Hello, all! Picorine here – nice to be in such good company. As indicated, I’m a first-time blogger, so this should be an interesting (and fun) new experience. My friend Yvonne was kind enough to extend me the invite, as she knows I love to write and, of course, to game! Like many of you, I also love to discuss my favorite titles & series, and I tend to get really passionate about them. It’s always cool to find others who are just as enthusiastic. 😛
I’m 41 (will be 42 this month) and I live with my partner in coastal VA (US). We have a teenage daughter and a son just out of his teens. We also have a slew of furry “children.” All 4 of us (humans) enjoy video games, though it’s my daughter’s passion that truly rivals my own. She’s inherited my zest for many of the same series and devotes much of her artwork to it. When my son was younger, he used to create his own AC character guide manuals. And I’ve convinced my SO to take up Breath of the Wild, his first Zelda. He has since ran with it, and I have to vie with him daily for Switch-time!
My name is Sarah, but for the site, I decided to mix things up a bit. Picorine is a nod to one of my very favorite games, The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap. (In this GBA gem, the Minish – also known as the Picori – help our fearless hero, Link.) I’ve been almost exclusively a Nintendo gal since starting my gaming adventures at 11 or 12. There were exceptions, like the occasions when I visited my aunt & her husband, who owned an Amiga. The games were such fun, and I cherished every precious hour I got with it!
Being a kid of the 80’s & 90’s, I got to grow up alongside Nintendo, and be at the center of that golden era of gaming. I feel lucky in that respect, but in my household you weren’t allowed to just while away the hours inside on a videogame.. When my dear Dad sent me an NES for my 13th or 14th b-day, I was over the moon! But I rarely got time alone with it. Then I somehow wound up with The Legend of Zelda as a gift, and I would sneak in my room to lose myself in that new world. It was exciting, exploring or burning the bushes, and sometimes coming upon hidden entrances. Instantly, I was hooked!
My mid-20’s though is where I really hit my stride and played to my heart’s content! I had missed out on so many greats during the NES & SNES days, not having access. Never again would I be held back from my passion (only by lack of funds lol). One of my prized purchases was the GameCube I got myself, and it was the source of countless hours of pure joy. (Still hoping for that GC Virtual Console, anytime now)! I’d cart my console with me over to family members’ homes, hooking it up to their tvs during overnight visits. Oh, the looks I got lol. But Wind Waker, Animal Crossing, and Paper Mario beckoned!
My favorite systems have been the N64, GameCube, GBA, DS, and 3DS. I’m currently trying to track down a lot of DS titles I missed out on and I’ve compiled a must-buy list. I love bright & colorful RPG’s, adventure, puzzle & mystery, racing, and simulation games. A few of my very favorite titles include: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door; LoZ: Wind Waker; LoZ: Majora’s Mask; Conker’s Bad Fur Day; LoZ: Minish Cap; Pokémon: Platinum; Professor Layton: Last Specter; Animal Crossing; Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar; Hotel Dusk; and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.. I’ll be making the occasional retro (or current) game review, which I hope you’ll enjoy! 😛
Welcome! Nice read!
Would you mind posting your must buy DS list?
Hi there, and thank you!
Well, here’s the list I’ve got so far, off the top of my head. Many of the games I’d either 1) not heard of when they were out, or 2) didn’t think they were for me at the time:
• Trace Memory (it’s on its way in the mail to me!)
• 9•9•9: 9 Hours 9 People 9 Doors
• The Last Window (sequel to Hotel Dusk, not released in NA)
• Chrono Trigger
• Lost in Blue 1 or 2 (not sure which one is better)
• The World Ends With You
• a Mana game (something in this series)
• Contact (not sure about this one)
• Magicians Quest: Mysterious Times
..Seems like a good start, I’d think! Excited to start Trace Memory by the weekend
Let us know how Trace Memory is. It only gets a 70 on Metacritic. Looks like something my wife or myself might enjoy.
I know my oldest has enjoyed the whole Zero Escape series.
I don’t recognize several that you have listed.
Chrono Trigger is a classic, never played it. The World Ends With You was well loved I think.
I have Magician’s Quest: Mysterious Times and never played it. Gamestop was getting rid of alot of their DS games for cheap and this was one of the titles, I found nothing but great reviews for it. I drove around to several Gamestops just to find 3 copies for myself and my sons. I think they were only $4.00 or so.
Thanks for that feedback. Yes, Trace Memory arrived today – I’ll be sure to let you know what I think! Might even do a retro review for it..
You got quite lucky, then! That’s a steal of a price. The Magician’s Quest game goes for $50 or more now (pre-owned/complete)! A number of the group Yvonne has were all playing it at the time, and I missed out. Wish I had been aware of such a great DS sale back then. I’m a long-time GameStop’er, though I’m only in there sporadically.
It’s nice to see the Amiga get a mention 🙂 I’m a big Amiga fan! I was raised on that system. Can you remember any Amiga games in particular?
Oh, you’re an Amiga enthusiast yourself, eh, Jonah? I was so amazed back then. My aunt & uncle were the only one I knew who had a computer then! And I didn’t get to visit them often enough..
I don’t remember titles from then, but i looked it up, and I believe one was:
Adventure (original text adventure game). No graphics, but very immersive, and hard!
Another was one I can’t find the title of–but it involved your grandpa having invented a time machine or something, and you had to find him in the future where guitar picks were currency! What a hoot.
Welcome to blogging on here! Looking forward to seeing your other posts on here.
thegamingdiaries, thanks for that! Much appreciated ^_^ I’m looking forward to that, and exploring more of the blogs here, too!
Welcome, Picorine! Loved reading your background story and can’t wait to read some of your blog posts! 🙂 We love a lot of the same games, including Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon!
Hello there, and thanks! I’m glad you liked the backstory. 😀 Yes, def a big AC fan, and looking forward to when we (one day) get a Switch game. Here’s hoping! 😉 I also have the newest HM (and hoping to do a review). Just haven’t had much time to play lately. So many great games coming down the pike lately!
Haha, yes hopefully we’ll hear something about a new AC Switch game very soon! 🙂 I have the newest Harvest Moon game too, but not sure when I’ll get to it, as I want to finish Super Mario Odyssey and a couple other games first! So many good games and not enough time to play 🙂