Pickups! Metal Slug Anthology (Wii Version)

I picked up this fantastic haul on eBay this week. This Metal Slug Anthology was released for the Wii and PS2 and contains the following games.

Metal Slug

Metal Slug 2

Metal Slug X

Metal Slug 3

Metal Slug 4

Metal Slug 5

Metal Slug 6

That's a whole lotta slugs. For those unfamiliar with Metal Slug, it was a run-and-gun series of arcade games developed by SNK (also known their many-many fighting games). Metal Slug didn't necessarily re-invent the wheel when it came to shooters, but it had some amazing animation and wonderful attention to detail.

I was going to go for the PS2 version but it's over double the price of the Wii version, plus the PS2 version apparently suffers from poor controls. The Wii version boasts a number of different control schemes, some involving motion control (won't be using those), but for those with an earlier Wii model you can plug in a Gamecube controller and use that instead. 

I'm really pleased to have picked up the majority of the Metal Slug collection, and if you haven't played these arcade classics before you can download some of them on current generation consoles or PC (cough..or emulate them..cough).    

NERG, Pickups and Being Sick

I've been quiet for the last week as I've been especially run-down and I even had to take a sick day from work for the first time in three years. Now that I'm feeling better I'll fill you in on what's been happening.

NERG and Pickups

Last Saturday I went to the NERG (North East Retro Games) show at Gateshead Stadium. It was their second annual show and this year provided more arcade cabinets, more pinball machines, and more consoles. There was also 28 vendors selling an abundance of retro games, with plenty of Japanese import titles up for grabs, alongside clothing, consoles and various arts & crafts.

Unfortunately I didn't get much of an opportunity to play on many arcade cabinets or consoles as the venue was full to bursting, but I must admit a lot of my energy was focused on expanding my collection and being a nerd. Myself and the Missus did manage to find some absolutely fantastic games to add to our over-burdened shelves, here's a little list of what we got.

• Silent Hill- PS1 
• Theme Hospital- PS1
• Final Fantasy VII (NTSC-J)- PS1
• Parasite Eve- PS1
• Bomberman Fantasy Race- PS1
• Tenchi Muyo (NTSC-J)- Saturn
• Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly Directors Cut- Xbox
• Kirby 2 (NTSC-J)- GB
• Goof Troop- SNES
• Kid Klown in Krazy Chase- SNES
• Hamtaro Ham-Ham Heartbreak- GBA 
• Sailor Moon- SNES

Sick Day


Tuesday was an absolute nightmare as I fell ill and had to take the day off work, but in-between all of the sleeping, fever and mucus I did manage to play some games. I went back to GTA Online for the first time in weeks and is it just me or have the servers gotten worse? The game disconnected at least 3 times, and occasionally wouldn't connect at all, but this was the least of my problems.

While waiting for a Deathmatch to start I was treated to the musings of a 12-13 year old, which involved claims that he was going to rape and murder our families. Unsurprisingly he was kicked before too long, but if I ever hear a kid of mine talking like that while playing games I'll hollow out their console to make a litter tray for my cats. I'll be playing the SNES on sick days in future.



Later on in the day I opened Facebook to find a new advert for the highly anticipated Destiny from Bungie/Activision, revealing 2 expansion packs offering 'new' missions...but the game itself isn't even out until September. It didn't take more than a brief look at the comments section to show that consumers weren't too happy about content being cut from Destiny and repackaged as DLC, with some even considering cancelling their pre-orders.

Sadly this seems to be the way things are going with new releases as publishers attempt to squeeze every last penny from our wallets. I enjoy getting new content for my favourite games but shameful cash-grabs like these really put me off buying the latest games.

Still, at least there's a new 100 Happy Gaming Days post coming tomorrow and luckily I have a bunch of new games to choose from. Which one is it going to be?

Day 11 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Megaman Zero Collection

I found this last week at a pawn shop and I have to say this was a pretty lucky find. The Megaman series is kind of difficult to get into when you're from the UK, this is one of only a handful that I've picked up in the wild, and the games usually demand high prices. 

This contains all four games in the brilliant Megaman Zero series originally released for the Gameboy Advance. The gameplay is your traditional Megaman adventure, a hardcore 2D run-and-gun fest with superb level and character design. Then again if you simply want to enjoy the story this collection comes with a 'Easy Scenario Mode' which lowers the amount you take from enemies.

There's also a number of collectables to keep you entertained if four games in one isn't enough for you. Clearing the Easy mode will unlock character cards, whereas playing through the games on their usual difficulty will unlock mod cards which apparently alter content in Megaman Zero 3. And there's wallpapers to be unlocked throughout the game as well, certainly worth the effort as the artwork is nothing short of amazing.

Day Three: Super Mario Bros Wii K'nex Figures

I think these figures are fantastic. They ooze quality and I'm looking forward to collecting all 9 in the set. I currently have the Blue Yoshi the Yellow Toad, I'm hoping to pick up Fire Mario next!

May the 4th Be With You

Since it's May 4th I thought I'd kick off the blog by showing you some of my favourite Star Wars items from my gaming collection. Star Wars Battlefront 1 & 2 are probably my most loved Star Wars games as nothing is better than fighting it out in the Star Wars universe on a galactic scale, and I'm really looking forward to next one from DICE!