My Gaming Memories

To make up for yesterday’s rather lengthy post, and partly to account for the lack of readership at this time… I’d like to take the opportunity today to simply present a list of the games that touched me growing up. This follows my previous posts on Nostalgia (check them out if you haven’t already). So… from past to present, here is part one of my gaming experience highlights:

Merlin’s Castle / The Lost Frog (BBC Micro) – Two early text adventures I remember playing for the BBC Micro. We didn’t actually own the computer – my Dad would borrow it from a colleague at the school where he worked. The games were so much fun – I remember doing them with my Dad. We spent a lot of time stuck on those puzzles…

Killer Gorilla (BBC Micro) – Probably my favourite game for the BBC. This was a blatant rip-off of Donkey Kong (Nintendo Entertainment System). But I didn’t know that then. My Dad used to watch me play, and was impressed by how far I could get. Man, I was so proud!

Golden Apple (ZX Spectrum) – Another text adventure, this time for the ZX Spectrum. This was a hard game. Once again, my best memories of this was playing with my parents - putting our heads together to work out what commands the stupid thing would let us try!

Dizzy series (ZX Spectrum) – I’ve talked about this one already. Dizzy was a great series growing up. It’s a game that I played by myself, and sometimes with my parents watching me. I loved everything about them – the music, the puzzles, the graphics… suffice to say, it was EGGSellent (groan)

Seymour Goes to Hollywood (ZX Spectrum) – Now this was a game very much like Dizzy, both in style and gameplay. Instead of an egg, you controlled a walking marshmallow (apparently… I had no idea what he was at the time). But this game must have had something special if it could tear me away from my favourite Egg hero.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Megadrive) – My (rather late) introduction to console gaming. I used to secretly yearn for the Megadrive, after seeing it on TV. Also, on the last day of term in primary school, kids could bring in their favourite toys. I remember crowding around the TV while others showed off the system. Finally, I got it as a surprise for Christmas. Sonic was a game that came with it. So, naturally, it continues to hold a special place in my memories.

Castlevania: The New Generation (Sega Megadrive) – An early(ish) game I got for the Megadrive. I was initially rather unenthused with this one. But as I preserved, I was blown away by the awesome music, the spectacular boss fights, and the graphics. It served as my introduction to the Castlevania series, of which I remain a big fan, having only recently purchased the latest instalment, Lords of Shadow, for the XBOX 360.

Each of these titles holds a special place in my heart for the unique memories they created. There are others, going back to the days of the BBC Micro, but I simply can’t remember enough about them. If you read my previous posts, you’ll know that I consider this both a blessing and a curse (mostly the former). I’ll be taking a break over the weekend, then I’ll be delving into more videogame discussion. Part 2 of my trip down gaming memory lane will resume in the near future. In the meantime, feel free to discuss your own game-related memories in the comments below. Have I brought back any memories for you? Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend, everyone!