Games That Should be on Nintendo Switch - Part 1

Anyone that says the Switch has no games is either extremely picky or is willfully ignorant. The Switch has more games than a front lawn has blades of grass. As many games as the Switch has, however, it could still do with more, but there are some games that would be a perfect fit for the Switch. Read on to find out my picks.

Pac-Man 256

We Can play Pac-Man and Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 via Namco Museum Arcade Pac on the Switch. So why, oh why can't we play one of the best games to star the cheery chasing dot muncher, Pac-Man 256 on the Switch? 

Pac-Man 256 originally started out a free mobile game with everyone's favorite things, ads and micro transactions. The game was later brought over to PC and consoles where it ditched the micro transactions and ads and was a better game for it. 

For the unaware the original Pac-Man has a kill screen once the player reaches the game's 256th stage. Pac-Man 256 take's the kill screen and turns it into a literal kill screen that constantly pursues the player in the endless maze. You still eat dots and evade ghosts like usual but that glitch/kill screen hangs over your head like an unpaid bill. As you run for your life, you'll collect power ups to keep the ghosts off your trail such as laser, freeze and the good old fashioned Power Pellet As you play you'll unlock more power ups to choose from on each run. There are a variety of themes you can use to play Pac-Man 256 such as the classic 1980, Super Pac-Man or even Crossy Road. The game is quite addicting when playing alone but adding three other friends into the mix looks like a lot of fun (I've yet to play the game with other people) and as long as one or more of you is still alive, those players can revive fallen allies.

Given the origins of Pac-Man 256, I find it baffling that the game has yet to grace Nintendo's console/hybrid money printer.

Tempest 4000

Anyone that was down with Atari back in the early 1980s has more than likely played the original Tempest, the vector graphic tube shoot 'em up. I eventually got to play it in the early 2000s on the Atari Anniversary Edition and while it was a splendid game, what I really wanted to play was the 1994 Tempest 2000 and that was in very large part thanks to the game's amazing electronic soundtrack. While I never did get to play Tempest 2000, Tempest 4000 is the next best thing, if not better.

You want to power up your Claw (the name of your craft) to stand a chance against the onslaught of enemies each level throws a you, because as good as your default fire is, it doesn't take much to get overwhelmed in this game. The Droid provides additional fire while Jump will let you leap above the stage for several seconds to get above surrounding enemies and take them out. Once you begin a new stage, you're back to your bare bones claw. Each time you start a level, you have a Superzapper, which is basically a screen nuke. Most SHMUPs give you an entire screen to maneuver around, but the 100 stages in Tempest 4000 consist of  some pretty limited space, many in the form of geometric shapes. The stages manage quite a lot of variety, coming in the form of waves, triangles and an ear among other things.

Trippy, hypnotic, and psychedelic. I imagine these are words people used to describe Tempest 2000 the same applies to Tempest 4000. The vector visuals are now in HD and sharper than ever. It truly is a feast for the eyes but at the same time, it can be too much too take in, especially when the screen gets hectic. Between the enemies exploding into dots along with the background imagery, it can be easy to lose focus and see your stock of lives deplete. Even so, Temepest 4000 is a quality SHMUP and it not only has the soundtrack from the Jaguar version of Tempest 2000, but from the soundtrack CD, which used arranged tracks of the Jaguar game.

Tempest 4000 can be bought for around $20 on PS4, XBO and PC and is worth every cent and given the Switch's rich and ever growing library of shooters, it would feel right at home on Nintendo's money maker. 

Tetris Effect

Tetris is a game that is more than 30 years old and yet the gameplay has not aged a day. Certainly some Tetris games stand taller than others such as the recent, battle royal driven Tetris 99, which is a game exclusive to the Switch and those that have the system's online service. Before Tetris 99 landed, however, Tetris Effect released on the PS4 and PSVR and as of this writing, it is still tied to those Sony systems.

I don't think a title for a game has ever been more accurate. From the various colors the tetrominos change to to match the backgrounds be it the vastness of space, the dry desert, the big, busy cities, Tetris Effect sucks you in and has you thinking about falling blocks long after you've turned the game off. The audio/visual presentation is every bit a part of the experience as forming lines and while the rectangular space that houses your tetrominos is zoomed out to place emphasis on the scenery, you'll get used to it as the game hooks you like no other Tetris has before. If you're worn out of Tetris with gimmicks and want a pure Tertirs experience, Tetris Effect was made for you. They say the experience is even better with PSVR and in Switch is getting VR via the Labo in April so I'm really hoping Tetris Effect producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi would like to get this game on the Switch.


Crazy Taxi

You ever play a game that immediately put a smile on your face? Even without being a pro at the game, Crazy Taxi is a title that gives me endless amounts of fun and for me, is one of SEGA's best arcade games. DC, PS2, GCN, 360, and recently Android and iOS devices, this sucker has been on just about every system you can imagine. Sure, you could play Crazy Taxi for free on a mobile device but you'd have to deal with ads and touch controls, sooooooo, no thanks. I'd much rather have buttons, an analog stick and pay for Crazy Taxi on the Switch.

If you've never played Crazy Taxi, the idea is simple: pick up passengers and rive them to their destination. Just make sure you get them there as quickly as possible. Oh, you know all that stuff you learned in Driver's Ed? Being a save driver and whatnot? Screw all of that noise. If driving underwater or on the wrong side of the road gets the customer to their destination faster, do it. Crazy Taxi encourages players to drive as recklessly as possible. Near misses will make passengers dish out more cash on the way to their destination and the higher your cash is at the end of a run, the higher your license rank.

M2 has been doing outstanding work on the SEGA AGES Switch titles and the possibility of Dreamcast titles coming to the Switch has been discussed. If the original music like Offspring can't be in the game for copyright reasons, as much as I love the original AC/DC release's music, the loss of that is a sacrifice I could live with. If M2 gave as Crazy Taxi on the Switch, it would be the definitive version. Man, I want this to happen so bad, you don't even know!

Favorite Tunes #187: Let's Do the Odyssey

Well, E3 is over and regardless on who you think won, the real winners are of course, the gamers. There's games to look forward to later this year as well as 2018. I'm especially stoked for that PS4 Spider-Man title, Metroid: Samus Returns and, well, you read this Favorite Tune's subtitle, didn't you? Yeah, I am beyond jazzed for that one.

Pac-Jump Up! - Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 (PC, XBO, PS4)

If you were to ask me 6 months ago what my favorite Pac-Man game was, I would have answered without hesitation, Ms. Pac-Man. But now I've been exposed to Pac-Man 256 and Pac-Man Championship Edition 2. Currently, I can't decide which one I favor more, but I love Chamionship Edition 2's fast gameplay and ravetastic soundtrack. Pac-Jump Up! is my go-to song in this game.

Wolfduck Stage - Darkwing Duck (NES)

Released in 1992 and developed by Capcom, people often draw comparisons to Darkwing's NES adventure and Mega Man. Stage design is similar and the levels can be selected in any order you of your choosing. Darkwing Duck can also be a difficult game. And the soundtrack is freaking amazing. Yasuaki Fujita wrote the super catchy, jazzy music of Darkwing Duck, who was also the composer of Mega Man 3's soundtrack. Grab The Disney Afternoon Colleciton if you want to check out DW's 8-bit adventure.

Grandpix - ARMS (NS)

Did you see Mr. Yabuki during the E3 ARMS Open Invitational? Dude was SO close to taking an L but being the producer of the game, he showed that he is not an opponent to be trifled with. That was the kind thing that gets people more excited to play ARMS. The music to this game is pretty good, especially the Grandprix theme. I just love the so-easy-to-learn lyrics.

Molduga Battle - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U, NS)

Stop me if you've heard this one before. You're walking along the Gerudo Desert and you see a mini boss health bar appear and the music changes. Certainly caught me by surprise. It was an even bigger one when Molduga jumped out of the sand and I saw how huge he was. He was intimidating at first. Now? Now I just farm the sucker for parts.

Guile Stage (CPS1)- Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (ARC)

The theme that goes with everything. Well, most people tend to go for the CPS2 version of this theme but the CPS1 version is still very good. I haven't played a newer Street Fighter in years. Does Guile still giving the losers advice about being a family man?

Jump Up, Super Star! - Super Mario Oydssey (NS)

I cannot even tell you how many times I've listened to this song since hearing it days ago.  It is just. So. GOOD! But I feel like saying that undercuts how amazing of a song it is. I don't think we've ever had full vocal number in a Super Mario game.  What's more, it is sung by the Mayor of New Donk City, Pauline! That girl has skills! New Donk City is full of references to the Donkey Kong series from red girders atop buildings to locations and streets named after the Kong family. But there's even a reference in this song. At 1:25 into the song, the bass line becomes the 25cm, the track for the very first level of the original Donkey Kong.

Favorite Tunes Database

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.

Favorite Tunes #116: Schools Out

Well, this is the month of June and you know what that means. Graduations and summer time. Time to hit the pool, the beach, go sky diving, spend more time at the arcade or whatever fun activities have you. As they say, schools out for summer.

Credits - Splatoon (Wii U)

If you managed to tear yourself away from Splatoon's highly addictive online multiplayer mode and finish the single play campaign,  you not only picked up some handy tactics to use while you make people dye online, but were also rewarded with this oh-so-chill theme.

Eternal Empire - Suikoden (PS)

They play the same old song at high school graduations. You know the one I'm talking about.  Yes, I understand tradition, but I think it doesn't hurt to mix things up every now and then, which brings us to this theme. This glorious. accomplishment inspired theme. I think if this were played at a graduation, most probably wouldn't even be aware of it's origins.

Slammin' Sea - Mega Bomberman (GEN)

Mega Bomberman is actually a port of the TG-16's Bomberman '94 and is, to my knowledge, the only Bomberman game to have graced the Genesis. Some like to argue that Jun Chikuma's compositions don't translate as well on the Genesis hardware, but I think some of the tunes sound better on SEGA's 16-bit baby.

Pac-Man's Park - Pac-Mania (ARC)

This 1987 arcade release was quite different from the original Pac-Man. The isometric view really shook things up. Mazes were bigger than a single screen. New ghosts were introduced and Pac-Man could jump, giving him more options for evading his super natural pursuers. Musically, this game has some of Pac-Man's best jams with this theme being remixed along with Block Town in Super Smash Bros. 4.

Main Theme - NBA Jam (SNES)

Why was NBA Jam such a big hit in the mid 1990s? Easily accessible, fun arcade gameplay, the NBA license and that crazy announcer with his catch phrases like "BOOMSSHALAKA!" Nothing against sim sports titles but I love just being able to jump into a sports game without having to worry about all the super realistic mojo. The game's Main Theme sounds even better on the SNES sound chip than it does in the arcade.

Koopa Beach - Super Mario Kart (SNES)

You think Mario Kart games cause rage now? Well, back in my day, the cheating AI of Super Mario Kart was the original Blue Shell! In all seriousness, Super Mario Kart is a super fun racer that is not without it's flaws, the main one being the high unbalanced AI. Written by Soyo Oka, who was inspired by Koji Kondo's infectious compositions, its no wonder Super Mario Kart's soundtrack is so memorable. I'd love for her to come back and write some music for future Mario Kart games.

Favorite Tunes Database

Latest Purchases #81

Did you ever do something stupid like throw away the boxes that your NES, SNES and N64 games came in? Since this was long before companies thought to put games in lasting cases, I'm sure more than a few of you did just that. Thanks to Retro Game Cases, I'm now able to pimp out my retro games in style and keep those cartridges from getting dust in them. These cases are of excellent quality and for some games, you can choose to go with the Japanese box art, as I did for Super Mario 64. When I looked over the back case for Super Mario Bros. 3, I realized how much I missed reading the text on the back of those old NES boxes. Most cases are under $10 and I can't wait to order some more.

I think plushies may be my favorite video game collectible memorabilia. In the four years I've been living in Virginia Beach, I've amassed a ton of these things and now I've got three more to add to the pile. To my knowledge, this is the only Mega Man X plush available and its done in the same style as the Mega Man and Proto Man plushies that I've got. No surprise since X is also from Great Eastern Entertainment. All X needs now is his partner Zero, which I'll get around to ordering in due time.

Wind Waker Zelda has one of my favorite designs of the Zelda character, right next to Skyward Sword Zelda. The art style of Wind Waker lends itself quite well to plushies and now Toon Link won't be so lonely. I love the attention to detail on this thing. I think she's a little bit bigger than both of my Toon Link plushies, though.

I found this Blue Pikmin behind a set of Nintendo and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic plushies. He was really tucked away back there. I saw something blue in the back and thought "Could it be?!" And it was! The original three color Pikmin are present and accounted for. The Purple and White Pikmin gotta be comin' down the pipe line next.

Anyone remember The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past manga? I'd seen this in the issues of Nintendo Power way back in 1992. Looking at it a again having now read numerous manga, the art style looked very familiar to me. It turns out the story and art was done by none other than Shotaro Ishinomori, the guy that did, among other works, Cyborg 009. Ishinomori's art style is very similar to the famed Osamu Tezuka, who has a very unique, round style to his drawings, giving it a very classic look. I never did get to read this entire Link to the Past manga. I didn't start buying Nintendo Power regulalry until 1993 and by that time, the manga had already run it's course. Naturally, I'm pretty excited to have this baby among my Zelda stuff. Viz published this thing so hopefully they'll do more reprints of Nintendo stuff like the Super Mario Adventures manga that also ran in Nintendo Power or Ishinomori's other projects like Cyorg 009, which really needs to get reprinted. I believe he also had a Rockman manga and I'd really love to see that.

I've seen this Bowser plushie online for a few years now and having finally him in my posession, I can see that he's much, much bigger than I thought he'd be. He might be the biggest plush that I own and he's detailed and stuffed quite well. He's so massive and bulky that's it really is kinda hard to capture him in a photo. That and it's tough to get him to stand up on his own.

Some amiibos are much harder to find than others. That's not exactly breaking news, but its still quite infuriating that scalpers continue to get their way since Nintendo does not understand the concept of supply and demand for their amiibo line. I was really surprised to walk into my local GameStop, which I hadn't visited in months and see a lone Pac-Man amiibo sitting with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD plushies. I'm guessing someone decided not to pick him up, because that's the only reason I can fathom that he wouldn't be in the amiibo section. I never expected it to be that easy to snag a Pac-Man, but in this case, it really was.

Favorite Tunes #104: Happy New Year

I don't make news year's resolutions (haven't done so since 2001) but like everyone else, I love to celebrate the new year and be happy that I made it through another 365 days on this planet. "But Reg, you're about a week late!" Hey, I'm late to everything, but at least I show up. Enjoy the tunes.

Infinity Mijinion Stage -Mega Man X6 (PS)

What happens when you rush a game out the door? Well, at worst, you get Sonic the Hedghog 2006. While Mega Man X6 isn't that bad, it really is one of the worst Mega Man games you could play. Fortunately, the music has fared so much better than the game. Do you find yourself thinking of Europe's Final Countdown song when you hear this theme? Oh, good, I'm not the only one.

Area 6 - Star Fox 64 (N64)

When I think of Star Fox 64, themes that usually pop into my head are Corneria, Boss B, Sector Y and Solar. It wasn't until I was listening to the music in Smash 4 that I'd realized that the Area 6 music originally came from the N64 classic shooter. The numerous arrangements of this jam are pretty boss but  the original still gets me pumped.

Stage Results - Pac-Man World (PS)

Clement's latest LP is none other than the 20th anniversary game, Pac-Man World. I passed on it when it was originally released all those years ago but seeing him play through this game has sparked some interest in me checking the game out. I've been playing as Pac-Man a lot in Super Smash Bros. 4 as of late. I even picked up a Pac-Man candy tin that's in the shape of an arcade cabinet. I guess you could say I've got... Pac-Man fever. Oh come on, you should have seen that one coming. Anyhoo, the this results tune is a laid back version of the famous Pac-Man theme.

Number One - Sonic R (SAT)

Sonic R is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. Yes, I know it's not what many would call a good Sonic game, but the thing is far from being terrible and it should never be lumped in with the likes of Sonic '06. It isn't just the slippery controls that call the game into question, but also the soundtrack. Composed by Richard Jaques with vocals by TJ Davis.

Aim to Win (Character Select) - Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (PS3, 360, Wii U)

What is it with Tekken games and killer character select themes? The original Tekken Tag Tourament has one of the greatest fighter select themes in the genre and more than a decade after that game's release, it's arguably topped with this one. I'm used to feeling like a BAMF when the fighting is going down, not when I'm picking my character, but I'm certainly not griping.

Fire Field - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

Super Smash Bros. may be all the rage on the Wii U but whether you like it or not (for the record, I never hated Brawl) you're going to be reminded of Brawl since a good chunk of the remixes from the third Smash were brought over to Smash 4. One of the many tracks you can hear on Captain Falcon's stage, Port Town Aero Dive is this super sexy Fire Field arrangement. That masterful guitar work is out of this world.

Favorite Tunes Database

Latest Purchases #75

A Latest Purchases post, featuring stuff I picked up in September. Well as they say, better late than never.

I was pre-ordering the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. when I saw this lone 20 inch World of Nintendo Mario. I'd never seen a Mario that frickin' huge before. It was jaw dropping. I must say, the World of Nintendo toy line is quite superb with mini figures, plushies and the like, but this? Duuuuuuude. I just had to snatch this bad boy up before someone else did. My dad actually asked me what I was gonna do with him. The same thing I do with all my other gaming merch: display it. Agh, parents.

Adding two more mini figures to the World of Nintendo set I already own, I picked up Donkey Kong and Wario. These things are quite easy to find, making collecting all six one of the easiest things to do. Now DK has his side kick and I finally have something Wario that isn't a game. 

I was hoping I'd find the Yellow Pikmin after I picked up the Red Pikmin a while ago and sure enough, Target had one left. Now Red has someone to keep him company but they Pikmin plushies feel so incomplete without the other colors. Perhaps Nintendo will add the rest to the lineup. I already know other Pikmin color plushies exist, at least in Japan. Perhaps I'll just order those someday.

This New Super Mario Bros. Wii Mario plush is a few years old but it's only the second Mario plush I've ever bought, where as I own three different Luigi plushies. I wasn't too fond of this thing at first but since you can actually sit this one down, I find that to be a big plus. 

I love my Classic Sonic plush but I figured I could use a Modern Sonic plush as well. At 5 inches, he's smaller than I thought he'd be, but he looks quite nice and like the aforementuioned Classic Sonic, I can hang him on my wall. He's currently resting above my TV right next to the Pac-Man plush you see there, which is the smallest plushie I own. Pac-Man was also the cheapest plush I've ever picked up. Not including shipping, the little guy was only $2.87.

I picked up these plushies so I could take photos like this...

It's almost time.

Favorite Tunes #97: Getting Hyped for Super Smash Bros.

Super Smash Bros. released on the 3DS in Japan on September 13. The game will release in America on October 3. Gamers fortunate enough to have gold/platinum status as Club Nintendo members were e-mailed demo codes with unlimited use with Nintendo occasional handing out demo codes before the public demo release on October 19. I'm as stoked for this game as the next guy and to get even more jazzed, Favorite Tunes is Smash Bros. centric.

Note: Not every song featured here is in Super Smash Bros.

Yoshi Star Galaxy - Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

Leading us off is Mr. Video Game himself. The debate rages on whether Super Mario Galaxy 2 is superior than the original. I tend to prefer the first game more, but there's no denying that both titles are superb. Outside of a cameo appearance with his face making up a small planet, Yoshi was MIA in the first Super Mario Galaxy. This travesty was rectified in Super Mario Galaxy 2, with everyone's favorite everything-eating green dino making regular appearances. Koji Kondo stepped back and let Mahito Yokota handle most of the compositions for Galaxy 2 as he did in the original game, only writing a handful of songs. One such track was Yoshi Star Galaxy, a jazzy, tropical, upbeat piece of tunage.

Aquatic Ruin Zone - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (GEN)

Lots of gamers toute this as the greatest Sonic game. It's not a statement I can personally really behind, but Sonic 2 is still a fantastic hedgehog game, regardless. As the title implies, Aquatic Ruin is home to Sonic's kryptonite, H2O. The nice thing about the way this zone is structure, however, is that the water can be bypassed. You can stay on the top path, which keeps our heroes high and dry or take the lower route, leading to wet depths.

Dr. Cossack Stage 2 - Mega Man 4 (NES)

So many gamers say the Mega Buster was a crutch that made Mega Man too powerful. And yet no one complains about the brokeness of the Metal Blades. Meh, whatever. Mega Man 4 has always been one of my favorites. It was the first time Wily tried to blame others for his crimes and it was the introduction to one of my favorite supporting cast members, Dr. Cossack, who got a super awesome theme for his third and fourth levels.

Tilte Screen - Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (PS3, 360, Wii U, 3DS)

Mario, Mega Man, Sonic and now Pac-Man in the same game? Talk about history being made. Of the four video game legends that make up red, blue and yellow, Pac-Man is the oldest of the bunch, and is Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto's favorite video game character. This theme is actually a remix from the arcade game Pacmania, which, intrestingly enough has been arranged and will be one of Pac-Man's musical themes for Super Smash Bros.

Mute City - Super Smash Bros. (3DS, Wii U)

The announcement that Captain Falcon was returning for the fourth entry of Smash was indeed a welcome one. He was one of the original Smashers but given Nintendo's current stance on the F-Zero series, so fans were a little worried that the days of throwing Falcon Punches were long gone. Nope. The Captain is back and with a kickin' new Mute City remix. It's already become one of my favorite arrangements for Smash 4, done by Kenji Ito, known for his glorious work on the Square Enix's SaGa series. YES!

Spark Man Stage - Super Smash Bros. (3DS, Wii U)

With all the nut hugging Mega Man 2 got in Smash, what with that freaking Wily Castle stage and the music, I was pleased to see that someone remembered that there were other games outside of the second NES game. Spark Man has always had what I believe to be the pinnacle of the electric based stage level music in the entire Classic series. I was really hoping this theme would get some love for Smash 4.

Favorite Tunes Database

Latest Purchases #59

So a new store called five below opened in the same store section of fye and Barns & Nobles. As the name suggests everything in the store is priced at $5 or below. They've got a lot of great stuff in there and that's where the bulk of my haul came from.

I usually end up paying $17 or more for themed t-shirts, but I got each of these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tees for $5 each. I don't think I've had a TMNT shirt since I was a lad. The black one feels like it was lifted straight from the NES title screen from the first TMNT game. five and below has a great selection of tees, all for $5 so I'll definitely be heading back there next week when I get paid.

Toy Story, one of the greatest computer animated films ever. I've been meaning to pick up the entire series on the Blu-Ray/DVD combo packs but price has been a factor in preventing me from doing so. But getting the Blu-Ray/DVD special edition for $5? How can I say no to that?

Another month, another issue of Retro Gamer. Highlights for Load 120 include the best 25 gaming icons. You'll never guess who topped the list. Spoiler: it's Mario.

Speaking of Mario, he's graced an energy drink called Power-Up and Pac-Man is on his own energy drink as well. I've never been into energy drinks, but these were too cool to pass up. I may give them a try sometime, but I got them mostly for decoration purposes. Now if only we could get the Mega Man E-Tank energy drink here in the states.

Check Out These Mugs... and Shirts

It has finally happened. I have gaming coffee mugs! I've been craving gaming related mugs for some time now. I'd seen some really awesome-looking mugs in the pages of Retro Gamer, which I still want to order from their site, but seeing these in fye was a pleasant surprise. I'd actually seen the Sonic mug a few weeks ago and passed on purchasing it. Each mug at fye cost $7.99. Figured, I'd get it another time. Good thing I waited because when I went into fye on Sunday they had a special deal going where you can get three mugs for $9.99! How about that? They also had a Pac-Man mug! Pac-Man! How cool is that? I don't think I've ever owned anything relating to Pac-Man that wasn't a video game. I'm pretty sure it's required by law to have some sort of Pac-Man merchandise so now I'm covered. I also got a mug for one of the most iconic super heroes, Superman. I love the simple design of this one. Naturally, I'm gonna make sure that the only person who drinks outta these babies is me.

It seems I just can't get enough of Sonic. I've got games, comic books, toys, a mug, a water bottle and even shirts with the world's most famous hedgehog plastered all over them. Well now I have two more shirts with blue streak pimped out on the front. With fye's buy one get the second half off, I'm gonna end up with more t-shirts than I've ever had before. These two shirts show Sonic with much of his supporting cast, on the front, which I'm perfectly fine with. Well, except Big the Cat on the blue shirt. But even he can't totally ruin it for me. I started buying my shirts in XL size because a few of my large sized shirts ended up shrinking when dried. So no more large t-shirts for me.