Continuing my Ode to Video Games

              So last time we went down memory lane in the video games industry. Games from systems such as Atari 2600, Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and Commodore 64, really hit a soft spot when mentioned them. Today I will continue where I left off when I mentioned the Sega Genesis.
              Sonic the Hedgehog. That is all I have to say and millions of people immediately associate that name with a blue mascot that runs and jumps at lightning speeds. Sonic the Hedgehog was perhaps Sega's biggest video game mascot. While Nintendo had Mario, Sega fired back with the more edgy Sonic the Hedgehog. Despite being another platformer among many, Sonic the Hedgehog stood out as a more fast paced video game because of the speed. In fact, I even downloaded Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on my Playstation Network. Even when they added Tails to the Sonic the Hedgehog video games, it was still charming for many years to come. Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Sega Genesis is just one of those games that deserves to be in a video game hall of fame. I truly wish they released more platformers like Sonic the Hedgehog because that shows that sometimes a company doesn't need to play it safe with a game design and game mechanics. I salute you Sonic the Hedgehog and I hope Sega brings you back to your former glory in the video games world.
               Now we move on to Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or as we all know it the SNES. Although the original Nintendo system, the NES had little rpg (role playing games) and adventure gems such as Zelda, Zelda 2: the Adventures of Link, The Magic of Scheherazade, among a few others; it was the SNES that had the amazing rpg video games that are still being remade or ported.
               The Legend of Zelda: a Link to the Past was a fairly revolutionary entry into the Zelda series of video games. This was the first time we see the pegasus boots and the hook shot. Furthermore, Link now gets to travel between parallel worlds which was amazing. Although not really a new concept overall, in console video games I don't recall the parallel world concept being used much at all up to that point. It was a very rude awakening the first time I was in a nice little peaceful town, then entered a parallel world (not prepared) just to get killed by thieves and stuff. To me, this was probably the pinnacle of video games because of the depth offered. My biggest gripe which was the speed of the Zelda video games was alleviated thanks to the pegasus boots. I also had preferred the side scrolling offered in Adventures of Link, but A Link to the Past really grew on me, and is definitely one of my favorite Zelda video games to date.
                Chrono Trigger....oh my lord, this is an rpg done absolutely right. I had heard of it previously and seen it played, but this is a video game that has to be experienced first hand. I'd be lying if I said I played Chrono Trigger when it came out. In reality I fairly recently (few months ago) played it and despite the somewhat dated graphics, it still felt fresh. The multiple paths with multiple endings within Chrono Trigger, is something common in WRPG's (western rpg's) but not so common in its own genre of JRPG's (japanese rpg's). In Chrono Trigger, ability to do double attacks and so on was amazing for a turn based rpg since it added another layer of strategy. All the characters in Chrono Trigger had a layer of personality to them and the story had a fluidity to it that it was fairly easy to follow considering the various convoluted plots many video games have pushed for. Chrono Trigger is the example of a timeless video game that gets called a classic by many and it is well deserved. To me, Chrono Trigger is a one of a kind video game that has yet to be successfully replicated.
               A nice addition to the SNES was the Street Fighter II series of games, which include Champion edition, Turbo, and Super Street Fighter II (I might have missed one). Although in reality I enjoyed more the arcade version of Street Fighter II, the SNES version was still a good port of this video game. I remember me and my cousin Edward enjoyed countless hours beating each other up in all versions of Street Fighter II. It may sound crazy, but on many occasions we would wake up around 9am on weekends and kick eachothers' asses on Street Fighter II until about 7 or 8pm. I guess you can call that a case of video game addiction in a sense (lol). I recall us placing bets on "loser does the dishes" on a few video games, but Street Fighter II has made us both do dishes more than our own parents ever did. In retrospect, I guess if used wisely, parents can use video games to more effectively manipulate their children, but that's a discussion for another day. In any case, Street Fighter II was an amazing video game series that still gets played today despite its age. There are still Street Fighter II tournaments that go on worldwide. A few years back I remember passing by Super Amusements arcades and there were still people placing their quarters calling "next" to challenge the winner of the next Street Fighter II match. Such a shame that place no longer exists (last I heard) but at least Street Fighter II is also one of those timeless video games.
               "Finish Him!" These words bring about some of the fondest memories in a video game that was controversial for its time. Mortal Kombat was such video game enjoyed by many of us. Mortal Kombat had great ports on the Sega Genesis and the SNES, however, the true thrill was challenging another random stranger at the arcades. Who doesn't remember the first time they saw Kano rip that annoying Raiden player's heart out? Yes, I am now talking about "Fatality" which was the huge draw in for such a bloody video game. Mortal Kombat was all about the Fatality, and I remember people masking whichever Fatality they knew by adding extra movements at the beginning. Knowing the Fatality of odd ones like Sonya were like the video game best kept secrets. The funny thing about Mortal Kombat was that if you were lucky enough, you could find that one person willing to sell you the moves to a Fatality for a few bucks.
                  In the video game industry it isn't every day where a very successful video game can be followed by a more successful sequel. Mortal Kombat II was such a sequel, and what a game that was. Mortal Kombat II had charming and annoying characters but many of our favorites returned such as Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Raiden. Who doesn't remember that annoying Baraka player who would always use his blades whenever you would jump? Same goes for Kitana with here fan elevation. Mortal Kombat II had perhaps my favorite Fatality: down, forward, back, back, high kick....you guessed it, Liu Kang's Dragon Fatality. In recent memory games have attempted to "wow" us with visuals and show us "badass" characters, while Mortal Kombat I  and II gave us the opportunity to become that "badass."
                  I would like to think that one of the golden ages in arcades was around the time when Neo-Geo came into the picture. Neo-Geo popularized multiple games in the same arcade. I remember being able to play Metal Slug, Aero Combat, and The King of Fighters 94 on the same arcade cabinet. Furthermore, Neo-Geo was the first video game system that was able to have perfect ports of games from their arcade cabinets which was revolutionary at the time, although it was at a steep price point. I do believe you got what you payed for with the Neo-Geo however.
                   I honestly thought Contra was the last great 2D shooter I would play on the NES, but then came along a little gem called Metal Slug. The humor and fast paced action made Metal Slug a true gem in the 2D shooter genre. I do not recall much of a plot in Metal Slug but it did not really matter as this was a video game that provided pure fun. Being able to run around and use rockets on regular foot soldiers, or hopping on a specialized tank to take on giant mechanized bosses was immensely gratifying. Metal Slug was one of those video games that in many ways offered instant gratification with every few kills. Metal Slug series of video games consists of several games, but it was the first Metal Slug in the series which made me absolutely love this series. In the end though, Metal Slug was truly a video game worthy of the title "quarter killer," and God knows how many quarters I used up playing this video game alone.
                     While fighting games such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat established themselves worldwide, The King of Fighters 94 revolutionized the genre. This is the first time that a fighting game has a constant 3 versus 3 system. The strategy in picking the order of your fighters was just as important as using the fighters themselves. The King of Fighters 94 was the first time (that I recall) where a fighting game medley was created. Characters from other fighting games such as Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting were included in The King of Fighters 94, adding to a healthy roster. Story wise The King of Fighters 94 was fairly basic and revolved around the team you picked entering The King of Fighters tournament, just to find out there was a conspiracy by the main antagonist Rugal to gather these fighters for his own purposes. The big draw-in to The King of Fighters 94 was the multiplayer aspect in the arcades. It was not uncommon to see 3 people play a character per person in KoF 94, such as 1 person plays Terry, 1 plays Andy and 1 plays Joe (Italy team) and you alone would face them but knew that in your Brazil team, Heidern was your last character and the Ace in the hole (those that played understand this example). Later iterations of KoF did definite improvements (95 and 98 being my favorites) such as allowing the player to customize their teams, but KoF 94 was the first and deserves respect in the fighting video game genre.
              Next time I will continue on our trip down memory lane. I would love to hear your feedback and tell me about any video game you would like to reminisce about. Until then avid gamers!