A reader reminisces over his favourite consoles and the realisation that his younger coworkers don’t know about any of the games he talks about.
I’m old. My tastes are old. And that fact became painfully obvious at work the other day, when a few of the lads started talking about Battlefield 6 or Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – I honestly can’t remember which. They asked if I was hyped for it. I told them I don’t even own a console anymore. And even if I did, Black Ops 6 only came out on October 25, 2024, and I didn’t enjoy it much anyway. The maps were too small and I died roughly every 53 seconds.
I told them I still think Call Of Duty Mobile is the best shooter out there – certainly better than the recent console versions. One of them mentioned how in the new game you can destroy buildings, and I replied, ‘Yeah, you could do that back in Red Faction: Guerrilla.’ Or maybe it was the first Red Faction. I definitely played one of them, and it was awesome. Now that I think about it, they were probably talking about Battlefield 6 after all.
Then came the dreaded question: ‘What are your top three games?” I panicked. Do I try to sound trendy? Pick something from this decade? Or just go with what I’ve actually played the most? I don’t even remember what logic I used, but the words that came out were: Front Mission 3, Final Fantasy 7, and Bloody Roar 2. They didn’t look impressed. Honestly, neither was I, but I stand by those choices.
So I mentioned that I loved Mass Effect… and was met with blank stares. If I were a smarter man, maybe I could’ve explained what kind of game it is, but I was too stunned that nobody knew. I mean, how do you not know Mass Effect? Then the worst happened. They googled it. And they mocked it, based on the cover art. I was furious. Quietly furious. I’ve played the Mass Effect trilogy three times, Legendary Edition once, and Andromeda once. I cherish those games. They didn’t.
So I figured, why not throw another game into the fire and see what happens? I told them about Warframe, a game I’ve spent 1,125 hours and 14 minutes playing. Bad move. Despite the hours, I barely remember anything about it besides my favourite frame (Gauss) and the song Sleeping in the Cold Below by Alan Doyle and Keith Power. Oh, and the game destroyed my controller’s ‘A’ button. Or maybe I did. But it’s Warframe’s fault, somehow. They dismissed that one too and walked off.
And that, my friends, is the backstory of this post. I’ve been a gamer for many years. According to my Xbox account, I’ve played 466 games and have a Gamerscore of 252,377. Don’t be impressed, I padded those numbers with shovelware. My memory isn’t great, but I do remember the consoles, at least I think I do. My first system was either a Nintendo Entertainment System, a Sega Master System, or an Amiga (no clue which model – there were about 15). Whichever it was, I do know the power pack eventually fried it.
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As for games, on the Amiga I remember Cannon Fodder and probably Lotus Turbo Challenge 2. My stepdad used to play Championship Manager – each season update took hours; simpler times. On the NES I played Super Mario Bros. 3, Chip ’N Dale Rescue Rangers (never got past level 2), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the underwater level still haunts me), and DuckTales – which has, hands down, the best video game music ever (The Moon theme, go listen).
On the Master System, I only remember Alex Kidd and that was built into the console. Then came handhelds: the Game Boy, shared with my mum. She dominated Tetris; her high scores were unbeatable. The Game Gear was a Christmas gift, I think; it ate six AA batteries in four hours. I played Mortal Kombat and Columns (not Tetris, but I was good at it). I even had the TV Tuner.
The Game Boy Color was forgettable, except for Pokémon Silver and Pokémon Pinball. And yes, I’ll die on this hill: Pokémon Silver/Gold/Crystal are the best in the series. The Game Boy Advance – got it for Christmas. Maybe snuck into my mum’s room to play Final Fight One before Santa delivered it (allegedly). The unlit screen was a nightmare but I had Sonic Advance and some Mario games.
The Nintendo DS was amazing. Played hundreds of games, remember none. Eventually, we arrive at what I consider the peak of gaming: the Sony PlayStation [The DS didn’t come out until a decade after the original PlayStation? – GC]. I’ll forever be grateful to my dad for bringing that beauty into my life. So many memories, so many great weekends.
Playing Ridge Racer for the first time and seeing Galaxian load on the screen blew my tiny little mind. I think this post has gone on long enough though. Part two will come later. Thanks for reading. You’ve been a wonderful audience.
By reader Steven Carroll
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