My NES has long been the cornerstone of my collection. Like most current NES players, I went through a period of dormancy. Though in my case it was due to my NES being inoperable as opposed to my simply not having one. I did fix it several years ago with a new 72 pin connector though and it has been happily running for me ever since.

Over the past year or so, I've really begun to bulk up my collection. I'm still under 50 games but I've managed to snag the cables and controllers I want to really have it running well. Centered under my TV, my NES remains the pride I've my collection. I've had it since I was 5, meaning that it is at least 21 years old this year (dunno when it was manufactured of course). It isn't my OLDEST system (honors go to my two 2600s and Colecovision) but I've had it almost my entire life so I am particularly attached to it. Its a pity I don't still have the original packaging and documentation for it, but when my parents bought it for me I doubt they were thinking I'd still have it when I was an adult lol.

I had something of an epiphany a few nights ago, when I realized that my interest in newer games was really beginning to wane. I still like 360, PS3, etc. and will buy games for those systems and their successors but at $60 a pop, I think I'd rather get an armful of older games than one new one. So I think now I'm shooting for the 100-game milestone by Christmas and waiting until the upcoming new stuff I want can be had cheaply.

First on my list? The rest of the so-called "Black Box" NES games, the original launch titles, and the complete run of Hudson Soft titles. I'm already off to a good start with all three Adventure Island titles.