"My 8-bit Universe" : a.k.a My Best Family Computer Games!

I caught my cousin playing Fatal Frame one day on his X-Box. He says its the best game ever (next to the EA Sports NBA series, according to him). Of course I had to agree. The graphics were excellent, Its as if actors were playing the game's characters. They looked real. The ball playing and the boxing games feel like your watching the NBA or watching at Caesar's Palace...only you're the one moving the guys. I couldn't help but recall where my cousin and I started out when we were kids. We were in front of a black and white TV all day during the summer...playing Double Dragon!!

Before PS 2 and X-box, before Dreamcast and Playstation, HECK! even before the SEGA Saturn, there was the small red and white console in every home called the Family Computer. Every kid had it. No question. We weren't rich, but we had it. It cost around P2,000 or so at that time, a lot for a 10 yeasr old back in 1989. But our Tito Ed bought us our own and we loved him for it.
We all have our favorite games, here are mine.

PACMAN. Although originally released for play on the original
Atari console. You can't NOT hate this game. Probably
everyone's introduction to computer games. Hindi pa rin siya
nakakasawa.

YIE-AR KUNG FU. This is the only screenshot I could steal
off the net. I like it because it is basic. a-punch, b-
kick. up arrow-jump, down arrow-duck...easy. you dont need
to be specially fast to beat the enemy. Something a gaming
doofus like me would enjoy playing.

DOUBLE DRAGON. I remember cussing in front of the TV after
getting beaten in this game. Pagagalitan ako ni Mama
afterwards. When my uncle bought this game, i had my exams
the morning after. I could not concentrate. I couldn't wait
to get home to play Double Dragon. I remember playing all
day after school, not thinking of my Science exam the next
day. My mama had to pry my hands away from the joystick with
a crowbar to keep me from playing this game.
The graphics were way cooler in this game compared to the
other games during its time. There were many stages, and I
love fighting Abobo!

ROCKMAN. This game will forever remain the greatest 8-bit
game of all time, second only to Mario Brothers. I remember
being obsessed with this game. I told you that I suck at
video games, I have to confess, I NEVER finished it. My
cousin Blue was the KING of Rockman. It would only take days
of after-school play for him to beat Cut man, Elec Man and
Clash Man and eventually get to Dr. Wily. He did the same w
ith Rockman 2. I could spend a whole day just watching
someone play this game and finish it.

SUPER MARIO BROS..What "The Godfather" is to movies. "Super
Mario Brothers" is to video games. Nobody would have gone
through a normal childhood in the late 80's if he did not
play Super Mario. If I'm not mistaken, the concept of
putting sub stages within stages was introduced in this game.
This was also the pioneer of the secret path to stage
selection. If this does not bring back memories of your
childhood, nothing will. The mere intro "Tenen-ten, te-nen,
ten!" is enough to bring tears to my eyes....Y_Y

THE GOONIES. Although the game was very far off from the
original movie story, this has got to be the best developed
video game adaptation of a popular hollywood movie at that
time. We all know that the bottom line for any video games'
success is its playability, regardless of it's movie or TV
franchise. I have to say, even experts find this game tough.
Primarily because of its tremendous stages. My fingers got
tired just making that boy walk around!

GALAGA. Classic. Simple. It may be one of the most primitive of the games here, but who doesn't love it? The principles are simple. Shoot them all before they get down to earth while dodging away from their "Bug lasers". I see people in the office playing this game and pac man over the internet. Usually its the older guys like the Manager.

DIG DUG. Who didn't have that 500 in 1 game cartridge when they first came out? Now you can see these games strategically imbedded in cheap VCD players sold in Greenhills, but back then, you had a great deal whan you had "500 in one". This was usually a staple in those cartridges. I never played this game. I thought it sucked. But whenever anyone opens the topic of Nintendo or Family Computer, this somehow pops into my head first.

SUPER CONTRA. If you didn't like this game, BAKLA KA! Simple as that!

I had this fantasy that they would make amovie out of this game starring Sylvester Stallone as the guy in blue and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the guy in purple. I guess everyone else had the same idea, huh? Comments Please!

POOYAN. My brothers ans sister will not forgive me if i did not include this game. Although this is more of my siblings' favorite, it brings back a lot of memories from when we still had a small black and white tv to play all our games in. My brother Jon even made a "Pooyan dance". I'd show you how it goes but you'd ask me to stop doing it midway.