It seems apt that my first blog post be titled after the first games console I ever got (or played on for that matter) and so I should probably give a little explanation of what this blog is all about.
It’s not a “fan boy” blog! I will not sit here and harp on about “this console is better because…” or “1080p, 60fps etc etc.”
This blog will do exactly what it says on the tin. I will be rambling about games. Now, that could be specific games past, present or on the horizon; the bits and pieces that make games what they are, soundtracks, art, ideas; or the current big stories/topics/discussions in the gaming world. This is all opinion. I just want someplace, some forum, for me to air my thoughts, if for no other reason to allow me to have a good night’s sleep!
So. Where do I start this new digital life of mine? Currently I have a PS3 and PS4 hooked up in my living room and an N64 ready to go should I ever get the urge to fire up GoldenEye or Rouge Squadron. But my past console life has been made up of PlayStations 1&2, a Gameboy and Gameboy Colour, a Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis for any Americans who stumble on this blog!) but my first ever console was a Sega Master System II. In fact I went through two of them, one with Sonic the Hedgehog pre-loaded on it (remember those days?) and one with Alex Kidd in Miracle World pre-loaded on it. To this day, there are few games that I have played that I haven’t (eventually) completed, but AK in MW is one of the toughest, not forgetting the very original Amiga version of Prince of Persia, now that was unforgiving. I suppose what I’m wondering about, while meandering through this nostalgia, is why don’t games have the difficulty that they once had? Perhaps as I’ve grown up I’ve become more skilled at these things?! Somehow, I doubt that is the case! So why is this the case? Have we simply grown lazy? Requiring (or expecting) checkpoints throughout levels/missions. Or are levels so complex, multi-layered that they are simply helping us to save time should we make a mistake? I don’t know. Maybe there isn’t one answer. Perhaps someone, one day, can answer me that question.
If you’re still reading…well done, and thank you for taking the time to read these, the first of many I shouldn’t wonder, ramblings on games.
By the way, I still haven’t completed Alex Kidd or Prince of Persia!
Ramblings on games 