about the Sparkling Stars. Maybe it was due to Spring Breeze in Kirby Super Star that just mentioned the food being taken. Anyhoo, Kirby comes along and I remember him stating in the manual something along the lines of, "Don't worry, I'll get your food back." Looking back on it, it's a bit odd to read about Kirby speaking in full sentences but it was his debut game.

After reading through the entirity of the manual, I plunked the cartridge into my original brick Game Boy and was greeted with a title screen that showed numerous Kirbys walking about while the most jovial title music I'd ever heard at the time played.

GIF: GIFER

Pressing start treated my ears to a very familiar theme, Green Greens. Having beaten Kirby's Adventure a year ago, the level that Green Greens played on it that game really stuck out to me. For one, it was the only level in that game to have the song playing. Two, the level was in black and white. I don't think I made the connection at the time, but now I know that clearly that stage in Kirby's Adventure was paying homage to Kirby's Dream Land. Kirby's Adventure has a phenomenal soundtrack so it was enlightening to hear what has become Kirby's most prolific piece of music came from his very first title. Being on the GB, I could tell it sounded a smidgen different but it was still as catchy and hummable as ever. 

I went into Kirby's Dream Land knowing full well that Kirby did not have the Copy Ability. Just inhale enemies and shoot them at other enemies. Or inhale stars and fire them off at the opposition. Simple and effective. The kind of innovation you would expect from a Nintendo published title. Alternatively, Kirby's exhaled breath could also be used to attack mooks but not the bosses.

Kirby's Adventure had these super cool transition sections where Kirby would hop on the Warp Star and ride off to another part of the level. It turns out these Warp Star ride segments were first used in Kirby's Dream Land and are every bit as neat. Also neat was Kirby's animations. Kirby has this bounce to his movements which is attributed to his simplistic design. When he runs into a wall, he'll squish up against it and a tiny star will bounce out of him. This was all stuff I'd seen in Kirby's Adventure but it was used first in Kirby's Dream Land, much to my surprise. They carried over a lot from that GB game.

 

GIF: Tilt Controls

I could be wrong but I believe that Kirby's Dream Land marked the first time I was ever exposed to the compositions of Jun Ishikawa. Green Greens was a certified banger but really, the entire soundtrack is an absolute bop. Castle Lololo, Float Islands, the Ending theme are some of the best Kirby songs. Along with Green Greens, Invincibility and the Kirby Dance jingle, King Dedede's Theme was first used in Kirby's Dream Land, meaning some of the series' most famous tracks were first used in this game. I was listening to the soundtrack while writing this and 30 years later, it still holds up magnificently.

Maybe it was those three days I spent with Kirby's Adventure or the fact that Kirby's Dream Land was designed for entry level gamers. But I recall beating Kirby's Dream Land in about 30 minutes. It isn't a long game at all, even for the GB. It only has five levels and the last one is a boss rush. Kirby's Dream Land does have some of the same bosses I fought from Kirby's Adventure. I think I had winced a little when I saw that Kracko was a boss but I don't think I had nearly as hard a time with him in Dream Land as I did in Adventure. Maybe he was harder in Adventure because you had the Copy Ability in that game. You can read about my grievances with him in the next Memories post.

The setting for the battle with King Dedede was super cool. It was a boxing ring. How awesome is that for a final showdown? It has always been one of my favorite things about Kirby's Dream Land. Since Dedede turned out to be not-so-bad in Adventure, I wondered why he would steal all of the food from the citizens of Dream Land. I guess we can chalk that up to Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai still trying to figure out these characters. I might have died to Dedede once or twice trying to learn his attack patterns.

Throughout the 1990s, Kirby's Dream Land would be a game I would always keep on me. If I didn't feel like going through the more frustrating levels of Donkey Kong or had about 25 minutes to kill, I would pop this game in and breeze through it, enjoying the simple but fun gameplay and charming music.

Without question there a better Kirby games out there. I still say Kirby's Adventure is better than Kirby's Dream Land. But I don't for one second regret my time with Kirby's Dream Land. If I could go back to that Sunday afternoon and pick up Kirby's Dream Land all over again, I would do it and then celebrate with my awful attempt at the Kirby Dance. 

Memories #28: Extra Innings

I was never really big into sports titles. I think this was because I wasn't really into sports growing up despite always looking forward to gym class (the one class where you don't hold a pencil with a paper in front you). There were exceptions, though. I really enjoyed Double Dribble on the NES and later on, NBA Jam was a basketball game I could not get enough of. As time went on, I found out those were arcade style sports games and not simulators, hence why I gravitated to them and was probably why I liked Extra Innings as a tyke.

During one of my family's many trips to Blockbuster Video (RIP), we rented some SNES games. I believe we rented two games, one of them being Extra Innings and I'm pretty sure that was my dad's pick. The SNES cart was decorated with a realistic looking baseball player swinging his bat. With that image firmly in my mind (back in those days, we could see the SNES cart while the game was playing), I thought we would be in for some sort of hyper realistic baseball experience. I was still willing to give the game a go in spite of this.

Booting up Extra Innings completely shattered any thoughts of playing realistic baseball the video game. It had a title drop (which was probably the first time I ever heard one in a game) and displayed with the title were two cheerleaders and a baseball player, all three of which looked very cartoonish. Ah, a classic case of covers always lie. Not that I felt betrayed or anything. That just made getting into the game that much easier.

Everything about Extra Innings had a cute look to it. The field view after you hit a ball, the menu screen and it was all so inviting to a player like me who always felt intimidated by real world sports. Music was very jovial and got stuck in my head. To this day, I can still recall most if not all of the music. Two of my favorite scenes involved players at bat. When you scored a home run, the player would run to home with the peace sign up while the cheerleaders cheered. When you were struck out at bat, your player would take the bat and snap it in two over their leg and as a kid, that never failed to make me laugh.

When I was 15, I picked up a used copy of Extra Innings. I still have the game to this day. Now a days, I can see it a slow, bare bones arcade style baseball game. That said, I'm still happy that my dad rented this game all those years ago. In spite of it being sluggish and lacking in features compared to other titles in the genre, I can still have some fun with it.

Screenshots take from mento, calaggie from Giant Bomb

Memories #27: Super Off Road

My early and later years with the SNES was filled with many a video game rental from Blockbuster Video (RIP). Renting games was the thing you did when you wanted to try a game out or you just didn't feel like dropping $50 on a new game. Or you couldn't drop $50 on a new game. Being a child at the time, I fell into the couldn't category.

The yellow truck AI is in the back but he'll be
right out in first real quick.

I imagine that by the time Super Off Road was ported to consoles (in doing this write up, I found out it was originally an arcade game) a good chunk of gamers had already been exposed to overhead racers such as R.C. Pro-Am on the NES. I was not among those gamers so the entire concept of players sharing he same screen and racing with an overhead view was new to me. As such, my sister and I struggled a great deal with the controls. We would twist, spin around and turn in the wrong direction and end up losing so many races. Hour first few hours/days was very much a learning experience.

The time we poured into the game did of course pay off. Sure, we still had a time of it here and there, but we did get the basic controls down and ended up having a lot of fun with Super Off Road and that is especially important when it came to a rental. There was nothing worse than renting a turd back in the day.

What a surprise, the yellow truck driver
came in first.

The thing I hated the most about Super Off Road was the AI of the yellow truck. That thing seldom came in a place lower than second and seeing his smug face in first place 9 out of 10 times always infuriated me. Like, that guy would never make mistakes. He was a god of off road racing. Only three racers could place and the poor sap to get fourth would always get a screen of him looking super salty and that character was usually me or my sister. Seriously, the yellow truck driver was unbeatable. The few times we did manage to beat him either by sheer luck or enough nitros to out-boost him was cause for a celebration. That dang yellow AI truck driver was the only thing that ruined any otherwise fun rental for me.

If I did come across Super Off Road in a store that sells used SNES carts, would I pick it up? Yeah, probably. I'd like to see how well it holds and now that I'm older and wiser, I could probably really stick it to that freaking yellow truck AI.

Screens from GameFaqs

Memories #26: Wii Shop Channel

Last week, the Wii Shop Channel, which has been online since 2006, was shut down. With the shop's closure comes the loss of many games. However, I'm not going to discuss that. Game preservation is a topic for another day in fact I've had an editorial circling in my brain about it for months, so you'll be able to check that out when I get around to starting and finishing it. Today, we remember the Wii Shop Channel.

Financially, life was pretty rough for me from 2008 and 2009, so picked up a new game console was off the table. At least until tax season rolled around. Using my tax return cash, I picked up a Wii in early 2010 along with Super Smash Bros. Brawl and a 2000 Wii Points Card. I already knew the games I was going to purchase with those points: Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10, the two titles that had the honor of being the very first (of many) games I bought from the shop.

Pulseman was one of the most visually impressive
games on the Mega Drive. [Screenshot by Emuparadise]

The first time I hopped onto the Wii Shop, I didn't spend a great deal of time on it. I was in such a rush to get Mega Man 9 and 10 that once I bought them, you could see a smoke trail indicating that I was long gone. This would change as I would go to the Wii Shop more and more. When I moved to Virginia and got a higher paying job, things were going a lot better. I made it a point to pick up at least two Wii Points Cards every time I got paid.

Since I did not get a PS3 until the last day of 2013, the Wii Shop Channel was my first exposure to digital game stores and really helped sell me on digital distribution. Games on the Wii Shop were a great alternative for when I didn't feel like hooking up my NES, SNES or Genesis. True, not every single game on those systems came to the Wii Shop, but there was a lot to choose from. Even some of the cult classic games like Orge Battle: March of the Black Queen and Ogre Battle: Person of Lord Caliber, two titles that now go for insane prices on the second hand market, could be bought for chump change on the Wii Shop and thankfully, I bought both.

Originally released only in Japan, Do-Re-Mi Fantasy
was exposed to wider audience thanks to the
Wii Shop Channel. [Screenshot by Emuparadise]

The Wii Shop Channel didn't just sell NES, SNES and Genesis titles. It was also home to some of the best games on the TurboGrafx-16 or the PC-Engine if you prefer. I had considered picking up a TG-16 but due to the price of that system going up, I opted against it and when I saw TG-16 games on the Wii Shop, I found that I was better off just buying what I could from there. I had heard for years that Alien Crush and Devil's Crush were the best video game versions of pinball and thanks to the Wii Shop, I was finally able to see what the fuss was about and yes, said fuss was right. All the praise for Lords of Thunder and Wings Thunder turned out to be true too, because hot dang, were those some amazing shooters with some banger soundtracks.

Digital distribution on the Wii Shop Channel was not just limited to games that were originally released in the states. The channel also enjoyed a slew of games that were never released in America like the TG-16 version of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Do-Re-Mi Fantasy, the later of which is a charming Super Famicom platformer staring Milon of the NES Milon's Secret Castle and thankfully is nowhere near as frustrating. Since Konami owns Hudson's IPs now, perhaps they'll take their heads out of their butts and re-release it someday, but I'm not holding my breath.

Pulseman, one of Game Freak's babies that isn't Pokemon, was originally only available to players outside of Japan that were subscribers of the Sega Channel. The release on the Wii Shop Channel marked the first time in years the game was given a much wider release. On top of being a audio/visual Mega Drive marvel, the game is pretty freaking good to boot.

The Wii Shop Channel also housed N64 games and while the selection was small compared to the other systems it represented, some of the best of the best was there including Sin & Punishment, which is another title that was originally only released in Japan. Sin & Punishment did so well in sales that we got Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, a fantastic sequel and one of the Wii's very best games.

The Wii Shop was also home to one of the most catchy, upbeat pieces of music in the medium of video games, known simply as the Wii Shop Channel theme. Seriously, this music alone made going to the shop such a joyous visit. This music really set the Wii Shop apart from Sony and Microsoft's online stores and when you consider how backwards Nintendo is known for being, that's kind of a huge deal. It helped give the shop so much more life. That music is one of the reasons I would spend so much time on the Wii Shop Channel. When I was still mulling over which game to buy, sometimes I would just let it play in the background as I did other things while trying to come to a decision. Nintendo would add music to the 3DS and Wii U eShops and depending on the season, the song would be different, but it just didn't come close to the Wii Shop Channel theme. The eShop on the Switch has no music at all, which kinda lets the sails out of going to the Switch eShop a bit. I'd love for Nintendo to implement the Wii Shop Channel music on the Switch eShop or at least come up with an equally lively piece of music to jazz things up, but as it stands, the Switch eShop lacks a bit of omph even with that outstanding library of games. At least we can listen to the Wii Shop Channel music in various Nintendo stages in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

With the exception of Wii Ware titles, every game I purchase off the Wii Shop was saved to my 2 GB SD card and last I checked, the thing is still working, so many of the games I bought off the Wii Shop, I can still play. Still, there are games I wanted to buy off the Wii Shop Channel but I never got around to, which makes me all the more sadder that the shop is closed. Nothing lasts forever, but the Wii Shop Channel was certainly good while it did.

Memories #25: Donkey Kong Country

1994. The strong winds of change were blowing in the video game industry. Nintendo was holding second place to SEGA during the 16-bit SNES/Genesis console war but the fifth generation of consoles was on the rise and a new player had entered the ring. Sony would release the PlaySation in Japan but the system was already making waves outside of the Land of the Rising Sun despite the fact that it wouldn't hit North America and European shores almost a year later. SEGA also had their own fifth gen console release in '94, the Saturn and like the PS, it also released outside of Japan in 1995. Of course Nintendo had their own supped up, polygonal baby in the works, but the N64 wouldn't hit store shelves anywhere in the world until 1996. Polygons and higher bits were heavy talking points during these times and while the Genesis and SNES had seen a few games boasting polygons, they weren't on the same level as what the PS and Saturn were capable of, the former, which would later become a serious head turner. Even though all of this was going on, one of Nintendo's biggest icons made a huge resurgence this year on hardware that was already available on all sides of the world.

Though he made his debut in same game that Mario did and was very well known, Donkey Kong as a character was pushed aside in favor of the Italian that would become Nintendo's mascot. Other than the home ports of Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. on the NES in the mid to late 1980s, the Big N wouldn't refocus their sights on Donkey Kong until 1994, which saw the release of not one, but two Donkey Kong titles.

The first Donkey Kong game to release used the same title as the 1981 arcade version, Donkey Kong, though it is often referred to as Donkey Kong GB due to the platform it was released, the Game Boy. Releasing during the summer of 1994, it combined elements with the original Donkey Kong game as well as those from Donkey Kong Jr.and even Super Mario Bros. 2. Much longer than the four levels of the first two Donkey Kong games, this puzzle/platformer stared Mario as he playable character while DK and DK Jr. were the antagonists. Donkey Kong GB would go on to be a million seller for Nintendo but it would be overshadowed by the the second Donkey Kong game to release that same year, one that saw the big ape finally step into a staring role.

Even before Donkey Kong Country released during the fall of 1994, the hype for this game was huge. I remember multi-page previews of the game appearing in issues of GamePro and Nintendo Power and being in awe of the game's jaw dropping visuals. Donkey Kong Country was a 32-meg game running on 16-bit hardware. This was the type of game you'd think you'd would only be possible on the next gen systems but here DKC was, running on a the four year old SNES technology and not the new fangled fifth gen babies gamers were drooling to get their hands on. The fact that DKC could be played on a system that most players owned at the time was even a selling point and Nintendo was none too shy to rub this fact in SEGA's face. SEGA had been known for their aggressive advertising against Nintendo in the western market and after years of just sitting there and taking it, Nintendo struck back both in magazine and TV ads.

A western ad for DKC.

Anyone that owned a SNES wanted DKC. The hype Nintendo drummed up for the game along with the stunning visual presentation attracted buyers in droves and I was one of the many that coveted the game. For Christmas 1994, my dad bought me the game and it is one of the few gifts I remember getting that year. Needless to say, I was one very happy 13 year old on Christmas morning.

I had seen the game on demo displays during trips to Wal-Mart and Meijer but having the game in my own hands made it feel so more more real. I looked over the front and back of the box, marveling, jumping with excitement to play the game. As much as I wanted to dive right in, though, I took some time to read the instruction manual (those things that used to come with physical versions of the game all the time). Inside was more cool 3D renders of DK and company and it was through the manual that I got familiar with my favorite member of the Kong clan, Cranky Kong, whom the manual stated to be the original DK that kidnapped Pauline in the first DK game (which, I believe is no longer cannon). Cranky lived up to his name, always grumpy and always berating the player. He really did a lot to liven up that instruction manual. As if that weren't enough, each world had a location known as Canky's Cabin, where he would go on and on about how games were so much better back in his day. In between going on nostalgia trips and tell me how much I sucked, he would sprinkle in advice before telling me to get off his lawn. Cranky never failed to make me laugh so I would frequently visit him.

The manual also went into detail about the whole reason for DK's latest adventure: retrieving his banana horde from King K. Rool and his army of Kremlings. It was a different reason to go on a platforming quest to be sure. In the past, I was always rescuing princesses or foiling the plans of mad doctors. This time, we had to save the potassium. There was also the matter of Diddy Kong, DK's sidekick, getting stuffed away in a barrel, but saving the bananas was the main thing, so while the reasons for the adventure was different from what I was used to, I was perfectly fine with it.

DKC's striking graphics may have been a major selling point, but there was a really fun platformer beneath it all. Sure, it would be refined and polished in later entries, but for the first in the series, this was really freaking strong start. Enemies could not only be stomped on but rolled into to dispose of them and it always felt gratifying to take out several in one fell swoop. The differences between DK and Diddy were instantly noticeable with DK being stronger, but slower and Diddy being faster but weaker. I loved the switching mechanic between the two of them where they would slap hands to single who would take the lead. I remember doing this over and over at one point because the animation was such a joy to watch. (I was easily amused back then and still am to a degree.)

I recall the huge smile on my face as I went through the game's first few levels, hoping off the top of palm trees, swinging from vine to vine, riding Rambi, hitting a wall with him to unearth a hidden bonus level and being amazed at how stunning the game looked at the time. I had seen these types of levels like this before but never had they looked this good. When I got to the game's first water level, I was slack jawed both by the visuals  and what would become one of my all-time favorite water themes in a video game, Aquatic Ambiance. That level felt like such a pleasure cruise. Taking in the water effects as I used Engarde to slam into sharks and listen to that beautiful, beautiful music.

I couldn't do a Memories post on DKC without gushing about this game's marvelous soundtrack. Composed by David Wise, Eveline Novakovic and Robin Beanland, DKC's music was praised just as highly as the visuals were back when it was released. While DKC may look dated today, the soundtrack has aged beautifully. DKC was one of the few games to get a soundtrack release outside of Japan in the form of DK Jamz album. I couldn't get my hands on that so I help a TV recorder up to my TV and recorded many of the songs that were my favorite like the aforementioned Aquatic Ambiance, Forest Frenzy, Treetop Rock, Bad Boss Boogie, Funky's Fugue and Fear Factory. I'm pretty sure I ended up wearing that tape out.

My trip through DK Isle was tons of fun but not without some serious snags. I had gotten several game overs due to some pretty tough levels. It took me numerous attempts to pass the third world and those mine cart levels were murder (they would get even more insane when the DKC came back on the Wii and Wii U/Switch) but the biggest hurdle to overcome was the first level of the fourth world, Snow Barrel Blast. Holy crap, this level was one nasty difficulty spike. Usually the worst part of snow and ice level is the slippery terrain but that wasn't even a big deal here. Snow Barrel Blast was a level that got worse the further you progressed into it. Things start out simple enough but before you know, it beings to snow, the snow turns into a blizzard, which hampers your visibility, which sucks because this level has some of the trickiest barrel shooting segments in the game.I'm guessing Rare was fuly aware of how insane this level was because they hid a shortcut that lets you bypass the final stretch of the level. I wish I had known that as a teen because I took the normal rout and died so many times on this level. What made it so agonizing is that Candy's Save Point was a few levels after Snow Barrel Blast, so if I got a game over before reaching her, which I think I did, I had to do Snow Barrel Blast all over again.

In spite of those setbacks, I pressed onward and before I knew it, I was at the final area of the game, Gang-Plank Galleon. Not having a strategy guide, this was my first time seeing King K. Rool so I had to learn his patterns on my own. All of the bosses had been easy peasy and the same was true for the Kremling's leader. To my surprise, he dropped fairly quickly. When the credits began to roll, something seemed strange. Why where the developer's names so odd? When "The End?" appeared, I knew for certain something wasn't right. Sure enough, K. Rool go back up and resumed his attack, catching me off guard, making me have to start the fight all over again. It took me a few attempts but King K. Rool ended toppling for real on December 31, 1994. Yes, I spent my Christmas breaking playing and finishing DKC.

DKC did a lot to turn the 16-bit war in Nintendo's favor. Just as Sonic the Hedgehog had helped SEGA steal the number one spot from Nintendo, DKC helped SNES sales catch up to the Genesis. The game would end up selling more than 9 million copies worldwide and helped the SNES stay relevant during the 32-bit console generation. Of course there were tons of great SNES titles in 1994, but few had the impact that DKC did. Yes, it looks archaic today, but back then, it was mind blowing stuff. Fortunately the DKC holds up pretty well, not was well as the 1995 sequel, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and other games in the series, but the first DKC is still good, nonetheless. For everything that the game did for the SNES and Nintendo all those years ago, it also made a 13 year old boy very happy and for that, I couldn't be more thankful.

Memories #24: Toys "R" Us

Usually, Memories is a feature reserved for reflection upon my past experiences with older games. However, in light of the recent, tragic news that Toys "R" Us will be closing the doors for every single store across America, I felt it would be a huge disservice not to talk about a store that helped make my childhood a little awesome.

There are stores that have toy sections and there are dedicated toy stores. However, few of them even compared to Toys "R" Us. For many, Toys "R" Us was not just a toy store. It was the toy store. Video games, action figures, plushies, kid friendly movies, bikes, that store had everything a kid could want. The sheer size of the store and its content meant you could spend hours browsing.

Anyone that is into video games can remember browsing the gaming section at a Toys "R" Us. The selection was huge, which made it one of my favorite places to go for video games. Back in the day, you would grab the ticket for the game you wanted, take it to the register to pay for it, go to the booth and they would give you your game. Sure, it took a just a little bit longer to get the game in your hands, but just remembering the process behind how Toys "R" Us used to handle their games brought a big smile to my face as I typed this. I was fortunate to live close to a Toys "R" Us so I spent many times in that store including adult years.

Being a huge fan of Mega Man, I was so excited when I saw the commercial for Mega Man 3 in 1990. I knew I wanted it to be my next NES game and so one Friday evening, my dad took me to Toys "R" Us, we went to the game section and my face lit up like a Christmas tree when I saw that there were indeed tickets left for Mega Man 3. Nothing sucked more than going into the game section and finding that there were no tickets left for the game you wanted. The latest issue of Nintendo Power (R.I.P.) had extensive coverage of Mega Man 3 and the Blue Bomber was even on the cover! My dad was kind enough to buy the issue for me and the info from that mag has been firmly implanted into my brain. On a related note, one of my many trips to Toys "R" Us ended up being the first time I got a look at the first Mega Man's horrific box art.

I wanted to buy Secret of Mana from Toys "R" Us in 1995, but the game was over $60 and I only had some $20 on me. Staring back at the price tag in disappointment, I settled on F-ZERO for the SNES as it was within my price range. I got quite a bit of enjoyment out of that game and unlike my Mega Man 3 cart, the F-ZERO cart I got from my Toys "R" Us is still in my possession to this day.

The Nintendo 64 was being hyped beyond measure. My dad preordered one at our Toys "R" Us and we eagerly awaited the September 29th release day. Imagine our surprise when we got a call from the store on the 28th and they told us we could come in and pick the system up. I don't know what was with our Toys "R" Us breaking the street date, but we decided not to ask questions. We went in and grabbed the N64 with absolutely no hassle.

During the 2000 seasonal period, I worked at my Toys "R" Us and not to toot my own horn, but I was good at selling people on video games, which earned me a spot in the electronics department. This was a time when it was especially difficult to get a PS2. I was in the back helping unload the truck one afternoon when we had gotten a shipment of PS2s in. Thankfully, the store managers let me call dibs on one. A year later, I would stand outside my Toys R Us before it opened to get my hands on the GCN, Luigi's Mansion, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II and Super Monkey Ball. My copy of Super Smash Bros. Melee was also bought from Toys "R" Us. I think 2003 was the last time I was in my Toys "R" Us in Dayton, Ohio and sadly, it would eventually close down and regrettably, this is now the fate of every single Toys "R" Us across America.

Shopping online certainly is convenient. Having said that, there are still some things that online shopping, no matter how much better it becomes, will ever be able to match when it comes to actually being inside a store. I love going into my Barns & Nobles and flipping through manga and graphic novels, seeing the new stuff and the older books. Last year, I learned that I wasn't very far from a Toys "R" Us in Virginia Beach and thanks to that store, I was able to get a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild when so many stores were sold out of the game. I also got some World of Nintendo figures that I wasn't seeing in other stores I had been ton. Now that Toys "R" Us is going out of business, I'd like to go there one last time. Is it possible to be a Toys "R" Us kid without Toys "R" Us? Sure it is. Toys "R" Us may be gone, but you can bet that it will not be forgotten.

Memories #23: Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts

The first time I had ever heard of Super Ghouls'n Ghosts was through a special edition of one of Electronic Gaming Monthly's magazines. This particular issue each had a section devoted to the Genesis and SNES with a list of top 10 games for each. Among the SNES picks was Super Ghouls'n Ghosts. Due to space, they didn't go into detailed length on each game listed, but the difficulty of Super Ghouls'n Ghosts was mentioned. I'd read that EGM in 1998.

I wouldn't actually play Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts until early 2001. Long before GameStop became the king of video game retailers, some associated stores were called Funco Land and it was here that I found a copy. I kept that EGM issue within sight frequently and had begun to mark games on those top tens off the list as I collected them. Seeing as how Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts was only $9.99, I gladly parted with my money. Kinda wish I had a time machine. Not so I could warm my past self of what lay before him. So I could laugh out loud for about 30 seconds and then leave.

The less than stellar North American box art.

By the time I picked up Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, the game was about 10 years old. Even so, gaming in 2001 was a bit different than it is today. Word didn't spread as quickly about a game as it does in the times we live in now. It is no secret that Cuphead is a game that will shatter your happiness. The odds of anyone finding out how brutal that game is all on their own are extremely rare. I can tell you that discovering how ball bustingly hard a game is all on your own makes for quite the experience.

As I popped the game into my SNES, sat back and enjoyed some the 16-bit cut scene. "Another damsel that needs to be rescued? I've played dozens of Super Mario games. I got princess rescuing on lock." OK so I wasn't thinking that but I do recall approaching the game with some level of confidence. Said confidence was quickly obliterated.

Oh, joy! All the other areas of the game I'll
never get to see!

Right off the bat, Arthur felt so much stiffer to most characters I was accustomed to controlling in side scrolliners. What made it easier in a game like Castlevania is that Belmont and company weren't being swarmed by enemies. Zombies would constantly pop out of the ground, wolves would pounce from high ledges, ghosts would appear out of thin air to give chase. This was just the first stage and it felt like mass sensory overload. As if to rub salt into the wound, every death would bring up the map, screen, showing me that I had quite a ways to go.

How I spent most of my (alive) time in this
game: in my underwear.

I remember holding my controller in disbelief, thinking "How can the first level of a game be this difficult?" Mercifully, the game had checkpoints and after dying to wolves, zombies and ghosts, I came across something else that wanted dead: the freaking ocean. The first level of Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts has a nasty tidal wave section that I died on over and over and over and over again. I must have died more than 20 times but for some reason, probably sheer stubbornness, I pressed on and against insane odds, I managed to clear the first stage.

Stage two took place on a ship and had more those annoying ghosts I'd come to love from the first level. As if that wasn't bad enough the water level would rise as I progresed through the stage and wouldn't you know it, Arthur couldn't swim! Before I passed level 2, I died more than 30 times. The only reason I didn't throw in the towel was because it took me forever to pass the first level but somewhere between all those deaths, I must have realized that this game was not going to get any easier and that I didn't have the dexterity that this game clearly demanded, nor did I feel like investing the time to acquire it. I actually did manage to make it to the third stage but by the time I did, I was mentally drained and shortly after dying for the billionth time, I turned the game off.

I thought Stage 1 was a killer. Then I made
it hear and built up an even higher death count.

I wouldn't play Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts again until 2005 when I picked up the Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1 on the PS2. This compilation release also contained Ghouls 'n Ghosts, the predecessor to Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, but Ghosts 'n Goblins, the game that started the entire series. Playing Ghosts 'n Goblins was a real eye opener. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts was originally released exclusively for the SNES, a home console. Ghosts 'n Goblins and was released in arcades. All of a sudden, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts quarter consuming difficulty made perfect sense. My time spent with the original Ghosts 'n Goblins showed me that it is a much, much, much much harder game than Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts could ever hope to be.

Its actually kind funny when I look back on my first experiences with Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts. Most of my time was spent dying in that game. And yet, for as much agony as the game cause me, I don't hate it. If I were to harbor any feelings of animosity towards a game in this franchise, it would probably be Ghosts 'n Goblins because despite the classic status it holds, it is full of plain bad game design. I think Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts a wonderful soundtrack, composed my Mari Yamaguchi (she also wrote the music to Mega Man 5 and the SNES version of U.N. Squadron/Area 88). The Map jingle (one I heard over and over thanks to dying so many times) is actually one of my favorite game jingles and the music for Stage 2 sounds so lovely. Maybe one day I'll return to Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts. I think this might be one of the games in Capcom's demon world village franchise that I could actually finish.

Memories #22: Pac-Man

I'd love to say that my first experience with Pac-Man was the stand up arcade cabinet, but alas, I cut my teeth on the infamous Pac-Man cartridge for the Atari 2600. Not only did this game look like butt, it played like it, too. Horrible flicker, the ghosts not looking much different from when you consumed a Power Pellet and don't even get me started on the audio, which even for Atari 2600 standards was pretty awful. I probably put more time into this version of Pac-Man than I should have. At the time, it was my only option for munching ghosts at home. It was interesting to find out years later that the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man was a contributing factor to the Video Game Crash of 1983.

If it looks like crap, sounds like crap, plays
like crap, it's Pac-Man on the Atari 2600.

The DOS version of Pac-Man is one I remember liking quite a bit. In the late 80s through the early '90s, my family didn't have a home computer so whenever we went to the computer room in school and they gave us time to play games, I would always jump on Pac-Man. I didn't care that the background was green or that all the ghosts were the same color. The game played infinitely better than the Atari 2600 version and made for some of the most fun I ever had in school.

The DOS version of Pac-Man, may have lacked
the colors of the arcade game, but was vastly
superior to the 2600 version.

Considering what arcades have became in the past few decades, I look back and consider myself quite fortunate whenever I come across a coin-op version of a classic game. Sometime in the early '90s, I was out at a pizza joint with my family. I was browsing the arcade machines when I was pleasantly surprised to see a Pac-Man arcade cabinet. Naturally, I was more than happy to drop a quarter into the slot to try the arcade version out. Playing the arcade version of Pac-Man for was like opening my eyes for the first time. The maze background was black, Inky, Binky, Pinky and Clyde all had distinct colors, the sound affects and musical jingles sounded better than ever and the game ran at a silky smooth framerate. It was Pac-Man utopia.

It is now easier than ever to get the arcade version of
Pac-Man on home console, complete with snazzy side art.

More than a decade would pass before I would get reintroduced to Pac-Man. With the passing of several console generations and superior technology, having arcade perfect ports of early 1980s games was (mostly) no longer an issue. In 2001, I picked up Namco Museum 64 because it was cheap and I was itching for some retro arcade action. Having enjoyed the arcade version of Pac-Man years ago, I was thrilled to be able to boot up and play the co-op version of Pac-Man whenever I pleased. Namco Museum 64 also where I played Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga for the first time, two games that would go to become some of my all-time favorites.

I recently bought Namco Museum Vol. 1 off the PlayStation Network for my PS3. I'm as terrible at the game as ever, but the simplicity of the game and the desire to achieve a high score keeps me coming back. Like a lot of fans, I do believe Ms. Pac-Man is the superior game, but Pac-Man is still a blast to play and without it, there wouldn't even be a Ms. Pac-Man to gush over.

Memories #21: Street Fighter II

Being a kid, or just being alive and old enough to really experience some of the things that happened in 1991 was a pretty huge deal. Sonic the Hedgehog graced the gaming world, taking the number one spot from Nintendo and consumers realized the Sega Genesis was a thing. The Super Nintendo was released, I got one for Christmas and Super Mario World wowed me like no Mario game ever had before. And in the arcade scene, a fighting sequel was making waves so huge that the ripple effect can be felt to this day. Of course, I'm talking about Street Fighter II.

Capcom's revolutionary fighter set the world on fire. 8 fighters, each one playing different from the rest (except Ryu and Ken initially, that is), special moves, combos; this stuff was freaking amazing! Kids and adults alike were dumping quarters into SFII arcade cabinets to either beat the CPU or more than likely, beat the crap out of each other in the game's very competitive Vs. mode. Man, what a time to be alive! If there was an arcade machine to crowd around in 1991, SFII was it.

The iconic opening.

Just seeing this title screen is enough
to make fans overflow with nostalgia.

And while SFII was lighting up arcades, I was not on the scene. I  did visit my local arcades, but only rarely. Most of my gaming was done at home, I was unaware of SFII's existence during 199, but SFII fever did still manage to hit me during the peak of the SFII games popularity.

My friends Justin and Matt had gotten a SNES and one of the games that got to play with it was Street Fighter II. Justin and Matt were always really cool about letting me borrow their games, some that I wouldn't even ask to borrow. After Sunday school, Justin approached me with his copy of Street Fighter II, telling me I could borrow it for however long I wanted. At the time, I'd never even heard of SFII, but I thanked him for letting me borrow the game and the cover art of a KO'd Ryu and Chun-Li looking nervous at the attacking Blanka looked really freaking cool.

Look at this screen. You can already hear themusic in your head, can't you?

There are games you play that are unlike anything else you've ever seen. I didn't truly understand what Justin had placed in my hands that Sunday afternoon until I popped it in my SNES and started playing it. Super Mario World was impressive in many aspects, especially in the visuals, but SFII was like having an arcade machine in my house. Home console games had no business looking this good in 1992.

I didn't even bother playing the Vs, mode with my dad or my sister. In fact, I thought it was a while before I had even realized players could fight against each other. I went into the arcade mode and was blown away by the number of characters I could choose. Eight characters is a super tiny fight roster today, but in 1992, that was freaking huge. Super Mario Kart hadn't been released yet, so the most playable characters I was used to seeing at the time was four thanks to Super Mario Bros. 2. Most of the fighters all came from another country. Chun-Li was from China, Guile and Ken were from America, Ryu and E. Honda were from Japan, Zangief from Russia, Blanka from Brazil and Dhalsim was from India. I liked the idea that these fighters gathered from all over the world to throw down.

I guess you could say Honda is... hard headed. No? OK.

Typical first fight with Bison. You always end up getting screwed.

Making my way through the Arcade mode, I just mashed buttons like a scrub. I had no idea that you could block and knew nothing of executing special moves or that special moves even existed. I was so amazed that you could move across the screen, punching and kicking your opponent. The concept of low, medium and highs were things that wouldn't become part of my SF knowledge for a few more years, but not knowing the intricacies of the game didn't stop me from loving it.

Every now and then I'd run into an opponent who would give me a hard time. Zangief with his numerous graple moves was always something of a hurdle for me to jump over, but the eight world warriors weren't too tough to take down. It was when their character portraits were all grayed out and four new contenders showed up that I really began to struggle.

The four bosses of SFII, or the Grand Masters, Four Devas as they are sometimes referred to, were the toughest bosses I'd ever faced in gaming at that stage in my life. Anyone that's set out to conquer SFII's arcade mode knows full well what I'm talking about. Before I'd even touched an SNK game, I'd gotten a taste of how SNK bosses operated thanks to SFII. Balrog, Vega, Sagat and M. Bison. These names are firmly etched into the minds of gamers all over the planet due to merciless beatings they dished out.

With his headbuts, and dash punches, Balrog would fit right in with the Punch-Out!! cast. I don't think I ever avoided by caught by Vega when he leaps from the fence. Much as I hated Balrog and Vega, I hated Sagat even more. That freaking Tiger Shot would always keep me at bay and when I tried to get close Sagat would unleash a Tiger Uppercut. But worse than all of them, was SFII's big bad, M. Bison. Scissor Kick, Head Stomp, Psycho Crusher; this guy had a move to counter everything you used on him. The bosses of SFII make me glad I didn't try to complete the Arcade mode on a coin-op machine.

If you didn't throw your opponent when they were
dizzy, you were doing it wrong.

Maybe its because the bosses were so tough that beating them felt so darn good. One of the many things I love about SFII was the beat up character portraits of the fighters when the battle is over. Seeing Balrog, Vega, Sagat and Bison bloodied and bruised is enough to fill anyone with glee. After all that taunting they did, I finally got to gloat and see them look like I beat

In 1993, I heard about Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting in Nintendo Power. The third version of SFII, the reason I was looking forward to this game was because I could play as the four bosses. Since they handed me so many Ls, I couldn't wait to step into their shoes. This was still during the time where I didn't really look into the character's special moves, but I still had fun playing as Sagat and Bison as they suited my play style far more than Vega and Balrog.

1993 was also the same year I saw a SFII arcade machine for the first time, I believe it was Champion Edition, the first SFII update. This was also the first time I saw the game's opening. You know the one, where two guys are about to go at it and the white back decks the black guy? Good stuff. I distinctly remember the music sounding different from what I was normally used to since my SFII experience was primarily console based. The CPSI soundtrack was much heavier than the SNES score and it would take years before I actually started to like it.

Beat up Sagat is best Sagat.

You don't look so handsome now, Vega.

Speaking of SFII music, it is impossible to talk about SFII and not touch on the game's soundtrack. Yes, SFII's music did sound different on the SNES, but I loved it. SFII's score played a huge part in making me appreciate video game music just as the Mega Man, Super Mario and Sonic games did. With all of the figthers coming from different parts of the world, it felt perfectly natural to give each warrior a theme that reflected their country. Ryu, the SF mascot, had a heroic, yet ancient Japanese theme to go with his level, Blanka's music had used bongo drums to give it a primal air, but the flute gave it a feel of elegance as well. Chun-Li's theme was jovial, meshing well with the busy market place of China. You fought Balrog in Las Vegas, so it isn't too surprising that his music was as lively.

By the time 1994 rolled around, Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers was coming home to the SNES and Genesis. I was wondering what was Capcom's strange obsession with the number 2 and why they wouldn't just stick a III at the end of Street Fighter. I remember being at Matt and Justin's house spending the night. They had rented the SNES version of SSFII and this is when I finally saw one of the game's endings and heard Cammy's amazing theme. After all these years, I still think the SNES version of Cammy's theme is the best one, even better than the arcade version. SSFII was the first game in the SFII series to be made on Capcom's CPSII hardware and as  result, the music is pretty different from CPSI hardware. This also meant SSFII on the SNES and Genesis sounded different as well. Matt had beaten the game on four stars with Sagat and it was hear that I found out that Sagat had a serious beef with Ryu, giving him that huge scar on his chest.

In the early to mid 2000s, SFII fever hit me all over again with the release of Street Fighter Anniversary Collection and Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1 and 2. Street Fighter Anniversary Collection was released to celebrate the 15th anniversary of SFII and contained Hyper Street Fighter II, a game that let you choose each version of every fighter from every version of SFII. This meant SFII Ryu could fight Super Turbo Ryu, Champion Edition Sagat could Fight Hyper Fighting Bision and so on. Great for playing with a friend, but not so much solo. Trying to beat HSFII's arcade mode was an exercise in frustration because the computer would always default to Super Turbo and ST's AI is relentlessly cheap.

With Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1 and 2, I got my first major exposure to the arcade versions of SFII, Champion Edition  and Hyper Fighting and Super Turbo. Capcom Classics Vol. 1had some cool options such as the ability to change the audio from CPSI to CPSII. I'd always keep it on CPSII because at the time, I hadn't adjusted to the CPSI sound font. Still a few more years off before that would happen. Capcom Classics Vol. 2 had Super Turbo, which my friends and I got a lot of fun out of. In particular, my friend Justin Sivak really honed those fighting game skills. I could never beat him in all our Super Turbo fights but he always be up for a game regardless.

I've never played SFII or any of its updates competitively. I tried, but just didn't have the patience to invest all the time and energy it takes to get that good. My adoration for SF didn't lessen, though. Because of SFII, I became interested in fighting games. I know some competitive players might be reading this and scoffing, but fighters don't have to be played on a tournament level to be enjoyable. Because of SFII, I looked into the numerous spin off SF titles like the Alpha series, EX, and numerous Capcom crossovers. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is one of my favorite SF games despite the fact that I don't play on a pro level. I don't even wanna think of what my gaming life would be like if I never touched SFII all those years ago. The SFII series hit 25 years old this year and I really hope SF sticks around for another 25 years to keep those new challengers coming.

Memories #20: Batman Forever

Oh, Batman. You have no super powers, yet you're still one of the greatest of heroes. Your movies are (mostly) awesome, your cartoons are among the best in animation and do I even need to mention the comics? Yup, that covers everything. Batman is great on all fronts. Wait, I missed something didn't I? Oh, yeah the Bat games. Now a days we have really good Bat titles in game form with the exception of the occasional PC debacle, but the Dark Knight has had it really well in terms of video games over the past five years. Even in the 1980s and 1990s Batman was doing quite well on the gaming front. And then Acclaim stepped in.

Unlike a lot of kids, I grew up being exposed to more good licensed games than the ones that were awful. DuckTales, Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games, The Magical Quest Staring Mickey Mouse, you know, a lot of quality titles. True, I did play a few games that did not do the license justice like Back to the Future, but that wasn't enough to make me walk in the opposite direction of a game based on a licensed property. That all changed one weekend in 1995.

After Donkey Kong Country was released, the SNES proved that it still had staying power not just in terms of gameplay, but visually as well. This was good news for Nintendo since the N64 wouldn't release until late 1996 in America and Sony and SEGA were flashing their 32-bit consoles around. It pains me to admit I went through a brief period where I thought good graphics equaled an outstanding game. Such a faulty mentality is what got me to give the horrendous Rise of the Robots (another game by Acclaim, surprise, surprise) a look. I saw ads and TV spots for Batman Forever and I was really looking forward to this game. "The real game begins" these ads proclaimed and boasted of over 80 action packed stages and then there was of course, those 32 bit graphics. I'd like to say that my previous exposure to good Batman games was a reason I really wanted to play Batman Forever but in truth, the promise of a lengthy game and mindblowing graphics is what hooked me like a fish.

During one of my family's regular trips to Blockbuster Video, I was allowed two games to rent. Out of curiosity and my growing interest in RPGs, one of the games was Lufia & The Fortress of Doom. The other was the much anticipated Batman Forever. Of the two, I was most excited to play Batman Forever and I could not wait to get home and play this game. As a teenager, you're prone to making some pretty big mistakes. Getting a girl pregnant, wrecking your parent's car, or cheating on a test. Me, I rented Batman Forever.

Back then, nothing was worse than finding out the game you rented was gutter trash. It did not take long for me to realize that Batman Forever was an abysmal attempt at a Batman game. As a Mortal Kombat player, I was quick to catch on that some brilliant mind thought that the Mortal Kombat fighting engine would work well as a beat 'em up. From the way Batman and Robin stood to the moves they executed, Batman Forever was Mortal Kombat without Scorpion and company. Batman Forever may have used the Mortal Kombat fighting engine but it didn't have any of those gamesstyle. The action not only looked dull, it felt dull. Hitting opponents wasn't at all satisfying because every move you could do lacked any sort of omph or impact. Even the standard Mortal Kombat Uppercut was a disappointment.

The biggest offender to Batman Forever had to be the controls. There were instance where I'd walk into a room and see that there were places clearly meant for me to advance a floor up or below, but using the grappling hook was so frustrating. I would fiddle around with the buttons, use it and then accidentally switch it off. The SNES controller has so many buttons to work with and yet the game has to use some ridiculously complex method just to activate one of Batman's standard tools.

I turned the game off only to try it out again later with a good friend of mine, but he quickly came to the same conclusion I had: Batman Forever was hot garbage. Thankfully, Lufia & The Fortress of Doom made up for my decision to rent Batman Forever as I enjoyed that game immensely.

Though my time with Batman Forever was brief (very brief), it was like a really bad relationship in that it left a scar. Before Batman Forever, I had no problems with licensed games. Batman Forever changed that and made me especially bitter towards super hero games. It took the 2000 Spider-man video game to wash the horrible taste of Batman Forever out of my mouth.