I told someone that I was thinking of doing a research project on the history of gaming. I wanted to at first, but then I realized that the history is not as important as contrasting it's peak with it's current state. I've already spoken at length over the years about my childhood and history with the many games that I've played and how I've seen the industry come along.
I was going to get on here and give a history lesson, and I also contemplated bashing current generation projects. But, I'm choosing to focus on the gems that keep hope alive. Before I get into that, let's go back if you will in time.
Let's step back in time for a moment to the late 80's, early 90's. I was a very young kid at that time, and Nintendo was still a big thing. The Super Nintendo would launch at the beginning of the decade and usher in creative new ideas. One game that was a huge rage on the Nintendo was Ninja Turtles. It was designed similar to Super Mario Brothers 3, with very challenging and creative levels. It was also known for it's difficult boss fights. From childhood onward, I never gravitated to the mainstream games. I felt they were mostly overrated. After the fact, I did find some big hits to be great games. One of them was Super Mario Brothers 3. Another game that was worth the praise was the original Zelda on Nintendo. I will never understand for the life of me, how they crammed such huge and lush adventures into those tiny 6mb cartridges. I still haven't found everything in SMB3, and that's the game that made me really fall deeper in love with the Mario universe. I was a huge fan of Super Mario World on the SNES, but after playing SMB3 on the Nintendo, I found that it was actually bigger in its own way. Zelda also has a huge map and so much to discover and do in the game. I found myself mystified playing the game the other day for about an hour without realizing it. The soundtracks from both games are so well done as well.
When it comes to sound, that's a whole other area that deserves so much credit. The digitized and compressed sound kits that the developers had to work with were so limited back then, and yet we got such amazing tunes and sound effects. I really think a game that showcases the golden era's potential well is Donkey Kong Country. The series itself is absolutely ahead of its time. Not only is the music amazing in the series, but the graphics and level design stand up to the test of time. It still looks amazing. In fact, the series is comparable to some Playstation1 games of that era.
The series that somehow ties all of that history of Nintendo together is Super Smash Brothers. To really take a look at the detail that they put into the game is staggering. And it doesn't feel rushed or vague. From the settings and music in the game, to the move sets for the characters, every detail is conveyed from the individual series. Super Smash Brothers Melee was one of the most amazing and detailed games that I've ever played. When it came out in 2002, I didn't fully get it at first. I felt like there should have been different modes in the game. It was after that, when I began to really appreciate the nuances, which is what that game is all about. Each level is such a deep world of Nintendo history, both visually, and musically. Then you have the elaborate trophy system, that has even more information and depth. It's amazing to think that handheld gaming has come so far, that we now have that experience on the Nintendo 3DS. And it's actually the deepest Smash Brothers yet. I didn't get it at first, with some of the imbalanced characters, but there are so many variations to each character, and strategies open to them. I still think that certain characters are perverted Japanophile fan servers though. Bayonetta is ridiculous, as she basically is designed to be untouchable. It's annoying having to rise to the occasion to beat her with Little Mac. You have to be so much better than your opponent to beat her that it almost disgusts me.
I really appreciate the Indie market that the PS Vita has brought as well. These kick-starter projects that have graced this generation of gaming, have really been the adrenaline shot needed in the industry. My only wish there, is that they were more available across the main platforms, including handhelds. Indie games are keeping the market alive for the purist. To me, the PS Vita is the quintessential Indie game system. It really shocks me that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Vulgarr the Viking aren't on the network for the Vita.
Of course, another avenue I'd be remiss to not mention, is system hacking. While many frown on that topic, I think it's been essential to getting many classics exposed to an otherwise distant audience. It also has breathed life into dead consoles. I was skeptical for years about that, but then when I experienced Sony's tyrannical behavior, in refusing to release games like Crisis Core, Kingdom Hearts, Bounty Hounds, Coded Arms 2, etc. on the Playstation Network just because, I grew very disgusted. If I didn't hack an old PSP, I would never have experienced Crisis Core.
Gaming right now, is at the end of a long road. Retro projects are the only thing keeping the industry from spiraling into a pit of gimmicky virtual reality ploys, and demon and war sim clones. Eventually, the retro era will be completely phased out though. When that happens, gaming will be the least of our worries anyway. Just enjoy it now.
