PixlBit

My girlfriend and I am going on a short vacation to our old college in central New York this weekend. Among other things, I'll be looking to see if that arcade machine, Sky Shark, is still there in the pizza shop I used to go to. The odds aren't good after so much time. But anyway, I played a lot of games this mid-week-end that I have (I'm off wed/thurs regularly) trying to decide what to keep of my 90s game collection. 

Sega Genesis

X-Men - An action platformer, not a brawler like I should've known, but I liked playing as Nightcrawler who can warp around with his special move. It's not terrible but as most platformers, it's hard. Keeper for now. 
PGA Tour Golf II - Same as the first game with, I think, new courses. Plays great. Keeper.
Battleship - This has some new modes where you play turn-based, top-down view battles with a variety of weapons. It reminds me of Intellivision's Sea Battle in a lot of ways. I didnb't understand how to control the missiles or get reliable hits on ships. I just mashed away and hoped to win. It's not bad. I just need to learn some things about it first. Keeper for now.
Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego - Actualy quite interesting. You travel through time and location hunting a criminal, gathering clues and forming a profile of the thief. You have limited time, measured every time you travel or question someone. You better ask the computer to analyse your profile before you send the robot to capture the thief or he'll get off because you didn't get a warrant. I found that out the hard way, twice. Keeper. 

Super Nintendo

Arcana - I played a little bit before I realized I need to make a graph paper map as I go or get lost. Yes, I could just look up a completed map on my phone and use that, but it's part of the fun to make it yourself. So I stopped until I get some paper. The game plays very well. I even trundled through the first level of the labyrinth with just myself, a slyph and a npc without getting party wiped. I like a game that doesn't brutally stomp me on the first level (I'm talking to you Souls games!). KEEPER.

GB/GBC

Alleyway - Can't stop, won't stop. The black & white graphics make it easier to see on that tiny screen. I like the way the game slowly ramps up difficulty too. SLOWLY. Keeper.
Space Invaders - This is the SI game that adds enhancements in the 90s. You can pick a ship type, UFOs drop power-ups, and there are boss battles. Now if I only had that Super Game Boy Player and a true SNES deck, I could more easily see it on the big screen. NEWS FLASH! I just found out the Super Game Boy Player will work on my Retron 3! I WILL be getting one. Keeper. 
Super Breakout - It's in color, which is cool, but it has the annoying double speed up when you hit certain bricks like the original had. Its paddle is a little iffy on the edges too; meaning, it misses sometimes when you are going for an edge hit. Keeper for now. 

Playstation

Hot Shots Golf 1 and 2 - It plays really well and simply like the PGA Golf series but with almost claymation style characters and bright colors. I like the crowd sounds and "great shot" narration. My only issue is that in HSG 2 the dot on the hit meter almost matches the color of the meter itself, making it hard to see. I got used to it, but I had to really focus on it. I wish I could change those colors to make the dot stand out a bit more. I like that you can level up and unlock new courses. Also unlock new characters by beating them on the course. I can't wait to try HSG 3 on my PS2 next month. Keepers. 
Warhammer Shdow of the Horned Rat - I have a friend at work who is a Warhammer fan, and so I got this to sample some of that. It's cool. It's a RTS during a time when most of those were on PC. I found it was a bit clunky to control on a console, as you would expect. It's not overly complex though, which is good. I just think I'll leave the RTS games for the most recent consoles or PC. Trade. 
Final Fantasy IX - I played this when it was on Game Pass a while back and did almost exactly the same thing and died fighting that plant holding one of my characters in the first part of the game. Half way through the battle they tell you to heal up the captured one, but not how. A potion in her direction doesn't seem to do it. Then she dies and a game over screen appears. I will say this, the long intro is fabulously gorgeous even on the original Playstation. I love how you are able to interact with the opening events and not just watch a long cut scene. I guess I'll look up a solution to that annoying first boss and get farther in it sometime later but probably on digital. Trade.  
Road Rash - An old favorite. I forgot it has FMV scenes between races. I love the grunge music throughout too. I became a fan of Soundgarden through this game back in the 90s. The racing does seem a bit wobbly at first but once you get going you realize you have a good bit of control and can stay on the road and battle your fellow racers (and the cops) along the way. I love the speed and the wacky accidents that happen every so often. Also buying new bikes which get faster and faster and the races longer and longer. My friend and I played the heck out of this back then. KEEPER. 

Playstation 3

Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition - I finally had to stop playing this out of frustration. Why I continually end up in underpowered situations, I still can't figure. I'll add to that the slight discomfort of the Playstation controller compared to the Xbox one when in a firefight. I moved on to the next game. 
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection -  One of the best collections ever in my opinion. I played the following games:
Golden Axe III in order to unlock Golden Axe Warrior which I then played. GAW is a straight up Zelda clone and I couldn't get into it. 
Fatal Labyrinth - Kind of a cool rogue-like but you kind of die alot. I don't like being a Sir Diealot. 
Alex Kidd in Miracle World - I started playing the games from A-Z for trophies. I discovered you can break floors and ceiliings in this and managed to get enough gold to unlock the interview with the developer (and trophy). She is apparently the one behind Phantasy Star IV as well. Super!
Alien Storm - I surprised myself in being able to get to chapter 3 without losing a guy. It is a side scrolling brawler and a FPS as if it were a light gun game. Nice combo. 
Altered Beast - I love the transformations in this game but it's always tough. 100K goal for the first level? I think I got 5K. 
Beyond Oasis - I got that water spirit finally and the trophy. What a cool action game. The water spirit becomes a companion which can shoot bubbles that do damage to foes or heal you up. Frickin' cool. 

Xbox Series S

Puzzle Quest Immortal - I literally started losing easy battles and rage quit/deleted it. I read up a Paladin build that wrecks house, but my chosen Druid couldn't do nuttin'. I guess one day I'll build a character right and beat this thing. My friend beat it quite fast actually. I guess I'm stupid. 
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition Remastered - This is the remastered version of the PS3 game I played. It has lots of lovely enhancements that make playing it so much better. I beat the main game and played through two of the four DLC missions before getting into yet another underpowered situation in T-Bone Junction (General Knoxx DLC) that made me rage quit/delete it. What is it? I carefully upgrade my weapons as I go, observe the level of foes to make sure they aren't too far ahead of me and still, still I experience low power moments when all my gear seems suddenly obsolete. I just don't get this game and its leveling of equipment. 

And that's all for this week. Quite a lot really, but I like to play a variety of games until one just sucks me in completely.