History – An Important Subject

I recently discovered an app in facebook that connects to NES Cafe, which is a site that emulates the old Nintendo Entertainment System. Not only that it has virtually every game ever made for the system. Thus, I have discovered over 1000 ways to take a trip down video game memory lane…and, I am taking my son with me. It is somehow fitting since these games roughly correspond to my musical nostalgia posting of the past few weeks.

So, in the name of education–in particular History (of Video Games)–Jonah and I have been playing every iteration of Mario (Super, Brothers, Dr., vs. Luigi, you name it), Punch Out, Excitebike, and a bunch of games I never played. I am floored at how terrible the graphics and controls are–especially compared to what is out there today. I remember this stuff being cutting edge in 1990. That is probably a trite observation, but I remember that to us this stuff was 1000% beyond the Ataris and Intellivsions of eight years prior. My son can’t distinguish between any discernible differences in quality between the two eras. Oh well, the perils of aging.

Extra credit for whoever can identify all 3 games pictured here.