Black Friday...who went?

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I know I did, and boy did I eat a ton! And we are now officially in the Christmas season! I love the holidays!

Friday morning, I braved the crazy shoppers in a frenzy, and went shopping. It's become a bit of a tradition to join my mom and sister in shopping on Black Friday. It's funny, because my dad and brother never want anything to do with it. But I enjoy the opportunity to buy things for 75% off, and the crowds really don't bother me. Plus, I like getting the opportunity to spend the time with my mom and sis.

My girlfriend joined us as we lined up at Circuit City at 4am. I really wish I had some kind of crazy story to share with you all, but I really didn't see anything nutty. The doors opened at 5am, we got it and got what we all wanted. I snagged up some cheap flash drives and recordable DVD's and CD-R's, several cheap DVD's and a few cheap video games, and I was out of there in under an hour. I didn't really go anywhere else after, though. Normally, I make a day out of it. But this year, I had to be at work for the local retail store I part-time at by 2pm, so I wanted to get some sleep beforehand.

Working in the evening wasn't so bad, either. The store was trashed, but that was expected. I did hear some insane stories about the mob of people fighting their way into the store in the morning, all vying for the 30 gb Zune that we had on sale. One of our employees actually got elbowed in the face by a crazy customer who pried her way through the exit door instead of waiting to go in the normal entrance. I can't believe how psycho some people get over a good deal!

I wish I would have witnessed some of this myself, but alas, I saw nothing special. So, what about the rest of you? Surely, someone out there has a crazy Black Friday story! Let's hear it!

A Retail Wii Experience

I just thought I'd share a little story with you all.

As you guys may or may not know, I work part time at a local retail store in the electronics department. Yesterday morning, we got a large shipment of 60 Wii's in to go on sale. Of course, there was a large line starting at 6 am for the systems, and we didn't even open until 9. I was brought in to work early to help with the sales.

We handed out tickets to everyone in line. One ticket per family. This would guarantee these people would get a Wii, and it was the only way we were selling them. We were wanting to be as fair as possible. Everything was going smoothly. I was having a blast, because these people were all so happy to be getting Wii's. You could tell most of them were parents buying X-Mas gifts, which I thought was awesome.

But then there was this group of kids in their later teens or so who somehow got a hold of several tickets. We caught them jumping back into the line after buying a Wii with different clothes on. When the got up to the register, my manager explained that we would not be selling them another Wii because we watched them jump back in line after changing shirts, and we already sold them one. They proceeded to argue, saying "We have a ticket, so you have to!" My manager just kept saying "Sorry, you already got one. One per guest, that's the rules." The kid wouldn't give up, he just kept saying "So what! I have a ticket! I want another one!" This is where it gets good, because all the customers then started yelling back at the kid. "Some of us are trying to buy these as gifts for our kids, and people like you are keeping us from getting them!" I sat back and smiled while all the other customers yelled at these punk kids until they finally gave up and left!

It was a great site to see people who really wanted a Wii to give as gifts triumph over a bunch of punks who were obviously trying to make money off of them.

Retro Wii!

I was browsing around online one day when I came across an image of a Wii-mote that was styled like an old NES controller. i though to myself "That is bad ass! I would so buy a Wii-mote that looked like that!" I began searching around online, out of curiosity. Soon, I came across a website called DecalGirl.com.

This site sells skins for just about every system there is. They have hundreds of different designs. But the one I cared about most was a Wii Skin that turns the look of your Wii into that of an original Nintendo Entertainment System. Normally, I'm not a skin kind of guy. I have a hard time putting stickers and such on my systems. I like the normal look, and am always worried about ruining it. But I just couldn't pass up the chance to retro-ize my Wii.

Bam! And there she is, in all her glory!

Now, there are actually two different "Retro" skins available at DecalGirl.com. I chose to go with the one that correctly resembles the style of the NES. The other one is colored similar, but does not match up with the original as well. I received my skins in the mail yesterday, and ran right downstairs to begin applying the skins to my Wii.

One thing I noticed pretty quickly is that the decals aren't stickers. Meaning, they don't have that very sticky feel to them. They are more clingy. Slightly stickier than a static cling, but not near as sticky as a sticker. Give you a good idea of how it feels? It's hard to be precise with them. I, of course, wanted to get them as straight as possible for the best look. Thus, I was constantly peeling them back off and reapplying them until I felt it was as straight as I could get it. The good news is that they peel off very easily, and left no sticky residue behind on my Wii. The website claims that this is how it will always be. I guess time will tell. If I leave these stickers on for a year, I'm guessing my Wii won't be completely clean. But I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong.

One of my problems is that no matter how straight I put on each sticker, some parts still did not match up correctly. For example, notice the stripe that runs down the Wii's side (or top, depending on how you display it.) It gets a little crooked towards the front of the system. And that is not because I put the stickers on crooked, trust me. I tried so hard to get that line to match up correctly, and it just wouldn't. It has to be the way the stickers were cut.

Once the decals were all applied, I was generally impressed with how sharp the system looked. The mismatched line was just a small gripe of mine. Overall, I think it looks fantastic. The decals are very professional looking, and have a nice shine to them. The decals seem tough, too. Smudges from fingerprints wiped off fairly easy with cloth. I was very happy with how it turned out.

Aside from the Wii skin, I also decided to buy the matching Wii-mote skin. This one, I'm a tad disappointed in. Don't get me wrong, I do think it looks pretty sweet! And it matches the system well. But with the Wii-mote actually bearing a close resemblance in shape and design to the original NES controller, it just seems like they should have done a better job of making a decal to match the classic controllers look. But, this isn't bad. And I do like the way it makes my Wii-mote look.The skins for the Wii-mote also came with a few small decals for the Nunchuk. nothing special, but it does liven it up.

As a set, the Wii-mote and nunchuk look pretty sweet with their new decals. So, again, I am very happy with the overall appearance.

I'm very happy with my purchase. This really gave my Wii some life. While I was always a fan of the shiny white casing of the Wii, nothing beats the ability to customize it into looking like it's great great great grandaddy. I guess the question is, should I display it in the stand like I normally do, or should I lay it down to better resemble the NES?

Be sure to visit DecalGirl.com if you are interested in doing your own custom Wii job!

Free Zelda Swag...REVIEWD!

As mentioned the other day, I received a nice little surprise in the mail from Nintendo. About a month back, I purchased The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for my Nintendo DS, which due to time constraints I still haven't beaten yet. At the time, Nintendo.com was running a pretty sweet little freebie deal. If you register your copy of Phantom hourglass on MyNintendo.com, you get a FREE stylus that is shaped like a feather quill pen! Since I register all of my Nintendo games any way, this was a no-brainer for me! So I registered the game, filled out a short survey, and soon I was sent notification that my Feather Pen Stylus would be shipping soon!

About a month later, I found this in my mailbox!

Hard to see? Yeah, I was surprised at the actual look of the stylus. When I saw that it was called a "Feather Pen Stylus," I actually expected it to have a real feather on it. But instead, it's just a clear plastic stylus that is shaped like a feather pen. And it's a bitch to photograph, being so clear. But, even though it doesn't look how I pictured it, I'm not disappointed. It's still a neat little stylus, and it was free! How can I complain?

As you can see, it comes in a neat little box. The outside sleeve of the box has the same brownish color that the game box sports, complete with image of a fairy (whose name escapes me at the moment.) The white box inside the sleeve is what actually houses the stylus with a neat, fuzzy black lining. That makes it feel like it's really important!
It's made of a nice, strong plastic, so it doesn't feel like it's going to break in my hands. The plastic is a lot harder than a normal DS stylus, but not to where you feel like you're going to snap it. And the plastic is unbelievably translucent. It's like holding a pen made out of glass, almost. It's really sharp looking in person. The images don't do it justice.

It actually fits in your hand nicely, too. I didn't feel uncomfortable holding it as I worried I might. It might also help that I'm used to holding the tiny stylus' the DS originally included, and not the fatter ones that come with the Lite. the size of the Feather Pen Stylus is in between those.

Overall, it's a cool little freebie. I still think it would have felt more special if it was a real feather, but no biggie. It was free, and it's got the Zelda banner on it, so I love it! You may want to check out Nintendo.com to see if they are still running this promotion. And if you missed out, at least now you know to check there on a regular basis. This isn't the first promo they have run, and I'm sure it won't be the last!

Woo! Free Zelda Swag!

I just went home for lunch to find a nice little package from Nintendo containing my BRAND NEW ZELDA FEATHER PEN STYLUS! Look for a review tomorrow!

Your Top Ten NES Games!

After watching THIS VIDEO from ScrewAttack.com, I was inspired to come up with my very own list of top ten NES games. just as it states in the video, every one's list is going to be different.There are so many great games out there for the ol' Nintendo Entertainment System, that it'd be a shame for everyone to have the same top ten! I wrote down a lot of NES game titles, and thought back on all of my wonderful memories with the system to come up with my personal top ten, and I think I finally have it. So, without further adieu, here is Mandalorian30's Top Ten NES Games!

10) JACKAL

Jackal was the first game I bought for my NES as a kid (not counting the SMB/Duck hunt combo that came with the system.) You control a military jeep battling your way through each stage blowing up tanks and running over enemy soldiers as you battle to rescue your captured men and take them to safety. The game is a pure blast to play with 2-players, and to this day, it's still a fantastic game.

9)Maniac Mansion

Ever played this one? It's a pure treasure on the NES. It is so in-depth and detailed for an 8-bit NES game. You get your options of choosing your own team of 3 characters at the beginning of the game. Who you choose determines the tasks you are able to accomplish during the game, and effects the ending as well. Full of humor and great game play, this one is a must have in my opinion.

8)River City Ransom

I'm not going to lie, I had a hard time at first deciding whether to put this game in this spot, or Double Dragon. But thinking back, I played and enjoyed River City Ransom far more. This was my all time favorite beat-em up game on the NES. 2-players is fantastic fun. The ability to buy books to learn new moves, and the many different weapons you can pick up and use are excellent. Plus, it has the same sprites as Super Dodge Ball, which I'll get to in a little bit.

7)Punch-Out

I never had the Mike Tyson version. But despite the end boss being different, it's the same game. And a great one, at that! I spent many hours in front of my TV playing this one! I practiced so hard, learning ever pattern there was to learn for every awesome character. Don Flamingo, Glass Joe, King Hippo...ahhhhh. What great memories!

6)Super Dodgeball

This is one I don't see on many top ten lists, but I do know that it has a lot of fans. I have many fond memories of playing this one with my dad as a kid. We would play it for hours on end, throwing that ball at each other and knocking ourselves silly, all while making up our own character voices and laughing hysterically. This will always be one of my favorite NES games. I'd highly suggest picking it up if you've never played it.

5)Contra

I'm guessing there is a good chance that even if this isn't on your personal top ten, it's still one of your favorite games. As a kid, everyone loved Contra. And now as an adult, everyone STILL loves Contra. And what's not to love? This game is simply awesome! Good news for fans of the original, if you have a Nintendo DS, get ready for Contra 4! It's going to play just like the original, and already looks phenomenal! I wonder if the Konami Code will work on it?

4)Ducktales

Surprise you that this one is so high on my list? Well, if you've played it, than it shouldn't. This game is one of my all-time favorite games, no joke! It's just so damned fun! I loved it as a kid,and I love it now. And I still can't get that awesome song from the Moon stage out of my head!

3)Super Mario Bros. 3

Being a fan boy, it was hard for me not to put Super Mario Bros. 2 in this spot. It was a tough call. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for that game, despite the negative looks most gamers give it. But, there's no denying the sheer awesomeness of Super Mario Bros. 3. To this day, it is still THE Mario game to me. None have surpassed it. Sure, Super Mario World for the SNES and Super Mario 64 for the N64 for fantastic, but nothing compares to the first time I sat down with this game. Finding the hidden whistles. Bowser's airships and the Koopa Kids. the freakin' Tanooki Suit! This game rocks!

2)Mega Man 2

I have always been a big fan of the original Mega Man series. I have all 6 for my NES, and have played through them all multiple times. But to me, nothing says "Freakin' awesome" like Mega Man 2! Improving upon the awesomeness of the first game, this game has great game play, awesome bosses, and most of all excellent replay value. I never get sick of this game! And even though Mega Man 3 and 4 are both almost equally as awesome, this one was always my favorite. Metal Man FTW!

1)The Legend of Zelda

You probably saw that coming. But it's the truth. From the moment I laid my eyes on the shiny gold cartridge, I was hooked. Awesome, challenging game play. Fantastic music. And an overall great feel. This instantly became MY game. And to this day, I am one of the biggest Legend of Zelda nerds you will meet. This game was the start of my all-time favorite video game series, and paved the way for many wonderful games. I love this game. I have played through and beat it several times, and it's always a blast. It has certainly earned it's place as my all-time favorite NES game!

So there you have it! That's my personal Top Ten NES Games! honorable mentions go to these other favorites of mine: Double Dragon, Little Nemo: The Dream Master, Blaster Master, Metroid, Ikari Warriors, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Castlevania!

Now, I want to see your list! Tell me your favorite NES games of all time!

Moving...bah!

I have spent the week getting moved into my new place. It's a nice place. A real nice place. And totally affordable. In fact, it's probably the nicest place I have ever lived. Plenty of living space, even for the guys who room together, and their girlfriends who will practically be living with them. But as much as I love the place, I hate, hate, HATE the moving and unpacking part! You with me on that? Of course you are...

Nobody likes moving. In fact, if you are some weirdo who enjoys packing up all of your belongings, stuffing them into several vehicles, and lugging them into a new home, then just get out of my blog now. You're strange, and I don't want you here while I'm in my "moving sucks" mode.

Once you get past all of the heavy lifting and car stuffing, you get to the unpacking part. the part where you want to set everything up, and find a home for all of your junk. Nerds, this is where you may relate to my problem. If you're like me, you probably have more than one nerdy item that you collect. For me, it's a mixture of action figures and small statues. Star Wars, He-Man, and Marvel Legends are my big 3. And as big as a room I have (I got the master bedroom), I STILL don't have room to display everything! So, I have no choice but to sift through all I have, and decide what is worthy of display, and what gets to live inside a tote for the rest of the year.

So, what do you do in this situation? I want to know! When you're moving, or even just rearranging, how do you decide what gets displayed, and what gets stored?