How I got started with gaming

This is first in series of post about me as a gamer and who’s behind my nick. I have been using the SnakeDrone nick since 2004. I started using it few months after I joined Steam, because I wanted more unique name. But that’s not the beginning…

My first video gaming experience was actually with friends Commandore 64, in early 90’s. My dad did get me some throwaway “computer” from he’s friend that connected TV (wasn’t commandore), but no one knew how to use it, other than turn it on… Until my cousin came to visit, put his wizard hat on and started playing games from the cassette drive. (actual wizard hat may not been involved, but I was 5-7 yo.)

I still remember my parents talking about “splitting the cost” of the Nintendo (NES) in a car, if they would get it for me or not. It was 395 Marks (Finnish currency at the time) in an holiday sale early 90s. I was so happy when I got it. That’s when I actually got in to gaming.

I remember having 3-4 games and changing one every couple of week in Gamehouse (local game store), when I got enough allowance saved up. But I always had a version of Track and Field (a.k.a. the Finger Killer) and it was the most played for sure.

I remember playing Adventures of Lolo, Bubble Bobble, Contra, Duck Tales, Ice Climber, Kirby’s Adventure, Metal Gear, Turtles and obviously countles versions of Mario games. I’m sure I have forgotten at least some games that I used to like and love.

I never got into Final Fantasy, Mega Man or Zelda. I’m sorry! I don’t even really know why. I wasn’t even 10 yo yet, Okay? 😀

*EDIT* NO Wait! I can fix this.. kinda. I did actually get Nintendo “Game & Watch” handheld Zelda and Donkey Kong consoles around that time. Although just like 95% of the people, I have lost the battery covers.

*All the Zelda shenanigans is about one friend who’s a huge fan 😉

Back then I was a member of Club Nintendo. In Finland it was called “Uusi Nintendo Klubi” (New Nintendo Club) I’m not sure if the “uusi/new” was part of the name, but that’s on the membership card. …Yes, there was an actual physical card. But I don’t remember any other advantage, than getting a stack of Nintendo Magazines.

There’s this one quote on the official Nintendo website:

“Do not blow into your Game Paks or systems. The moisture in your breath can corrode and contaminate the pin connectors.” http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/nes/trouble_game.jsp

*cough* Not that I would have ever fixed my games by blowing into the cartridge.

Maybe couple years later a kid moved to neighbor and had a Sega Megadrive (aka Genesis) I loved Sonic games and Comix Zone had an awesome comic book style 4th wall breaking gameplay. I did get to play Mortal Kombat… once… before friends mom figured out what it was 😀

About the same time also another kid moved in with SNES. Didn’t play that much, but I remember liking Street Fighter and Starwing (aka Star Fox). I think there might have been another Turtles game. I was thinking about this a long time, but I don’t think he had Mario Kart.

There was few Batman sidescrollers somewhere in there that I liked, but no idea of the console.

In 1995 we moved to a new city and friends that I made in school didn’t have any other consoles, so I reverted back to NES and Track & Field. It was fun again. Also found NES Satellite wireless controller hub from a flea market. There was atleast one game we used it to play 4 player splitscreen on. I just can’t figure out what the game was.

There was also a spa near that had a small arcade, with Sega Rally arcade machine, so that was where my allowance was going. It didn’t take that long to get to the my name on every spot on the top 10. The machine only allowed 3 character names so I was “REX”… because I was just that creative 😀

About the same time I got to test Sega Saturn and the first game was Sonic 3D Blast. Never touched that console again.

Luckily one of my friends got an Nintendo 64. I didn’t get that into the N64, even when I had loved Nintendo for so long. I think the weird controller might have had it’s part on it. N64 had some fun games, but I didn’t ever get one.

Weirdly enough unlike the Sonics 3D version, I liked the 3D Super Mario 64. Now that I think of it, it must have been the follow camera that made a world of difference. Sonic had an isometric camera angle and that really didn’t translate in my head fast enough, for a fast phased game like Sonic.

Mario Kart 64 was fun, but as this was the friends console, guess who learned the jump-slide boost first and wrecked the multiplayer.

Goldeneye 007 was the first FPS I ever played. We did play thru the single-player, but we spent a lot more time in the multiplayer. Mostly we play on different section of Severnaya. (I admit lookin up the name of the “satellite array map”).

Don’t ask me what was the plot of Turok, but it was FPS about hunting dinosaurs and we were 13, so yeah. Sidenote: OMG there’s Turok PC remaster coming.

I could actually compete with my friend in Wave Race 64 because there wasn’t op boost mechanic. I also remember ramming thru buildings in Blast Corps, I don’t remember if liked the game in total, but at least once I had fun enough to leave a memory imprint.

Another friend got (or I got new friend who had) an Playstation and gaming started to take actually noticeable part of our time. This is also the point that timeline in my head is starting to get even more blurred, because we also got started on computer gaming and still also played with the older consoles.