Nintendo for Life

So lately we’ve been a little bit annoyed with Nintendo of America and how they’re dealing with things. Many of you are probably sitting in front of your computers thinking to yourselves “well what the hell kind of fans are these guys?” and yeah, I understand your reasons for saying that. Let me just say, that just because you love something, doesn’t mean you can’t see the flaws in it. I’m a huge fan of Kevin Smith’s films, and I really enjoyed Mallrats, even though the acting in it was terrible. Like, god-awful. Still, it has its moments and it’s not going to make me hate any other movie Smith puts out. Same goes with gaming, or a friend, or whatever else you may declare your undying love for. So, let me just tell you right now, I am a Nintendo fan. I have been since I was 4 years old.

My first experience with a Nintendo system was the NES in 1990. My Cousin had just got one and the first game I remember playing for it was Super Mario Bros. It was amazing. I was the happiest 4 year old in the world. Sure, I sucked at first, but the whole concept blew my mind. So then my birthday came up and I ended up with an NES of my own. Didn’t have too many games for it either, all three Mario bros games, Smash TV, Yoshi, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You know, the one with the near impossible water level. Just a handful of games that kept me busy until I got my SNES 5 years later.

The SNES years were equally awesome. I remember playing Super Mario World nonstop when I got it with the system. Some of my all time favorites are from the SNES era. Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2. Effing amazing! Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. That game was awesome. Seriously. I still remember the first time I beat Culex. Me and my friend were in my basement taking turns with each character until we actually beat him, WITHOUT lazy shell armor and all the other goodies I later discovered in the game. I’d also get into fights with the SEGA fan boys about which console was better. Hell, I still get into arguments with people about it til this day.

The N64 ushered in a new era of gaming for me. Mario 64 blew me away. Seriously, going from an SNES Mario game to THAT game was epic. Nintendo 64 will always be my top system. All the good times playing Goldeneye and Star Fox 64 with my friends. The arguments about weather or not you could pick Oddjob, or how the Arwing was way better than the land master. Oh god, and Ocarina of Time. My first Zelda game, and the game that got me into the series. That was the first game I ever played for seven hours straight, right after I unwrapped it on Christmas morning. Nintendo Power made such a huge deal over it, and they were right. It was amazing (also I loved Majora’s Mask.) Am I forgetting something? Oh yeah! Super Smash Bros., the best multiplayer game of all time (in my eyes at least). I’ll always have fond memories of the original.

The GameCube years were rough for many fans, especially near the end of the system’s life cycle. It was probably worse for Nintendo. Melee was my most abused games on the system, and holy shit, Metroid Prime.! Wind Waker! I could go on forever but I feel it’s a little lame to name all the awesome games I played on that tiny but powerful system. Point is, it was awesome, and again, like all my other systems, there’s a lot of good memories I have playing it with my friends. (Especially a certain New Years Eve party, which I wont, get into. However, bob-ombs are evil)

Finally we come to the Wii. It was a first day purchase for me. Skipped one of my early morning college classes to pick it up at the mall, took it home, and started playing Twilight Princess (and no, I didn’t fail that class). I loved it. Loved the Wii too. And yeah, I made all the jokes about people coming over to play with my Wii. I’m sure you all did too at first, if not, you’re a liar. I still play my Wii from time to time. Played Kirby’s Epic Yarn to Death with a special somebody, to the point where we got 100% in the game. I tend to be a lazy gamer and not go back for everything, but it was worth it. Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 were also amazing.

There you have it. I’ve had quite a long relationship with Nintendo and it’s not something I’m going to end it anytime soon. The memories I have with them aren’t things I’d just throw away because I wasn’t happy with how NOA is dealing with localization and whatnot. The point is, we’re all Nintendo fans here. If we weren’t, we wouldn’t waste our time writing. As for Nintendo’s future, I’m excited. I’m loving my 3DS, and the Wii U is going to be epic. Seriously, you have no idea how thrilled I was when they announced it.

So dear readers, please share some of your fond Nintendo memories with me. What was your fist Nintendo system? What are some of your favorite memories? Leave some comments and let me know!