My name is Tyler Esposito and like a lot of kids in the 90s I was a gamer. My Retro Life chronicles my early days collecting and playing video games with my dad. Dedicated in loving memory to my Dad.
I was an only child. :-) I'd like to dedicate this video to my Dad who passed away before this compilation could be made. His love of video games and more importantly, me, made all this possible. This is for everyone who ever had their Christmas made magical by SEGA.
This was the first SMS fan video I ever created. Way back in 1996 at the age of 10, I was filmed by my dad in a Master System promotional video. In 1996, before Youtube, this sort of thing would only be seen by close family, but now, I think it's ready for the rest of you.
My Dad and I were a video game duo in the early 90's. This is a promo video we made for some of our family in an attempt to win them over to SEGA.
Christmas was always a video game filled holiday in our family and SEGA was always a big player. The 1993 season brought about the insane arrival of Sonic CD, and my Dad caught it all on tape!
I received a Super Nintendo on August 23rd, 1991 - LAUNCH DAY! It was late in the evening, but just before bedtime, my parents surprised me with it. My Dad caught the whole thing on tape. An amazing retrogaming memory preserved!
Less than a year after we recorded our "Genesis Power Team" promo, my Dad and I (along with my Mom) made a followup tape featuring the newest games we owned at the time. Lots of import games shown!
I was three years old when Santa brought me a Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas. Joy to the world!
In 1994 at the age of 8, Dad ordered me an Atari 2600 from distributor Telegames. As usual, the camera was rolling when the package arrived!
When I turned four in 1990, it was truly a "coming of age". It was the age of NINTENDO. This video documents that magical birthday of 1990 - the year I received Super Mario Bros 3, Duck Tales, Batman, and other NES classics.
In this episode of "My Retro Life", Dad asks me to show off my collection of Nintendo games and captures video of me playing Astyanax for the NES. 1990 sure was a great year to be a Nintendo kid!
In 1996, before launch, Dad and I rented the Japanese N64 from a local video game shop. This video from 20 years ago documents it's debut in our living room! Thanks to Super O'Brothers for letting us use their awesome remix from SMB 3.
While most eight-years-olds were playing their Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis, I was busy searching for Atari relics with Dad. This video contains home movie footage from 1994 featuring the results of an incredible Atari 2600 and 7800 haul from the Radio Shack catalog.
If you were an 11-year-old gamer in 1997, perhaps you attempted your own "Video Game Show" like my buddy Bryan and I did with "The Game Viewers". Our first and only review - KILLER INSTINCT GOLD on Nintendo 64. As always, Dad was there to help with the recording.
Growing up, Christmas often meant time for new video games! In my family, Nintendo always brought the magic.
This is the story of how my cousins came to own their beloved SEGA CD Christmas of '94.
If you were a 90's kid, chances are you had your birthday at McDonald's. Growing up in my family though, your hamburger came with a side of fries, and Japanese Super Famicom games!
Many have claimed the Jaguar was a terrible console for Atari to end their legacy on - I say Bah! This video is my tribute to "The Cat", taken directly from home video in 1994 when Dad and I owned a Jag. Dad in particular loved it. I hope his joy for the system shines through.
Long before I was a gamer, I was a Mouseketeer. This video celebrates my family's love of Disney and in particular, The Disney Afternoon!
Back in the 90s, SEGA was a major player at Epcot's Innoventions. It was like visiting E3, only it was open to the public. Brand new and soon-to-be released Genesis, Sega CD, 32X, and Game Gear games were on display. This video features footage of the attraction shot by my Dad in the summer of 1994. I'll never forget that day, and it's my pleasure to share the memory of it with you.
When I was a kid growing up in the 90s, you didn't leave home without your trusty Game Boy and Super Mario Land 2 cartridge. Things got a little complicated when the Virtual Boy released in 1995! This is the story of my life in Nintendo's portable gaming world, taken directly from the original Video 8 Tape that Dad used to film it.
Growing up in the 90s, Dad would often record our visits to the video arcade. In this episode of "My Retro Life" I remember those amazing times. Original arcade cabinets shown in this episode include: Discs of Tron, Yie Ar Kung-Fu, Xevious, Time Soldiers, Aliens, Cadash, Crude Buster, TMNT: The Arcade Game, Superman, Crossbow, Toobin', Haunted Castle, Spider-Man: The Arcade Game I do not know the names of all the games featured, so if there is one I missed in the list above... please let me know!
In 1994, when most kids were asking for Donkey Kong Country, all I really wanted was to grow my collection of Sega Master System games!
Ghostbusters was my LIFE as a three-year-old in 1989. The Kenner toy line of "The Real Ghostbusters" action figures were an early obsession, and Dad caught much of the magic on tape. This video is dedicated in loving memory of my Dad... who passed away 10 years ago this month in 2007. Love and miss you. Your memory lives on in these videos.
After the TurboGrafx-16 was discontinued in the mid-90s, that's when Dad and I made our move on a TurboDuo. This video tells the story of how I came to own and collect for the TurboGrafx.
Christmas during the 90s "Console Wars" may have divided some, but in my family, SEGA and Nintendo brought us closer together.
In 1990, my cousins introduced me to the Capcom NES classic Mega Man 2... and life would never be the same.