Re:Retro Re:Novation

Yes, you read that right. I have mighty big shoes to fill, and I better hop to it.

I welcome you to the first post of the new Re:Retro (sounds kinda ironic, doesn’t it?). Since, admittedly, I can never match the writing prowess of the venerable Al Ewing, this space’s former blogger, I’ll focus more on what I know—old video games.

Well, not just old games, but games I played when I was young(er)—from the dot-crazy world of the chomping smiley face known as Pacman to the vertically challenged player movement in Space Invaders to the fast-becoming classic role-playing games from Strategic Simulations Inc. like Champions of Krynn and Pools of Radiance.

What happened to these games, you might ask? I sealed them up in a box and hurled ‘em all into a ditch, which I filled to the brim with good gaming memories that I knew would serve me well in years to come.

Now, I am faced with the daunting task of dredging the ditch and clearing the dusts off this box full of games. Daunting, yes, but exciting as well. Nostalgia is such a funny thing.

Here are fond childhood memories:

My first handheld video game platform (if it can be called that) was a folder-shaped black box that had a big screen and a knob and a button which served as controls. The game featured a jet that you move horizontally to evade missiles. The downside was the jet couldn’t shoot back. Eh, what’s the button for? It was the power switch.

My first console was a Coleco Telstar Arcade, a cartridge-based, triangular-cased machine that had a light gun, steering wheel with gear shift, and paddles—one set of controls for each side of the triangle and for each game cartridge that comes with the console. The Telstar Arcade’s best game was Pong, of course—like all Coleco machines.

My first personal computer was an Apple IIc on which I played some of the most memorable video games in recent history (at least in my mind), including Hard Hat Mack, Lode Runner, and Taipan.

So there you have it … that’s probably how far back I can go back to collect the data needed to write about moldy, dusty video games. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Now, if I can only find those video game arcade tables my uncle stored in his garage back in the 80s. It’ll be a blast to play Pacman and Galaga again.