Good 'Ol Nostalgia

   The other day, out of randomness, i started asking my dad and family friend, Rick, all the cool games we could remember from the original Playstation. We began to reminesce, having all sorts of fun listing off all the various games we recalled and how 'advanced' the graphics were for the time, etc. I began to raise the question "How much are those things worth now?" Noone really wants one anymore because of the 2 Playstation sucessors (2 & 3), but its not quite old enough to be heralded as 'vintage'. So i did a search on ebay to figure out a price and BAM! "Like New" Playstation with 3 controllers and 6 games: $20! The price was too good to resist, and seeing as there were but 14 minutes left on the bidding clock, i bought it. They laughed at me a bit as if to say "Spontaneous, much?", but i didnt care. I hadnt played a Playstation in 10 years, and i was hyped! Immediately, i started bidding on all my favorite games (or at least all the ones i could remember: Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Disney's Magical Racing Tour, Croc, Parappa the Rapper and all the rest.

When i got home from school this afternoon, much to my pleasure, my system was already waiting there on the dining room table, practically shimmering in its package and beckoning to me like a siren. Long story short, i have been playing it ever since. Currently, my main addiction is "Croc: Legend of the Gobbos", which has such a beautiful history with me that it might very possibly be my very FIRST video game! If you think it sounds familiar but your memory's a little fuzzy, the main idea of the game is that you play this teeny (Adorable!) crocodile that looks like a rough draft for Yoshi and you basically have to search for these keys that unlock various cages and free little fuzzball guys; "Gobbos". Lemme tell ya, i am havin a BLAST :) Im supposed to be getting my old Disney Racing game in the mail tomorrow, and im excited! Furthermore, ill be raiding my Papa's (Grandpa, dad's side) house soon for even more games, but for free!  :)

The 6 games that came with the system are Ten Pin Alley, Namco Museum (Pacman, etc), Crypt Killer, Jet Moto, Big Bass Fishing, and Medal of Honor. So far, aside from Croc, ive only tried out Namco Museum and a little bit of Ten Pin Alley. I really like the Namco one, because thats daring to go even FURTHER back down Nostalgia Avenue (Fond Memory Road? Blast From the Past Boulevard? lol), however "Ten Pin Alley is NO Wii Bowling! haha  It was really complicated to figure out the controls, but there are basically three energy bars that you adjust when you're up to bowl, and you have to stop them JUST in time and curve the ball at JUST the right angle otherwise you get a gutter every time; and that's if youre GOOD!

I think so far the biggest adjustment ive had to make with the Playstation are that there is no analog stick. I know that may not seem like much, but not only is my left thumb workin its butt off, there are NO CAMERA ANGLES! To the spiratic gamer, this may not seem like such a huge difference, either, but i cannot TELL you how many times it has gotten in the way when i try to turn around to pick up a crystal or whatever and im stuck staring at a wall, forced to (since i can only walk in those 4 straight-on directions) back up my character and perform an awkward turn while the camera spins back into submission.

Well THIS has turned into quite a rant! lol  I honestly do apologize, but i guess its part excitement for this new blog and part "I talk too much"! Either way, ill go ahead and wrap it up for today, and go through my day looking for new material to write a new blog about my latest exploits. So long, and...

Stay Nifty!  ;)
Christy