Max Engel - the 8BitKid » nes

Viral Video Fridays: Mega Man is Back! Edition

8BitKid — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:13:24 +0000

Last night I went to the “I Am 8-Bit” exhibit in LA, which features artwork inspired by vintage games. It was a ridiculously fun opening party, and I was stoked to spot several pieces inspired by my boy in Blue, Mega Man. There is a new 8-bit Mega Man game coming courtesy of Capcom, and I actually have a bunch of posters, if anyone is interested. Below is the opening sequence from the new game. This is the stuff dreams are made of…

Visiting My Gaming Past: The Top-Loading NES

8BitKid — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:34:00 +0000

I am about to hop on a plane back to LA after having spent the weekend in Albany, New York visiting my grandparents. Whenever I make it here it is always a reminder of all of the fun times my brother and I used to have when we would make the trip up from DC for fun-filled, parent-free weekends. Many of our elaborate Lego escapades are still on display, most likely untouched since we first proudly positioned them on the dressers years ago.

There is one toy that holds a very special place in my heart. The top-loading NES that still works perfectly in the basement has been the provider of countless hours of entertainment to all of the cousins. As one of the older grandchildren, I remember my devious instructions to my younger cousins that they could “help” me by controlling my fire with the second controller while I was dedicated to working my way through the bosses in Megaman. This was the only way to ensure that I was “sharing” while also working my way towards Dr. Wiley.

While I actually prefer the “dog bone” NES controller that shipped with the top-loader, I know there are fans who consider the redesign blasphemy. I also found this console to be more reliable than the original that served as my home console for many years.

The gap between my home console(s) and the NES that has remained in Albany has widened of the years, but there is always a sense of satisfaction and happiness in throwing on Super Mario Brothers 3 in a non-emulated way on a TV as old as I am and getting in some quality gaming time. Ah, nostalgia…

My 8-Bit Birthday Present

8BitKid — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:19:11 +0000

So on Sunday I went to celebrate Easter at my friends’, Steve and Kristin’s, house. While it for some reason involved an unusual amount of sombrero wearing, it also brought that standard excellent food, candy, and fun. In addition, they gave me my birthday present (we celebrated the week before; I was born on the “Ides of March”). Kristin made this most awesome throwback piece for me, and I was giddy when I got it. Now to find the wall space…

Play “Where’s Waldo?” Online

8BitKid — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:54:28 +0000

Every Monday I volunteer at 826LA to help kids with their homework and independent writing projects. Last week, the person I was tutoring finished all of his homework, and so we perused the book collection looking for something fun. He settled on a “Where’s Waldo?” book, and so we got to work putting our sleuthing skills to the test.

I had forgotten how much I had loved these books growing up, and so in my quest to get back in touch with my inner Waldo, found a site that has embedded a Nintendo emulator (thanks to Java) to play the NES Waldo game. Enjoy!

- Play “Where’s Waldo?” courtesy of “1980 Games”