Toronto Thumbs

REVIEW
Mega Man 9

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Mega Man 9 is now available for the three mighty consoles via digital distribution. If you haven’t played a Mega Man game but consider yourself a gamer – well, I’m sorry, but you’re missing out on an entire set of feelings and sensations. It’s like thinking you’re a candy lover while you’ve never had dark chocolate. It may not be for you, but it’s something you just have to try.

My first memory of Mega Man was running over to my friend Steve’s house (he lived down the street) to play his NES and Mega Man 2. It was immediately different from other games I’d played because of the stage select feature. Rather than having a stage 1, stage 2, and so forth, players could actually choose which stages they wanted to go to and in which order.

When the series made the jump to the Game Boy, I made sure it was on my Christmas wish list. Since the first time I took my turn at Crash Man’s stage, I knew I was playing something special. After the X series of games on the Super Nintendo, however, I fell out of touch with the series and was content to play the newest games of the time – but I’d still pick up Mega Man 2 on my Game Boy every now and then for old time’s sake.

Mega Man showed up on my radar again when the Anniversary Collection was released for the GameCube. A whole disc of 2D Mega Man games for $20? Can’t go wrong with that.

Now, Mega Man 9 has hit and I’ll admit, at first I was skeptical. Was this just a cheap attempt to pull at retro gamers’ wallet strings by stirring up their desire for new nostalgia? The unveiling of the downloadable extra content didn’t help this feeling. To get the full game, with all the extras, would cost gamers around $18. Not bad for a new game – but Mega Man 9 is kind of an old game, isn’t it?

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Posted in Blast From the Past, Nintendo, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Wii, Xbox 360 | 5 Comments »

It’s Game Over for Funland Arcade in Toronto

For 46 years, Funland was the place that many people got their first (and continued) taste of arcade gaming. Located at 341 Yonge Street (across from the now-defunct Sam the Record Man), Funland is set to take its last quarter on July 24. While this is unfortunate for the Toronto gaming scene, this means there’s still time for you to go check it out before it’s gone forever.

At its peak, Funland was home to 225 games. Now, there are only 81. But that’s still impressive. Many of the classics have been maintained, and anyone that owns an arcade game knows that there is nothing quite like the experience of standing at a cabinet.

When the home experience (think Atari 2600) couldn’t come close to the arcade games at the time, arcades flourished. Games like Dragon’s Lair raised the price to 50 cents but offered something you could just not duplicate at home. Today’s technology is quite different and arcades have tried to adapt by offering a more physical experience; however, it looks like products like the Wii and its accessories are perhaps putting an end to even that. Social gaming is still alive in the form of game parties but the arcade experience really seems to be dying this time, perhaps for good.

Are you going to visit Funland for one last time, before the fun runs out? I know I will. For more information, read June’s original post here.

Posted in Blast From the Past, News, Retro Gaming Stores | 1 Comment »

Event
The Evolution of Computer Games - in Toronto

Microsoft likes to win. They’re doing a pretty good job on the console front these days, but if you think they forgot about PC gaming, think again. We’ve seen the “Games for Windows” brand show up to help PC owners not only identify games intended for that platform, but also in determining if said game will run on a given setup.

Stepping back into a time where in some ways it was easier to play a computer (and in other ways, harder) Microsoft has commissioned the Personal Computer Museum in Brantford to help create a display in Toronto entitled “Evolution: 30 Years of Computer Games.”

The exhibit is open to the public Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28 2008 from 12pm-5pm at Interaccess, 9 Ossington Street (near Queen) in Toronto, Ontario. Admission is free.

Come out and get a taste of over 20 classic computers playing your favorites like Space Invaders!, GORF, Choplifter!, Half-Life, Sam & Max Hit the Road, and more. There’s even a secret hidden game within the venue with no information on it. While you are there, soak up the culture and browse the museum brochure. It might be enough for you to make the trip to the bigger display in Brantford.

Posted in Blast From the Past, Events | 1 Comment »

A Great Flea Market Find

Many years ago (I am thinking around 1997 or 1998) I decided to make a trek to London, Ontario to visit the Gibraltar Weekend Market on Dundas Street. I really wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but video games are always on the radar so I thought I might find something cheap. I’m always looking for that hidden gem in the pile of junk in the corner and my hopes were on that for this visit.

After going through the usual ‘treasure piles’ (some would say junk piles) I made my way back to a vendor that looked like a video store. It had all kinds of movies (mostly VHS at this point, of course). I often find that these are the places that have video games too if they had anything to do with a rental business.

Interestingly enough, just a week or two prior I had printed out a Nintendo NES game list (complete with rarities) and had gone through my collection and ticked off every game I owned. I paid particular attention to the rare ones and knew enough to keep an eye out for the ones marked “ER” (extremely rare).

When I walked around one corner, something that looked like a cartoon character out of a video game caught my eye. I walked up to find Linus Spacehead. It looked like a video game, but I didn’t know what an ‘Aladdin’ was.

Something clicked as I looked closer at the box and realized that I was looking at the Aladdin Deck Enhancer (for the NES) version of the game. Something told me it was extremely rare, so I consulted my game list. Sure enough, ER+!

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Posted in Blast From the Past, Flea Market Finds, Nintendo, Odd Prods | 1 Comment »