Games EXPERIENCES

[killergorilla]

Hi, kind of weird topic this one, but I was just listening to some games music remixes and it really got me thinking about when I'd played the games and how much they'd 'been' a part of my childhood.

Say for example, you may have your favourite Amiga games, but what games really seem to 'affected' your memory of games.

I'm not talking fave games here, I'd personally say that Ruff'n'tumble is one of my fave amiga games but I played it at a time when it didn't really affect me, it was a superb game but I can't remember the music off by heart and if someone posed the question 'what games could you have not played' I would put it in there.

Some games just stay with you and their music/gameplay just 'sticks' up there. (Someone must have noticed how many times I put words in 'quotations' by now!)

I'd have to say that Flashback is one of these games, I was always in awe when playing that game, how the game looked, the animation, the whole package was there, I don't play it a lot now as it's not a game you can just pick up and play for a bit, but it really was an epic in my respect for computer games.

I also couldn't just include Amiga games (I'd have to put Sonic up there, along with the Zelda games) but I don't want to go off-topic in my own thread!

I'd really like to know what Amiga games (feel free to post a 'little' bit about other console/computer games as well) meant something to you at the time, and how you cannot help but look back fondly upon them.

[Fred the Fop]

This is a great topic, murderous ape!
I feel Amiga games are fulfilling...juicy.
NES gaming to me is crisp, like fresh, crumbly bread.
Genesis gaming to me is like hearty soup.
All other platforms leave me sorta flat.

[Fred the Fop]

The finest gaming experience to me, I must admit, is the Panzer General series for Mac/PSX/PC.

Especially Panzer General II, exclusive to the peecee.
I know a PPC Amiga or Mac can handle it easily.

[Shatterhand]

Flashback probably affected me a lot. I once managed to finish it on hard level without continues or passwords. That's when I thought "Well, I think that's enough" . That intro sequence, the cut-scenes, the fluid animation, great graphics, and all blunded with incredible gameplay... I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing.

Of course, SWOS. There's no other game I have played more than SWOS. Back in the days, I would fire up this game EVERY SINGLE DAY.

And Elite... but this one was on MSX, as Metal Gear on MSX affected me a lot too. Metal Gear was something I would never expect on a video-game at that time. I am supposed to NOT kill the enemies, but sneak around? What the hell?. It was really an absorbing experience for me.

[Amiga1992]

Ahh, a good topic indeedy!

River Raid. First time I ever saw a videogame at home. That bitch hit me HARD.

Commando, Monty on the run, Giana Sisters. To name but three C64 influences. I know all the bloody songs off the top of my head. I presume all these blippybloppy sounds are the creators of my musical tastes of today.

Lemmings 2, wing Commander, Turrican 2. First games I ever saw running in MY Amiga. Turrican 2 was a fucking gobsmack. Oh, and so was Lotus Turbo Challenge.


There are lots of others, I think most games I have played have influenced me life a lot. I cannot go away without mentioning Sonic 2. Played that nbastard religiously everyday for at least 6 hours straight., I know all the levels, musics and tricks like myself.

[fisken uno]

Originally posted by Akira
I know all the levels, musics and tricks like myself.

***Akira runs like hell trying to look like Sonic***

[KombatSanta]

Hmm, nice topic. The game that influenced me the most was probably Secret of Monkey Island (no surprise there perhaps ). The music, the ambiance and the graphics, all together in perfect harmony, not to mention the humour! I never before laughed my ass off playing a computer game, so this was a really unique feeling.

I still play MI1 & 2 at least once a year... can't stay away from the little buggers!

Some other games that really influenced me was Last Ninja, Commando and Pirates. I think I've wasted months of my life playing these games instead of going out doors. Mainly because of the gameplay but also much because of the great music within these games.

[Dizzy]

Rainbow Island, it still brings memory everytime I hear the tune.

Then Road Rash, this is my all time fav serie, ohh lots of good memories. I will always carry this game in my heart...

Then I remember playing Pong on a Atari 2800 back in 1981....

OKay I could go on and on and on... I know I'm a old fart.....

[Bloodwych]

This thread says it all. Think this was one of my very first posts as well!

[BippyM]

Rainbow Islands
Lemmings

nuff said!!

[killergorilla]

Kombatsanta:

I have to agree with Monkey Island 1 and 2. I was only something like 9 or 10 when my uncle bought the Amiga so I used to play it every weekend when i went round to play it. My uncle was never a fan of adventure games or point and click games so he never actually bought it. It wasn't until about 1994/1995 that me and a mate swapped a few games for a while. One of them was Monkey Island. I was hooked. The humour, the invloving story line, and those god damn awesome puzzles. I still love that music now and that game really did come out of nowhere for me. (Unfortunately that friend ended up getting a very serious disease and I never saw him again - poor bastard )

And again it wasn't until around about 1996/1997 when one of my brothers friend wanted to get rid of his A600 and his SNES, which I bought for £30 at the time. I remember my brother bringing them round, in one of the boxes was 11 black disds with Monkey Island 2 on them. hehehe.

I completed Monkey Island 2 that night, and felt absolutely terrible all the rest of the week. A worthy price to pay I'd say.

Those games were a mammoth part of my gaming-hood. Both appearing as 'sleeper hits' at times when I never expected it.

The only trouble I had with Monkey Island 2 was that damn code wheel. The one I got with the game had been drenched in coke, so the two layers were melded together. I painstakingly took the whole thing to bits and made another out of cardboard from the side of a pepsi crate. (ooh the irony, coke caused the problem, pepsi solved it!)

[fisken uno]

Your friend who got ill, killer, I wonder was it Michael J? No, sorry that's nothing to joke about.

My story is quite similar to Killer's. My mother met a guy that she eventually married, so he became - and still is - my stepdad. He had an Amiga, but he rarely ever touched it. But me and my bro were like fire! It wasn't long until we'd found ourselves some friends with Amigas and then the swapping began. I remember i had a best friend and our friendship was solely based on the amiga! We'd sit for hours just testing games and copying them. A strange memory from his home was once when I came over and his FATHER was playing Hollywood Poker Pro right in front of his mother. She didn't give a damn and me and my pal were only like 10 or so. May not be such a big deal but at the time I thought it was quite corny and slightly embarrasing...

First gaming experience was without a doubt Police Quest, it was my very first Sierra game - or adventure game in general. After that I was completely hooked with graphical adventures and still today I get enormous kicks from Playing Space Quest 3. I actually bought it when I was a little kid, put all the money I had on it because computer games were so expensive then. BUT my mother forced me to return it...

Zak McKracken and Maniac Mansion also give me euphoric feelings. I remember during the summer break when I refused to go outdoors bacause I just wanted to play these games. Mom was verrry worried... hehe.

[Dastardly]

Great thread KG

A game that had a big impact on me was Ghouls n Ghosts on the C64 although I had been gaming on and off for a while before that. I think its this game where I actually became hooked and gaming became my No1 hobby.

When I got my Amiga I got the Batman pack so Batman the Movie, The New Zealand Story and Interceptor are special nostalgia trips for me as they remind me especially of the day I got my Amiga (happy days)

Shadow of the Beast also sticks in my mind as it totally blew me away. I really couldnt believe what I was seeing. Didnt take me too long to realise that under all the gorgeous visuals and haunting music the game was a pretty standard platformer (still love it though)

Not long after that I got my hands on a little title called Xenon 2.
I totally fell for the whole Bitmaps style of game and have been since. All the Bitmaps following games are all special gaming moments to me.

On the Amiga there are probably too many to remember but:

Another World
Flashback
Kick Off 2
Lemmings
Rainbow Islands
Robocod
Monkey Islands
Hired Guns
Killing Game Show
Turrican 2
Armour Geddon
Beast 2
Dynablaster
F29 Retaliator
Frontier
First Samurai

And after Amiga

A link to the Past (SNES)
Sonic the Hedgehog (MD)
Soul Blade (PS)
Tekken 3 (PS JAP)
Silent Hill (PS)
Gran Turismo (PS)
Final Fantasy 7+8(PS)
Tomb Raider 1+2 (PS)
Metal Gear Solid (PS)
Silent Hill 2 (PS2)
ICO (PS2)
MGS2 (PS2)
The Wind Waker (GC)

Pobably more but cant think.

[Overdoc]

One game which I remember as a real experience was Last Ninja on the C64.
I had seen the game in a mag, and finally copied it from a guy at school some days before christmas.
Then Last Ninja was the best christmas present I had ! I played that game the whole holidays.

I also remember I had bought a new joystick with rubber pads just a few days before I got Last Ninja, and I used that stick only for this game. The rubber pads of this joystick had some typical rubber smell.

Then, one day, about 10 years later I dug out that joystick again, and the smell of the rubber immediately reminded me so deeply about Last Ninja, that I had a very happy feeling and instantly had to play Last Ninja again

[7-Zark-7]

Great thread! Will probably come up with more Amiga titles when I have a think about it, but off the top of my head, but way back then I would probably highlight BattleChess,Speedball 2, Pang, Leisure Suit Larry 1-3, Indy TLC graphic adventure & turrican 2 as miggy hightlights.

But given I started on the C64,my memories are slightly more nostalgic towards Last Ninja 2,(& subsequently tracked down LN1 as part of a compilation due to my enjoyment of LN2), along seeing Turrican 1 & 2,& Creatures-the latter 3 being the result of rave reviews in Zzap! & the hilarious Dev diary of Creatures.
Although not owning a C64 at the time,through school & a schoolmate I was also introduced to the joys of Monty on the Run, & Ghettoblaster.

More recently I would list Final Fantasy VII,Suikoden, Tekken 2, & Gran Turismo on PS1.

[Twistin'Ghost]

Amiga:
Hard 'N' Heavy
Robocod
Lotus II
Bo Jackson Baseball

Other:
Rad Racer (NES)
Super Mario Brothers (NES)
The Legend of Zelda (NES)
Pong (VCS)

[DrBong]

The first computer I owned and loved was the C64 and I had it for much of my childhood, so many of my best game memories are related to it.

The Way of the Exploding Fist - Got a high score for this that appeared in the Aussie edition of PCG. Still remember all the different tunes as well as the way your man would scream when you did a flying kick or the way your opponent would groan when you low punched him in the guts.

Boulder Dash - First C64 game on tape I ever bought (well my Dad bought it actually, although I did have $20 in coins with me at the time!). Probably the first game I ever "clocked" too. Vividly remember all the different sound effects like the boulders falling, the amoeba growing, and the explosions that produced diamonds. Game was quite maddening on later levels as you really had to think quickly on your feet, otherwise you would die, run out of time, or become trapped. It was probably the intellectual challenge of this game that made it so memorable for me.

H.E.R.O. - Great little game. Involved manouevring your man with a jetpack around the place blowing up walls and creatures in caves with dynamite to save miners (?). If you didn't move far enough or quick enough away from the dynamite once you lit it then you'd blow yourself up and lose a man.

Pastfinder - Very underrated arcade-like game. It was the silky smooth speed of the gfx in this shoot-em up that sticks out in my memory.

Impossible Mission - The speech and the fluent animation of the main sprite were amazing and unforgettable. Also was a devilishly hard but addictive game at the time.

Rock 'n' Wrestle (aka Bop 'n' Wrestle) - Released in the days that WWF was really popular here in Australia. Played it many times, even after I'd beaten the game. Being able to perform the moves like the wrestlers on WWF made it such an awesome game back then.

IK+ - Released before Fist II and it really was the spiritual sequel of Exploding Fist for me. Sound effects were superb and the very act of fighting two opponents at once was sheer exhiliration (could often feel my heartbeat pulsating through my body), not to mention ground-breaking for its day.

The Last Ninja - Literally salivated over the screenshots in Zzap!64 for many months before it was finally released. Had the tape version on order for almost as long. Wasn't disappointed when I finally got my hands on it. The attention to details of the gfx was astounding for its day. I could sit there for minutes at a time looking at some of the screens in this game. Game also had about 12 tunes - one for each level and another that played whilst levels were loading. The tunes were pretty good, so much so that I hardly minded the tape multi-load.

Hypersports - Awesome sports compendium game. Felt like I was playing the arcade machine. So many cute touches in this game that was icing on the cake that was playability. Also unforgettable was the Chariots of Fire soundtrack on the tape loader of this game (Hyperload??).

These are my most memorable games for the C64 by virtue of the fact that I hardly paused to think while I typed this post.

I have some great memories of Amiga games too, but I think that I'll save them for another post.

Killer idea for a thread KG!

[7-Zark-7]

Darn, knew there'd be some C64 stuff at least I'd missed, thanks to Dr Bong for the inspiration.

International Karate-a firm 2 player favourite at school this one, personally I always preferred it a tad more than the sequel IK+.
Even if I could never quite complete the duck/jump knives/spears bonus sequence,you could always make up for it with breaking the boards.
Summer Games & California Games-altough Summer Games had a touch more simulataneous 2 player action,each brought out the best in multiplayer action. Toughest events always had to be the "impress the judges" of the diving platform/surfing events.
Pitstop 2-like the above games, always (for me at least), set the "standards",by which all subsequent games of these types were judged by,especially in terms of "pickup playability"

[manicx]

Excellent thread. Games that affected me so much include:

Kick Off 2
Flashback
Blood Money
Worms (I remember playing this for 24hours without even stop for eating food)
Pinball Dreams

Others:

F-Zero (SNES)
Last Ninja 2 (C64)
Target Renegade (CPC)
Max Payne (PC)
GTA3 VC (PC)

[gaterooze]

Early influences were via c64:

* HERO (the sound of the dynamite fuse fizzing down is with me * always)
* Paradroid (still my favorite game, I play it on my c128 even now)
* Gauntlet 2 (marathon 2-player sessions)
* Uridium (loved doing 'tricks', turning & banking the craft to do it with style)
* Curse of the Azure Bonds (would get a bunch of friends around the C= and control one character each)
* Kickstart 2 (loved making up crazy tracks & trying them out on friends)
* Summer Games 2 (all the Games series, really)
* Nebulus (perhaps the biggest effect of all on me in terms of memory)
* Maniac Mansion (totally sucked me in, really changed the way I thought about games)
* Wizball (I play & finish this every year or so, whenever I have a decent 'cat' player to join me)
* Ghosts n Goblins (scared the heck outta me!)

Others which had a huge impact on me include Salamander (still my fave shoot-em-up), Katakis, Giana Sisters, Dropzone, Armalyte, Commando, BIONIC COMMANDO!!!, Pole Position 2, Impossible Mission, Super Cycle, Ikari Warriors, Microprose Soccer, Aztec Challenge, Fist 2, BOULDERDASH!!! and so on...

Then Amiga:

* Buggy Boy (always tried driving two-wheeler as long as possible, to make it more challenging)
* Hunter (another game which changed my perceptions of what games could be. The next time I felt the same about a game, was probably Morrowind last year)
* Stunt Car Racer (played this more than any other game on Amiga)
* Speedball 2 (but no one could challenge me in 2-player games!)
* Dynablasters (I would rediscover this years later on SNES, and had even more fun with it then, using 4 players!)
* IK+ (I played this on both c64 and Amiga a helluva lot, but I can't remember which version I preferred)
* Onslaught (I can't remember why, though -- just the manic, psychedelic activity, I guess -- I'm not sure I even knew how to play it properly, but I spent a lot of time doing it!)
* Llamatron (kept going back to this, over and over)
* Typhoon Thompson (the endless ocean held such an appeal...)

Other fond experiences which influenced my gameplaying: Turrican 1, Mega lo Mania, Pang, Rainbow Islands, Sensi (although I must admit I didn't play it much until later, on the SNES), Lazer Squad, Prince of Persia, Monkey Island 1 & 2, Vroom, Lotus, Apidya, Another World, Exile, Bombuzal, Gem'X, Switchblade 1, APB, and on and on... During that period, I wasn't really into strategy/RPG games (though I was before and after my Amiga period), so I missed out on playing a lot of fine games. I did play a bit of Deuteros, EOTB, Bloodwych (on c64 too) and a couple others. Let me know what I'm missing! I recently got an A1200, and have started playing Dune 2 -- awesome.

Other strong "experiences":

Star Force (arcade)
Double Dragon (arcade)
Super Mario World (SNES - got every single star)
Zelda 3 (SNES)
Super Wonderboy in Monsterland (arcade, others)
Mario Kart (SNES - finished every track)
Golden Axe (arcade, MD)
Street Fighter 2 (arcade, SNES)
Tetris (Gameboy)
Castlevania: SOTN (PSX)
Super Puyo Puyo (SNES)
Final Fantasy 3 (SNES)
Mario 64 (N64 - but I had to sell my N64 before I could finish the game!)
Morrowind (PC)
Freelancer (PC)
Moria/Angband (PC) (I've played these two rogue/nethack variants more than any other game, on any system, by far -- recently played right through another variant, T.O.M.E., which is probably the best of the lot)

I've had most consoles, but these are the gaming experiences that stuck with me the most. Thanks for starting this thread and reminding me!

PS Like I said, I just got an A1200 and am discovering a bunch of games I'd missed on the Amiga -- damn, what a great machine! The best I've played recently is Wizkid -- AMAZING. I had a few friends around a couple of weekends ago, and we spent a bunch of time just playing Wizkid! One of them, who had never even seen an Amiga before, the next week grabbed an emulator and the game just to play it.

Other neo-Amiga finds include Cannon Fodder, Seek and Destroy (just like Raid on Bunglin' Bay!), D/Generation, Walker, Murder... If I'd found these when I first had an Amiga, I would've spent days on end playing them.

Crikey, I rambled on. Sorry!