What really surprises me most in terms of what we're lacking is that we don't have ANY maps for games from my first video game console, the ColecoVision.

I'm not sure how popular it was at the time (nearly all of my friends had Ataris at the time) but I do know that it had some of the most arcade-accurate games at the time, like the best home versions of Donkey Kong (my first game) and Donkey Kong Jr.  I recently perused the full list of 150+ games and found that I "only" had 17 games, but gosh, those had some of my greatest gaming memories (even if it's only because I was very young and rarely got very far in any of them).  But nope, zero maps so far on VGMaps.  Then again maybe I could do a few one day; it's often mostly single-screen stuff anyway...all the more reason it's surprising that we haven't gotten any by now though...

Also still have only one Xbox map, which was contributed very early in VGMaps' life, for Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (which is grainy and could just as easily be a PC map).  I guess that means it was even within the time of the original Xbox.  Back then it was all about showy graphics, probably Microsoft wanting to get into the market with guns blazing, so there probably aren't many 2D games, also there wasn't much to speak of on the indie scene.  Personally, I've never been a fan of the Xbox(/360/One), as everything I want to play ends up on the PC, but I'd like to think one day we'll get a map of some Xbox-exclusive game.

[Donkey Kong Country]

In doing promotional stuff for Nintendo Quest, I ended up making posters of all the box art for the NES (and eventually did SNES and N64 as well).  I also did a thing where I tweeted six NES games a day counting down to the Edmonton screenings of it.  Plus, I've read the Ultimate Nintendo Guide To The NES Library and am currently reading The Unofficial NES/Famicom: A Visual Compendium.  So even through those, despite my involvement in retrogaming already, I still definitely learned of, or got reintroduced to, many official games that are lesser known.

And I can tell you that the NES and SNES listings here are still far from equal to the full listings of those game libraries.  Definitely a huge number of the most popular and representative games are mapped; after all, it's been 15 years, plus that there would have been ample time, interest and opportunity for someone to map these even if someone wasn't doing it specifically or originally for VGMaps.  But some games have somehow eluded us, and I don't think it's entirely for technical reasons.  And they aren't all uninteresting (in my opinion), or even that obscure, either.

For the NES, some games have not been mapped at all, or have very few maps, including Déjà Vu, The Flintstones: The Rescue Of Dino & Hoppy, The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper, Kiwi Kraze, Legacy Of The Wizard, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Nightshade, Panic Restaurant, Rockin' Kats, Shadowgate, Skate Or Die 2: The Search For Double Trouble, Snow Brothers, Totally Rad, and Uninvited.

For the SNES, the same could be said for The Addams Family, The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt, Aero The Acro-Bat, Aero The Acro-Bat 2, Animaniacs, Ardy Lightfoot, Battletoads & Double Dragon, B.O.B., Brandish, Bubsy In Claws Encounters Of The Furred Kind, Bubsy II, DinoCity, Donkey Kong Country, The Flintstones: The Treasure Of Sierra Madrock, Harley's Humongous Adventure, Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures, The Jetsons: Invasion Of The Planet Pirates, Joe & Mac 2: Lost In The Tropics, Kirby's Dream Land 3, The Legend Of The Mystical Ninja, Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures, Plok, Robotrek, Shadowrun, Skyblazer, SmartBall, Soldiers Of Fortune, Super Bomberman, Super Bomberman 2, Super Star Wars, Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Super Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose! and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

And that was just from a quick(ish) glance at the official North American library - certainly with a more thorough perusal, and with other regions, you could find some more.  I just chose some of the ones that I thought were interesting; your considerations may vary, but I'm pretty sure we're still a ways from being done with mapping those popular consoles.

And then of course, sticking to the "main" gaming platforms of the primarily-2D era, there are still also the Master System, Sega Genesis, Game Gear, Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance...

Happy birthday, VGMaps!  This site is now 15 years old!

I didn't have a chance to prepare something in time for today.  Maybe I'll make a YouTube video about it in a little bit (as in, a few weeks), as I now have a YouTube channel.  Look me up!

For the 10th anniversary half a decade ago, I wrote a piece, which was mostly about the origins of VGMaps.  As, obviously, the origins would not have changed other than being longer ago, it might still be worth a read here.

I did notice that for the 10th anniversary article, I mentioned that we were just shy of 20,000 maps.  I'd have to do a count again but I believe we are currently just shy of, or at least in the vicinity of, 40,000 maps.  That's another 20 thousand in half the time as it took for the first 20 thousand!  And that's even with the slowed-down numbers of submissions in the past year...  Will we get 20,000 in the next five years?  Or maybe another 30,000 or even more, considering the exponential growth?  Time will tell...

I honestly don't know how long I will keep running this.  I see no reason to stop, though.  But just running VGMaps.com isn't the impressive part, it's the maps that all you guys have put together!  So thank you all!  Whether you've only just found this place or have been around since Spring 2002, whether you submitted half a map or a few hundred, I am grateful for your contributions to this site.

Maybe I'll try to come up with something more to say soon, but regardless of what sentiments I come up with, I think we can all be proud of what we've got here. 

RollerCoaster Tycoon

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to RoberTime's RollerCoaster Tycoon (PC) maps.

It's May!  Now that it's late spring, the theme parks are opening up - so it's time to get on those coasters!

There are many simulation games on the PC, but only a few of them really stand out.  One of them is MicroProse's RollerCoaster Tycoon, where one can manage a theme park, and build some attractions, which include roller coasters (of course).  The track editor has a great variety of configurations, so from slow simple rides to speedy death-defying loops, you can build pretty much any kind of coaster you can imagine.

Various scenarios have you managing an already-existing park, whether already booming, or failing and in need of revival, or, of course, building one entirely from scratch.  Including the "Corkscrew Follies" and "Loopy Landscapes" expansions, you have 86 such areas to work with.  RoberTime has captured all these areas, and if not primarily navigational (while one can easily get lost in any theme park, you can't really get lost here, from this perspective), they are certainly quite nostalgic, for anyone who has enjoyed this theme park simulator on the PC.  Either way, you won't have to buy these maps at any kiosk - all these maps are here for your perusal!

So for taking us for a ride down the tracks of nostalgia, RoberTime's RollerCoaster Tycoon (PC) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for May 2017.

For some reason I've noticed there's some kind of overall "downed"ness with everyone around me lately.  And yet from different groups of people.  Whether it's all my real-life friends being too busy or not in the mood to do stuff, my own general apathy, or a number of "regular"/consistent VGMaps mappers having very decreased outputs in the past half-year or so, there's something going on.  Or maybe it's a huge coincidence since I can't imagine why everyone would be affected simultaneously by any one thing.  I could understand if it was seasonal, but we're a full month into spring!  (Except around here, where the Edmonton area's been hit with lots of winter-level snow this past week.)

Not to downplay your own personal struggles, but we're all human, and we have our ups and downs.  Know what's important and deal with that.  VGMaps should still be around when you get around to more maps, if you do.

So if I add it to the list, do we consider it incomplete then?  Unless/until we get those maps?

I think Capcom just published it and not developed it, and I was probably only thinking of action games (was about to say "platformer" but TaleSpin and The Little Mermaid aren't really platformers in the traditional sense (with flying and swimming respectively), and Who Framed Roger Rabbit isn't at all), but sure, why not.

Are there any other maps that be ripped from Magical Tetris Challenge, or is this pretty much it?  Can you map the main play screens sort of like how Tetris and Dr. Mario on the NES (two separate games, not the Super NES one ) have been mapped?

I love your dedication to figuring out the technical aspects of this polygonal GBA game!  And also at your success!

And that we have another Sonic game fully mapped out.  I really feel that VGMaps is missing much from some franchises, and Sonic is one of the biggest ones that currently doesn't have much representation here.  Not snubbing the great maps we DO have, but numbers-wise it isn't as close to completion as, say, Mario, and the two of them are supposed to be rivals!  Certainly the ball was dropped along the way, but in the 1990s, come on!  I know there's more to be mapped in Sonic The Hedgehog 2/3/& Knuckles, and I'm pretty sure that was Sonic's peak.

Anyway, thanks again for the Sonic Battle maps; so what is your next project, Terra?

Brain Lord

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to Tropicon's and FlyingArmor's Brain Lord (Super NES) maps.

Remeer's father is the last of the dragon warriors, but never returned from a quest to hunt down the last dragon. Remeer and his friends go on a journey to find out what happened. And thus we have the story of this action RPG on the Super NES, Brain Lord, developed by Produce! and published by Enix, just like the similar Super NES games, The 7th Saga and Mystic Ark (J).

As the title of this game probably suggests, this is a game that features a number of puzzles, so as you work your way through these rather large dungeons, you'll have to use your brain! Rocks, blocks, keys and locks...

Two heads are better than one, and that is true with these maps. Though these maps probably would not have been much of a challenge for veteran Super NES mappers Tropicon and FlyingArmor, it is still nice to split up a task by working as a team (like Remeer and his fairy sprite things). Tropicon mapped the game, with FlyingArmor adding labels. This game may try to stump you, but at the very least you know you won't get lost, thanks two these two Brain Lords!

So the recognize the effort in easing our brains, Tropicon's and FlyingArmor's Brain Lord (Super NES) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for April 2017.

I review this hefty book, Pat The NES Punk's Ultimate Guide To The NES Library.

[The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild interactive maps]

Who's playing Breath Of The Wild?  I haven't had much time with my Switch yet, and it is huge, so while I'm proud of making it to several Towers probably earlier than intended, I've only cleared 12 out of 120 shrines...  :/

I also don't have any Korok seeds, but hey, these maps by Danilo Passo of Hyrule Legends and Zelda Universe will probably help...

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild interactive maps

Isn't that wild?  How did I not find ANY of those Korok seeds?  But really, data-mined maps already?  Wow, and yikes.

The Wii U didn't get much third-party support when it was quickly obvious that people weren't catching on.  I could go on about it, but in keeping on the subject of Mario, Super Mario Bros. U isn't really much to write home about, and Super Luigi U is a remix but perhaps notable for being really hard if you play as Luigi (though ridiculously easy if you cheap out by playing as the invincible Nabbit).  I did enjoy Super Mario 3D World, and I will never forget the 6.5 hours (and something like 600 lives) that me and my brother spent one Saturday attempting, and finally completing, the insanely difficult "Champion's Road", the true final area.  Peach's floating and Rosalina's ability to attack are so crucial there...  But if you say you haven't even finished the incredibly easy Super Mario 3D Land, then maybe you wouldn't appreciate the challenge of that stage in 3D World...  However, it really is the "meatiest" Mario experience on the Wii U, though unless you have friends to appreciate the four-player simultaneous play in a 3D world (just a step up from the four-player simultaneous play in a 2D world in the "New" console series on Wii and Wii U), it may not feel like much of an evolution if you always expect bigger and better Mario experiences.

And as I mentioned, Super Mario Maker is great, but I never got around to making a stage, and the best stages by users often seem to be "automatic" ones, like Rube Goldberg machines, though indeed some are quite creative.

I regret to say that I never made time for Paper Mario: Color Splash, so I can't comment much on that, though I hear it's like Paper Mario: Sticker Star on the 3DS, which I also missed, in that neither are as RPGish as the previous games.

And the Mario sports games are meh, the newest Mario Tennis, whatever it was called, no one cared about, including myself, which is a shame as I generally at least enjoy them a bit.  Of course, there's Mario Kart 8 which is fun, but if you missed out on the Wii U but are considering a Switch, might as well get the upgraded Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, then, which includes the DLC and adds new modes, including a "real" Battle Mode (there was a Battle Mode in 8, but used the same tracks instead of arenas specific to that mode).

Looking forward to Super Mario Odyssey for sure, which even Nintendo officially acknowledges is more in the vein of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine (with its open hub worlds of Peach's Castle and Isle Delfino Resort respectively) than the somewhat fragmented Galaxy or "New" games.

This topic is now 10 years old!

I was busy making a couple of Nintendo Switch videos for YouTube (see here and here), so I haven't even played as much of that as I would've liked.  But, there was no Mario game on launch day (not that it matters much with the highly-acclaimed The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild to fill my time), but that means we're not playing Super Mario Odyssey today.

Guess I can try to get some more black Coins in Super Mario Run; there's always that...

Oh, and I never did finish and share that stage I was working on in Super Mario Maker... 

And, here's the unboxing video.  Hopefully now I can get to really playing it!  Anyone else get a Switch yet?

An unboxing video will follow soon, probably in a day or two.  Hopefully sooner rather than later, so I can get back to Zelda: Breath Of The Wild!