I'm just stingy on certain things.
I actually bought a Game Boy Advance. Yes, I know that it was last considered cutting-edge almost a decade ago, but I'm not the kind of person who spends a C-note on a toy like that; it cuts too much into my ammunition budget. The local game joint, however, has a splendid collection of Old Stuff That Beeps, and when it gets cheap enough, I can't say no. ("Ooh, look! A Sega Dreamcast!")
It got me looking at the current state of the art in hand-held video entertainment on Wikipedia and, boy howdy, has that stuff come a long way since the blinky orange LED's of my childhood.
For me, it was the football game. Outstanding entertainment.
ReplyDeleteMr Fixit
Yep. I had baseball, soccer, and football.
ReplyDeleteOh, man.
ReplyDeleteI was never a fan of video games but boy did I like my Merlin.
Which I bought in 1990 at a grage sale for $.50.
I'm witcha 100%. Cheap used games =hours of amusement. I still have my original black and white non backlit GameBoy.
I made some good cash back in the day modifying the Mattel handheld games to include a switch which would shut off the sound. It made them playable during filmstrip exhibitions, assemblies and studyhalls!
ReplyDeleteI've never even heard of an "Advance" or a "Dreamcast". When we were kids we played monopoly or other board games. That is when we weren't playing army or "cowboys and Indians".
ReplyDeleteIt ain't hard to figure out what's wrong with the younger generation.
And no, I don't have an ipod either.
I still have a working Battlestar Galactica Mattel game in my possession somewhere! I'll have to dig it up and see what I can still do on it.
ReplyDeleteJoe R.
#1 Son is into retro gaming tech, and I've found out (to my sorrow) that the cost curve bends up once you get far enough out the lifecycle.
ReplyDeleteOnce it's past "scrap" it starts getting into "rare". :-p
"It ain't hard to figure out what's wrong with the younger generation."
ReplyDeletePuh-leeeze.
Like Pac-Man is going to somehow rot your brain worse than Parcheesi.
Tam,
ReplyDeleteI have a baggie full of good GBA games that are too good to throw away but not worth enough in the marketplace to sell. Of course, there's no Outpost for GBA, of course, but there are a couple of RPGs, a GBA port of Wolfenstein, Chessmaster, etc. Drop me a line and I'll send them your way.
For some real fun, get your hands on a Wii when they aren't ridiculously overpriced. As in...after Nintendo releases yet another console. My kid sister brought home a Wii a few months ago...hey, she's 19 and doesn't have an ammo fund (what a freak).
ReplyDeleteI hated every single thing about the Wii until her boyfriend bought her "Rock Band 2" for her birthday. Holy. Cow. I started banging on the fake drums and didn't realize that four hours had passed, I was having so much fun.
And, yes, I do know that I could have better spent the time playing my real drums, but whatev. :)
WV: surized. What I felt when I realized that I'd just spent four solid hours playing a game that I initially thought would be completely stupid.
I'm still pleased I never bought an Atari Jaguar system.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Rabbit.
I was taught the value of "clock management" with the Mattel Football game. I would have killed my brothers by scores that would have made some of the scores this weekend look even. I still have my old Atari 400 "computer" in a box in my storage room. My wife wants me to throw it out every time we move things around.
ReplyDeleteThe Atari Jaguar would have worked just fine. It simply needed more buttons on the controller.
ReplyDeleteJim
w/v: horsen. A limited slip diff for your buggy. Drifting Amish-style will never be the same.
Check out the nearest Gamestop. As the DSi is the latest and greatest, GBA stuff should be dirt cheap.
ReplyDeleteCheck out Advance Wars - a pretty sophisticated wargame for a handheld. It's like some sort of Super-Deformed Steel Panthers.
"Check out the nearest Gamestop."
ReplyDeleteMy nearest game store is an independent entrepreneur and not a chain.
She has a good selection of old games and systems.
She's behind the counter nearly every minute the store is open.
She's insanely friendly and helpful and has never freaked over my Blackwater hat or the little Glock on my keychain.
I'm an American; I root for the underdog. I'm doing this for my 'net bro, PDB. :D
I was always too old to even start. You kids got all the fun new stuff while I had to play with a rock, or a stick shaped like something.
ReplyDeleteMy nearest game store is an independent entrepreneur and not a chain.
ReplyDeleteHey, all the better!
(Are they in the same slot as the old Boardroom used to be? For all the years I worked there, I can't remember the street number, but 1045 sounds really familiar...)
I mention Gamestop as I've had excellent service from them - granted, they lost the 'return for a refund in 10 days, no questions asked'* when they merged with Electronics Boutique, or whatever it was.
But still, go for the local gal when you can. :)
*I tested that once, bringing back some awful PC FPS.
"Any particular reason for the return?"
"Yeah, it sucks. Horrible game."
*nods* "No problem."
I'm an American; I root for the underdog. I'm doing this for my 'net bro, PDB. :D
ReplyDelete*clenched fist salute*
BTW, I hope you picked up an SP, or at least got a good deal on a Kleig light so you can see the unbacklit screen of the plain advance.
Nah, I just got the regular Advance. You're right; that screen is pretty dim.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it's mostly going to get played in bed, and the reading lamp on the headboard does a fair job of making it visible.
Nothing wrong with Tetris on a Gameboy. It's a classic! With the older gaming systems and their games, you know, someone else has already beaten the game and posted how to do it online. So all the tips, tricks, cheats, hints, and game walk-thru's are posted online somewhere. Just give Google a gentle nudge and you'll find the answer to any in game puzzle or problem.
ReplyDeleteOh, GameStop is just a series of "upscale pawn shops".
ReplyDelete