WWE - Old School Daze

Professional wrestling has, and will continue to be, a bigger part of The Holidaze because, since I was a kid, it's always been a huge part of my life.  I've touched on my stories and passion for the WWE in a few recent posts, but I always wanted to grow up to be WWE Champion.  Suffice it to say - that plan didn't necessarily work out.  But if I could land one dream job, in reality, it would be designing graphics for the WWE.  Those are amongst my two greatest passions and it's always been something I wish I pursued in some way, shape, or fashion.  When I posted the WWE Ice Cream bars, the WWE reached out to me and the Paul Heyman design was actually featured on the WWE app!  That was insane.  It's the closest I'll ever come to Superstardom and, at the end of the day, I can say I was showcased by World Wrestling Entertainment.  If you knew how much that meant to me, you'd understand how big of a deal that is.

I wanted to capitalize on the last idea and continue onward with another.  When there's downtime and we're not celebrating "The Holidaze," I'm always going to find ways to implement and celebrate what I love.  Whether it's wrestling, basketball, food, cartoons, nostalgia or my own personal life, I like changing things up on The Holidaze and doing more than just what's expected from this site's tradition.  Basically, I place no rules or restrictions on what I talk about as long as it interests somebody somewhere.

So running with an idea that came from by high school buddy and true WWE fan, I found some time to take old school WWF products and modernize for today's WWE.  Essentially, that's what I did with the Ice Cream Bars and I absolutely loved taking the old and making it new without changing the nostalgia attached to the overall feel.  It's that type of art and approach that I love spending time on when I have it.  

So here are a few new designs based on two of my favorite childhood products - action figures and video games!

I had the original King of the Ring Gameboy game, as is the case with every game featured tonight, and it's a clear indicator of how far we've come graphically.  On the original cover, Bret Hart was featured as the prominent superstar and when I think back to the King of the Ring, I'll always associate the Hitman with the crown.  Owen is, of course, a close second as the King of Harts.  In my version, I used Dolph Ziggler.  He's one of my favorite in-ring performers and one of the guys I'd love to see get a well-deserved push in the near future.  Along with him, we have Sheamus (the last King of the Ring,) Fandango (another guy with great talent,) and Roman Reigns (the next big thing.)

When I think of "Superstars," the television show, I think back to the early 90s.  I remember watching Superstars with my cousin and grandfather at his house on warm, sunny, Saturdays.  Nowadays, Superstars is used as a tool to showcase the up-and-comers who have plenty of potential and are on pace to be the Superstars of tomorrow.  In this edition, I showcased Sin Cara, a favorite of children, Big E. Langston, the Intercontinental Champion and, one of my personal favorites, Zack Ryder.  Ryder is a guy who should be in the top tier of talent, but has been kept at the bottom for one reason or another.  Perhaps a change in character is needed, but I'm a big fan of Ryder and positioned him in place of the immortal Hulk Hogan on this modernized Superstars Game Boy Game.

Whenever I went down the shore to spend hours upon hours in the arcades, there were 3 games that always wiped me clean of my quarters - TMNT: The Arcade Game, The Simpson's, and WWF WrestleFest.  WrestleFest was one of the most amazing games I'd ever played because of the graphics.  Compared to Nintendo and Sega, arcade games were so far advanced that it was amazing to see my favorite Superstars in all their glory.  We were able to pick from a wide array of wrestlers and work our way up through the ranks to a title match.  Everything from the music to the visuals are a nostalgic hit for me and I still go back and play this classic on emulators.  This was an ad for WrestleFest that I updated to include today's top stars.

Super WrestleMania on Sega Genesis was never one of my favorites, but I really love the box art and definitely had to update this one for today's WWE and this year's WrestleMania 30.  I wanted to incorporate the three top matches represented in New Orleans so I chose the 5 Superstars you see above.  John Cena, the true face of the WWE, represents his match with Bray Wyatt.  The Undertaker, who goes into WM at 21-0, represents his match with Brock Lesnar.  And, of course, Randy Orton, Batista, and Daniel Bryan represent the main event at WrestleMania 30.

Royal Rumble on the Super Nintendo was always one of my favorite console games and even though the box art wasn't all that creative, it surely holds nostalgic appeal and had to be included in this Holidaze set.  There wasn't much to it - I simply replaced classic Superstars with current, but I wanted it to look the original.  The red and white ropes, along with the black & white background, had to stay true to the original Super Nintendo game

I remember when I first heard about Raw for Sega Genesis.  My cousin called because he had just read about it in a magazine and couldn't wait to tell me that we'd soon be able to play as Diesel and Doink in a wrestling video game.  I couldn't have been any more pumped.  Then, when I finally saw a magazine myself, so many things stood out to me.  Of course, the characters were the selling point, but even at my young age I was drawn in by graphic design and I'll never forget seeing that box art for the first time.  It was so rough and rugged.  It was edgy and featured all of the Superstars we could play as in the game.  It was amazing and I couldn't wait to play it.  The game-play can't be compared to today's games, but we had a blast playing it at the time.  With this graphic design and updated version, I tried to stay true to the original.  Instead of Doink jumping, we have Kofi Kingston.  Instead of the classic Undertaker, we have today's bald Undertaker.  I love the way it came out, but it was probably the most difficult to recreate of this bunch.

As a kid, I was a huge collector of WWF Hasbro action figures.  My parents bought me every one they found and I honestly think I had every single one of them by the time I was through.  Of course, I didn't keep them carded - I played with them.  I beat the hell out of those figures, especially during Royal Rumbles, to the point where they were covered in paint worn marks and had broken arms.  I remember when my Dad asked me to keep the 1-2-3 Kid packaged for when I'm older.  He knew it'd be worth something one day.  But before he even finished his request, I had that green card ripped open and the Kid in a match.  

As I grew older, I came to appreciate the art on cards and the design that went into them.  The TMNT cards will always be my favorite, but the WWF Hasbro figures are a close second based on nostalgia alone.  The originals, as recreated above, were red, white, and blue.  But as the series' continued, the card colors changed to signify each edition.  They were great and my favorite part was the little cartoon character on the front right.  For Zack Ryder, a true toy enthusiast, I recreated the classic card.  He's a big fan of the TMNT, Real Ghostbusters, and even liked a photo of Hermey on The Holidaze Instagram account.  If that's not enough to be immortalized in early 90s glory, then I don't know what it.  WWWYKI.

Hopefully you enjoyed this edition of WWE graphics because I think it's something I'll continue in the future.  Please feel free to share these images on the internet.  Maybe we can get back on the WWE app!

Post-Christmas Holidaze

Christmas is now three days old and, if you're anything like me, you're feeling those holiday blues.  I get them on November 1st, December 26th, and January 2nd.  It's knowing that another highly anticipated holiday has come and gone.  However, despite having to dedicate so much time to work and less to Christmas, I think this was a fairly successful season in terms of blogging on The Holidaze.  In previous years, I barely wrote anything at all and hardly any of it was of substance.  This year, while I may have not gotten to everything I bought and took photos of, I did get enough up to feel like The Holidaze was a small part of the 2013 Christmas season.

Taking the blog out of it and speaking personally, this Christmas was another happy one with the family.  At the end of the day, if you can surround yourself with loved ones and connect around the table through stories, laughs, food and drinks, then you know you're blessed and should never take that for granted.  While so much of the season is focused on the materialistic end of Christmas, I always try to remember what the true spirit of Christmas means to me.  Believe me, I spend more money on presents than I care to remember, but we all know it's about more than that.  Through the years, as I've matured, I've come to appreciate that, but had you told me Christmas was about family at the age of 6, I would have kicked you in the shin and asked you where my present was.  Just kidding.. kinda..

If you care to read and journey with me, I thought it would be nice to share my Christmas and the events leading up to it with my 10's of readers on The Holidaze.  So much of my month was dedicated to Christmas food and candy, but the big festivities kick in at the end of December, especially my Aunt's Christmas party on the 21st.  She loves Christmas and goes all out.  Her house is decorated from top to bottom and we always have an amazing time celebrating with the entire family.  It's here that we exchange our Secret Santa presents and take part in the annual Steal-A-Gift game.  It's a blast and I'm so happy she throws it every year.  Seeing everybody so happy, especially the kids who've invaded our family over the last 3 years, is an awesome feeling.

Because I'm not so sure about how my family members would feel about being pictured on The Holidaze, I'll keep most of their identities a secret and limit the personal stories.  For the sake of The Holidaze, I'll focus more on the materialistic end... only seconds after telling you the season isn't about that.  But hey, who doesn't like seeing what others got for Christmas?  I know I do!  To start, let's look at that Steal-A-Gift box.  If you don't know how to play, or how we play, here are the basics:  All the "kids" bring a wrapped gift and place it on the table.  When it's time to play, we all pick a number.  The first person picks and, for the most part, is usually screwed.  The second person can then open up a present OR steal from the person who already opened.  In that case, the first person would open up another present and so on and so forth.  The present I wrapped was genius and - to be honest with you - it was my Mom's idea, not mine.  I bought a box of chocolates and replaced the chocolate with money and scratch-offs.  At first everybody laughed at such a horrible gift and my cousin, who opened the gift, looked miserable.  But, had she just kept the candy sealed and not opened the cash, she would have been in the clear.  The end result?  It changed hands 4 times!

What did I get?  A remote controlled sport quad!  Yeah, for a guy who loves toys, this was right up my alley.  But truth be told, I wanted somebody to steal it so I could go again.  I knew my family was too creative for there to not be anything better hidden on that table.  To my surprise, my cousin's boyfriend actually stole the quad from me after the money was stolen from him.  Now, according to the rules, I could have stolen the very gift I brought to the party and gone home with all the money I invested into the box of candy.  But damn, that would have been messed up, huh?  I was the last to pick so I had my pick of the litter.  In the end, there was no way I was going to Grinch out and steal back my own gift, so I ended up with a $25 gift card to the Outback!  That worked out perfectly because, if you know Eileen and I, then you know we love us some Outback!  Great success!

Dessert time rolled around and, of course, it's always a highlight.  This year in particular, we all tried something new and it was thanks to my cousin, Allie.  For as long as I can remember, she's always been a fan of cooking and baking.  Whether it's a Summer BBQ or holiday party, she always comes up with something that leaves us wanting more.  Well, on this day, she made Peanut Butter & Jelly cookies that we've all been raving about since the last bite.  She didn't hype them up, she didn't even mention them, they were simply there.  If you were lucky enough to see them and try one (or three) then you're one of the few because these were gone in a hurry.  I can't tell you how she made them, what she did, or why they were so good, they just were.  Normally I say I must have been hungry, but I wasn't and my entire family agreed.  To my surprise, Allie didn't bring these to the Christmas Day party even after promising us all she would.  Utter disappointment!  If there was any downside to Christmas, it was the lack of cookies on Christmas Day ;)

My family is going through the process of entering the next generation of kids.  When my cousin Kelly was born, she was the first of my Grandparents' Grandchildren.  Phil was the second and I was the third.  In total, I have about 16 or 17 cousins that I consider "my" generation.  Well, now Kelly's son is 3-years-old and she just had a baby girl, last month.  When I am surrounded by family and look around at how many kids there are, I think a few things.  One, I'm getting old!  I'm now at the age many of the last generation was when I was born!  That's crazy!  Two, they're a hell of a lot of fun and their innocence is overwhelming and only matched by their energy.  While there are only a handful of kids at the moment, they're carrying the torch on to the next phase of family and I love what I see.  Plus, being able to pass on the Ninja Turtles??  You can't beat it.  It makes me want to have my own kids... But I'm a loooooong way from taking that step. I'm too busy being an adult kid, myself :)

The Sun set and night time arrived.  We were still days away from Christmas, but it was the perfect prelude to another beautiful holiday.  Between the lights, laughter, and Frosty the Snowman, the vibe was just right for a Christmas environment.  By that point, all I had on my mind was getting home, getting through one more day of work, and creating amazing Christmas memories on the big day.  I was in complete Elf mode and felt like decorating for Santa's arrival.  All I needed were Legos and Lite Brite!

I have many traditions throughout the year and most of them are stupid and mean nothing to anybody but me.  But, on Christmas Eve, I stick to it because it's not Christmas Eve without tradition.  I don't wrap a single thing until Christmas Eve and then I spend the entire day wrapping everything.  I purposely wait until the last minute because it relaxes me.  Lighting the Holiday Bayberry candle provides the scent of Christmas, the cluttered mess provides nostalgia, the wrapping paper provides the action, the Rankin/Bass classics provide the sound, the Christmas tree provides the illumination, and the beer provides the buzz.  It's everything I need for a sensory overload on Christmas Eve.  There have been years where I've had other obligations and that sucked.  It's the one tradition I will always have and refuse to break, but I did end early to spend the night with Eileen's family.  In my 9 years and 11 months with her, that has become tradition number two!

Finally, the main event had arrived and we'd reached Christmas Day!!  As always, it's such a magical day that I cherish so damn much.  Growing up, my parents went all out on Christmas!  When I wanted something, they got it.  Every year, there was that one big thing that highlighted the season.  Whether it was the Turtle Van or the WWF Championship title, they made sure I got what I wanted to see my face light up on Christmas morning.  Now, as an adult, they're the big things that highlight the season.  I'm so grateful to have them, my girlfriend, and the rest of my family here to celebrate.

But I'm starting to feel like Buzz McCallister at the end of Home Alone 2.

"Okay, enough with all this gooey shhhh...show of emotion."

Here are some of the materialistic highlights of Christmas and what I got :)

I think it's safe to say that I've gotten one wrestling video game on every Christmas that I can remember.  Whether it was WWF Royal Rumble for Sega Genesis or WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game for Super Nintendo, it's become another tradition.  Sometimes, I purposely don't buy the game on its release date just because I like getting it on Christmas.  I'm telling ya guys, I'm all about nostalgia and tradition.

This isn't something I'd say is obvious from reading The Holidaze, but I absolutely love sneakers.  You might have seen a few throughout various posts, but it's not something I know enough about to write about.  I'm not one of those guys who will wait on line for days in hopes of getting a pair of overpriced Jordans, but I love changing up my style.  If there's any way of comparing this guy from New Jersey to MTV's Jersey Shore, it's through me matching my sneakers to my t-shirt.  I'm not vain, but I like to look good.  I think I can pull it off for another few years, but by the time I'm 35, I probably have to stick with a generic pair of white Reebok's.

I haven't tried these yet, but it's a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ice Cube Tray!! Whaaaat?  That's just awesome.  This is why I can't grow up.  I need to go out, buy something juicy like a box of Hi-C Orange Lavaburst, pour it into a big glass and overfill it up with TMNT ice cubes.  It's perfect!  The only way this could be any better is if it was a cupcake pan.  If they make that (or if they ever did), I'd have my girlfriend in the kitchen for hours whipping them up.  Nobody makes 'em better!

God has gifted me with many things, and two of them are ears big enough to make the Big Bad Wolf jealous.  Okay, they're really not that bad, but they're big enough to make headphones a problem.  Everybody always talks about how great the Iphone headphones are.  Well, I tried them and they won't stay in.  I'd need duct tape to keep those suckers in my head.  It's not happening.  I've had others, including Dre Beats, but they just don't work out, especially at the gym.  Well, this may finally be my solution.  I haven't opened the box yet, but it GUARANTEES me that they'll NEVER fall out.  I'm going to do front flips, back flips, cartwheels, and walk in a straight line just to be sure.  Trust me, with my ears, walking and cartwheels lead to the same results :)

I received a bunch of clothes.  Shirts, pants, hats - you name it - but nothing beats graphic tees.  Even in the dead of Winter, you'll find me in a graphic tee and a zipped hoodie.  These are just a few to add to the collection.  Super Mario was a prelude to what was to come, Ravishing Rick Rude is going to allow me to show off my "Swag" this Summer, Boardwalk Empire is just right for a trip to Atlantic City, the Macho Man tee is finally mine and, believe it or not, that's actually my first Ghostbusters tee that I own.  All in all, a great haul!

Even though the Nets are complete garbage at the moment, they're my team and I will always support them through thick and thin.  I grew up watching the Nets, worked for them for 5 years, and consider them one of my top passions.  Everybody in my family knows how much basketball means to me and how happy this losing team makes me, so now I'll be all decked out when I go to Brooklyn for a few games.  The t-shirt, which is custom with my name and number is a nice twist because I bought Eileen a custom Nets t-shirt as well.  Great minds think alike, but she topped me with those Nets sneakers.  Those are siiiick!

Really happy to see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Funko POP'S under the tree!  I'm a little late to the Funko party, but the Pop Collection is one that I plan on diving into.  They have so many cool characters available, but who better to kick the collection off than Mikey, Leo, Don, Raph, Splinter and Shredder?  That's how you start things off on the right foot.  Now I have to pick up a few from the Horror collection.  They'll definitely be in my possession before the next Halloween Holidaze and hopefully they'll make for great pics.  For now, these heroes in a half shell are more than enough!

This gift from my Mom and Dad to Eileen and I was bittersweet.  I absolutely love this canvas-printed photo of Rocky, but of course it struck a nerve.  After all, Rocky was a Christmas gift to Eileen in 2008 and this is our first year without our buddy.  It's been sad, but we try to remember the good times and know that he's still with us.  This gift, which is my favorite of the year, means the world to me.  Little did my parents know, but this is actually my favorite Rocky picture of all time.  Sometimes things just come together.  This one made me a little teary eyed, but just like I will right now, I moved on to happier things with him in my heart.

Have you ever heard of the OUYA?  Holy Moly, it's the most amazing gaming system on the market!!  This little box, which is no bigger than a coffee mug, has the power to connect to the Internet and allows you to download emulators.  This means you can download Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega, and N64!  Then, after you download every single ROM you can possibly find on the Internet, you transfer them to a flash drive and connect it to the OUYA.  Now, in the palm of your hand, you have the ability to relive the past and play every classic game you've ever had... or didn't have.  As of right now, I have over 2,000 games on my OUYA!

I spent the entire day playing Super Mario World and, let me tell ya, these games never get old!  We've come a long way in terms of graphics, but the legends live forever and now they can be yours for only $100.  The OUYA is that good and, in my opinion, a better Christmas gift than the PS4 or Xbox One would have been.  The modern games are fun and I'll have a blast playing WWE 2K14, but going back to play the games I grew up on was just as fun.  Maybe the novelty will wear off, and I guess that's possible but, for the time being, I'm living in the past and the nostalgia is wonderful.  Do yourself a favor and buy this!  If you love old games, you will be in your glory!

To conclude, here's a picture of me in a Heat Miser t-shirt shrouded in an Instagram filter.  I hope you had as great of a Christmas as I did and I'd love to hear all about your Holidaze.  If you want to share your story, or what your favorite Christmas present is, then fill up those comments or let me know on Twitter @HolidazeBlog!  As always, thank you for reading and making The Holidaze what it is.  It isn't much, but it's my way of connecting to the world and I truly enjoy connecting with you.  Without all 26 of you, I'd have no readers and no reason to write.. oh, what's that?  Oh, it's 24 now.  I lost two with that Instagram filter..

Next stop : 2014!

Barcade

In order to keep things fresh on The Holidaze, I wanted to find things to do locally that I may not have been aware of.  While searching for arcades in New Jersey and New York, I was hoping to find one that housed classic arcade machines.  You know, the vintage games from the 80s and 90s.  The kinds that had me run back and forth to my parents, in less than 10 seconds, for my quarters to continue my quest for victory.  Unfortunately, Google wasn't helping me out.

I was, specifically, hoping to find the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade Game.  I didn't care if we had to travel a few hours, it's just been years since I've played it and figured it had to be somewhere!  So, back to Google I go and, little did I know, TMNT was right under my nose, only a few blocks away, in my hometown of Jersey City.  Who woulda thunk it?

Behold, Barcade!! Now, I've heard of Barcade before.  I knew there was one local, along with the other locations in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, but I hadn't checked in with their list of games since Barcade first opened.  Last I saw, the best game they had was Pac-Man and, really, I had no interest.  For whatever reason, Pac-Man seems to be the most common arcade game found in arcades.

But after discovering that they were home to my beloved Ninja Turtles, I also realized that they had The Simpsons Arcade game and WWF Superstars.  That was it.  That's more than what I needed to hear to give Barcade my very first visit.  I could. not. wait.!!

From both the outside and inside, it may not look like anything special.  But ya know what?  It doesn't have to be!  I wasn't expecting much in terms of decor.  I didn't think they'd have any marble tables or fancy chairs.  That's not the point of Barcade.  It's purpose is to combine craft beers with vintage gaming and it does so perfectly!  The fact that it looks like a warehouse, with wooden tables and elementary school lunch chairs, only enhanced the retro feel for me.  Nostalgia should always be a little dirty.  It's old.

As soon as we walked in, we took a 15 second look around and headed right for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade Game.  Ahh man, what memories!  In my life, I've probably spent over 300 hours playing this game.  Between the arcade cabinet, the Nintendo version, emulators, and the XBox Arcade version, that number might even be a bit low.  It's probably my favorite game of all time and is definitely my favorite arcade game ever.  Seeing it again was a blast from the past and, that alone, was worth the couple of blocks we traveled.

Ever notice how Michelangelo wears more of a yellow colored bandana than orange?  I never knew why, and I still don't get it, but I love it!!  I remember wondering why that was the case when I was a kid, but when I see it now it's just so perfect because of its nostalgic representation.  In a matter of seconds, I'm a kid again.

 

I haven't talked much about the Ninja Turtles on The Holidaze, but let it be known that I've always been obsessed with the franchise.  As a child, I had every single toy and piece of merchandise that was released.  My favorites were the Party Wagon and Sewer Playset.  I watched the cartoon for hours on end.  I dressed up like the turtles and, to this day, I own the series on DVD, have seen every movie and can't wait for the new release in 2014.  My love for the Ninja Turtles is deep and it's not so much about the characters as it is the memories they created.

My favorite villains were always Bebop and Rocksteady and, in levels one and two of the arcade game, they're the main bosses.  Besides beating the game once or twice as a kid, this was about as far as I usually got with a dollar or two.  But if you want to see any characters, these are them!  Artistically, they're amazing.  I'm a suck for 8-bit sprites and how they're designed.  But there's something special about beating the hell out of Shredder's henchmen and watching them increasingly flash a cool red orange color as you defeat them.  It's always been my favorite part of the game.

After a few games of TMNT with my lady, we sat at the bar to order food and a few drinks.  Now, Barcade is different than your traditional bar in that they don't offer familiar beers like Budweiser or Coors.  They feature about 20-25 different craft beers and transition varieties as time goes on.  I've never really branched out in terms of beer, I usually stick with what I know, but when the Brooklyn Barcade is voted "Best Bar in New York" by Fousquare, you don't question the Jersey City location.  You just pick something off the menu and go for it.

But what if you really have no idea what you're drinking.  Sure, every beer has a unique description on the drink menu, but who knows what they really want or like?  Well, I have good news for you.  My girlfriend didn't want to just wing it, so the very gracious bartender offered a free sample.  She tried it, she liked it, and he got an extra dollar tip.  That's apparently something Barcade does for its patrons and I think that's awesome.  Instead of treating people with disdain for not knowing the difference between a "Allagash Dubbe"l and a "Green Flash 1st Anniversary American Strong Ale," they offer a quick education through a shot of beer.  But me?  I winged it and got a glass of "Brooklyn Scorcher."  Not bad!

Jersey City gets a bar wrap at times because, let's face it, there are parts of the city you wouldn't want to enter alone.  Some parts are unwalkable after dark, while others aren't much better at Noon.  But, at the end of the day, this isn't Wild West City.  There are plenty of spots, particularly downtown Jersey City, that are built up, modern, chic, and nicer than New York City.  Jersey City is certainly on the rise and Barcade sits right on the border, perfectly safe, between urban and yuppie.  That equals a whole lot of hipsters and, judging by my picture, pink hair!  I get the impression you'll find all types of people at Barcade that can lead to very interesting conversation.

Before we dived back into the vintage gaming pool, we had to see how the food was at Barcade.  We ordered "Diablo's Nachos," Chicken Quesadilla's, and, for me, Taylor Ham and Cheese on a Waffle with Grade A Syrup on the side!  The consensus?  1 outta 3 aint bad.  I didn't mind the quesadillas, but they were far from great.  There was nothing special about the Nacho's besides the name "Diablo."  But I personally loved the waffle sandwich.  I would have never thought I'd like cheese and syrup together, but I do love McGriddles so I guess it makes sense.  As I'm typing this, a story on the news just came on about Taco Bell potentially releasing a waffle taco stuffed with egg, cheese, sausage, and syrup.  Sounds very familiar!  So maybe Barcade is on to something, but I'm going to steer clear of any food the next time I visit Barcade.  Other reviews I've read agree that the food can be better.  But again, it's about beer and video games.  The food is just an extra, anyway.

It's no surprise that the bathroom would follow the food and beer, but can you say "whoa?"  For as clean as the bathroom was in terms of where you need cleanliness, the walls were torn up by graffiti.  Besides the fact that it felt like walking into a horror movie, specifically "Saw," it was actually really cool.  Some of the art was done well.  Other phrases, like "Great Job," made me laugh to myself.  A few others were scary, such as "Where's Your Jesus?"  Oh boy, what the hell was that guy's problem?  Go play a video game and relax like the guy who drew Bart Simpson.  He was obviously so pumped over the fact that The Simpson's Arcade Game was at Barcade that he drew his own version of Bart as he peed.  Very interesting bathroom, to say the least.  But the best aspect is the "No Smoking" sign.  Yeah, defile our walls but, please, don't smoke.

I figured "Bathroom Bart" was the perfect segue to The Simpson's Arcade Game.  This is another one of my favorites and, from start to finish, it might be the most fun you'll have playing an arcade game.  See, I'm a fan of the walk-through games.  I'm still a 2-D fan!  I know people love the new generation of video games and, believe me, so do I.  I can get lost in NBA 2K for hours, but I can't buy into the new Sonic The Hedgehog games that have him running and rolling from all different directions.  I appreciate the classics and find more fun in scrolling from left to right than having to figure out 12 different button combinations.  That's why The Simpson's remains one of the best games I've ever played.

 When it comes to choosing your character, I highly doubt most males chose Lisa or Marge.  Those were always the two you were forced to pick when you were 3rd or 4th to the machine and Bart and Homer were already selected.  That was always a tough break.  Who doesn't want to be Bart Simpson?  He was the coolest character in the game.  He rode around on his skateboard and said "Aye Carumba!"  Homer was an acceptable second option, but he's never been my first at, even at Barcade, things didn't change.  Bartman was my go to man and I had a great time.  Even my girlfriend didn't choose Marge or Lisa.  They're fillers, but it IS fun when you have all four on-screen in search of a kidnapped Maggie.

The Simpson's Arcade Game was recently released on XBox Live so I think I'm going to have to buy it.  After going back in time and seeing how fun it is, I think I need to have it in my life, again.  It's never been available before, besides a remastered mobile version, so It's a no-brainer.  Bart, you're coming home!

As we were eating, I asked Eileen if she had ever played arcade games when she was a child.  After 9-years together, it's something that's never come up because we haven't seen these games since well before then!  Her answer was no and I was pretty surprised.  What did little girls do when they went to an arcade in the 90s?  She said she played Skee Ball and won prizes in the cranes.  I guess defeating Shredder and saving the world wasn't good enough for her.  I guess she had no interest in saving Maggie from an Amber Alert.  That was all I ever did in those places!

But, looking at those pictures, I'd say she had a pretty fun time trying out so many different games.  The best part about Barcade isn't the fact that they have these games, but that they have them and only charge 25 cents to play.  That's what they cost when I was a kid, and that's how they should forever stay.  So we spent a lot of time moving from one machine to the next.  She played games that were completely new to her, and I relived so many memories.  Being together, it was priceless.

Two games that I had never played before, or at least don't remember, were "Double Dragon," and "Mario Bros."  Double Dragon reminded me a lot of "Streets of Rage."  I thought, once I Googled it, I'd find out that this was released on consoles and renamed Streets of Rage, but nope.  It stayed the same and, surprisingly, I've never played this beat-em-up.  It's a lot of fun!

I thought Mario Bros. was going to be the same as the Super Mario Bros. games that I played on Nintendo and Super Nintendo, growing up.  I thought it would be fun playing those games on a cabinet, but it wasn't even close.  I have no idea what the purpose of the game is and I died within 30 seconds.  Is it some type of Super Mario / Pac-Man mash-up?  He walked back and forth, came out of both sides, and wouldn't fit into the green pipes.  You can't jump on the turtles because you'll die and you can only hit the "POW" box once or twice.  I don't get it, at all.  I'd say this one was too before my time to be appreciated because I know it's a classic.

 Growing up, there was no bigger wrestling fan than me.  It's my longest-lasting passion and, to this day, I won't miss Monday Night Raw.

"WWF Superstars" is an arcade game that I had never played.  I grew up playing "WWF WrestleFest."  They're essentially the same, but feature different characters and, in my opinion, the latter was a bit easier and more fun.  Superstars is a good game, and I love the classic wrestling graphics, but it's not my favorite WWF game of all time.  In fact, that's a difficult decision to make.

My Dad once owned a Sports & Collectibles store in Bayonne, NJ called "C&C Cards."  At one point, he delved into arcade games and brought in various machines, along with air hockey and racing games, to increase business.  It worked well and, for me, it was my own little Heaven.  Imagine having your birthday party at your very own arcade!  Imagine having King Kong Bundy at that party taking pictures with all of your friends.  Imagine playing "WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game" against Bret the Hitman Hart!  I did all of that and it was because of my Dad's arcade.  Going on memories alone, I think WrestleMania might be my favorite WWF game of all time.  You couldn't ask for a cooler opponent than the Excellence of Execution.

There's a good 25-30 arcade games at Barcade and, I guarantee, there's something for everybody.  Whether you like shooting, racing, fighting, thinking, futuristic, or action games, you're going to find a winner.  I can't guarantee you'll be one, yourself, but for 25 cents, you can certainly give it multiple attempts to claim victory and get yourself on the record board of high scores.  They're all kept up high at Barcade so it's something to be proud of.  Only few men and women can call themselves the best and, perhaps, you will be one of them!

I know there are only a few Barcade's in the country and they're all on the east coast in NJ, NY, and PA, but there are different versions owned by other people throughout the United States.  Particularly, I hear that "The Emporium" in Chicago is awesome.  They have "Turtles in Time" and "NBA Jam."  That may just be enough to get me there, one day.  So check Google out and search for what you're looking for, specifically.  If you're as lucky as I was, It may very well be within walking distance.

Game Over.