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What’s a Console You Wish You Had Owned?
Hey guys. Now I’m mostly meaning as you grew up, but maybe you were already an adult or teenager when the NES came out. So with that in mind, maybe you just picked one console for a generation or was gifted a console and stuck with it.
My household usually rocked two consoles. My brother and I loved the N64 and my dad loved the PS1. We never owned a Saturn, but I don’t think any of us ever cared to get one either.
When I think about the 7th generation, the 360 was really all I wanted. Bioshock, Modern Warfare, Borderlands, New Vegas, Madden and NCAA, the 360 had just about everything I needed. Well, almost everything. I did use the Wii for two games specifically Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros Brawl. We owned a PS3 for a hot second before it was met with a terrible fate.
But its the 6th generation I always come back to. We rocked with mostly the PS2. Ratchet and Clank, Onimusha, Dark Cloud, Jak and Daxter. Obviously I’m not breaking any news when I say the PS2’s library had just about everything. We had the Gamecube for the usual suspects. Mario Sunshine, the Zeldas, Melee and oddly enough, Wario World.
But we never really owned an OG Xbox. My sister-in-law at the time did. She brought it over a few times. She had Manhunt, San Andreas and a load of CDs. I got to borrow it one time to play a copy of Halo 2 I randomly owned for some reason. Watching San Andreas, listening to music, and eventually playing Halo 2 made me really want one. Factor in a couple of cool games like Jade Empire, Odd World, the Halos, the awesome green and black color scheme, and the fact its the strongest console of my favorite console generation and its a shame I never owned one as a kid.
I have, of course, rectified this by picking up two OG Xboxs at Goodwill and now I’m up to about 70 games and enjoying it. These days, I only owned a Switch/Switch 2 this generation. I haven’t upgraded to a PS5 or Xbox Series X but I’d like to get them if there’s ever a good sale one day.
Anyway, that’s it for me. Let me know your answer! Thanks for reading and have a great day!
5 Games I Wish Had Come to the Gamecube
Someone asked online “What’s 5 games you wish got released on the Gamecube?” This is a question I always ask myself about for the N64 and Wii U. [In fact I already did a post about 5 games I wish had come to the Wii U. So check that out.] Anyway, here’s the deal. I’m going to try to not list games produced by Sony and Microsoft [for example, I’m not going to bother saying Halo. Obviously, that was never coming to the Gamecube.]
#1 Psychonauts
Psychonauts was developed by Double Fine Productions. It was one of the best 3D Platformers of this generation. However, it a commercial flop compared to Super Mario Sunshine, Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank. Still this game had a unique setting, taking place at a summer camp for kids with psychic abilities. Its story, gameplay, level design, and power ups were all greatly unique. I think it stood out even then in a sea of 3D platformers and holds up well even today.
I think it would have been a welcome addition to the Gamecube. It was offbeat and an oddball. Which is basically the motto of the Gamecube with other quirky 3D Platformers like Billy Hatcher already on the console. Something I learned only a few years ago is that Psychonauts was not an Xbox exclusive. In fact it was only exclusive to Xbox for roughly two months.
When Microsoft canceled [if that’s the right word?] publishing Psychonauts, Majesco picked up the publishing rights. With Microsoft out of the picture, Psychonauts was free to explore publication on other console. Of course they stuck with releasing it on OG Xbox, but it also got a Playstation 2 release. So why no Gamecube version?
I’ve heard three reasons. So if anybody can confirm or deny any of the reason, sound off below. 1. Majesco was a mid tier publisher. They didn’t have the resources of someone like Microsoft. As a result, they had to be selective about what consoles got it. 2. The Gamecube was failing this generation. Despite the head start and the brand recognition, they finished 3rd behind Playstation and Xbox. There was just no reason to port it to a losing console. 3. I saw some people say the Gamecube’s lack of 4 shoulder buttons would make it hard or impossible to port the game over to Gamecube. This is the reason I find hardest to believe. I can’t say I cross refernced this, but I just feel like surely other games that took advantage of the four shoulder buttons also released on the Gamecube. 4. That generation was already winding down. Psychonauts released early 2005. The Wii would release in 2006.
All four of these reasons I’m sure have some degree of merit. And if you mix it all in a blender, it would explain why no Gamecube port ever happened. It’s a shame a Wii port was never developed either. But hey, Psychonauts is great and you should go play it.
#2 Okami
To be fair, it is pretty obvious why Okami did not come to the Gamecube. It was released late into the 6th generation cycle. It was released roughly seven months before the Wii released. Also, from everything I read, Okami was designed for the PS2 specific. So there never any plans for the Gamecube or, heck, even the PS3.
They loved the art style and the graphics on the Playstation 2. They loved the controller of the Playstation 2. The thought of designing it for another console never seemed to cross their minds.
Its a shame it never came to the Gamecube because I feel like the unique nature of it, the look of it, the appreciation of Japanese mythology would fit right at home with the Gamecube. Capcom and Clover Studios both have great relationships with Nintendo as well. Capcom had big plans for the Gamecube, originally working on the Capcom five, five games planned as Gamecube exclusives. Of those five, two were developed by Clover Studios [P.N.03 (Directed by Shinji Mikami) and Viewtiful Joe.]. But the Gamecube fell behind in marketshare, Capcom turned their attention to the Playstation 2. Clover Studios began making Playstation 2 exclusives with Okami and God Hand. However, upon the Wii’s unveiling, fans outcried for a Wii port to take advantage of the Wiimote. This one was just never in the cards for the Gamecube.
#3 Dark Cloud 1 and 2
It is funny to think about Dark Cloud 1 and 2 being Playstation exclusives now. Of course, when Level-5 began they partnered with Sony. So really, that’s the story. Dark Cloud published its first five games exclusive to Playstation systems before releasing Professor Layton and the Curious Village on Nintendo DS [more on that later]. I did not realize Level 5 developed Dragon Quest VII. Anyway, I think most people today would associate Level-5 with Nintendo, specifically the DS family of handhelds. Level-5’s most recognizable games these days are Professor Layton, Fantasy Life, and Yokai Watch. However, to me, Level-5 will also be the Dark Cloud series. My dad told me he found a game that was basically Zelda on the Playstation 2. Of course, childhood me was curious. When I saw the dungeon crawling, the weapons, the village building, the allies, and all these aspects coming together to make something truly unique beautiful.
Dark Cloud 2 is currently one of my obsessions, I’ve put in over 30 hours so far and feel like I am still just scratching the surface. It keeps the formula of visiting new locations. Once you arrive, you venture deep into dungeons, collects parts of the town, and rebuild each city. Some aspects have changed like party configuration and the way city building is handled, but I am fine with that. The camera invention, time hopping, and the plethora of city goers add so many layers to the original Dark Cloud mythos. Dark Cloud 1 would have been nice on the Gamecube, but Dark Cloud 2 looks like it could have fit right in on the Gamecube. Dark Cloud 2 is beautiful. I think its graphics would have absolutely popped on the Gamecube.
#4 Kirby: Return to Dream Land
Kirby: Return to Dream Land was considered the best game in the series for a good while (but the Kirby series has been on fire lately!). There was a time when this was considered a momumental entry in the franchises, a must play, the GOAT of Kirby games… and it almost didn’t exist! That’s such a wild thought to me. I loved Kirby 64 and desperately wanted the Wii Kirby games as a kid. I never got them and had to wait until I was an adult to buy them for myself. But all I ever heard about growing up was how fantastic this game was. So imagine my surprise to learn this iconic entry almost didn’t happen.
The Gamecube was a great experimental time for a lot of Nintendo franchises. Mario got water nozzle, Samus went first person, and Donkey Kong got some bongos. The same was true for Kirby. Coming off of Kirby 64, Kirby would get a combat racer titled Kirby Air Ride. This game, to me, was wildly unique and totally fun. However, Kirby wasn’t done with the Gamecube. In 2005, Nintendo revealed a trailer for Kirby GCN. The hype was real. We were going to get a traditional side scrolling platforming Kirby Adventure with cool allies and neat power ups.
This is one I’m going to do more research for myself. I am very curious to read more about why they canceled this one. They also waited six years to reveal what would become Kirby Return to Dreamland for Wii. It would have been really cool to see this one to come to life on the Gamecube and just have Kirby Return to Dreamland act as a sequel. Unfortunately, that is not the timeline we got. Did you know there was a canceled Kirby game for Gamecube?
#5 Star Wars Battlefront 1 and 2
Star Wars was extremely popular during the Gamecube era thanks to the Prequel being in full… force. The Gamecube got a hefty seven Star War’s title including fan favorite Rogue Squadron 2 and 3 and the Lego games. However, noticeably missing from the line-up were the Star Wars Battlefront games. Melee and Halo get credit as the best versus games of the generation, but Battlefront has that Goldeneye energy of the N64. If I went over to a friends house and they had the Battlefront games, then you already knew what we were playing. While Star Wars certainly had console exclusives, Battlefront wasn’t even one of them. It released on Playstation 2 and Xbox.
I couldn’t find a definitive answer for why LucasArts didn’t release these games for the Gamecube. I saw people mention the controller not having enough buttons (like with Psychonauts, I am not sure whether this is a legitimate reason studios gave or just fan theories?), or that the games were too big for the Gamecube disc (this seems like it could have been a reason but games launched with two discs all the time.), and that LucasArts simply abandoned Gamecube support towards the end of its life. Possibly. Pandemic Studios released Star Wars Battlefront 1 and 2 around 2004 and 2005. This means the Gamecube still had a good year or two left before the Wii arrived. More so, Star Wars would still release Lego Star Wars 1 and 2 after Battlefronts release. Maybe they just trusted the Lego series to sell fine on the Gamecube? Maybe they didn’t think Star Wars Battlefront’s gritty, darker aesthetic would vibe with Gamecube owners?
I don’t know. If you have more official information let me know. Either way, it is sad these gems never came out on the Gamecube. The Gamecube had four controller slots, two more than the Playstation 2. This is childhood series I really want to return to. I’ll probably end up buying them on OG Xbox since Battlefront 2 on Xbox supports 4 players.
So that’s 5 Gamecube games I wish I had come to the Gamecube. I could have named more like Katamari, Grand Theft Auto, or Devil May Cry, but these are the five that I feel like could have truly made the library better. Anyway, what games would you have liked to see released on Gamecube. Let me know! Thanks for reading and have a great day!
My Nintendo Powers
Hey guys. It is time to finally start tracking our Nintendo Powers. I will be making new update posts as time goes on. So if you want to follow the journey, make sure you subscribe to the blog! I am mostly collecting the N64 and Gamecube ones. Now, mind you, I will get older ones because I love them, but they aren’t priorities. https://archive.org/details/Nintendo-Power-Magazine-The-N64-Era-1996-2001 list roughly 62 Nintendo 64 issues (missed opportunity to have 64 issues,). https://archive.org/details/Nintendo-Power-Magazine-The-GameCube-Era-2001-2006 seems to list 60 issues for the Gamecube era, but it looks like it starts to veer towards the DS and Wii towards the end. So it is going to be roughly 120 issues. Welcome to the hunt, let’s see what we have!
110: WWF: War Zone
My oldest Nintendo Power has WWF: War Zone as the cover game. While I have deep dived into this one, it covers Quest 64 and Banjo Kazooie. That’s pretty cool.
117: Mario Party
This has got to be one of my favorites in my collection. That cover is awesome. I actually thought it was Mario Party 3 with the way Mario is hitting the block. Either way this cover is iconic and it covers the game that launched my favorite party series. Beyond thrilled this one is in the collection.
128: Mario Party 2
If a cover was going to top Mario Party, it was going to be Mario Party 2. I have actually flipped through this one and I love. Some cool things about this one is it includes a walkthrough for 40 Winks. A PS1 game that never got released on N64… until about two decades later when it got crowd funded. This cover also shows off the awesome costumes of Mario Party 2.
134: Kirby 64
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shard is one of my favorite N64 games and this cover pops with the white background and Kirby center stage. In the background we see Kirby performing various actions. This one also previews Majora’s Mask, Megaman 64 and Banjo Tooie. That’s a stacked issue!
150: Luigi’s Mansion
The Gamecube is here! Yes, Luigi’s Mansion marks my first Gamecube cover. I have not opened this one. The cover basically confirms Luigi’s Mansion is releasing as an early launch title for Gamecube. I like the colors here.
158: Here They Come
Believe it or not, I don’t know how I feel about this one. This one is a Gamecube hype cover. With Windwaker Link, Sunshine Mario, and Kirby Air Ride front and center and a heap of 3rd party characters like Pac Man, Rayman, Megaman, Bomberman and more, you’d think I would love it. Either way, it is cool. It gets me excited. Just not my favorite.
162: Metroid Prime
I’m pumped to deep dive into this one. It is easily my biggest Nintendo Power. Metroid made the jump not only to 3D but also into a new genre, First Person Shooter. What a huge leap. I am excited to read these old issues that document Metroid Prime’s development. But it only hints at sports games. So hype cover, but I wish it listed more games on the cover.
171: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
While this is technically a GBA cover, Soul Calibur II and Billy Hatcher in the preview windows. I love Billy Hatcher and I am looking forward to reading this deep dive. I’ve heard great things about the Tactic games, so this issue should be a great read!
174: Fire Emblem GBA
Another Gameboy cover with another series I have never really played. But I got to admit I love this issue. The Fire Emblem art is epic being front and center. The game also hints at Mario Kart Double Dash, Kirby Air Ride, and Metal Gear Solid. Sign me up!
179: Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is a very interesting port. I’ve actually some articles about its development and it is cool. So I am always down to read more about it. The cover is awesome and the main topic is interesting, however the preview games this time around leave a little to be desired. Custom Robo is cool but I am not knowledge about it. The other preview games are Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and MVP Baseball 2004.
180: Tales of Symphonia
We have hit a run where every cover is going to be awesome. Tales of Symphonia is the main cover story. I love its art. In the preview window we get Wario Ware, INC, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, and Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green. I’m game for anything Pokemon!
181: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure s
Honestly, I never got to play Four Swords Adventures, so I can’t say I’m nostalgic for it. However, I am still happy to add any and all Zelda Nintendo Powers! This one advertises a load of games but the stand outs would be Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Spider-Man 2, and Shining Force.
182: Resident Evil 4
Here is one of my absolute favorites. Resident Evil 4 was my favorite game on Nintendo Gamecube, so it is awesome having its cover issue. Not to mention, its previews are stacked. Zelda, Star Fox, and Baten Kaitos! I am excited to pop this bad boy open
183: Pikmin 2
The epic run of epicness had to end at some point. Pikmin is not my favorite franchise. However, they have an excellent cover. This cover would make me interested to play Pikmin 2. But sadly, they are not my favorites. This the first one to have subpar preview windows as well. Boasting about Catwoman, Second Sight and NCAA Football 2005 doesn’t exactly get you exicted to open it. However, it does have exclusive preview for Paper Mario when it was still just called 2 and not yet officially named. I love little things like that.
186: Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Now this is an epic cover. Samus is just staring you down! The previews aren’t bad either. It features exclusive news for the upcoming DS as well as looks at X-Men: Legends, Mario Power Tennis, and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories round out a solid preview.
188: The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
This is argubly my favorite cover. Minish Cap is such an underrated gem in the Zelda series. The cover art is phenomal. The hot trends of 2005 is a pretty cool time capsule.This one also mentions previewing Super Mario 64 DS and Star Fox Assault and more.
190: Killer 7
A little underwhelming cover for such a bizarre game. The use of white helps the name Killer 7 pop. But the cover is ultimately bland for such a unique game. But this a game I will certainly take all the articles around this strange game. Killer 7 was a part of the Gamecube’s Capcom Five. Capcom’s planned five games for the Gamecube. Unlike Resident Evil 4, Killer 7 remained a Gamecube exclusive.
194: Mario Kart and the Wii Revolution
This may lead you to believe the Gamecube’s run is over, but nope. We still have roughly 10 more issues to go at this point. While it covers two things I am not actively collecting, it is still really cool to see the Wii this early. As you can see, the Wii is still going by its code name, Revolution. It also highlights E3 (or at least post E3.). This one is going to feel oddly nostalgic now that E3 has gone the way of the dinosaurs.
So that’s my Nintendo Power collection. What do you think? Which issue was your favorite? What issue should I go for next? Let me know! Thank you guys for reading. Have a great day!
Don’t Throw Away Your Loose Discs!
Hey everybody.
I only owned a few Gamecube games back in the day. I actually managed to keep almost all of them. Though, I didn’t keep my cases. Unfortunately, that means most of them are just scratched up and don’t work.
Two that always stood out to me were the Legend of Zelda games – Twilight Princess and Wind Waker. Again, they just didn’t work anymore. But I never threw them away.
I was talking to someone on Reddit who mentioned trying to get them resurfaced. Most people don’t like resurfacing Gamecube disc due to how it stores data. But the way I see it, if the Gamecube isn’t reading them at all, what is there to lose?
With that in mind. I took them to my local shop and got them both resurfaced.
Let there be life! Yes, my childhood games were brought back to life. So it goes to show, don’t throw away your disc.
Has this ever happened to you guys? Have you ever played a game so much it didn’t hold up? And were you able to clean it up? Let me know down below?
Thank you for reading and have a great day!
Nintendo just released the best shadow drop of the year!
Hey guys. If you haven’t seen it yet, Nintendo just announced and released Wario World. You will need the Switch Online subscription to access it and a variety of other games.
Wario World was released in 2003 for the Nintendo Gamecube. It was developed by Treasure. It remains one of my favorite 3D Platformers even to this date.
This adds to the Gamecube’s excellent line up present on the Switch 2. Some of the other stellar offerings include: The Legend of Zelda- Wind Waker, Luigi’s Mansion and F-Zero GX.
This also helps solidifies a great run the Gamecube is having. Kirby Air Ride got a sequel in Kirby Air Riders. Paper Mario Thousand Year Door got a remaster. If we go a little further back, Super Mario Sunshine was included in the Super Mario 3D All-Star collection.
Are you going to be checking out Wario World? Let me know. Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Remembering Kirby Air Ride (Two Decades Later)
The two decade wait is over. Kirby Air Riders dropped last weekend. My wife got it for me for my birthday. I am enjoying it so far. Though I am hoping my wife and I can sneak in some multiplayer rounds soon. This post, however, is not about Air Riders. It is about the original, airing on the Gamecube way back in 2003, this n64 fever dream project found life on the lunch box and, in my opinion, was so ahead of its time for the genre. My brother and I used to do, not exactly tutorials or LPs but videos of us playing this game back in like 2008 or something, long before that style of video was popular. So of course, I have an innate bias towards Kirby saddling the warp star and going to battle in various modes. Let’s take a look at Kirby Air Ride two decades later.
I am not a huge fan racing games. I am not playing the genre too often outside of Mario Kart and Kirby Air Ride. On one hand, maybe that makes me unqualified to talk about subjects like this. On the other hand, maybe I am uniquely qualified to talk about off beat racers. I think it’s easy to forget all the racing modes given how prevalent City Trial is. I don’t know about you guys, but it was the main thing I was playing back in the day. That’s kinda what I wanted to mention first. I love racers with alternative modes. Mario Kart has had the Balloon battle feature in their games for decades now, so I’m not acting like Kirby Air Ride invented that. I’m sure there’s more racing games than just that too. Twisted Metal and a bunch of other car combat games exist too.
But City Trial was just different. My brother and I played this mode to death. We probably knew all the secrets, all the events, the bonus special rides, how to get to anywhere on the map. Really, even though it was more sandbox than say an open world game like Grand Theft Auto, the city felt like a character itself. It had distinct areas like the underground, the shorelines, the forest, the volcano, the interior city zone. It’s crazy how many unique regions they fit into a relatively small map. That’s the thing, the map was kinda small, but it was fleshed out. It was really alive. I will say, I love how theyve added Kirby enemies in the city. I think it would have been cool to have random waddle dees in the underground going to work or getting lunch or something, but that’s beside the point.
And then there’s the matter of events, power ups, and stadiums. There were so many different stadiums like target practice, Destruction Derby, and fighting King Dedede for example. Each required you to have different power ups or air rides to fare better than your rivals. And the new game has added even more stadiums. Events kept things fresh playing over the same map time and time again. The events kept you on your toes and offered a wide arrange of randomness to each playthrough. Some were detrimental like getting a fog over the city or the rails catching fire. Some made things challenging like fake items or bouncy items. Some were scary like Dyna Blade attacking or meteors showering down. It doesn’t sound like much but it was plenty back in the day. Really, with all the random power ups, the multitude of unique riders, skin and character unlockables, different events and stadiums, we never got bored.
Speaking of boards, this game featured the check list. This thing was legendary back in the day. Considering this came out on the Gamecube and achievements didn’t appear on Xbox for a few more years, this really did feel ahead of its time. Again, not saying it was the first game with unlockables, alternative skins, and other forms of achievements, this was just the first time it had been presented to me in such a fun way. Just looking at Super Smash Bros Melee, another Sakurai game, it had plenty of unlockables and was plenty of fun to play. It came out two years before Air Ride. I feel like Sakurai took all the things great about unlocking stuff in Melee and just made the presentation really nice. I know that may sound superficial or maybe even like a weird compliment, but I just thought it was so fun to replay old levels or city trials and try out new combinations of things or different playstyles and get rewarded for it. You were already going to test out getting more charge power ups than glide power ups this round or you were going to test out the Wing Air Ride over the Jet Star. Or you were going to explore every inch of the volcano or the forest and you unlocked achievements for getting creative or playing differently than you already did. Again, I’m not saying Sakurai invented any of these concepts, but it certainly felt like he was perfecting them. This really made Kirby Air Ride feel rogue like in a time just before the rogue like resurgence of the 2010s, despite sharing next to no other elements of the genre.
I know I’ve spent most of this video talking about City Trial because to me it was the most fun and what made it stand out against the other kart racers, racing simulators and car combat games. Air Ride was a lot of fun and I’m glad it was in the game. I mean, heck it’s the namesake of the game but I think that’s only because Kirby City Trial doesn’t have the same ring as Kirby Air Ride. Still, it’s a great mode with awesome tracks and gorgeous and creative visuals. The power ups come from Kirby’s copy ability allowing him to suck up enemies and gain their powers. Admittedly, if memory serves, I didn’t play a lot of Air Ride because I liked getting the races as stadiums in City Trial. My memory is a little fuzzy but if I remember right you would play through City Trial and get your rider and all your power ups and then race through a single lap. I could be misremembering that, but that’s how I recall it.
I’ll be honest, we played Top Ride back in the day, but very sparingly. I’m not sure if we liked it compared to City Trial. It was just different, even from traditional racing. Oddly enough, I avoided this mode as a kid. The more I’ve played over the years, the more I’ve gone back to it. I wouldn’t say I have fully embraced it yet. It’s still hard to get excited for it when I have the two other modes, but I think it’s a mode I’ll continue to explore on the Gamecube and Switch 2 versions as time goes on.
Working on this post highlighted to me just how much more I played City Trial than the other modes. Most of my memories come from the City Trial mode. Again, I still respect and appreciate the other modes because even though I’ve been playing these games for almost two decades, there is still a lot to explore. The next time I fire up the original, I may go explore Top Ride and see what all I’ve missed out on. Its also great to have the race modes for my solo gamers. City Trial is still fun even when playing solo, but its better with friends. You can attack each other, compete for power ups, or even do random challenges like see who can glide the highest or furthest.
Hopefully all that yapping made sense. Its not so much that Sakurai and company were reinventing any wheels. It was all in its presentation. It was a joy to play, explore and experiment. 3 game modes, plenty of tracks, achievements, unlockable skins and characters. There was so much content and so many things to do. I often say the 6th generation of gaming was gaming perfection. Perfection is obviously a strong word because every generation has its strengths and weaknesses, but there’s just something about the games of this era. I think Kirby Air Ride was one of those games that captured the magic of this era.
So let me know how you guys are liking the new Kirby Air Riders and tell me your fondest memories of the original Kirby Air Ride. Thank you guys for reading this. I know I was kinda blabbering, but I’m really nostalgic for this game.
Christmas Gaming Memories! (The Christmas Blog!)
Ahhh, yes. Video games and Christmas. Name a more iconic duo. As a child, Christmas and video games were synonymous with each other. And as a man child, this is still true. My parents knew my love of video games from an early age. So they did their best to make sure something gaming related awaited us under the tree. Today I thought it’d be fun to reflect back on childhood Christmas memories with a gaming theme.
Remember you can watch this topic on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MVkDyIDA78
My mom’s work allowed her to layaway the latest consoles. The first console I remember her surprising us with was the Gamecube. I remember turning the box around and seeing all the games you could play on the back. The main reason I’m mentioning this is because this was a surprisingly profound moment in my life. Back during the 6th generation of gaming, PS2 was my console of choice. Yet as an adult I’m nostalgic for the Gamecube. Part of that is the Nintendo charm no doubt. But the other part was the endless wonder the back of a box can do for a child. That Christmas made the Gamecube feel like it was the greatest machine on earth even if the little lunchbox would go on to be underrated in our household.
I’ll do my dad’s gift next. My dad loved going to flea markets, antique malls and perusing Craigslist. He would often see gaming bundles for sale. One year he surprised us with a PS2 lot. Later on he would do the same for a PS3 lot. The PS2 lot had The Hobbit, Black and Bruised, SplashDown Rides Gone Wild, the Scorpion King, Yu Yu Hakusho and maybe one of the Outlaw Golf games. This was a pretty awesome group of games. Splashdown was probably the game we played the most. As it’s just a little arcade water skiing game made ridiculous. It’s a fun weekend kind of game.
Now the PS3 I cannot really remember too many of the games that came with it. However, it did have Heavenly Sword. I remember the hype for this game was unreal back in the day. The funny thing about Heavenly Sword and the Hobbit is I didn’t get to play too much of them back in the day but I enjoyed my time with both. So much so that when I grew up I was determined to buy these games again. I played through the first two or so levels of the Hobbit and really liked it. And while I haven’t seen the movies or read the book, I do live with a one year old so I’m basically terrorized by a Hobbit everyday when you think about it.
Now the other console mom surprised me with back in the day was the Xbox 360. A console that would go on to consume my life for the next decade. Who would have guessed the profound impact this console would have on me. It turned me into an achievement junkie. My cousin who lives 10 hours away from me grinded through some of the most fun co-op games I’ve ever played like Borderlands and Battle Block Theater. It provided some of the most fun single player games like Bioshock and GTA4 and 5. And my brother and I beat Halo 3 on the hardest difficulty back in the day.
Sure, The first couple did get the red ring of death, but once my mom finally got me one that worked, I’ve kept it ever since. I want to say I got the 360 around 7th grade. I entertained myself with games like Perfect Dark Zero until I got those life changing big experience games like Fallout New Vegas and some of the others I’ve discussed today. And who could forget the countless amount of time we sank into Modern Warfare 2. I lost count on the amount of Mountain Dew that was consumed playing that game.
I took this console to college my Freshman year after all and had friends would come over to watch me beat Red Dead Redemption and Bioshock Infinite. My wife and I beat Resident Evil 5 on co-op with this bad boy. So just remember if you ever think I’m a Nintendo fan boy, of which I am, I’ve probably put the most amount of time into my Xbox 360. I doubt my mom knew how long my 360 would stay with me when she bought it for me, but I still have it to this day.
That gets me to the final gift I want to talk about today. I had just gotten the Wii U for my birthday with Cat Mario on it. I knew what I wanted for Christmas too. I had big plans you see. I wanted 3 games that year and I wanted them bad. Wind Waker HD, the latest Madden and Far Cry 4. Far Cry 3 was the talk of my high school and I missed out on it. Far Cry 4 had just came out and you could bet your bottom dollar I wasn’t missing out on it this time around. Christmas day starts. I make my way down stairs and see 3 game case shaped gifts. Bingo. I opened the first gift, Wind Waker HD. We’re off to a great start. Gift 2- that year’s Madden. Man, I love it when a plan comes together. Gift 3, what’s this… Nintendo Land? You better believe I confronted her. I said mom, how could you mess this up? I gave you the playbook and everything. And even though it’s been 10 years I’ll never forget what she said to me. “I know you really wanted Far Cry 4, but Nintendo Land just looked like a game you’d like more.” I had never been more defeated. I could just picture the Gamestop employee snickering because he won a bet with a co-worker he couldn’t sell a copy of Nintendo Land. But you know what. My mom was right. Nintendo Land is more my kinda game. Oh wait, I don’t know that because I never got to play Far Cry 4. Thanks mom.
All joking aside, I now love Nintendo Land. People hate on the Wii U but I’ve yet to bust out 4 player Nintendo Land and everybody not have a great time. This story strengthened my love for the Wii U and my connection with it. I now go to bat for this game and say it’s one of my favorites on the console.
There you have it. All the Christmas memories I wanted to discuss today. My parents knew how much I loved video games and made sure they did their darndest that way I had something new to play waiting for me on Christmas. I probably didn’t do a good job telling them back then but I will always be grateful for those memories because they influenced me so much. Looking back I know how hard they had to work to pull these things off for a couple of spoiled brats who didn’t know how good they had it back then. As we know, video games aren’t cheap. I have a daughter now and I can only hope I make half of her dreams come true the way my parents did for me. So this Christmas be thankful for what you have in life because someone had to work hard to make sure you have those things.
But that does it for this post. Tell me down below what your favorite Christmas gift was growing up. Video Game or otherwise. Merry Christmas guys.
Da_Hubbz 