NEStalgia

They just don't sell em' like they used to

Welcome to the site and sorry for the shitty pun!  On my first post, I'd like to touch on a topic that nobody has really covered, a true NES experience found in the purchasing process for NES games in the late 80's to early 90's.  

Growing up in the NES era was a wonderful time.  The internet didn't quite exist yet leaving us kids unequipped with the proper knowledge to venture into the great unknown.  Your only reference for how good a game is was:

1.) Gaming Magazines - there were a ton out there but I had a subscription to Nintendo Power and GamePro for several years.  They were a young nerd's equivalent to Playboy complete with centerfolds and pin ups for you to drool over (I swear that's why the pages are stuck together!).

I shit you not, these bad boys came in almost every issue of NP

2.) Word of Mouth - this was basically playground chat.  "Hey man, did you get that new game Star Tropics?  This game is radical!  You actually have to dip the instruction manual in water to get a secret code".

3.) Looking at the back of the game box and praying to your preferred deity that you made the right decision.

Not to get all Pepperidge Farms on you but life was simpler back then. Now let me paint you a pretty little picture that will forever be framed in my mind.  

On rare occasion, my parents would take me to Toys R Us to get a game.  I was constantly yelled at not to run through the parking lot because as soon as car doors unlocked, I jumped out of the car like a savage beast with an unquenchable thirst for Nintendo.

Beyond the TRU's iconic store entrance, the video game aisles at TRU were vast and usually the first section visible. Games were not displayed in glass like they are today. The box art was printed on laminated cards and posted to the walls of the aisle.  You were able to lift the card to see the screenshots and summary of the game on the back. Below them was a hanging clear plastic pouch containing tickets for the game with the price on it.  You would take the ticket for the game of your choosing, bring it up to the cashier and pay, then go to a huge booth filled to the brim with games.  Behind this plexiglass fortified wonderland, there was a pimply faced teenager who would take your ticket and disappear into a sort of video game Narnia.  What felt like years later, he would emerge with your shiny new sealed NES game.  GIMME DAT

Oh how I fantasized of climbing through the pickup window to bask in the shelves and shelves of games but it could only remain a dream.  Being convicted of a felony at 9 is not a great way to start your record.

It was thrilling and at the same time, a huge gamble. The game you chose based merely on box art would be the game you were stuck with for better or worse. It could be weeks or even months before you scrounge up enough lunch\chore money for your next purchase so you had to make it count.

I've had quite a few victories and felt utter defeat (I'm looking at you Target Renegade!) so my first couple of reviews will focus on these games.

- Matsu