Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Game Buying Frenzy
Off the energy of my last post, I embarked on a somewhat extravagent game buying frenzy. Not very many expensive ones in the group but there are just a lot
GB=Gameboy
GBC=Gameboy Color
GC=GameCube
N=New
Games I've bought recently:
Donkey Kong GB $10
Metroid II GB $13
Warioland GB $4.50
Golf GB $2.70
Zelda Oracle of Ages GBC $9
R-Type GBC $2.70
Dragon Warrior III GBC $4.50
Warlocked GBC $7
Super Mario Bros Delux GBC $9
Warioland 3 GBC $3.60
Mario Tennis GBC $9
Viewtiful Joe GC $9 N
Metriod Prime GC $15
Animal Crossing GC $15
Rogue Leader II GC $6.40
Zelda Wind Waker GC $15
Resident Evil 4 Wii $24.70
Trauma Center Wii $24.70
Rayman Raving Rabbids Wii $24.70
Cooking Mama Wii $30 N
From Russia With Love PS2 $9 N
So that is a lot of used and new games! Gheez what is that like $250!!!!
Actually, I feel pretty thrifty buying some oldies and used games to get the most for the $$, and we haven't made a big electronics purchase in quite some time so it works for now.
I'll update you all more on my ability to resist my game buying urges in the next post.
GB=Gameboy
GBC=Gameboy Color
GC=GameCube
N=New
Games I've bought recently:
Donkey Kong GB $10
Metroid II GB $13
Warioland GB $4.50
Golf GB $2.70
Zelda Oracle of Ages GBC $9
R-Type GBC $2.70
Dragon Warrior III GBC $4.50
Warlocked GBC $7
Super Mario Bros Delux GBC $9
Warioland 3 GBC $3.60
Mario Tennis GBC $9
Viewtiful Joe GC $9 N
Metriod Prime GC $15
Animal Crossing GC $15
Rogue Leader II GC $6.40
Zelda Wind Waker GC $15
Resident Evil 4 Wii $24.70
Trauma Center Wii $24.70
Rayman Raving Rabbids Wii $24.70
Cooking Mama Wii $30 N
From Russia With Love PS2 $9 N
So that is a lot of used and new games! Gheez what is that like $250!!!!
Actually, I feel pretty thrifty buying some oldies and used games to get the most for the $$, and we haven't made a big electronics purchase in quite some time so it works for now.
I'll update you all more on my ability to resist my game buying urges in the next post.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Nintendo Power
I had the original Nintendo Entertainment System back in '87. I was never a huge Mario fan, but there were some classics that kept me in front of my Nintendo for hours. I still got a lot of play time out of my Commodore 64 as well.
I played both of these machines and acquired no others until about 1996 when I got the original Playstation. I was in college and I was actually turned on to it by my brother. I still played a lot of RBI baseball for the NES in those college days, but I've been on a Playstation kick ever since.
Anyway, the 10 year gap (87-97) between current gaming systems seems ridiculous now when we are expected to get something new every Christmas. Somehow this consumerism was not engraved on me during my high school years when I was content to play old games, watch old TV re-runs after the local news and be social -I guess thats what I did {scratches head}
As a result I missed out on just about everything that Nintendo did between about 1991 and 2006 when I got a DS (I also got a Gameboy Advance). Now with the Wii I can play Wii and Gamecube games and with DS/GBA, I can play the entire history of Gameboy games. I've jumped on this opportunity to go a little game buying crazy. I've re-encountered my love for Zelda and added a ton of games, in which the fabled princess appears, to my amazon wish list.
Here is a neat button to my wish list. Be sure to sort by priority if you go. Of course I don't expect you to buy anything; just enjoy my geeky-ness with me.
There is a felt need to re-discover and play these games some of which are very old and have gone out of techno-fashion. I missed out on my chance to love them when they were new and now I want to show them the respect they deserve.
I probably won't even play through 50% of the ones I buy all the way, but such is the way of the gamer these days which is a topic for another blog.
I played both of these machines and acquired no others until about 1996 when I got the original Playstation. I was in college and I was actually turned on to it by my brother. I still played a lot of RBI baseball for the NES in those college days, but I've been on a Playstation kick ever since.
Anyway, the 10 year gap (87-97) between current gaming systems seems ridiculous now when we are expected to get something new every Christmas. Somehow this consumerism was not engraved on me during my high school years when I was content to play old games, watch old TV re-runs after the local news and be social -I guess thats what I did {scratches head}
As a result I missed out on just about everything that Nintendo did between about 1991 and 2006 when I got a DS (I also got a Gameboy Advance). Now with the Wii I can play Wii and Gamecube games and with DS/GBA, I can play the entire history of Gameboy games. I've jumped on this opportunity to go a little game buying crazy. I've re-encountered my love for Zelda and added a ton of games, in which the fabled princess appears, to my amazon wish list.
Here is a neat button to my wish list. Be sure to sort by priority if you go. Of course I don't expect you to buy anything; just enjoy my geeky-ness with me.
There is a felt need to re-discover and play these games some of which are very old and have gone out of techno-fashion. I missed out on my chance to love them when they were new and now I want to show them the respect they deserve.
I probably won't even play through 50% of the ones I buy all the way, but such is the way of the gamer these days which is a topic for another blog.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Craig's List
I know that I'm late to the party on this one, but I've recently discovered Craig's list.
I went through a couple phases of e-bay buying and selling where I actually did a good job of saving packaging materials so that I didn't have to buy them. I made some money selling some things that my office gave me when I was done tinkering around with them. E-bay was a great but I got tired of storing the packing materials and wasn't interested in paying fees anymore.
So I recently put some things on Craig's list and have had what I would call moderate success. I sold a Christmas present (that wasn't from a family member) that was a highly sought after item on there very quickly, and I also sold an item that I got in my Wii bundle. I got cash for both which is a very nice alternative to PayPal.
I've had less success trying to trade/sell the Wii game "Bleach, Shattered Blade." If anyone is interested then check out my listing here:
http://dallas.craigslist.org/tag/522831530.html
I'm also trying to sell the old motherboard and CPU to my laptop which I upgraded last year. I might have to go to e-bay with this one as it seems there isn't a big market for computer supplies on C'list.
I really recommend checking out Craig's list. Its totally free because there is no money exchanged on the site. It takes less than 5 minutes to create a posting after which other members will e-mail you (through c'list not directly) if they are interested.
I went through a couple phases of e-bay buying and selling where I actually did a good job of saving packaging materials so that I didn't have to buy them. I made some money selling some things that my office gave me when I was done tinkering around with them. E-bay was a great but I got tired of storing the packing materials and wasn't interested in paying fees anymore.
So I recently put some things on Craig's list and have had what I would call moderate success. I sold a Christmas present (that wasn't from a family member) that was a highly sought after item on there very quickly, and I also sold an item that I got in my Wii bundle. I got cash for both which is a very nice alternative to PayPal.
I've had less success trying to trade/sell the Wii game "Bleach, Shattered Blade." If anyone is interested then check out my listing here:
http://dallas.craigslist.org/tag/522831530.html
I'm also trying to sell the old motherboard and CPU to my laptop which I upgraded last year. I might have to go to e-bay with this one as it seems there isn't a big market for computer supplies on C'list.
I really recommend checking out Craig's list. Its totally free because there is no money exchanged on the site. It takes less than 5 minutes to create a posting after which other members will e-mail you (through c'list not directly) if they are interested.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
I got a Wii
My Brother had one for us to play with at Christmas and I really enjoyed it.
I expected it to be gimmicky and not that much fun, but I was convinced at its lasting value while watching my Mother and Father play the thing until way past their normal 65+ curfew.
Mom and Dad have a history with video games. My mother has found her niche several times in the short history of the home console. In 1983 she could be heard complaining about her "Asteroids Thumb" which quickly developed a callous after the arrival of the 2600 in our household. She's also been known to play quite a bit of Tetris and solitaire, but Wii bowling brought it all back for her.
My dad was also instantly sucked in and ended up developing quite a short game in Wii golf.
The simple fact that everyone seemed to like the thing really freakin impressed me! I found one in a bundle at Fry's the Friday after Christmas and swooped it up. Granted, I had to spend about $65 more than I really would have normally, but the thing is so hard to find that it made it worth it.
The Wii immediately paid off as we had some friends over on NYE and enjoyed much spirited fun hitting virtual tennis balls and bowling pins. We also found time to play the multiplayer God Rock Band which really did not dissappoint.
The thing is that games are more fun with other people, and I've really gotten more focused on video games that emphasize this fact. Games like Guitar Hero, Karaoke Rev, Sing Star, Rock Band, Wii Sports, Mario Party, X-Men Legends, Lego Star Wars have all been big time favorites lately because of their emphasis on non-traditional gameplay and the strong LIVE multiplayer aspect. LIVE here meaning not online.
So, I was a doubter and became converted. If you are on the fence about a Wii I think you'll probably enjoy it. If you happen to be in a store where they have them in stock, pick it up and see for yourself. If you don't like it, I'll buy it from you and sell it to another friend who actually likes to have fun. :)
I expected it to be gimmicky and not that much fun, but I was convinced at its lasting value while watching my Mother and Father play the thing until way past their normal 65+ curfew.
Mom and Dad have a history with video games. My mother has found her niche several times in the short history of the home console. In 1983 she could be heard complaining about her "Asteroids Thumb" which quickly developed a callous after the arrival of the 2600 in our household. She's also been known to play quite a bit of Tetris and solitaire, but Wii bowling brought it all back for her.
My dad was also instantly sucked in and ended up developing quite a short game in Wii golf.
The simple fact that everyone seemed to like the thing really freakin impressed me! I found one in a bundle at Fry's the Friday after Christmas and swooped it up. Granted, I had to spend about $65 more than I really would have normally, but the thing is so hard to find that it made it worth it.
The Wii immediately paid off as we had some friends over on NYE and enjoyed much spirited fun hitting virtual tennis balls and bowling pins. We also found time to play the multiplayer God Rock Band which really did not dissappoint.
The thing is that games are more fun with other people, and I've really gotten more focused on video games that emphasize this fact. Games like Guitar Hero, Karaoke Rev, Sing Star, Rock Band, Wii Sports, Mario Party, X-Men Legends, Lego Star Wars have all been big time favorites lately because of their emphasis on non-traditional gameplay and the strong LIVE multiplayer aspect. LIVE here meaning not online.
So, I was a doubter and became converted. If you are on the fence about a Wii I think you'll probably enjoy it. If you happen to be in a store where they have them in stock, pick it up and see for yourself. If you don't like it, I'll buy it from you and sell it to another friend who actually likes to have fun. :)
