And with that PS1 (as I’m going to call it from now on) I had a bunch of games that my parents bought me or I just got from family members. These games ranged from Monopoly (yeah, really) to Jet Moto 2 to even Crash Bandicoot and Megaman, and I had no idea how much some of these games would mean to people in the future, because well, I was like 7.
Now back then, I didn’t play games with the intention to master them or even beat them, I was just playing for fun, and going outside was more of my thing…well that an tv.
And when I say ‘just playing for fun’ I mean it, there was no saving, there was just turning the game off and leaving, then coming back later and playing the same level again for the Nth time, which I was cool with. Hell, there were some games that I didn’t play again out of fear (but more on that later on).
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
I had no clue what I was doing in this game. All I had figured out was how to jump, spin and run from those boulders that would chase you. Oh and that mask (or were there masks) that would turn Crash invincible for a brief period, and that was awesome.
The first two stages were the ones I played the most, if memory serves me correctly (which it probably doesn’t) and that was because I never saved or I lost all my lives goofing off and getting killed. But I didn’t mind because after a while I had those first few levels memorized and I would just blow through them, then get to the next stage and quit or get killed.
I wish I could talk more about my experiences with Crash 2 but I don’t remember it as much as I’d like to, I should go buy it again and play it through to the end (this blog is called Watch Us Play after all….hmm).
Pac Man World
Ha. Pac-man with arms and legs, that’s funny.
Crap, so that wasn’t something my child mind made up.
I’m not even sure where I got this game from. I’m going to guess that my mom got it because she used to play Pac Man…actually, what parent hasn’t played Pac Man?
I remember running to and away from ghosts in 3d graphics, jumping on platforms and swimming. Oh and Pac Man spinning around several times and throwing a pellet down and an explosion occurring….
…WHY!?
Okay back then I didn’t care, but now I can ask the world: Why would you do this to Pac Man? Why complicate things? It an arcade game about a dude—nay, a thing eating yellow circles, fruit and ghosts. Done. No need to reinvent, reverse engineer, and reboot the wheel, I mean really.
I think at one point I did try to play through the game and finish it, but I just couldn’t, I kept getting stuck and my young, fragile mind refused to do any critical thinking before Pokémon came on. At most I kept doing that spinning explosion thing until I ran out or pellets (you needed ten in order to do the move), at that point I would move on to….
…Spyro the Dragon
SPYRO THE MOTHER-EFFIN DRAGON…who can’t fly.
Child self: “Why can a dragon not fly and only glide?”
Current self: “I’m pretty sure it’s because Spyro was a kid dragon, not a full grown one.”
Child self: “Oh, okay.”
I NEVER played Spyro the dragon like an actual game. I literally spent hours chasing down ogres…orcs…those green dudes and head butting them or shooting fire at their but and watching them run around. And I giggled like a gremlin. I did find a couple of those statue dragons though, but that was only by accident or because they were right there (so why not).
My fondest memory of Spyro the Dragon was in the first stage/world and there’s this waterfall and lake with six stone platforms in it. I randomly decided to jump on all six of them, and after the sixth one, a secret world opened up behind the waterfall. I was so freaked out and excited that I put the controller down and walked away for a minute, then came back, still debating about whether to jump in or not. I did…
…and I don’t remember if it was a bonus stage or an actual world, because all I remember is flying around in circles trying to figure out what I was there for.
Mega Man: Legends
I going to be completely honest with you: This game scared the shit out of me when I was a kid; the atmosphere, the background music, the starting enemies, all of it. Aside from the first 10-15mins of the first level, I have no clue what the rest of the game looks like, except for screenshots in the instruction manual. I even had another friend who even said that he was getting a little scared himself the first time he played it, so it wasn’t just me.
The main thing that scared me away from this game was this one enemy that I ran into on my first play through. It was this mechanical spider creature that would drop down from the ceiling and attack you, and in that area it’s easy to get lost. So me, I see this spider thing, freak out, turn to run away and can’t find the way back to the easier enemies that I could just kick in the nuts, and I get killed.
Some of you may not get this, so let me put this into perspective: all I had really played up to this point were racing games and wacky adventure games, i.e. the games above. My favorite shows were Power Rangers, Pokemon, and other bright colorful cartoons. So this was my first time experiencing something so dark and lonely, I wasn’t ready for it.
This is another game that I want to go back to. And you know what? I think I will…as soon as I find a copy and figure out how to capture footage from my ps2.
Vectorman
This is a Sega Genesis game, but the bigger plot point is that nobody I know has ever heard of this frickin game. The first time I ever brought it up to someone, they thought I was crazy when I described it to them, and rightfully so, because the concept, when said out loud, sounds about as intelligent as a blue hedgehog running through loops…wait a minute scratch that.
Here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia:
The game itself is a straightforward 2D action platformer. Vectorman is an "orbot" (a robot whose body is composed entirely of orbs) powered with a ball gun in his hand; powerups include a machine gun, "bolo" gun, and triple-fire guns.
Vectorman possesses the ability to transform, through the use of powerups, into several different forms: including a drill, to cut through floors; a bomb, to destroy all surrounding enemies or breakable walls; and an aquatic form, useful for swimming underwater.
Now say that out loud to someone who has never played a video game. I’ll wait.
………………………….
How’d it go? Did you get that “you’re kinda weird” or “okaaaaaaay” response?
What? No? Well screw you and you’re normal society like friends.
-Sigh- Well, long story short: I never got past the second level. I always got as far as a boss fight against a plane that swung two wrecking balls at you. And for the life of my childhood self, I could not figure out how to hit that %&^$ing plane.
But now….oh now!!
I still have that genesis, and I might still have that copy of Vectorman. I will defeat that plane and see past the second level before I die. Consider it an idea for a Retro Gaming segment.
People who somehow end up reading this: Hold me to this.
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