As you would know by looking at my profile, I'm currently 15 years of age. This means that I was born in 1990. In this year the Super Famicom was released in Japan, the Mega Drive began to gain steam in the American market with slogans such as "Genesis does what Nintendon't," and the Nintendo Entertainment System was preparing to make its online debut in North America (an event which never actually happened). Of course, being a toddler during the 16-bit age's prime meant I never experienced the NES or the consoles before it. And while I would get my first gaming fix in 1998 with a Nintendo 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, I had a yearning to know what some of those prior games were like.
This year I finally have some form of disposable income. And where does this money go, you ask? Simple -- retro gaming. In essence, I'm paying money to play games that many would consider inferior to offerings we have today. They're blocky, 2D for the most part, and have some incredibly simple AI and physics. And you know what? I love it! A lot of people would say, "Conor, you're stupid." To those people I respond that I'm simply a romantic for video game consoles.
Yes.
It all started last month when my cousin felt the need to offload his Super Nintendo, seeing as he never used it. Because he was asking only $20, I happily took it off his hands, and I also bought his copy of Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (yet another $20). I'd loved this game as a kid and I still do now, seeing as I only got to play it when I was at his house, which was rare at best. So with it now in my possession, I was sitting there, happily plodding along with Maxim and friends when there was suddenly a blinding flash of lightning. It seemed to be coming from the Super Nintendo itself! Amazed, I took an amateur photograph to show exactly what happened that fateful afternoon: (Photo Unedited)
Of course, Unit UP18115631 was right: I needed more games. I quickly hurried to the PC and navigated to eBay, hoping to find something worth buying. Of course I did, in the form of Stunt Race FX. In the time it took for the game to arrive, I busied myself with research. Not for a school project though: I was researching gaming history. From time to time I would say something such as "Hmm..." or "Ah..." and occasionally the reverent "Woah...". It was all quite interesting, to me at least. Most gamers my age would probably take one look at a screenshot and say, "That's ugly." Which it is, but that's not the point!
Upon the arrival of Stunt Race FX, I immediately gave it a whirl. The menu screen had been deceptively simple, it would seem. For in a shocking twist of events, the game is in 3D! Huh? Wasn't the Super Nintendo only supposed to be able to show 2D graphics? What kind of crazy logic-defying game is this?! Of course, the answer was simple. Stunt Race FX used the FX chip to allow for some sort of primitive 3D. I guess the 'FX' in the title did more than just sound XTREME. The game itself wasn't all that bad. Once I got past the little voice inside me saying "that's ugly," I actually began enjoying myself. There I was, sitting in my room with a 34cm television and a joypad without an analog stick, having an absolute blast. I guess you could say this game is what really got me into retro gaming. Because after this, I began looking for more.
The Super Nintendo had only been the beginning. In the week that followed I purchased a classic NES. However, life wasn't always great in my Pixelated Paradise. After a few hours of use, I got one of those dreaded "flashing screens." After consulting various FAQs on getting my NES up to scratch, I was still stuck with these screens. Even worse, I'd wasted a hell of a lot of Windex. What to do? Well, in typical male fashion, I hit it.
Well, I almost hit it.
The NES has been unused by me since. While I loved shooting up 8-bit ducks with a light gun that has a colour scheme which screams 80's, I've since found that I need to buy a replacement cartridge connector. Woe is me. In the meantime, what was I to do with the six NES carts that I had gotten with the system? I didn't want to leave them around doing nothing, after all they'd only just arrived. They might feel unwanted and sad. So I tried everything I could think of. Using them as cards was hard, as there were no duplicates. I spent hours sitting down playing 'Memory', but to no avail. I didn't even manage to get one single pair! Eventually, I just decided to use them as a doorstop. You know, until I get my ol' NES repaired. It might seem a tad cruel, but when you think about it, the doorstop has a very important role. I don't want to touch no stupid doorknob.
Soon after the NES episode, I acquired a copy of the SNES classic Unirally, or Uniracers as you crazy Americans call it. So far, this has been the best game I've played. Piloting an unmanned-Unicycle around a psychotropic funland just says "good times" to me, really. Not to mention the thrashing guitars in the background!
Obviously I still have a long ways to go before I've amassed a collection in the proper sense of the word. But you know, it's not even about collecting. It's about beating the Ancient Cave, about unlocking a motorcycle, and it's about pulling off the last flip you need to win the race, turning your seat around to give yourself a quick look at the loser and rubbing it in. Then you dance on your single wheel.
Isn't that truly what it's all about?
Have you recently rediscovered your own gaming roots? Think Conor's crazy for being so young? Send all comments and criticisms to qa@n-sider.com