Collecting is one hell of a drug! It gets in your bones and at times it consumes you. For some it's the allure of the money, for me it's the nostalgia. Nostalgia is like nothing else. It's a time machine in your mind that is opened with a key contained in artifacts from the past. Sometimes I just look over my collection and am wisked back to my childhood. I love collecting and I love my collection. Some pieces I love more than others. So here's my top 5 favorite pieces in my collection. Each one has a little bit of story and I'd like to share those with you now.
#5 - Star Keeper
This game is great! Crazy story behind this very rare game for the NES. I used to be a member of a website called Nintendo Age. I found it a few years after I started collecting. It was a great forum to buy, sell, trade, and meet fellow collectors. One day on a person from China posted on the site that he was making a game for the NES and he would like to open up pre-sales. I was lucky enough to get in on time and secure myself a copy. If I recall it ended up costing less than $40 shipped. When the package arrived I opened it up and slapped it in my Nintendo. Awesome, just awesome. Addicting gameplay, great control, power ups, and challenging levels. It quickly became one of my favorite NES games to play and a coveted piece in my collection.
Nintendo Age no longer exists today and this game has gained somewhat of a legendary status. It can't be dumped so the only way to play it is on the NES. I did hear the developer released a version for the computer recently. Although I could pick up more than a couple ducats from selling this sucker, it'll never happen.
#4 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
I have always been a Zelda fan.....well not always. Always would mean that I got in on ground level. That being the Legend of Zelda for the NES. I unfortunately didn't get to play this as a child. Nor did I play its sequel, Link to the Past, or the entry for Game Boy. Nope, the first Zelda game I picked up was this, OOT. The game just blew my mind. 3D was relatively new in the space and this game took full advantage of the new worlds that could be built. It was almost like an out of body experience witnessing this game for the first time. It is a bonafide masterpiece and a work of art. I could say it would also qualify for one of my Top 5 favorite games to play list but we'll talk about that at a later time.
I have probably played this game front to back over a dozen times.
#3 - R.C. Pro-Am II
Surprisingly enough, I have never played this game. Well if you haven't played it why is it on your list, you ask? This list is for my top 5 collection pieces and there's good reason why this piece made the cut. What you are looking at is the first game EVER that I found when I started hunting for Retro Games. I remember it vividly. I looked up some thrift stores in my area and found a Unique Thrift Store nearby. I headed over and scoured through the sections by the movies, books, VHS tapes, and vinyl records. Not a single video game. I was disappointed thinking I would find at least one as I headed for the door to leave. Then I figured I would go check out what they had to offer in their display cases. As I walked up to them the video games on the shelf behind the counter caught my eyes immediately. There were 3 CIB NES games and a CIB SNES game. I asked to see them all. R.C. Pro-Am II was the first game I looked at and obviously I bought it. I mean, how can the first game you find when starting your collecting journey not make it on to your favorites?
Oh, the SNES game was a sealed Player's Choice Super Mario World. Sadly, I sold it a few years back.
#2 - Tetris (Signed by World Championship of Tetris Legends)
Remember that Nintendo Age site I mentioned earlier? Well that's where I was lucky enough to meet Nintendo Legend Robin Mihara. It's not like I'm buddy buddy with the guy but we did exchange a little small talk on the forums from time to time. Some years back when Ecstasy of Order was released I went to a theater showing of the Tetris documentary and got the producer and director to sign my NES copy of Tetris. Then I remembered that I had an open line of communication into that world through Robin. I messaged him and asked if he could have some people sign it when he went to compete in the next Tetris World Championship competition. He said yes. I sent him this copy with only 2 signatures on it. I also packed in a few gifts as a thank you. He returned it about a year later and man did he freaking stack this sucker for me. It's signed by the tournament organizers, Harry Hong ( 2nd place finisher that year ), Robin himself, the absolutely legendary Jonas Neubauer ( 7 time CTWC champion ), and Tang ( the "BOOM, TETRIS" announcer )
Tetris has always been one of my favorite games so this piece really sticks out for me. Thanks again Robin! Now you just have to get me Thor's signature. :D
# 1 - Contra
Here it is. The top of the top, the cream of the crop, Contra for the NES. My all-time favorite game (spoiler alert) and hands down my favorite collection piece. What's that? You're disappointed cause you were expecting some fancy grail of a game? Well this is my grail because this game means the most to me nostalgically and that's what it's all about my friend.
This game was my go-to NES cartridge. I played so many hours of this game. I have beaten it countless times. I remember playing this game with my cousin Ivano who passed away some years back. I was pretty young and he was in his teens at the time and man we would have a blast. My brother and I would play this non-stop. I can't tell you how many laughs we had playing this game and how good it felt to destroy the Vile Red Falcon together. I would love to speedily jump from platform to platform on the water fall level to advance the screen so that my brother would suffer a swift "bottom of screen" death. Man he would get pissed. I would laugh until I cried.
When I pieced together this CIB to be graded I ended up putting and oval seal cart in with a round seal box. That's why the low score. The cart inside the box was the first Contra cart I got when I started collecting. My Uncle Dino just gave me his Nintendo and games and this was one of them. That's why I wanted it in this CIB.
Fun fact: I told my wife that if I die she can sell my whole damn collection but under no circumstances can she sell this game.
Thanks for checking out my favorite pieces and allowing me to share some fond memories. This is just another reason why we take such care here at Tyton Games with our Retro stuff. We love it and we want old and new generations alike to be able to experience the games of yesteryear the way they should be experienced.
Tony