I do not play many video games these days. In my youth
I got a nintendo... probably around '91 or '92. I know
the super nintendo had either just come out or came out
very shortly afterward; which is likely how I came to
have a NES: it was on sale.
So, I played nintendo a good bit. It was never all too
important to me and was mostly something I did with
other people. Friends wanted to play video games for
hours... so I'd sit and watch them play or we'd play
together in the case of multiplayer games. This kind
of take it or leave it relationship with video games
has stayed with me. I enjoy them from time to time, but
dont see what all the fuss is about -mostly. There are
a few games that I have an eternal love for. I thought
it might be nice to talk about them here.
- - -
METROID
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For me there was never a finer game, for any system,
than Metroid. It was something so different from any
other game out there. Open design, hidden secrets,
some level of item management, great music, cool design
aesthetic. I was not great at this game as a kid, but
I really liked playing it. I still like playing it. I
am much better at it now and can beat it pretty quickly
all in all. Any time I get in a mood to play a video
game this is the one that comes to mind. I forgot to
mention that this one wins out over the next one for
the simple reason that it is a 2d platformer: the
best kind of video game.
The Legend of Zelda
_____________________
Another game with great music; this one has a much
larger emphasis on item management/hunting. It is
as much an open world game as Metroid in its way.
It also contained secrets all over the place. Lots
of fun was had with friends trying to burn every
last tree in the forest looking for secrets. I almost
never play this one now, but I have fond memories.
- - -
That is kind of it. Those are the video games that
really matter to me. I like a few others, but they
are more or less modern takes on concepts developed
in those two games. These games include:
Skyrim, Journey, Ico, Shadow of the Colosus, and
Castlevania Symphony of the Night.
All great games, but somehow they just dont sit in
my mind the way the first two do. I suppose it is
different with people who grew up in different times.
I'm sure that there are those born only a few years
earlier than me that look back as fondly on Pitfall
and Adventure. I hear from people all the time about
all of the great SNES and NES64 games... but I never
played those systems much. I eventually dabbled in
later systems, usually by Sony, but I only every got
a game or two for each (ones that I already knew I
liked - listed above).
Not sure why I decided to write this other than
Metroid being on my mind. If you have not played it
I highly recommend playing through on an emulator (or
original hardware if you've got it). Make sure to do
so with a controler and not a keyboard. If you play
one for the first time, let me know what you think!
