Nintendo: My Real Introduction to Video Games

My family's first video game system, was the Magnavox Odyssey, which my father purchased sometime in the early 1980's. I still remember playing the bowling game with him, that alternated between blue and green screens, depending on which players turn it was. All of the games for this system were primitive, as a racing car would be a square shaped blob, or a basketball hoop would be a stick with a square on top of it. We had no idea that something like the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 could exist one day, as we were content to play simple games like KC Munchkin. It didn't take a lot to provide video game entertainment in those days, as the Odyssey and a 19" television were good enough for us.

When the Nintendo Console was released in the mid 80's, I was a elementary school student, and this device swept through our school and community with buzzloads of excitement. I'll never forget the first time I heard about it, because it sounded like a dream come true, and several of my friends were excited about its release as well. My first time playing it was amazing, as it was truly revolutionary for its era, with Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt being something like I had never seen. It was a huge step up from the blocked figures, and the colors and sounds that this system could provide, made my Odyssey seem laughable in every regard.

I didn't get the Nintendo for a year, but enjoyed going to friends houses to play it. Finally, my father gave in, and pitched in for what my birthday and Christmas money couldn't. I'll never forget placing that box with the NES on it, in the shopping cart, and going home for a day of unbridled excitment that only a kid could get from such an electronics device. My game collection took awhile to build up, but I enjoyed playing the numerous releases that were made for this system. There was a lot of competition between the game manufacturers, so this kept new titles flowing at an unusually heavy rate, with most of them being of high quality.

After many years of abuse, my Nintendo stopped working, and I think I just threw it away. I moved on to the Super NES, Nintendo 64, Playstation, Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 2, and the Xbox 360. However, with time I yearned for the nostalgia of playing an old Nintendo, and I had plenty of games left in storage. A few years ago I found one in good condition at a used video game store, and gladly paid $50 for it. It was such a joy again to connect this through the old RF modulator, and fire it up on a much bigger television. This system I have now has never broken down, but it can be a bit tempermental, just like any NES console that I've dealt with.

I know you are probably not supposed to blow air into the console, but it has seemed to help games play. A lot of times, the bulky cartridges don't align properly with the internal components of this system. It can be extremely frustrating, and it can take quite a few tries to get a game up and running sometimes. This has seemed to compound a bit with age, so I am going to be a bit kind towards this in its rating. However, even back in the 80's the cartridges, and internal drive to this console were susceptible to dust. This can also cause problems with the systems operation, and for gameplay.

Sometimes the games will not play, with the red light blinking constantly, while showing you the game image for just a second. I've found that if you hit the reset button when this happens, it usually clears up the problem. Another problem I've had is with the exterior door, as the hinges get easily clogged up with dust. I'm sure a good amount of this leads to the interior parts of this system, so I make sure to dust this area with a moist towel every once in a while. Thankfully, all of the plugs and the controllers stay in place, and they can take some abuse.

Even though this system is old, when you connect the controllers to the inputs, they stay there. This goes for gameplay that puts a lot of pressure on the wires, and where if you had a PS2, you would have the controller come flying out at you. This NES console's controllers stay in place no matter what, and I think highly of them, no matter how old they are. They are small enough to fit in anyone's hand, and I know they don't have enough buttons for modern games, I still like this design. The A and B red buttons on the right, and the directional control arrows on the left, are perfectly placed. The Select and Start buttons in the indented middle area don't get in the way of game play, but area easy enough to access.

In addition to the standard controllers, you can use accessories like the NES Zapper. Since I hunt ducks, I joke that I need practice in the offseason, and use this gun for the Duck Hunt Game. This Zapper looks a bit silly, like something out of a Star Trek Show, but even twenty years + later it works wonderfully with my console. There are also other accessories that you can buy, such as modified and improved controllers that I was never sold on, and items such as NES Gloves.

The graphics in this system were revolutionary when it was released, but the games now do show their age. However, it could be said that for their time, they could be even better than the new generation of consoles that the youth of today are now getting used to. Games such as The Legend of Zelda and Contra were way ahead of their time, and as a dedicated video game fanatic, they still look fantastic even today. The gameplay is obviously a lot slower than what today's consoles can handle, but most games graphics, sound, and movement are appropriately placed. According to Wikipedia, this console has only 8 bit capability!

I really love this console, and hope to have it for a long time, even though it doesn't get as much use as my newer xbox 360 "toy." My favorite game of all time, Mike Tyson's Punchout, is still played on a fairly heavy rotation however. If you grew up in this generation, you will be well served by purchasing a used system. Although you can get emulators on computers, and there is another system that's been released to play these games, you need this console to relive the original joy. It is a timeless classic, and I can't wait until my kids get older, so they can look at me and say "Gee Dad. You are old, and these graphics are awful." That may be true, but this was a classic back in my childhood, and its one of the few constants that has lasted well into my adult years.