I probably would’ve played Metroid

No, you\’re not misreading the title. It\’s not supposed to come out as a fragment, but part of the title of my previous posting, \”If only I had a Nintendo Family Computer Disk System …\”\r\n\r\nWhy Metroid? Well, I haven\’t played any of the Metroid games and my earliest Nintendo video game console (I mean, aside from the various Game & Watches I\’ve collected throughout the years), the Nintendo Family Computer, is the best, uhmm, medium. Besides, Metroid, the first game in the Metroid series, was first released for the Famicom Disk System, way back in August 1986. A well-deserved kudos goes to Gunpei Yokoi, one of Nintendo\’s most prolific game and hardware designers.\r\n\r\nAccording to Wikipedia, Metroid provided one of the first highly non-linear game experiences on a home console. This bit of info, for me, screams \”TRY ME!\” at every turn. The basic gameplay is a mix of action-adventure, as most video games of the time had been. The player takes the role of Samus Aran, whose goal is to move through complex two-dimensional terrain, defeat monsters and big bad bosses, and collect various power-ups.\r\n\r\nHere\’s more from the online encyclopedia:\r\n\r\n

As the player explores more of the area, they will encounter power-ups that can be used to pass the previously encountered obstacles, allowing them to explore further, as well as backtrack, in order to find more power-ups and advance. While players are tempted to complete the game quickly, as there are multiple endings determined by the length of completion time, the concept of gradually increasing abilities and therefore acquiring access to previously inaccessible areas, encourages the player to go back and obtain all available items and power-ups.

\r\n\r\nAnother reason for my desire to play Metroid on the Nintendo Family Computer Disk System is the three-slot save system (as opposed to the Nintendo Entertainment System\’s version that allows players to enter passwords to basically \”save\” their progress and advance in the game).\r\n\r\nMore Famicom Disk System and Metroid in later postings. Ciao for now.\r\n\r\nImage painstakingly (it\’s freakin\’ 87.7 MB!) downloaded from Temple of Doom, a fellow retro video games fanatic. Copyrights to Nintendo Family Computer Disk System and Metroid are owned by Nintendo.