Celebrity Byte

What got you into videogames?

Mr. Kennedy about to backhand the photographer.

I remember as a kid it was the rainy days that allowed me to stay inside and play games like Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, and Mike Tyson's Punch-Out. I used to play Mario Bros. religiously. For quite a while I didn't have my own personal Nintendo system, but I'd go over to my friend's house and we'd play those games.

You know you can download those games on Wii's Virtual Console.

I just downloaded the original Super Mario Bros, Punch-Out--unfortunately it's not Mike Tyson Punch-Out, Zelda, Zelda II, Ocarina of Time and a bunch of those old-school 8-Bit and Super Nintendo games.

How do they hold up today?

They definitely hold up. The original Zelda is actually harder than I ever imagined it to be. It's amazing how difficult and frustating that game can be. I remember when we played it as a kid we had the Nintendo Power Magazine and we had maps so we knew where everything was.

I used to play Mario Bros. religiously. For quite a while I didn't have my own personal Nintendo system, but I'd go over to my friend's house and we'd play.

Having beat Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on Wii, did you find the new Zelda easier than the classic Zelda?

I wouldn't say it was easier, but it was less frustrating than the original. The new Zelda was a hard game. It was so long. I thought it was going to end. I'd solve one portion and then you'd have to go find the mirror pieces all over the world. You'd think this has got to be it, but they'd throw another thing at you. The thing that was great about that game was that it was never repeating. They constantly gave you something new. You'd start out with basic skills but would acquire new skills as you played through the game and you'd need to use them to beat the game. I thought that was really cool. It made the game exciting and it wasn't just a really long game doing the same thing over and over again.

Mr. Kennedy celebrates his victory in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at Detroit's Ford Field.

Outside of the Virtual Console, what do you think of the Wii?

The Wii is awesome. It's my favorite of the three new consoles. I also have a PS2 and Xbox 360. I played through the new Zelda game and it was just amazing. It's very interactive with the swordplay and the bow and arrows. I have Trauma Center, the operation game, and that's a lot of fun and interactive. I have Mario Party 8 and Super Paper Mario.

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