Galvanised First Post Striking Fist X-Formation (Japanese Collector's Edition Tin)

So here it is, the first post on my attempt to crack the 100s of video games I have bought, found, begged for and (on one occasion) stolen over the past 20 or more years. C'mon it was a copy of Kid Icarus, boxed, in really good condition for the NES, sat in a cupboard in my local Youth Club. They didn't even know it was there, and I didn't even own a NES. Oh shit... So maybe you're starting to get the picture. I am becoming O.C.D. about owning video games, to the point that I have a growing number of them sat on my shelves unplayed, not just unplayed but in some circumstances sealed, shrinkwrapped, untouched by human hand. I never wanted this.

So lets go back...It was Christmas 1984, the usual mountain of toys, sweets, and other novelties lay strewn across the living room floor in heaps, torn wrapping paper scattered everywhere like a post 4th of July celebration. Then my dad brings in this huge wrapped box, its a surprise joint present for me and my brother. What the hell could it be? we wasted no time in finding out. When the paper was finally off what sat before us was a thing of wonder...An original Atari VCS, wooded out to the max. Jeez that thing looked futuristic. And with it, copies of Combat, Space Invaders and Pac-Man. It had begun. As the years marched on the Atari lost its shine, as did every subsequent machine as hardware grew in power and scope, The Commodore 64, The Atari ST, The Gameboy, numerous arcades on trips to the seaside all came and went, fuelling my love of the medium. But it wasn't until 1992 when my friend sat me down in front of Street Fighter II on the Super NES that I knew this fascination wasn't going to go away. Since then the games have gotten more obscure, searching every corner of eBay for games I read about in some other obscure corner of the internet. Rom hunts leading to ever more engaging experiences with the hardware of old. Scavenging car boots and charity shops, searching for that one gem you might find nestled in amongst the bloody FIFAs, and yes I did find an immaculate copy of Symphony of the Night for a quid on one such hunt. Its those moments that make it all worth it. But have I played it? The answer is no. I haven't played Symphony of the Night, I haven't played literally 100s of games I have picked up over the years. So that is where this blog comes in I am setting myself the challenge of playing and reviewing every single game I own. But where do you start Matt? Well I suppose it better be with my first ever console purchase (I don't collect computer games), it was Super Mario Land on the Gameboy and was not only my first console game, but was my first experience of Nintendo, my first experience of Mario, and my first ever console. So Matt do you only own and are gonna be reviewing obvious shit like Super Mario Land that we've all played a million times before? Dear reader take a look again at the title of this blog. Trust me, when I get to my Brazilian only copy of Street Fighter II on the Master System you'll already have read some seriously sofa shaking reviews on some of the more harder to find console games out there. Infidel