DID YOU MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE?
TTYrant
was better. I remember I had an Atari, but also SECRETLY adored Intellivision.
SO... The question is this: Whatever system you chose at the time (or was
chosen FOR you!!), be it an Atari or Intellivision, Colecovision or the 5200,
TI 99/4a vs the TSR 80, etc. etc. - LOOKING BACK, now that all the dust has
cleared and settled, do you feel that you made the right choice, or do you wish
you would have had another system back then? - Are you (now) GLAD you had a
2600 instead of an Intellivision even though you wanted the Intellivision back
then? Are you PISSED because you invested in a TRS-80 and missed out on
"Munchman" or "TI Invaders"?? Pour your heart out for all to hear...
Android
"TTYrant" <drsmi...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020814013140...@mb-cq.aol.com...
Let's see:
1. Christmas 1979: I asked for a Mattel handheld football. My parents
thought an Atari 2600 would last longer and got me that instead. RIGHT
CHOICE!
2. 1983: I wanted a Colecovision because of Donkey Kong, but I also wanted
an Atari 5200 because of Joust. Instead of getting either new game console,
we invested in a computer. We ended up with an Atari 800XL computer, and the
5200 and Colecovision disappeared when the market crashed. RIGHT CHOICE!
3. 1984-1988: During college, I stopped playing videogames. WRONG CHOICE!
4. 1988-1991: During Grad school, I picked up an NES and an Atari 7800 when
the prices fell. They helped rekindle my interest in videogames. RIGHT
CHOICE!
5. 1993: Received an SNES as a Christmas gift from my wife. The verdict is
still out on this one. I had a good time with Zelda and Mario and the like,
but I missed out on Sonic and the Genesis titles. NEUTRAL
6. 1995: I heard about Sony entering the market and decided to buy a
PlayStation at launch. RIGHT CHOICE!
7. 1996: Received an N64 for my birthday. NEUTRAL
8. 1999: Purchased a Dreamcast at launch, even knowing it wasn't likely to
last very long. NEUTRAL
9. 2001: Stood in line at 4:00 a.m. for a PS2 at launch. RIGHT CHOICE
(eventually).
10. 2002: Purchased a Game Cube, but not an Xbox. NEUTRAL...so far!
Mark
Mike Beauchamp
an NES set up, and a SMS. Since I was big on the racing games (still am), I
really liked "Hang on" for SMS.
So, that xmas, I got an SMS. Wrong Choice.
The next christmas my mom got me a few more games for the SMS. Going off on
a tangent, it was one of those "not a good christmas" deals apparently, and
a few SMS games were all my parent's could afford. My mom seemed more sad
about it than anything, and I made sure I let her know that the gift was
plenty. Right Choice.
Anyways, the next year we bought an NES and sold all the SMS stuff. Right
choice for buying an NES, bad (looking back) at getting rid of the SMS
stuff. The NES brought years and years of fun... great system. Still is.
That's the only console I've ever purchased during it's proper time really.
"TTYrant" <drsmi...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020814013140...@mb-cq.aol.com...
Robert Morgan
Lessee... My first programmable game system was a 2600. My friend Tom had an
Odyssey 2 (for which he was roundly mocked at school- I never played one until
1984, and enjoyed it more than I thought) and Geoff had an Intellivision that
never really entered into our lives. We played the Inty, but it really wasn't
a system any of us liked much- it was more for his sports-playing older brother
Steve, and he didn't care for it. Now, my friend Bill had a large (for the
era) 2600 library, which meant lots of lending and tons of games to play even
though my mom could afford few games.
Anyway, having a 2600- right choice. Went on being a right choice until I put
it onto a shelf when the 7800 came along (another right choice in itself- it
was played more than my NES.) I own most of the Inty permutations, but really
don't care for 'em. No one I knew had a ColecoVision- that was a brand new
thing to experiment with when I finally got one <> 1988.
My first computer was an Atari 600xl; I was swayed by Atari Age, and 16k wasn't
too small for me. However, my friend Bill ended up getting a C64 and
immediately got a huge library of cracked games. No one I knew had an Atari
8-bit (well, my school's "computer lab" had a 1200xl, along with a motley
assortment of Apple IIs, TRS-80 Model IIIs, a Vic-20, and a C64.) The 600xl
was a wrong choice (although everyone adored River Raid on it), and I
eventually replaced it with a C128- which was a loud ringing RIGHT CHOICE- to
this day I treasure that thing, and have a ridiculously elaborate set-up. My
friend Geoff and our acquaintance Chris each had TRS-80 Color Computers. We
mocked them for that choice much as Tom was mocked for his Odyssey 2. My
babysitter had a TI-99/4a which was an exotic toy- I never saw it as more than
a semi-computer, but happily clacked away on it in lieu of watching Pinwheel on
Nickelodeon.
Other right choices- my TG16- since it failed in the market where Genesis and
SNES succeeded, I was able to get a huge library of games as Toys R Us closed
them out a few titles each week. The TG library is really unique, too- the
Genesis and SNES seem so rote.
My SMS also received more play than my NES. That era, when I had NES, SMS,
7800, and GB while they were all current, was probably the only time I had
"all" of a given era's systems while they were "in". Anyway, getting to play
Zillion and a more arcadey Double Dragon made the system a right choice.
Saturn was a right choice, even though it had failed by the time I picked it
up. It reignited my passion for current-era gaming- something that had
disappeared during the tedium of the 16-bit era. My then-wife got me a PSX
that Christmas, and I dug into the modern era with gusto. I may not have the
biggest PSX collection in here, but I'm pretty thrilled to have a good 15% of
released titles.
Other wrong choices: NES. Yeah, I was darn near the first person in Indiana
with one. Yeah, I liked some games like mad, and finally got to play SMB at
home. But, outside of SMB and Legend of Zelda, I just couldn't get into the
games. I never really fell in love with any NES titles, and never really got
many games. When games fell to their low levels 2 years ago at Funcoland, I
stocked up- I have <> 250 titles- but I still rarely bother with it.
SNES was a wrong choice. It was a gift from my friend Bill, and I felt really
guilty about never really using it. I didn't get a Genesis 'til I got two for
99 cents (!), so that's always been a fun little bargain basement thing for me-
and the Genny exclusive games are often interesting. The SNES, though...
outside of StarFox, I just didn't care for it. I don't even know what games I
own for it- outside of a nice sealed copy of Eartbound I got for 99 cents at
Best Buy, that is. I've never pawed through SNES games looking for titles to
buy, either.
Davide Guida
Android wrote:
[cut]
>
> 1. Christmas 1979: I asked for a Mattel handheld football. My parents
> thought an Atari 2600 would last longer and got me that instead. RIGHT
> CHOICE!
Funny, I had a similar adventure the year after (Christmas 1980): I asked
for an handheld Space Invaders. My father comes back home with an Atari 2600
and the Space Invaders cartridge!
December 25th, 1980 - August 14th, 2002: 21 years - 7 months - 21 days.
Atari 2600: the legend :-)
[cut]
---
Davide Guida (Responsabile tecnico Formamedia srl)
via Domenico Fontana 39 Napoli
Tel. 0815799803 - INTERNET: http://www.formamedia.it
E-mail davide...@formamedia.it
Casa: via Rodolfo Falvo 10, 80127 Napoli
Tel. 0815604578 - Cell. 3291148088
Mark Bradshaw
>I remember back in school the kids used to fight back and forth on which system
>was better. I remember I had an Atari, but also SECRETLY adored Intellivision.
Hey, troll.
Steve 'Flash' Juon
> SO... The question is this: Whatever system you chose at the time (or was
> chosen FOR you!!), be it an Atari or Intellivision, Colecovision or the 5200,
> TI 99/4a vs the TSR 80, etc. etc. - LOOKING BACK, now that all the dust has
> cleared and settled, do you feel that you made the right choice, or do you wish
> you would have had another system back then?
My fascination with classic gaming systems today comes in large part from
being denied them as a kid. My friends had Atari 2600, I had none. My
friends had Mattel Intellivision, I had none. My friends had 8-bit Nintendo,
I had none. Growing up I had three gaming systems and all were computers:
Commodore Vic-20 (RIGHT CHOICE, too bad I don't still have it), C-64 (very
DEFINITELY a right choice) and a C-128 (right choice, but not many C-128
exclusive titles exist). I did eventually get one handheld, the original
brick weight Gameboy, and played it to death. I also rented an NES dozens
of times and one lucky summer my best friend loaned me his SMS and +ALL+
his games because he had just gotten a Super Nintendo and didn't need it.
It wasn't until years later when GameFAQS came into existance that I finally
found out where the one sword and one piece of armor I could never get in
Wonder Boy III were hidden. :) RIGHT CHOICE, it got me obsessed with SMS.
Said friend was also my roommate in a college for a semester, and he and I
split the cost on a used Sega Genesis. RIGHT CHOICE, we played the Sonic
games, the sports games, and most especially, Toe Jam & Earl. JAMMIN'!
Looking back though as much as I enjoyed our Genesis, I wish he had brought
his SNES with him to college. Either way I have both today, so I'm happy. :)
- Steve
Oz Scott
Asteroids cartridge. Right Choice.
1984 Started using Apple II's in jr high. Asked for a computer and got a
C-64. Shortly after I needed the 1541 drive (C-64 is kinda useless without
it unless you have carts (and I didnt)), but the 1541 was in high demand
after a price drop and it seemed like ages before we used the raincheck to
pick it up. Right Choice
1986 Started writing programs for GEOS on the 64.
1986 Discovered girls and driving. Still did alot of computering but hadnt
touched the 2600 in ages. Eventually gave it away to a home for retarded
children.
1986- 1991 If you can believe it still used the C64 as a main computing
machine.
1991 Bought an Amiga 500 for $699 (and then had to buy the RGB monitor,
second disk drive, etc, etc, etc...) Right Choice but far more expensive
than the price tag would indicate.
1992? Bought NES just for the pack in SMB. Never bought another cart for it.
Right Choice (well worth the $80)
1995 Bought SNES for NHL 94. Bought NHL 95,96,97 and Donkey Kong Country
thats it. Right Choice.
1996 1st born child and a finally gave in to the man and bought a Windows 95
based P133 for $1200 with a monitor and 16MB. Right choice. (Windows 95 was
a major improvement over 3.1 and a worthy alternative to Amiga's workbench.)
Right Choice.
1997 Discovered emulation of the classics and got me back into the console
scene.
1998 Started "collecting" and found out what a thrift shop was.. (Right
choice?)
1998 On one of my first thrift runs a snagged a Vectrex with six carts on
50% off day for a grand total of $10. (right choice after all!)
1998 Found a Colecovision for $10 bucks, used it for a month or so and
traded it for a Playstation system. (Right Choice).
1998 Bought an Intellivision for $20, sold it for about the same on ebay.
(Never liked it)
1998 Bought a 2600 and a 7800, sold the 2600 (right choice but I still want
an original 6 switch 2600 to show my kids)
1998 Bought an Emachines 333 for $325 after rebates. I had a lot of issues
with tech support and noisy fans but eventually it was fixed and the machine
still works (albeit an occasional noisy fan)...(right choice given the
price)
1998 Through Emulation discovered PalmPilots decided I needed a real one.
(Right Choice)
1999 bought a color Palm IIIc (right choice)
1999 Started programming PalmOS devices.
2000 Built my own P700 so I am never limited to a custom OEM case limiting
my upgrade options...(right choice)
2000 Found out that PocketVCS was being developed for the PocketPC, bought a
Casio EM500 PocketPC. (right choice, I play all the classics on the go now
and the screen is much better than most Palms)
2001 Waited on the Playstation 2. (right choice)
2002 Waited on the XBOX to come down in price, with my current DVD player
breaking and $199 price tag I bought an XBOX and NHL Hitz and EA's NHL 2002
Hockey. (right choice considering its a DVD player, juding by my past cart
purchases I see NHL 2003,2004,2005 in its future).
I guess the only wrong choice I made (and perhaps the biggest mistake) was
never really considering computers/video games as a possible career
considering the financial rewards. I am going back to school for programming
so I guess its never to late.
Aaron J. Bossig
>? Pour your heart out for all to hear...
Call me Ishmael. I was born in a log cabin my father built...
Oh, wait, wrong story. When I first got into video games, (1989ish) the
NES was essentially the only game in town. SMS was around, but I had
only heard of a kid who knew a guy who's brother had one. So...
Dec. 1989 - I recieved an NES for Christmas. Right choice. The NES,
with its quirky, colorful, and fun games remains my system of choice.
At the time, I was thrilled to have SMB/DH and SMB2. My enthusiasm for
the system has only gone up. I now own 25% of all the US commercially
released titles.
June 1990 - I bought a GameBoy. Right choice. I've been raised to
enjoy travelling, so the GameBoy was the ideal system for me-- finally,
no more leaving my games behind.
Dec 1992 - Received a SNES for Christmas. Right choice. Super Mario
World wowed me just as much as SMB did years before. It's still a
strong system, and I'm constantly amazed at how well-designed it was.
Dec 1993 - Despite looking seriously at a Game Gear for many months, I
receive a Genesis as a surprise Christmas gift. I did not see this
coming. Right choice. I end up enjoying it far more than I ever would
have enjoyed a Game Gear, and despite the GG having Sonic, it never
would have replaced my Game Boy.
Dec 1995 - Got a Virtual Boy (right choice, at least for me) at full
retail price (wrong choice). I was totally awestruck by the unique
design and amazed at the 3-D enivironments created by the system. I
still absolutely love the thing, and I really wish more had been done
with it. I was heartbroken when it tanked. Can you believe I had been
playing games for over six years, but thanks to picking winners so far,
had never considered the early-adopter risk? The concept of getting
burned was totally new to me. Well, I still love VB, even if the rest
of the world didn't.
1997- Got a FC->NES adaptor and my collection suddenly included
imports. Got a great deal on the adaptor, and was impressed by the FC
version of Contra. Right choice.
Nov 1998 - Ran to local Wal-Mart the day Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of
Time was released. It sold out in most stores in my area, so I was
lucky to find a copy (no way was I waiting for them to restock). That
was also the day I bought my N64. Right choice. The N64 is a great
system with more than enough good games for me. Part of me still wishes
I had got it at launch... so neutral when it comes to WHEN I bought it.
I never got the opaque green controllers while they were still being
made. Wrong choice.
Dec 2001 - Asked for a GBA to replace my aging, dying GameBoy from 1990.
Right choice, but kind of a no-brainer since I loved my GameBoy and
needed a new one.
May 2002 - Got a 2600 from Chuck Whitby (thanks again!). I remember
playing this great system back in the NES heyday, but it wasn't until
now that I truly appreciate it. Right choice.
May 2002 - Bought a PSX when the price dropped to $50. Actually, I
haven't played it yet, since this is my last year of college and I've
been keeping as much as possible in storage. I'll still call it a right
choice, since $50 is a great price, and I already know I'll get at least
that much enjoyment out of it. More, if I can get my hands on the issue
of PSX Underground with the MST3k cast on it.
I also intend to pick up a SegaCD and GameCube in the future... only
then will I be able to decide if I made the right choice by waiting this
long.
So, I guess I made a lot of right choices, and my only questionable ones
were a matter of when I bought, not what. I think we can attribute that
to my attitude toward collecting-- any system that has a game I really
enjoy is a good system. Even if I only like one game, it's enough.
However, the amount I'm willing to pay for th system is directly
proportional to the number of games I want to play on it.
--
Aaron J. Bossig
http://www.GodsLabRat.com
http://www.daily-reviews.com
Larry Lefebvre
computer. Great machine. After playing with the c64's and
Apple's many years later, I am more sure now that I made the
right choice. Of course, there will be some that disagree,
but hey, to each his own opinion ;).
--
Larry - lar...@adelphia.net
Atarian - Collector of mostly Atari stuff:
2600,5200,7800,8-Bit,ST,Lynx,Jag
RGVC'er since 1991 - May the Games be with you...
"TTYrant" <drsmi...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020814013140...@mb-cq.aol.com...
TTYrant
1) I asked my Mom for an Atari 2600 and one day they (My Mother and
Grandmother) called me in and MIRACULOUSLY, there it was on the bed, in all
it's glory. RIGHT CHOICE.
2) Back in 1981, I wanted an ENTYX "SPACE INVADER" handheld game SO BAD that I
told 3 DIFFERENT PEOPLE that this is what I wanted for Christmas. I even
clipped out the ad from Toys R Us and kept in in the little "window" of my
wallet (the imprint remained there till 1990 when I lost the insert). My Uncle
got me "Sub Chase" and my Dad got me a game called "INVADER FROM SPACE" which
of course was LIGHT YEARS better than the Entyx game. RIGHT CHOICE!!!!
3) Colecovision VS 5200. I chose Colecovision. The era of Colecovision was
something very very special at the time... there was Donkey Kong of course, but
there were also the "new" games - not as well known as the tired old Atari
standards, but they were NEW, and seemed to be dead ringers for the Arcade. And
that's what we all dreamed of back then: Arcade at home. Colecovision = RIGHT
CHOICE, 100%.
4) Computer time. Commodore 64 VS Apple, et al. I chose Commodore. It had the
most going for it. Best sound, Best software, Best Price A SURE THING. RIGHT
CHOICE!
5) For a time after 1986, I lost interest in games and computers. NEUTRAL.
Perhaps I needed the break?
6) Went over my friend Russ's house circa 1991, and he was playing
Intellivision's BURGERTIME. This re-kindled my interest in games, and I
purchased a used Nintendo. RIGHT CHOICE.
7) Super NES just came out, and was on Display side by side with the Genesis. I
chose Genesis for "Sonic the Hedgehog", and such MUST HAVES that seemed
IDENTICAL to the arcade at the time GOLDEN AXE and ALTERED BEAST. RIGHT CHOICE.
9) When the SNES started getting these unreal games like FINAL FIGHT, STREET
FIGHTER II and SMASH TV, I sold the Genesis and got the SNES when the time was
right. RIGHT CHOICE.
10) When the Jaguar came out, of course I sold the SNES and bought one right
away. Of course, this system went NOWHERE, but I have to admit I DID have fun
with it. NEUTRAL.
11) The SEGA CDX was $400 but came with like $300 worth of software so I bought
one. Had a lot of fun with it. NEUTRAL
12) Got a Panasonic 3DO because I thought that WAY OF THE WARRIOR was the
greatest thing I'd ever seen. Probably WRONG CHOICE.
13) Got a Playstation at launch. DEFINITELY THE RIGHT CHOICE. Not since
Colecovision had there been this much excitement.
14) Even after that Gamecube and X box were out, I bought a PS2 because of the
games and the DVD player. RIGHT CHOICE.
15) Bought a N64 when it was marked down to $49. NEUTRAL
16) Bought a DREAMCAST when it went below $100. Because it can play so many
emulators, RIGHT CHOICE.
TTYrant
>for an handheld Space Invaders. My father comes back home with an Atari 2600
>and the Space Invaders cartridge!
You must have been in heaven.
"That cow, pig or chicken that you murdered and ingested will exact it's
revenge upon you from the inside. They're doing so now, and I don't blame them
a bit..."
TTYrant
>My fascination with classic gaming systems today comes in large part from
>being denied them as a kid. My friends had Atari 2600, I had none. My
>friends had Mattel Intellivision, I had none. My friends had 8-bit Nintendo,
>
>I had none.
It is my personal philosophy that - if you are able to do so - that you should
fulfil each and every single one of your childhood dreams - even if they may
seem trivial to you now. I have done this. Remember the ENTYX "SPACE INVADER"
game that I always wanted and never got? Well I DID get it back in like 1990.
All those years later, even after I had so much better technology available to
me. It was important that I have this. Even if it's almost a decade later, I
STILL got to have one! It closed a chapter in my life, tied up loose ends.
NOW, one dream that I still HAVE to fulfill is to own a Carnival-style "walk
through" Haunted house. I promised myself when I was like 7 or 8 yrs. old that
I would some day have one. It is on my to-do list, and I fully intend on buying
one.
TTYrant
>
Ah, GEOS.... At last you could have a MACINTOSH for the price of a Commodore 64
:)
>1998 Bought an Emachines 333 for $325 after rebates.
Um, excuse me, what exactly is/was this??
> I am going back to school for programming
>so I guess its never to late.
This is exactly right - it's NEVER too late.
Kirk Is
> Hey, troll.
Chill out.
Troll accusations at the start of a decent thread is rather trollish,
with no way to lead to productive conversation.
--
QUOTEBLOG: http://kisrael.com SKEPTIC MORTALITY: http://kisrael.com/mortal
"We're all soldiers in the war against entropy." --alt.folklore.computers
Kirk Is
> Definitely the right choice for me and that was the 800XL
> computer. Great machine. After playing with the c64's and
> Apple's many years later, I am more sure now that I made the
> right choice. Of course, there will be some that disagree,
> but hey, to each his own opinion ;).
Interesting top, and interesting point Larry.
I too started with an Atari 800XL, but finally cajoled my way to a hand me
down C=64. (God, before I had either I think I remember my mom buying me a
big book of type-in games from COMPUTE!, as a token of her future
intentions...not having much money sucks!)
So I got some decent programming in with AtariBASIC and Logo, but the C=64
was definately the best bet for game choice. Over all though, looking back
I'm sorry I didn't mess with Apple IIs much...they were a great hacker
machine, better in many ways than either the Atari 8bits or the
Commodores, and I think I would be a better lowlevel techine now had I had
one.
TTYrant
>computer. Great machine. After playing with the c64's and
>Apple's many years later, I am more sure now that I made the
>right choice. Of course, there will be some that disagree,
>but hey, to each his own opinion ;).
I had a commodore 64, and thought it was a great machine, it provided nearly
everything anyone could want, but I STILL wanted an Atari 800 XL, and I was
seriously considering buying one in 1986. I probably should have, it's too late
now.
SS
"Larry Lefebvre" <lar...@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:FNz69.8946$WJ3.9...@news1.news.adelphia.net...
> Definitely the right choice for me and that was the 800XL
> computer. Great machine. After playing with the c64's and
> Apple's many years later, I am more sure now that I made the
> right choice. Of course, there will be some that disagree,
> but hey, to each his own opinion ;).
For me, the 800XL that my dad insisted buying in so that we'd have a
computer in the house rather than just a video game console was the right
choice. Atari had the best arcade ports at the time and I had a good source
for pirate disks. :)
The bad choice was copying over most of those disks with C64 titles a few
years later. I'd love to have such a nice collection of Atari 8bit titles
again. :(
Geoff Voigt
under MOOT POINT. No sarcasam intended, despite how it looks.
Geoff "Getting over CGE withdrawls" Voigt
Geoff Voigt:gvo...@pacman.ridgecrest.ca.us
Yet another Peniless Artist(TM) also interested in
80's music-Classic Video Games-Anime-Techno Music-Coffee-US History
Maintainer and keeper of the rec.games.video.classic FAQ
Delete the classic game character to reply
TTYrant
>it
>under MOOT POINT.
Not really. It's all about having regrets or not, not that you may have righted
all your wrongs now. For example, I think that I would have enjoyed having an
Atari 800 instead of a 2600 but that wasn't really an option back then. But on
the other hand I would have STILL preferred the Atari 2600 version of
Asteroids, so who knows?
Oz Scott
> Ah, GEOS.... At last you could have a MACINTOSH for the price of a
Commodore 64
> :)
> >1998 Bought an Emachines 333 for $325 after rebates.
Mark Bradshaw
wrote:
>Mark Bradshaw <Nfinit_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> On 14 Aug 2002 05:31:40 GMT, drsmi...@aol.com (TTYrant) wrote:
>
>>>I remember back in school the kids used to fight back and forth on which system
>>>was better. I remember I had an Atari, but also SECRETLY adored Intellivision.
>
>> Hey, troll.
>
>Chill out.
>
>Troll accusations at the start of a decent thread is rather trollish,
>with no way to lead to productive conversation.
>
You have a point, I admit, but I'm still willing to bet the kid'll
flip out and start trolling the thread before long.
But in the hopes that he's reformed, I'll go along with the gag.
I was the first kid on the block to have a video game system, in my
case an Atari 2600 JR. I think this was about the time that the NES
first started to get big in the US, but my friends and myself were
still into GI Joes and Transformers, so the point of "which was best"
was fairly moot. The fact that we were playing *anything* on a TV was
something incredible.
Well, come the next Christmas, the NES was quite obviously the Big
Thing. However, I was still fairly uninterested-- After all, the
Atari was made in the US of A, so it had to be better, right? And
besides, the control pad the NES used looked entirely *wrong*. So
instead, I begged my parents for a 7800 that year.
And looking back on it, yeah, that was the wrong choice. I mean, I
like Atari as much as the next retrogeek, but c'mon. We're talking
Dark Caverns vs Zelda here. Maro vs... Impossible Mission?! and
while I loved Galaga and Joust and Xevious to death, that damned gray
box kept tempting me with Castlevania, Mario Brother 3, and Contra.
My parents, already preterbed at having to buy me a 2600 and 7800
back-to-back, we're rather less than moved at my plight. Therefore, I
remained NES-less through the entire revival of the 8-bit era.
A few years later, the Genesis, TG-16 and (just recently) the SNES
were released, and I was damned if I was going to be beat a second
time around. This time I had a plan, mostly involving saving up my $5
a week allowance for about three months straight to buy my own system
with my "own" money. Having built up a healthy contempt for all
things Nintendo (hey, playing Super Skateboardin' can do that to a
person), I decided my system of choice would be the Sega Genesis--
after all, Sonic had just been released, there were a pile of great
games already out for the system, and Mario World made the SNES look
like crap compared against the incredible speed of Sonic.
Right choice. Not to say that there weren't a lot of SNES-only games
that I lusted after (Mainly Zelda, Super Castlevania, and these new
"final fantasy" games the Nintendo-heads kept harping on), but all the
same I don't think there was much on the Nintendo side of the river
that could have competed with the Sonic games, Shining Force, and
Landstalker. Give me a Sega CD, and I'd be happy for weeks on end
with Snatcher, Dark Wizard, and damn near every game released by
Working Designs (And sorry, but not even ff6 compares to the orginal
Lunar).
After that, I had my own job and could pretty much affoard to buy
whatever system I wated with my own money. So I went ahead and got
hold of a Playstation, Saturn, Jaguar, n64, what have you. The only
thing I didnt' bother with was the 3d0 during this period.
And now... Well, the newest system I have now is the Dreamcast, which
I picked up last Christmas for $50-- despite the temptations offered
by the Playstation 2. I guess that's going full circle, in a way.
I'll probably wind up getting a PS2 in the next couple months, and
will likely get the 'cube before bothering with th X-box. However,
right now I'm more concerned with getting my PC up to spec for Star
Wars Galaxies.
TTYrant
>flip out and start trolling the thread before long.
Mark, I enjoyed reading your message but speaking of trolls, a few things you
wrote are boarderline:
>I was the first kid on the block to have a video game system, in my
>case an Atari 2600 JR.
First kid on the block, and it was an Atari 2600 JR - which came out when?
1988??? Your block must have been in some kind of a time warp to sidestep the
Odyessey, Atari 2600, Colecovision, Intellivision, Atari 5200, etc. - all of
which came out before the 2600 JR. Hmmmmm....
>A few years later, the Genesis, TG-16 and (just recently) the SNES
>were released, and I was damned if I was going to be beat a second
>time around. This time I had a plan, mostly involving saving up my $5
>a week allowance for about three months straight to buy my own system
>with my "own" money.
Utilizing the simple math skills that I learned in grade school, I guess what
you are saying here is that you bought on of these systems for SIXTY DOLLARS??
That, my friend, was one HELL of a deal!!
Steve 'Flash' Juon
> >
> >My fascination with classic gaming systems today comes in large part from
> >being denied them as a kid. My friends had Atari 2600, I had none. My
> >friends had Mattel Intellivision, I had none. My friends had 8-bit Nintendo,
> >I had none.
>
> It is my personal philosophy that - if you are able to do so - that you should
> fulfil each and every single one of your childhood dreams - even if they may
> seem trivial to you now. I have done this. Remember the ENTYX "SPACE INVADER"
> game that I always wanted and never got? Well I DID get it back in like 1990.
> All those years later, even after I had so much better technology available to
> me. It was important that I have this. Even if it's almost a decade later, I
> STILL got to have one! It closed a chapter in my life, tied up loose ends.
I can't argue one bit. It's hugely rewarding to me to play +AND+ own these
vintage systems, to have that experience I was denied. I shouldn't say that
these experiences were denied to me out of lack of love though, and if in ANY
way that's implied I want everyone to understand - my parents probably WOULD
have bought me one or two of these systems if they had the means, but instead
they gave us (call me a sap for saying this) the best present of all - love.
Hard to understand as a child when you get books and clothes for Christmas
year in and year out, much easier to accept as an adult.
And actually, never owning a Nintendo didn't insult me that much, because I
knew that (what at the time seemed like) a high priced system and expensive
games were just financially out of reach. The one thing I +almost+ hold a
grudge against my parents for is never giving me any Transformers. Unlike
video games, they were certainly affordable, but my parents saw the cartoon
as nothing but a shameless 30 minute long commercial to get kids hyped up
about the toys. Maybe they're right - at the same time explain that to an
eight-year-old when all his friends have Optimus Prime and Starscream and
his grand collection of changable robots equals ZERO. Not even a single one.
It was insulting because the Transformers were my IDOLS, my sci-fi heroes
and villians and friends and enemies all in one. When I need a break from
collecting vintage games, my goal will be to acquire a nice set of figures.
I won't care if they're mint, or complete in the box, or even if I have a
full set of anything - just as long as I have a few I can set on my desk.
I can pick 'em up, change 'em when I want, put 'em back down and admire 'em.
THAT for me will be a childhood wish fulfilled. :)
- Steve
Mark Bradshaw
And here we go.
TTYrant
>collecting vintage games, my goal will be to acquire a nice set of figures.
>I won't care if they're mint, or complete in the box, or even if I have a
>full set of anything - just as long as I have a few I can set on my desk.
>I can pick 'em up, change 'em when I want, put 'em back down and admire 'em.
>THAT for me will be a childhood wish fulfilled. :)
>
You know, we live in such an interesting time... you can probably go to EBAY
and find that "one" auction that will fulfill all your dreams - and probably at
a GREAT price too!!! How old are you by the way? Just curious.
* ROBOTS IN DISGUISE!! *
crymad
I think he has two very legitimate points. I thought the exact same
things when I read what you wrote.
--crymad
IntelliSteve
system
> was better. I remember I had an Atari, but also SECRETLY adored
Intellivision.
>
> chosen FOR you!!), be it an Atari or Intellivision, Colecovision or the
5200,
> TI 99/4a vs the TSR 80, etc. etc. - LOOKING BACK, now that all the dust
has
> cleared and settled, do you feel that you made the right choice, or do you
wish
> you would have had another system back then? - Are you (now) GLAD you had
a
> 2600 instead of an Intellivision even though you wanted the Intellivision
back
> then? Are you PISSED because you invested in a TRS-80 and missed out on
> "Munchman" or "TI Invaders"?? Pour your heart out for all to hear...
Well, the choice was made for us. My parents wanted a computer for the
business, and we all wanted a videogame. So, for XMas 1980, we got the
Intellivision Master Component. RIGHT CHOICE (for games), WRONG CHOICE (for
computer).
So, we kids were ecstatic, and I was pumped about the computer. I still
remember the original 5 games we got:
Math Fun
NFL Football
Major League Baseball
Poker & Blackjack (pack-in)
Space Battle
We had the original 2609, and I remember some funky game pics on the box,
along w/ the keyboard component info. The games all had nice full-color
manuals, too. By Feb, we had, sadly, encountered the all-too-frequent
problem w/ the early 2609s (it seemed).. It overheated and died.
Fortunately, we got a replacement unit (box and all), which I still have
(box w/ foams, no manual). But, the unit seems to have died.
In 1987, I bought my own Intellivision System III (still my primary Inty
play unit) to take to my sophomore year of college. In the meantime, I'd
loaded up on tons of the $1.99 games at Kay-Bee, which was a mishmash of
stuff. I always kicked myself for not laying out the $25 to get the ECS and
other stuff back then. One week, they were just gone. I also got a bunch of
stuff through the Triton catalog, including a Hover Force T-Shirt, which was
fn cool. A few years later, SOMEONE STOLE IT! Gha! And I still regret not
getting the INTV games back when they were at TRU. I distinctly remember
seeing the 'Super Pro' games and scoffing at how stupid Body Slam, Spiker,
and Stadium Mud Buggies looked, along w/ most of the other Super Pro games.
I was in college, and my primary goal was to get laid, so my cash went for
beer and other vices instead of games. (mostly :)
Seeing that the IntyPuter was just not going to happen, we got a TRS-80
Model III (w/ 32K of RAM!!!). I guess for the business, RIGHT CHOICE. As far
as games, WRONG CHOICE.
Later, we got a Tandy CoCo (16K?) w/ chicklet keyboard and a few lame games.
I'd call that a WRONG CHOICE as far as games, etc.
We never got another console, but went through many PCs (286 on up) - RIGHT
CHOICE.
A few years back, we found my wife's original Sears Video Arcade and about a
dozen games (nothing rare, but almost all CIB and VERY NICE). Still use
that.
I played a lot of Super Mario Kart on the SNES from a roomate, and some
Metroid on the NES in college, but was never enough into it to get either
system.
Just last year I finally picked up an NES (well, two, really) and have only
a few games - not at all highlights of the NES library from what I've
gathered, but CIB games, at least. Mostly things I collect for other reasons
(Star Wars games, Indiana Jones games, Ultima, or arcade ports that were
also done on the Inty). Generally, not _good_ games. I'd like to get some of
the standbys (don't even have SMB!) like Zelda, Metroid, and a couple
others, but don't have an overpowering desire. I guess I'm NEUTRAL on the
NES. One hang-up is that, being an Inty junkie, I've come to expect CIB
games as the norm, which is just damned hard for Atari VCS and NES.
I always wished to have a Vectrex, but it was too expensive - especially
after already having the Intellivision. The Astrocade always intrigued me,
but remained just a curiosity. You just couldn't find many of those in
Bumblef*ck, WI. My cousin had a ColecoVision and I played a lot of that, but
still don't have one. Another friend had an Odyessey 2. I enjoyed it (esp.
UFO) but my other friends didn't as much. We probably had more fun seeing
what you could get to show on the screen by opening up the unit, turning it
on, and dragging a screwdriver across the back of the motherboard. Yes, we
did that! And that bastard machine kept working! O2 is another system that I
always think I'll get someday, but never have enough gumption to actually
track down.
So that's it! The newest console in my house is over 15 years old! Mainly, I
just don't have time for much hardcore gaming. I've got some PC games that I
haven't even opened from 3 years ago, so why should I get a GameCube or PS2?
John in NH
>> I remember back in school the kids used to fight back and forth on which
>system
>> was better. I remember I had an Atari, but also SECRETLY adored
>Intellivision.
I HATED Intellivision because it was Atari's competitor. I LOVED all things
Atari - still do.
Went so far once as to get in a fist fight over it - kinda silly, yeah, but it
got me a copy of Combat II decades later! ;)
John in NH
~~~
My arcade pics, links & FS/FT stuff (UPDATED 07/27/02):
http://members.aol.com/rushpage/jamma.htm
eBay stuff I've got up:
http://tinyurl.com/yp6
-Exhibiting the willingness to risk defeat on a daily basis since 1994.-
IntelliSteve
"John in NH" <rush...@aol.com--SP4M--> wrote in message
news:20020815022527...@mb-mu.aol.com...
>
> >> I remember back in school the kids used to fight back and forth on
which
> >system
> >> was better. I remember I had an Atari, but also SECRETLY adored
> >Intellivision.
>
> I HATED Intellivision because it was Atari's competitor. I LOVED all
things
> Atari - still do.
>
> Went so far once as to get in a fist fight over it - kinda silly, yeah,
but it
> got me a copy of Combat II decades later! ;)
>
> John in NH
>
I remember bragging to my cousin when we got the Inty, as he'd gotten an
Atari. I think I might even remember the exact words, something like 'Oh
yeah! Well WE got an INTELLIVISION and it's WAY BETTER!' Of course, I did
spend hours and hours there playing SI, Dragster (ugh!) Freeway, Demon
Attack, Kaboom!, Keystone Kapers, Yars' Revenge .. That bastard had every
game, I swear. Wonder what ever happened to 'em. He also had every damned CV
thing (Adam included)...
Ah well...
..."You can't have everything. Where would you put it?" - Stephen Wright
Mark Bradshaw
wrote:
Number 1: Why in the world would I be trying to gain false cred on
Usenet?
Number 2: He's about one step away from breaking into full Jeff K
mode again.
That being said:
The Atari 2600 JR: What can I say, 'cept that I didn't come into the
video game scene until late? Like I said, my group was still playing
with action figures at the time-- Hell, it took enough convincing for
our parents to drop upwards of $60 on something that would keep the
kinds *inside* all day long. Not that I wasn't interested in games
beforehand, mind you, this was just the first opportunity I had to get
hold of something like this.
The Genny: You're expecting me to keep accounting tabs on a purchase
from 15 years ago? All I remember is saving for three months to get
one-- if I remember correctly, this was about the time they dropped to
price on a genesis w/Sonic to around $150-- So there was probably some
other money involved at the time, sure.
TTYrant
>Usenet?
>
>Number 2: He's about one step away from breaking into full Jeff K
>mode again.
>
>That being said:
Mike, I swear you sound just like FRANK BURNS from Mash.
Robert Morgan
Y'know, I had two friends with 5200s and none with CVs back-in-the-day, so I
actually have fond memories of playing 5200... yet once I got a CV and 5200 of
my own, I really preferred the CV. Not sure why- maybe the funkier arcade
ports?
>4) Computer time. Commodore 64 VS Apple, et al. I chose Commodore.
I know everyone cleaves to their 8-bit computer of choice, so this isn't meant
as an argument against those who used Apples, Sinclairs, etc.
Despite my family's poverty, I had extensive use of most of the US computing
platforms of the 1980s- Apple II, TI, C64, Vic-20, Atari 8-bit, Timex/Sinclair,
early PC, TRS-80, CoCo, S-100- and I never regretted choosing Commodore; by
rights I should have been an Atari 8-bit fan, since that was my primary
computing platform and I had an irrational Atari fetish. I found myself going
through Commodore sites on WWW the other day in awe at what's being done with
the Super CPU.
>16) Bought a DREAMCAST when it went below $100. Because it can play so many
>emulators, RIGHT CHOICE.
I'm still neutral on my DC. I've only got around 30 games for it so far- doubt
I'll be able to afford more. I missed out on most of the keen games, I think.
If I had a CD-R I would play with the emus, I guess, but emus run fine on my
PC, so there's no rush to have them on the DC. Glad you're enjoying yours,
though.
Steve 'Flash' Juon
> The Genny: You're expecting me to keep accounting tabs on a purchase
> from 15 years ago? All I remember is saving for three months to get
> one-- if I remember correctly, this was about the time they dropped to
> price on a genesis w/Sonic to around $150-- So there was probably some
> other money involved at the time, sure.
If he was anything like me, he probably sweet-talked his parents into
ponying up half; that was how I got my "educational" Commodore 128 which
I virtually did nothing but game with, only OCCASIONALLY using OmniWriter. :)
- Steve
Glitch
the systems we bought were short lived I got a lot of enjoyment out of
them and loved them all. My parents never really went the gaming
console route so we purchased primarily computers as I was growing up.
1) Bally Astrocade. Purchased because it touted a basic programming
cart at it's release. As a computer the Astrocade fell short although
it was fun and easy to learn. It's what I learned to program on. I'm
now a software engineer which I'm sure I owe to Bally (sometimes it
feels more like a curse though :). The number of games were paltry
when compared to the 2600 but the quality of the games were much
superior IMO. I still own it and still play it regularly so overall
RIGHT CHOICE.
2) Atari 800. Purchased to replace the Bally as a computer. I
refined my programming skills on this machine but still liked going
back to the Astrocade to write simply game programs. This is the
computer that got me hooked on RPGs (most were text based initially).
It seemed to be better than the Apple II, TI/99 and other home
computers of the time but a little behind the C64 (and there was no
way that expensive IBM thing was going to break into the home market).
The games were great and still are today. At the time I felt it was
the best thing out there. I'd have to say RIGHT CHOICE.
3) Atari 520st. Purchased to replace the Atari 800. As a gaming
system it was ok but it was quickly shown to be short on memory
because many of the programs were written for the 1meg 1040st or
greater when the Mega STs came out. I did enjoy this system alot and
don't remember breaking out the 800 or Bally during the time period we
used it so it was a good choice. I have to admit that the Commodore
Amiga kept impressing me though at the time I couldn't admit it due to
the Atari/Commodore user war at the time. IMHO the later STs were on
par with the Amiga but not the 520. I've recently purchased a new
520st & a Mega2 ST and find them a nice nostalgic escape but not
something I have to have. For these reasons it a NEUTRAL CHOICE.
After the 520 my parents went the IBM PC route and so did I when I
moved out shortly there after.
4) Nintendo Gameboy. I had a hard time deciding between a GB and an
Atari Lynx. I ended up buying the original grey GameBoy Brick, which
I still have, because there wasn't really anywhere in my area to get
Lynx games whereas GB games were everywhere. I kinda regretted it at
the time but then Atari went under so the games would have been
limited. Of course now I own 4 Lynxs & 89 Lynx games as opposed to my
2 GB bricks & 2 GBCs and about 11 games. Final result: NEUTRAL CHOICE
5) Sega Genisis. My first actual console purchase. I bought this for
my kids at the time and didn't really get into playing it (sonic &
sports games just weren't my cup of tea). I was more into playing
computer games at the time, especially RPGs. I think we only had
about 7 or 8 games for it when we traded it a many years later and I
never really played it much so at the time I'd have to say POOR
CHOICE.
Since then my opinion on the Genisis has changed. A while back I
picked up a another Genisis and a Nomad and started playing the games
again. I think the Nomad is the bomb and currently own 2 Gen model
1s, 2 model 2s, 2 Sega CDs and about a hundred games. What I really
like about the Segas is they are really inexpensive to collect for
now.
6) Super Nintendo. This replaced the Genisis. Again this was more
for my kids and I didn't really get into playing it until later in
it's life span. I thought Donkey Kong Country was one of the best
console games I had seen. Overall I'd have to say RIGHT CHOICE.
7) GameBoy Color. Same feelings as the original GB. NEUTRAL CHOICE.
8) Playstation. Wow is all I could say at the time. This was my
first CD based console and I thought the ever growing library of games
was the best I'd ever seen. Still have it and still play it
constantly. RIGHT CHOICE.
9) Nintendo 64. We got this because the kids wanted to play Pokemon
Stadium. Personally I still prefered the PSX and didn't play it much.
now my kids play the PSX more than the N64 also and it pretty much
sits there except for the few times that they'll play it. POOR
CHOICE.
10) Playstation 2. I bought my teenage son a PS2 which we no longer
have because he decided he would rather return it and purchase a car
stereo (I may have made the same choice at his age). We had it for
about a month and I was really impressed w/ Grand Theft Auto 3 and
some other titles that we had rented for it. We returned it before
the price drop so overall it was probably a good move since I do plan
on getting another one. Even though I don't have it right now I'd
have to say RIGHT CHOICE.
11) XBOX. Vertict still out. I think I prefered the PS2 but I'll
wait to make judgement.
12) GameBoy Advanced. This little system ROCKS. I didn't care much
for the original GBs but absolutly love the GBA. It took Nintendo 10
years to finally match & beat the Lynx, Nomad, and Game Gear but they
seemed to have done it right. Breath of Fire I & II and Tactics Ogre
are great RPG games on a scope that I've never seen on a portable.
The Atari Anniversary & Konami collections are great fun also. I have
to say this was definatly a RIGHT CHOICE.
Since I started collecting I now also have the following consoles &
computers that I wasn't able to get "back in the day":
NES (love it), Vectrex (great system), Nomad (love it), SegaCD (ok),
2600 (lot of fun), 7800 (same as the 2600), 3DO (fun but more like a
poor PSX), Saturn (great system), Dreamcast (ROCKS), C64 (prefer my
800 still), TI/99 4a (ditto but fun to program on), Mega2 ST (not
quite as exciting as I remember).
and have to say that I probably would have enjoyed them back then also
but I'm just as happy to be able to play them now.
Well that's enough of my rambling
Kirk Is
> I had a commodore 64, and thought it was a great machine, it provided nearly
> everything anyone could want, but I STILL wanted an Atari 800 XL, and I was
> seriously considering buying one in 1986. I probably should have, it's too late
> now.
Interesting, your experience was the opposite of mine (started with the
800XL, Jonesed for a C=64 (which I finally got))
I wanted a C=64 because the games, both retail and pirated, what was the
allure of the 800XL?
--
QUOTEBLOG: http://kisrael.com SKEPTIC MORTALITY: http://kisrael.com/mortal
"the day that you die will be like any other day, only shorter." --Beckett
TTYrant
>allure of the 800XL?
Well back in 1985, it was like the Atari 800XL had a "CULT FOLLOWING" - Nearly
every BBS was run by Commodore, or Apple, and maybe one or two Atari's. What
was the allure..? Hmmm Well this may sound funny but it LOOKED real good, real
slick, sleek. I knew that I would be able to play all of the BEST POSSIBLE
versions of the Atari games. And HEY, let's face it, it WAS an "ATARI"
product.....
Itm0001
the new Transformers appears to be an anime. Was the "old" transformers from
1985 also an anime, or was it done in America?
Ivan
I am not a number, I am a free man!
system
> was better. I remember I had an Atari, but also SECRETLY adored
Intellivision.
>
> chosen FOR you!!), be it an Atari or Intellivision, Colecovision or the
5200,
> TI 99/4a vs the TSR 80, etc. etc. - LOOKING BACK, now that all the dust
has
> cleared and settled, do you feel that you made the right choice, or do you
wish
> you would have had another system back then? - Are you (now) GLAD you had
a
> 2600 instead of an Intellivision even though you wanted the Intellivision
back
> then? Are you PISSED because you invested in a TRS-80 and missed out on
> "Munchman" or "TI Invaders"?? Pour your heart out for all to hear...
Interesting question! I have always had more than one system, so this
doesn't really apply very well to me, but here goes. Note my tendency to
find something to like in everything....
~1982: My first machine was a 2nd-hand Odyssey 2 from a family who had moved
up to Colecovision. I played the crap out of it because it was all I had.
I not-so-secretly coveted the Intellivision, Atari 2600, and Colecovision,
all of which I eventually got. I was happy with it ... but wanted more!
Odyssey 2 was not the right choice, although I'm glad I played Quest for the
Rings, Pick Axe Pete, KC Munchkin, UFO, and so many others.
1986: Got a Nintendo NES. The alternative at the time was the Sega Master
System, and while I liked some of the arcade ports, as well as the idea of
the 3D glasses, it was clear that Nintendo was the place to be. I snagged a
clearance Atari 7800 around 1989 in college for the "classic" games. I was
happy with the NES until something better (16-bit) came along. The 7800 got
played out and sold for a song to a roommate. NES was the right choice,
7800 was nostalgia talking.
1991: Sega Genesis. Nice graphics, good sound, lots of games. Loved it.
Sold it off for a Super Nintendo a year later. Had fun with that as well.
Kept the SNES for a few years, sold it to a family with kids after beating a
rental Super Return of the Jedi. Both were the right choice at the time.
1992: Atari Lynx. Wanted APB, Xybots, STUN Runner. Only choice for these
games, though it was kinda silly as a handheld. Right choice. Tried Game
Gear and Game Boy -- wrong choices which went back to the store.
1995: Sega Saturn, simply because it was the first one out and I was kinda
depressed at the time (working crappy jobs, not much money). Enjoyed the
big arcade ports and Panzer Dragoon, and wished it would take off and kick
the Playstation's butt a bit more since the Saturn had so much more soul.
Sadly, that never happened and I got a PSX in 1996 when the price went down
just because that's where the games were. Right choice for imports, Sega
games, and niche games, wrong choice for mainstream and big-name fun.
1996: Nintendo 64. I always liked this machine. Sold the Saturn at this
time, ended up getting a new one for peanuts just to play my old favorites.
Eventually gave my Saturn to a friend, but N64 is still hooked up. Right
choice without a doubt.
1998: Got my first import machine, the Sega Dreamcast, thinking that Sega of
America would screw things up again. The pace of games slowed to a trickle,
and when it launched in the USA, I had already played the best games to
death. No regrets though, since this was always a nice little machine. I
still fart around with homebrew games on it. Right choice.
2000: Playstation 2. Paid a premium from an Ebayer since I didn't reserve
one at launch. I figured it would be easy enough to snag one in the store.
Like PSX, you kinda need a PS2 to play the big name games -- and more
importantly, the "sleepers." Right choice, but I don't feel strongly about
it. Recent retro-ish releases like Rez, Virtua Fighter 4 and Wipeout Fusion
2001: GameCube. A gift from a friend whom I had helped out in a big way.
He gave me my choice of Cube or XBOX. Chose Cube thinking the best Japanese
games would be on the system, and who can go wrong with Mario? Eagerly
consumed Rogue Leader and Super Monkey Ball, mildly interested in Pikmin,
but nothing else has held my interest. Wrong choice .... for now. It's
just sleeping, but I'm thinking of firing it up tonight ....
2002: XBOX. My boredom with the Cube drove me to sell off my Atari Jaguar
setup which had been lying unplayed for over a year. Jet Set Radio Future,
Halo, Oddworld 3D, Morrowind, Dead or Alive 3, Rallisport Challenge. This
is the answer to the Sega Saturn. My current system of choice, although
there's nothing new coming for it that I *must have* until Panzer Dragoon
Orta shows itself.
TTYrant
>2002: XBOX. My boredom with the Cube drove me to sell off my Atari Jaguar
>setup which had been lying unplayed for over a year.
Where did the Jaguar come in? in your "timeline" you went right from the Super
NES directly to the Saturn????
I am not a number, I am a free man!
I think I had one in between the SNES and the Saturn for a while to play
Aliens Vs. Predator, Tempest 2000, Wolfenstein 3D (best port, but
short/incomplete), and Doom. I got rid of it at some point, but bought
another one to play Defender 2000 and the VLM on the Jag CD. Those games
were the right choices, but the system as a whole was not. It wsa pretty
clear early on that Tramiel & co. didn't have what it takes to compete
against the Japanese game giants of the day.
I also skipped the Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance in
my little history. I'm not particularly fond of the GB, but it's kind of a
necessary evil if you want to play in airports, etc. I have a wonderful,
backlit Casio e-125 Pocket PC which runs tons of emulators of classic
systems, but I'm afraid to take it anywhere because it's relatively fragile
and expensive, not to mention the rechargeable battery doesn't last nearly
as long as the GBA's. GBA = right choice for games and convenience, wrong
choice for my eyes. Cassiopeia = right choice for power, screen, variety
(and "thrift" of emulators), wrong choice for travel unless you know there
will be power sockets to charge up every 2 hours or so.
X 1
it was "all the rage." I should also add that every system I have ever
owned was of my own choosing.
1977-79. I was a teenager when the 2600 was in it's infancy. I did want
one, but had to buy it myself, using money I earned working nights after
school. There wasn't much to choose from back then, the 2600, Channel F,
various Pong units, Odyssey2, Studio II. Yeah, several choices, but did
any of those *really* stack up to the 2600? In my opinion, no.
2600: Right Choice.
1979-1984: I had joined the service after graduating hgh school, and
just lost interest in video games. So, no Colecovision, Intellivision,
Arcadia, or 5200 for me at the time.
1985-1992: My interest in video gaming was revived with the arrival of
the NES, and specifically SMB. I bought one at launch, and never
regretted it.
NES: Right Choice.
1992-1999: Yeah, in general, I'm covering huge chunks of time here, but
that's the way it's always been with me, as far as interest in video
games anyway. I've had some dramatic ups-and-downs in my life, long
periods when I just had too many other things on my mind. Anyway...I
paid scant attention to the Jaguar, 3do, Saturn, Playstation, and N64
when they were released. In 1999, I bought my son a new Dreamcast, and
the first time I really sat down and looked at it, BLAM!! I was blown
away.
Dreamcast: Right Choice.
Other systems I have bought at various points in time, long after their
initial release.
N-64: Right Choice
3do: Right Choice
SMS: Neutral
SNES: Neutral
Genesis: Neutral
Odyssey2: Neutral
Intellivision: Wrong Choice
Atari 7800: Wrong Choice
TG-16: Wrong Chice