Category: 1980’s

Capture The Magic Moments…

by Vintage Retroman Music (Official), posted in 1980's, 1990s, retro

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Throwback pictures, classic music, old movies, funny memories are the magic of this life. Not a single one of us are guaranteed to live until we are 100, let alone even retire this day and age. I am not saying don’t save for a rainy day or invest in your future. On the contrary, I believe it is important for each of us to be responsible when it comes to our financial health to promote financial freedom, long term. What I am saying though is that God gave us only one life to live on this earth. Recently, I spent time with my family in our nation’s capital. I had the opportunity to listen to music from my childhood, hear about memories of my high school days, laugh, joke, drink, eat, and relax. It is amazing that truly some of the best things in life are free. Memories are magic moments. Look back on the resume on your life and see how God has year by year brought you out of humble beginnings to your current state of mental being. Sometimes, take some time to capture the magic moments. Take that trip, try that new dish, take that risk, step out on faith. It’s important that we realize how essential it is to have moments of reflection mentally in this life, because tomorrow is not promised. It is so important to look at even negative events and find the good in those as well. After all, life is not perfect, people aren’t perfect, and processes aren’t perfect. It is important to realize that it’s okay. Breathe, because truthfully the majority of life is fleeting moments of pleasure in between long periods of routine. Remember, since there is nothing new under the sun, take some time and capture the magic moments.

Reflecting On The Internet Of The 1990s!

by Vintage Retroman Music (Official), posted in 1960s, 1980's, retro, retrogaming

The internet of the 1990s! Do you remember America Online (AOL) and Netscape Navigator? Who remembers Ask Jeeves and the early versions of Internet Explorer? There was nothing like hearing that static noise coming from your modem before connecting on a dial-up connection. The 90’s references in this video were amazing, as cheesy as the acting was!

I remember the first time that I discovered the beauty of the internet! The year was 1997. My mother picked up a free Netzero disc from our local grocery store, and our computer had Microsoft Windows 95 installed on it. With our first internet service provider (ISP) being Netzero, the service was lesser expensive than America Online, but it was not as fast, even for dial-up internet service.

 

When I found game websites like http://www.miniclip.com, I was so excited! Although they would load extremely slow, it was worth the wait. I remember being in high school, and everyone was bragging about what version of America Online they had.

Of course, this was well before social media, so the way we connected online was through emails, chat rooms, and soon after personal messengers. I will never forget the first times I used the AOL messenger to message my friends at school, in particular girls. My friends and I would set up times at night to invade chatroom’s and make connections with people, all across the world!

The internet over the years has truly changed the way that people network and learn. Although the internet is flooded with negative content, what would we truly do without it? I prefer to celebrate the good that the internet has provided over the recent few decades. The efficiency it has enhanced for so many people. The opportunities that it has provided. The entertainment that it has introduced. Most importantly, the lives it has changed by connecting people in ways that are positive and genuine. Like myself, my reader gets online today on a computer, a smartphone, or any other device. Think about if you did not have the opportunity to use the benefit of the internet today. Appreciate it, enjoy it, and use it for good.

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V.R.

The Official Vintage Retroman Video Game Story

by Vintage Retroman Music (Official), posted in 1960s, 1970s, 1980's, 1990s, nes, Nintendo, retro, retrogaming, snes

In year 23xx, the world as we know it was peaceful. After decades of war, bloodshed, and tears the planet Thothar was finally at peace. The robot apocalypse was over and humans finally began to rebuild their broken world. A world once ruled by depression, anxiety, mental illness, and evil was no more. Also, the ways of the past had been completely forgotten.

As the Robot Generation now lived at peace with the human race, rebuilding took place faster than ever. Several members of the Robot Generation were advanced architects, and the quickly created new infrastructure. The leader of the Robot Generation was creater Dr. Yvonne, who made them to be an asset to the humans. All was well, until one day there was discovered to be a software glitch that stemmed from a virus manufactured by the evil scientist T-Mac the Terrible. She created these viruses during the tech boom of the 1990’s, but because they were dormant for so many years people simply thought they were destroyed by 1st and 2nd generation anti-virus software.

One day as Dr. Yvonne was at an event unveiling a new generation of peaceful robots, it was sabotaged when T-Mac glitched her new line of “Super Droids” or “SD’s”, an elite lineup of ultra bots with drone capabilities. The Super Droids were comprised of the following robot leaders, each equipped with the power of their name to use against humanity:

1) Depression Man

2) Anxiety Man

3) Fear Man

4) Jealousy Man

5) Hate Man

6) Slander Man

7) Addiction Man

8) Confusion Man

The Robot Generation was almost completely destroyed by the power and actions of these evil beings, partially due to the fact that humans couldn’t work with the Robot Generation because their minds and emotions were controlled by the Super Droids power. Terror ran amuck in the southern region of Thothar again, and Dr. Yvonne knew she had to do something or the world would be destroyed.

She started working on a top secret project codenamed CDZJJJ, or project CD for short. Along with her fellow comrades ZB, NickZ, CounterFlordan, and CoolieJ, they worked nonstop under the most intense conditions underground. With most of the human race destroyed, Dr. Yvonne fused the human DNA of former Robot Generation lead programmer Cornelius Calhoun with an elite lightweight robot armor and named him Vintage Retroman, or V.R. for short. The named was developed because Cornelius loved the retro culture of his youth and spoke frequently about it.

As V.R. went through strenuous training, he gained strength and eventually set out on a mission to defeat the Super Droids! He knew that along with the strength of his armor, it was essential for him to be mentally ready to face the challenges of each Super Droid. As he battled and defeated each SD, he was granted their power! Power over depression, power over anxiety, power over fear, and so on! He would then take the power of overcoming these weaknesses and not only use them against his other enemies, but also grant strength back to the remaining humans in Thothar and give them courage.

Eventually V.R. defeated each leader and it was time for his final showdown with Dr. T-Mac. With his armor weakened from battle inside of a great fortress stronghold, T-Mac was a formidable villain. As hard as Vintage Retroman fought, Dr. T-Mac had years to plan and prepare for this. Every negative attack thrown at V.R. deeply penetrated his armor and damaged him. As T-Mac prepared to destroy him, in the 11th hour she felt weakness from within and her stronghold shook violently. What was happening she thought?

Dr. Yvonne remembered that T-Mac’s stronghold had a weakness. She remotely cracked into T-Mac’s computer system and disabled all of her weapons. Vintage Retroman mustered up enough strength to grab his blaster and deliver the final blow to T-Mac the terrible and the evil empire!

As the team that created the CDZJJJ project searched for Vintage Retroman, they eventually found him. He was beaten, battered and scorn almost to the point of death. They picked him up and carried him back to the lab.

As Dr. Yvonne removed his burnt up cracked armor, she look into the eyes of Cornelius Calhoun. “It’s finally over sir, you did it Cornelius. You saved Thothar!” As he looked up at her he stated “We did it Dr. Yvonne” with a slight smile. As he rested his head, Dr. Yvonne slowly reached down and kissed him in his weakened state. “I hope this gives you strength” she said with a smile. Cornelius was pleasingly shocked and said, “I didn’t even know you liked me.” Dr. Yvonne responded “Well, i couldn’t admit it because as you know i am no damsel in distress. I’m just as much in the fight against evil as you are. Now that the fight is over, let’s rebuild this world, and our lives together!” Cornelius responded “I’d love that!”, and they held each other and enjoyed the peace for a change. This is my story. Signing off for now,

V.R.

Celebration 2019

by Vintage Retroman Music (Official), posted in 1980's, 1990s, nes, Nintendo, retro, retrogaming

As we enter 2019, where are you mentally, emotionally, spiritually? Are you optimistic about a new year, or plagued by issues of your recent past that maybe didn’t quite work out. Let’s be honest for a second, 2018 was a rough year for many people. I think about how many people i know that struggled with what i call the 3 D’s: debt, death, and disease. I won’t get into my own situations, but let’s just say 2018 was a year of struggle and growth for me personally.

Now, take a minute to reflect back in your mind. Close your eyes. Remember a time of the simple celebration of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! I remember 1987, i was 4 years old. My pops use to throw these house parties with the best food. I was the youngest of 8 children, but i remember the fun we had celebrating New Years Eve! My dad had the vintage big tall wooden sub-woofers with the tunes of Frankie Beverly and Maze’s “Joy and Pain”. Oh when that baseline came on, the floor shook! Picture us with afro’s, half fro’s, and Jerri-curls! For my coming to America fans oh yes, we indeed let our “Soul-Glo”.

We didn’t have much money growing up in the hood of East Winston, but we would celebrate like we did. Yeah there was some smoke in the air at times. I said that was just a machine. I saw a bottle or two that look like root beer but was missing the word “root”. As we would get down all night dancing like the Jackson-8, my mom would let the smaller children hook up the Nintendo and we would play Super Mario Bro’s, Duck Hunt, Megaman, Contra and the other classics. I’m talking 8-bit and pixels!

Anyone from my generation knows what i am talking about, and don’t even start on that Tecmo Bowl! It was always Joe Montana and the 49ers vs Bo Jackson and the Raiders. Anyone else remember how Bo Jackson use to just have people bounce off his back on that game? It wasn’t even fair!

It’s hard to believe that was 32 years ago. It still feels like yesterday to me. To our youth, y’all wouldn’t believe how much of us we see in y’all as you grow. I love the excitement that you bring. Don’t get me wrong i love my old school music, but if you catch me on the right day, i might be listening to some Lecrae, Kendrick Lamar or J. Cole, I’m just saying. 🙂

I told this story because celebration is about much more than a party. For the Christian, celebration is the younger sibling of worship and praise. It is a direct response, not necessarily to a situation or circumstance, but to gratitude for God giving us just one more day. Even for the non-Christian, celebration releases endorphins of euphoria as we enjoy those we love and cherish, even if they are no longer physically with us.

See i believe in having a great time? You know why? Because God put us here to have life, and have it more abundantly! Why would our loving God make us in His image, put us here on His earth, and give us His grace and favor, just for us to be miserable? Think about that. In 2019, take that trip (if you can afford it), do that activity, love harder!

Also think about this, people have been celebrating for centuries! In my mind, before the fall, I’d like to believe that Adam and Eve celebrated frequently in the Garden of Eden! All of that good food! Adam had his woman, they were naked and unashamed! Plus the animals were there chilling! Adam could get a tiger ride anytime he wanted one! In my mind, Eve was like “You haven’t lived until you have rode a rhinoceros!” All of that, and they had full access to God! Just because they fell, doesn’t mean God didn’t intend for them to have His best! He intends the same for us, so celebrate! 🙂

What am i saying? I’m saying in 2019, as you strive for your complex goals, don’t forget the simple celebrations of daily life from the routine and the mundane. In the bible Paul said “In all things i have learned to be content.” Contentment in 2019 doesn’t mean to stop striving, definitely not! It simply means to be thankful for what God has already done in the process as you strive. I’ll close this message with an original poem I wrote entitled “Reset”. I hope that you can hold on to these words for encouragement as we enter into what will be the glorious year of 2019.

“Reset, by Vintage Retroman”

To celebrate this life is to celebrate a treasure/ Because everyday’s a gift so strive to make each day better/ Choose to live your best life, choose to let go of the past/ God’s already in the future, and His plan is so vast/

For your life, and for mine and really all of us should/ Remember that He causes all things to work together for Good/ so celebrate, don’t hesitate because He loves you/ and meditate, on the fact that He put no one above you/

He knows your struggles, pain and all of the things you deal with/ He cares, He wants you to know that He is still with/ You as you journey for your greater purpose grinding/ It will be worth it as you crush it, in 2019! Happy New Year everyone!

V.R

The Giving Of Thanks, By V.R.

by Vintage Retroman Music (Official), posted in 1980's, 1990s, nes, Nintendo, retro, retrogaming

Being thankful is so underrated these days. I think back to my childhood growing up. I was an 80’s baby, born in 1983 yet I can remember it like it was yesterday. Thanksgiving at my mother’s house was always a great time. The nostalgic smell of roasted turkey, ham, macaroni and cheese, fresh collard greens, candied yams, cornbread, and so much more fills my nostrils and thus my mental space with goodness, my soul with joy, and my belly with food. 🙂

My family and I didn’t have much growing up considering the fact that I was the youngest of 8 kids. Many times we struggled, but I honestly cannot remember a single year that we did not have a huge Thanksgiving feast. My parents sometimes planned for months to make sure that one day we ate exceptionally well. Then like most families we would watch football, go outside and play, and ride bikes in the cool weather. Pure happiness and blissful thoughts.

The shear excitement of being out of school, playing Nintendo after dinner, and being with my family the following Friday after Thanksgiving was more than enough. I truly don’t even remember Black Friday being a special event growing up in the 1980’s and 90’s. I’m sure that some commercialization was present back then, but in no comparison to today. I always remembered watching the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Christmas movies back to back and enjoying my mom’s famous leftover fried turkey sandwiches.

Let me be clear: In no way am I being judgmental or condemning anyone that enjoys the hustle and bustle of Black Friday. I surely enjoy it as well with all of the savings and specials. I just have to ask, have we become so obsessed with materialistic possessions that we don’t even know how to operate within the realm of simplicity anymore? It’s simply a question that I have pondered on while I hypocritically fill my shopping cart with toys, games, and clothes for my 4 children.

As we approach Thanksgiving 2018, I challenge you to focus on the simple things and maintain an attitude of gratitude. Even if your circumstances are not ideal or are just plain negative, their is always someone out there that would love to live the life you have. Some stranger out there would indulge in the pieces of food you find not appetizing to your precious taste buds. What would the child out there living in poverty say about your situation if he looked into the dining room of your home?

My friends the giving of thanks is the key to having a successful Thanksgiving. It’s not the holiday it’self. Be grateful, be content, and be happy everyday. Happiness comes from within a thankful heart. Thank God for another day. Learn to be grateful for your health. If you can open your mouth to eat, that’s a blessing. If you have the means to treat your family to food in general, you have it better than people in various countries around the world! I have a quick story to share with you my reader.

As I complained about a lack of money one day I had an associate tell me a harsh reality. He stated “If you have the type of problems that can actually be solved by accumulating more money, consider yourself lucky.” I was offended because he had money and was very successful. As I reluctantly inquired what he meant by this, I realized that from his response he looked at my situation similar to how I viewed his. He looked at me and said “You don’t know how lucky you are having a wife, 4 beautiful healthy kids, and people that love you. I just moved here by myself, no family, no associations, just me.”

I started to think about a few things. Their are rich people with terminal illnesses. There are successful single people that have no one to spend their wealth on. There are beautiful people that struggle with self esteem because of how they were treated in the past. When I was laid off from my job this past July that coworker ended up moving back home to be closer to his family. This made me realize something that I will share with you all. Put your life in perspective this Thanksgiving, so you can truly be thankful. Don’t compare, it’s all a state of mind. Signing off for now,

V.R. (Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!)

Withholding Heart, Spiritual Song By Vintage Retroman

by Vintage Retroman Music (Official), posted in 1960s, 1970s, 1980's, 1990s, retro

Withholding heart, is the way that i fail You daily/

Withholding heart, even though i truly need You/

Withholding heart, i struggle in my imperfections/

Withholding heart, sometimes i do what i shouldn’t do/

(Bridge 1)- So take my heart, and completely make me over/

So take my heart (take my heart)…and make me brand new/

So take my heart, because i don’t have any power/

And take my heart, oh Lord I’m desperate just for You/

Verse 2- Withholding heart, please forgive my imperfections/

Withholding heart, sin has left a crimson stain/

Withholding heart, a sinners plea for grace and mercy/

Withholding heart, yes i messed up once again/

(Bridge 2)- So take my heart, it’s not about me trying harder/

Please take my heart, please dissect it for repair/

Please take my heart, and dip it in your living water/

Yes I’m so glad, that despite me You are still there!/

(Worship chorus 4x) So this heart of mine! It’s Yours, it’s Yours!

Lord, please, just take my withholding heart!

V.R.

Pac-Man Poetry By V.R.

by Vintage Retroman Music (Official), posted in 1980's, nes, Nintendo, retro, retrogaming, Uncategorized

Pac-man

I’m like a yellow pizza pie with one slice taken out/

I flow around eating pellets and making sounds with my mouth/

I hit the arcade’s with much success in the 1980’s/

I’m so successful that that my sequels we’re starring my lady/

Who has that pretty bow in her head but don’t let her appearance fool you/

When it comes to clearing stages her goal is to rule you/

Oh sure both me and my wife we’re chased by those pesky ghosts/

But if I swallow the big pill, they better run or else they are toast!/

ms

When the black screen blinks, I power up, the ghosts turn a shade/

Of blue I’ve never seen before with their faces disarrayed/

In this maze, I eat cherries and strawberries gaining extra points/

If played in arcades, be sure to bring plenty of coins/

Because I’m truly a retro classic, even in modern times/

And to the ghosts, my foes named Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde/

Although we’ve been at odds for years trying to get the upper hand/

I thank you, because without you there would be no Pac-Man!/

Ghost-names-pac-man-8970067-519-503

V.R.

TMNT Poem- The Tale Of 4 Heroes In A Half Shell

by Vintage Retroman Music (Official), posted in 1980's, 1990s, Nintendo, retro, retrogaming, snes, Uncategorized

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Listen up everyone i have a story to tell/

About 4 heroes, who happen to be in a half shell/

Their names for short are Leo, Mikey, Donny, and Raphael/

Turtles that are teenage mutants from the sewers that smell/

We met up with April O’ Neil who reported that crime/

Is sharply increasing, because of this group called the foot clan/

Led by the infamous villain Shredder who in space and time/

Is trying to capture New York City and rule it under his hand/

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Master Splinter, we need your help in fighting the goons on these streets/

We need your training, your mental toughness and expertise/

Sure you’re a rat and we we’re mutated by toxic waste/

Let us have courage, leave the training base, and fight crime with haste/

To our nemesis, Rocksteady and Bebop you will see disaster/

Also to Mr. Stockman, the fly creature with the first name of Baxter/

Your luck has run out, Shredder since you are not the master/

Run from the presence of the turtles or we will finish this faster/

The T stands for teenage not that it matters at all/

The M for mutant, the bigger they are, the harder they fall/

The N stands for Ninja, fighting crime until it will cease/

The T for turtles, unlikely hero’s to restore the world’s peace.

V.R.

The Superb Mario Medley Is Truly Superb!

by Vintage Retroman Music (Official), posted in 1980's, 1990s, nes, Nintendo, retro, retrogaming, snes

I have always admired people with talent that are not afraid of thinking outside the box when using their gifts. After watching this medley, i was highly impressed!

The combination of instrumentation with their vocals creates a feeling of both retro and modern nostalgia! I watched this video several times!

The transition of the songs are excellent, and i love the costumes they created for the performance. Very impressive, creative idea. Musically superb! Do yourself a favor and take time to check this out! Signing off,

V.R. (Also, checkout and download the super cool FREE Inbox Dollar app! I highly recommend it for gamers and those that like interactive apps! 🙂

Samus- Destined For Greatness- Part 3 (The Memoir)

by Vintage Retroman Music (Official), posted in 1980's, 1990s, nes, Nintendo, retro, retrogaming, snes, Uncategorized

Inside my deepest thoughts, there are complexities that I cannot explain. Inside my
deepest fears, I am nothing special. My name is Samus Aran, now a bounty hunter who separated from the Galactic Federation Police, yet I still have ties to the organization. It’s been years since I rescued that little girl who was about to be destroyed by space pirates in part 2 of my story. As far as that event, I made it out alive but my relationship with some key figures of the police are forever tarnished. The commanding officer Adam Malkovich won’t even speak to me anymore, and we once had a great relationship. In my never ending pursuit to defeat the evil Ridley and Mother Brain, I must be strong as a woman. Still, there are parts of me that I cannot show, because emotion can be taken as weakness. Because of this, I choose to express my feelings in this personal memoir in hopes of not being judged.

Since 1986, I have been regarded as a hero. I wear the title with pride as the first major female protagonist in video game history. Still, under this power suit I am wearing there is a physical person with limitations and weaknesses. Similarly, when you peel back the layers of my heroism there are wounds, scars, and deep questions I long for the answer to. How would my life had been if my parent’s lived? What if the Chozo’s never adopted me? How would my life be different if Ridley never attacked my home planet of K-2L? What ever happened to my little brother Solomon Aran? What type of relationship would have developed? I wonder what life would have been like as a regular kid?

To the readers of this memoir, I was called to be an intergalactic warrior. I just want to now how does it feel to be normal? To those on planet Earth, I have listened to stories about people going to school to learn. I heard that boys escort girls to this thing called a “Prom”. How does that feel? What is it like to fall in love with someone, or go out on a date, or get married? To the career women, how does it feel to wear a business suit and go into an office, making important decisions? Being a bounty hunter is a lonely life, but I do it to one day avenge the evil creatures that created this life for me in the first place. There is one other issue I must address in this memoir.

To my reader, for years people thought it was a man in this power suit. When I was introduced in 1986, people either did not realize who I was, or just didn’t respect me. There are plenty of men in my field of work. I am personal friends with a few characters from the original Nintendo lineup, such as Mario, Link, Lil Mac and Donkey Kong for starters. We even starred in a game together called Super Smash Bros. I have always been friends with those guys and can hang with the “big boys”. Some have even asked if myself and Mega Man are 1st cousins, which that is yet to be determined.

See, that’s me in the middle. 🙂

I respect their platforms and they respect mine. But when it comes to leaving a legacy for women in our craft, just remember that I paved the way for future women in gaming such as Laura Croft from Tomb Raider, Jill Valentine from Resident Evil, or Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII, among many others. I say this not to brag, but to make you understand that women in this field have made a tremendous impact on millions of fans around the world in gaming. My story is just one, but it is the first and I want to make it known that through all of my struggles I am proud to be the woman I am. I hope that this entry to my memoir serves you all well. Of course I am out in the field fighting space pirates as we speak, but Vintage Retroman please feel free to share this entry with your readers, in case if I don’t make it back. Thank you V.R. for believing in me and recognizing that I was destined for greatness. Signing off,

Samus Aran