Hey there Retro-Junkies, Snowstorm here with his very “FIRST” article. To all you nostalgic gamers out there, do you remember your first video game? How about your first video game console? Well I have had a lot of “FIRSTS” when it comes to video games. So I have written all my “FIRSTS” down into one long flashback for me and said article for you. Hope you enjoy part 1.
FIRST: Video Game
Everyone remembers there first video game. Some would say Super Mario Bros.,
others would say Tetris
and A LOT would say Pong.
But for me my first game was a little obscure gem entitled Alex Kidd in Miracle World.
This game was colorful, had a great soundtrack and most important of all was easy to pick up and play.
I was about 3 or 4 and my dad got me and my brother a SEGA Master System with Alex Kidd,
the original SEGA mascot (sorry SONIC fans but Alex was first). This is an awesome game that even to this day I still pick up and play.
F.Y.I I’m currently showing it to my son.
FIRST: Boss Beat
My first ever boss that I beat was Shao Khan from Mortal Kombat 2.
I remember that day well. I was in Junior High and my class went on a field trip to Paramounts Great America.
I forgot exactly why we went I think it was some school contest or something, but I digress. At the time I was afraid of all the upside down rides due to a ride malfunction at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk…again another story. Anyways while all my classmates were going on all the “scary” rides my two friends and I decided to hang out at the arcade
and that’s when we heard his taunting voice “YOU WILL NEVER WIN!” It was like a challenge from days of old. I, being the healthy competitive pre-teen that I was, wasn’t going to let the challenge go unabated, so I popped in 2 tokens and it was on like Donkey Kong.
I must have spent 10 bucks on just trying to get to him plus 5 more bucks just to keep on fighting him. I was literally yelling like Captain Kirk, in star trek 2, out of sheer frustration. Anyone who has played any of the MK games knows how cheap Shao Khan can be.
But after about 2 maybe 2 and a half hours I beat that boss till he blew up in all his cheesy arcade glory
or should I say “GORY” heh heh heh…ok moving on.
FIRST: Arcade Game
Now just like with the first video game played, a lot of people would say oh snowstorm was your first arcade game Donkey Kong? Was it TMNT? How about the original After Burner arcade game? Actually my first arcade game was actually MIDWAYS BOSCONIAN.
I remember being in an old A&W root beer joint in Santa Clara, CA, when I saw 2 arcade machines in the corner of the restaurant.
One was Centipede and the other was Bosconian. Since there was like 2 older guys playing Centipede I had no choice but to play Bosconian. So I grabbed a footstool nearby and dropped in a quarter. This game blew my mind. There were UFO’s, space stations, Alien ships that would come after you in all directions.
It was pure chaos…and I loved every single bit of it. They say you never forget your first space shooter game and believe me I still haven’t forgotten that day. To those 2 fine gentlemen hogging Centipede…Thank You!
FIRST: M Rated Game
Growing up in the late 80’s/early 90’s there wasn’t a lot of violent video games like there are today. Sure there was a handful here and there but not at the levels as say God of War or (insert any generic shooter here).
However my parents were quite lenient when it came to scary things. I grew up watching The Thing, Aliens, Predator, Jaws, and even Evil Dead 2 (GROOVY!).
Hell, my father let me watch him play DOOM and Wolfenstein 3-D.
Good Parenting? Probably not, but unlike most parents today, my parents at least sat me down and explained that they were all fake and showed me the behind the scenes. Anyways back to the article in hand, my first M-Rated game was actually not really M-Rated. It had a warning on the front but it was more of tongue in cheek joke. The game was Splatterhouse 2 for the SEGA GENESIS/MEGA DRIVE.
I never played Splatterhouse 1 but the best thing about this game was that you really didn’t need to. Everything about this game was just perfect. It had creepy atmosphere, haunting music to set the tone and plenty of monsters to bash into bloody pulp.
My Pop’s would even sit down with me and point out all the movie references in the game.
FIRST: Video Game Frustration
Let’s be honest with each other right now; video games are difficult. Let me rephrase that…OLD video games are difficult. Nowadays games are so easy to beat what with the internet, downloads, and just plain easy games in general.
However, the type of difficulty that I am referring to is the pull your hair out, scream at the TV, throw the controller at the wall, rip the game from the console and smash it to pieces with a hammer
…like all FPS Gamers do. I keed I keed…not really though. There was one classic game that I believe made every child hate it so much that that is why there hasn’t been a remake/reboot/continuation of the franchise. I am talking about the infamous Battletoads for the NES and SEGA GENESIS/MEGA DRIVE;
more particularly the dreaded speeder bike round. Those who have played this game sadly know what I am talking about.
All the fast pitfalls and hard to avoid walls make your hands sweat and twitch like a crack addict.
The worst part of it is that it’s only the 3rd level and it’s not even the hardest race. That one goes to the ridiculously hard surf race which I won’t even get started on.
But it’s the speeder bike round that everyone remembers. To this day I have only beaten that stage at most twice and I was really concentrating and really swearing.
If you haven’t played the game it is really fun, but beware because this game is a devil in disguise.
Well that's some of my video game firsts, but not to worry there are plenty along the way. In the mean time why don't you tell me some of your video game "FIRSTS". Comment below and give me some ideas of any firsts you would like me to regale you all with. Until next time Adios!
