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I have recently found myself desperately searching for a time machine.
Get real. Not an “actual” time machine, as cool as that would be. I’m talking about the difficult to describe feelings that I associate with the games of my youth.
You see, most of the current/next/whatever gen games, as amazing as they appear to be, just don’t scratch that itch. They’re an entirely new yet awesome itch! But wholly different from the halcyon days of the Sega – Nintendo rivalry.
I’m not gonna dive into the whole age-old debate, (I eventually bought both 16-bit systems!) but there was definitely something special about those times.
And though games have never been better or more varied & cool than they are now, I do love me some Skyrim, I still get those old but cherished feelings from the classics.
Like Sonic The Hedgehog 2.
This is where I have to admit that I was a late-comer to the Genesis, so be gentle.
I had nothing against Sega, I had just grown up with the NES. And while I was perfectly happy with my SNES, with the Starfox’s and Final Fantasy’s of the world, I always kept an envious eye on the Genesis.
I could feel Sonic, Mortal Kombat 2 and Ecco luring me in. I’ll never forget the buzz about how awesome the graphics for Disney’s Aladdin on the Genesis were. It seemed, out of the two actual video game mags that were around my neck of the woods, they were all gushing over the graphics and fluid gameplay.
So at first, I did the only thing I could afford to do. I rented. The battle-worn Genesis & grimy cartridges, though not quite a revelation, were sweet n’ savory none-the-less.
Two days rental, and that was it. I new it must be mine. Didn’t happen immediately though, took a couple of years. But the day I snagged my own was awesome.
I still have and cherish my Genesis + games to this day. It’s lovingly packed away.
What sparked this whole bout of nostalgia is my recent purchases from Xbox Live Arcade. I’d never really spent much time looking at a lot of the downloadable content, except for game add-ons.
When I saw Sonic’s 1 – 3 plus Sonic & Knuckles, a couple of which I’d never had a chance to play, I grabbed them. I also found and pinned a bunch of others to my Home menu for quick purchase later on. There were other wonders that I might tell y’all about soon.
When I booted the HD Sonic 2 and heard that familiar music and the “SEGA” intro, I was in heaven. I couldn’t have stopped the smile spreading across my face, and the happy memories flooding in if I’d wanted to. Better times.
As of this moment, I’m spending almost all of my gaming time with my old pals Sonic & Tales (or Miles if you prefer). Yes, I turned on smoothing. Yes, I use the save system. And YES, I wish I could go into sound test and use some of the cheats. (c’mon, you know it was fun).
I have to point out something very big that I did forget.
Damn them old games could be tough and unforgiving! Holy schnikes dem games could be rough. I had become weak and whiny. My platform skills were rusty and pathetic.
I was much to used to the generous save systems, checkpoints and hand holding common to modern times.
This was a different time people. A time when it was the norm to get skilled or be shilled. I’m not saying these are the hardest games, not by far, but you definitely need to shake off the cob-webs and get in a different mind set.
I’m happy to say the old skills have returned, along with the joy and happy memories! Blast processing never looked so good or felt so fine!
If you haven’t looked over some of the offerings on XBL Arcade, or have simply ignored it up to this point like me, there are some interesting additions and games that run a whole gamut of styles from RPG to pure old school shooter. Plus everything in between! You might be surprised at what you find!
I’d just like to add that some of the newer/modern offerings available seem pretty cool too. I grabbed something called “Hydrophobia” published by Dark Energy Digital, and have only just started it. Seems pretty cool, maybe I’ll keep ya posted about my adventure with it!
I’m in a blue and red haze, so please excuse me while I kiss the Sky Chase Zone!
Thanks for reading, and keep on rockin’!