For the love of games!

[TyrannicalFascist]

Lately, I've seen a lot of negativity - a lot of bashing, a lot of hate, and a lot of complaining on the internet regarding video games. I've seen it here too. I'm not going to say where or who - that's not important. Sufficed to say if you haven't seen me post much lately, it's because I haven't been too keen to jump into discussions like that.

Now most of all, with E3 and 2 new consoles, plus many other developments, I'm seeing more and more negativity from and towards people surrounding video games. People want more and more, yet are never satisfied with anything, always finding a flaw or problem with every game or system or company or fan. Some people are viciously competitive and it seems that it gets worse every year, and now I've had enough.

Many of us got into video games as kids or teens as a fun form of entertainment that we could directly control, more than a movie or TV show. You could be a pirate, an astronaut, an animal, a knight, an alien, a superhero, a race car driver, a plumber, or whatever you want. For some of us it was something to do with friends or a way practice our skills at something. It was just fun. And that's all it needed to be. So why is it that now so many people are complaining and downright attacking other people over these things? Why am I seeing twitter posts from game developers attacking their own fans? Why is it worth putting so much negative energy into all of that?

I don't care about the politics of the video game industry. I don't care about hardcore vs. casual. I don't care about modern vs. retro. I don't care which company copied who. I don't care about iPhone vs. Android. I don't care about digital vs. physical copies. I don't care about Microsoft vs. Sony vs. Nintendo. All I care about is enjoying a game.

So in the spirit of optimism, I'm starting this topic as a place to simply share some of your favorite games, your favorite game memories, your nostalgia, your excitement, and your general love of video games without any negativity attached. Share how you first got into video games, or one of your first video games. Share some of your favorite game merchandise or promotions. Share some embarrasing stories about game myths you believed and bogus "secrets" you tried to unlock. Talk about canceled or rumored games that always fascinated you. Everything in this topic is an opinion and should be respected as such. Debates and arguments can go elsewhere. Everyone has different tastes, and those differences are what makes it special for each person.

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Here's one of my favorite game memories.

I was over at one of my friend's houses and he and his brother and I were playing SNES...Yoshi's Island or something. His dad came home and was carrying a huge box which we thought nothing of. While we were playing, he lowered the box in front of our view. Upon seeing it was a Nintendo 64, my friend turned off the SNES mid-game, even though we were trying to beat it. We didn't care. The N64 was here - a day early! I don't know how he pulled it off, but we were freaking out... We popped in Super Mario 64 and probably spent a good 30 minutes just messing with Mario's interactive face. Once we finally got in the game, we took turns just running around in the grass with the new joystick. My friend's brother looked at the booklet and told us how to do the long-jump. From there on (and pretty much ever since) I've enjoyed using the long jump to get around. We made our way into Bob-Omb Battlefield and literally spent the next hour accomplishing nothing. We were having way too much fun jumping around, exploring, punching the blocks that looked like rice krispie treats and finding red coins here and there. We had no idea what we were doing, but it was just fun. There was something about that very first time playing Super Mario 64 that felt so open and huge and limitless. It wasn't my first video game by any means, or even the first 3D one, but it just made a great impact on me as a kid.  

So here's a related bonus memory...a rather embarrassing one.

Back in the early days of the internet, when I was a more naive gamer, I came across a site claiming that you could unlock Luigi in SM64 if you collected every coin in the game, then find him next to Yoshi on the castle. There was a pretty convincing (photoshopped) image of Luigi, so I decided to do it. And after 3 days, I did. It was of course bogus, and I later learned it wasn't even possible to collect all the coins. Still, I felt pretty good for having collected them all anyways. It wasn't the first Luigi myth I pursued, but it was the last. Though certainly not the last bogus game myth I pursued.

[larryinc64]

Getting the response to your intro out of the way.
I actualy want less out of the new game systems.
Hey, here is a box, a controller and a game, have fun.
Thanks
Oh and here is some online play.
Cool, that can be fun sometimes.
Here is a motion controller.
Thank you, it can be fun in small bursts, but I'll keep my normal Controller.
Here is a camera mandatory to the system.
Oh, OK, im going to put this book in front of it.
Now you can see what your "Friends" are playing on Facebook
Ok, I really do not give any shits. . .

I'm bored with writing this.

Also

We had no idea what we were doing, but it was just fun.

Best way to play a game ever.

I'll share some stories tomorrow, to tired to type.

[ShoothimNow]

Now most of all, with E3 and 2 new consoles, plus many other developments, I'm seeing more and more negativity from and towards people surrounding video games. People want more and more, yet are never satisfied with anything, always finding a flaw or problem with every game or system or company or fan. Some people are viciously competitive and it seems that it gets worse every year, and now I've had enough.

Here's one of my favorite game memories.

I was over at one of my friend's houses and he and his brother and I were playing SNES...Yoshi's Island or something.

Good luck going to a friends house to play one of your games now.

[FritzWhite]

There's been some negativity, but it's a valid response to the bullshit being hurled by MS. I'm not complaining though. I'll just be voting with my wallet and not buying any of the new consoles except for maybe a WiiU some day. I'm content with working on completing the retro collection right now.

The next modern 'system' I get will be a PC for gaming. I am enthralled with the Omni and Occulus Rift. I would love to play shooters with that set up. They look to be very expensive so it will be a long time before I game with that, but that's what I'll save for after I finish my retro stuff.

Gaming memory: my mom taking away Legend of Zelda for NES when I was 7 because someone told her it would corrupt me or some kind of nonsense. I pitched a good fit over that, tears and everything.

[akumaizer]

I think the point of this thread was to be positive.    Here is a nostalgic story off the top of my head:

Me and two friends crowded around a 13" color TV in a bedroom playing Castlevania.  We were taking turns playing between deaths and we had finally gotten to Dracula at the end.  It wasn't my turn to play but we were all so excited.  But why wouldn't he die?  What was going on?  I randomly, desperately, said "hit him in the head!"  It came off!  We beat the game!  We were all so giddy for a brief moment until he transformed and WTFPWND us.  We were yelling so much my friends mom ran into his bedroom thinking we were fighting or hurt.  Worse!

[mojoeskateco]

I'll never forget the first time I turned on the SNES.  My mom rented it for me and I still to this day remember watching the title sequence and being blown away by the leap in graphics and how amazing the music was. 

This was back before YouTube and announcement trailers, etc.  I don't even think I had seen a screen shot of Mario world before I turned the system on.

This is probably the most memorable gaming moment I'll ever have

[sheep2001]

For me some of the most memorable moments are firstly, Christmas 1984,  getting a 48k rubber key ZX spectrum from my parents.  With a 6 pack of games including Horace goes skiing.  The 3-4 minute loading time, watching the coloured lines running up and down the screen felt like an eternity.

Buying myself a master system having saved up for MONTHS!  Hang on was the absolute shit!  Astro warrior, outrun, my hero........ Still one of my favourite consoles to this day.

Buying myself a commodore Amiga.  I got myself a Saturday job and saved and saved. £400 was ALOT of money for me.  But it was oh, so worth it.

Then when a friend got his hands on a Japanese snes, before the uk release, and playing Actraiser for the first time.  I was absolutely blown away.  And lastly playing sonic the first time on an in store display.  Right then I HAD to buy a megadrive.  

I rarely get excited by games now like I did back then, mostly I guess because I am older, and there are other more important things in my life.  Although things like first playing tony hawks pro skater on the ps1 and infamous or sleeping dogs on the ps3 have managed to get a bit of that feeling back.  Just one more level........

Ive just orderd an ouya, I'm going to preorder a ps4, and I will probably end up with Xbox one at some point down the road.

[Superchop]

So here's a related bonus memory...a rather embarrassing one.

Back in the early days of the internet, when I was a more naive gamer, I came across a site claiming that you could...

Lol, I have a similar story...back in the early days of pokemon red and blue, I remember reading a lot of websites claiming that there is a secret 4th evolution to the main 3 pokemon.  It said that you have to beat the Elite 4 about 100 times or more.  And believing the websites I did just that lol, although I used that to also level up my pokemon team to 100.  You can only guess how dissappointed I was when my Blastoise didn't evolve lol.

In terms of gaming and the different generations, I think the biggest impact was from the N64.  I literally wanted the the n64 solely for Zelda: OOT.  The year that I got it I remember asking my mom to take me to toys r us so I could buy my cousin a xmas gift.  This was xmas eve so the toy store was packed lol.  While I was looking at the games for the snes I also remember my mom looking at zelda for the 64 a bit more then others.  But I shrugged it off.  I waited in line to pay for the game and since back then we had to take a paper to the counter then wait in a different line so the employees could pick up the game from the stock room.  Once I paid my mom had told me to go wait in the car while she waited to pick up the game.  So I did, I went to the car and waited...it took her about a half hr to come back!  I found it kinda strange that it took so long especially since she was like 2nd or 3rd in line.  Well, the next morning I got the surprise of my life!  A N64 and zelda!  Me and my cousin played it for hours and hours and were just amazed with the game.  Since then though, no game or system has had that same impact.  Which I think is a shame but things change...

[Seraph Man]

You know what? I don't need nostalgia.

I was sitting in my room this morning with my little (13) brother, watching the Nintendo Direct livestream, which was choppy as all hell. But we powered through, and halfway through the thing stopped buffering every 20 seconds. He was excited about Pokemon, being the pokenut that he is, and I am too, to a lesser extent. The other games interested him, and he found himself wanting a Wii U for the new Mario and Mariokart games. Then they showed the new Smash. We were both excited and had fun as it unfolded. We agreed that the Villager was cool, and the game looked like the kind of fun you'd find in Smash. Then it ended, and he was a little disappointed that they only showed one new character. But I suspected more, so I told him to wait. Seconds later, new challenger appeared. We see the silhouette, and I know. My brother suspects, until the helmet appeared. We both cheered, trying to mute ourselves and not doing too good a job. It was Mega Man. See, my brother may be a pokenut, but I'm a fanatic of Mega Man (though Forte seems to have one-up-ed me in terms of how hardcore his love is). When Mega Man was down, he switched to his powers and we cheered again. The moves were phenomenal. And after it ended, we were giddy. We watched the trailer again and again.

That's it. Just a nice anecdote about today. I'll remember this day.