I find myself now a days reminiscing about the games that got me into the whole videogame scene. Legend of Zelda, Mario, Kid Icarus, and Sonic the Hedgehog just to name a few; and each time I think of these titles it leads me to wondering why these games made such an impact that I wanted to continue. Was it the boy trying to save the princess or just seeing how fast one can really go on the screen? Why is it that these names are the names that we as a generation associate to our past? This is my plan for the next few weeks explore the games that for me started it all, delve into my videogame history and see why it is these games had such an effect on me. From doing this maybe we together can decide what it is we look for in games and what we are looking for in the future of gaming. The first instance I truly remember being a videogame player was not the Atari (sorry to those who started before I was born) but it was the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). There are honestly too many games to really go into detail about so I am going to highlight the four that made the biggest impact on me Legend of Zelda, Mario, Dragon Warrior, and Gun.Smoke. It’s hard to decide which to talk about first because each of these games bring a lot to the table for early gaming but since we are on a timeline here I need to start with the first released.
Super Mario Bros /Duck Hunt
Let’s be honest Super Mario Bros would not be as popular today if it did not come bundled with Duck Hunt. Super Mario Bros released September 13, 1985 and Duck Hunt released October 18, 1985 packed together and sold with the NES unit itself quickly became a household favorite. Super Mario Bros is the classic story of a plumber trying to save a princess using all the tools at his disposal mushrooms that make him grow flowers that make him spit fire Stars that make him immune to most effects in the game… wait a second a plumber, mushrooms, a princess what? That I think is what makes this game so fun it isn’t the sword carrying demon slayer badass saving the world (I’ll cover that game later) but it’s the every man in a mystical world that is the hero, the plumber that gets the princess. In this side scrolling game you jump on top of your enemy’s to kill them while avoiding obstacles and pitfalls all while trying to get to the end before the time runs out. Who could really ask for more… but wait there is more it came with Duck Hunt a game where you shoot ducks with the Nintendo gun the further you get the more ducks you have to shoot. Sounds simple enough right… but if you miss there is a dog who will take every opportunity to let you know how good you really are. I spent more time shooting the dog then actually aiming for the ducks, daring him to stick his tongue out at me again. Together these games make for hours of my childhood fun.
Gun.Smoke
“Rain of bullets with the two death-delivering guns.” This is what the cover of the game reads and I do not think it could be summed up any better. You walk up the screen shooting everything in your path you ride a horse and put down a boss at the end of every level. This game may not be as recognizable to the every gamer as Mario is but brings just as much to the table the movements involve you constantly dodging bullets while sending your barrage back at the enemy. You play the part of a Bounty Hunter “Billy Bob” going from town to town killing the 10 most dangerous people in the west. This game does an amazing job of bringing you from playing Cowboys and Indians with your friends to playing super cowboy killer in your living room.
The Legend of Zelda
And so it comes to this, one of the greatest series ever created well at least I feel this way. Legend of Zelda the game features puzzles, fighting complex bosses, and an odd assortment of weapons to get you through the game. Put that together with an amazing history and background story this game has everything needed. The game features the main character Link who goes from dungeon to dungeon gathering the tools he needs to defeat the terrible Gannon. From his trusty boomerang to bombs bigger than he is together with the power of the Tri-force and some really helpful fairies Link battles through 9 Dungeons to save the princess again showing us the lengths we will go through when a princess is on the line.
Dragon Warrior
“A Slime Draws Near! Command?” Dragon warrior is another game where the world rests on the shoulders of just one man. If it isn’t enough that the ball of light that holds the world in peace is taken by the Dragon Lord but the Princess as well; He has gone too far! This game based around a simple story that grows more and more as you continue. The fighting system is a basic text command where you choose to fight, use a spell, use an item or just simply run can make for repetitive combat but the overall story behind the game does draw the player in to just keep going.
With that I would like to thank you for taking in my first issue of Legend of Bruherd I will continue my review of my past games til present and look foreward to seeing what we can discover by looking at where we started.
First!
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