Blog Archives
My Nintendo Powers
Hey guys. It is time to finally start tracking our Nintendo Powers. I will be making new update posts as time goes on. So if you want to follow the journey, make sure you subscribe to the blog! I am mostly collecting the N64 and Gamecube ones. Now, mind you, I will get older ones because I love them, but they aren’t priorities. https://archive.org/details/Nintendo-Power-Magazine-The-N64-Era-1996-2001 list roughly 62 Nintendo 64 issues (missed opportunity to have 64 issues,). https://archive.org/details/Nintendo-Power-Magazine-The-GameCube-Era-2001-2006 seems to list 60 issues for the Gamecube era, but it looks like it starts to veer towards the DS and Wii towards the end. So it is going to be roughly 120 issues. Welcome to the hunt, let’s see what we have!
110: WWF: War Zone
My oldest Nintendo Power has WWF: War Zone as the cover game. While I have deep dived into this one, it covers Quest 64 and Banjo Kazooie. That’s pretty cool.
117: Mario Party
This has got to be one of my favorites in my collection. That cover is awesome. I actually thought it was Mario Party 3 with the way Mario is hitting the block. Either way this cover is iconic and it covers the game that launched my favorite party series. Beyond thrilled this one is in the collection.
128: Mario Party 2
If a cover was going to top Mario Party, it was going to be Mario Party 2. I have actually flipped through this one and I love. Some cool things about this one is it includes a walkthrough for 40 Winks. A PS1 game that never got released on N64… until about two decades later when it got crowd funded. This cover also shows off the awesome costumes of Mario Party 2.
134: Kirby 64
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shard is one of my favorite N64 games and this cover pops with the white background and Kirby center stage. In the background we see Kirby performing various actions. This one also previews Majora’s Mask, Megaman 64 and Banjo Tooie. That’s a stacked issue!
150: Luigi’s Mansion
The Gamecube is here! Yes, Luigi’s Mansion marks my first Gamecube cover. I have not opened this one. The cover basically confirms Luigi’s Mansion is releasing as an early launch title for Gamecube. I like the colors here.
158: Here They Come
Believe it or not, I don’t know how I feel about this one. This one is a Gamecube hype cover. With Windwaker Link, Sunshine Mario, and Kirby Air Ride front and center and a heap of 3rd party characters like Pac Man, Rayman, Megaman, Bomberman and more, you’d think I would love it. Either way, it is cool. It gets me excited. Just not my favorite.
162: Metroid Prime
I’m pumped to deep dive into this one. It is easily my biggest Nintendo Power. Metroid made the jump not only to 3D but also into a new genre, First Person Shooter. What a huge leap. I am excited to read these old issues that document Metroid Prime’s development. But it only hints at sports games. So hype cover, but I wish it listed more games on the cover.
171: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
While this is technically a GBA cover, Soul Calibur II and Billy Hatcher in the preview windows. I love Billy Hatcher and I am looking forward to reading this deep dive. I’ve heard great things about the Tactic games, so this issue should be a great read!
174: Fire Emblem GBA
Another Gameboy cover with another series I have never really played. But I got to admit I love this issue. The Fire Emblem art is epic being front and center. The game also hints at Mario Kart Double Dash, Kirby Air Ride, and Metal Gear Solid. Sign me up!
179: Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is a very interesting port. I’ve actually some articles about its development and it is cool. So I am always down to read more about it. The cover is awesome and the main topic is interesting, however the preview games this time around leave a little to be desired. Custom Robo is cool but I am not knowledge about it. The other preview games are Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and MVP Baseball 2004.
180: Tales of Symphonia
We have hit a run where every cover is going to be awesome. Tales of Symphonia is the main cover story. I love its art. In the preview window we get Wario Ware, INC, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, and Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green. I’m game for anything Pokemon!
181: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure s
Honestly, I never got to play Four Swords Adventures, so I can’t say I’m nostalgic for it. However, I am still happy to add any and all Zelda Nintendo Powers! This one advertises a load of games but the stand outs would be Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Spider-Man 2, and Shining Force.
182: Resident Evil 4
Here is one of my absolute favorites. Resident Evil 4 was my favorite game on Nintendo Gamecube, so it is awesome having its cover issue. Not to mention, its previews are stacked. Zelda, Star Fox, and Baten Kaitos! I am excited to pop this bad boy open
183: Pikmin 2
The epic run of epicness had to end at some point. Pikmin is not my favorite franchise. However, they have an excellent cover. This cover would make me interested to play Pikmin 2. But sadly, they are not my favorites. This the first one to have subpar preview windows as well. Boasting about Catwoman, Second Sight and NCAA Football 2005 doesn’t exactly get you exicted to open it. However, it does have exclusive preview for Paper Mario when it was still just called 2 and not yet officially named. I love little things like that.
186: Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Now this is an epic cover. Samus is just staring you down! The previews aren’t bad either. It features exclusive news for the upcoming DS as well as looks at X-Men: Legends, Mario Power Tennis, and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories round out a solid preview.
188: The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
This is argubly my favorite cover. Minish Cap is such an underrated gem in the Zelda series. The cover art is phenomal. The hot trends of 2005 is a pretty cool time capsule.This one also mentions previewing Super Mario 64 DS and Star Fox Assault and more.
190: Killer 7
A little underwhelming cover for such a bizarre game. The use of white helps the name Killer 7 pop. But the cover is ultimately bland for such a unique game. But this a game I will certainly take all the articles around this strange game. Killer 7 was a part of the Gamecube’s Capcom Five. Capcom’s planned five games for the Gamecube. Unlike Resident Evil 4, Killer 7 remained a Gamecube exclusive.
194: Mario Kart and the Wii Revolution
This may lead you to believe the Gamecube’s run is over, but nope. We still have roughly 10 more issues to go at this point. While it covers two things I am not actively collecting, it is still really cool to see the Wii this early. As you can see, the Wii is still going by its code name, Revolution. It also highlights E3 (or at least post E3.). This one is going to feel oddly nostalgic now that E3 has gone the way of the dinosaurs.
So that’s my Nintendo Power collection. What do you think? Which issue was your favorite? What issue should I go for next? Let me know! Thank you guys for reading. Have a great day!
I’m Collecting Physical Media like Crazy
Hi guys. I’m not breaking any news here. There’s been so much reporting on Sony be it Playstation or Crunchyroll. I already grow a little more disdain for digital media every day. From delisting items, to revoking licenses, to controlling the distribution of media, and questionable at best consumer rights, it has made me shift to more physical media. Now mind you, I was already was addicted to physical media.
It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about two bookshelves of video games, my 15 or so long boxes, or budding DVD collection, I was a borderline hoarder before all of this. I was a con junkie and worked at a hobby shop for 4 years. I was exposed to comic books, Pokémon cards, and video games every day. This is my modern day art. I love it.
Now that companies are sabotaging it, I feel a passion to just buy all forms of physical media. It is a little unhealthy and over the top, but the heart wants what the heart wants. What can I say?
I love going into McKays, comic book stores, heck even Gamestop and Walmart. I don’t hate big box retail, but I do prefer to support local. But still, the clock is ticking. Soon I won’t be able to walk down the video game section of a Walmart with my kids and that sucks.
I have such an urge to go buy my favorite DVDs and Blu Rays and now I’m wanting to collect some anime [not going overboard, but you know how it starts.]. I’m wanting to support Switch 2 games that are actually on the cart. I’m wanting to celebrate this last great generation of gaming. Even if I’m annoyed at Sony, the PS5 is still a great console. Some number of exclusives backwards compatibility with the PS4, and most games working on the disc with no internet or downloads are things that just won’t exist with the PS6
So I turn to you guys. Have you caught the collecting bug? If so, what media or titles are you eyeing? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading and have a great day!
DVDs From My Grandfather
Yesterday’s post was about my grandfather’s passing. He was a movie man. He was known in the family for his wall of movies. I may try to get a picture of the wall next time I go to my grandmother’s.
Anyway, the whole family went over to her house after his funeral. I told her I wanted some of the DVDs as keepsakes of him. She let me get a few. I told her my brother and I would gladly inherit them if she chooses to move on from them. Currently, I don’t know if she has decided on keeping them, selling them, donating them etc. My brother and I want them to stay in the family, but she will have the finally say. He had a great collection of TV series like Smallville, 24, X Files, and Lost. I didn’t really get a good look at all the films he owned, but here’s what I landed on.
My grandparents were the first collectors I knew. He collected DVDs and my grandmother collected thimbles. My grandmother is the person who taught me about eBay and shelves to present your collections and such. So in a way, I blame my collective personality on them haha. I always knew when they passed I wanted to own parts of their collections. My grandfather even wrote his initials on a few of the cases so those seem very special. Its the only part of him I have left.
Have any of you inherited things like collectibles from loved ones who have passed away? I worked in a hobby shop where plenty of people traded in baseball cards, comics, you name it from loved ones who have passed away. But that’s a post for a future date.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Have a great day!
Xbox’s Disc to Digital
Last week we talked about Grand Theft Auto 6’s announcement to go digital only and how Sony followed that up by announcing they are ending production of physical disc for Playstation starting January 2028.
All eyes have turned to Nintendo and Xbox to see their next moves. Nintendo has already been training gamers for a digital future with game key cards, a practice I am not letting off the hook. Everyone knows Microsoft will most likely go digital only with the next Xbox generation. So why am I thinking about buying Xbox Series X games?
Well, it’s still in the test phase, but we’re hearing word that Microsoft will be incorporating a process called “Disc to Digital.” At first glance, I assumed this meant the next console was for sure going to have a disc drive. But I heard word immediately after Sony’s announcement that Microsoft wanted a digital only console as well.
If my research is correct, players who own an Xbox One or Xbox Series X can participate in this. Your last gen console will act like a hub. You insert your old disc into your previous Xbox. It will read a code from the disc and grant the next Xbox [Nicknamed Peoject Helix.] a digital license for you to game digitally.
Yeah, its not nearly as great as I thought. Licenses are the bane of physical media as those linceses dry up and redistribution becomes impossible. The licenses Microsoft is suggesting is also one they can revoke when they want. That’s dangerous. But it is leaps and bounds better than Sony. Both Sony and Microsoft are killing future physical media, which isn’t good nor should be supported or celebrated. But we are gamers. There will be games in the future I want to play. If Sony says screw backwards compatibility and screw future physical releases, then I am just out on them entirely and want no part of the PS6 [Ratchet and Clank would be the only game I would sadly miss.]. If Microsoft is still honoring and supporting backwards compatibility, then I consider that a huge plus.
If I hypothetically wanted or was forced into owning a digital only console for next gen, then I would support Microsoft over Sony. Though, admittedly, both are atrocious and probably not worth supporting.
If this program is in fact part of the next Xbox, then that would put Xbox squarely in the middle of Nintendo and Sony. Sony clearly hates the cost of physical distribution as well as the fact that video game preservation exist. They don’t want gamers playing on old hardware. Nintendo will end up destroying Sony in that department as the Switch 2 can play [maybe, I think] all the original Switch 1 games. When Sony moves to the Playstation 6, we already know it won’t be backwards compatible due to not having a disc drive.
This seems so backwards. Sony, to my knowledge, has ensured a majority of the PS4 library is playable on the PS5. As well as most PS5 games are playable straight from the disc [no need for day 1 updates or constant internet access]. Sony should be clinging to physical media like the rest of us. They own and produce blu rays and other forms of physical media. While Microsoft was known for their home computers and digital software of Microsoft Office. That’s why so many of us feel betrayed by Sony and find it ironic we are rooting for Microsoft to do the right thing.
If you are like me, you prefer your games to be available to play offline and without needing updates to play. As a result I’m going to start doing research on what Xbox One and Series X games are playable on the disc in offline mode. Some games are broken messes or incomplete without their day one patches while some games force you to be online to play. I’m not super interested in having those games in my collection.
With that in mind, I’ll do a follow up blog of the games I find that fit this list. I’ll mostly be relying on the internet for this as these will be the games I’m going to start hunting down, not ones I actively own and can test myself. Websites like “Does It Play” will be a huge help, but they mostly specialize in Playstation.
If you know any games that fit that bill on Xbox One and Xbox Series X, leave it in the comments.
Sorry if this post feels disjointed or all over the place. Many of us are still processing what the digital future will look like and what we want to do. Truthfully, Sony has knocked it out of the park with this generation. They’re a little lack luster with their pricing models and exclusives, but the backwards compatibility and games on the disc of the PS5 has been impressive. Too bad this is where Sony dies for most of us.
Anyway, thanks for reading and have a great day.
Migration. Family Movie Night: Physical Media Appreciation Post
A few months back I got tired of streaming models. As a result I’ve take an aggressive stance on buying DVDs. [Maybe I’ll make a post about this in the future.] Anyway, we try to find a movie for a family movie night every week.
This week is Migration. My four year old daughter was obsessed with ducks around the time this movie was coming out, December 2023. But she was a little too young to take to the theaters at the time.
Now my two year old son is obsessed with ducks. My dad actually has about a dozen ducks at his house. My son loves to chase them around.
I found this movie for $5 bucks at Walmart. So I grabbed it, my daughter some sour patch kids, and us some new popcorn to try [we are popcorn fiends.]
While I avoid looking too much into movies before I watch them [I like going in blind.], I know Migration centers around a family of mallards as they migrate south. However, misadventures arise.
Another awesome part that sold me on it are the features! This includes three shorts, meet the cast and more. I’m excited to dive into those goodies!
Illumination has become argubly my second favorite animated studios behind only Disney, really. Their Despicable Me series is definitely one of my favorite animated series. Secret Life of Pets is also really good.
With that said, I think this movie will be a hit in our house. Maybe I’ll edit this blog with my thoughts? Not sure.
Either way, thank you for reading and have a great day!
WordPress Has Achievements Now!?
Most of you probably don’t know this, but I am an Xbox achievement junkie. There are plenty of games I have no interest in, but if they have manageable achievements, I’m all over them.
I bring this up because WordPress just rolled out achievements. This mean we will be taking this journey together. Let’s check out some of the ones that stood out ot me.
These are the achievements I already own. These unlocked immediately when I posted yesterday. Also, yeah, crazy. 11 years!
Not sure why other achievements automatically unlocked but these didn’t. I have written a metric ton on here over the last 11 years. I would be very interested to see my totals. Alas, I suppose it is just counting from here on.
Some are real interesting like these where its base on when you publish. This is the case with Night Owl and Early Bird. There also seems to be plenty of secret achievements!
I’m going to need you guys to achieve some of these! As you can see, there’s a couple that rely on me responding to comments. So let’s get to chatting.
These stood out to me as some of the tougher and more time consuming ones. I have to remember to post on February 29th! If I miss that, it’ll be four more years to get it. Wild! We’re also not even due up for a leap year until 2028. The world could have already ended by then…
And so the marathon begins. I’ve tried and done some of these before. You can reference my Pokémon Month I did like a decade ago where I made a post related to Pokémon everyday for a month. I was going to do it for Zelda, but gave up. So to say it is going to be a challenge is an understatement. I mostly blog about Movies, Games, Animes/Mangas, Comics, Board Games, TCGs, and other nerdy and collectible topics. If there’s anything you want to see in that space let me know. I like doing reviews, top 5s, and just general discussions. So drop some ideas down below!
Make sure you follow the blog and let’s see how earning these achievements go. Thank you for reading. Have a great day!
I’m Not Excited for the Future of Video Games
Last week Rockstar made an industry changing decision – GTA 6 is going to be digitally only. I think we’ve known this slow death was coming for physical video games for years now. However, the fact Grand Theft Auto 6, arguably the most hyped video game development of all time, is the one to lead this charge is just concerning for us physical collectors.
Most companies, in fact 90% of developers, will never make something as ambitious as Grand Theft Auto. Between the previous GTA games and the Red Dead Series we have no reason to believe this game will flop, or underdeliver or any of the negative things you could assign to a video game. It certainly wasn’t rushed, which I like.
With that said, an $80 digital only game is about to release and blow the world away. Meaning everyone in the industry is going to believe consumers want, or are at the very least, are okay supporting $80 digital only games.
We aren’t.
We just really like and want more Grand Theft Auto. Grand Theft Auto 5 has received updates and support as well as was a darn good product when it came out 13 years ago. Very few companies are releasing 10 out of 10 games and still supporting and having thriving player bases 13 years later.
But, all that said, it killed my anticipation of the game. I was fully prepared to back the truck up for a new PS5 and a copy of GTA6, as the Switch 2 is my only current gen console. I no longer feel that need. If I have to get the game digitally, I’ll wait for it to come to PC.
Still, Rockstar did receive backlash for this announcement by boomers and old head gamers like myself. [I’m 31, but my soul is ancient.]. So how did Sony react seeing this pushback?
By announcing the end of physical media!
No joke. Its ending.
What!? And this is also coming on the heels of removing 500+ digital movies and closing down the PS3 and Vita store. Wake up people.
My brother called me to check on me because he knows im a physicsl fiend. As someone who mostly buys digital, he was indifferent. I think this is a closed minded way of looking at it. Sony controls pricing, distribution, as well as availability and can just remove media at any point.
Its hard to see the forest for the trees. Its hard to realize how this affects everything when were talking about just video games. But were digitalizing our world.
In some ways, it has been beneficial. I shop Walmart and Amazon more than I care to admit. But with the advent of shipping and online commerce, they’ve made it the easiest to shop. But I’m at the whims of their decisions. And as they run out all the small businesses, I have less and less options.
The same will be true when video games are all digital. If I dont like Gamestops pricing, I can go to a local store, or a convention. I can try to see if Amazon, Target, Best Buy, or Walmart has a deal or lower prices.
When Sony is the only person I can get the latest game from, I can’t go to a competitor.
That’s just the Sony side of things. Xbox is… well, I don’t know. I hear they’re in a real State of Decay. They are threatening to shut down 4 studios as well as massive lay offs across the industry. One of those companies being Double Fine Productions.
People say Nintendo is silently winning by not doing anything. It really depends on the key card situation. Sony, Xbox, and Rcokstar have done so much reputational damage in the last 7 days people are actually already looking back at the keycards with nostalgia and fondness. They’re still a stepping stone to a bleak future. I don’t plan to actively buy or collect key card game.
I feel a bit of responsibility to support the games getting physical carts like the new Star Fox Ocarina of Time Remake and Elder Scrolls Oblivion. Let’s just hope Nintendo remains prideful that their internal developed games remain on the cart. It pains me the new Onimusha will be key card only.
All this to say, I’ve been playing PS2, N64, and other retro consoles more and more. Sony cannot delist my PS2 games. Nintendo can’t say my Super Mario 64 is just a keycard. Xbox cannot close down these projects that already breath on OG xbox.
Retro collecting remains the way to go. Vote with your wallet. And most importantly own your stuff people. You dont have to have massive collections. You dont have to be a hoarder. But if there’s something you want to exist in its current state untampered and unchanged, buy it! If there’s a trend you want to support, buy it! Dont let these companies speak for us.
Da_Hubbz 