Funny how often Craig got calls about Zelda 2. That game is quite difficult to navigate. It's very impressive how he was just rattling off all the information off the top of his head while also playing Milon's Secret Castle on the side.
@@vampirerobot do you have anything about the Sega Genesis channel that used to be around back in those days? A lot of people don't know what I'm talking about but there was a Sega channel and they would have different games each month and you could try new games and it was awesome back then
I think I spoke with Craig. Called back in 87 or 88 about getting through early section on Bomberman. Smart guy but not good for $$ for nintendo, he was too smart and answered immediately. The lady probably ended up charging the kid 5x as much while she fumble through the manuals lol
@@neilrunyon3391 I looked it up, too. But, I don't think that house is there anymore. Normally houses are in numerical order, and the houses that appear there on Google Maps are 3660, empty lot, 3668. In my experience, as a previous Delivery Driver, odd house numbers are on one side, and even house numbers are on the other side. So, I think it may be gone, now.
6:00 “Is your son in the fun club”. .. lol that brings back memories - I was in the fun club and got their free magazine/newsletter for years. It was a bummer when Nintendo Power was announced, as they killed off the free newsletter-and I knew my parents would never pay for a subscription.
Calling this help line was a long distance call for me as a kid, and I had no idea that it was...as I was a little kid with a phone in his room. Man, when that first phone bill came, my dad took the phone out of my room...haha. This was in a world before Google, or any way to look up walkthroughs or guides. It feels like it is a different planet.
I did this job back in 1990-1991. It was pretty fun. I did a RUclips video last year going over two manuals that survived these last 34 years. They are all hand drawn maps, hints, tips, etc. Pretty neat. This was about a year before the SNES launched, so peak NES time. They had Cafe Mario "lunchroom" that was split into two sections. Smoking and non-smoking. Heck, Todd Bergman was my supervisor. I recently saw him in another video recording. I did that Leo D meme pointing at my TV. Haha
Because you are taken back mentally to a more peaceful, video games on the cusp, no cell phones, emergence of the home PC, exciting revolution of the technological time warp.
@zerocal76 No, they dont. They speak of them like they do, as in retrospect and compared to now, they know it was much better back then even though there were daily challenges. Doesn't even come close to today's self-inflicted issues.
@TheFrenchPug if you're going to summarize, give the full summary: ppl speaking of the past ignore all the good changes and progress humanity has made. Ppl love to complain and feel as if they're always missing something. Social media has made that much easier to do. You want to know who some of the happiest ppl are in 2024 even among all the troubles all of u say were sinking in? Ppl w little to nothing. I've met them when I've traveled. Americans on the otherhand never fail talk about what they're missing, what they don't have, how much better it used to be and so on 👀
lol that kid @15:00 "Sorry kid, that's the end of the game, we can't help you with that. Best of luck, and no you're mom isn't getting a refund for the call."
This was such a beautiful time in life. I grew up during these days and can remember sneaking into my parents bedroom and picking up their phone trying to call into Nintendo for help on games I was playing. I remember feeling so shy and embarrassed asking all my questions. It’s beautiful to see how much fun the operators were having the entire time. I’m so thankful I was able to grow up during times like this. I wish my kids could experience the 90s.
4-6 weeks to receive your first magazine is a lifetime in today's instant gratification world. BTW: I was alive then and owned the first Nintendo Power. It had the clay looking Mario on the cover. I remember wait times like that, slow world back then.
@bb-gc2tx yeah a better world. Let's ignore all the progress humanity has made and also ignore all the problems that surface that year & decade 😉 Everyone in these nostalgia videos always speaks of the times as if they were heaven on Earth 😅
I remember me and my brother called a lot of video game hotlines one time. My dad eventually received a phone bill of over 300 bucks. He was quite upset of course.
I kind of feel like if you born between 1975 - 1980 and owned a NES, you have a story or two about irate parents and phone bills for calling the power line lol.
Something about this is making me tear up. Idk maybe it was just a simpler time. I'm playing The Legend of Zelda for the first time, and I'm using a guide (as sparingly as I can) and all I can think is how hard and esoteric the game must have felt to people without any kind of outside input. That I can just look up a guide that someone made is so much more convenient but the fact that Nintendo had this kind of support back then just amazes me. Maybe I was just hit with a wave of Nostalgia, maybe there's something about being a kid and playing games and just living in that world where everything felt so fresh and new. The world felt so much smaller then.
Check out Angry Video Game Nerd’s channel on RUclips. He plays almost ALL of the games for the NES and SNES and does hilarious reviews on how much they sucked! Funny stuff if you aren’t offended by excessive swearing 😂
Everyone that lived it *knows* it. There's something that's changed that's actually very difficult to put into words. People just say "nostalgia" or "simpler times", but that really doesn't do it justice. Im not saying I'm the one who can say it perfectly, but i agree, the world had a feeling that feels now that we'll never feel again, & i constantly look at my own children with a feeling of *pity* ...& I absolutely hate that. The magic has left the world, the innocence has left too, & all we're left with is a cold indifference, & everyone is angry or greedy or jealous or nothing at all. We could try to dump the internet... We could try to close the borders & send all these foreigners home, but we'd still need to put the ultimate SMACKDOWN on our government & institutions. Better get to work!!
Craig is the shit. He’s just rattling off game info while casually playing. We humans are pretty amazing with our abilities to multi task. And the girl in the beginning answering phones was amazing. I couldn’t imagine having to do that all day everyday. But she’s really good at it.
There are a number of interviews with former Nintendo game counselors online and they all said the majority of calls they got were on the same games (Mario, Zelda, Metroid). Every now and then they’d get a call on a more obscure title but those were rare occurrences
What a time this was. No instant answers from a google search or spoilers on social media. The kids were all in the dark unless they had a magazine subscription or trustworthy word of mouth at school.
This sort of reminds me how there used to be a Nintendo repair center in Birmingham, AL that I took my nes to back in like 1999. It’s weird because even then the nes was long past its prime, but an actual brick and mortar certified Nintendo only repair center would never exist today.
This is AWESOME!! Idk if I could play a game n give tips for another game at the same time. N remembering every little detail in those games. I mean i kno they have their binders to go by but they still know all kinds without having to reference the binders. Would b a pretty cool job tho really. Thanks for this.
yeah I couldn't imagine doing that solid for 8 hours. I need downtime to watch ladies at Nintendo HQ in 1986 answer phone calls for 8 hours on RUclips.
I used to call in this hotline all the time in that period between 10 and maybe 14 years old around this time, never once did any person had any negative attitude or lack of patience despite my barrage of probably puerile and stupid questions. Always nice and courteous to the nth.
Like how I memorize 5,000 words when I'm cast as the lead role in a play: repetition and practice. Say the same thing enough times and you'll remember. He also has the option to play the games for his knowledge and for me, I have the script in front of me to practice. Honestly, it's all about repetition.
we called this when it was going because my mom was stuck on one of the very last levels in super mario world; not only did she BEAT the level (we were all fvckin amazed) the operator on the line told us about a new game coming out soon about donkey kong.
Crazy how Nintendo started way before Microsoft & Sony but yet the Playstation 2 is still the best selling console of all time. It'll be turning 23 years old this fall 🙂
I am a zoomer that just learned today that people could ask for assitance on a videogame officially by Nintendo. Why has nobody told me this before???!!! What???
4:28....both the caller and the "expert" who worked for nintendo were wrong. IDK how either one of them both mistaken the white sword for the magical sword. There are three swords: 1. wooden sword 2. white sword and 3. the magical sword. Take away his NES advantage controller.
4:28...both the caller and the so called "expert' using the NES advantage were wrong. There are three swords in Zelda: 1. wooden sword 2. white sword and 3. magical sword. How did they both get the white sword mixed up with the magical sword.
This was my dream job as a kid. I wanted to work here so badly.
I always wanted a job like the lady at the beginning. Never did get my desk job… 😢
Mine too! I love Nintendo.
Me too
They are hiring
This should've been a tv sitcom
They could still make it if they wanted to
Haha great comment. You’re totally right!
ill make it one day
Man: "I got my thing stuck in the NES cartridge"
Hotline: "Have you tried blowing on it sir?" 😏
This footage just made me realize that my job sucks. Now I need to find a way to travel back to 1986 so that I work here!
Funny how often Craig got calls about Zelda 2. That game is quite difficult to navigate. It's very impressive how he was just rattling off all the information off the top of his head while also playing Milon's Secret Castle on the side.
Very difficult. Great comment!
I wonder if Craig is still with us
@@vampirerobot do you have anything about the Sega Genesis channel that used to be around back in those days? A lot of people don't know what I'm talking about but there was a Sega channel and they would have different games each month and you could try new games and it was awesome back then
@@purefoldnz3070 he died on September 11th 2001
Really?
I think I spoke with Craig. Called back in 87 or 88 about getting through early section on Bomberman. Smart guy but not good for $$ for nintendo, he was too smart and answered immediately. The lady probably ended up charging the kid 5x as much while she fumble through the manuals lol
Craig was a wizard for sure.
I used to call Nintendo for help while I worked for Vons in 1990-1991 during a closing shift.😊
A true grocer
casually puts ladies address on national news
hey leonhart
This is the raw footage they didn't use everything for the news story.
House is still there but definitely looks rundown. I got curious. LOL.
@@neilrunyon3391 I looked it up, too.
But, I don't think that house is there anymore.
Normally houses are in numerical order, and the houses that appear there on Google Maps are 3660, empty lot, 3668.
In my experience, as a previous Delivery Driver, odd house numbers are on one side, and even house numbers are on the other side.
So, I think it may be gone, now.
Have a look at old newspapers. If there's a story they would put your whole name and address.
6:00 “Is your son in the fun club”. .. lol that brings back memories - I was in the fun club and got their free magazine/newsletter for years. It was a bummer when Nintendo Power was announced, as they killed off the free newsletter-and I knew my parents would never pay for a subscription.
Calling this help line was a long distance call for me as a kid, and I had no idea that it was...as I was a little kid with a phone in his room. Man, when that first phone bill came, my dad took the phone out of my room...haha.
This was in a world before Google, or any way to look up walkthroughs or guides. It feels like it is a different planet.
I did this job back in 1990-1991. It was pretty fun. I did a RUclips video last year going over two manuals that survived these last 34 years. They are all hand drawn maps, hints, tips, etc. Pretty neat. This was about a year before the SNES launched, so peak NES time. They had Cafe Mario "lunchroom" that was split into two sections. Smoking and non-smoking. Heck, Todd Bergman was my supervisor. I recently saw him in another video recording. I did that Leo D meme pointing at my TV. Haha
Definitely something that'd be worth preserving - hell, scanning them and putting them on the Internet Archive.
Wow, the infamous 1-900 number my folks would never let me call. What a time. That job would have just been a dream, pre-internet.
These kind of call centers have very high turn over rates. You have to meet quotas and keep callers on for a duration of time or you're canned.
@@Dan-di9jdright. Can’t get to o-town too early.
@@Dan-di9jdyou letting those fellas get to o-town too early. Slow it down.
This is weirdly calming
The 90s were ASMR in itself lol
Because you are taken back mentally to a more peaceful, video games on the cusp, no cell phones, emergence of the home PC, exciting revolution of the technological time warp.
@@TheFrenchPugppl speak of past decades as if there was absolutely nothing wrong w them 😏😏
@zerocal76 No, they dont. They speak of them like they do, as in retrospect and compared to now, they know it was much better back then even though there were daily challenges. Doesn't even come close to today's self-inflicted issues.
@TheFrenchPug if you're going to summarize, give the full summary: ppl speaking of the past ignore all the good changes and progress humanity has made. Ppl love to complain and feel as if they're always missing something. Social media has made that much easier to do. You want to know who some of the happiest ppl are in 2024 even among all the troubles all of u say were sinking in? Ppl w little to nothing. I've met them when I've traveled. Americans on the otherhand never fail talk about what they're missing, what they don't have, how much better it used to be and so on 👀
lol that kid @15:00 "Sorry kid, that's the end of the game, we can't help you with that. Best of luck, and no you're mom isn't getting a refund for the call."
This is incredible footage! Enjoying a little RUclips while I play my Switch!
This was such a beautiful time in life. I grew up during these days and can remember sneaking into my parents bedroom and picking up their phone trying to call into Nintendo for help on games I was playing. I remember feeling so shy and embarrassed asking all my questions. It’s beautiful to see how much fun the operators were having the entire time. I’m so thankful I was able to grow up during times like this. I wish my kids could experience the 90s.
Powerline to the pros... I always thought this was a scam, but damnng, Craig WAS a freaking PRO!! Wonder if he's still around.
4-6 weeks to receive your first magazine is a lifetime in today's instant gratification world. BTW: I was alive then and owned the first Nintendo Power. It had the clay looking Mario on the cover. I remember wait times like that, slow world back then.
Yep, left you to figure stuff out on your own or; cut your losses and move on to the next game
a better more civil innocent world
"I was alive then...." Sigh
@bb-gc2tx yeah a better world. Let's ignore all the progress humanity has made and also ignore all the problems that surface that year & decade 😉 Everyone in these nostalgia videos always speaks of the times as if they were heaven on Earth 😅
@@zerocal76they were much better than now. Simpler times imo
I remember me and my brother called a lot of video game hotlines one time. My dad eventually received a phone bill of over 300 bucks. He was quite upset of course.
I kind of feel like if you born between 1975 - 1980 and owned a NES, you have a story or two about irate parents and phone bills for calling the power line lol.
Something about this is making me tear up. Idk maybe it was just a simpler time. I'm playing The Legend of Zelda for the first time, and I'm using a guide (as sparingly as I can) and all I can think is how hard and esoteric the game must have felt to people without any kind of outside input. That I can just look up a guide that someone made is so much more convenient but the fact that Nintendo had this kind of support back then just amazes me. Maybe I was just hit with a wave of Nostalgia, maybe there's something about being a kid and playing games and just living in that world where everything felt so fresh and new. The world felt so much smaller then.
Check out Angry Video Game Nerd’s channel on RUclips. He plays almost ALL of the games for the NES and SNES and does hilarious reviews on how much they sucked! Funny stuff if you aren’t offended by excessive swearing 😂
It was simpler times but there's always been gaming magazines and don't underestimate word of mouth
Everyone that lived it *knows* it. There's something that's changed that's actually very difficult to put into words. People just say "nostalgia" or "simpler times", but that really doesn't do it justice. Im not saying I'm the one who can say it perfectly, but i agree, the world had a feeling that feels now that we'll never feel again, & i constantly look at my own children with a feeling of *pity* ...& I absolutely hate that. The magic has left the world, the innocence has left too, & all we're left with is a cold indifference, & everyone is angry or greedy or jealous or nothing at all. We could try to dump the internet... We could try to close the borders & send all these foreigners home, but we'd still need to put the ultimate SMACKDOWN on our government & institutions. Better get to work!!
Gameplay counselor?! Wow, what a job!
Oh to be a kid in the 90's again... What a wonderful time I'll miss it forever!
Or it might be on RUclips in 40 years ..is that ok ? 🤨
You what? 🤨
Well played 😂😂
"Sure"
"Fine, ok so it's left left up left"
Craig is the shit. He’s just rattling off game info while casually playing. We humans are pretty amazing with our abilities to multi task. And the girl in the beginning answering phones was amazing. I couldn’t imagine having to do that all day everyday. But she’s really good at it.
There are a number of interviews with former Nintendo game counselors online and they all said the majority of calls they got were on the same games (Mario, Zelda, Metroid). Every now and then they’d get a call on a more obscure title but those were rare occurrences
Wow! This is amazing footage
What a time this was. No instant answers from a google search or spoilers on social media. The kids were all in the dark unless they had a magazine subscription or trustworthy word of mouth at school.
This sort of reminds me how there used to be a Nintendo repair center in Birmingham, AL that I took my nes to back in like 1999. It’s weird because even then the nes was long past its prime, but an actual brick and mortar certified Nintendo only repair center would never exist today.
Nintendo please hold
Probably the only recording of this in human history
Not all all. I have a huge cardboard box filled with VHS tapes of broadcast and raw video from inside Nintendo's American headquarters from this era.
@@metv2363 can you post those in your channel?
pls pls pls share it with us@@metv2363
@@metv2363post em
If you look up the house for the Nintendo magazine phone call it’s abandoned now 😢
The blue dilapidated and abandoned house is 3668 if you look from satellite view it shows that the empty lot is 3664. So it was bulldozed actually.
@@Rick5150 oh wow. Thanks for the reply !
The Watkins lady lives in a nice apartment building in Solon, OH now lol
Beating that shadow Link is quite easy if you have the right controller, especially one with a turbo button or whatever it was called.
This is AWESOME!! Idk if I could play a game n give tips for another game at the same time. N remembering every little detail in those games. I mean i kno they have their binders to go by but they still know all kinds without having to reference the binders. Would b a pretty cool job tho really. Thanks for this.
They probably got the same questions over and over again. Half the callers were about the same level of the same game.
This video is proof that customer service was a thing back in the day
They needed about 4 more people to help that lady answer calls
yeah I couldn't imagine doing that solid for 8 hours. I need downtime to watch ladies at Nintendo HQ in 1986 answer phone calls for 8 hours on RUclips.
Somehow I got my hands on this magazine back then, it was a glorious time. No idea they had a help line.😅
Dude is a total pro. Could probably complete Zelda 2 with his eyes closed. This was always a dream job of mine
This dude is god tier Nintendo player. No computer to look up any of it. All of that information in his brain.
I remember getting my Dad's permission to call that long-distance number.
OMG poor guy he had to repeat this like 500 times lol I’m pretty sure he was glad when they left😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Aw man, poor Shanon. Heaven forbid if i were to ever call the help line i got her instead of Craig. Lol
I used to call in this hotline all the time in that period between 10 and maybe 14 years old around this time, never once did any person had any negative attitude or lack of patience despite my barrage of probably puerile and stupid questions. Always nice and courteous to the nth.
14:40 How the hell are you going to charge me to call you when all you can say is I can't help you out with the final boss?
How does this guy memorize off hand every detail of every game?
When we played the game multiple times and got hundreds of calls on it, it was quite easy to remember every detail.
@@metv2363did you get calls on Mario 3?
Like how I memorize 5,000 words when I'm cast as the lead role in a play: repetition and practice. Say the same thing enough times and you'll remember. He also has the option to play the games for his knowledge and for me, I have the script in front of me to practice. Honestly, it's all about repetition.
OMG An actual human answering a phone?!!!
🤣🤣🤣
Present yourself to the gentleman
Folks sure did love to zoom in with video cameras in the ‘90s
5:00 that guy didn't have a single heart container 😂
The White Sword only takes 5 hearts to pick up, the Magical Sword takes 12
How dare you undermine greg
Yes! Greg just gave a wrong tip on national TV! 😂
Born in 2002 so before my era but the address the mother gave is like 20 minutes from me. Small small world
Older dude was smart for his time. There's no way i can play a game strategically and give out game tips at the same time.
Listen to how people talked to each other back then. This has been lost.
"Hello, this is Nintendo....I just wanted you to know that I'm being..................................."
im still playing Milons Secret Castle with an Nes Advantage to this day, Channeling my inner Craig lol.
we called this when it was going because my mom was stuck on one of the very last levels in super mario world; not only did she BEAT the level (we were all fvckin amazed) the operator on the line told us about a new game coming out soon about donkey kong.
so sweet, the mother ordering the magazine for her son
Back when i was calling the number was definitely NOT a 900 number; it was a 206 Washington number.
Hey kids before google this is what we had to do lol
So crazy how that guy was able to hide the bodies for so long.
man imagine if we still had this today but youtube basically made this job of obsolete
Hi! I've got a wizard who's going to the championships in Los Angeles! All I need is a little help. Let's start with... Simon's quest.
🤣🤣🤣
how about "SUPER MARIO BROTHERS... *THREEEEEEEEEEEE*"
calls cost .95 cents per minute
Not in that era they didn't. Back in the 80s it was a long-distance phone call.
Not back then! The Power Line (which my parents would never let me call) was $2/min... in 1990. That's almost $5 PER MINUTE in 2024.
A real human to talk to when calling customer service?!?!?
No waaaaaaay!!!
Did you get all this footage working at a news station vampire robot ?
Half of those calls gone if internet was available then lol.
Goddammit Shannon! Craig would have known you crouch to the far left & keep stabbing!
*The White Sword only requires 5 hearts, buddy.*
Awesome video. The front shot of the building makes it look so sad and boring for Nintendo
The front door looks like a massive 8 bit cartridge should in fact fit perfectly 😁
Have you guys seen the Nintendo Power episode of the angry video game nerd (AVGN)? You'd like it, if you dont mind bad language.
Amazing.
OMG THAT WAS MY MOTHER THAT WAS MY ADDRESS ! HOLY COW
???
Yep she definitely said your name, Burt Simmons
Quit your bullshit lol
@@vampirerobot that was my mother calling for the Nintendo Power subscription
@@monolithgeometry3221 my name is not burt it’s Will
I googled that lady's address and it's just an empty lot now 😢
The days before NET was the NES, great times,be blessed ,saved and all in Jesus shalom
Crazy how Nintendo started way before Microsoft & Sony but yet the Playstation 2 is still the best selling console of all time. It'll be turning 23 years old this fall 🙂
I wonder where craig is now.
Hopefully Sean Watkins family has moved on, that house in Cleveland looks like a crack den
I looked it up too lol
"corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking.. Just a moment" ...
"corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking.. Just a moment," ... corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking..
looked up that address on maps (3664 e 117th st cleveland ohio) and its no longer there, kinda wild to me
We need a 2024 Craig movie
I'm still holding
I remembered going to Darrell & Debbie’s house to play Nintendo with Timothy (Darrell & Debbie’s son) while enjoying some snacks
The home that belonged to that address no longer exist :(
Where's that new tape?!?!
What game is the guy with the beard playing while he's talking to people?
I think it is Kid Icarus that he is playing when the camera zooms in on the screen.
Nope! That's Milon's Secret Castle.
Milon's Secret Castle
This receptionist is an NPC before NPCs
I’m gonna start mailing old back issues of Nintendo Power to that Ohio address with a note that says “Sorry we took so long!”
Youd be mailing them to an empty lot!! LOL!!
Based Craig
I am a zoomer that just learned today that people could ask for assitance on a videogame officially by Nintendo.
Why has nobody told me this before???!!! What???
6:15 just broadcasting the woman’s address on TV lol
Such is life.
Doxxed Sean so hard.
Nintendo Power this is max:
Nobody: Hi max wanted to order my summer power climbing midget edition. Magazine.
Max: Nintendo power this is max
4:28....both the caller and the "expert" who worked for nintendo were wrong. IDK how either one of them both mistaken the white sword for the magical sword. There are three swords: 1. wooden sword 2. white sword and 3. the magical sword. Take away his NES advantage controller.
this is so cool
Nintendo please hold Nintendo police hold Nintendo please hold Nintendo please hold Nintendo please hold
She's like an NPC
This dude has a rat tail? Radical.
4:28...both the caller and the so called "expert' using the NES advantage were wrong. There are three swords in Zelda: 1. wooden sword 2. white sword and 3. magical sword. How did they both get the white sword mixed up with the magical sword.
I have the exact same white patch in my beard that Craig has in his...why the f that matters....idk...
Were these calls free or was it part of a subscription of some sort? Because good LORD i sure coulda used the f putta this...
Not free these calls used hefty toll rate/ call or per minute.
Lmao Shanon calm down and relax friend.
What year was this recorded?
Colleen was cute!