PixlBit

Stage Select:

I've seen two approaches to this question: actual gaming figures and gaming characters.

If we do the former:

1. Shigeru Miyamoto. Probably the single most powerful individual in video gaming.

2. Hironobu Sakaguchi. Popularized RPGs into the mainstream. Not to take away from the likes of Richard "Lord British' Garriott who did a lot of the early pioneering work in the genre.

3. Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari. He didn't invent video games, but he did bring them into the mainstream.

4. Kojima. I'm not as big of a MGS fan as other people here, but Kojima has earned his place.

For characters, I'd put up Mario, Link, Pac-Man, and Sonic. Those four characters put a recognizable face on gaming, but I realize that others might think that Geralt of Rivia, Snake, or some other less cartoonish character might be more appropriate.

Chrono Crossing: Although there were great games like TMNT, Dragon Warrior, and Faxanadu released this year, I'm going to go with Super Mario Land for the Game Boy. Sure, it was a half-sized Mario with a lot of weird concepts that never made it into mainstream Mario canon. The reason why it sticks out to me is that in 1989, it was incredible for 11-year-old Andrew to be able to play a handheld Super Mario game. The Game Boy was one of my favorite Christmas presents of my entire life. I still have my old Game Boy that's now nearly 30 years old. I guess the "correct" answer to this would be "Tetris," which is more universally known and could be argued to have more universal appeal. But the novely of Tetris has been long gone for me, while Mario is still as awesome as ever. I have a PS Vita and a 3DS now, plus every handheld that Nintendo ever made... but Super Mario Land was a miracle of technology in a time when most portable games were of the primitive Tiger/Game & Watch ilk.

This is me right now.

I tried a few DBZ games, but I hated the controls, which were incredibly stiff. This game might be worth checking out.

This is me reading about you getting a Switch and playing Breath of the Wild.

I've seen a lot of games in my head that I've always wanted. Zelda is one of the few series that eventually matches the vision of the games I dream of. Ever since I played the NES game I always wanted to get lost in a giant virtual world of Octoroks, Lynels, and Ganon.

I wasn't too bummed about the NES Classic. All the games it had were on Virtual Console anyway. It didn't include a lot of my favorite NES games. Some of them I get will never show up again due to licensing or lack of interest by the copyright owners, such as Ultima: Exodus (EA only cares about mass market AAA games), Metal Gear (I know Konami has disavowed this version in favor of the MSX original that you can get with MGS3 Subsistence) or Wizards and Warriors (Acclaim is long dead and I doubt Rare, MS, or Nintendo is going to bother tracking down the licensing). But games like Bionic Commando, 1943, Faxanadu, or Dragon Warrior 1-4 shouldn't have been too difficult for Nintendo to get.

The SNES classic looks a lot more tempting, as a lot of SNES games I liked are on there, though some SNES games are still missing. Would have liked to have had Mortal Kombat II and Zombies Ate My Neighbors. No Chrono Trigger is also a bit baffling. Still, can't go wrong with FFVI and Super Mario RPG.

N64 Classic will probably be missing games like Harvest Moon 64 and Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, maybe it will have Ogre Battle 64. I wonder if they'll be able to get Rare titles on there. The N64 is my least favorite Nintendo console aside from the Virtual Boy, but I'd buy it for Mystical Ninja.

I kind of hope Nintendo will make a Gamecube Classic Edition. In contrast to how much of a disappointment the N64 was for me, I loved the Gamecube. I could dig the Zeldas, Metroid Prime, and Tales of Symphonia on a little retro console.

Stage Select:

1. Aerith's theme that plays during a certain scene at the end of FFVII disc one.

2. Forever Rachel (FFVI): Though it refers to Locke's lost love, Rachel, the time I remember it best was on the deserted island scene when Celes finds the raft and Locke's bandanna after having attempted suicide.

3. The rendition of Saria's Song that plays in the Lost Woods in Twilight Princess has a sad air to it. I listen to that song on my iPhone over my car radio.

I thought from the title of this that the best use of toilets in video games was going to be discussed here, LOL.

Dunno. I have a lot of family in the East Valley, real estate is cheaper from Glendale on west. Also thinking of looking in Pinal County.

Sorry, should have specified. Valley of the Sun, which, as Snee said above, is a catch-all name for Phoenix and its surrounding suburbs, total population 4.3 million. I'm looking to become a first time homeowner, and I would like to do it here.

Fox, get this guy off of me!

Mostly RPGs. Playing Persona 5 and Trails of Cold Steel, looking into Valkyria Revolution. I got a real Vita (I had a Vita TV) courtesy of another 1UP alumnus, so I've been messing with that.

Working, and looking to buy a house here in the Valley.

I never was a big fan of Rare, even in the N64 days. I enjoyed some of their games, but I would honestly rather have had Square on the N64 instead. :(