Guitar_bard

@-wc- You have no need to apologize at all! I feel honored that you would share this.

Dad and I patched up a lot of our relationship in the years before he died and were extremely close, but growing up was pretty rough at times. My parents existed to drive each other crazy, until they ended up getting divorced. Dad also was known for his roving eye, and so at times that took precedence over his kids.

Man, though, when I was a kid we had some great times bonding over Tetris, SBM1, Ninja Gaiden... Plus, I lived for weekends when we would go rent some games at the video store. My brother and best friend and I would play, until Dad would check it out for a while and then kick us outside to get some fresh air. Every single time I think it is really because he wanted to have a few moments of quiet to play on his own.

It's funny you mention Zelda and hand made maps. My brother spent a summer staying with some close friends of the family, and he and one of my dad's closest friends played the 1st Zelda nonstop and first drew out the maps, and then printed them out with one of those Okidata dot-matrix printers. It was amazing.

Overall, I feel so fortunate that Dad and I were able to put aside a lot of our crap and just accept each other. My brother and he did not have that relationship, but I think at the end Dad knew he loved him.
When he died of cancer, it was very fast, as it had been misdiagnosed for quite a while, and by the time his insurance finally approved the medication that could have prolonged his life, he went into hospice 2 days later.

Overall, it was a terrible year. I'm finally starting to do ok. I lost Dad, his mom (my grandma) a couple of months later, a favorite aunt, someone who was raised with my brother and I (and really was like a brother from another mother), a couple of close friends, my Dad's oldest friend... And a few others.

Losing Dad nearly broke me, but with everyone else too, I can't even describe what my existence was like. Thank God for good memories.

If nothing else, it helped me write the best album I have ever made.

Thank you for listening to me. I don't know you, but you are pretty awesome.

@-wc- Thank you so much. I've been thinking a lot about my Dad lately, and certain NES games always make me think of him.

@Tryffel You should easily have enough room. Plus, if you want more space it makes more sense to buy a bigger card (make sure it is a name brand card too), rather than pay the extra for a cheap card.

Also, you will want to replace that 64 gig card and copy everything over. Anbernic ships some of the worst generic sd cards, and more often than not they tend to fail.

I just received mine a few days ago, and I agree wholeheartedly with this review.

I got into the emulation handheld thing about 2 years ago and have bought several, but this is BY FAR my favorite. I absolutely adore this device.

I'd like to see some reviews first, but I have a gut feeling this could be a success. With all of the current interest in retro gaming, providing what looks like a very quality option at a decent price might make this the thing that catches on with older gamers.

These corporate decisions just flabbergast me. It is like MS's slogan should be:
"Microsoft. We want you to be excited for our products!
...just not TOO excited."

@Bonggon5 hahaha, I was waiting for someone to comment on that. I usually go hiking with my wife and kids and no electronics, but sometimes by myself I go hiking, enjoy nature, bring a book, or spend 10 minutes playing an old game, and think of my Dad who I lost last year.

Not sad at all. Just something we connected over.

To be honest, your assumption without knowing anything about me makes me sad.

Thanks again for another great review.
I really love Anbernic products. Ever since the original RG35XX came out, I have just been so happy with these handhelds. They are total gaming comfort food.

I may get one of these down the road. It looks like a perfect handheld to slip iny pocket and go on hikes with.

Now, I have to wait patiently until my RG35XXSP gets here..

I was getting tired of all of the "inspired by GBC Zelda" games, but this looks really cool!

I always have to shake my head these days about people... I don't care if he acted like the devil incarnate online; that still gives no one the right to destroy someone else's property like this.

Poor guy.. I hope he is able to recover from this. Just the feeling of having your place broken into and having things destroyed / stolen is such a violation. I have had it happen to me and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

It sounds impressive, and I love the square screen on my RGB30... But that shell just looks a little cheap. I would be curious to see how it feels in the hands.

Great article! I remember when the pandemic hit, I took my love of the DS / 3DS library, and decided to start collecting (with the intention of playing). At first, it was so nice being able to find games that I had always wanted to play or wanted to play again pretty easily and affordably, but that quickly changed.
It was pretty disheartening, especially when I started expanding to GBA games. My family and I do play all of them, and it just really bothers me the price gouging that has occurred with what should be being able to enjoy my favorite form of entertainment.

Daggerfall was my introduction. Several of my friends were playing it, and I just wasn't a PC gamer so I watched a lot, and then would play consoles.

It was an incredible game, but a lot of the bugs were extremely amusing.

When Morrowind came out, I played a little on Xbox, but wasn't extremely drawn to it.

However, I was ALL OVER Oblivion and Skyrim. I played those games soooo much, and am even now buying Skyrim again, this time for the Switch.

Good for him. I hope Breath of Thunder gets made. I really enjoyed Silver Falls on the 3DS, and he clearly has some talent!

The Internet mob at large just makes me angry these days, and hopefully he can get past it.

3DS for sure. It was the DS from the second I first played it, but the 3DS had some amazing games, virtual console, and my entire DS catalog was backwards compatible.

I have never had so much fun playing games throughout the years as with my DS/3DS systems.

First off: what a great article. It really resonated with me, and I absolutely love this thread. What a geniunely great thing to see everyone's experience with this subject.

I love retro and vintage gaming, because I just really love to reconnect with those times , but also I loved the purity of the gaming experience back then. I remember starting as a really little kid with C64, intellivision, and the Atari 2600, and games were cool, but not amazing to me (except going to the local pizza parlor).

Then, the NES came out and my friends and I were HOOKED. I loved that feeling of experiencing it all for the first time. We all felt like explorers in this amazing new world.

Now, I love revisiting titles I loved, and even some that were terrible because they remind me of spending time with loved ones that have passed on. Yes I willingly play Renegade on occasion, because it was a bonding experience with a brother.

Now, as an adult I also really love going back and playing games that I never got to! I remember reading the old game magazines and wishing I had the money to play them all.

Great article. Thank you.

I have and love the base RG35XX, so I don't think this is for me. However, I say this but also own:

Anbernic RG505
R36S (Data frog, I think?)
Powkiddy V90
Data Frog SF2000

In other words, even though I have the best intentions, I'll probably get this eventually.

@RubyCarbuncle I'm so sorry for your loss. I get it, as I just lost my Dad to cancer last April. I burst into tears too when I found out about this young man's father.

As a Dad myself, I'm proud of this kid! That reporter can kick rocks.

I'm really excited for this!

Thank you for this fantastic article, and for the work you've done to make these creators be remembered. It's important for them to be recognized, and fascinating for all of us to see who is behind the curtain of our favorite hobby!

It always amazes me when Japanese game creators have no idea of the impact that they have had outside of their own country. They've given many of us so many hours of wonderful entertainment.

On the flip side, I'm so sorry that you dealt with the "Internet Judiciary System". I have firsthand seen the damage that can be done by the online mob and their unfounded opinions. Good for you for rising above it.

Thank you so much for the emulation reviews. I have only gotten into these handhelds in the last few months, but your guys' reviews have really helped me in what is becoming such a dense market.

Are you going to do a review of the new Szdiier D-007 handheld that's shipping?

I still love this game. It is just FUN.

I'm ok with it. It is easily my least favorite in the entire series.

I never had a Gameboy growing up, and so I got to play this for the first time a few years ago on my 3DS, and it has become one of my favorites. What a lovely game, and it still stands up. I would love to see more new LoZ games like this in the future.

Great article, and great question being posed. I love the discussion happening around this.

I think overall it comes down to people love what they love, and right now people really love Nintendo again. If this question was being asked during the height (or overall low) of the Wii U, and excluding Nintendo's handhelds at the time, I think the discussion would look very different.

Being an American, I think the gaming landscape has shifted so much here since I began gaming on the Atari 2600 in the early 80s. During the NES and Super NES they were this amazing source of fun, but I knew plenty of people (myself included) who loved the TG-16 and the Genesis. It just came down to games. I had a Genesis, and my best friend had a Super NES. When we went out to rent games for the weekend, I think the Genesis won pretty consistently due to their unique and instantly accessible titles. The Super NES seemed to be better for long haul gaming.

Maybe it all comes down to the fact that everyone loves a good comeback story, and Nintendo has had several.

I'm not going to lie... I need one.

@Muriustar how is the Odin Pro? I have started to take a look at them.

@damo thanks for reviewing this! I have the RG505 and love it, and was wondering if this has comparable internals. That metal shell looks lovely.

@Hexapus I completely agree. The Guilty Gear series has remained visually stunning and timeless because they didn't go the 3D option.

I've really gotten into emulator handhelds the last couple of months, and am wondering if the Miyoo Mini is still worth it, considering I have an RG35XX with Garlic OS, and the RG505 with Daijishi?

I love the RG35XX, but I'd heard that the Miyoo Mini + is basically the same. Is that true?

I just got my RG35XX a month or so ago, and I am in love with it. I play it more than any other console these days. However, I have had my eyes on the RG505 lately as a more powerful addition. I would love to hear about anyone's experiences with it.

@-wc- Isn't that funny how it works? I'm turning 46, and I think 60 just seems like it is around the corner.

I just ordered one. It's getting too cost prohibitive to continue adding to my retro library, and this seems to be perfect for me, for everything Nintendo handheld related below the DS.

I would love to see something akin to Metroid (Samus Returns and Dread); familiar 2D metroidvania style but with new features that push the genre forward in new ways. So, I guess the answer is: give Mercury Steam another crack at it!

Thank you so much for this article! This has really brought up some good gaming memories.

During the NES era, most of my memories playing my favorite games were at my best friend's house. We would rent games (which I have memories of specific games at rental stores), and then spend weekends in the summer playing those games. His family were like a second family to me, and I miss my old best friend almost every day. We drifted apart a long time ago, but I swear that his house was magically happy all of the time. I can't see pics of Super Mario Bros., Mega Man 1, Rygar, or the Legend Of Zelda without thinking of that place and those people.

@bippity_bop I LOVED going to Toys R Us and getting games. Looking at the game displays and then having that magical paper ticket in hand when you went to buy it in that caged area.... Such good memories.

@Willax I think this is a great story. Nothing sad about it. Good memories are good memories.

I loved my brother's Lynx. We had a lot of great games, like Todd's Adventures in Slime World, Electro Cop...

@RadioHedgeFund I completely agree!! The transition from Legacy of Kain to Soul Reaver was MASSIVE. Especially with this series so steeped in it's lore, it just felt like the world opened up even more.

What a really interesting piece of gaming history! Thanks again for the great article. This site is the best.

@SonOfDracula Haha that made my day. That's more like Alucard from the Netflix cartoon...

I'm really amazed at the quality of the DS Castlevania games. All 3 were great for different reasons, but Portrait is the only one I still go back to once a year or so.

@SonOfDracula Haha, I'm totally fine with the dialogue, because to be absolutely honest, NO Castlevania game has what I consider "decent" dialogue.

That doesn't bother me at all; a Belmont should speak with his whip, not his lips.

@Tasuki This is one of my favorites as well. I feel like they just got EVERYTHING right in this game.

This was a great read; thank you! Being from the US, it always amazes me to hear that Nintendo wasn't the sheer juggernaut in the UK that is was here.

This magazine looks and sounds lovely. For me, Nintendo Power was always this incredible doorway to gaming worlds that I wanted to see.

I wish I could have read this magazine back in the day too!

Haha, I remember my best friend and I seeing this when we rented the game for the weekend. I think we stared at it almost as much as we played the game..
Hehe... Boobs.

Merry Christmas to you! Thank you for a fantastic website that is a joy to visit.

This was an amazing console. There was never a shortage of quality, fun titles to play. I think a Top 20 list for the 360 is too small to show how amazing it's library was. Top 50 at least!

I really loved Mass Effect 3 (big fan of the series), but the game I had the most fun with was Sleeping Dogs. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters, and combat was just so good. The missions kept me interested until the end. It is easily one of my favorite open world games to this day.

Huge Robotech fan here. It got me into Macross, but truthfully I think the Robotech story is much better than what Macross has produced as sequels since. That's just my personal opinion, although do like a lot of the mecha that has been created for the series since.

I still have all of the Jack McKinney books that were released, and re-read them every couple of years.

@RubyCarbuncle I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm glad you have some good memories with him.