JohnnyBGamer

Christmas Thoughts: Round 3

Every Christmas, without fail, my brother and I would ask for remote control cars; every Christmas, without fail, we’d receive said cars and break them within a week. As the years progressed, my relatives began to catch on to the fact that $100+ RC cars were being totaled. I remember one year where we were told that we weren’t getting radio controlled anything due to them breaking each year (threats aside, we got them anyways).

One year my Aunt presented me with two cars and asked me to decide upon one.

The first was a Tyko Fast Traxx:

Tyco Fast Traxx — Mine was a sweet yellow.

The second car was a Tyco Hijacker:

I ended up deciding upon the Tyco Fast Traxx. My brother and I promptly took it outside and began putting it through its paces. Little known to me at the time, when the Fast Traxx’s treads grew warm, they would fall off. Eventually these rubber treads grew so worn (within a week or two) that they wouldn’t stay on the tire they attached to.

Now we had a bike jump out on our back patio that my brother had built. So, we launched the car off of it. Ended up cracking the car where the back wheels attached to the body. You could literally see the gears inside the car moving. Not good. I guess what I am trying to say is that we killed the car, quickly. Another Christmas car destroyed. Mission accomplished, I guess…if that was the goal…which it wasn’t. We were just kids playing with toys.

Christmas Thoughts: Round 2

LEGO was always a huge part of my childhood. I will never forget the year I found this unwrapped in my parents closet:

Imperial+Flagship+-+LEGO+6271+336 — Oh the adventures we had.

I believe this is the same year that my parents started taking Christmas presents over to my grandparents house for storage. Man, they were smart!

That same year, I also received this from my Aunt:

Trading_post — One of my most favorite sets ever.

I poured hours into these two sets. Not just building them but playing with them.

What were your favorite LEGO sets as a kid?

Christmas Thoughts: Round 1

Yeah, I know, it’s only November 30th. I shouldn’t even be allowed to talk about Christmas until at least tomorrow. Perhaps the soft colored glow coming from the Christmas tree is already getting to me…

The stores around East Texas have been screaming, for over a month now, that Christmas is here. Little things like Christmas trees in Hobby Lobby, joyful Walmart workers working away, and neighbors stringing up Christmas lights before Thanksgiving only serve to confirm that Santa Claus is coming to town. Standing as an icon of obesity, Jolly Saint Nick ushers in the holiday dedicated to mass consumerism, Christmas. A holiday where more is not enough and presents have an entry point of at least $250 for an 10 year old child.

What Nightmare Is This?

As a father of a toddler, I have found myself constantly thinking about what example I want to set for my son. Do I want him to think that Christmas is all about:

Gifts.
Gifts.
And heck, let’s call it what it really is, LOOT!

My mother-in-law was recently telling my wife and I that as a kid, she would only get one gift for Christmas. Contrast this with the three (3) Christmases I experienced as a child –Mom, if you’re reading this, I’m thankful, I am!– and you find yourself at sort of a junction point. I remember getting so many gifts when I was younger that I would discover some of the gifts once again a month or two later. Now, there is nothing wrong with how many presents I received as a kid. Especially when you factor in relatives whose love language is giving. I just think that there has to be a happy medium that doesn’t include going broke in order to please others.

As my wife and I wade through figuring out who and what we want our family to be, I want to encourage you to do the same. You don’t have to get caught up in this Christmas game… even if it is debt-inducing fun.

More thoughts to come, stay tuned!

SEGA: The Soundtrack of My Youth

Red Hot Chili Peppers poster on the wall? Check.
Drum set with dirty clothes stuffed in the bass drum? Check.
Bed unmade? Check.
Exposed carpet nail strip that you stepped on each time you entered the room? Check. Ouch!

Welcome to my childhood friend’s brother’s room. It was here that I discovered golden axes, dolphins that echoed, and a faster than fast hedgehog. Of course, I am talking about the pinnacle of the 16-bit era, the SEGA Genesis.

When not outside playing with G.I. Joes or swimming in the pool, my friend Greg and I would often sneak into his brother’s room and take turns playing Sonic the Hedgehog. I remember thinking that the game was incredibly fast. As advertised, Sonic was a lot faster than Nintendo’s Mario. SEGA. One of our most favorite games to play on the Genesis was Golden Axe. What is sad is that we were both terrible at it. I remember getting mad at each other for accidentally hitting the other person’s character. Whoops! I also recall typically playing as the muscled-out he-man. Greg would play as the dwarf with the long white beard. Sad to think that we never beat the game, especially after all the hours we sunk into it.

My experience with SEGA systems goes even further back than Ryan’s aromatic room–dirty laundry mixed with deodorant–. I remember my cousin Casey introducing me to the 8-bit SEGA Master System. I must have spent the afternoon with her playing Alex Kidd. She had all the cool toys, even Mario Paint on the NES. Beyond Casey, my friend Andrea also had a Master System– what is it with girls having all this video game goodness?–. I don’t remember what games I played over at Andrea’s house, but I do remember the distinct packaging of the Master System games.

The 16-bit era is probably my most favorite when it comes to video games. These are the games that I played late into the night when I slept over at friends homes. SEGA games play like a soundtrack to my early childhood. Highlights include:

Beating Vectorman while hyped up on Vicodin.
Hours of playing Road Rash.
Airline Tycoon.
Feeling of claustrophobia from playing Echo the Dolphin.
Never beating Sonic the Hedgehog. (I can admit that the underwater portions always did me in.)

Seasons of Zelda

The next door neighbor boys growing up, Jeff and Joe, first introduced me to The Legend of Zelda when I was six years old. I remember their shiny golden NES cartridge; I also remember my Mom not letting me play the game due to its villain being referred to as the “Prince of Darkness”. Little did I know that seventeen years would go by before I’d ever touch another game in the series again.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was really my first Zelda game. I was terrible at it. Eventually I’d have a friend come over and help me beat it. In fact, I told him to get to the last boss and then just let me play. Tom Sawyer would have been proud. My friend ended up playing through the entire game and did come and get me to play the end…after he had played it through. I remember the final boss battles being spectacular. Especially the one that took place on the floor that you could fall through. Using the hook-shot to climb back up to where Ganon was standing was very Batman-like. The scope and size of the Nintendo 64 entry to the series was simply awesome at the time. The music is beyond memorable.

In college, I met the woman who is now my wife. One of my evil ploys was to get her into playing video games. So, in addition to buying her a Nintendo DS, I also left my GameCube at her house for awhile. Turns out, she really liked The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. I have fond memories of playing through Niko’s Pirate Challenge with her. Nothing like swinging on lanterns to prove your pirate mettle.

My wife and I have played The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass since those days in college. Both of us found the game to be hard with it’s repeating Temple of the Ocean King segments. I have also personally played a chunk of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The game was slow but pretty looking. I also disliked the “wolf” portions of the game. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, is a game I have logged a bunch of hours into but never finished…

All of the above makes me realize that I have never truly beaten a Zelda game. Sure, I have played a good portion of them but never have technically beaten one. Odd.

Found a marketing video from Nintendo this morning that shows a guy playing Zelda games throughout the various stages of his life. Reminded me of how the Zelda series has always been a part of my life. With The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword coming out soon, I have no doubt that it will continue to follow me through my adult years.