I started out with the Atari. I still don't know what possessed my father to bring one home. He was a hard man, a workaholic, he had no interest in any kind of "entertainment". The twitch gameplay was fun, though rarely deep.
From there, it was Nintendo's turn at bat. I saved up Christmas and birthday money and bought an NES. I had a lot of fun with that. Then I discovered Final Fantasy (1), which was awesome but also kind of sad. I couldn't find anything else like it. Next was the SNES, I traded some skate board parts to a rich kid for the console and a few games. Though I loved Zelda, I kind of got bored with the lack of variety. Somehow, it didn't really thrill me like the NES had. I started drifting away from gaming--that is, until I ran across Final Fantasy 3 (VI). I was amazed. As before, however, the lack of other games like it ended up making me unhappy.
I flirted briefly with PC until the release of Final Fantasy VII was announced. With a heavy heart, I turned my back on Nintendo and bought a PS1. However, in the back of my mind was the idea that Nintendo would win me back. I was a reluctant Playstation owner.
But then came Suikoden. Then came Final Fantasy Tactics. Then Breath of Fire 3, Lunar SS, Star Ocean, Xenogears. MORE Final Fantasy. Gran Turismo. This was, to me, a Gamer's Romance and a great time, the best time, to have a controller in my hands. Before, I was just someone who played games to kill time--thanks to the PS1, I had leveled up and become a Gaming Enthusiast.
Nintendo, what was this? Had you been holding out on me? These amazing, breathtaking games, why did you not offer them to be before? Sony, what magic was this? You brought these things to me. May I hold your hand?
