Page 18 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #6

Teach Your Children Well — Part 2

By Tom Zjaba

L L your child; let him make up his own mind. good because it just involves a joystick. Space
Invaders adds a button, but since you are only
The best way to build an appreciation of classic
moving back and forth, they will not get con-
ast issue, we spoke about teaching the youth
games is at an early age. The best game to start a
of today about the history of video games.
paced, and kids seem to love it. You can easily
young and new to video games. They haven't
For this segment, we are going to get a little more child on is probably Pong. It is simple, fairly fast fused. The thing to keep in mind is that they are
personal. This time we are going to talk about what teach anyone to play and it will help build that much had a lifetime of game playing like you have, so
you as a parent can do to keep the significance of needed hand/eye coordination. Just make sure to patience is the most important thing you can
classic games alive with your children. If we cannot offer. That and encouragement. Get ready to
teach our own children, what chance do we have show your child over and over how to best use
with anyone else's kids? the energizers or how the Space Invaders’ bul-
I know you are thinking that you know your kid lets are deadly. Make sure to praise them when
best and don't need any advice from someone in a they finally complete that first level and give
classic gaming magazine. And you may right, you them words of encouragement when don't get
may have all the answers and will give your kid the past the first level for the 15th time. It is very
solid foundation to truly appreciate the classic important to make it fun and nothing ruins an
games and the impact they had on the market (and experience than an impatient and frustrated
still have on today's games). If so, then move onto parent. Don't worry, they will figure it out.
another article and ignore this altogether. For the As they grow older and begin to play newer
rest of you, there is one very important thing to keep games (it’s going to happen, so just get used to
in mind when teaching your kids about classic video it), you can give them little lessons on classic
games. Anyone who guessed “how to play forever games have influenced new games. You can
on Pac-Man,” grab a dunce cap and go to the back show them how a side scrolling platform game
of the class. If you answered “a route of all the best can be traced back to Pitfall or how that fancy
thrift stores,” then you also need to get to the back of galaxy hopping game has roots in Star Raiders.
the class. The answer is “not to belittle the new This way they can enjoy the games of today
games and systems.” Nothing will turn your child off not cream them as you may discourage them at a and still have an appreciation for the role that
classic games quicker than by telling him/her how very early age. Once they get the idea of how to classic games played in the development of the
much better they are than the new systems. Re- play, let them win once in a while. Just don't make it industry and how they still influence the games
member that they are going to have friends and look too fake; kids are a lot smarter than you think. of today. This way your kid can enjoy the clas-
most likely these friends will have new systems. Do Once they graduate from Pong University, they sics with you and not be mocked by his friends.
you want your child to become the laughing stock by are ready for the next level. Other good games for Who knows, he may even convert a few of his
telling these kids how much better games on the the preschool set are games like Pac-Man, Space friends into classic game fans!
Atari are than the latest system? Sure you may Invaders, and just about any other game that is sim-
think so and your child may too, but I highly doubt ple. The best thing to keep in mind is the less they
his/her friends will. So don't force this mindset on have to do, the better off they will be. Pac-Man is

Equal Time:
Equal Time:
A Reader’s Response to Last Issue’s
A Reader’s Response to Last Issue’s
Damien Quicksilver’s SNES Article
Damien Quicksilver’s SNES Article

Defending the SNES
by Ed Emmerling

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is often criticized for its lack of great games and inferiority in comparison to its rival, the Sega Genesis. Over the
past 4 years the SNES has slowly become one of the most misunderstood and under appreciated systems this side of the Turbo 16. Nintendo and others pro-
duced quality SNES titles throughout the system’s lifespan, and I often found myself saying that there wasn’t a bad game in the library. Naturally, reality and a few
hours with Bill Lambier’s Combat Basketball convinced me that this was definitely not true. While definitely displaying more than a few duds, the SNES could
proudly boast quality titles in every genre of gaming.
Super Mario World could be the best version of Mario to date. It had the re-playability that Mario 64 lacked. It had incredible depth, which Mario 2 lacked. The
graphics were light years ahead of the NES, and the number of objects on the screen seemed limitless. The original Super Mario and Super Mario 3 could argua-
bly be considered better, but the lack of a save mode in Mario 3 and the simplicity of the original put both slightly behind Super Mario World in my book.
Another classic early title was Pilot Wings. While the early training missions were simple, playing all the way through was very difficult. The tasks got to the point of
near impossibility, and in order to defeat the game, you had to develop a certain level of skill, accompanied with a generous dose of good luck. The two helicopter
missions were certainly a worthwhile bonus for completing the training sessions.
Two other great first generation titles were SimCity and Super Tennis. While SimCity was not nearly as good as its PC counterpart, it did provide a nice diver-
sion and a new genre of game for the home console. It also spawned ports of everything from Sim Earth to Sim Ant in the SNES’s lifetime. Super Tennis provided
a great tennis game that was not bested for look and feel until Sega’s Virtua Tennis came out last year.
Later titles that belong among some of the all time best include Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past, which was incredible in both the size of the game and the
quality of the graphics and gameplay; Donkey Kong Country, which was not only mind blowing in its graphics, but also provided mini-games and an amazing plat-
former.
A great 2 player game to note is Faceball 2000, which was one of the earliest split screen battle games on a home console. There was no better feeling than
seeing the back of your opponent’s big yellow head in your sites, and no worse feeling than slowly turning around into a giant smiling face about to blast you to
pieces. Super Mario Kart, which provided 2 player split screen fun that was revolutionary in its time is still fun today. Also, Tetris/Dr. Mario is another great 2 player
game. In addition to the above, some very good RPG’s such as FFIII, Super Mario RPG, and Chrono Trigger were all there on the SNES. Also great fighters such
as Killer Instinct, the Street Fighter Series and Mortal Kombat II and III were all available for the SNES.
Some interesting imports you may want to check out if you’re into the emulation scene are High School Soccer, Super Mario Excitebike, and several Dragon
Ball Z games. Other games that deserve at least a mention include Harvest Moon, Star Fox, and Hal's Hole in One Golf (an early title that was very addictive if not
very deep).
While its early library lacked the depth of Genesis and several titles were better on the Genesis (most notably NHL ‘93 and Mortal Kombat), the SNES definitely
proved to be the system with the most staying power. If you are looking for a system that can deliver great games in every genre from fighting to sims, you need
look no further than the SNES.
Classic Gamer Magazine Spring 2001 18