With all of the video games that are created and played, and with all of the graphics and controls, how is it possible to go back to the basics? Sometimes, it is all about the memories of the game. But at the beginning of January, it was a lot more than that.
During the week of January 8-12, I had the honor of going to the CES in Las Vegas. I gotta tell you, there was a lot of stuff there. I’m still trying to process it. But during the off time, I got to go to the Pinball Hall of Fame. For those who have never been there, this place is awesome. 90% of the games that they have there are pinball. And that’s not such a bad thing. But for what they have in regards to the video games, was just enough to spark that memory.
As you walk in the main entrance, there is one row that has some of the older games including one sit down game created by Sega. It is a completely vector graphic game, but it is still awesome for the times. Star Trek was the perfect and only game that made you feel like Captain Kirk, minus the weird acting. The general premise of the game was pretty easy.
You fly the Enterprise around shooting at Klingons and Romulans and docking into space stations. While doing this, you can warp, fire torpedoes and protons and thrust. These buttons were on the right side. On the left was the steering or the wheel knob. The average game for this lasts about 4-5 minutes if you are somewhat good. But it is still a lot of fun.
For the weirdest reason though, when I was younger, the only way that I was able to play this was when I went to Arizona and the airport arcade. That was the only place that I saw it. And when I did, I clearly remember the memories of the game. The voice over for the game was very similar to the voice over concept in Star Wars. Brief but memorable. I think that’s why I loved this game so much. There is one level that is against a probe type of vessel. I always get my but kicked there, but I am still enjoying the game.
Flat out, if I had to choose between Star Wars and Star Trek, sorry Kirk, I will always be faithful to Star Wars. There is too much technical stuff to keep track of. But when it comes to playing the games, it’s a flat out tie as to what I really love playing the most. Guess I’ll have to go to the other side where the Star Wars game is and…..
Keep Calm and Insert Coin!
Brad has been a die hard arcade fan ever since he can remember. From the first time he played Space Invaders, to the first time he played Pacman, Brad has always had a love for video games. Hanging out at either the Great American Fun Factory in the mall, or spending the night in front of the glowing games at the local roller rink, he was always thinking about when he can spend the next quarter. He also worked at Babbages, which is now GameStop, for over six years. Mostly because they had a really sweet checkout policy on new products and great discounts. But since he had the Atari 2600, he has never looked back and owned some of the greatest home machines, NES, SNES, GENESIS, Turbo Graphix 16, GameBoy, Game Gear, Lynx, Playsation 1,2,3,4 and Vita, XBOX, Gamecube, and N64...just to name a few. Brad is also a reviewer for Mobile Beat Magazine as well as a freelance videographer, part time disc jockey, performing artist and photographer. But has a true love is for video games and Star Wars, as he is a member of the 501st Central Garrison. His ultimate dream is to own a fully working pinball machine and arcade machine. Difficult to say which one, but a Star Wars one would be nice start.
