BACK TO THE INDEX.
-By Hbomb -
-Hbomb Milk Contains Transfatty Acids-
-This was once on another website-
-But it got better and moved here-
-We love it here and so should you-
-Or death will remove your McGriddles in the night-
-You do not want to miss your McGriddles-
-Posted August September 17th, 2003-
The summer of 1989. I had just completed the fourth grade. As a reward for good grades, my parents purchased my sister and I a Nintendo Entertainment System. This opened a new world of adventures, including Super Mario Bros., SMB2, The Legend of Zelda, and Dragon Warrior. Fast forward to the Christmas of 1990, where under my Christmas tree is Super Mario Bros. 3. Through the years, I would discover new adventures, including Dragon Warrior 2, Punch Out, Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior 3, and Dragon Warrior 4, among others.
On Christmas 1991, I get my first Gameboy, along with Tetris, Super RC Pro-Am, and Tecmo Bowl. Later I would get Dr. Mario, Alleyway, and Faceball 2000.
In the spring of 1993, I purchased a SNES and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I then move on to other classics, including Final Fantasy 2, Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Harvest Moon, and Yoshi's Island.
And then, in the summer of 1994, after completing my freshman year of High School, my parents buy me and my sister a Sega Genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Christmas 1998, I get a GBC, along with Zelda: Link's Awakening DX and Game and Watch Gallery 2. I later move on to Dragon Warrior Monsters, Survival Kids, Pokemon Yellow and Gold, Dragon Warrior 1 & 2, and Harvest Moon.
In just a few short months, a new system, Gameboy Advance, will come out, and several ports and sequels will be coming with it. When I first played Dragon Warrior Monsters, it reminded me of my days playing Dragon Warrior when I was a kid. It was like an event in my house. No one in my family was immune. My parents often stayed up late playing it. And Dragon Warrior 1 & 2 brought an even deeper feeling of nostalgia. With Super Mario Advance, Mario Kart Advance, F-Zero Advance, Sonic the Hedgehog Advance, and planned ports of SMB3, SMW, Metroid, Yoshi's Island, and Yoshi's Story on the way, I'm just drooling.
No, I'm not against original games. One can't live on remakes alone. But remember, that original game you're playing today could pop on a more advanced platform in a few years.
Update: The retro trend has continued since I originally wrote this column. New installments of Nintendo mainstay series Zelda, Mario, Star Fox, Pokemon, and Metroid have appeared on both the GBA and Gamecube. In addition, ports of several Mario games and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past have been released on GBA. I've had a GBA since Christmas of 2001 and a Cube since Christmas of 2002, and probably the game I've enjoyed the most in that time is Animal Crossing, due to the inclusion of classic NES games.
As someone who's been playing video games for at least a decade and a half, I love retro. Don't get me wrong. I love newer original titles like Golden Sun, but as long as ports and remakes exist, I will buy them.
-Hbomb - (Provided the FUNKY)
-Foy - (Provided the FLIGHT)