I am thrilled to find this site, and thanks so much for letting me join!

A Little bit about me: I'm 47 years old, so yes I was around during the "golden age" of video gaming.  I started with a Pong game that my parents bought me for Xmas, and was hooked ever since! I went on to sell practically every toy I owned in order to purchase an Atari 2600 (when they originally cost $150), then later moved on to an Atari 400 "computer".  I've also owned an NES,SNES, Genesis, a "Nomad", which was a portable unit that allowed you to play Genesis cartridges (MAN I wish I still had that!!), a Dreamcast, a PS1 & PS2, and now I have an Xbox 360, a NDSi XL, and a Wii. I also play some flash games on various sites as well as mobile games, but my heart will always be with the ones I grew up with.

I don't have any plans to purchase a next-gen system, as I've become disenfranchised with the direction Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have taken their companies, and even a lot of the Xbox and Wii games don't measure up to the quality found in the retro games. 

That's about it for now, so thanks again for allowing me to join and if anyone ever needs any help or has any questions about the "good old days" please feel free to ask!

I don't remember the last time I saw someone on this site that is older than me! There probably is but I don't think they post. This site is awesome. I think it's the fact that you don't have to download multiple emulators and then search the web for working ROM's. Everything is right at your fingertips.

Yeah, I have an old school question. No doubt you remember the heyday of the arcades during the 80's, what is your favorite arcade game that you remember from back then?

I most certainly DO remember the arcades from the 80s...the 70s even when our local shopping mall first opened and there was a Fun Fair in it. Nowadays, I walk right past them...if they're not filled with dancing games they're packed with token munchers that grudgingly spit out a few tickets that you can use for a tootsie roll or an eraser...lol!  Interesting anecdote: I became very good friends with the manger of the arcade in

the early 80s, and I ended up renting the entire arcade in 1984 on a Sunday evening for a birthday/post-high school graduation party...ah, such memories...



Anyway, picking a favorite 80s game would be like picking a favorite blade of grass for me, but I have a few that I'm especially fond of:



Moon Cresta was put out by Nichibutsu in 1980.  It was sort of like Galaga/Galaxian, but I enjoyed it more...especially the cocktail version. Not to be confused with Terra Cresta, which Nichi offered in 1985 for the NES.  That one is enjoyable as well, but it's more like Raiden Trad than Moon Cresta.



Crazy Climber was another Nichi offering from 1980.  Although I was never all that good at it, I enjoyed having pots, bricks etc. dropped on my head or windows closed on my fingers.  Compared to the vector games like Asteroids, Battle Zone and Tempest this game was revolutionary in its design back then.



Mystic Marathon...ah, yes...I'd be remiss if I didn't include this little gem among my favorites. The only arcade I EVER saw this game in is the one I had the party at, and the manager was nice enough to put it on 'free play' for me that evening.   This game is so rare that according to arcade-musem.com, only 11 instances of it are known to exist in collectors' hands. It was a side-scrolling game where you were a gnome/dwarf character and had to race other gnomes/dwarves to the finish line using various power ups like a hand that would spring you forward or balloons that would carry you to the next island.  The power ups were plentiful but so were the hazards, such as holes, wizards that would shoot lightning bolts at you that caused you to become motionless for a few precious seconds, as well as touching the other runners.  I'd love to post some screenshots of it, but to avoid copyright issues as well as risking getting banned from here, you can check out this webpage from arcade museum if you'd like to see them: http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8803 . I'm even wary about posting that, but I want the 'powers that be' here to know that I'm in no way attempting to advertise anything...I'm just trying to let you know more about this awesome game!

I played so many others that to list any more would take up even more of your time than I already have, so I hope you'll excuse the ramblings of an old man...lol!  I'd be happy to elaborate on others if you'd like, but in the meantime what were YOUR favorites?

Hello everyone it's nice to meet you all. My name is Tealiah, you can all call me by my nickname, which is Tea. I'm 19 years old, I love mostly RPG games, and of course the classics like Mario and Sonic. I'm still new here and I'll never get used to introducing myself to new people on boards and stuff. I used be an active member in a lot of online role play boards and stuff like that. I am excited and happy I found this site, now I can play some my old time favorite games and other games. I find it sad that people are abandoning good games, they even threw away the PS1 system, or so I've heard. :,( PS1 and PS2 were my favorite systems, but ever since PSP and PS3 or the supposed new "PS4" (that may or may not be coming out soon) started coming out into the world, forcing PS1 and PS2 games and systems to become a thing of the past. So, I'm really glad there is someone reviving old games that are vanishing from the face of the world. I noticed the site has mostly Game Boy, Nintendo, and PC games so far. I think there is a few PS1 games to, but I'm not sure. I hope I'll start seeing more PS1 games and maybe PS2, but I'm not sure if I will, because they must be harder to get onto the computer?!? Anyways, I hope in time I get used to this board and make lots of friends.

Awesome Kid, I tried replying to your post, but the forum wouldn't accept it for some reason.  Anyway that's a hard decision to make too...I've enjoyed all of my systems for various reasons, like the Nomad for being able to play Genesis games away from the TV (this was long before cell phone/tablet emulators or handhelds like the Caanoo, which I also own), but if I was forced to pick one it would have to be the PS2.  Not only did I have access to hundreds of games for it, but I could also play all of my PS1 games on it too.  That is why I'm opting out of the next-gen consoles...they've eliminated backwards compatibility, which I think is a crying shame.  In my original post, I forgot to mention that I also owned an N64, but I sold it once I was able to play ROMS online and on my Caanoo for it.  I still have my PS1, PS2 and Dreamcast and I dust them off every once in a while to play them, but I had to get a special cable to get them to display properly on an HDTV...the old cables made the screens blurry and the writing unintelligible.

PrincessQueta : Hi, this is sternrulez's about me thread. You'll need to go back out to the Newbie forum page where it lists all Newbie members threads and click "New Thread". This will allow you to make an intro for yourself so that the other members can welcome you properly. 

sternrulez : You don't have to summon a thread creator back to his own thread because he gets a notification that someone posted there anyway but I summoned you to show you that you can call multiple users in one post. To summon multiple users, just copy and paste and don't forget the : . Also, if you try to edit your original post and put a summon into it the member still doesn't get summoned. 

Awesome-Kid : I figured I'd go ahead and call him back for you. ('cause he's Awesome!)

There are a few arcade's around still but they are slightly depressing to me. The only games I actually enjoy playing is today's pinball machines and the hunting games. I remember walking by one of the local arcades, Bally's, with my parents in '83 (I was 6) and seeing 20-30 kids standing around one machine. That machine had a spectator screen built into the top of the cabinet and was called Dragon's Lair. This is my first arcade memory.

I had my 9th birthday party at that same arcade and some of my favorite games were Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (still my fav), Paperboy (with the bike handlebars) and Elevator Action. 

There is no way to ever describe to the younger one's how magical those places were back then. Arcade's today are nothing compared to what they used to be...

sternrulez : Welcome to the Vizzed board. Oddly enough I never bothered to make one of these posts myself but nevertheless I still welcome everyone I can. Don't get so many older gamers here but no matter the age, you are welcome here. I look forward to talking with you in the future if the time ever rises. Thank you for introducing yourself and once again, Welcome to Vizzed.

thephantombrain :   Hey thanks I am glad you think so, you are wicked!!


Yeah so Stern, PS2 is a really good system it is also one of my favourite systems as well, but for my #1 favourite I'm gonna have to go with Sega Genesis because it has a variety of great classics such as Sonic, Street Fighter II, Road Rash games, Rocket Knight Adventures and much more!!


I have an Xbox 360, but I'm gonna be getting a PS4 because it's gonna be really AWESOME, and I just think Xbox has just became evil for considering things such as not allowing you to buy used gamez for xbox one and having to check in every 24 hours and all this crap, now apparently that's no longer the case, but xbox has just became evil anyways!!

Yeah it does suck that PS3 didn't let u play PS1 or PS2 gamez!!


I also have a PS2 and a Wii as well!!


Well have fun here and do some posting about things such as your game experience!!

And these variety of games I love nowadays such as Grand Theft Auto which I definitely can't wait for GTA 5 coming in less than 3 weeks, I also enjoy The Sims and WWE wrestling games!!

I have another question for u here, what are your favourite games nowadays?

thephantombrain : Thank you for letting me know. I've already made a new thread for everyone to see. Thank you again for the advice.

Awesome-Kid :   I've basically given up on "the big three" due to various reasons.  I gave up on Sony when the meat of their PS3 rollout had to do with bashing Microsoft and Nintendo. Even now, after I watched the press event for the Xbox 1 I noticed that not once did they mention any of their competitors but rather concentrated on what's most important:  What they want you to shell out $500 for.  As an afterthought, after the disastrous launch of the PS3 with all their problems and PSN outages, I guess I can see why they resorted to doing that.

Microsoft turned me off after the dirty details about the Xbox 1 came to light.  I'm currently on disability, so cash is most always at a premium.  I simply cannot afford to pay full price for every game I want, so the vast majority of the games I have for the 360 came from Gamestop's used wall.  Now that they're charging a "franchise fee" for being able to play used games AFTER you paid for the physical product, I'm sorry but to quote the show Shark Tank, "I'm out". Also, I have one of those mini Android PC "flash drive-looking thingys" hooked up to an HDMI port on my TV, so between that and the apps on my Blu-ray player my TV is "smarter" than ANY that are available now or for some time to come.  The last thing I need is to pay $500 for an X"box" that gives me less functionality than I already have. Sorry, MS...better luck next time, or not...

Nintendo has had a huge string of failures for them since the NDS. I mean really....within the span of a few short years (2004-2009), they went from the NDS to the NDS Lite, then the NDSi, then the NDSi XL. Stay with me here...4 handhelds released within 5 years, and they ALL played the same carts!  I have to confess that I upgraded from my DS to a DSi XL solely for the larger screen so I can see it easier (I'm old after all...lol), but how many people actually spent the $ on every one of those just to get a couple new features (I have NEVER used the camera on mine).  Then came the 3DS...right around the time people started waking up and saying "ENOUGH, Mario!!".  They lowered the price on it a scant 45 days after launch, which made zero friends of the faithful who pre-ordered.  Yes, they were compensated, but the damage was done by that point. I understand that they'll also be releasing a 3DS XL....sigh. The Wii was berated for being too "kid oriented", the motion control (while revolutionary) was spotty at best and the graphics just weren't up to par with their other 2 competitors.  What do they do? Roll out the Wii-U, which until today I'm still convinced most people think is yet another handheld (which technically it is), and the sales #s speak for themselves. Nintendo was once THE name to watch for when they released something...now its just more of "meet the new boss, same as the old boss".  You may not see it within the next 2-3 years, but the "rising sun" is setting on them, and you'll see them go the way of Atari and Sega.  They'll end up being just another 3rd-party publisher unless drastic and REAL changes are made very soon, mark my words...

WOW, sorry...I just realized I wrote what is tantamount to a Game Informer op-ed piece, but I never get a chance to discuss gaming with anyone (most of my friends have "outgrown" video games or have moved on to mobile-only apps), so I apologize for being so long-winded...lol!  To FINALLY answer your ?, I've been playing a lot of flash games (I'm captivated with Tower Defense games), and I've been "collecting" PC games at bargain-basement prices.  Within the past 2 weeks, I've scored no less than 18 games from Humble Bundle for the paltry sum of $12, and among them are Medal of Honor and the Sims 3 with 3 addon packs...yes, you read that right, the Sims 3!  I'm aware that the Sims 4 will be out next year, but by the time I get around to that I'm sure I'll get a great deal on that too!  I'm an RPG freak, which hearkens back to the days of my youth playing the ORIGINAL Dungeons & Dragons, as well as 2nd edition, and that is yet another reason why I so fondly remember these retro games...Shining in the Darkness, Secrets of Mana, and many others consumed literally months of my life and I don't regret a second of it.  I've tried a couple of MMORPGs in the past 2 years, but ever since I ended my hopeless addiction with World of Warcraft they just don't "do it" for me anymore.  Trying not to go off on another tangent here, but I just read a story about them today that they are hemorrhaging subscribers at the rate of over a million/year,,,frankly I'm not surprised.   Now that I found this site, I'm close to salivating at the chance to play all of my old favorites again!

thephantombrain : I can't agree with you more! Arcades have gone from the dark, secluded, retina-damaging places that I so loved to the brightly lit (reminds me of a clean room at HP or something...lol) token munchers that I mentioned in my intro.  My local "arcade" has a whopping 3 pinball machines, only one of which was still operable.  What I found truly sad was on a trip to Hershey Park a few years ago, I managed to catch a glimpse of a "backstage" room at one of their quasi-arcades.  Within were literally over 100 pin tables and classic arcade games lying dormant and decaying.  That will forever be implanted in my memory, and it still disturbs me to this day.  I often thought about contacting them to see if they would be willing to sell any of them, but alas as with shelter dogs and cats, I can't save them all...   I'll end this with a happy memory though...one of my earliest arcade memories had nothing to do with a video game, ironically.  I was about 9 or 10 at the time, and the Fun Fair had a row of skee ball machines along the back wall, and one of the balls I threw managed to jump the lane and hit the 30 point ring on the machine next to me.  My mother yelled at me, but the gentleman playing that machine thought it was insanely funny...lol!

Whew, I'm bushed...over 1100 words in this post...I think I missed my calling..lol! I think I'm going to suggest a sub-forum called "the good ole' days" or similar, where us old-timers can reminisce about the glory days of gaming...wonder if it'll fly...they'd probably ban me for talking too much...lol!

TheJJ405 : I haven't forgotten about you...didn't want you to think I did, but thanks so much for the warm welcome.  I hope to be here for a long time to come..lol! OK, enough typing, on to game playing!!
 

Awesome-Kid : Hm...I'm on my Chromebook now so I'll check my desktop later to see which ones I got with Sims 3.  I believe one of them is "high end loft stuff" but I don't recall the others.  While on the subject of Nintendo, I read an article on Afterdawn today...they're putting out what has to be the UGLIEST handheld device I've ever seen called a 2DS... a dual-screen tablet-type monstrosity that plays 3DS games without the 3D.  From what I've seen on my girlfriend's nephew's 3DS, you're missing nothing by not having the 3D, but still...the beat goes on...and on....and on...