16 bit

Happy 30th, Super NES!

While last November saw the 30th anniversary of Nintendo’s Super Famicom, today is the 30th anniversary of the release of its North American counterpart, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System! Or Super NES, or SNES, or Super Nintendo…however you refer to it, it was 30 years ago that we finally got the big N’s 16-bit powerhouse on this side of the Pacific.

I wrote about my first experiences with the Super Famicom in that article linked above, but I still have a story or two left to tell about the Super NES.

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August 23, 2021 2

Happy 30th, Super Famicom!

It’s a bit belated, but November 21, 2020 was the 30th birthday of one of the greatest video game consoles of all time, Nintendo’s Super Famicom!

The 16-bit follow-up to the monstrously popular Famicom/NES was highly anticipated in the months before its release, and with Sega’s Mega Drive and NEC’s PC Engine already leading the way into the 16-bit era, all eyes were on Nintendo to see what their machine would deliver.

The Super Famicom’s legacy has been so firmly cemented in the past 30 years that there’s not much more commentary I can offer that wouldn’t be a reiteration of anything that’s already been said. So instead, on this monumental three-decade anniversary, my mind drifts back to my memories of what the vibe was like leading up to the launch of the SFC, as those are some of my most nostalgic feelings of video game excitement.

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November 23, 2020 0

Ys-y Like Sunday Mornin’

The cooler autumn weather brings a different mood to every aspect of life, and to counteract the oncoming gloom of winter’s shorter days and my disappointment about having to actually put on pants to go outside, there are some good things about it, too. I get to bust out my trusty old leather jacket, myriad delicious Oktoberfest beers appear on store shelves (especially here in Wisconsin), and my dogs love running through the leaves and, eventually, the snow.

Along with all the bundling-up and hunkering-down comes a change in my gaming mood, too. Yes, ’tis the season of RPGs, when a nice, long quest to save some crystals or prevent the destruction of the world or some such nonsense is just what the doctor ordered to get us through the months that end in “-ber” and “-uary.”

Lately, after doing some thinking about it and with no new games catching my interest, I’ve wandered back to the Ys series.

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November 5, 2020 0

Super Metroid Re-Acquaintance (Updated 06.24.20)

(This post is being continually updated.)

It’s rare that there’s an immediate follow-up to a post here on the blog, but in my last post, I wrote about climbing back into the ol’ Chozo armor and trying to GIT GUD at Super Metroid again. While I’m in no way a speedrunner, I used to feel pretty proficient at Metroid 3; sadly, my skills had atrophied over the years, and I really wanted to polish them up again, and use what I’ve learned about the game in the many years since I last beat it to improve my own personal best in-game time of 1:28, which I had set wayyyyy back in the ’90s.

So how’d that go? Let’s find out… Continue reading “Super Metroid Re-Acquaintance (Updated 06.24.20)” →

June 24, 2020 0

Wait…WHAT Are We Playing?? Super Metroid?!

Usually I post articles called “What Are We Playing?” when I start a game or two that I plan to write about when I’m done. They’re always games that are new to me — even if they’re old, I’m playing them for the first time. So why am I alerting you to the fact that I’ve been playing good ol’ Super Metroid?

True confession time: Even though I’ve plowed through Super Metroid dozens of times since it came out (I lost count somewhere around 38 back in the ’90s, so I’d estimate 60-80), it’s actually been YEARS since I’ve done it. And in the few times I’ve picked it up more recently, a terrifying truth revealed itself to me: I’ve actually forgotten how to do it. Continue reading “Wait…WHAT Are We Playing?? Super Metroid?!” →

June 5, 2020 0

The Strange Case of the TG-16 Mini (UPDATE 5/14/20)

What in the Sam Hill is going on with the US launch of the TurboGrafx-16 Mini?

THE STORY SO FAR:

Continue reading “The Strange Case of the TG-16 Mini (UPDATE 5/14/20)” →

May 14, 2020 0

State of the Blog Address 05.06.20

Happy belated 3.5 years to me! This coronavirus shutdown/stay-at-home thing has all our days blurring together, and I totally missed my usual April 16 date to post my annual half-year State of the Blog Address! As longtime followers may know, since the blog’s anniversary is on October 16, that means April 16 is the halfway point to another year online, so I like to step back and talk about where the blog is now, and my plans for the coming year. Continue reading “State of the Blog Address 05.06.20” →

May 6, 2020 1

Happy 30th, Neo-Geo!!

In the past couple years, I’ve written a number of these “happy birthday” posts, as the Famicom, Game Boy, Mega Drive, and PC Engine all had significant milestone anniversaries. Today, we celebrate the 30th birthday of the Neo-Geo! Continue reading “Happy 30th, Neo-Geo!!” →

April 26, 2020 0

TurboGrafx-180

I can totally admit when I’m wrong.

Not long ago, I wrote a lighthearted post about mini consoles I’d like to see. The impetus of the post was the upcoming TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine Mini, which I stated, with some measure of certainty, that I probably would not be buying, because I already had most of the dozen or so games announced.

What I did not realize was that Konami had not yet dropped the full list of games to be included on the console. And now that a complete list of 50 games has come out, which will be 98% identical across all three releases of the console (TG16 in the US, PCE in Japan, and Core Grafx in Europe), I fully admit that I have done a 180-degree turnaround and will now totally be buying one. Pre-ordering, even!

Why? Because some extremely desirable titles will be on this machine — desirable enough to me, at least, to make it worth the $100 price tag.

Continue reading “TurboGrafx-180” →

July 21, 2019 3

Happy 25th Anniversary, Super Metroid!!

Super Metroid was released on March 19, 1994 in Japan, making today its 25th anniversary.

Wow!

Quick reminder here that I founded the Metroid Database website back in 1996 — but only to preface my saying that I literally, probably, cannot write any more about Super Metroid than I have already. I’ve played it, researched it, reviewed it, examined it, praised it, torn it apart, and got an S-logo tattoo. And I’ve watched others do the same, for 25 years now. So really, at this point, all I can do is celebrate it! Continue reading “Happy 25th Anniversary, Super Metroid!!” →

March 19, 2019 0

Birthday SHOCK! Happy 30th, Mega Drive!

The 16-bit Sega Mega Drive (aka Genesis) was released in Japan 30 years ago today, on October 29, 1988. Happy birthday!

Much like when I wrote a little about the PC Engine at 30 or the Famicom at 35, I’m not here to give a history of the Mega Drive, which you can find anywhere, but I will bore you with some of my favorite things about the console.

Continue reading “Birthday SHOCK! Happy 30th, Mega Drive!” →

October 29, 2018 0