The Video Game Critic

I was wondering what y'all considered the BEST TIME in your gaming history?...when you had the MOST fun with games? Not how good the graphics or anything were, WHICH SYSTEM(s) gave you the most fun, so much so that you played hours on your end?!

For me it is a tie between COLECOVISION (1982) and NES (1985).
Yes, Genesis was a better system, but I spent the most time plaing games on CV and NES...although at the time I had my NES I ALSO had a Coleco ADAM and a C=>64 eventually replaced by an AMIGA, so I spent a LOT of time then betwen PLAYING games and CREATING them, first in Basic, then with game construction sets. The mid-80's were the peak for me!-oh, yes, I got an SMS too, but soon sold it as I just couldn't afford that many machines eating up software!

The best era is now. In 2007 I can go to eBay and find any game or game system under the sun from any era and have it delivered right to my door. I can emulate Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, Super NES, etc. all on my computer. I can go to a thrift store and find that someone has donated their old past-gen collection and Goodwill sells it back to me at about $2 a game. I can play games on a little battery powered thing that fits in my pocket. And if I was feeling lucky, I could go buy some high-definition next gen system that would make the head of anyone from some past technological era explode. I'm fine and content without that last aforementioned perk, though.

The best era is now.

 

Not to be totally lame and out-logic your post topic, but I enjoy 8bit games now just as much as I used to, so I still have the 7800, Genesis, etc hooked up... and now I have PS2, Xbox, Gamecube too. So it is more fun now because there are more types of games with all sorts of looks & gameplay styles going back 25+ years.

 

This week, while I was sick I played Scrapyard Dog (7800) Pac Man Collection (7800) Timesplitters Future Perfect (GC) God of War (PS2) robotfindskitten (7800) Beef Drop (7800) Bully (PS2) Madden 07 (GC)

 

It's good to be the king!
Cousin Vinnie

Well, guys, I suppose the emulation and easy aquisition of stuff is nice, but to me the 80's were better because the chance to EXPERIENCE a "high-tec" coin-op, or see the wonders of an arcade quality Colecovision game on my TV, ... those times were just magical to me. And the NES created a whole new way to play, Super Mario and action-adventures that captured your mind for days. I still remember WALKING two miles from the store to home, CARRYING the big NES set with robot (plus ICE CLIMBER)...IN THE RAIN! - I know you've heard this from your parents but really, sometimes stuff seems greater when you have to work harder at it.

I'm not saying their are not plusses to being alive now (I'm trying hard to keep it that way!) ; just that , for me, the MAGICAL times were the early and mid 80's!

[QUOTE=Alienblue]I'm not saying their are not plusses to being alive now (I'm trying hard to keep it that way!) ; just that , for me, the MAGICAL times were the early and mid 80's![/QUOTE]

The '80s were my time too.  I think that's just because I grew up in them though.  There's a certain built in nostalgia to any time period that you were allowed to be a kid in.

I think the 80's were the most fun, due the sheer wonderment of seeing games evolve before your eyes.  It seems like every month a new concept was being introduced.

In terms of value for the money however, the time is now.  Now only are games extremely cheap, but you get a lot of game for your money.  Still, gamers of today are jaded and it's harder to get excited.

[QUOTE=Alienblue]I was wondering what y'all considered the BEST TIME in your gaming history?...when you had the MOST fun with games? Not how good the graphics or anything were, WHICH SYSTEM(s) gave you the most fun, so much so that you played hours on your end?!
[/QUOTE]

Using this criteria, I would have to say the years between 1984-1987 were my best personal gaming years.  My parents finally gave in and bought a C64 in late 1983, and by early to mid 1984 I had finally collected a small group of friends who also had C64's and the game swapping began in earnest.  The next 3 years or so was a "perfect storm" of new and interesting video games coming out on a monthly basis, being able to get most of them for free (constant 'game-swap' parties every weekend), having a cutting-edge system, and actually having hours a day to indulge in gaming since I was living at home and had virtually zero responsibility outside of school.  Since I graduated high school and started working full time in 1987, I simply haven't had the time to game like I used to - work, relationships, kids, life in general just doesn't allow me more than a few measly hours a month here and there to do any gaming.  I can remember getting Ultima 3 for my birthday and playing it for 16 hours straight.  I finally went to bed at 6:00 a.m., slept for 3 hours (had a dream that I was playing the game), and got back up at 9:00 a.m. for another 12 hour go at it.  I'm sure I won't experience that kind of excitement and wonderment with a videogame ever again in my lifetime.
 The systems are obviously technically better these days but that doesn't help me enjoy them for hours on end like I used to be able to. 
Sudz

[QUOTE=hi there]

The best era was the beginning of the atari 2600 (1977) to the end of the N64 (2001). After that, i didn't find any new games that were worth playing.

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i think this is true. the best era was the cartridge-era. this was something unique. from those odd vcs carts to the rounded n64 ones - now everything looks the same: movies, games, software ... kind of boring! although i liked the mini dvds for the gamecube.

I would second some of the opinions that the time is now. We are in a golden age for this particular industry.

 

Obviously, like any other person, I do have affinity for the mid 80's to mid 90's. My personal favorite would be what I refer to as the "Street Fighter II era." Just a fun time to be a kid. I was fortunate to be just barely old enough to experience arcades when they still mattered in America.

 

-Rob