A history of computer games, part four: my personal gaming history

It was September 13th 1990, two Super SaiYans was born with power levels over 9000s

Well I say 'two' because I am an Twin. So growing up with not only a brother but your other self, was fantastic. Yeah we had our moments of fighting, who's turn to play, but the best moments when we worked together in single-play or even in multi-play. Two heads better then one, they say, no? Yeah, being a twin, I must say is a privileged to experience in this reality, we do both have the same interests in pretty much everything, maybe one of us has slightly more in others, but over all, we respect each other and that.

 The best part is where one surpasses, in a humble way, you reflect that on ones self and think, how, what , where , he got or did this from? So this makes either one of us, want to reach beyond that, so it's an endless pulling along of each other, to the top and over. Even to this date, as we gone our separate ways and into more our chosen paths, when we unite and share our knowledge, wisdom and experience, we just evolve ever more.

Well I can really chat on a bout my history and be a book long, however this will be a 'lite' version, more of a linear pattern of myself growing up and certain things that even still this day, puts a good feeling in me, remembering those times.

So here is a  tale of my personal gaming history...

So far as I remember, I was quite young and was given my first console.

The Sega Megadrive
Must say my dad had used the force-well
on this one.

What I like to mention, in my experience growing up in the 1990's, people either prefered Nintendo with Mario or Sega with Sonic. I for one, was for Sonic.

Me and my brother was a big fan of Sonic, massive inspiration to us, we used to joke and say "which one of us was, Sonic or Tales", since I was the older, I did normally dominated slightly (this happened a lot in cartoon shows, characters or whatever).

 That said we had a nice collection of Sonic The Hedgehog games and even comics for that matter  (when we were around 11, we had a friend who was a pretty good drawer and so we always contently draw Sonic in that period) Fan art right there folks!!!

We had majority of the Sonic games, 1,2,3 SnK, S3D. The biggest one really that impacted us and the world for that matter, it was Sonic at his complete peak. 

Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles

This adapter cartrid was amazing, you was able to use this with Sonic 2 also and have knuckles play on that game. The massive thing a bout this, was the extended and contiunious play-through, Sonic 3 to Sonic and Knuckles and to the end. It wa a thrill adventure and the challenge was fair.

 The addition to having them connecting was like a little expansion, you had some soundtrack change, bonus modes, Knuckles levels and play through and others, but it had one great addition that were....

Hyper Sonic, Hyper Knuckles & Super Tails

This was beyond one of the coolest creation ever been put into thought and into a video game. So Sonic to me, really impacted a lot. It had it all. Speed, fun, challenge, depth, soundtrack, story, characters and overall, memorable forever.

To which I find it strange but people from an early age, grown up playing either The Nintendo Franchise or Sega, seem to differentiated the child in later life.

 (I don't know might be chatting rubbish) 

Though we had many other titles on the Megadrive and we even had an polish upgrade Megadrive 2. As far as I remember we had  like: Sonic games, Toe Jam, and Earl, Shinobi, Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombact, Streets of Rage, Zero Wing, Lemming, Micro Machines, Batman many others.

With that, I also had great memories as well playing the SNES, at my cousins house, just like in many house holds, the adults watch the television and the kids go play computer games it was a perfect recipe, It was great because since my cousin was a lot older they weren't much into video games like me and my brother. So we had great fun playing Super Mario Brothers and other titles.

As all gamers growing up, we always had a really good friend among many who was into the same thing. My friend Shaun always had pretty much every console, game and the lastest gadget. Yeah maybe, it was for showing off or something but that didn't matter to me, because it was always a pleasure to play different games / consoles and some one to have fun and play games with.

Through out my childhood 1990s, playing varied of games and consoles, like we had 

The Nintendo Gameboy, (the brick). The handheld that still even to this day is legendary. Many games and titles me and my brother had and (amount of batteries we used) it was also fun using the multi-link wire. Specially games like Warioblast and Pokemon. Pokemon and the games is another blog in it's own, like millions of children, we were sucked in it's franchise, however they always delivered really good quality games and specially on the handheld.

We also got an Phillips CD-i

Yeah not many people might have had a chance to own this console or even played it. It was CD base and had some nice touches to it and the little games, we had few games, but as far from I remember, we had Pinball, some action click games, Tetris but the main game me and my brother had differ cult with was Flashback: The quest for identity which was suppose to be an enhancement from the Amiga version, thought from what I read, It wasn't really enhanced or superior version. It was a slow pace game, but it was quite tactical. Does now, reminds me of the style-play of Abe's Odyssey. We didn't complete it, but it was one of those trouble games we had from our childhood.

Wish to know a bout the CD-i, The Nintendo Nerd, did a review of it, though his reviews are aimed on how bad it was, it's still interested to know the console.

There were many other consoles and games that I had the experience to play on, like The Sega Saturn, Sega Gamegear, Tiger Games.com, eventually leading to the next generation of consoles which I was given

 The Playstation.

To be fair, the Playstation was a great console it had a tight library of games and to me it really bridge that cap, that it was a correct step forward for CD base systems. The CD-i was a miserable failure but the Playstation got it right. It had memory card case system, simple effective controls, CD-player that was pretty useful.

Many great titles that even still this day has squeals years on. Tons of games I played on the Playstation, few I remember, were Final Fantasy, Tekken, Abes Oddessy, Crash Team Racing,  DragonBall Z, GTA and many more.

The game that really did Playstation proud, in my opinion, was

Metal Gear Solid, surely this image will bring nostalgic feelings.

Yeah this game was the bomb, truly was a step forward in video games. The style, storytelling, cinematic, music, characters, designs, dramas, visuals, blown people away back then. In that period game magazines was mainly your source of information, so it made going shopping with your parents, a pleasure not a chore.

 I feel the need of game magazines are lost these days, with the invention of the internet though they still have there values. I really can't fault this game, to me it had it all. I love all the bosses, characters, voice acting, the music, even sad moments like when  Meryl was snipe down. The "one on one, hand to hand combat" with Grey Fox and for his death, I did shear a tear and there is much more. There were only one thing that was frustrating, it's where on most games X is confirm and O is back. It's the other way round on this game. So when you finish the game, past the credits, right near the end, you get an option to 'Save Game' this will then allow you restart the game on new differculty etc. However many times, I fallen to self programming of pressing X instead of O, so I would painkillingly, have to redo all of the last boss fights with his twin brother Liquid and then wait for the cut scenes and that. I did this so many times it's so laughable.

So the playstation to me was getting a bit dull. I wasn't the kind of person who goes out buy and try, my friend Shaun was, though didn't really see the need, I only get other games if the ones I played at his was really appealing, or few ones that got drawn to me anyway.

To me, this is one of the best potential console and really evolutionary that ever hit the market and it was the 

Sega Dream Cast.

As from a young age and even to this day, my love for Sega, even after there history of trash games they have made. I do admire there will and power to carry on specially with the Sonic Franchise and they always deliver great art direction, soundtrack, visuals even if the games weren't that good. Again, first stumbled this playing at Shaun house (predicable)  He had some fantastic titles that to this day is one of my favorite games to me.

And many more.

 I did kinder missed out on Shenmue,  however I am glad I didn't miss out on a game.

PhantasystarOnline
(one of the best game existed)

Yeah, this game was fantastic, I would like to review this game in another blog, although I like to express a small passage here. I believe this was the first ever online game, that you had to use a phone line to connect to, through the dreamcast. My friend, ranked up a lot of cost to play this online, lol on that. I later played this game and got into it a lot more on the Gamecube/ PC version. 

However, this spun the interest to this game. To me this is truly is one of the best game ever existed. Offers great art direction, controls/ mechanics, soundtracks, classes, visuals, and even a addictive grind and hunt for the best assets. This game had offline solo/ multiplay, and then an online feature. The Dreamcast version had it's problems and really was a good beta for the game Gamecube version that was an dramatically good enhance version. New addition content etc. Playing online is where the long lasting play of this game lies at.

 Later on the Phantasy Star Franchise, has had it's up and downs mainly due to the support and added content towards the Europeans and the US, the Japanese after the Gamecube version wasn't linked with the rest of the world anymore. They had there own servers, so they always had everything first and better things more frequently or even some events/ missions that didn't come to us in the west. This also carried on through the next line up series. Phantasy Star Universe and so on. The game always had been PaytoPlay, which when your younger it was costly but it was worth your pocket money on. Though the addition of the game going from Dreamcast > Gamecube > PC. Which added more content and was generally better. Always been a delight from then and now, being a fan of the series. The game released new expansion and series of it self.  Phantasy star Universe, which went on to the PC and next generation consoles, though it was silly for them to put it on the Playstation 2 >.> Held it back. However, the game was kinder successful and lasted years and had expansions but the servers did come to the end in the west. Though the handheld versions are perfect.

So even from the 2000's and to now, I always still generally kept to playing games and getting consoles from Playstation 2, Gamecube, CBA, DS's, PSP, Wii, PS3 that over time be brought. Such games that really still stuck with like; Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid, DragonBall Z, Tekken, Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, GTA and more others. I went from console gamer to a PC gamer was the best thing, because it got me playing more varied games/ online and learning keyskills and computer programms/ software, the internet, forums, communities, much more. This got me more so to label my self a 'gamer' kinder of person. Though obviously I did many others things in my childhood other then games but they were there as a sort of education, inspiration, morals, freedom, the dreams of wishing reality was just like this, in some way it can be, because look at where I am now, I can make it happen.

Strange though, when I was younger I used to draw now and again but took more interest, only since college and properly getting into practice now in University. So I am a late start, nether less, however I enjoy each experience of it, because I have  lot of material and imagenation to work off that has formed a good foundation for me that I just need to know how to work it.

Hope it been a educational and interesting read.

Thanks :D