Your favorite gaming memories...
by Stephen Clark · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 04/25/2005 (4:47 pm) · 29 replies
Here at my school there is a radio show "The Weekly Geek" and while its normally just praising Nintendo games this last week they had a little segment that was people calling in and talking about how games influenced them in a positive way. This was a counterpoint to how games cause kids to shoot each other, etc. Well, I just wanted to share some of my fond nice memories and invite yall to share as well....
I have a little brother who is 8 years younger than myself. The age divide meant that we didnt play together too much, as by the time he was old enough I was out and about w/ friends most of the time. But, we did share one love: Realmz! Now if any of you dont know what Realmz is, its a shareware fantasy RPG that as I remember had lots of items and monsters and the scenarios had multiple ways they could be completed. Each scenario was not too long (depending on how you played), which was great for me (not a huge RPG fan) and for a kid w/ a short attention span. The stories were compelling and it was the first RPG game that made me and my little bro really want to fight with fear/valor/anticipation. It was our little secret thrill/alt life and one of our childhood bonds.
Interestingly enough, Realmz used a system where the game was free and then you bought content (the scenarios). I still see this system being discussed here!
Other games:
Bolo!! Oh hell yes, bolo was big time fun back in the early days of networkable games. I've always loved strategy board games and this was the first video game that came close to the kind of thought that is required for strategy board games. It was also the first that combined strategy and action, my fav genre to date.
-s
I have a little brother who is 8 years younger than myself. The age divide meant that we didnt play together too much, as by the time he was old enough I was out and about w/ friends most of the time. But, we did share one love: Realmz! Now if any of you dont know what Realmz is, its a shareware fantasy RPG that as I remember had lots of items and monsters and the scenarios had multiple ways they could be completed. Each scenario was not too long (depending on how you played), which was great for me (not a huge RPG fan) and for a kid w/ a short attention span. The stories were compelling and it was the first RPG game that made me and my little bro really want to fight with fear/valor/anticipation. It was our little secret thrill/alt life and one of our childhood bonds.
Interestingly enough, Realmz used a system where the game was free and then you bought content (the scenarios). I still see this system being discussed here!
Other games:
Bolo!! Oh hell yes, bolo was big time fun back in the early days of networkable games. I've always loved strategy board games and this was the first video game that came close to the kind of thought that is required for strategy board games. It was also the first that combined strategy and action, my fav genre to date.
-s
#2
Venture (Colecovision)
Shadowgate (NES)
Willow (NES)
Super Mario 64 (N64)
Diddy Kong Racing (N64)
The first 3 months of Everquest
04/25/2005 (4:55 pm)
My fondest gaming memories are of the following games:Venture (Colecovision)
Shadowgate (NES)
Willow (NES)
Super Mario 64 (N64)
Diddy Kong Racing (N64)
The first 3 months of Everquest
#3
The tournament had 4 teams including us. Each team played each other team in 3 match sets (win 2 matches to beat the opponent). Games were 5 caps or 15 minutes.
During the entire tournament, we gave up one flag cap.
No amount of :D's can really express how much we beat everyone into the dust....
04/25/2005 (5:50 pm)
Ahh, my fondest gaming memory is in a UT Classic CTF tournament last summer. The team was myself as flag capper, my friends "da_plague" as berzerker and "Ectoplasmatixx" as sniper.The tournament had 4 teams including us. Each team played each other team in 3 match sets (win 2 matches to beat the opponent). Games were 5 caps or 15 minutes.
During the entire tournament, we gave up one flag cap.
No amount of :D's can really express how much we beat everyone into the dust....
#4
04/25/2005 (5:59 pm)
Playing Classic EQ then taking breaks playing Classic UT.... ahh what a wonderful balance ;) 
#5
04/25/2005 (6:31 pm)
I found it funny how Bolo always lagged for me on 56k, but I was able to play Half-Life fine... 
#6
04/25/2005 (11:21 pm)
My surprise when in Master Blaster for NES, after long searches, I found out that door to the final sector of the game was hidden all the time at the very start of the game. I dunno why, it just blew me away.
#7
04/25/2005 (11:34 pm)
I think some of my favorite times where spent playing old sierra games where you had to type look at and tell and all that. Me and my friend would spend so much time playing those games that we started to speak like that. 
#8
My wife then appeared behind me, startled awake by my outburst, and demanded that I go to bed RIGHT NOW.
Master of Orion - about my third game. My home planet started in the lower right corner of the map. I was frantically trying to expand, and I found myself boxed in on both sides. My initial reaction was to attack, to fight for those planets to expand my domain in the critical early-game stages. But then I decided to forget it, establish diplomatic relations with both races, and see what happened.
Later on both races went to war - I exchanged technology with both sides, keeping them in parity and shooting myself up the tech tree. I focused on terraforming technologies to make the most of what few planets I held. I never created a new warship the entire game. I became the second-most populous race in the galaxy, and was nominated emperor of the galaxy, The race rivalling me, I'd never met. I couldn't really influence any of the other races beyond the two that boxed me in, since I'd never had contact with them.
One race, the Mrr'Shan, kept voting for me with their pathetic single vote. My rivals were apparently at war with them, so they were voting for the enemy-of-their-enemies. Finally, my rival race (the Klakkons, I think) wiped them out entirely. This act of genocide tipped public opinion away from them and towards me for the next elextion, allowing me to win the game peacefully. As for the Mrrshan - well, they were of much greater worth to me dead than alive.
04/26/2005 (7:32 am)
The shareware version of Doom - that very first week of bliss. It was four in the morning and I was going through that maze in one of the levels. I could hear one of the demons wandering around, but I didn't know where it was. I had my headphones on since my wife was sleeping in the next room. My tension was high as I peered around every corner. Suddenly I heard the demon roar behind me, and my screen flash red. The demon was right behind me! I didn't realize, but I'd cried out in surprise.My wife then appeared behind me, startled awake by my outburst, and demanded that I go to bed RIGHT NOW.
Master of Orion - about my third game. My home planet started in the lower right corner of the map. I was frantically trying to expand, and I found myself boxed in on both sides. My initial reaction was to attack, to fight for those planets to expand my domain in the critical early-game stages. But then I decided to forget it, establish diplomatic relations with both races, and see what happened.
Later on both races went to war - I exchanged technology with both sides, keeping them in parity and shooting myself up the tech tree. I focused on terraforming technologies to make the most of what few planets I held. I never created a new warship the entire game. I became the second-most populous race in the galaxy, and was nominated emperor of the galaxy, The race rivalling me, I'd never met. I couldn't really influence any of the other races beyond the two that boxed me in, since I'd never had contact with them.
One race, the Mrr'Shan, kept voting for me with their pathetic single vote. My rivals were apparently at war with them, so they were voting for the enemy-of-their-enemies. Finally, my rival race (the Klakkons, I think) wiped them out entirely. This act of genocide tipped public opinion away from them and towards me for the next elextion, allowing me to win the game peacefully. As for the Mrrshan - well, they were of much greater worth to me dead than alive.
#9
04/26/2005 (7:56 am)
N64- Zelda OoT: I spent soo many hours playing that game over, and over, and over.... the water temple was awlays a bitch.
#10
Seal Team. What an amazing game, way ahead of its time. Squad control. Squadmates that actually covered their firing arcs. Formations. Enemy morale. Suppresion. Air strikes. Satchel charges. Air and gunboat support. Objectives other than kill everyting that moves. 3D rather than 2.5D. How long did it take the industry to pick up on all of those?
Hidden and Dangerous. Iron sights! The clueless reviewers and journalists who constantly revere Call of Duty for its innovation in implementing iron sights piss me off to no end. Learn your history, folks.
Thief. Stealth-based gameplay in 3D. It wasn't the first game to do stealth, but damn was it the most amazing.
edit: How could I forget? "All your base are belong to us."
04/26/2005 (7:59 am)
Doom was definitely a turning point. But I was in for a real treat when I first got my then-brand-spanking-new Gravis Ultrasound. When E1M1 started up and the juiced up guitar riffs fired up, there was no turning back. I was looking for GUS patches to all the hot games. :)Seal Team. What an amazing game, way ahead of its time. Squad control. Squadmates that actually covered their firing arcs. Formations. Enemy morale. Suppresion. Air strikes. Satchel charges. Air and gunboat support. Objectives other than kill everyting that moves. 3D rather than 2.5D. How long did it take the industry to pick up on all of those?
Hidden and Dangerous. Iron sights! The clueless reviewers and journalists who constantly revere Call of Duty for its innovation in implementing iron sights piss me off to no end. Learn your history, folks.
Thief. Stealth-based gameplay in 3D. It wasn't the first game to do stealth, but damn was it the most amazing.
edit: How could I forget? "All your base are belong to us."
#11
04/26/2005 (8:01 am)
Uh-oh, the truck have started to move!
#12
04/26/2005 (8:03 am)
Ah sweet ol' metal gear.
#13
Combat on the Amiga. 2 player tank battle in 32 colors with 8bit audio back in 1985. (PCs at the time had 4 colors and could beep. Macs were B&W)
Shadow of the Beast on the Amiga. 8 levels of parallax scrolling, amazing color and story.
Dune 2 on the Amiga, great RTS long before Command and Conquer.
EverQuest, logging in as a Wood elf and within 2 minutes walking off the edge of the platform in Kelethin the tree city. "Loading please wait..."
Neverwinter Nights. Finally real D&D on the computer!
Waiting for D&D Online now...
04/26/2005 (9:42 am)
Gaming WOW moments:Combat on the Amiga. 2 player tank battle in 32 colors with 8bit audio back in 1985. (PCs at the time had 4 colors and could beep. Macs were B&W)
Shadow of the Beast on the Amiga. 8 levels of parallax scrolling, amazing color and story.
Dune 2 on the Amiga, great RTS long before Command and Conquer.
EverQuest, logging in as a Wood elf and within 2 minutes walking off the edge of the platform in Kelethin the tree city. "Loading please wait..."
Neverwinter Nights. Finally real D&D on the computer!
Waiting for D&D Online now...
#14
I've had a lot of great times with games.
04/26/2005 (9:56 am)
Thief, System Shock 2, Star Control 2, Devil May Cry, Super Mario Bros, Ultima IV, Ultima VII, Nethack, Metal Gear, Bionic Commando, Pong (I don't know how many hours I spent with the damn pong console or how many quarters I pumped into the pong and asteroids machines at the pizza parlor), Burger Time, Little Ninja Brothers, River City Ransom, Radiant Silvergun, Sin & Punishment, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Sonic, Q-Bert, King's Quest III, Quake II, Resident Evil 2...I've had a lot of great times with games.
#15
Another is the Half Life mod "Ricochet". Me and my brother would play that for hours and laugh our asses off the entire time. That game was so funny... unintentionally, Im pretty sure. If you hit the little jump arrows just right, you can pull your jump backward instead of being accelerated forward. The result is (if you have perfect timing) the ability to do backflips over and over on the arrow. We would have contests to see who could do the most in a row. If you have half life or half life 2 - and im going to assume that everyone does - check this one out with a friend. Good times.
Edit: Great thread. :)
04/26/2005 (11:00 am)
The original Command & Conquer all the way. I don't even have words to describe it. I can remember playing the demo when I was 13 or 14 and having my mouth just drop.Another is the Half Life mod "Ricochet". Me and my brother would play that for hours and laugh our asses off the entire time. That game was so funny... unintentionally, Im pretty sure. If you hit the little jump arrows just right, you can pull your jump backward instead of being accelerated forward. The result is (if you have perfect timing) the ability to do backflips over and over on the arrow. We would have contests to see who could do the most in a row. If you have half life or half life 2 - and im going to assume that everyone does - check this one out with a friend. Good times.
Edit: Great thread. :)
#16
My least fav moment was about 3 minutes later, I was well into the battle, my NES suffered that wierd error that sometimes happens when they get hot and the plastic expands just enough to get the cartridge holder to let slip, thereby perma freezing my game... My TV suffered the brunt of my wrath.
04/26/2005 (11:08 am)
My fav gaming moment was finally getting to the final boss in Super Mario 2, after about 2 days of playing (this was my third time renting it), with only 45 minutes left before I had to return the game or pay a major late charge...My least fav moment was about 3 minutes later, I was well into the battle, my NES suffered that wierd error that sometimes happens when they get hot and the plastic expands just enough to get the cartridge holder to let slip, thereby perma freezing my game... My TV suffered the brunt of my wrath.
#17
One day my buddies and I were just dicking around down by the river, probably just throwing rocks at stuff as kids do, and by golly, we FOUND a copy of the first Legend of Zelda, the gold cart. Man were we happy... Of course we bickered over who owned it, etc. We ended up camping at one of the guys' house for a couple of days until we were kicked out. It was like christmas and our birthdays all rolled into one. We played the crap out of that game that summer...
I used to do BBSes back in the day and would download games and apps for the Apple II. Well one day I was on a local BBS and downloaded a horse race game only to find that my friend/rival/enemy had changed the name of one of the horses to MY name! I was sooo pissed, and yes I did confirm that it was him. Ahhh, nerd rivalry...
-s
04/26/2005 (12:39 pm)
This thread has revived some good ooold memories that I have long since forgotten:One day my buddies and I were just dicking around down by the river, probably just throwing rocks at stuff as kids do, and by golly, we FOUND a copy of the first Legend of Zelda, the gold cart. Man were we happy... Of course we bickered over who owned it, etc. We ended up camping at one of the guys' house for a couple of days until we were kicked out. It was like christmas and our birthdays all rolled into one. We played the crap out of that game that summer...
I used to do BBSes back in the day and would download games and apps for the Apple II. Well one day I was on a local BBS and downloaded a horse race game only to find that my friend/rival/enemy had changed the name of one of the horses to MY name! I was sooo pissed, and yes I did confirm that it was him. Ahhh, nerd rivalry...
-s
#18
It was Doom. It was late night. I was late at work with couple of other guys hanging around, all waiting for their turn to wave a shotgun. I entered a huge room, with suspicious armor and ammo located in the centre of hall. Once I touched them, in the best traditions of id - lights went out, door closed and tens of demons spawned in the room. And IN THE VERY SAME MOMENT - frickin lights went out in the "real" room, monitor went black and we were left in hellish pitch black. It appears that whole city block lost power the very same moment. I was so freaked out that i couldnt touch Doom for a month, although, in the end i gave up my immortal soul and went the path of darkness till the end.
04/26/2005 (2:57 pm)
Waitwaitwait- I KNOW! Jay's Doom memory flashes refreshed my memory - it wasnt really the "favourite" gaming moment, since it was too creepy and i quit gaming for a month because of that, but it sure left a mark.It was Doom. It was late night. I was late at work with couple of other guys hanging around, all waiting for their turn to wave a shotgun. I entered a huge room, with suspicious armor and ammo located in the centre of hall. Once I touched them, in the best traditions of id - lights went out, door closed and tens of demons spawned in the room. And IN THE VERY SAME MOMENT - frickin lights went out in the "real" room, monitor went black and we were left in hellish pitch black. It appears that whole city block lost power the very same moment. I was so freaked out that i couldnt touch Doom for a month, although, in the end i gave up my immortal soul and went the path of darkness till the end.
#19
All those sega games that made their way over, Shinobi, Golden Axe, Wonderboy.
Then games like Speedball 2 and Double Dragon 2........oh yeah.
Friends, relatives, neighbours..... all could swing by and enjoy :).......that was if we actually had two working joysticks :)
I do feel with all the 3D acceleration and uber cool shaders have PC games left something behind that the old computers and the consoles have? (easy and enjoyable multiplayer interaction, without a net connection)..........I guess the consoles have that market sewn up....pity......
.......bring back the split screen for PC games!
04/30/2005 (4:38 pm)
Who can forget the joy the Amiga 500 was capable of delivering?All those sega games that made their way over, Shinobi, Golden Axe, Wonderboy.
Then games like Speedball 2 and Double Dragon 2........oh yeah.
Friends, relatives, neighbours..... all could swing by and enjoy :).......that was if we actually had two working joysticks :)
I do feel with all the 3D acceleration and uber cool shaders have PC games left something behind that the old computers and the consoles have? (easy and enjoyable multiplayer interaction, without a net connection)..........I guess the consoles have that market sewn up....pity......
.......bring back the split screen for PC games!
#20
ps. maybe you had to be there.
05/04/2005 (3:05 am)
Theres a big gap between me and my brother as well. Although the game wasnt too popular I remember we hired out "biker mice from mars", an isometric race game for the SNES (i think). Anywho i was just ahead of him in the final stretch with him catching up, and he says "I'm right behind you!!". I replied in my best homer simpson voice "Yes. but not far ENOUGH behind me". He laughed so hard he crashed his bike and i won :D hahaps. maybe you had to be there.
Associate Orion Elenzil
Real Life Plus
i think my favorite gaming time was when i lived in a house with 6 people and most of us were Unreal Tournament addicts.
.. then we became nethack addicts.
.. then we became magic the gathering addicts.
.. then we became speed addicts.
i guess it's all about community !