I was thinking the other day about how games used to be a lot more fun to play. At least that’s what it feels like to me. I, of course, am aging (like most of us) and perhaps my enjoyment level of games is diminishing against the stresses of adult life, things like making sure the mortgage is paid and work blah blah blah.. I’d like to believe that because then the only other explanation is; maybe games aren’t as much fun as they used to be.
That may sound like an irrational statement, but unless you were gaming when I was gaming, you really can’t understand what I am trying to say. It doesn’t even count if you have played the "old’ game systems now, because you have the "new’ game systems to compare them to. And let’s be fair. Those who have grown up with NES, SNES, Genesis, Playstation, the PC and N64 have played a lot of great games, and who in their right mind would go back and play those old dinosaur systems like the 2600/400/800 or the C64 or the Intellevision or Colecovision? Probably not many, and why? Well, because by today’s standards those games look crude and some play crude. But you know what? Back when I was a kid we were as excited about some of them as you are about the new Link game for N64.
If you look back at some of these old games, you’ll realize although the graphics are crude, the only thing the programmers had to work with was "gameplay." And some of it was classic. I remember running home like a madman after school to fire up my Atari 2600 just like you run home for the Playstation. And the argument that we would play anything because there wasn’t a whole heck of a lot to choose from is B.S. Crappy games existed back then just like they do now. And it didn’t take long for the word to get out on which games were garbage. There was no internet then. We used a little known device of communication called "word of mouth" and you know what? It did the job just fine. I know I’m sounding like Grampa Simpson, but bear with me.
I’m going to take this opportunity and describe some games you have probably never played and perhaps never will. As you are reading them, picture them with today’s graphic capabilities and drool. These games had some great game mechanics.
Superman (Atari 2600) circa 1979/1980 (?)
The high price tag ($50.00) in 1980 for this game, didn’t stop me from purchasing this little gaming jewel. I loved it and here is why:
You start off as Clark Kent as you make your way through the streets of Metropolis. You are on your way to work when Lex Luthor flies over and blows up the one bridge in Metropolis!! You head for the nearest phone booth and TA DA! Enter Superman. With one upward thrust of the joystick you soar into the air in search of Lex and his gang. You also have to locate the missing pieces of the bridge scattered throughout the city. You must rely on your flight, super strength and x-ray vision to thwart this crime! As you fly through the streets and subways of Metropolis searching for these fiends, you must be careful to avoid the flying kryptonite that Lex has planted. If it touches you, your flight powers are gone! The only thing that will bring them back is a kiss from Lois Lane. If you can find her. Pressing the button on the joystick and pressing up, down , left or right will activate Supe’s x-ray vision and reveal if any crooks, Lex, bridge or Lois is lurking in those parts. You can only go up and down when flying, so if your flight is out you have to walk ALOT and rely on your memory of the city scape of Metopolis to find where you are going. Once you locate Lois and are back in the air it’s tame to hunt for crooks. Upon catching them one at a time, you fly them to the Metroplis Jail and deposit them behind bars. Once Lex is captured and he is tricky to catch thanks to his strapped on gyrocopter blades, it’s time to fix the bridge. Once all three pieces are in place, you must fly into the phonebooth, change back to Clark and deliver your story to The Daily Planet!
Now doesn’t that sound like a lot of fun? Sure the graphics were blocky but that didn’t stop the programmers from making the game as interesting as possible. No Superman game to date has had that much depth to it. Hopefully the N64 version will put the 2600 one to shame. But it’s got some big shoes to fill.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (2600) 1982 (?)
This game was a bastard. It was hard, but it had so much to it that it compelled you to play. I remember that you had to use two joysticks to play it and that the instructions were pretty much non-existent. It involved using whips, guns and bombs to make your way to the Lost Ark. To be honest, I can’t remember many of the intricacies of this masterpiece but I can tell you that it was a real adventure. You had to collect certain treasures to solve the puzzles. You had to dig in specific areas. You had to use the whip to get you to different areas. The one shining moment was when you had to place the clock in a certain area. When the clock struck a certain time, the correct placement of the Ark was displayed on the model of the city. Just like in the movie. It was a magical moment in my gaming when I figured that out. I thought I was a genius. Again this had crude graphics but the gameplay and the difficulty made up for it. This was the very first game that made me use my brain to really think of a solution. A lot of games today don’t offer up the challenges that Raiders did.
Berzerk (2600) 1983 (?)
This was a really intense shooter. You had to run through mazes and blow away hoards of robots searching for the way out. If you lingered too long in one room, Evil Otto the bouncing smiley face came out and chased you or if you weren’t fast enough he bounced you to death. This one had better graphics and it wasn’t a brain challenge but it was a blast. When Evil Otto showed up it was the same intense fear that I get when Zombies in Resident Evil grab your leg. On a personal note, just about the time Berzerk was gaining popularity in the arcades, two Yugoslovian kids entered our school. One kids name was Michael and his older brother was Vilado. Geez, what do you think his nick name was? I bet you he never knew what the hell we were talking about.
Karate Fighter ( Arcade 1985 ?)
If it wasn’t for this game, you wouldn’t be playing Tekken 3. Most people credit Street Fighter as the impetus, but Data East’s Karate Fighter had them beat by a couple of years. You used two joysticks to control your character’s movements. There were lunge punches and reverse kicks and roundhouses etc. You had to score two points to win the match which was timed. If you were lucky you could get your opponent with a good kick to the face that gave you 1000 points and would knock him out cold, giving you 1 match point. Between fights there were even bonus rounds that had you either jumping flying obstacles or destroying them with punches and kicks. Of course, it was also two player and that meant tons of fun. There was never a home version I don’t believe due to the fact the home market was in serious limbo at the time. This was the first serious attempt at giving the player greater control over an onscreen character.
Bionic Commando (1989) NES
This game is a definite classic and I think a lot of people agree. It was loosely based on the arcade game of the same name, but it had so much more to it. You were a soldier that was implanted with a bionic arm that could extent and attach to walls, ceilings. You had to use this arm to get you around because this dude couldn’t jump at all. You used that arm like Spiderman to get you places while taking out hostile enemy forces while searching for Joe, the original Commando. A helicopter took you from area to area on the map screen which dropped you behind enemy lines. Once there you had different objectives to accomplish. Some areas were neutral areas where you could not attack. In these areas you talked to everyone hoping to unearth a clue about the enemies plans or Joe’s whereabouts. The games final confrontation with the last boss was a total surprise and really tied up the whole story. It was the first game I played that had a really great ending that made you feel the effort was worth it. On another personal note this was/is the only game I’ve ever canceled work to play. I was sick for two days. (Wink). If you have a NES kicking around, find this game.
Well that’s a little look back at some of my favorites. There are others that I will undoubtedly remember the moment after I send this off., but for now these come to mind. These games embody the reason why I keep playing. I am in constant search of the "feelings" I got when playing Superman or Bionic Commando or Super Mario 64 for the first time. Okay so I know Super Mario 64 isn’t on an old machine, but I defy most people to say that they didn’t get a "this is a special moment in gaming history" feeling wash over them when they first picked up that controller and moved Mario. These games all say the same thing without saying anything and that is, "We are going to take you somewhere special." The game play speaks for itself. The back story is incidental, and in some cases not needed because the game does it all for you. How often do you get that special feeling anymore? You may feel it with Link and you may feel it with Metal Gear Solid but I doubt you felt it with Gran Turismo or even FFVII for the matter. Both games are great, but they didn’t break the mold, they didn’t take a chance, they simply built a better mousetrap so to speak.
Could this be the reason that games aren’t as much fun anymore? How excited will you be playing Tekken 4, Gran Turismo 2 , FFVIII, Crash Bandicoot 3, NHL 99, etc.? But remember playing NHL Hockey for the first time on the Genesis? I hate real hockey but I bought that game. That’s gotta tell you something. After playing Phantasy Star on Sega Master System, how much different could things get, until maybe Link on N64 (if that will still be classified as a true RPG.) If every game is simply a rehash, albeit an enhanced rehash, doesn’t a bit of the spark die a little bit every time? How many people want to see Titanic 2? Unfortunately, I bet there are a lot that would. Talk about missing the point.
However there is an upside to this whole topic. For every gamer out there who is an old vet like me, there is another new gamer bringing his system home for the first time, plugging in and getting that feeling wash over him that this is something special. Hey he might be playing Crash Bandicoot 2 for that matter, but it’s irrelevant what the game is. The point is, is that he’s playing for the first time and there are all these great genres to choose from, and countless amazing games to play. Wow, I wish I could be that kid. What a great time to be a gamer! It’s almost as good as when I was young...