**************************************************************
THE INAUGURAL NINTENDOAGE WEEKLY CONTESTS HALL OF FAME WEEK!!!
**************************************************************

Welcome one and all to the first annual Weekly Contests Hall of Fame Week!
The Nintendoage Weekly Contests are in their 9th year of operation.
Last Fall a team of volunteers got together with the idea of honoring the very best over the years that have participated in these contests as a fun way of celebrating both the history
of these contests as well as the dedication and skill level of the players that displayed excellence over multiple seasons.
Hopefully the Contest Hall of Fame will become a yearly tradition each first bye week of the season inducting new players each year.

The contests have always been about having fun and the Hall of Fame is no different.
Please have fun and respect the work of the comittee that has poured over many years of competition to try and get the first class right.
This is all to add to the enjoyment of the contests and give a little extra bonus to all who have competed, who still compete and will compete in the future.

Also, the comittee would like to publically thank Brock Landers who spent countless hours compiling all the NA Contests archives.
It made searching through all the old records MUCH easier.

If you'd like to see the history of the contests from the begining, check out Brock's incredibly detailed thread here...

http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=31&th...

With introductions out of the way, let's start the celebrations!

For the next 6 Days, a new Contest Hall of Fame Finalist will be featured here in the top post.
After all 6 finalists have been introduced, the Inductees will be announced Saturday Night April 1st around 10PM.

Each Finalist will have their stats displayed, as well as a personal interview that was conducted with them.
You'll get to learn more about NA's best players (and maybe even pick up a few hints on how to better your game too!)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The time has come to announce the Very First Class of the Nintendoage Contests Hall of Fame.

After 6 months of planning, calculating and debating - 6 players where given the nod as finalists for induction.
There have been many, many world class NES players that have competed here on NA (and still do). 
Choosing only 6 players was an extremely difficult task.

Even harder, was deciding on 4 to make up the 2017 inductees.

This endeavor is still very new and the Hall of Fame Committee is still very small.
Hopefully as the contests continue to flourish, the Hall of Fame will grow along side it .

People make up communities.
How communities behave creates it's culture.
Recording a community's culture is a big contributor to it's history.
Having a history lets people in the future gain a greater appreciaton and understanding of the people in that community.

Maybe the Hall of Fame will be an annual tradition that will add further context to anyone researching "Nintendo games" 100 years from now.
...or, this was only a one time fun thing during the first bye week of 2017.
Either way, I hope everyone that has followed along this week enjoyed the in depth look at some of the best NES players around.





With that out of the way, I'm excited to announce the 4 players that will be inducted into the Nintendoage Weekly Contests Hall of Fame

The first 4 Contest Participants to enter the Hall of Fame are...



The Class of 2017


guillavoie   


rdrunner   


bimmy_lee  


bearcat-doug   


Each of the four inductees will be permanent members of the Hall of Fame Board (if they choose) and will each have votes in every nomination process going forward (again if they choose.)
Also, the comittee attempted to have an icon approved to be pinned beneath each of their signatures, but that is not a possiblity at this time.
That said, if anyone inducted would like to add the proposed icon to their signature, please feel free to do so.


arnpoly and gutsman004 are still eligible for enshrinement in the future.



Congrats to all for their nominations and congrats to the class of 2017 on being enshrined.
Hopefully we'll do this again next year during the first bye week.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this week a lot of fun.
Good luck to everyone in Super Tecmo Bowl!











 

  bimmy_lee

Seasons competed in: 2010, 2011, 2012
Total Normalized Career Points: 804
Total Career Wins: 7
1st Win: Double Dragon (2010)
Awards Earned:
- 2010: 3rd Place Season
- 2011: 3rd Place Season

About bimmy_lee
bimmy_lee has been the chief moderator and overseer of the NA contests for the last 7 years. He also happens to be 2nd all-time in career contest points.
Over the past 7 years (9 seasons) bimmy_lee has keep contest participants and fans entertained with stories, poetry, rapping and even a 7 part epic when introducing new games and their scoring requirements each week.
There is a tremendous amount of thankless work that goes on behind the scenes each week to make sure each contest (and their requirements) are fair and competitive. Along with fellow contest moderator guillavoie, bimmy and the rest of the contest panel work to make games the best and most fun they can be for everyone.
Due to their prior knowledge of contest rules, out of fairness - the moderators bimmy and guillavoie have retired themselves from competition.
It'd be a safe bet to say bimmy_lee would be over 1,000 career points if not for that fact.



Exclusive Hall of Fame Interview with bimmy_lee :

HoF: What is your favorite memory of playing in these contests?
bimmy_lee:   "I don't have one absolute favorite memory, but I'd have to say the one thing that I'm most proud of about these contests is that I've managed to bring people from all over the world together to have fun competing in gaming contests.  I've helped people forge new friendships with people they have never even met in person, yet they talk and laugh and have fun with each other every day like they have known each other for years.  I have managed to bring people together who all enjoy the same hobby and helped them have fun with it.  Seeing people happy and having fun together totally beats out any 1st place finish I have ever achieved in these contests."


HoF: What would be your "dream line-up" of 5 games for the contest (1 per genre)
bimmy_lee:
Action/Platformer - Super Mario Bros. 3
Arcade - Rollerball
Beat 'Em Up - Double Dragon 2
Puzzle - Palamedes
Sports - Blades of Steel
Shooter - Gun Nac


HoF:  For NES games...
Which game are you best at?
bimmy_lee:  "Double Dragon 2 hands down.  I used to play that game all the time with my best friend growing up, as well as my brother when I started collecting NES games.  We played the game together so much that we were able to master it.  My brother and I don't play it together as much nowadays as we did in the past, but whenever we get a chance to play it together, we can still dominate the game just as well as we did a decade ago."

HoF: Which game would you say you are weakest in?
bimmy_lee:  "I'm not a big fan of strategy games, like Nobunaga's Ambition, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, L'empereur, etc.  I don't have the patience for that style of game and there's just too much to keep track of that I lose interest or have no idea what I am doing."


HoF: How much time do you currently spend a week playing video games?
bimmy_lee:  "It really varies from week to week based on what I have going on.  Some weeks I have more free time to play and other weeks, I'm lucky if I can get in an hour of play time.  On an average week, I try to play a couple hours each night before bedtime or during the afternoon."


HoF:  Where do you think your ability to play NES games at such a high level came from?
bimmy_lee:  "Perseverance.  If I really want to beat a game, I will dedicate myself to learning every aspect of it, from enemy attack patterns to timing or attacks and jumps to everything in between.  I would consider myself to also have good hand eye coordination, so that goes a long way in being able to be successful at games.  Attention to detail helps as well.  I'm the type that if I see a small spot of background color in a game that doesn't match the rest, I know it's likely an enemy ready to attack."


HoF:  Do you have any other interests/passions/hobbies besides video games? (If so, would you mind telling us about some?)
bimmy_lee:  "I am a huge, huge, huge, HUGE hockey fan and have been since I was very, very young.  I have studied a lot about it over the years that my knowledge can give a lot of experts a run for their money.  If you start talking hockey with me, I can assure you I will not shut up about it lol.  While in college, I wrote a very detailed stat book on the old World Hockey Association that is in excess of 300 pages.  I have also taken an interest in defunct sports leagues over the years and have acculated a pretty sizeable collection of media guides from the WHA, WFL, ABA, NASL, World Team Tennis, and a few other leagues.  I also have quite a few NHL media guides, as well as programs from the WHA.

I also love to write, as many of you around NA have probably noticed over the last couple years.  I discovered my knack for it while in high school and won some awards for some articles I wrote for my school newspaper.  I have written numerous short stories over the years that I would love to get published one day and have several works in progress right now.  Humor has become one of my favorite genres to write about, hence a lot of the silly contest intros that have popped up over the years.  But, if it comes down to it, I can whip up some very emotional and captivating drama.

My two biggest writing achievements for the contests would be the 7-part Paperboy epic from 2016 and the Double Dragon 2 story from 2017.  The Paperboy story clocked in around 25 pages, but the Double Dragon 2 story blew that one away with 47 pages total.  The Double Dragon 2 story has to be my favorite one written for the contests thus far and was the most fun to write.  For a game that has been my absolute favorite for most of my life, I wanted to go all out with it.  With it's theme of revenge, I consider Double Dragon 2 to be a darker entry in the series and decided that story would have to be a little bit darker than my usual humorous intros.  It's full of emotion, both happy and sad, revenge, perseverance, action, and heroism.  While proofreading the story, I even found myself moved and saddened by some of the things I wrote.  I really enjoyed writing the whole thing.  I don't know if I'll crank out any more huge epics like that in 2017, but I will certainly continue the humorous intros."


HoF:  Where do you do your gaming for the contests and what kind of set up do you have?
bimmy_lee:  "My bedroom doubles as my game room and I have around 1800 games crammed in there across many different systems, including the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Sega Master System, PS1, PS2, PS3, N64, Intellivision, and a few others.  I have a couple bookshelves that house my gaming collection and are crammed full of games.  I have two TVs set up for gaming, a tube TV for retro games and a flat screen for the modern games.  The room might be cramped full of games, but it's a fun little hovel to do some gaming."


HoF:  What's your stance on contest trash talking?
bimmy_lee:  "Well, I suggested and encouraged it, so, I have no problem with it lol.  It's fun to see people form rivalries in the contests, and not only does it help these people become friends, it encourages them to get better at their games.  No one ever wants to see their rvial beat them out at anything.  The trash talking will always be okay with me as long as it stays tasteful.  The moment it gets out of hand and people start arguing and getting offended is the time it will stop."


HoF: Do you have a "proudest gaming achievement?" (If so, what was it?)
bimmy_lee:  "Mine would have to be back in 2013 when I completed (or at least got to the loop point) of 202 different NES games.  I always try to complete as many NES games as possible each year, but I have never been able to top that number."


HoF:  How did you discover Nintendoage?
bimmy_lee:  "I actually discovered NA back in early 2007 while researching info on NES games.  I was looking for pictures of the game carts to better educate myself on those and found the site through a Google search.  I didn't join the site then because I wasn't big into internet forums then, so it was simply a research tool.  I finally caved in 2009 and joined up so I could download the E-zines.  It's hard to believe I have been a member of the site for close to 8 years.  I have made some incredible friendships with people on this site over the years and I am glad I decided to sign up and become a member."


HoF: After discovering Nintendoage, what got you interested in playing in these contests?
bimmy_lee:   "I discovered the contests shortly after I joined in 2009 and thought it was a really cool idea.  I wanted to be able to compete against others in the hobby and show off some of my gaming skills and started playing in them almost right away.  At the time, they were run my nesruler22 and I would have never dreamed that in less than a year's time I would begin to run them myself."


HoF:  Favorite game of all time (any system) and why.
bimmy_lee:  "Double Dragon 2 on the NES hands down.  I've been playing the game since I was 6 years old and it's the one game I feel that I have the greatest knowledge.  There's a lot of other games I know pretty well, but none better than Double Dragon 2.  I just find it so incredibly fun and there's lots of great memories playing it with friends and family over the years.  It will always be my favorite."


HoF:  What advice would you give to someone who hasn't participated in the NA contests yet who want to make it into the Hall of Fame someday?
bimmy_lee:  "There's lots of fun to be had in the contests.  They're a great way to try out new games or even play some of your favorites.  If you feel like you are great at NES games, come join the fun.  We always welcome newcomers, and who knows, you may make some new friends while playing in the contests."


HoF:  Are you okay with being paddled as part of the initiation?
bimmy_lee:  "Only if a cute girl does it lol."


HoF:  Final question... If you could pick any one person to go head to head in an NES match against. Who would it be and why?
bimmy_lee: "My longtime NA friend and contest collaborator, guillavoie.  I considered him my rival back when the two of us played in the contests and I always strove to beat him each week.  I feel like I improved my gaming skills trying to beat him even though he got better scores than me on most occasions.  It would be a lot of fun to square off against him again."
 

gutsman004



Seasons competed in: 2013 [1], 2013 [2], 2014 [1], 2015 [1], 2015 [2], 2017
Total Normalized Career Points: 682
Total Career Wins: 6
1st Win: Mega Man (2013)
Awards Earned:
- 2013 [1]: 2nd Place Season, Tier 1 - 3rd Place
- 2013 [2]: 5th Place Season
- 2014 [1]: 5th Place Season, Beat 'em up Champion, Shooter Champion, Sports Champion
- 2015 [1]: 2nd Place Overall, Beat 'em up Champion

About gutsman004
Guts has evolved as a competitor as years have gone by. Early in his career he was a fiery competitor that attempted to milk every point out of his NES controller and would often vent frustrations during the week.
Over time, gutsman004 seemed to achieve a more helpful and jovial tone as he still continues to post competitive scores, but instead of bouts of frustration, fans now get to see vandalized name plates, week related pictures and/or gifs,
Or... if guts is really grumpy that week he'll bust out his pattened middle finger. This old man will help you one week, then wipe the floor with the competition the next - depending on the type of mood he happens to be in.
Guts is also a two-time beat 'em up Champion. Do not sleep on him during those weeks if you are competing against him. He still has plenty of fire in his belly.


Exclusive Hall of Fame Interview with gutsman004:


HoF: What is your favorite memory of playing in these contests?
gutsman004:  "My favorite memory is getting my very first win in 2013 when we played Mega Man. It was a low scoring contest and I won with a score of 900,000 beating Tom's (rdrunner's) score of 910,000. It was my first and only win against one of the greatest, if not the greatest,gamer on the planet. Tom probably had the flu or something that week otherwise he probably would have obliterated me."


HoF: What would be your "dream line-up" of 5 games fro the contest (1 per genre)
gutsman004:
"Very tough choices here as there so so many great games to choose from,but I'd have to say these:"

Action/Platformer - Mega Man
Arcade - Castlevania (it was a PC-10 game!)
Beat 'Em Up - TMNT 2
Puzzle -Solomon's Key 
Sports - Tecmo Super Bowl
Shooter - Life Force


HoF:  For NES games...
Which game are you best at? 
gutsman004:  "If we are talking contest games,my top 3 would probably be Mega Man, Life Force, and RBI Baseball."

HoF: Which game would you say you are weakest in?: 
gutsman004: "I can't really think of one particular game that I am absolutely horrific at,but in general I'm not very good at most puzzlers. I am in awe of players who can get super far in games like Tetris and Dr. Mario,two puzzle games I really like but am not very good at."


HoF: How much time do you currently spend a week playing video games?
gutsman004:   "It depends. During the week,I usually have between 2-4 hours of free time a day,sometimes 6-8 depending on my work schedule and/or family duties. Most of my gaming during the weekdays is done somewhere in the 5pm-12am range. During the weekends I usually have more time to play on average since I rarely work. I've been known to game all day on occasion if I don't have any obligations I need to fulfill."


HoF:  Where do you think your ability to play NES games at such a high level came from?
gutsman004:   "Honestly I think it came from playing in the contests. I had never really competed in any video game competitions aside from a small SF II SNES one at my high school,which I won. I have always been pretty good at video games and had beaten my fair share of them but the contests is where I took my skills to another level. Not only are you taking on the challenge of the games themselves,you are also going against guys and gals who are extremely talented at so many different games. I am a much,much better gamer now than I ever was prior to playing in the contests in part thanks to my competitors. Many have given great tips over the years on a myraid of games that have helped me improve on games I am weak and strong at and for this I thank them!"


HoF: Do you have any other interests/passions/hobbies besides video games? (If so, would you mind telling us about some?)
gutsman004:  "First off I am an avid weight lifter and got my degree in Health and Kinesiology. I also work at a gym which is helpful..haha. Just like gaming,I have goals in weightlifting. I'm hoping to be able to bench press 350 pounds and squat over 400 pounds someday. I think the squat goal may be obtainable soon, but I'm recovering from a shoulder injury so I have a lot of work to do for the bench goal. 

Another passion of mine is fantasy football. I'm extremely into it. Been playing since 2003. I've actually taken months off from the contests to focus solely on it which I plan on not doing from now on. I love playing in the Nintendo Age leagues which combine my two passions. My proudest moment came last year when I won back to back titles in the NA ESPN PPR league. I had never done that before but now I can say I have. Going to try for the three peat but it's going to be extremely tough. Definitely looking forward to next season."


HoF: Where do you do your gaming for the contests and what kind of set up do you have?
gutsman004:   "I do all of my gaming in the small spare room in our house. My man cave if you will. Ideally I would love to be able to play every contest game using the original cart and nes console,but when I first started playing at the beginning of 2013 we were in a temporary financial pinch and I couldn't afford to spend much,if anything,on games so I played most of the contests on my laptop using the Nestopia emulator. Things weren't bad for long,but I just kept on using the emulator out or convenience. Now I use a modded nes mini which is a thousand times better. I highly recommend the modded nes mini!"


HoF: What's your stance on contest trash talking?
gutsman004:  "It doesn't bother me,but I don't do it personally. I could see it getting taken the wrong way by other players, but I think most realize that the ones that do talk trash do so WWE style, aimed more for flair than malice."


HoF: Do you have a "proudest gaming achievement?" (If so, what was it?)
gutsman004:   "I have to go back to 2013 when I got my first win playing Mega Man and beat Tom (rdrunner). I was on cloud nine for a while on that one. It's not often you beat Tom at any game. He's like the Chuck Norris of gaming."


HoF: How did you discover Nintendoage?
gutsman004:  "Ironically I was on the KLOV forums and saw a member post about how someone paid a bunch of money for a Nintendo game and how ridiculous they thought it was. I think I even posted something similar. (Boy was I dumb...hah) I believe this was around early 2010.I didn't join then as I was too into the arcade game scene to care about console stuff. I believe in the fall/winter of 2010 I ran into an article online about Tecmo Bowl and how awesome it was and how the writer bought a cib copy for cheap on ebay. Well,that really started the nes nostalgia train and shortly after I bought a copy myself on ebay for $9.99. At the time I did not own any nes games or a console. Remembering back on that post on KLOV,I got back on NA and joined in February of 2011 and have been on here ever since and I also haven't been on KLOV since then either, haha."


HoF: After discovering Nintendoage, what got you interested in playing in these contests?
gutsman004:  "Just to test my skills against other players and have some fun. The first couple of years on the site I didn't even go to the gamer's gauntlet section. I just camped out in the seller's forum looking for deals on games that I wanted. In 2013 I hit a transition period where I quit trying to collect everything I could come across and focused more on collecting my favorite titles. I mostly abandoned the idea of collecting sealed games and started collecting mainly cibs of stuff I enjoyed playing. I also realized that I was just buying stuff because I could and really wasn't playing much of any of it and I wanted to change that. So when I came across the contests it was the perfect way to change my ways and focus on playing all these great games and not just stare at them on a shelf. (Nothing wrong if you want to do that though.   )"


HoF: Favorite game of all time (any system) and why
gutsman004:  "Mega Man 2. I fell in love with it the moment I saw the preview of it in the May/June 89 issue of Nintendo Power. It looked so freaking cool! I just HAD to play it! The bosses looked rad plus you could beat them and take their powers! The rich,colorful graphics suck you in,the music gets stuck in your head because it's so amazing,and the controls are nice and responsive. And while kind of campy, I just love the theme and story."


HoF: What advice would you give to someone who hasn't participated in the NA contests yet who want to make it into the Hall of Fame someday?
gutsman004: "Practice and persistence pays."


HoF: Are you okay with being paddled as part of the initiation?
gutsman004:  "Sure, but how's that going to work over the interwebs?  "


HoF: Final question... If you could pick any one person to go head to head in an NES match against. Who would it be and why?
gutsman004:  "I'd have to say Tom (rdrunner) but he would most likely destroy me at just about any game we played head to head. But as they say,to be the best you have to beat the best.   Of course beating Tom is like trying to get Chuck Norris to cry....good luck with that.
I can say I have met Tom in person and he is the nicest guy you'll ever meet. Total class!"

 

bearcat-doug



Seasons competed in: 2013 [1], 2013 [2], 2014 [1], 2015 [1], 2015 [2]
Total Normalized Career Points: 581
Total Career Wins: 14
1st Win: Rad Racer (2013)
Awards Earned:
- 2013 [1]: 3rd Place Season, Sports Champion, Tier 1 - 2nd Place
- 2015 [1]: 3rd Place Season
- 2015 [2]: 1st Place Overall, Arcade Champion, Beat 'em up Champion, Sports Champion, Platformer Champion

About bearcat-doug
bearcat-doug was one of the contests original trash talkers, often baiting opponents into weekly rivalries in order to motivate them (and himself) to post better scores.
One of his more famous rivalries was with Twin Galaxies NES Champion Tom Votava (rdrunner here on NA) in 2013. Doug battled hard to represent Nintendoage against one of the world's best.
He's now passed the on the title of forum trash talker to his protege skinnygrinny who now does the "motivating" in the current chapter of the contests.
The Colorado Mafia (Richardhead, Super Jimtendo, JamesRobot, MissTrixy, Mr. Pickles, Moist Towelette & Murray) along with "Jer"ToxieRules have taken Doug's spirit in a more peculiar direction with their own brand of sideways trash talking too.

In his (forum) old age, bearcat-doug helped to moderate the NA contests for a short while and still pops in to cheer on (and yes trash talk) new contestants. 
He announced his self imposed retirement at the end of 2015, but bearcat-doug is still eligible to post valid scores.
With the destruction he has caused on the scoreboard in the past, participants better keep an eye on him to make sure he isn't goaded out of retirement.

Will bearcat-doug remain retired?


Exclusive Hall of Fame interview with bearcat-doug:

HoF: What is your favorite memory of playing in these contests?
bearcat-doug:  "For me it's the level of competition and all of the great players that I've been able to interact with over the years."


HoF:  What would be your "dream line-up" of 5 games fro the contest (1 per genre)
bearcat-doug:
Action/Platformer - Super Mario Bros.
Arcade - Donkey Kong
Beat 'Em Up - Double Dragon 2
Puzzle - Tetris
Sports - Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!
Shooter - Galaga


HoF:  For NES games...
Which game are you best at? 
bearcat-doug:  "I like to think that my skills are fairly even across the board, but if I had to pick one genre, I seem to do my best at sports games."

Which game would you say you weakest in? 
bearcat-doug:  "Puzzle games. I can usually post competitive scores, but outside of Tetris, I rarely played any puzzle games in my free time."


HoF: How much time do you currently spend a week playing video games?
bearcat-doug:  "When I was competing in the contests, probably 15+ [hours]. Since I retired from active competition my free time has been really limited and I'm probably lucky if I play 1 or 2 hours a week now."


HoF:  Where do you think your ability to play NES games at such a high level came from?
bearcat-doug:  "I seemed to be naturally good at Nintendo games ever since I was a kid. The town video store was a block from my house so I was always renting different games and I would do my best to complete them before they were due so that I could rent a new game the next time. As an adult, I think my ability improved mostly from practice and having a better understanding of how to play the games competitively."


HoF:  Do you have any other interests/passions/hobbies besides video games? (If so, would you mind telling us about some?)
bearcat-doug:  "I'm a big sports fan. I love baseball, basketball, and football. When I'm watching TV, it's almost always sports."


HoF:  Where do you do your gaming for the contests and what kind of set up do you have?
bearcat-doug:  "My setup was pretty simple. I just had a 14" CRT TV on a small stand with a pair of beanbag chairs on the floor. That's not too much different than how I played as a kid, so I tried to keep my gaming area simple and comfortable."


HoF: What's your stance on contest trash talking?
bearcat-doug:  "Since I was the original contest trash talker, I enjoy it. I'm sure some people think it's cocky sounding, but I always thought it was a good motivational tool for myself to be able to post scores good enough to back it up. I love seeing everyone else post great scores, so if it gave them an extra push to do their best to try and shut me up by beating me, that was just an added bonus."


HoF:  Do you have a "proudest gaming achievement?" (If so, what was it?)
bearcat-doug:  "Probably beating Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! I could never beat Mike Tyson as a kid and I didn't do it until about 10 years ago when I first started getting back into NES games in my mid 20s. I've had a lot of gaming achievements that I'm proud of since I started competing in the contests, but that was the first time I was really excited as an adult about being able to beat a NES game."


HoF: How did you discover Nintendoage?
bearcat-doug:  "I don't really have much of a story for this one. I think it was through a simple Google search looking up info on NES games."

HoF:  After discovering Nintendoage, what got you interested in playing in these contests?
bearcat-doug:  "I always loved playing with friends as a kid, but it's tough to find competitive NES players locally in real life. When I first saw the contest threads, I though it would be a fun way to play with other good players in the "virtual living room" that that the contests provide."

HoF: Favorite game of all time (any system) and why.
bearcat-doug:  "Honestly anything on the NES. It was the first console that I ever owned as a kid and I have so many great childhood memories involving playing NES games with friends."


HoF:  What advice would you give to someone who hasn't participated in the NA contests yet who want to make it into the Hall of Fame someday?
bearcat-doug:  "It's actually a lot of work, so you have to be willing to practice and do your research. There's a huge difference between being a casual gamer and playing in a contest against world class competitors."


HoF:  Are you okay with being paddled as part of the initiation?
bearcat-doug:  "If it guarantees me a spot as a first ballot Hall of Famer, sure! It beats having to play Yoshi for an entire week!"


HoF: Final question... If you could pick any one person to go head to head in an NES match against. Who would it be and why?
bearcat-doug:  "This is an easy one. I loved playing head to head against Tom (rdrunner) during the 2013 season. He's one of (if not) the best NES players in the world. As a serious competitor, the most important way to test and improve your skills is by playing against the best competition. Tom certainly provided that each time that I had the opportunity to play against him."
 

arnpoly



Seasons competed in: 2014 [2], 2015 [1], 2015 [2], 2016, 2017
Total Normalized Career Points: 728
Total Career Wins: 12
1st Win: Yoshi's Cookie (2014)
Awards Earned:
- 2014 [2]: 2nd Place Season, Platformer Champion, Puzzle Champion, Tier 1 - 1st Place
- 2015 [1]: 5th Place Season, Platformer Champion
- 2015 [2]: 4th Place Season
- 2016: 5th Place Season

About arnpoly
arnpoly is typically a silent killer in the contests. While many relish trash talk or boasting, arnpoly's M.O. is post a pretty darn good score and let the cards fall.
He recently had an addition to the family which has taken time away from posting more in the contests.
Even still, during the 2016 contests, arnpoly seemed to casually post scores each week and still ended up finishing in the top 5 for the season.
He also bowed out of playoff contention due to his new responsibilities at home.
arnpoly still posts scores today. Do not be fooled by this quiet, smiling assassin. He is still capable of posting monster scores - even without much free time these days.


Exclusive Hall of Fame Interview with arnpoly :

HoF: What is your favorite memory of playing in these contests?
arnpoly:  "The easy answer is winning the 2014 Winter Tournament.  The first game was Dr. Mario and my first attempt would have been good enough to move on.  The second game was Rollerball and I just barely survived.  On the last night of the second round I had my best run going and somehow a ball got stuck causing the game to softlock.  There wasn’t enough time to try again but luckily my score was just good enough to reach the finals.  The third game was Double Dragon II and at that point I had virtually no experience with it.  I played 2-3 hours daily that week and ended up getting pretty darn good at the game, sealing my first contest tournament win.  My daughter was born a couple of months later so I knew this was my one true shot at winning a tournament.
Another favorite memory is my wager with BriGuy82 on the first Double Dragon II low score contest.  Most people will remember that I lost and had to change my avatar to “arnpoly” O’Neil for about six months.  While I’m glad to have my avatar back and I don’t have to do that again, looking back it was still a fun memory!"


HoF: What would be your "dream line-up" of 5 games fro the contest (1 per genre)
arnpoly:
Action/Platformer – Kirby’s Adventure "but I don’t think it would fit the contest well"
Arcade – Snow Brothers
Beat 'Em Up – Battletoads
Puzzle – Adventures of Lolo  "likely not a great fit as well"
Sports – RBI Baseball
Shooter - Gyruss


HoF: For NES games...
Which game are you best at?
arnpoly:  "I’m undefeated in Battletoads and Puzznic, so those two!"

Which game are you weakest in?
arnpoly: "Pretty much any NES strategy game, like the Koei games.  Also I’m pretty weak in most sports games.  There’s not one particular game that comes to mind."


HoF:  How much time do you currently spend a week playing video games?
arnpoly:  "As much as possible!  Typically that looks like 8-12 hours a week."


HoF:  Where do you think your ability to play NES games at such a high level came from?
arnpoly:  "I have always had a knack for video games and that started at a young age.  Our family got an NES when I was 5 and I was the only one in my family to beat Super Mario Bros, doing so at age 6.  Video games have stuck with me ever since.  I was fortunate to not have to get rid of any of my old games growing up and I always went back to play them alongside new games.  Starting young, being good at games to begin with, and playing consistently for the last 25+ years are my keys to playing at a high level."


HoF:  Do you have any other interests/passions/hobbies besides video games? (If so, would you mind telling us about some?)
arnpoly:  "I go to a men’s Bible study group with some good friends and we meet up every other week.  I am a family man as well with a lovely wife and 2-year-old daughter.  I enjoy baseball a lot and I am a big Chicago Cubs fan, which has been extra fun lately!  Aside from that, I am all about video games.  I also like to do programming and writing for my blog, but those activities are all related to gaming for the most part."


HoF: Where do you do your gaming for the contests and what kind of set up do you have?
arnpoly:  "My primary setup consists of a flat screen TV and surround sound system in the basement family room.  I have my AVS hooked up there as well as all my modern systems and many not-so-modern systems.  More recently I have moved my NES and SNES to my office where I do gaming on a large CRT.  And every now and then I will play the AVS on the upstairs TV because that’s the only one that can display in 50Hz for PAL games."


HoF:  What's your stance on contest trash talking?
arnpoly:  "I’m all for it!  As long as it is in good spirit, trash talking is really what builds friendships and camaraderie in the contests.  However, I’m not that good at trash talking so I don’t do it much."


HoF:  Do you have a "proudest gaming achievement?" (If so, what was it?)
arnpoly:  "Easily my biggest gaming accomplishment was beating NES Ikari Warriors without the ABBA continue code.  No joke, it took me four months of almost daily playing and well over 300 attempts to beat the game for the first time.
Some other notable accomplishments include my 2014 contest win mentioned above and a Super Mario Galaxy run where I collected 117 stars without grabbing any coins.  (Supposedly 118 is possible but I never figured it out or even saw proof.)"


HoF:  How did you discover Nintendoage?
arnpoly:  "It all started with buying a house! I had lived in apartments and kept my games stored in totes before then.  My wife and I purchased a home in 2013. When we moved in, I got to buy shelving and display my games properly for the very first time.  That jump started my interest again in collecting NES games, which in turn led me to check out a local monthly flea market.  I had not been there in years and had a great first day.  My best find of the day was a sealed copy of Tecmo Cup Soccer Game for $8.  I knew the game was valuable and thought I struck gold.  I wanted to find out if this game was truly a sealed copy, so I did some Google research and ended up on NintendoAge for the first time.  (I found out quickly that what I found was a re-seal with a photocopied manual, but at least the cart was authentic and nice!) I poked around a bit more and joined not long after."
 

HoF:  After discovering Nintendoage, what got you interested in playing in these contests?
arnpoly:  "For some reason I was pretty slow to looking around the forums, so I didn’t even see the contests until the tail end of 2013.  It made sense for me to join in because I was collecting the carts and this was a good reason to start playing them.  The timing however was not the greatest.  I put in a score for Clu Clu Land and then I had to sit out until the start of 2014.  I was looking for the contests to start back up and once they did I never looked back."
 

HoF:  Favorite game of all time (any system) and why.
arnpoly:  "Super Metroid.  As much as I love the NES, I think the SNES has some of my favorite games.  I love Metroid games and Super Metroid does everything right.  I’m good enough at the game that I can casually speedrun the game at 100% completion, and it is still fun every single time.  Honorable mention goes to EarthBound.  I’m certain I’ve played EarthBound more than any other game ever, probably 15-20 times all the way through.  I’m way overdue for another replay!"
 

HoF:  What advice would you give to someone who hasn't participated in the NA contests yet who want to make it into the Hall of Fame someday?
arnpoly:  "It’s really simple: Play every game.  It doesn’t matter if you are good at the game, it doesn’t matter if you like it, and it doesn’t even matter if you make participation.  The only way to do well at the contests is to consistently play.  You never know when a game will surprise you and grow on you.  Plus every game you play builds skill for not only that game, but other similar games down the line.  I think my contest resume is primarily founded on playing pretty much every week for years.  If it worked for me, it can work for you!"


HoF:  Are you okay with being paddled as part of the initiation?
arnpoly:  "Sometimes sacrifices must be made!"


HoF:  Final question... If you could pick any one person to go head to head in an NES match against. Who would it be and why?
arnpoly:  "I would like to go up against Shigeru Miyamoto mostly as a veiled attempt to get to meet the man.  =)"

guillavoie



Seasons competed in: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 [1], 2013 [2], 2014 [1]
Total Normalized Career Points: 1,590
Total Career Wins: 48
1st Win: R.C. Pro-AM II (2009)
Awards Earned:
- 2009: 3rd Place Playoffs, Sports Champion
- 2010: 1st Place Season, Arcade Champion, Beat 'em up Champion, Sports Champion
- 2011: Playoff Champion
- 2012: Block 2 Champion, Sports Champion, Playoff finalist
- 2013 [1]: 2nd Place Season, Platformer Champion
- 2013 [2]: 1st Place Season. Beat 'em up Champion, Shooter Champion, Puzzle Champion
- 2014 [1]: 1st Place Season


About guillavoie
guillavoie was a dominat contest force since he entered the fray in 2009. He holds Contests records in total number of career points and wins. He also holds numerous high score records that have held for years.
After he retired following the 2014 season, gui became a contest moderator. Together with bimmy_lee and a few others in the shadows, they worked on making the contests better with each passing year.
Guillavoie was part of the epic 2013 contests that saw himself, bearcat-doug and rdrunner battle each other every week for world record shattering scores.
Gui has done battle against many of NA's best from the very begining. If he gives you a compliment, take it to heart.
The man has seen just about everything there is to see on the NES.


Exclusive Hall of Fame Interview with guillavoie :

HoF: What is your favorite memory of playing in these contests?
guillavoie:  "I have good memories from every year I played in the contest, so it is hard for me to pick one at the detriment of the others. But if I have to favor one, I’d go for a rather long one with the 2011 contest where I had a totally mad rivalry with Mog. I have to clarify that there was a lot of great competitors throughout the 2011 season (to name a few : Miss Clawful, buttheadsrulesagain, Bea_Iank, acomicbookguyc, ookii _risu and without forgetting our own beloved bimmy_lee), but I never had such a tough and consistent player to play against on a weekly basis. I was totally obsessed with my rivalry with Mog. Every week I finished over him was a huge victory and when he got the better of me it's was a devastating loss.
 
All the time spent practicing and playing in the hopes of beating Mog was a defining factor in my competence as a player. Having to compete against such a versatiled and skilled player on a weekly basis was what made me a truly good player. In fact, I’m not sure I would have been able to endure the growing competition that came quickly after that season. Not only with the coming of rdrunner, whom is clearly the best player that we had in the contest (possibly the best NES player on the planet), but also with the growing number of awesome competitors in general that joined the contest. I believe that most of my gaming strength came from that rivalry against Mog.
Not that I was a bad player before, but I certainly became a much better player after this experience. This really helped me continue playing at a high level for another full 2 years and a half.
 
So I’d like to thank my good old mate Mog for all the great and tough competition he gave me in this formative season. But most importantly, for all the fun it was to measure myself to him through a full year schedule of NES games."
 
 
 
HoF: What would be your "dream line-up" of 5 games for the contest. (1 per genre)
guillavoie:
Action/Platformer : Ghost's N' Goblins
"This is a hard pick cause there’s so many awesome action/platformer games for the NES. For the matter of the contest though, I would say Ghost N’ Goblins in order to compete with our own NES Queen Bea_Iank and try to top my 2013 score of 747,400."
 
Arcade : Marble Madness 
"I’m taking the time to thank Kevin (KHAN Games), Randy (the tall guy) and Megan (Miss Clawful) for the wonderful time we had playing this game in 2009. This is definitely when I catched the contest bug that made me play on a weekly basis afterward."
 
Beat Em Up : Kung Fu
"It's such a nice game to play for points. I can’t mention this title without givng a shout to Adam (dra600n) and the great matchup we had together in the 2012 tournament. He pushed me to my limit in this game, and I was able to come out with a score of 1,788,140, which I’m not topping anytime soon. Thanks for the tough and fun competition Broseph."
 
Puzzle : Palamedes
"Not that I’m a pro of any kind at it, but this game is just a load of fun. It's certainly one of my favorite puzzle games on the NES. Plus, this would be an occasion to compete with Mog whom is a beast at it."
 
Sports : Track $ Field
"Though I love a load of NES sports games, I would choose Track & Field because I have a natural affinity for button mashing games. I would also love to cross swords with BriGuy82 on this one since he’s very skilled at it but we never played against each other."
 
Shooter : Zombie Nation
"This might sound like a strange pick, and it is really. Back in 2011, I learned the game upside down in order to beat it in 1 life. I never played it before and haven't  really played it after. Now it feels like a lost memory that I wish I could get back through a similar game in the contest. I remember thinking highly of the game, despite its awkward setting."
 
 
HoF: For NES games...
Which are you best at?
guillavoie:  "I find it very hard to pick one game here cause I see myself more as a generalist than a specialist. If I have to choose a game I know I’d be very hard to compete against, I would say Track & Field. My button mashing technique is pretty good.  This game requires mainly one skill (outside of the skeet shooting and the archery events).
Otherwise, my love for Marble Madness is known, and I think I'm not only really good at aiming for high end score, but my average runs are quite respectables as well when I'm not rusty, since I can consistently get 170k+ on a good day."
 
HoF: Which game would you say you are weakest in?
guillavoie:  "Definitely Tetris. I just can’t get my head around that game. In fact, I have a hard time with most of these time-reaction puzzle games.
On the other hand,  I’m very comfortable with action puzzle games like Solomon’s Key and Kickle Cubicle."
 
 
HoF: How much time do you currently spend a week playing video games?
guillavoie:   "Normally, I play video games almost every day of the week for around 20 to 90 minutes. It's part of my night time ritual, after work and chores and before going to bed. I’d say it comes to about 7 hours per week. This is really a sacred time for me that helps me relax from my day while doing something I've enjoyed since forever.
 
When I was played in the contest, I was playing more than 7 hours per week to master games on a weekly basis. At some point (2013-2014 certainly) I was unable to play for more than 1 hour per day to practice, and then spend the time required to achieve a score on Saturday night (sometimes on Friday). Only when I couldn’t get my score on Saturday night I had to spend some additional time in a Sunday daytime session before the deadline."
 
 
HoF: Where do you think your ability to play NES games at such a high level came from?
guillavoie:  "I already touched this subject in my first answer, but I can definitely expand on it here. Naturally, my love for the NES since childhood played a part in it. My brothers and I used to be quite addicted to our NES, and you learn to play while having so much fun. Also, even if I tried to keep up with the new consoles here and there, my love for the NES as always been the strongest. I haven't stopped playing it  from the time I started at 3 years old.
But when it comes to my ability to play at a high level, I have to admit that I’m almost 100 % a product of the contest.
 
It was the love of competition that brought me to get better. That was really the main factor that pushed me to practice hard and invest a lot of time to get better at a large variety of games.
The whole dynamic of playing games on a weekly basis helped me expand my set of skills and also enhance my mental ability to achieve high scores when it mattered. We could even say that my gaming skills followed the evolution of the contest, as the contest was getting more competitive, my gaming skills were getting stronger to follow the wave.
 
In fact, anyone that gave me a hard time in any contest from 2009 to 2014 actually helped me to become a better player, so the list of ‘thank you’ would be quite long on that matter."
 
 
HoF: Do you have any other interests/passions/hobbies besides video games? (If so, would you mind telling us about some?)
guillavoie:  "I have a lot of other passions and interest outside of video games. I won't go too much in detail about them, but I can surely name a few.
First, I love arts and especially cinema and litterature, which I write about and I’m published in French cultural magazines (peer to peer review) in Canada and Europe.
I even have a book coming on a very important genre of the American cinema, western (mostly about railroad westerns).
 
Otherwise, I love playing musical instruments for my personal pleasure (mostly drums and guitar). I love playing sports, and even though I played hockey at a respectable competitive level till I was 16, since then I mainly play tennis and golf.
I’m a huge Federer fan and you can bet I’m totally thrilled by his recent comeback.
I also love cooking and fine spirits, mostly Scotch and Bourbon whiskeys."
 
 
HoF: Where do you do your gaming for the contests and what kind of set up do you have?
guillavoie:  "I do my gaming in my basement, where I have a very comfortable couch. But, I’m playing on a stiff office chair to enhance my concentration, and decide exactly at what distance of the screen I should play for better performance.
My setup is very simple. I have a Wii with a very elaborate set of emulators and roms to play many platforms. I use the Wii to study contest games, using save states to practice and trying to figure out everything I can figure as fast as possible.
When it was helpful, I took notes to make sure that I got everything I needed to know close by before playing a run. Strategy planning was an important part of my preparation.
 
I also had an original NES with Powerpak to play my official runs (now I have an AVS). I usually play in the dark so that I can really focus on the bright screen in front of me.
I love to drink something when I play. Beer or whiskey most of the time, which helps me relax and get in my gaming-zone."
 
 
HoF: What's your stance on contest trash talking?
guillavoie:  "I think that trash talking is all about fun and it is great entertainment for the rest of the NA crowd. The first time trash talking was somehow brought up to the table was in the 2012 tournament, which was a bracket style competition. Each competitor was encouraged to trash talk with their direct opponent, and it was quite funny (looking at you Adam).
 
I love this aspect of the ‘show’ that got a life on its own in the contest threads. This is all in good fun and is part of the contest dynamic. But I must also say that this is purely peripherical to the actual purpose of the contest, which is about playing games in a friendly and competitive fashion. What I’m saying is that there’s also a sane limit to good trash talking, and it must not take too much place in the threads. At some point we had to go through pages of memes and silly talks to actually see a score poping up. As a moderator, I also perceived some kind of ‘snide hostility’ being communicated through trash talk and this is definitely not what we want in the contest threads. But that said, it is normally done within bounds. Bimmy and I usually don't have to interfer.
 
One of the best examples of good trash talking came with the Colorado crew last year, which definitely got contagious among players in the good sense of it. And see, what was mainly joking with close friends on an internet contest developped into one of the greatest Cinderella stories in the history of the contests when Richardhead won the 2016 tournament."
 
 
HoF: Do you have a "proudest gaming achievement?" (If so, what was it?)
guillavoie:  "As I said, I see myself as a generalist. My proudest achievement is actually what I did in the contest as whole, not only specific great scores I posted.
 I'm really proud of how the contests have evolved while I was playing and trying my best to offer a good competition every week (even if I failed sometimes).
I’m also fond of my 1st rank leaderboard icons as it was really what I aimed for the most.
From 2010 to the 1st half of 2014 (4 years and a half straight), only Tom (rdrunner) finished 1st on me in that regard (2012-2013 1st half, and he let me have it in the 2013 second half by playing only a few contests).
 
But if I had to narrow it down to one icon, I’d say that I’m very proud of getting first place on the leaderboard in the first half of 2014 before taking a contest break (which is still going on).
2014 saw the entrance of many great and skilled players like arnpoly, BriGuy82, and arch_8ngel all gave very solid performances throughout all 2014.
gutsman004 was definitely ripped at this point and had a nice streak of wins, not to mention sporadic appearances or such players like SwiftFrost, Red, Balloon_Kid and even pegboy for the Bayou Billy contest.
 
Quite honestly, I was getting greatly exhausted from competition and almost felt a lack of motivation to play early on in 2014.
I was seeing all these guys doing very well and I wasn’t sure I could endure the battle for months in the hope of clinching another 1st rank leaderboard. But I couldn’t drop it either.
The season had stated and I was already in it. I gave my best every week hoping that it would be enough to climb and stay on top by the end of the season. Sure enough, I achieved it.
Unfortunately I won no genre icon in that last season. Those great players got the best of me in various type of games. I got only 4 wins, and I even had to drop my tournament spot for various reasons.
But at least I was able to do what it took to finish first on the leadeboard before taking some due rest from the competition. It was very important to me to give my best before departing from my competitors."
 
 
HoF: How did you discover Nintendoage?
guillavoie:  "I discovered NintendoAge moons ago in 2007, when I acquired a stash of sealed Color Dreams/Bunch Games copies from Europe and I was looking for a place to unload them quick.
That's when I found out about NA and its high profiles NES collecting community. I didn't unload those games fast at all in the end, but I found something much more important : the NA community.
Being a NES kid like anyone out there, I quickly felt that NA was home, and still is after more than 9 years.
Seriously, NA is really not your average forum. The quality of the people we have here is simply outstanding given any kind of internet standards.
I'm very proud to be a part of NA and to do something to make this place and even better place, especially through my involvement in the contest since 2009."
 

HoF: After discovering Nintendoage, what got you interested in playing in these contests?
guillavoie:  "When I joined NintendoAge the contests didn't exist yet. I saw its birth in 2009, but didn't get involved in it right away.
I was tempted since day 1, but I only got in it at first with the Wrecking Crew contest which was a blast (Nathan was the victorious chap).
This contest generated a lot of talk about the inner mechanics of the game and especially the math behind getting the Super Hammer, it was a early passionated contest thread like we have almost every week now.
It was also my first taste of contest rules since we had to adjust the way we should play in order to avoid loophole abuse.
 
My official entrance took place in the Marble Madness contest relatively late in 2009, and while it was somehow too late to catch up with the leaders (the very talented Dr. Robbie and Nes King),
I managed to at least pull a 3rd place finish on the leaderboard. But most importantly, immediately when I started to be a regular contest player, I tried to do my part in making the contest logical as a competition.
The former organizer Nesruler was a nice guy (quite young at the time too), but he wasn't very resourceful in terms of finding appropriate games and rules. He needed some guys looking over him. Herbalist as well as myself took these roles early on (with the casual help of the other players too). I must also admit that while the kid got criticized at some point for making errors in running the contest, he wasn't genuinely a bad organizer per say. He only failed at taking responsibilities that exceeded his competence as a young high schooler while NA authorities were mostly grown men. The guy needs to be commended because he actually had the intuition that such weekly contest would work out on NA, and he was right in the end.
When bimmy_lee got in charge, things got totally straightened up and it was all for the good of the contests. Now that the years have passed and we're having this Hall of Fame talk, we need to look up to the pioneers and Nesruler definitely has his role in contest History. So I take this moment to tip my hat in his direction for starting the NA weekly contest."
 
So in short, my interest in the contests came from the thirst of the competition that spanned from late 2009 to mid 2014, but also because I wanted to be involved with the contest somehow in order to make it competitive. Be it by suggesting games that work well for a contest or thinking of rules or adjustments to the rules in order to have a meaningful frame of competition. Rule making and rule tuning were always a central interest of mine in the contests.
 

HoF: Favorite game of all time (any system) and why. 
guillavoie:  "Here's a question that could get a different answer depending on the moment it is asked. I have so much fond memories of playing games, be it on my own or in the contest, that picking one is like an insult to the others. But I'll to go with Star Tropics, cause that game really has a special charm for me.
 
I played the game when i was quite young, probably 9 years old. At the time, I didn't always know or even remember the name of the NES games I played. Mainly because I'm a French speaker first. I remembered that game where the hero used a yoyo, but it took me quite a while to stumble on this game again.
 
It was in 2002 and I was finishing high school. I met my girlfriend with whom I'm still with today. Summer time was coming up and I had a deep sense of liberty and happiness flowing through me as everything seemed right in my life. I had so many things to hope for ahead of me. It is in this very optimistic set of mind that I (re)discovered Star Tropics (which is such a nice action/RPG game with funny puzzles and a perfect challenging curve if you've never played it).
I can hardly think of a game that has such a great structure of play, at the least, in its own kind. The quality of the adventure sorta mixed up with the unique mood I was in and, like many of you guys and girls know, nostalgia build upon it.
 
Since then, I usually replay that game once per year, and I make it sure that I'm in the mood to get those vibes from the past back (usually early during summertime). I don't only play it cause I truly think it is one of the best NES game that was ever made, but also because I have such great memories tied to it.
It helps me remember a time where I was not yet an adult while tasting the privileges to be one - and no longer a kid while preserving the naivity of being one.  I've been able to relieve this feeling through playing this magnificent game over the years."
 

HoF: What advice would you give to someone who hasn't participated in the NA contests yet who want to make it into the Hall of Fame someday?
guillavoie:  "I would first tell them that there's no secret in becoming a worthy competitor in the weekly contest. The only key in having success is to work hard on your scores. Not only do you need a lot of time to invest in practicing games, but you will also need to be smart about the time you pour in. Having a strategy and knowing what you realistically can achieve on a specific game in a week is an important part of excelling at the contest.
 
I would also tell them that while you can't expect to rank high (or even rank at all) every week to begin with, trying your best is important in any contest. You can't get better at a game if you don't try, and getting better at some games will get you better at similar games. Being good at various kind of games will make you a better gamer as whole and will make things progressively easier for you.
 
Last but not least, I would remind them that the most important thing is to enjoy what you're doing in the contest, and to bring together the joy of playing with the passion of competition.
Without the fun, you won't have the motivation to do your best. So you must also respect your own limits, know how not to get burned out and invest just the right amount of time to get a great score and keeping it fun at the same time."
 
 
HoF: Are you okay with being paddled as part of the initiation?
guillavoie:  "Of course! A man's gonna do what a man's gonna do! You don't enter the most coveted circles without getting your ass spank in the process."
 

HoF: Final question... If you could pick any one person to go head to head in an NES match against. Who would it be and why?
guillavoie:  "Given the time that I played (almost 5 years), this question put me in a conflicting situation as I would like to name a lot of players that gave me great competition in different periods. Not only that, but a big part of what I liked about the contest competition came from the variety of players that could excel at a game at any time. You guys should know how much I wanted to win a SMB or SMB 3 contest, but in both cases when I showed up with a huge effort, a certain 2legit28bit crushed me at the finish line. But, sure, I'll play the head to head card here.
 
A superego part of me might want to point out at the very best player that ever braced our contest, but I know that my fate in this head to head would probably be the same as the Wile E. Coyote in the cartoon. I can certainly think of my soul brother Bimmy, with whom I always had a great rivalry when he was playing, but even him knows that there was another one making me more trouble.
 
So there will be no surprise here, if I could pick one person in head to head in an elaborate series of NES matches, it would be with my gaming mate of 2011, Mog The Great. Cause I know for sure that we would be able to challenge ourselves on a lot of games. I always felt that our gaming skills and even the kind of games we excelled at were somehow similar. He would get the best out of me in any puzzle time reaction games, but I know for sure I would kick my fair amount of Mog's ass in other games too. This would be an honor to me if we could replicate somehow what we did in 2011, even if I know it is just a daydream as I would hardly have the time to commit myself in such a rivalry in a near future. But, we're still young I guess, so who knows."

rdrunner



Seasons competed in: 2012, 2013 [1], 2013 [2]
Total Normalized Career Points: 353
Total Career Wins: 26
1st Win: R.C. Pro-Am (2012)
Awards Earned:
- 2012: Playoff winner, 1st Block winner, Beat 'em up Champion, Shooter Champion
- 2013 [1]: 1st Overall Season, Beat 'em up Champion, Shooter Champion, Puzzle Champion, Tier - 1st Place
- 2013 [2]: 4th leaderboard, Platformer Champion, Tier 1 - 1st Place

About rdrunner
rdrunner played in only 3 seasons here on Nintendoage, but racked up 26 wins in that short period of time. He also did so against some of NA's most legendary players.
Tom also holds numerous Bacon Entertainment System records on the Twin Galaxy web site and is considered by many to be the very best Bacon Entertainment System player in the world.
rdrunner will pop into the contests from time to time to cheer on new contestants, but he has not competed here on The Ghetto in over 4 years.
For as good as he is, you'd never know it. Tom is very humble.
That being said, old time rival bearcat-doug has challanged him to post a score during the contests this year for Double Dragon II.
Will the sleeping giant wake up for one more go? I dunno, but it'd be pretty cool.


Exclusive Hall of Fame Interview with rdrunner  :


HoF:  What is your favorite memory of playing in these contests?
rdrunner:  "I had loads of fun competing in the contests, but my favorite moment would have to be that 2012 tournament final, where we played Galaga, Ice Hockey, and Donkey Kong, plus Ghosts 'n Goblins as a tiebreaker.  Even though we had 2 weeks to play, it still took a large amount of time to play each of those games well.  I probably logged at least 20 hours of gameplay for that match, including an 7-hour kill screen run on DK and an even longer Galaga marathon.  The best part was the reward at the end: First place prize that year included a copy of Battle Kid, which is now one of my favorite games (still waiting for another sequel, Sivak!)."


HoF: What would be your "dream line-up" of 5 games fro the contest (1 per genre)
rdrunner:
Action/Platformer - Adventure Island  "one of the few good platformers for competition"
Arcade - Bubble Bobble
Beat 'Em Up - Kung Fu
Puzzle - Wrecking Crew
Sports - American Gladiators  "REALLY underrated game!"


HoF:  For Bacon Entertainment System games...
Which game are you best at?  
rdrunner:  "Kung Fu.  After all these years I'm still the only player to break 3 million on that game."

Which game would you say you weakest in? 
rdrunner:  "Track & Field.  After all these years, I never learned to button mash.   "


HoF: How much time do you currently spend a week playing video games?
rdrunner:  "About 1-2 hours a week (been busy raising a family of late).  Back when I was playing in the contests, this number was more like 5-10 hours a week."


HoF: Where do you think your ability to play Bacon Entertainment System games at such a high level came from?
rdrunner:  "I'm just a really persistent gamer.  For example, as a kid I remember looping Act 6 of Ninja Gaiden over and over for hours until I finally beat the final bosses.  No matter how many times I got sent back to 6-1, I just kept on playing until I figured it all out."


HoF:  Do you have any other interests/passions/hobbies besides video games? (If so, would you mind telling us about some?)
rdrunner:  "Playing with my son, long distance running, board/card games and watching football."


HoF:  Where do you do your gaming for the contests and what kind of set up do you have?
rdrunner:  "I have a computer desk with a 13" TV and just enough space to hook up a few systems.  Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done."


HoF:  What's your stance on contest trash talking?
rdrunner:  "I'm not a trash talker.  I'm more about breaking down games and sharing knowledge.  I do have fun reading when others do it though."


HoF:  Do you have a "proudest gaming achievement?" (If so, what was it?)
rdrunner:  "That's easy.  Breaking a 25-year-old world record on arcade Pastaman Bros.  It's not often that you get to do something like that!"


HoF:  How did you discover Nintendoage?
rdrunner:  "I was actually searching the internet for Bacon Entertainment System high scores.  Twin Galaxies had been dying for some time and I was looking for some new gamers who shared my interest in mastering Bacon Entertainment System games."


HoF:  After discovering Nintendoage, what got you interested in playing in these contests?
rdrunner:  "So the VERY first thing I saw here was the weekly contests.  Saw many impressive scores from guillavoie, Mog, and Miss Clawful around December of 2011.  That inspired me to join the fray at the start of the 2012 season."


HoF:  Favorite game of all time (any system) and why.
rdrunner:  "Arcade Pastaman Bros.  No matter how much you master the game, it can still surprise you.  It looks deceptively simple, but there is no winning pattern.  You just need to keep your head and be ready for anything."


HoF:  What advice would you give to someone who hasn't participated in the The Ghetto contests yet who want to make it into the Hall of Fame someday?
rdrunner:  "I'd say, what are you waiting for?  Just play!"


HoF:  Are you okay with being paddled as part of the initiation?
rdrunner:  "Would that be Pong, Breakout, or Arkanoid?   "


HoF:  Final question... If you could pick any one person to go head to head in an Bacon Entertainment System match against. Who would it be and why?
rdrunner:  "It would be Robin Mihara.  Just because we sometimes talk about actually having a match someday, but it hasn't happened yet.  He was nice enough to give me some Tetris pointers though (I'm still a "brown belt" at that game, he says).  Great guy!"

This was a great read Bimmy (and Santa). I didn't know you were into Hockey and writing  

I take the time to say that it is an honor for me to be chosen by you in your ideal head to head. We had a great rivalry back when we were both playing and I remember for sure that you got the best out of me on some contests that I really wanted to win. The first Double Dragon contest comes to mind!

Cheers to you my contest mate and best of luck for the induction.

All aboard the HOF hype train! Choo choo!

That was a really good read, looking forward to the next interviews

This is shaping to be a week full of fun reads to be done.  
I would drink to this, but it is 6:25 am, so I will just toast to it with coffee as black as the night, as bitter as my soul and strong enough to punch me in the face.
I am so looking forward for the rest of the interviews.

It looks like these interviews are going to be great! I can't wait to read the rest!

Wowee, this is already off to a great start! I had fun writing up my interview, but I'm already enjoying reading the others a whole lot more.

I completely forgot that Bimmy is a pretty prolific NES player in the yearly completion thread. I haven't even beaten 200 NES games yet, let alone beat them all in the same year. Very impressive!

Wow, nice write-up Bimmy! Was fun reading about your knack for writing. Now we get to see where you get your inspiration for the contest stories from! Also thanks again for all that you do. Not sure if there would still even be a weekly contest at all without you, let alone a HoF.

Good luck to all the finalists. Can't wait to read on in the coming days!

This can't be more true, Bimmy has been the soul of this contest for several years now, and there's no reason to think it won't be the case for many years to come. We can't thank him enough for what he done (and continue doing) for the contest.

Bimster is the man! Thank you Santa. Thank you Bimmy. This is exciting.

very cool,  congrats and thanks bimmy 

What a great way to start of a Monday. Thanks to all involved. I appreciate all the time and effort put in to make these things enjoyable.
Thanks

Man this is awesome, good interview from the Bimster.

this is awesome. thanks everybody  

Congrats bimmy what an honor!

I too will be following this thread!

Glad to see folks enjoying the interview portion from the finalists.
Each finalist gave exceptionally great interviews and their  personalities really shine through.

Thanks to everyone too for being really positive through the whole process too!


The next finalist will be introduced tonight around 10pm Nintendoage time.

Can't wait to take a break from paperboy 2! Practicing on my psp is a pain in the ass🏋️
 

How are you enjoying Paperboy 2? I'm terrible at this series. I hated playing the first Paperboy for the contest so I'm expecting more of the same.