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Welcome to the second collaboration post for OJN. This is a really exciting post that will not only give some insight to our individual backgrounds in gaming, but also introduce our new guest blogger. Tonight’s topic is classic gaming. Sit back, relax, and enjoy. This is bound to be a good read.
First thing first, we are Introducing our newest guest blogger Loli-chan! With a background in gaming and also well versed in things of “Otaku” nature, we’re sure she will bring fresh insight into all aspects of the OJN!
So for our first question, which was submitted by Lokita, “What console was the foundation of gaming for you?"
Ranzignus - I believe my journey started way back when on the original Nintendo. I was only 2 years old when i sat down with my mom and played Super Mario Bros and Dr.Mario. Indeed simple times they were.
Draco - Much like Ranz, I started out on the NES. I was about 5 or 6 and had only played with action figures. One Christmas, my dad slid me a box and inside was a NES bundled with Super Mario Bros and Duckhunt. After playing for hours of Mario, my parents then got me Batman Return of The Joker. This was probably one of the hardest games that I can remember playing in my childhood. So yea….the NES was where I began, and what a glorious beginning it was.
Lokita - I started with the NES much like Ranz and Draco. My dad is also a huge gamer and wouldn't let me play for the longest time. Then finally when I was around 4 he let me play Super Mario Bros. and I was hooked. Thanks Dad.
Yours Truly - The one console that started it all was by far The Sega Genesis. I remember that one Christmas where me and my sister got one. I was around 3-4 years old and I remember looking at the box. I didn't know what it was or anything, I was just plainly confused but I didn't realize that moment would actually change my life forever as a person. Some time later I remember playing Sonic The hedgehog and The Lion King, and those were by far some of my first real gaming experiences. Even though I didn’t see it back then, I didn't realize how consumed I was by video games and how I was drawn naturally to them.
Loli-Chan - My gaming adventure began when I was 5 years old and I was simply helping my older brother try to get pass a level on sonic the hedgehog 2 on the Sega Genesis. He thought the lava stage was unbeatable and died like 20 times. So after restarting the game, not only did I get him pass that part I also ended up beating the game for him. Simple yet fun times
"What is your favorite classic console?"
R - I guess i would say that my favorite “classic” would be the game boy color. So many fond memories in the car...At least when i was daylight. So many games on that one little handheld.Not to mention it was backwards compatible so all the games i had on my gameboy still worked perfectly! Only problem i had with that thing was the batteries. Being a kid and all i could only afford to go to the dollar store and spend what little i had on the “cheap” AA batteries.When that red light would dim it would be chaos to find some new ones. 
D - Making me pick a favorite is pretty tough, but I would have to say the Playstation. In my eyes, it was a true game changer. I literally went from flat 2D gaming to early 3D gaming. I know that this was not exactly a new concept at the time, but they just did it so right. Going from a SNES to PS was a huge leap forward. This started a love for the quality that the PS brand carries. Not to mention that many of the greatest games of the late 90’s and early 2000’s were on the PS.
L - It’s really hard for me to pick one. I loved the SNES, Sega Genesis, the original Playstation, Nintendo 64 and the first Xbox. But I have to pick one, and I am going to have to say the original Game Boy. I put in some time on that bad boy. I remember riding the trains and buses just passing the time with it. It was big, grey and ugly but it kept me entertained. Tetris, Dr. Mario, Wario and yes I even played Pokemon Red and Blue on there. Just like Ranz, I also had the battery issue. Finding four AA batteries around the house was a pain, I used to go to the discount store and buy the cheap ones which lasted maybe a day. It didn't stop me from gaming though.
YT - Oh man, this is a hard question for me honestly haha. Even though I freaking ADORE The Playstation I have to again give it up to The Sega Genesis. I can’t express enough how much I love the Sega, like seriously. Even though I had TONS of fun and memorable times with the PS1, the Sega has the ultimate nostalgia factor for me. That and the fact that the best Sonic games were on the Sega. Everything about the classic Sonic games captures my heart again and again, even down to the sound effects. There is truly nothing like it. That and there were plenty of games that you just don’t see after that 2D era. Just the feel of games back in those times were completely memorial and different, unless my rose colored glasses is taking more effect than it should haha. Even though all the games I played wasn't perfect and some downright bad, each of them hold some pretty awesome memories. 
LC - Picking a favorite is kind of hard since I love the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, and Playstation. Sadly, I can only pick one and even though the Playstation had great graphics, however I’m going to have to say my favorite classic console is Super Nintendo. I have a lot of amazing memories when it comes to it. I was very competitive with my older brother when it came to games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter but I also enjoyed playing random games by myself like Mario, Yoshi Island, and F-Zero. Even though the games on the Super Nintendo could never compete with the games of today graphics wise, they will always hold a special place in my heart.
Next up from Loli-Chan: “What classic game gives you the fondest memories”
R- Out of all the games i played throughout the years the are 3 that just have that special place in my heart. The 1st being “Secret of Mana”, A SNES game from the mid days of the system’s prime. This game is one that me and a friend of mine spent hours just playing and poking fun at the game’s AI response,sadly not many people know of how awesome this game is. 2nd being “Mario Party” on the Nintendo 64. Who didn't play this game and have fun?! Me and two other of my close friends spent hours eating junk and playing this game. Number 3 is finally “007-Goldeneye” also for the N64. Yet another game that could be played for hours and even to this day i would love to go have a couple matches…”slappers-only”.
YT- Again, Sonic takes the lead, see what I did there? I feel like I’m a closeted hard core Sonic fanatic, I really do... Anyway, the classic sonic games were my fondest memories. I remember tapping away at the controller time and time again in each Sonic game, finding secrets, taking different passageways, getting all the chaos emeralds and even listening to my favorite stage music. Seriously, I remember in Sonic 3 I would play the whole game just to hear the Sky Sanctuary theme, it’s one of my all time favorite tracks from the classic Sonic games.
Even when I got older the appeal never left. Even to this day I can have as much fun playing Sonic than I did when I was 8 years old. The games are timeless and I think that’s why I love them so much. They’re still fun and exciting where video games grew way bigger than anyone could've imagined these days. I can guarantee you I’ll be one of those disgruntled old people that smacks the kid with her cane telling her about the “good old days,” and how Sonic basically broke new ground for the video game industry.
L- I cannot just pick one, that is simply impossible. First off I have to say both Mortal Kombat 3 and Mortal Kombat Trilogy both share a special area in my gaming heart. My brother and I used to go at it on them. Played for hours trying to kick each other’s asses and then rubbing it in each other’s faces. Ah I miss those days. Another game I have to say was Crash Team Racing on the Playstation. If you had a Playstation and didn’t play this game with friends, shame on you lol. My whole family would get into this game, trash talking, people complaining that they lost, we all had a favorite character and no one else can pick them. The last game I will say is Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64, another game my family would be a part of. People used to go crazy over the Golden Gun, one shot kills. Simple multiplayer gaming.
LC - My fondest memories come from two games. Picking one over the other is really hard. The first one which will forever hold a special place in my heart is Mortal Kombat 2. I used to play for hours trying to get better and better at it so I could not only beat my older brother but also defeat all of my friends. I was very competitive when it came to Mortal Kombat because it was one of those games where all my male friends swore that girls were no good at. So once I played it repeatedly for over a month and challenged them again it felt great to beat them at their own game. And the second game that I have the fondest memories with is Sonic the hedgehog 2. This was not only the first game I ever played but the first game I ever beat.
Ranzignus: "if you could update a classic game to modern times what game would it be? (provided its not already made)"
D - Another tough one lol. To make things interesting, I would go with Gundam Wing Endless Duel. This was one of the first Gundam fighting games that I played, and felt a lot like Street Fighter. It was a solid game with fluid gameplay. I would love to see this updated with a bigger roster and newer graphics.
R- As much as i dislike Gundam as a series,i agree with Draco on that even though it wouldn’t be a top pick for me. My number one choice would have to be a unicycle racing game that probably no one has heard of on the SNES...Uniracers. I think that game would have so much clout nowdays especially with a fresh coat of HD paint and the fact a normal controller has more buttons than they used to have. As long as the 1080p doesn’t give anyone a epileptic seizure
L- Might be weird but when I first read this question, Gex on the Playstation popped into my head. That damn Gecko was such a smart ass but it made the game fun. The game was very simple, easy to play. If the right developer picks it up, add some new punch lines and some better collectibles (damn remotes), I would probably pick up the game if a new one came out.
To see this game upgraded into the HD 3D world would be mind boggling. The effects, animations and just the massive possibilities that you couldn’t add to the original would be awesome to see.
LC - This is a really tough question since most of the games that I would update to “modern times” already have been done. The game that I would like to see would be Crash Bandicoot 1 and 2. Crash Bandicoot was my all time favorite game on the Playstation. The storyline was great and the gameplay was awesome. I would love to see these game with newer graphics.
Yours Truly: "Which classic video game character do you relate to the most."
D - Hmmm good question. Well….at the risk of embarrassing myself a bit, I blame Sonic for a short lived chili dog addiction lol. He was such a cool character, so as a kid I really looked up to him. Believe it or not, I was a pretty skinny and energetic kid, so I loved to run around pretending to be as fast as him. I think that the theme song from the ABC Sonic Saturday morning cartoon is still one of my favorite cartoon themes to date. Sonic was a hero with an attitude and I really found him relatable. Not only that, but he was actually the subject of many of my earlier drawings. I still remember the magazine article about him that had this one awesome picture. It was from there that I perfected my Sonic drawings. Good times….good times...lol. 
YT - I have to follow Draco and say Sonic as well. If you read my last guest post about my first anime crush, you know how much this guy means to me. I won’t go into a super long story but throughout my life Sonic has constantly inspired me in such subtle ways. The most prevalent however is being out there, confident and just yourself. Honestly, it’s hard to explain since again, this type of inspiration has been subtle, but the overall message I’ve gotten is that: you have to be yourself. You have to go down your own road and you can’t give a damn what people have to say about it. Quite frankly, those opinions don’t matter in life. Which makes sense because for the longest time all I saw was Sonic not giving a damn what anyone thought of him, and that’s pretty ef’n awesome.
L - I really had to sit and think about this, I usually don’t relate to gaming characters, I enjoy the experience of the game and what each character has to offer. One character did stand out though, and it is Samus Aran. There aren’t many female protagonists in video games, Samus is one of the first. Her character proved that females can have a awesome power suit and own enemies just as well as males. From the initial shock gamers had with the first Metroid game when it was revealed that Samus was female to the popularity she still has to this day proves that what you experience matters, not gender. Women have been busting their asses and proving themselves for years that we can compete with men and we are a little more awesome. I don’t think that I relate to her personally as much as other people relate themselves to gaming characters, I like how she broke videogame barriers similar to women breaking barriers against them to become successful on a regular basis.
LC - After sitting and thinking really hard about this, I find myself unable to relate to any character from any of the games I’ve played over the years.
R- Hmm,i would have to put my vote in for Pokemon Trainer...or red...or ash...whatever you want him to be named on the original pokemon games. The thing about him is that during the adventure you project yourself onto that character. How you feel about your pokemon,The way you go about battling,and other things. While playing any pokemon game really,i can see myself in the player character’s shoes battling to become the best. Its fun to do and best of all you can wipe clean and start over with a new mindset every time.
