I recall years back there used to be a tradition that anyone that reached 1000 posts was granted a special thread in which other people would ask random questions to the thread maker. Seeing how I flubbed my 1000th post by being slightly drunk, here I am totally sober and will make my 1005th post the big one. Instead of allowing other to toss random questions, I’ve decided instead to share and talk about my various collections, be it books, CDs, DVDs and whatnot. So expect this post to be on the long side. Grab a glass or cup of your favorite beverage and enjoy !
I’ll start with the music CD collection. This includes all the Game Music and other albums I own. So let’s get at them one by one.
A Trick of the Tail (Genesis)
This is one of those albums that if it rubs you the right way, it’ll stick with you forever. I’ll be honest and say that I have not heard anything else from the band, but what it presented here is nothing short of amazing. Phil Collins has a unique voice, almost a dream-like quality. If there’s anything else I’m absolutely fond of is the various keyboard solos sprinkled through the album. It’s all very pleasant and easy to get into.
Akumajo Dracula Best 2 (Konami Kukeiha Club)
One of the first non Squaresoft albums I ever purchased back in 1999. The music for Super Castlevania IV has always been a big favorite of mine, if anything it proved from the start what the SNES was capable of sound-wise. I have not heard a more glorious Castlevania soundtrack, IMO even Symphony of The Night doesn’t surpass this. I also have a soft spot for the Game Boy soundtracks of Castlevania : The Adventure and Castlevania II : Belmont’s Revenge. I had played those two so much back in the day that I was capable of blazing through them without dying once and the music certainly kept me going for more.
Border Down Sound Tracks (Yasuhisa Watanabe)
Few people got to try out Border Down when it got released on Dreamcast, it was a shoot-em-up that had the interesting idea that it got harder if you perished. Anyways, the music was a neat mix of jazz, rock, electronica and even synth-orchestra. While the soundtrack itself was awesome, the arrangements by Shinji Hosoe, Ayako Saso and Yousuke Yasui made it even more enjoyable.
Capcom Music Generation Famicom Music Complete Works Rockman 1~6 (Capcom Sound Team)
I believe very few people here haven’t heard of or played a classic Mega Man game. The music was always enjoyable and remained in our heads long after the game was turned off. It’s such a great example of how composers battled the hardware restrictions of the Nes and came up with some great tunes. I’ll admit that I have a prefference towards MM2, MM3 and MM4, but the other 3 as just as classic as these.
Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version (Nobuo Uematsu)
This was amongst my first purchases in 1998. I had played through FF3 several times and was in love with the music. I honestly cannot find a bad track on this album, everything is memorable. Too bad Uematsu has not managed to hit the same mark since. Might as well stick with the absolute best.
Fire Pro Wrestling Combination Tag (Yuzo Hayashi)
This is one that will raise eyebrows… This is actually an arrange album from 1989 but the age doesn’t hurt the quality at all. You’ve got 4 performers, 2 on keyboards, 1 on guitars and 1 on saxophones. It’s overall jazzy and very enjoyable. It also has one of the most awesome ending themes for any game ever. I’ll leave it at that.
Le Romantisme Espagnol (Bruno Jacques Pelletier)
This album stands out from the rest since it’s performed solely on acoustic guitar. No vocal, it’s 100% instrumental. It’s based upon some of the more popular spanish songs during the 16-17th century and so on. It has it moments of fast playing but it’s usually pretty mellow.
Master of Puppets (Metallica)
I have not heard all of their work, but from what I’ve heard this particular album remains the best. It has alot of aggressive songs that really pump me up and hit all the right chords with me.
Metal Works '73 - '93 (Judas Priest)
The other heavy hitter, pretty much all applies with the previous album except that this one varies the intensity a bit more. And Rob Halford is truly the Metal God. His voice is something else.
Musique Ancienne (Bruno Jacques Pelletier)
This is a bit diffrent from Le Romantisme Espagnol since the artist uses a custom-made 10-string classical guitar. The music is from various composers during the 16-18th century such as J.S. Bach and John Dowland to name a couple. As with the other album, it’s totally instrumental and the pace remains mellow.
Perfect Collection Ys I & II - Complete Works of Ryo Yonemitsu (Ryo Yonemitsu)
To the few out here who were fortunate enough to own a TurboGraphix 16 CD, you likely have played Ys Books I & II. This album contains arrangements that differ from what you’ve heard in the games. Some arrangements are better, others are not so good but overall it’s a pleasant album.
Perfect Selection Konami Shooting Battle (Naoto Shibata)
Here is one album I had my eye on for years. Many times it was just too expensive, so I had to wait for an opportunity to grab it cheaper. This album has some themes from Xexex, Ajax, Salamander, Gradius II, Thunder Cross and more arranged in a power rock style. So you get loads of guitars, drums and keyboards. This is another album that really energises me when I listen.
Raystorm Neu Tanz Mix (Tamayo Kawamoto)
Has anybody here played the playstation port of this game ? This music is from the “Extra” version of the game, so it’s all updated with better synths and provides some improvisations at points. It’s techno done right for one.
Samurai Spirits Image Album (Tate Norio)
People will recognise this better as Samurai Shodown on Neo Geo. This is another arrange album that trumps the original music by having live instruments used and arranging most of the themes in interesting ways. Most of it is dominated by traditional japanese intruments such as shamisen, taiko drums, etc…
World Heroes 2 Image Album (Various)
This is another Neo Geo fighting arrange album and provides even more variety with arrangements than the previous album. You’ve got rock, dance, world music, etc… It also helps that Ryo Yonemitsu (Same guy a couple of albums above) provides a couple of arrangements and rocks the house. It was the main draw for getting this album.
Now that the Music CDs are done, it’s time to move on to the DVDs. Understand that I have an obsession with anything '80s, so most of what I have is from that era.
Many are cult favorites, some are flops but definitely have their fans.
Aliens (1986)
The second installment of the Alien series, this film is all what an action film should be. You’re kept on the edge of your seat the entire time. Let’s just pretend Alien 3 and Alien : Ressurection never existed, ok ? 
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
I’ve always enjoyed the '80s films by John Carpenter starring Kurt Russel. Between this and Escape From New York, Big Trouble in Little China provides more laughs and doesn’t get too serious. And you gotta love those one liners by Russel’s character, Jack Burton. Makes me chuckle every time.
Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke (1978)
Before anyone refers to drug use, I haven’t done so and don’t plan to. I enjoy the film for the comedic situations the duo get into. I’ve seen pretty much all of their other films and they still can’t top their original.
Cobra/Tango & Cash (1986/1989)
One of these films stars Sylvester Stallone in one of his less popular films while the second one has him joined with Kurt Russel for an action movie with plenty of laughs. Cobra may be a B-movie to some, but I do enjoy this just as much as his Rocky or Rambo series.
Ghostbusters/Ghostbusters II (1984/1989)
Here a great example of a couple of films that mixes comedy and slight horror pretty well. Everybody knows about these, so there is no need to elaborate further.
The Goonies (1985)
Something about a bunch of kids looking for an old pirate ship and being pursued by bandits seem like a good idea for a film. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a heck of a wild ride !
Indiana Jones Box (Has all 3 original films)
When I think of adventure fims, it’s usually these that come to mind. Just straight up, no-nonsense, pure fun all the way. Not everybody enjoyed The Temple of Doom, but the other two made up for that.
Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)
Oh come on, folks ! You should’ve seen this one coming. It’s laughable by today’s standards, but I went in knowing what to expect. It’s a B-movie with lots of tarantulas. Aside from many being killed onscreen, it’s a sight to see.
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Like Aliens, this is another action film done right. It’s probably one of the better known films with Mel Gibson.
Mad Max 2/Mad Max 3 (1981/1985)
Some of the first films to have Mel Gibson act in. These movies had some incredible stunts that you don’t see in movies anymore. They all go for CGI because it’s cheaper and safer nowadays.
Masters of The Universe (1987)
I only vaguely recall the He-Man cartoons from the early '80s, so I was a bit lost at first in this live action version. It’s another flop but it definitely has its fans. It’s about as fun as Goonies IMO.
Police Academy 1-4 (1984-7)
What to say about these ? They juggle between action and comedy pretty well. Too bad after the 4th one it started getting bad.
Predator (1987)
Yet another action film done right. The final showdown is pretty interesting.
Robocop (1987)
Another great action film.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Bet you didn’t see this one coming, huh ? I’m usually not keen on musicals, for some reason this one keeps me interested. The music is phenomenal for one. And it has Tim Curry in his first role. Definitely a selling point
So for the books, I’ve got various tarantula care books, the entire Tintin series in french and some misc pet books, like lizards and dogs. I won’t bother going into those in detail.
What else ? Tarantulas of course.
Mexican Fireleg
I’ve had this one for over two years now and I’m very pleased with how much it has grown and how well it’s eating. It can be a pet rock, but that’s ok since it’s a beautiful pet rock.
Mexican Redknee
I’ve wanted one of these since I started keeping tarantulas. It’s the classic pet tarantula seen in many movies including Kingdom of the Spiders. Like the Fireleg, this one is growing nicely and is entertaining when it comes to feeding. It’s also a pet rock, which I don’t mind one bit.
Mexican Redleg
Given I’ve only received this one a couple of days ago, I can’t comment much except that it looks pretty like the others. I’m hoping it’ll have a good appetite as its cousins. With this one completes my trio of mexican tarantula females.
One last portion… would you believe I went back into gaming ?
Well… just a few games to keep me busy and to keep the 'ol brain working.
Front Mission (DS)
This is one game that I’ve never given the chance to grow on me. Now’s a good chance to get into it.
Final Fantasy V (GBA)
I would’ve picked FF6 if it were there, but FF5 is a strong contender. It’s one that I had enjoyed ever since fan translations started popping up online and this was in the late '90s, before I even knew of RPGC.
Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA)
The essential platformer. It’s alot easier than what it used to be, but it doesn’t hurt it’s fun factor.
So that is it.
More than enough to keep me busy for life.
