Old School Video Games.

So, I LOVE old school video games. I'm not really caught up with today's popular games, but NES, Sega Genesis, and Nintendo 64 are my thing(s). I think Sega will always be my favorite, and I actually really want to buy a Sega system from amazon because my system is pretty shot. Gamecube has some great games, too. I like a couple of things for Xbox, PS2, and and the Wii, but for the most part, I'm totally out of the loop concerning the "hot"games of the moment.

I guess that disqualifies me as an "avid gamer," but that's okay.

Old school video games are so simple, fun, and most of them are actually more difficult than today's games. Today, people reserve soon-to-be-released games, get them the day they come out, and then beat them in a day or two (realize that most of today's games are long and in-depth, especially the war games). Where's the fun in that?

Sure, today's games have awesome graphics, and I understand that a lot of games are all about the live gameplay with Xbox live, but there's always going to be something so endearing about the simplicity of old school video games.

Here are some of my favorite games.

Pretty much every classic Sonic the Hedgehog game for Sega Genesis. Really not much to say about these games. They're simply AWESOME.

Sonic Sega Game Covers.

I also pretty much love any game involving Mario / The Mario Brothers. Super Mario Brothers for NES is a classic, but my favorite would have to be the Mario Party series, especially the first few that were made for Nintendo 64. Haven't played them awhile, so I don't remember specifics from each version, but I think Mario Party 2 is the one that I consider my favorite.

MP2.

Another one that I love playing is The Lion King for Sega. Might sound silly, but I feel that this game enhances coordination skills. If you've ever played it before, you probably know what I mean.

Gameplay.

The classic Street Fighter is always fun for kicking ass. Just look at the awesome characters.

Badass.

An N64 game that I absolutely adore is Pokemon Snap. I was OBSESSED with Pokemon. Still kind of am. Maybe I'll do a post on that.

Anyway, Pokemon Snap is just the epitome of simple, and it's so much fun trying to get the perfect pictures.

Snap.

Of course, my favorite part of the game is when you get to chase around Mew in her sparkly bubble in outer space =].

I mean, how pretty is that?

Super Hang On - simple racing game. Unbelievably irritating when you crash into something and it takes 10 seconds for the dude to get back on the freaken bike.

Gameplay.

Classic arcade fun with Ms. Pac Man.

Gameplay.

And some more fun with the hilariously annoying and somewhat frustrating Pac Man 2.

Gameplay.

Frogger makes you a little nuts when the damn frog gets run over or drowns.

Gameplay.

A game that my mom and brothers love just as much as me is Toy Story for Sega. The controls for this game are slightly awkward, which makes it a bit more challenging than other games.

Gameplay.

This next game is the one on my favorites list that I consider the second most frustrating. It's a lot of fun, but the controls are SO AWKWARD and it makes the game incredibly difficult. It's Fantasia for Sega. Fun levels, Fantasia soundtrack, pretty graphics, but a pain in the freaken ass.

Gameplay.

And now, for the single most frustrating Sega game on the planet, but one that I love SO much:

Ecco the Dolphin.

So cute.

Why do I love this game? I love animals, I love dolphins, I love the ocean. My family hates this game. Why? Because it turns me into a raging maniac. I believe it's actually labeled as not only the most difficult game for the Sega Genesis system, but one of the most difficult games in existence.

Here are Google results for "Ecco the Dolphin hardest game ever," and here's a screenshot of the first page.

I've been playing this game since I was like, 5. A couple of years ago, I used a couple of "cheats" (not proud, I think cheating in video games is stupid, but this game will drive you to cheat), but I still didn't beat the game because I got stuck at one level. More recently, maybe a few months back, I followed a "walk-through" that I found online to guide me through the levels. I didn't end up finishing the game because each level takes freaking FOREVER anyway. Actually, I don't think that I made it through even HALF of the game using the walk-through.

Gameplay.

I WILL beat this game one day, I swear. I will do it WITHOUT using cheats. And I would REALLY like to do it on my own without using a walk-through. Maybe I'll read a walk-through a couple of weeks before I play. It'll be like a test to see what I can remember. It probably won't be much, because this game makes you so frazzled that you can't remember how to do anything sometimes. But I WILL beat it.

Life goal number 28:

Beat Ecco.



And then go on to get the other Ecco games for various other game systems and beat those.