If you’re reading Destructoid, chances are you’re a huge video game nerd (or are five or six forum posts away from becoming one). You know your stuff and you’re informed of industry news daily by awesome video game sites like Destructoid. You’re also probably “cultured” (or opinionated) enough to know a good game from a steaming pile, based on anything from the publisher, a screenshot, and even the box art. As video game consumers, we’ve become empowered by the media, as well as by one another within our communities.
But this has not always been the case, and there are probably many tattered receipts with the words “DEADLY TOWERS (NES)” on them from the ’80s that can attest to that.
When we old farts were growing up with video games, it was a different time. Information on video games was scarce. You wouldn’t believe how many times we would walk into a local shop and be surprised to find certain new titles on the shelves that we’d never knew existed. Video game magazines were rare, so things like hype or reviews didn’t exist yet. And even when magazines started coming out of the woodwork, trusting a publication like Nintendo Power for honest reviews was a recipe for disaster and financial ruin.
So it’s not surprising that the combination of youthful naiveté and lack of information would lead to some dreadful video game purchases. Not only did I want, but I whined, cried, and pulled hair for games like Jaws, Nightmare on
, and the Karate Kid (all for the NES). These games have a few things in common, of course.
One, they’re all movie licensed titles, and while we know better today, it was a different time. As a child, anything with a recognizable image on the box was “it.” It was 1989 — who didn’t want to be Daniel LaRusso? Being trained by Mr. Miyagi, tripping up local thugs, and getting the girl sounded appealing to anyone with a beating, ’80s heart. Little did I know, but the game would mostly consist of getting knocked into deadly, shallow water. Over and over again. And I would cry.
Obviously, the second thing they all have in common is that they’re all rotten, terrible games. This should have been apparent, since they were all published by LJN, a video game publisher responsible for ruining many of my childhood gaming experiences. I’m sure you all know someone who has always hated video games, saying things like they “never got into them.” Well, blame LJN. Chances are they played The Uncanny X-Men or NFL Football and never wanted to look at a controller again. Who can fault them for that?
My tastes, knowledge, and access to information on video games has matured and evolved since those days. But dreadful mistakes have been made. One that stands out in my mind is purchasing Friday the 13th for the NES (another LJN title) for an astounding $79.99 at a local video store. As a huge horror movie fan and a total Nintendo junkie, spending my and my parents’ hard earned cash on pixilated Jason Voorhees goodness seemed like a great idea at the time.
Well, it was not. Let’s leave it at that, because the memories hurt. I’m going to go as far as to say it’s my biggest gaming purchase mistake of all time.
So what’s yours?
