Video Games (NES Style!)

Every guy has had an infatuation with video games at some point in their lives. All the fools my age probably grew up on the old school Nintendo, so let's take a trip down memory lane.

Super Mario Brothers 1: Ah, a classic! Adored by guys and girls alike, this game started it all. This is one of those games that is challenging at first, but soon becomes beatable in like 10 minutes. Warp to level 4 through the tunnel, then again to level 8. Fight a pesky dragon, save the princesses, rejoice. Gotta give this game 5 stars as you can play it over and over, and still have a good time, even after you've beaten it a billion times.

Duck Hunt: Remember playing this game while jumping over beds, doing somersaults, all while shooting at ducks with a trusty ole' Nintendo firearm? Basically, it's 10 year old kids pretending they're Rambo. Gotta love it.

Tecmo Bowl: Oh shit!! This game was off the CHAIN, and if you don't know, then you go better pick up a copy. What kid didn't love playing this f'in game? The graphics weren't great, but I think it's one of the funnest games of all time. Every guy had their favorite team they always played and stuck with. And this was back in the 80's, before expansion, so the league talent wasn't as diluted as it is today. I always went with the Raiders. I'd kick ass with Bo Jackson and Marcus Allen. Throw in Tim Brown and Howie Long, and you're in for a beating. Other notable teams were the Bears and the 49'ers, but I'd still take on anyone with my trusty Raiders.

Playing this game was fun as hell. Who can forget having the QB run back 50 yards, only to launch a bomb down the field for a touch down. Who can forget running the ball and makin people miss by running around in a quick circle. Who can forget getting right near the end-zone and just chillin there, taunting the defense, even running up and down the 1 yard line. Who can forget scoring a touchdown and seein the graphic of 2 players givin high-fives? Who can forget the cheerleaders? This game was dope on all levels.

Super Mario 3: definitely the best from the Mario trifecta. So many cool things: Flying. Frog Suits. Whistles. Big World. The list could go on and on. I always thought the most frustrating way to die was to be eaten by a giant fish. Level 8 on this was a bitch. An all time classic, though.

Punch Out: Classic game with an assortment of stereotypical characters. Piston Honda. Glass Joe. Can't remember any of the other names, but there was an Indian that put a spell on you (great tiger), some fat hippo dude that would lose his shorts. And who can forget about the star of the game, Lil Mac!! He'd train like a bitch, running while his trainer rode along on a 10 speed. Dedication. What were the other characters names? I could look it up online, but im whoring myself for comments.

Ice Hockey: Who to pick? Fat dudes with power, skinny dudes with speed? Game theory for kids, sort of.

Zelda: I used to hate Zelda. Then one summer day I popped it in and got addicted big time.

How often did this happen to people? You're playing a game and you finally get to the last level. You then decide to take a break and think things over as you've been waiting for this moment for weeks. So you get up and start pacing back and forth, trying to stay cool. But remember, you can't pace for too long. After all, you're in the zone and you gotta pick the controller back up and get down to business. Someone then pops in the room and asks what you're doing. You respond like a drill sergeant layin down the law, "Quiet! I just got to level 8 and I need to think". You think to yourself, "I can do this, I can do this". If you beat the level, you rejoice like a King with a harem of 3 biters. If you fail, you throw the remote and swear like a sailor. Good times. It's also great when your playing a game, lets say Super Mario Brothers for example, and your making a big important jump, and you'll stand up and tilt the controller as if that has some effect on what's going to happen.

And how can we talk about Nintendo without talking about getting the games to work. Remember how games would get dusty, and you'd blow into them trying to get it to work. Everyone thought they had the best method. "Dude, you have to blow on it 3 times and tap it once". "No way man, my way always works. You blow on it softly, then hit it once hard, and quickly put it in (we still talkin about video games? ha!)"

Old School Nintendo. Childhood fun to the max.

Anyone have any Nintendo stories of their own? Favorite games? Favorite stories?