August Create: One Gamer's Memorable Encounters
Created | Updated Aug 3, 2014
A gamer remembers the reason she started
Ask any gamer what their most memorable characters are and you'll get a huge variety of replies. It would depend on whether you play on computer or a console and if on console, which one.
I've mentioned before that I started playing with the SNES and have since moved from PlayStation to Xbox via Wii and DS and onwards. I've not yet attached my flag to Xbox One or PS4 yet, but it won't be long before jump into one camp or the other, at least for a little while. I'm a bit of console-whore if truth be told, so I'll probably end up with both at some stage.
So which characters have haunted my dreams and remained with me over the years and which are my new friends? Let me take you on a tour.
Starting way back in the mists of time there was an animal that captured me, his name was Donkey Kong and along with his friend, Diddy Kong, they jumped in and through barrels, rode Rhinos and Swordfish and collected bananas. Each level was slightly more challenging than the last and I can still hear the music in my internal jukebox. It was a terrific game and looked very good at the time. A recent retread called Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii brought all the love right back, although it was a lot harder and all of the levels could be played in a mirror image version.
The SNES also brought two men into my life that I will never forget, Mario and Link. Mario was a jumping, platforming plumber who, along with his brother Luigi, was always looking the Princess. They'd reach a castle at the end each level, fight and defeat a fire breathing Bowser and be told that the Princess is in another castle. Mario has remained a firm favourite, both on the Wii and 3DS in paper form, in sticker form and flying through the Galaxy. You've come a long way, baby. More recently, we bought Super Mario World on the Virtual Console and I remember just how much I hated those castles.
Link on the other hand was merely a boy, but guess what? He was also search for his Princess, Zelda. In a Link to the Past, the first game I played on the SNES, he even traversed dimensions to try and get to her. Now that was commitment. I can remember with clarity climbing the mountain and finding the mirror, swimming in streams and rivers, and the bosses. It was and still is a brilliant game. This way to the bomb shop, will remain with me forever.
There were many other games of course; Street Fighter 2, Starwing, Smash TV, but the big three will always have a place in my game collection and in my heart.
Next week we take a look at the PlayStation and the men and women that took me to many different lands, and stole my heart anew.
