My old school gaming wishlist
Just the other day I was talking to a friend of mine about how many hours we lost to the original Mario Kart on the SNES. The conversation obviously devolved into a who-was-better-than-who argument, which of course I won- but not before we brought up an endless list of other games that served as adolescent battlefields. After I got off the phone with a certain smug sense of superiority, I started to wonder when some of these games would resurface on current systems.
Sure, many of those games have been reimagined or “revised” for the newer generation, but how many truly live up to the muse? Think about it. Can Monster Madness really ever replace Zombies Ate My Neighbors? Can Twisted Metal ever really replace Rock’n'Roll Racing? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Monster Madness and nearly every installment of the Twisted Metal series (with special attention paid to Twisted Metal Black. Man that was an awesome game!). But the nostalgia factor alone is more than enough to put the other two games atop my must-play list.
There is still hope, of course. I can sit here and hope that one day, maybe, just maybe Rock’n'Roll Racing, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, and some other old school gems will find their way to Nintendo’s store front. Maybe some Xbox Live Arcade love? PSN download anyone?
So far, I’ve gotten a good dose of old school love. I’ve relived my Gunstar Heroes triumphs, beaten Castlevania: Symphony of the Night numerous times, explored Hyrule’s light and dark realms, blown up ton of Bombermen, and even sheep-bombed a few hundred Worms.
Who knows? If I’m a good gamer, maybe the old school gods will bestow upon me the following titles for download.
- Star Wars saga
- Super Mario RPG
- Chrono Trigger
- Zombies Ate My Neighbors
- Rock’n'Roll Racing
Until then, I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
