My Game Console Memories

Over the course of my life I've owned several different gaming consoles and each one represents great gaming memories as well as specific moments in my life. I decided it be cool to take a look back at my personal gaming history and the games that consumed my life for days and days.



The first console I ever owned was a nintendo entertainment system. I didn't own many games and ended up playing the packed in game super mario bros. While i never could get passed world 8 as a kid I loved the challenge and the secrets such as warp tubs and hidden power ups. Even after 20 plus years I still get the mario brothers theme stuck in my head.

NES: Super Mario Bros
Notable mentions: Super Mario 3, Mega Man 2, Duck Hunt, Blaster Master, Skate or Die

 I never owned a super nintendo but i was lucky enough to have an awesome aunt who had one at her house and so whenever I'd go up for the weekend I'd play it constantly with her and my uncle and those memories have stuck with me to this day. She had both Super Mario World and Mario All Stars which I played everyday for hours.

SNES: Super Mario World
Notable Mentions: Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:Turtles in Time, Super Mario Kart, Mario All-stars




















I grew up with an original gameboy and had the entire accessory kit including magnifying glass for the screen and a light to play in the dark (kids have it easy these days). So many of these great games I still own, but few really consumed me as much as metroid 2. I remember looking at the box art of samus and having no clue what the game was about, but knowing I had to play it. At 7 years old it was probably a little too advanced for me

Game Boy: Metroid 2
Notable Mentions: Tetris, Mario Land 2, Star Wars, Pokemon Red and Yellow



I never owned a nintendo 64 but i came close. My mom knew a guy who could get us one along with a lot of great games for super cheap only problem was I had to wait til he got one in. i even bought mario kart 64 in preparation. While that never really materialized (see below)  I remember renting I had several friends who owned N64's so I was able to play hundreds of hours at their houses. Nothing compared to goldeneye multiplayer. I recently purchased an n64 at a local pawn shop and the first game I bought was goldeneye, while it hasn't aged very well when compared to the great fps of today the nostalgia came flooding back to me. one of my favorite games of all time.

N64: Goldeneye
Notable Mentions: Star Fox 64, Star Wars: Episode 1: Racer, Mario Kart 64, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Super Smash Brothers



Instead of getting a n64 as my parents originally planned I ended up with a  playstation instead. My mom's friend said they had just gotten in a playstation and they would give me a dozen or so games and controllers at a huge discount. Considereing the most games i had at one time was about five I couldn't resist. t always wonder how my gaming life would be different had i gotten a n64. would i have bought a gamecube instead of a ps2? Would I even still be playing games to this day? What really distinguished the playstation to the nintendo 64 was how many mature games were a lot more prevalent as was music, cg cutscenes. metal gear solid was the prime example of that. It was the first game I ever played that felt like a hollywood action movie. it had it all including cutscenes, voice acting and set piece moments. It showed me what goes could be as a artistic medium and kept me playing games.

Playstation: metal gear solid 
Notable Mentions: crash bandicoot, resident evil, final fantasy 7, tony hawk, tekken 2, wwf: smack down 2:know your role



The playstation 2 was one of the greatest consoles of all time. Not only did we get two amazing metal gear games, tony hawk, and my favorite rpg of all time. we also got the grand theft auto series. I played vice city more than any game if only for the reason to mess around in the world. I evenfinisehd the story mode which didn't happen in gta3 for several years after. even today i'd say it's my favorite game in the series.

 Playstation 2: Grand Theft Auto:Vice City  Notable mentions: Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3,
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, SSX, Timesplitters, Final Fantasy 10, Jak & Daxter,




LAN parties cemented this game at the top of my list. My buddies would set up TVs in separate rooms so we could play 16-player team deathmatch for hours. If it wasn't for games like Halo I probably would've never given the xbox a chance. Now it's become one of my favorite consoles ever.

Xbox: halo 2
Notable Mentions: Halo, Fable, Prince of Persia, Amped, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

After I had a gameboy pocket I left portable gaming for severals years until the nintendo ds. I couldn't resist playing a new mario brothers game with the same classic gameplay on a portable system. The dual screens lend themselves to streamlining the experiences with the bottom being used as a map and menu which frees the top screen from clutter. Much like most of nintendo consoles however I found myself playing mostly first party titles.

Nintendo DS: New Super Mario Bros Notable Mentions: Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Chrono Trigger, Mario & Luigi:Partners in Time




While I enjoyed my PSP I will say that it never lived up to the hype of a portable game system with graphics comparable to a ps2. There just weren't enough games for me to sink my teeth in! plus the promise of mud ended up being completely empty. I do remember playing and enjoying the hell out of crisis core (the prequel to final fantasy 7) as well as god of war.

PSP crisis core:final fantasy 7 Notable Mentions: God of War:Chains of Olympus,
Daxter