The Nintendo Entertainment System's 25th Year Anniversary

I have been playing video games since the Atari days back in the early 80s. It was really fun to play with especially with the joystick and that lone red trigger button. Around late 1980s, I received a Nintendo Family Computer (NES or Nintendo Entertainment System in the U.S.) as a gift and my gaming experience changed from then on. It became a part of my life as a gamer and up to now, I still remember the times when I had so much fun playing NES games for hours.

Even up to now, NES games are so much fun and sometimes more challenging because of the limitations of its technology. I've had some very interesting experiences that I know you can relate to especially if you've played one of these NES/Famicom systems before.

My first game was, of course, Super Mario Brothers. I will probably never forget the melody of world 1-1. I remember finishing it a couple of times then we started to buy more and more games. The cartridges were starting to pile up. I got even confused before since I saw that NES cartridges do not look similar to the Famicom cartridges but they are the same game. However, sometimes they're in a different language. The one in the picture is my sister's. It's a compilation of Japanese games and this one's a sample of what Famicom cartridges usually look like.

There are a lot of notable games during the NES/Famicom era. Super Mario Brothers has to be the best and it remains a legend to this day. There's the Megaman series. These were among the most expensive games back then. I remember begging for Megaman 3 but it took a while before my parents bought me the game because it was quite pricey. We have the Legend of Zelda in the RPG genre. There's Double Dribble and Punch Out for sports and Contra for the platform.

Of course, if you've had a NES or a Family Computer, you probably have blown into the cartridge trying to make a game work. When you push the power on, you often see garbled pictures and blowing into the cartridge and putting it back in would usually fix the problem. Aside from that, remember the video port that looks like a hook that you connect to the back of your television? I sometimes yank it to make it work.

When I was a kid, my parents would always limit my playing time for about an hour a day and I have to finish all my homework before they would allow me to play. During weekends, the playing time is longer though. I remember my dad and I used to play 2 player games such as Battle City. But when I was just playing alone, I usually played the Megaman series again and again. I also did something unique. When I was still young, every 8 pm on December 31^st each year, I play 1942 and finish it while waiting for New Year's Eve. I really miss those days.

Looking back at that era, I now notice that the games were a little bit harder. Well, that's probably because of the technology at that time and that's what I have experienced personally. When it comes to interaction and the AI, it's really limited but don't get me wrong. Playing on the NES/Famicom is really fun. It's just too bad that our Nintendo Famicom was thrown out because of the termites. If I ever get a chance to play with a NES or a Famicom, I wouldn't hesitate. Not one bit.