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Eski33 · 12-20-2008, 08:43 AM

This article brought back great memories. As a 37 year-old gamer, I could relate to almost everything mentioned in the article.

To have seen gaming evolve in to what it is today from the most basic sprite-based characters to the polygonal picturesque gems we get to see today, has been awesome.

I had the old Magnavox Pong that graduated to the Atari 2600. I also had the Intellivision II. The gaming device that really sparked my gaming addiction was the Commodore 64. As an avid sports gamer, I lived through hours upon hours of playing Computer QB by SSI (Strategic Simulations), Statis Pro Baseball by Avalon Hill (arguably the best baseball sim ever), Courtside College Basketball and NBA: The Pro Game by Lance Haffner. I also must throw in Accolade's 4th and Inches. An 11-on-11 football game in which you could create your own teams. Having a 6'11" 700 pound running back with 4.3 speed was my greatest creation.

Then the Sega Genesis turned my addiction into something that no intervention could cure. Madden, NHL and Lakers vs Celtics (which later became NBA Live) consumed many of my college nights. Then the release of the PlayStation and NFL Gameday turned my college house into a highly competitive atmosphere every day after class.

When Madden 97 was released for the PS, the CG video which opened the game showing detailed Packers and Patriots players, only brought up dreams as I remember saying to myself that I wish the game actually looked that good.

Well, in 1999 when the Dreamcast released that "wish" was realized with NFL 2K and the sick visuals and animations that game revealed. Not to mention the best commentating team of all time.

Since that time, I have owned every console (minus handhelds) except the GameCube. Each year, the visuals get better and better and features are added that we would never have dreamed on in the 80's.

So many of today's gamers take these games for granted with such minor gripes of team socks designed incorrectly to a player having the wrong color of visor on their helmets. Being a proud old school gamer, I often stop and replay the simplest of plays in Madden 09 so I can just take in the visual awesomeness. The grass, the huge stadiums and the player detail is absolutely incredible.

Thanks for such a thought-provoking article. Brought back great memories.

12-20-2008, 08:43 AM	#6
Eski33 MVP OVR: 28 Join Date: Jun 2004 Blog Entries: 13	This article brought back great memories. As a 37 year-old gamer, I could relate to almost everything mentioned in the article. To have seen gaming evolve in to what it is today from the most basic sprite-based characters to the polygonal picturesque gems we get to see today, has been awesome. I had the old Magnavox Pong that graduated to the Atari 2600. I also had the Intellivision II. The gaming device that really sparked my gaming addiction was the Commodore 64. As an avid sports gamer, I lived through hours upon hours of playing Computer QB by SSI (Strategic Simulations), Statis Pro Baseball by Avalon Hill (arguably the best baseball sim ever), Courtside College Basketball and NBA: The Pro Game by Lance Haffner. I also must throw in Accolade's 4th and Inches. An 11-on-11 football game in which you could create your own teams. Having a 6'11" 700 pound running back with 4.3 speed was my greatest creation. Then the Sega Genesis turned my addiction into something that no intervention could cure. Madden, NHL and Lakers vs Celtics (which later became NBA Live) consumed many of my college nights. Then the release of the PlayStation and NFL Gameday turned my college house into a highly competitive atmosphere every day after class. When Madden 97 was released for the PS, the CG video which opened the game showing detailed Packers and Patriots players, only brought up dreams as I remember saying to myself that I wish the game actually looked that good. Well, in 1999 when the Dreamcast released that "wish" was realized with NFL 2K and the sick visuals and animations that game revealed. Not to mention the best commentating team of all time. Since that time, I have owned every console (minus handhelds) except the GameCube. Each year, the visuals get better and better and features are added that we would never have dreamed on in the 80's. So many of today's gamers take these games for granted with such minor gripes of team socks designed incorrectly to a player having the wrong color of visor on their helmets. Being a proud old school gamer, I often stop and replay the simplest of plays in Madden 09 so I can just take in the visual awesomeness. The grass, the huge stadiums and the player detail is absolutely incredible. Thanks for such a thought-provoking article. Brought back great memories.