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« on: July 19, 2013, 02:42:46 AM »
Longtime listeners to RFN know that Greg Leahy started importing consoles at a young age. First the Super Famicom, then the N64, Wii, etc. What you may not know is that Lindy was import gaming before that Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts Guru was even born! Let's go back shall we? Back to the summer of '83.
I remember it well. It was the summer before my senior year in high school. Picture Vin Diesel with hair. I was fast and furious back then, know what I mean? I was no Don Juan, but I was mack-daddyin' a little bit, I could charm the ladies, spinning records at the local album oriented punk rock disco as DJ Silk. Life was good. And like most youth at that time, the arcades were my scene. Gobbling dots, jumping barrels, inflating monsters, I could do it all. So when I heard through the flax fields that some arcade-quality consoles were coming to Japan that summer, I thought I'd get the 411.
At first, the Sega SG-1000 interested me. Particularly a game by this cat named Yuji Naka, Girl's Garden. But I found out the title wasn't what I thought it was, so I looked at the Family Computer, Famicom for all the cool kids. The launch games were Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Popeye, so a ton more than what the WiiU has. I had never played Popeye, but I was told I looked like the sailor if you squinted a lot and I definitely ate a lot of spinach to keep in shape for the DJing gigs, so I thought I'd get that too.
When I picked up the Famicom and three games from the import shop in Toronto, I couldn't wait to play them. But there was a problem. You may be aware that I'm somewhat known for my videogaming backlog. Yuji Horii personally sent me a tear-stained congratulatory note on my completing Chrono Trigger, in part saying: "You've made an old man happy. I can die in peace now." I was touched. Well, then as now, the shelves relentlessly stared at me, trying to sap me of my will. I resolved to finish off my Fairchild Channel F backlog of games first. Mind Reader was balls-hard man! And Video Whizball made Battletoads look like a walk in the park with Kermit.
Well, it's getting late and the thought of traveling the 4-0-0 in the ATL in the morning makes Mr. DiamondJ want to listen to 187 albums, so I'll call it a night and update you on my Famicom adventures tomorrow. Peace out!