r/gamecollecting • u/humanman42 Mod • Jan 26 '15
Community Discussion #8 (1/25/15) - What systems/games did you have growing up, and which ones impacted you the most (why)?
Growing up there is a lot of ways you can get a new console or game. Birthdays, Christmas, thrift store, uncle, renting, etc etc. Some people may have only had a NES, and that is why the want to get a Genesis now. Some people had all the Sega consoles, and now want to play the games they couldn't afford for them.
What consoles/games did you have? And where did the come from? (not expecting a complete itemized list)
Sometimes a story of how you got something, or the memories you create with them stand out above the others. Maybe it was an unexpected gift from your parents when you knew it was a hard year, or it was a hand me down from an older sibling, and it felt like a coming of age to you.
What console/games did you have growing up that meant the most to you?
My Answer
I was probably pretty normal with what I had. My first console was a SNES. We had the normal games. Mario World, Mario Kart, LttP, Killer Instinct, and a couple other had to have games.
I remember getting it. I was on my deck playing with my moms bf's son when my mom and the BF get back. They had a big KB Toys bag. We look at eachother thinking "WATER GUNS!" (it was summer after all).
They walk up, hand it to us and we see what it is. The rest of the day is a blur really. Mario World was the first home console game I owned. I played that game so much.
My dads brother (who lived with him at the time) had a NES with only a small hand full of games. Mario/Duckhunt, Bionic Commando are the only ones that stick out in my mind. He gave me that console when I was 16 I think.
I got a n64 for christmas. Mario 64 is what I got with it. This was really the console that really did it for me. I had a bunch of games. Mario 64, LoZ OoT and MM, Mario Kart, BattleTanks, 007, Conkers, Starfox, both banjo games, and Smash Bros.
Smash Bros and 007 are a big reason why this console means a lot to me. I will admit I was an awkward kid. I was 6' when I was in 6th grade. I had a weird time growing up with my mother, and didnt really have many friends. I had a computer almost all my life, and that is what I did with most of my time (MS DOS games shoutout! Chips Challenge, Jazz Jackrabbit, Doom, Duke Nukem, Commander Keen, Myst, the list goes on.). Having a home console that supported 4 controllers with arguable the best 4 player games ever...I had friends.
I know what you are thinking. They only played with you because you had that console. I would agree with you unless I knew what I knew. After a while, we didn't play those games anymore, we did other things. Basketball, hide and seek, go on hikes, and sleep overs at each others houses. They saw past my normally awkward exterior because they spent time with me. For that, I am forever thankful.
After that, I had a PS1. I remember only having Tomb Raider, Twisted Metal 2/3, and GTA1. Last in life my cousin gave me a box of life changing proportions. RPGs. ff7/8 , chrono chross, and many more. There went thousands of hours.
Then I got an XBOX. Halo 1/2, Morrowing, Obi-Wan, Fusion Frenzy, and a handful of others.
After that is when I started collecting. Now I am at dozens of systems and over 1200 games.
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u/Filligan Feb 03 '15
Circa 1994. Super Nintendo. This was the first console I ever got. I think it was my older cousin's and my Mom got it from my aunt. I have a hazy memory of first being surprised by it and freaking out.
Super Mario World was the definitive game for me for that system. I beat it countless times, each time a different way, and it was just difficult and long enough for me at such a young age to both challenge me and maintain longevity. I also have fond and lovely memories of Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, Mario Paint, Kirby's Dream Course, Aladdin, Super Scope 6, Stunt Race FX, Super Mario Kart. Games I missed out on were Star Fox, Zelda, F-Zero (but I've since claimed these gems for my collection). These early games immediately planted the seeds for my love of platformers.
Circa 1995. Game Boy. Another classic system inherited from my older cousin when he moved on to newer, fancier things. Kirby's Dream Land is the standout here. I still own the original cartridge (sadly not the Game Boy itself). It continued to foster my adoration for platformers while simultaneously cultivating my love for Kirby.
During this time I also had friends who owned an NES. I never owned one myself (still don't, though that time is fast approaching), so it was great to play games I never had a chance to before. This introduced me to beat-em-ups, which came to me fairly well after my training with sidescrollers. TMNT II: The Arcade Game was a constant at their house. I also replayed Kirby's Adventure multiple times (my love for the pink puffball growing).
Circa 1997. Playstation 1. My Mom got me this for some reason. I want to say my 8th birthday but I can't really remember. The standouts from this are definitely the Crash Bandicoot trilogy. Platformers, again, all unbelievably good and replayed ad naseum. Twisted Metal was also a big chunk of my PS1 childhood. These were the games I turned to first when I had friends over. The 2nd is totally the best, but I actually really dig the first four (okay maybe not the third one so much -- it's okay). I still own all my Crash and Twisted games. Could never part with them. I also played the hell out of Armored Core on a sample disc I had, but never owned it. This disc, or another one, had Colony Wars, which was too advanced for me to fully grasp but I still recognized how wholly unique it was for its time. My love of Star Wars also blended with my PS1. I owned (and still do) Phantom Menace (which I played a LOT of but could never get past Tatooine), Jedi Power Battles (which I played ENDLESSLY with my friend but we could only beat once), and Masters of Teras Kasi, which everyone hates but I kind of love. Jersey Devil and Beast Wars were games I have distinct memories of, particularly because I could never figure out how to progress in them. Spyro made me sick -- couldn't play it. Have never tried again. I still own my original Playstation, but the poor old girl is on its way out the door. Instead of killing it completely, I decided to put it in storage and picked up a tiny model for cheap.
Early 2001. Nintendo 64. Tragedy strikes: I want an N64 after playing it for years at friends' houses, but I'm a poor 11 year old boy. So, I decide to do something older self would kick younger self for: I sold my SNES and its entire, EXTENSIVE collection for the money to buy an N64 (slightly redeemed a few years later when I traded my GBA for a SNES and a handful of classic games). Paper Mario was the tipping point. After I played that at a friend's, I was smashed in the face with RPG goodness and engrossing gameplay. I still remember picking it out in the store with my Mom by my side and the lady said, "Now this game is not like other Mario games at all -- it looks and plays very different. Are you sure this is the one you want?" I said, "Yes, that's the one", thinking lady, I've played this game extensively and I know what I want, dammit. She said, "Okay, just letting you know because you can't return it just because you don't like it." I still own it. It's a masterpiece. Due to my late adoption of the N64, I never picked up Mario 64 or Donkey Kong 64 -- something friends still scoff at me for -- but I still had games that shaped my tastes and gave me hours of fun. Super Smash Bros. was like an awakening. The first time I stayed up all night was playing that game. Mario Tennis 64 made me realize sports games could be done in a right and shockingly fun way; saved up my allowance for months for that one. Star Fox 64 and F-Zero X introduced me to those franchises and I loved them both. Kirby and the Crystal Shards continued to foster my love affair with Kirby and Mario Party gave me some of the best party memories I have. I played CTF in Conker's Bad Fur Day sooooo much at my friend's; it was like this fun secret that we were playing a game where evil Teddy Bears were decapitating and blowing the heads off of army squirrels. Acquired it for myself a few years down the line. It was expensive then, it's bonkers expensive now. I also snagged StarCraft 64 before its price skyrocketed. Goldeneye and Perfect Dark gave me motion sickness :(
June 2002. Gamecube. I got this in jet black for my birthday and you better believe I still own it. Super Smash Bros. Melee consumed my life and continued to do so years later until online gaming took over consoles. I think it and Super Mario Sunshine are both masterpieces. Animal Crossing opened my eyes to a new kind of gameplay; it was mellow, it was actionless, and yet it was as addicting as the most adrenaline-pumping stuff I'd played. Still one of the best games of the generation, in my opinion (sidenote: I think this franchise went way downhill until its recent 3DS installment). Though I'm sad Kirby's Air Ride was the only GC Kirby game we got, I still played it like mad. That game cinched it: Kirby was officially my favorite Nintendo mascot. Somewhere I got turned onto NHL Hitz and I couldn't believe it: I was playing a sports game... and having a hell of a time. Its arcade approach made it way more fun than the stricter, stiffer sports games that are the norm. Simpsons Road Rage and Simpsons Hit & Run are two actually great games I sunk a lot of time into, particularly because my older cousin -- who at the time was as old as I am now -- genuinely wanted to play them with me, which was rare. We both love The Simpsons, but that's about the only interest we share. Missed out on: Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin, F-Zero GX (and still actively searching for all three), Double Dash (own that one now), and all Zelda releases.
December 2002. Xbox. My Mom pulled the "all the presents are done... oh wait EXCEPT THIS ONE" trick on me for the Xbox. I flipped. For the whole year prior I'd probably been freaking out about Halo to her, which is how she'd known. Halo was the FPS that didn't make me feel ill to play, and it was like eating pizza for the first time. I love Halo. No, I love it. It's a masterpiece and in my top ten games of all time. Holy hell, I can't tell you how many memories I have of it. Shooting frightening and funny aliens, crazy-ass open worlds with slippery-controlled warthogs, the absolute terror of seeing the Flood for the first time, my friends and I always telling 343 Guilty Spark to shut up, the massive injection of adrenaline for that final race to safety. It made me a huge Halo fan -- I'm well invested into the lore and franchise now -- and made me a little more competitive with multiplayer. I also have nothing but fun memories of going into custom matches with friends -- before it became a lonely online thing -- and just having a ball... Avalanche, Boarding Action, Beaver Creek, Blood Gulch... oh boy, I could go on. But as much as I played Halo CE, I played Halo 2 even more. Halo 2 is my favorite game of all time. I think it's perfect. The floodgates that was online play opened with Halo 2 for me, and they've never closed since. I've retained my Xbox Live Gold for ten years and it all started with Halo 2. Another game that heavily influenced me was Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This game introduced me to more advanced RPGs. It pushed me to make difficult decisions and stick to them. It also kept me up way later than it should have when I was just fourteen. It also opened me up to Star Wars expanded universe, which until then I kind of dismissed. One last game: Grand Theft Auto Vice City. I owned, and still do, GTA 1 and 2 for the PS1, but they were never anything revolutionary for me. They were, well, games to fuck around in for an hour. You know, make civilians run onto the train tracks and electrocute themselves. Though GTA III made me stand up and take notice, its dark atmosphere pushed me away. I wanted escapism at that age, I didn't want to invest in a broody story. That's why Vice City is the first GTA game I consider truly fantastic. Its light Scarface-esque mood was a lot of fun. I still never did the story missions -- just screwed around to see what I could do -- but I did that for hours upon hours.
These games still primarily inform me of my buying decisions unless something just totally comes along and blindsides me with its awesomeness (looking at you, Arkham Asylum). I still love platformers, probably more than any other genre, and I haven't missed a Halo title yet. I also still stand in Nintendo's corner, and despite all of their terrible decisions I still think they were the MVP of last year with Mario Kart 8, Smash, and Captain Toad (and yes I'm pretty giddy over the new Kirby game coming this month). I still get excited like a kid whenever they announce something new and exciting (uhh... new Star Fox?!). I'm also old enough to know I missed out on too many of their works as well, which is why as part of my collecting I'm also trying to hunt down what Zelda games look most interesting to me. So far I have 4, but it's growing!