Video Games From My Childhood

Inspired by the International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club’s Round 20 theme, Retro Video Games, I thought I would write a blog post about video games that I played during my childhood.

We owned a Nintendo 64 and PlayStation when I was growing up. I have lots of fond memories playing games on both of those consoles, solo and with my parents / friends.

Nintendo 64: Mario Kart 64 / Pokemon Stadium / Pokemon Snap

I would say these were my top three games on the Nintendo 64. I spent hours playing these games. I remember when I had chickenpox pretty badly, my mum laid a mattress on the lounge room’s floor, and we played Mario Kart 64 (1996) for days. When I was younger, I always chose Yoshi, but then it changed to DK, and now my favourite is Wario!

Pokemon Stadium (2000) was a game I played with with my mum a lot, too. However, rather than battling Pokemon, we actually preferred the mini-games in the Kids Club. I was the best at Dig! Dig! Dig! and Rock Harden, but my mum was the best at Snore War and Ekans’ Hoop Hurl.

As for Pokemon Snap (2000), I played that game through to the end numerous times. I loved going to the different worlds, trying to get the best pictures of each Pokemon, so that I could get more points!

Special mentions: Lylat Wars aka Starfox 64 (1997), Super Mario 64 (1996), and Mario Party (1999).

PlayStation: Crash Bandicoot / Disney’s The Little Mermaid II / Spyro / NHL 2000

Disney’s The Little Mermaid II (2000) was a big favourite of mine! Like Pokemon Snap, I played it through numerous times. I preferred the first half of the game where you played as Ariel, but I still enjoyed the latter half where you played as her daughter, Melody, but just not as much.

I don’t remember playing the first Crash Bandicoot, but I do remember playing Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (1997) and Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998). My dad and I played them together. We would take turns, so when I died, he would take over, and vice versa. We also played Crash Team Racing (1999) and Crash Bash (2000) together. The other game I played with my dad was NHL 2000 (1999), an ice hockey game. I remember that we both thought that the intro was really cool.

As for Spryo, the game I played the most out of the series was the third installment, Year of the Dragon (2000). I loved the skateboarding sections, along with chasing the egg thieves.

Special mentions: Spice World (1998) and International Superstar Soccer Pro (1997).

When I was a kid, I didn’t just game on consoles, but on the PC, as well. Three games that I remember fondly were made by Humongous Entertainment. They were adventure and puzzle games made for children.

Two of them were from the Freddi Fish series, The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell (1998) and The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch (1999). You played a fish called Freddi, who took it upon herself to investigate crimes with her best friend, Luther.

Another game that I loved, made by the same delevopers, was Putt-Putt Travels Through Time (1997). You played a purple convertible called Putt-Putt that must travel through various time periods (Age of the Dinosaurs, Medieval times, the Old West, and the Future) to find his lost homework, among other items, and his dog, Pep.3D Movie Maker (1995) is another highlight from my childhood years of gaming. Basically, you were able to place 3D characters into pre-made environments, add actions, sound effects, music, text, speech, and special effects. Once you were finished, you then just sat back and watched your masterpiece!

Now, we’re going to talk about a game that is still one of my favourite games to this day! That game is Little Big Adventure 2 (1997).

The land of Twinsun is invaded by an alien race called the Esmers; they capture Twinsun’s children and seek to capture Twinsun’s wizards, as well. You play the hero, Twinsen, and obviously, he’s not going to allow the Esmers to get away with this! LBA 2 is one of the most charming games I have ever played. I love the characters and the world. If you have not played it, and are a fan of action-adventure games, this is a must play!

Special mentions: The Sims and Mind Grind.

So, that’s that! Those were some of my childhood gaming highlights. If you played and loved any of the games I have mentioned, please leave a comment, and let’s reminisce together! Also, if your childhood gaming highlights are different from mine, please share, because I would be interested in hearing about them.