Happy 20th anniversary, Super Mario 64

I almost can't believe Super Mario 64 made its way onto Japanese store shelves 20 years ago today.

I say almost because, well, it some ways it totally feels like it's been two decades since I first played this classic platformer.

It helps, I'm sure, that the above-mentioned experience took place during my freshman year in college. No matter how young I may (think I) look or feel, that was some time ago, and I know it.

That said, my memories of my initial Super Mario 64 playthrough are as clear as yesterday. My parents gave me a Nintendo 64 system and a copy of this game as a birthday gift. I hooked up the former as soon as I returned to my dorm room, after which my best friend and I put Super Mario 64 through its paces while it snowed like the dickens outside.

To say we were in awe of what we saw and heard and felt that night would be a massive understatement. Sure, Mario's first three-dimensional adventure was far from gorgeous--even then--thanks to the bevy of blurry textures on display, but its polygonal characters and environments still caused my pal and I to slobber like rabid dogs.



Far more thrilling to either of us than this game's graphics, though, were its controls. Using an analog stick to make Mario tiptoe, walk, run, jump and slide around each stage wasn't just a revelation, it was a blast. It was so much fun, in fact, that we didn't pull ourselves away from it until early the next morning.

In the ensuing days, weeks and even months, I spent more time than I probably should admit simply running and jumping and prompting Mario to yell "yahoo!" I also heard so much of its glorious soundtrack that to this day I regularly hum its boppy "main theme."

Admittedly, I haven't played much of Super Mario 64 in the last decade or so, despite my fond memories of it. As such, I can't really say if it's aged at all well. I suspect it hasn't, but even if that's the case, it aptly served its purpose back when it was the best thing since sliced bread, and that's more than enough for me.

How about you? Do nostalgic thoughts of this Nintendo 64 launch title cause you to feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Also, have you checked in with it in the last few years to see if the game is as great as you remember it to be?

Regardless, please share your own anniversary-fueled Super Mario 64 memories in the comments section that follows.

Thank you for playing: 15 years of Dōbutsu no Mori (Animal Crossing)

April 14th, 2001. That's the day Dōbutsu no Mori (Animal Forest in English) for the Nintendo 64 was released in Japan.

I haven't been playing the series since then, of course. Not that I can remember exactly when I started playing it. All I know is that the North American version of Japan's Dōbutsu no Mori+, a GameCube title that first hit store shelves in late 2001, is what pushed me to finally pick up a GC console.

The thing is, I distinctly remember waiting until the GameCube dropped to $99 in price before I bought one. Also, I'm pretty sure the copy of Animal Crossing I purchased alongside that system (a silver one, in case anyone's curious) was a "Player's Choice" release.

GameFAQs is telling me the "Player's Choice" iteration of Animal Crossing didn't drop until late 2003, so I guess that's around when I was introduced to the achingly lovely world of this long-running series.



I share all of that because I've been an Animal Crossing devotee ever since. I own every sequel that's seen the light of day between the first localized effort and today--well, except for Amiibo Festival. Hell, I own multiple copies of some of these titles.

Because of that, the video above, published via Nintendo of Japan's YouTube channel yesterday to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the series' launch, prompts a giant, teeth-baring smile to spread across my face each time I watch it. (And believe me, I've watched it a number of times in the last 12 or so hours.)

How about you? Are any of you huge Dōbutsu no Mori or Animal Crossing fans? Or do you have any particularly strong memories of your first Animal Crossing or Dōbutsu no Mori experience? If so, please feel free to share the love with me and others in the comments section below.

See also: an old post full of photos of Dōbutsu no Mori's splendid Nintendo 64 packaging and my review of Animal Crossing for the GameCube

I told you I've got Harvest Moon on the brain (plus a Binary Land surprise)

A couple of weeks ago, I admitted to buying the original, SNES version of Harvest Moon from the clunky old Wii eShop.

In that same post, I also admitted to having the Harvest Moon series "on the brain" at the moment. Which makes sense when you consider I got the latest 3DS-based Harvest Moon title, The Lost Valley, for Christmas, then I picked up the SNES iteration and then, about a week ago, I bought a loose copy of Harvest Moon 64 from my Internet pal, Jeremy--who also goes by "Nightmare Bruce" and "the guy who runs the Ribbon Black blog."

Although I've had my copy of Harvest Moon 64 in hand for about a week now, it hasn't even sniffed the inside of my dusty Nintendo 64, as I've been too busy playing--wait for it--Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley.

In fact, I've put nearly 20 hours into The Lost Valley over the last couple of weeks, which has left me nearly no time for other games (aside from my #ADecadeofDS titles, of course). 

Anyway, the photo at the top of this post showcases how fabulously Jeremy packaged the copy of Harvest Moon 64 he sold and sent me. He included a fun postcard, a strip of adorable Mario stickers and ... some sort of "bonus gift" wrapped in sparkly paper?

Inside that sparkly paper was the copy of Binary Land shown in the snapshot that sits just north of this block of text. How cool is that? It's a fully working cartridge, by the way, and the label was designed by Jeremy himself.

Now I just need to find the time to play both of these beautiful-looking carts.

Looks like I'm finally going to play The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

I don't know if you heard, but Nintendo finally, officially announced a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for 3DS during yesterday's Nintendo Direct.

That "revelation" excited me less than it excited some folks, I'm sure--in part because Nintendo has been teasing this sucker for what seems like eons now--but it excited me nonetheless.

Why? Because I've never played this particular Zelda adventure. My older brother and I owned a copy of the Nintendo 64 original back in the day, but I never actually played it myself--though I did watch him play through a good chunk of it.



Anyway, I've wanted to experience it for some time now, but I've failed to do so because, well, I just haven't been all that interested in picking up a copy of the game and then shoving it into and playing it on my mothballed Nintendo 64. (I know I could buy it via the Wii's eShop, too, but I'm even less interested in going that route these days.)

Are any of you also Majora's Mask virgins who will be, uh, addressing that issue when the 3DS remake drops next spring?

Five more favorites: Japanese Nintendo 64 box art

Can a person have too many favorites when it comes to Nintendo 64 box art? Not in my opinion--which may be why I've decided to publish yet another post about the subject.

Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaio--If I had my way, this game's cover imagery wouldn't be constrained by a border as it is now. Even with the border, though, Bangaio's box art is a looker--thanks in large part to its bold logo, which really makes things "pop."

F-Zero X--Would you believe I was completely obsessed with this game while in college? Well, I was--and my copy (of the North American version) didn't even sport the awesome illustration seen above. Anyway, if ever a piece of Nintendo 64 box art perfectly depicted the "experience" of the game packed within, this is it.

Fushigi no Dungeon: Fuurai no Shiren 2--For some strange and sad reason, I was completely oblivious about this game until quite recently. I say sad, by the way, because Fuurai no Shiren 2's graphics are nearly as adorable as its cover art. 

Yoshi's Story--I know a lot of folks hate this game, but I'm not one of them. Sure, it pales in comparison to its predecessor, Yoshi's Island, but it's still a joy to look at and a blast to play. That said, I'd kill for a sequel that features graphics similar to the stitched Yoshis seen in the box art above. (Yes, I know Yarn Yoshi is being prepped for the Wii U; what I'm talking about here is a two-dimensional platformer à la Kirby's Epic Yarn.)

Zelda no Densetsu Majora no Kamen--As much as I love the cover art produced for the Japanese version of Ocarina of Time, I love the imagery above even more. In fact, I love it so much that I think I'm going to have to snatch up a copy of it in the future. Maybe it could be a present to myself after I've reached some sort of milestone related to learning Japanese?

See also: five favorite pieces of Japanese Nintendo 64 box art

Five favorites: Japanese Nintendo 64 box art

Another Friday, another post devoted to five of my favorite pieces of box art. (Don't worry, I'm not planning to devote every Friday post to this subject, but I am going to focus on it for at least a few more.)

Anyway, this week's write-up will be a Nintendo 64-centric affair, with the first selection being one of my all-time favorite titles (for any system):

Dobutsu no Mori--Don't let the "scan" above fool you: in person, Doubutsu no Mori's cover art is pretty darn appealing. That's mainly because it looks like a postcard, complete with stamps. The logo is a rather nice addition, too, though, as is the appearance of the one and only K.K. Slider in the lower-left corner.

Mario Story--Oh, look, another of my all-time favorite games. How funny that both were made for the sometimes-software-starved Nintendo 64. Anyway, is it just me or does this piece of box art (for the Japanese version of Paper Mario) resemble a pin that you'd wear on your lapel?

Sin and Punishment--Full disclosure: I think I'd like this game's cover imagery even more than I do now if that second logo (along the left edge) weren't mucking up the proceedings. Oh, well, it's still all sorts of fabulous thanks to the sketchy (in a good way) illustration that serves as its centerpiece and its futuristic logo.

Yuke Yuke!! Trouble Makers--Would Mischief Makers (this game's North American name) have sold more if its packaging had looked more like the above? I'm not sure, but it certainly couldn't have hurt. Oh, well, at least those of us who care for such things can pick up a copy of the Japanese version and then stare at it to our hearts' content should we so desire.

Zelda no Densetsu Toki no Ocarina--Of all the pieces of box art showcased in this post, I think this is my favorite. I love its simplicity and elegance and even drama--fitting, considering all of the same words could be used to describe the contents of the cartridge packed inside.

See also: previous 'five favorites' posts

PlayStation and Nintendo 64 (as well as a pair of Hello Kitty Dreamcast) designs for your Animal Crossing: New Leaf palace

They're baaaaaaaack!

Yep, I made some more Animal Crossing: New Leaf designs over the last few days, three of which make pretty awesome "cushion consoles," if I do say so myself.

Sadly, the other one looks a bit wonky as a cushion, but it looks rather nice as a poster if you're into that sort of thing.

"The other one," by the way, is this Nintendo 64 design:



I should've known it would be tough to translate those circular "feet" that sit at the base of the system to such a design, but unfortunately I didn't realize it until Cyrus had finished applying it to a cushion.

Thankfully, the other designs I conjured up fare much better in the transition from "canvas" to cushion. First up, my PlayStation design:



I actually attempted a PSone design as well, but it didn't look anywhere as nice as the one above, so I ditched it.

Should any of you want to see how it looks after being applied to a cushion (by Re-Tail's Cyrus), here you go:



Shortly after, I decided to alter my previously completed Dreamcast design to make it look like one of the Japan-only (of course), Hello Kitty-branded Dreamcasts I've drooled over for years.

Naturally, the first one I worked on was the pink one:



It wasn't long, though, before I went back and tweaked the design a bit to make a blue Hello Kitty Dreamcast as well.



I forgot to grab a screenshot of the blue system in its current resting place (in my guy character's robo-themed bedroom), but here's a shot of the pink one in my girl character's living room.



Is this the last of my New Leaf design posts? Possibly, although I'm considering trying a few (more) handheld designs in the next few days.

Should they turn out less hideous than the Game Gear and Neo Geo Pocket Color ones I came up with yesterday, I'll share them here as well.

See also: Famicom and NES designs, Mega Drive 2 and Saturn designs, Dreamcast (original) and PC Engine designs

Just to make this blog even more (temporarily) Animal Crossing-centric ...

Hey, at least this post isn't related to Animal Crossing: New Leaf, right?

As for what you're seeing in the photos below: it's my recently acquired copy of the game that started it all, Dōbutsu no Mori (which basically translates to Animal Forest).

As I'm sure most of you are already aware, Dōbutsu no Mori was released for the Japanese Nintendo 64 all the way back in early 2001. Sadly, that was right before the GameCube hit the market, so Nintendo never released it elsewhere.

I've wanted to own a copy of it for ages, but various things kept me from snagging one until a few weeks ago, which when I spotted the rather beautiful specimen seen in the snapshots below.

The photo above shows off the front cover of Dōbutsu no Mori's box, of course. I love how it looks like a shipped package, or maybe a postcard. Also, it features K.K. Slider, which always is a good thing.

This photo (above) showcases the back of Dōbutsu no Mori's box--which, admittedly, is quite a bit less thrilling than the front. Still, I thought some of you might like to see it.

Next up is the cover of the game's instruction manual, which features one of my favorite pieces of Animal Crossing-related imagery. For some dumb reason I didn't take any photos of the manual's interior. Oh, well, I guess that means I'll have to type up another "Manual Stimulation" post soon.

12 import games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now: Yuke Yuke!! Trouble Makers (Nintendo 64)

I picked up this copy of the game known to most North American's as Mischief Makers shortly after I brought my old Nintendo 64 system from my childhood home to my adult one earlier this year.

Why did I opt for the Japanese version of this Treasure-developed platformer rather than the US release? For me, it all boiled down to box art--as in, I much prefer the art that graces covers of import copies of the game, so that's what I bought.

You should expect to see some similarly strange pick-ups appear on this blog next year, by the way, as I've had my eye on import copies of Mario Story (aka the original Paper Mario) and Yoshi's Story for some time now, and I'm not sure how long I can hold out on buying them.

Anyway, back to the Japanese Nintendo 64 game at hand. Its box art is awesome, don't you think? Its instruction manual (a glimpse of which can be seen in the second photo, above) is pretty nice, too--which means, well, you know what it means.

By the way, a few more photos of Yuke Yuke!! Trouble Makers (including one of its cartridge) can be found on my Flickr photostream.

See also: Previous '12 games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now' posts

Put me down for one copy of Kirby's Dream Collection, please

When I first heard that the folks at Nintendo were planning a Kirby's Dream Collection (I'm leaving out the "Special Edition" part because I think it's both pointless and stupid) for Wii, I wasn't sure what to think.

I mean, Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition was nice enough--as far as "ROM dumps" go--but I barely spent any time with it. Would I similarly ignore the not-all-that-different Kirby's Dream Collection, despite my new-found love for the Kirby series? Both my heart and head suggested I would--although it's hard to know that for sure without knowing this upcoming release's contents.



Fast-forward to a few days ago, when I read (here) that Kirby's Dream Collection would include the six "mainline" Kirby games that were released for the GameBoy, Famicom, Super Famicom and Nintendo 64, as well as a "More Challenge Stage" mode that I don't quite understand at the moment.

Has that news caused me to change my mind about picking up this Wii compilation? Actually, it has--although obviously it helps that I've only played one of the collection's six games thus far (that being Kirby's Adventure).



Also responsible for my change of heart: Unlike the games featured on the aforementioned Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition, the ones included on Kirby's Dream Collection will feature adorable--rather than black--borders (like the ones seen in the screenshots above).

Finally, I find the packaging that's being prepped for this particular title--see it here--to be beyond adorable (and we all know I'm a total sucker for anything adorable).

Now all that needs to happen is for the folks at Amazon to allow me to pre-order the darn thing.

Additional proof that I have awesome readers

A few months ago, I mentioned (OK, whined) in this post that I was sad that the copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that I pulled from my childhood closet while home for Christmas was "sans boîte," as the French might say. (Sans boîte = without box, basically.)

Enter The Gay Gamer reader "sharc," who wrote in the comments section of that post: "Pretty sure I have a box for Ocarnia of Time sitting around somewhere. Gotta double check first, but you'd be welcome to take it. Encouraged, even."

After sharc and I exchanged e-mails on the subject, I promptly and rather surprisingly forgot about it. Until a few days ago, that is, when the box in the photo below arrived on my doorstep.



Please note the superb condition of said box. The reason it's in such great condition is that sharc packaged and shipped it with so much care that my usually cold and cynical heart (OK, that's somewhat, but not entirely, overstating things) nearly melted.

As you can see, the box and cartridge are getting along famously--despite the fact that they met just minutes before the photo above was snapped. Anyway, thank you, sharc, for making this, er, peculiar love affair possible!

From the back of my boyhood closet, part two

Remember how I mentioned in this post that some of the game-related treasures I pulled from my boyhood closet (while staying with my parents this past Christmas) surprised me while others brought a smile to my face thanks to the fond memories I have of them?

Well, the "find" seen in the photo below--the Nintendo 64 system that I received as a birthday present far too many years ago--falls squarely into the latter category.

One reason I have such fond memories of Nintendo's third console is that it was so uniquely--some would say strangely--designed and constructed. That bump on the top and those "wings" on the sides signaled to gamers of the day that this system was unlike any that came before it. (Its Batwing-shaped controller, which I also own but which isn't pictured below, suggested a similar changing of the gaming guard.)



Another reason the warm feeling of nostalgia washes over me whenever I think about the Nintendo 64: Despite its technical shortcomings, the system was home to a bevy of awesome games.

Speaking of which, I pulled more than just a still-in-great-shape Nintendo 64 system from my childhood closet a few months ago; I also pulled a pair of my favorite Nintendo 64 games from that cluttered space. One of those games, Paper Mario, can be seen in the photo above, while the second is none other than The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Sadly, I couldn't find the boxes that originally housed these games. I was able to find a rather crumpled manual for Paper Mario, though, so all of my digging wasn't completely without merit.

See also: Previous 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts

Remember that interview in which Shigesato Itoi mentioned a Mr. Saturn spin-off game?

Unless you're Japanese and you're old enough to have read the November 1996 issue of The 64DREAM magazine, you're probably shaking your head in the negative right now.

No worries. Lindsey over at the Yomuka! blog has you covered. She recently translated into English the above-mentioned interview--in which Shigesato Itoi not only chatted (briefly) about a Mr. Saturn spin-off (an action-puzzle game, to be more specific), but also discussed his original intent to make Mother 3 two-dimensional (back when it was still a Nintendo 64 game), his role in naming the Nintendo 64 and more.

Is it strange that I drooled over this screenshot as a teen?

Despite its age, the translated interview--which can be found here--is well worth a read if you're any kind of Mother/EarthBound fan (and, really, what self-respecting gamer isn't?).

See also: Other Mother-related posts

Happy 15th, Nintendo 64!

Can you believe that the Nintendo 64 was released 15 years ago as of yesterday? (Or was it as of today? Wikipedia says it hit the streets in North America on Sept. 29, 1996, while this ad suggests it hit the streets on Sept. 30 of the same year.) I can't.

I think my disbelief has something to do with the fact that I have rather fond memories of Nintendo's most curvaceous of consoles. As such, it sort of feels like the system was released just yesterday--not 15 years ago as of yesterday.

Wikipedia never lies, though, so I'll have to put aside those feelings of disbelief for the moment. Instead, why don't I share a few of my most cherished memories of the console that prompted Nintendo's marketing folks to come up with the oh-so-90s slogan of "Get N, or get Out!"

1. The earliest days of the Nintendo 64 sure were interesting, weren't they? At the time, the system was known as "Project Reality" and everybody believed the system would push graphics that would make high-end computers blush. That didn't mean much to me until I saw some screenshots of what was then called Final Fantasy 64. I know the graphics of this demo are hardly impressive today, but back in 1995 (which is when I first saw them in the pages of Diehard GameFan) they were a revelation.

2. As much as those screenshots piqued my interest in the Nintendo 64, I didn't get one at launch. In fact, I had to wait two months before getting one--for my 20th birthday. I also got a copy of Super Mario 64, of course. Strangely enough, I distinctly remember my college roommate and I playing the hell out of the game that weekend while listening to Cyndi Lauper and Sade. (News flash: He's gay, too--and he bought me both artists' greatest hits albums as birthday gifts.)

3. A year or so later, that same guy and I moved into an apartment (actually, it was more of a townhouse, but that's neither here nor there) with four girls. Surprisingly, all of them were gamers, at least to an extent. Super Mario 64 was our go-to game, and we joyously and regularly took turns playing through its many stages. I don't recall if we ever actually finished the game together, but I wouldn't be surprised if we did. We literally played it every day (and night) for quite some time.

4. If I were forced at gunpoint (hey, it could happen!) to name my favorite Nintendo 64 games of all time, I'd probably go with (in alphabetical order, not necessarily order of preference) F-Zero X, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Paper Mario and Super Mario 64. I also have a soft spot for Mischief Makers and Pokemon Snap.

I'm sure this admission will shock absolutely no one who has been coming to this blog for any amount of time, but all of these memories make me want to go out and buy a Nintendo 64 and a bunch of games. Thankfully, I know the system and at least two of the titles mentioned above are sitting in a closet in my childhood home. Maybe I'll have to have my parents ship them to me for my upcoming birthday--you know, so I can traipse through Super Mario 64 for old times' sake.

The 10 fruitiest games (of which I'm aware)

Here’s an admission you won’t come across on just any gaming blog: I love fruity games.

Now, when I say “fruity games,” I’m not talking about Captain Rainbow or Cho Aniki; I’m talking about games that are packed with so much actual fruit they should accompany every Edible Arrangements® order.

Anyway, I've played a good number of “fruity” games over the years, with the following being my favorites:

Animal Crossing--I wouldn't say shaking fruit out of trees is the highlight of this "life simulation" game--for me, that would be catching bugs, butterflies and fish--but it's certainly a hell of a lot of fun. (My favorite fruit in the game? The peach!)

Bubble Bobble--My favorite moment in this Fukio Mitsuji-designed quarter-muncher occurs when I defeat the last enemy and a giant piece of fruit (or some other food item) drops from the top of the screen. Why can't every level end this way?

Coryoon--This crazy PC Engine cute ‘em up would be well worth the price of admission even if fruit didn’t pop out of defeated enemies like they were the world’s healthiest piñatas (see screenshot above) thanks to its crisp, colorful graphics, cheerful music and tight controls. Plus, it stars a baby dragon!

Don Doko Don--Sure, this Taito-developed title has nothing on the fruity games that seemingly inspired it (namely Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands), but that hardly means it's bad. In fact, it's pretty darn good--especially if you like hammer-wielding dwarves.

Monster Lair--Is there anything more satisfying than coming across certain pieces of fruit in this game (above) and then shooting them until they erupt into even more pieces of fruit? OK, so I’m sure there are many more satisfying experiences in all of video game-dom, but I’m not sure there are in this particular title.

The New Zealand Story--I have to admit, the fruit in Taito’s cute-but-challenging platformer (see screenshot below) pales in comparison to its cool bosses, inflatable ducks and laser guns. Still, the apples, grapes and melons (no, not those kinds of melons) eradicated enemies leave behind serve to make this already sweet game even sweeter.

Pac-Man--The arcade classic that prompted my semi-obsession (is there such a thing?) with fruity games. Why does the titular Pac-Man collect fruit? I have no idea, although I imagine the answer to that question makes about as much sense as the answer to this one: "Why does he chase ghosts?"

Parasol Stars--Like its predecessors, Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands, Parasol Stars (below) throws more than just fruit at players; it throws jewelry, pastries and vegetables at them, too. Is that more enticing and exciting than the title’s frantic gameplay? Actually, sometimes it is.

Rainbow Islands--What does Rainbow Islands offer gamers that Parasol Stars doesn’t? Rainbows, for starters. Oh, and stars! That’s not to say it’s a prissy pushover--in fact, it packs quite a punch in terms of bosses, enemies and levels. Just think of the fruit--and treats and veggies--you collect along the way as sweet rewards for your troubles.

Yoshi's Story--I know this fruit-filled platformer gets a lot of hate (probably because it pales in comparison to its predecessor, the amazing Yoshi's Island), but I've always had a bit of a weakness for it--and its (admittedly saccharine) theme song.

Note: This post was adapted from one that originally appeared on my other gaming blog, iwasateenagepcenginefan.wordpress.com.

10 video games that made my life gayer (#6): Super Mario 64

Shigeru Miyamoto and his team at Nintendo of Japan sure hit it out of the park when they moved Mario into the third dimension, didn't they?

I remember being absolutely amazed by Super Mario 64 when it was unveiled at Nintendo Space World in 1995. A year later, after receiving a Nintendo 64 and a copy of the game as a birthday gift, I was even more amazed as my college roommate and I played through it during a wintry Thanksgiving weekend.

The fact that my roommate played it at all was amazing in its own right, as he was (and still is, I believe) otherwise completely repulsed by the idea of playing video games. (He's a twink, what else would you expect?)

If that doesn't speak to the game's accessibility, I don't know what does.

I didn't include Super Mario 64 on this list because it's accessible, though; I included it on this list because it's enjoyable. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it is one of the most enjoyable games--if not the most enjoyable game--I've ever played.

The aforementioned roommate and I played an awful lot of Super Mario 64 that year, and the next year my new roommates (all five of them) and I played it even more--and all the while we had huge smiles plastered on our faces.

Sure, we liked how the game controlled and looked and sounded (especially that wacky, hillbilly-meets-Mario "Secret Slide Theme"), but what kept us coming back for more (and more and more and more) was that the game was fun with a capital "f."

See also: all of the previous '10 video games that made my life gayer' posts

Betty White called; she wants her N64 back.

OK, so the N64 in the following image isn't Betty White's. In reality, it belongs to blogger James Wragg's girlfriend.

Wragg bought, painted and presented the system to his girlfriend as an anniversary gift earlier this year.

Although Wragg calls the Cath Kidston-inspired design "a travesty to mankind everywhere," I beg to differ. Kind of.

(Via kotaku.com)