Mario (and his skinny bro Luigi); Q*Bert; Mega Man; Princess Zelda (and her lanky lad, Link); Space Invaders (even if they are invading, they're kosher in my book); Donkey Kong Sr. and Jr.; Pac-Man (and his sexy-yet-happy-being-single-lover, Ms.); Dig Dug (altough, he has plundered one too many gardens); and anything/anyone else that has pixels flowing through his/her/its veins.
Other fine folks out there than have an equal -- if not more passionate -- love for all things old-school. Pixels are a plus. Polygons are a huge turn-off.
8-Bit Weapon, Nullsleep, Firestarter, DJ Mike Haggar, Lo-Bat, anything else at Club Microwave or on www.micromusic.net
The Wizard (starring Fred Savage)
Captain N: The Game Master; Pac-Man; Super Mario Bros. Super Show; Earthworm Jim; Mega Man
Power-Up : How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life; Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Videogames; Game Over: Press Start To Continue; The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World; ARCADE FEVER: The Fan's Guide to The Golden Age of Video Games; Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984; High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, Second Edition; Trigger Happy; Electronic Plastic;
Miyamoto; Inafune; Yu Suzuki; Nolan Bushnell