In the worst case scenerio, I'll never get to actually play my Neo-Geo systems.  Even if that turns out to be the case, I'm still glad I have them.  They're the most prized of all the trophies in my gaming collection, and the next best thing to having an arcade cabinet in my living room (without the hernias or the massive shipping charges!).

After competing in a tournament held at a local LAN party, I've discovered that I'm the second best Mario Kart player in Mount Pleasant.  That's worth a bandanna and a Serious Sam II poster, if the prize I received is any indication.  I had a shot at first place, but there was a twist at the end of the tournament that would have made even M. Night Shaymalan jealous! 

Instead of the usual Double Dash race, the other finalist and myself were pitted against each other in the battle mode of the very first Mario Kart game!  To say I was unprepared for this would be an understatement... it's been years since I've played an honest-to-goodness Super NES!  I started out strong, but an inability to properly use the feather power-up was ultimately my downfall.

I don't usually talk about the business side of gaming, but fortunes are changing so wildly for several industry leaders that even I can't resist getting in my two cents.  Take-Two, Electronic Arts, and Atari have all been rocked with heavy losses, while Capcom is finally raking in the big bucks after limping through most of the 21st century with stagnant licenses (Street Fighter, Mega Man) and innovative but ultimately unsuccessful new franchises (Phoenix Wright, Viewtiful Joe).

It would be easy to predict an industry crash at this point... even Nintendo seems a little worried that it could happen, if this report from Joystiq is any indication.  However, I've been making that prediction every year for the past thirteen years, and it has yet to happen.  There will be changes in the future, for sure... old industry giants will crumble, and new ones will arise to take their place.  However, I have a funny feeling that, even after all the chaos, the gaming industry will be around for many years to come.  It may be a completely different animal in a decade, but it'll still be here.

First on the menu is Mega Man Collection.  I'm late to the party on this one, I know... it was released nearly two years ago, and I only recently added it to my personal library, after the price of used copies dropped to a reasonable fifteen dollars.  I've spent about an hour and a half with it so far, and it seems like a pretty solid collection of Mega Man's earliest adventures, with only a few minor flaws. 

Of course, those flaws don't seem so minor when you're itching to use your favorite game controller, and Mega Man Collection refuses to acknowledge its existence.  Like Namco Museum 50th Anniversary, Mega Man Collection actively searches for analog joypads, and refuses to operate without them.  And just like Namco's latest Museum release, there's no logical reason to limit the player to a controller poorly suited to games that required, at most, a single joystick and four buttons.

If you can stand being anchored to a Dual Shock 2 while playing these games, you're bound to have a good time with them.  Atomic Planet's done a fine job with the emulation... I played through the original Mega Man in its entirety and all my old strategies worked perfectly.  I even managed to develop a few new ones while fighting the Rock Monster, beating him for the first time ever without using the Select button as a crutch!

Fans of the series know that Mega Man is even more fun when he's powered up, and the upcoming release for the PSP confirms it.  After playing the demo version of Mega Man: Powered Up on the Mega Man X: Maverick Hunter disc, I'm very much looking forward to the final release.  Capcom's done a great job of balancing the old with the new... the polygonal graphics give the game a 21st century sheen, while retaining the cartoony charm that was a signature of the original series.

Maverick Hunter's not too shabby, either.  I gave that a quick spin as well, and was impressed with what little I saw of it.  Mega Man X is probably my least favorite of the four Mega Man series, but I can't deny that Capcom has put a lot of effort into this remake... a lot more than they invested in Mega Man Legends. 

Out of all the Mega Man games for the PSP, Legends is the least likely to make an appearance in the United States, and when you see the blocky textures and rough polygonal edges, you'll understand why.  It's hard to say why Capcom chose to port Mega Man Legends directly to the PSP without any improvements to the outdated visuals... a little cel-shading would have done wonders for the game!

2/1/06