I was going to post a non-Nintendo video game memory today, but since Nintendo released images of their new console today, I think I will recount a Nintendo-related memory.

A quick but important note needs to be made on my history with Nintendo consoles. The first one I had, like many video gamers my age, was the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Sure, we had computers in our house before that, but it was my first console, and it was mine. I was given the Deluxe Set, which included the “Zapper” light gun (the original grey version, not the later-released orangey-red version) and R.O.B. the “Robotic Operating Buddy” (and there’s not much good information on R.O.B. on the web, surprisingly).

I remember reading an EGM “1990 Buyer’s Guide to Video Games” over, and over, and over, which had a comparison on upcoming consoles (most of which never came to Australia), including the Megadrive (which I’ve covered recently) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), which blew me away. The Super Mario World article had me enthralled with the possibilities of the SNES; the amazing graphics, Mario with a cape! Incredible!

Again, Dad decided to pony up the money for me to get another video game console. I think he was almost as excited as I was when getting a new console, even though he barely ever played them. My memory’s a little hazy on this one, but I believe I picked up the console on it’s release day. I still have the unit (and the Megadrive, though I sold the NES to Stephan for what was probably too much money, or too little; I loved that unit). I do remember taking the bus (again) to Myer, picking up the SNES for around $350 — bargain! — and taking the V-Line train home at around 7:30 at night.

So, onto the real “memory”, then:

I’m going to talk about on of my favourite games ever, Legenda of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I had played through the brilliant Legend of Zelda on my NES, and owned it’s sequel Adventures of Link. The sequel was no way near as good as the original, though it was still an enjoyable (and far, far more challenging) game. When I saw there was a new “Zelda” game coming, I could barely contain my excitement. Given that I didn’t have a lot of money of at the time I was heavily into renting games from the local video store. A Link To The Past blew me away from the outset. It was just like the original, but the graphics were better, you could do more stuff and the story was much more engaging.

The first few minutes of the game grabbed me by the shoulders and didn’t let go. The beginning of the game has Link’s father rushing out of the house during a huge storm, wielding a sword and shield. Being the curious child, Link jumps out of bed (would’ve been a short game if he didn’t) and give chase. Shortly after, Link sneaks into a castle, watches his father die, picks up the sword and shield and carries on his father’s quest.

Even though I didn’t manage to finish the game the first time I rented it, I tried again and again. Sometimes I’d rent the game a few weeks after returning it to find my save games still on the cartridge! Finally, I managed to cross over into the game’s “dark world”, which is around 3/4 of the way through the game. That rental period, I managed to finish it.

Of course, that didn’t stop me from renting the game a number of times even though I’d finished it. Occasionally, when the nostalgia bug hits me, I’ll play the game on my Xbox via an emulator. It’s not lost any of it’s original charm.

All of this nicely segues into me linking to the new trailer for the new Zelda game: Twilight Princess. From what I’ve heard, Twilight Princess is a manga adaptation of the 80s film Ladyhawke. In the new game, Link turns into a wolf, though details have not yet been released. Now is the time for me to finally finish Ocarina of Time!