Memories

I remember playing Super Mario Brothers for the first time, and marveling at the high-end graphics, the level design, the enemies.  It was fascinating, and didn’t cost money to play. 

I had just completed 2-2 and got past that damn Blooper, when I got a call. I let the machine get it ‘cause I was in the groove, and heard a friend leave a message wanting to go out.

Ahh, crap.

Now I don’t want to turn this into a kids have it easy today diatribe, but back then you had to make a choice between your console and socializing.  Back then if you were knee-deep into a game, and something came up, there was no way to save your progress.  You could pause, sure, but your only long-term solution was to switch off your console, live your life, then start over from the beginning the next time you wanted to play.

It sucked…hard.  Although, I was glad I didn’t have to pay for each restart.

When I eventually got the first PlayStation it came with something I didn’t quite understand at first:  memory cards.  For what?  For saving your progress…  You mean?  Yep, finish a world in Spyro, save your game, take a call, leave the house, enjoy your time, and come back to a virtual bookmark the next time you boot up your system.

This is truly what is meant by technology making life better.

It was so freeing.

And although it may be true that kids today do have it easier, thank goodness.  Imagine BioShock without saves, or Uncharted.  Dark Souls, as difficult as it is, would be unplayable without saves.

In my mind, periodic saves did more to change games than almost anything else in the last few generations. 

Hey You Kids: Get Off My Console!

Let’s just get this out of the way first:  I’m old. 

Commercials don’t try to sell me things anymore, and I don’t know a lot of people that TMZ interviews.  I know Jay-Z is a singer, but couldn’t tell you the name of one of his songs; he’s married to Beyoncé, right?  My wife told me that. I remember Beyoncé from Destiny’s Child. 

And, yes, I have a wife.  I’ve been married since 1996, probably before some of you were born.  You don’t want to know when I graduated high school…

I remember when it cost a quarter to play video games.  I loved Centipede and was blown away when Millipede came along—the graphics were amazing.  I played Tron (the original) and still remember the patterns for winning the light cycle levels. 

I still remember Ms. Pac Man patterns. 

However, even though I’m old, I still play video games almost every day.  And no, I’m not talking about Angry Birds or Bejeweled or Tetris (which I used to play on my original Game Boy with the pea soup-colored screen, back in the day).  I play all the latest games for the PS3, and until recently the 360 (damn RRD). 

I know I’m not so old that I’m a novelty in the gaming world, but at just shy of 50 I am intimately familiar with Bioshock (both parts) and can’t wait to get my hands on Infinite.   I loved Infamous, Uncharted, Fallout, Saints Row, and their sequels.  You name it and I’ve probably played it, or at least know about it.  Borderlands?  I didn’t like killing the same enemies over and over, but part two was fun.  The Orange Box?  Multiple play-throughs, and damn it Valve hurry up with the next part.   Dark Souls, Portal 2, Killzone, Dead Space?  Yes, yes and yes.

I’ve played games since I first picked up an Atari 2600 controller at a friend’s house, but I started in earnest when I got a PS1.  (My father-in-law thought my wife would enjoy it because she used to play Frogger as a kid, but I was the one that got hooked.)  I remember playing the Crash Bandicoot games (including CTR), all the Syphon Filter sequels, Metal Gear Solid, Spyro.  I can still remember the music from Crash 1 levels—remember Hog Wild?

So why this blog?

Think of this as a way of looking at games through experienced eyes.  How the industry has evolved since the days of Myst, where a point-and-click adventure was as new of a concept as games on CD-ROM.

Think of this as the ramblings of an old man clinging to his youth, using games as a cocktail after a long work day.

If nothing else, think of this as a chance for me to write about my favorite pastime.