I saw this on Facebook a few moments ago. This photo does bring an interesting question to mind: Why do game companies deliberately NOT release a whole lot of quality titles during the summer? They can't all be waiting for the holiday rush around Christmas time!
Not every kid likes to go outside and play every day during summer vacation. I was living proof of that fact. More often than not, I just went to a friend's house to play games or they came over to mine. A lot of good (and some bad) NES, Super NES, SEGA Genesis and Atari 2600/7800 games were first discovered and played this way. When one of us acquired a new game (or even just rented one from some video rental store), we all descended on that kid's house and played the game all weekend.
Hell, my house was a particularly popular destination for the neighborhood's young gamers because the TV in the living room was 25" and had stereo sound. That was impressive back in the late 1980's and early 1990's. I still remember the sense of awe and wonder I had playing new (to me) NES games on that TV. It seemed so huge and epic to me at the time...
Even after my younger brothers and I got our own cheap 19" TV sets for our rooms (which eliminated any conflict between 'children wanting to play Nintendo' and Dad getting to watch Football), our house was still the destination for the neighborhood kids. I suspect this had something to do with the Iced Tea that was always in the fridge and my mother making waffles or pancakes for breakfast on weekends. :P
Anyway, the NES ended up in my room and became mine by default. My brothers had lost interest in it since one of them acquired a SEGA Genesis for his 8th birthday in late 1993. We never did get a Super NES, no matter how much I *begged* for one every Christmas for at least 4 years in a row. (I did get one secondhand years later in 2003.)
Anyway, the more social gaming experience would go on in my younger brother's room with the Genesis and I had the NES all to myself. That changed when I happened to buy a new game from Wal-Mart one day in 1995 for only 10 bucks. At that time, the NES was being discontinued (much to my eternal sadness) and everyone was clearing out their old stock. The game I picked up was one I had heard of for years and that often left me feeling intimidated. It had a well-earned reputation for awesomeness.
The cartridge I bought was a re-issue of a title originally released in 1987 but, that didn't matter. It was a game that became an obsession for all of us. It was several months before I could get my brothers to abandon all hope of playing it again and have it to myself. It was very much like that creepy little guy from The Lord of the Rings trying to get his 'precious'...
What game was it, you ask?
What old re-issued NES title from 1987 was still so engrossing in 1995 with 3D graphics becoming commonplace?
What game is it that is still so engrossing now in 2013 and that I still have complete in its original box with all the instructions and maps?
What game was so awesome that I happily acquired the re-releases that Nintendo put out on the GBA and GameCube years later?
What else?
It took many months to finally defeat Ganon and rescue the Princess but, I felt like a true champion/video game hero when I did. I've acquired many (but not all) of the Zelda games since then. I have never had quite the same feeling of epic adventure with any other game, including the many sequels and prequels to this one. Of course, I haven't played all the Zelda games that I have in my collection yet for many reasons. Work, world travel and having most of the collection in storage back home in New Orleans being chief among them.
Anyway, those days spent playing those old games, regardless of what platform it was on, are some of my happiest childhood memories. I'm happy that I've been able to acquire most of these titles, add them to my ever-growing collection and relive the memories whenever I wish... unless that game/system is in storage back home in New Orleans. I can't wait to go back home.
- Lord Publius
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