| d21lewis said: As a kid, I loved Nintendo. The Nes was my world and I was happy. The Master System was out but it had no impact on my life. Then it happened. "Genesis does what Nintendon't." That was an attack equal to Pearl Harbor! I knew what hate was. My cousin Damien and I were the biggest Sega Bashers the world had ever known. Without even playing the Genesis, we made statements like "Mario can run faster than Sonic the Hedgehog" while playing Mario 3. The Super Nes released. We sent Fan Art to EGM of Mario in his Go Kart chasing after a scared Sonic. -Mario stating, "Blast Processing can't save you now!" Nothing could stop us. One day, my new neighbor and I traded consoles for a day. I loaned him my Snes with Mario, Street Fighter, and Starfox. He loaned me his Genesis with NBA Jam, Streets of Rage 2, and Sonic 2. The next day, he brought my console back. I had a blast with those games and I was actually a little sad to see them go. I still wouldn't admit that the Genesis was a good console. This went on for years. I'd cream my pants when the Snes version of Super Street Fighter would get a 98% and the Genesis version would get a 96% (PSM Magazine). I'd smile when Sega's attempts at upgrading would fail. I felt like I won. But, I didn't win. I denied myself a lot of great games when they were still fresh and new. I didn't actually buy a Genesis until around the year 2001. The system that ended my bias was the PS1. Some of the best gaming I ever had in my life was with that console. My neighbor/best friend had come home from the Army and he showed it to me. Before that, I was already bashing the PS1 for not being as good as the Snes with Donkey Kong Country and had just gotten my N64. Tekken 2 was so beyond what the N64 was doing that I had to admit defeat. I wound up buying PS1 games before I even had the console, I was so impressed. As a matter of fact, when I moved to Atlanta, it was my N64 I sold. I got out of that Taxi with $2000 in the bank, a duffle bag full of clothes, a PS1 under my arm (with no TV) and a sign on my back that said "Please rob and/or kill me." But my fanboyism didn't stop there. I still liked Nintendo but I was a Sony Fanboy, now. How bad was I? In 2001, my girlfriend's nephew got an Xbox for Christmas. Little guy just wanted to impress me because I was sort of his hero. What did I do? I bashed the console and Halo so badly that he wound up trading it TO GAMESTOP for a Gameboy Advance. I still feel bad about that. Somewhere along the way, I bought a Dreamcast. While it wasn't the best system, it was a great system. The only reason I bought it was because I couldn't find a PS2 (impossible to find for MONTHS after launch). Later on, I bought an Xbox 360 because I couldn't find a PS3 on day 1 (impossible to find for DAYS after launch :p). And somewhere along the way, it just went away. I quit hating. Now, my only crusade is against the overly self righteous. So, if you see me bashing the PS3, the 360, or the Wii, it's not because I'm a fanboy or a hater. It's just my personal mission to make someone see things a little differently or to show them that every console except the Jaguar(--even though I've never played one, I know it's a shitty.....sorry. Little relapse, there!) is great in its own way and that it all comes down to personal preference. I'm just trying to bring balance to the force.
--So MikeB, Osamanobama, and anybody else I may target from time to time: No hard feelings. I'm just doing my job as a lover of games. I'm far from perfect, too. Thanks for listening to the ramblings of an old man. |
Awesome Post!
Japanese Pop Culture Otaku
