Hello NA, it's-a-me!

ItsACerealWow · August 2016

Hello NintendoAge!

My name is Randy, I'm a lifelong gaming enthusiast (with a particular softspot for Nintendo) and collector. I've been a longtime lurker on NA, but I thought it was finally time to join up! Here's a few interesting facts about me:

* My first console was the NES. My favorite games from my childhood are Super Mario Bros. 3, Castlevanias III: Dracula's Curse, TMNT III: The Manhattan Project, Dragon Warrior, and The Legend of Zelda. I also have a fondness for some lesser known games like Taito's KickMaster, Pinball Quest, Milon's Secret Castle, and Super Pitfall.

* My favorite game of all-time is Link's Awakening, followed closely on the heels by Symphony of the Night, Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy III (6). My childhood was defined by Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, Squaresoft, and Rare.

* My favorite system is the SNES.

* I was a Nintendo Power subscriber from volume 2 all the way until volume 80 in 1996. While I was in college, my mom donated my entire Nintendo Power collection to the library; the only survivor was the Final Fantasy strategy guide, which I still own. I would like to reacquire issues 1-80 someday.

* I was an active Club Nintendo member and used my coins to collect every poster they released in North America. The only time I didn't get Platinum status was when the awesome Super Mario statue was given as a reward; it's the only Club Nintendo reward I had to resort to buying from eBay.

* I have a moderately-sized gaming collection, spanning 18 consoles and portables and 400+ games. I've been building my collection since I was a kid and would roughly estimate I've invested about $20k since I started. I'm a CIB collector, so as you can imagine, it gets pretty expensive at times. Most of my collection is Nintendo consoles, though I have an expansive PSX and PS2 library as well. The most valuable part of my collection is probably my GB/GBC collection, since many games are hard to find complete with their boxes and manuals, especially in mint condition.

* I think the rarest game I own is probably Panzer Dragoon Saga for the Sega Saturn, followed by Trip World for the Game Boy and KickMaster for the NES.

* My most treasured collectible is personal: two great, talented friends of mine created a custom joystick for me using one of the last Norris Arcade Stick boxes ever produced, along with a custom-modded cable/board from Toodles over at shoryuken.com that combines the PSX/PS2/Xbox/USB/GC/Wii cable from a Pelican Universal Joystick with a multiconsole Cthulhu board, combined with Sanwa/Seimitsu buttons and stick for the ultimate arcade stick for fifth/sixth/seventh generation game systems. It also has some sweet custom artwork for me and my boyfriend of 10+ years. Check it out:

Awesome custom joystick by Tyler & Tessa!

Awesome custom joystick by Tyler & Tessa!

* I have an AVS preordered and am super-psyched. I've a big fan of RetroUSB and I think the quality of his products is top-notch.

* I'm a huge supporter of modern solutions to retro gaming, from component cables to controller adapters. I appreciate all the hard work from the fan community that goes into preserving the ability to play classic games like they were meant to be played, while keeping up with changing technology (and the dwindling availability of OEM parts and accessories).

* I'm also a big fan of Flashback Entertainment for repros. I don't typically play fanmods or homebrews, but I really appreciate owning a complete boxed copy of games that didn't come to North America, like Seiken Densetsu 3. I see a lot of talented repro artists here at NA and might pursue more fan-translated repro carts in the future.

And I think that's it for now! I'm hoping to get some quality photos of my collection uploaded and posted sometime in the future. I really dig the community here and look forward to sharing my love of all things Nintendo with you all!