PixlBit

Yeah, I love that each mainline Sonic game on the Genesis kept getting progressively better. I have very fond memories of playing Sonic 3 and Knuckles countless times.

Don't worry Cary- This is a tomato-free zone. You're safe here!

Yes! I remember the commercials for the cartoon back then. My brother pointed out that Jaleel White did the voice. I was floored at the notion that an actor can play more roles than just the one he's known for.

Personally, I've never had issues with the controls on the 16-bit Sonic games. But I agree that this first game was not built for speed. the sequels kinda struggled with it in parts as well. I think that's a big reason why Sonic is downright hated by certain folks. The whole speed thing was more branding hype than factual.

I haven't seen R-Type Final 2 yet. I should probably get that soon. Most R-Type games are fairly difficult for me, but I enjoy the series anyway.

Although I was late getting into RPGs with the FF7 demo back in the day, I say that the golden age of RPGs was firmly in the late Super Nintendo/Game Boy era through the entire lifespan of the PSOne. Square was at the forefront of it and they could seemingly do no wrong until they started making PS2 games and there was a sharp decline in the quality of their non-RPGs properties. 

My biggest take away what that the Metroid franchise is far from dead. I pre-ordered that Metroid Dread ASAP. The special edition was sold out of course, but I really couldn't afford to drop $90 on it anyway, so I'll just stick with the game and be happy.

I also pre-ordered the Zelda Game & Watch because it really looks like something I'd enjoy, even if it's just in the watch mode. I got the Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch a few months ago. I still need to find a place for it in my office.

I'm glad you mentioned Centipede. I first discovered that game when a friend gave us her Atari 7800 console with a huge bag full of 2800 and 5200, and 7800 games. Centipede and Millipede were included in the bunch. I'd like to review those games someday, though I could barely get past the first stage in many cases. It was a little too twitchy for my tastes.

Heeey...I just thought of something. Doesn't Paper Mario on the N64 heavily feature trappings of a stage play? Maybe that was is the idea from SMB 3 coming to life in a more realized way. Now I gotta play Paper Mario!

Thanks for the insights Cary!  Funny you should ask about Galaxian 3. The only way I found out about it was through playing Ridge Racer (or perhaps the sequel, Ridge Racer Revolution). One of the billboards in the game has Galaxian 3 on it. Years later, I got curious and searched for it on YouTube. Sure enough, I found a video of the real theater game. I could have played it back then. I'm jealous, man!