Your Fondest Video Game Memory

[Xel]

I'm not talking about a moment or something from a specific video game; I'm talking about memories that you look back on and say: "Those were the days". I remember a few years back, my friends and I used to always hang out and play video games together until 6 in the morning. We used to do Lan parties every weekend and play Call of Duty Zombies (that's when CoD peaked, Black Ops 1 days) and it was so much fun, we stay up all night knowing it's a bad idea, but we keep going anyway because we were young and stupid  Sometimes when they're too tired to drive back home I let them crash at my place, and I miss that. Nowadays I rarely see them. They all have real life responsibilities which makes profoundly sad because when I look back at those times I was the happiest I've ever been my entire life.

What's your fondest video game memory? 

Edited December 12, 2016 by Xeliot

[Razza]

My most fond video game memory was around about the time when I was about 5 or 6 years old, my parents had been going through a break and I was to young to understand. so I remember after a really rainy day at school I remember walking in through the front door of the house we was living in at the time and just hearing a really catchy and cheery tune, it turned out mum had seen I had been feeling down and had got a Sega Megadrive from one of the neighbours house for me to have and she went out and brought me Sonic The Hedgehog for it. I remember spending so many hours sat in front of TV just enjoying every moment of it and forgetting about everything else, That was really a magical feeling just being lost in such a cheery and bright world of Sonic  

[RedPage17]

Back when I was 13 or so I got Final Fantasy III for SNES (FFVI). I couldn't play it all day. As we went from one relatives house to another, but that night after I got ready for ready for bed I put it in to play for the first time.

I still remember that wonder I had watching Terra, Biggs, and Wedge marching in their magicite armor across the snow, and that opening theme song. Wow. Just an amazing game, well developed cast, great story, fun mechanics, and the soundtrack. So good.

Plus you can suplex a train.

[DEMON]

Probably back when I was 3-4 years old, playing Streets of Rage co-op on the Megadrive with my older sisters and realizing we could beat the shit out of each other. We eventually did make progress to the end of it.

[Dav9834]

There's a lot...

One that keeps coming back to me is when I played my first Final Fantasy(VIII). I was already blown away by the summons because I never played anything with summons before. After I got the summon minotaur I remember using it and telling my family in the kitchen how awesome all the summons were. One of a handful of memories that are crystal clear. 

I've been stoked since, but that memory is pure excitement, happiness, awe inspiring, curiosity etc. So much so I rambled on to family who couldn't care a rats ass lol. 

That feeling you just need to share something with anyone you're so happy, that's the memory I chose. 

[Bucknerd]

I have quite a few as well.  I'll keep it short and sweet in bulleted format:

• Finding the secret entrance into Hyrule Castle in LoZ: LTTP at the start of the game.  I received it when I was 3 and just spent my time cutting grass for months before I found it.
• My Grandmother and I taking turns playing Bubsy.
• The first time I rented Donkey Kong Country and being wowed by the graphics.
• Spending the entire summer of 3rd grade playing Super Mario: RPG because I had an allergic reaction to poison oak.
• Playing the original Mario Party so much with the neighborhood kids that I got a blister.
• Using a flashlight under the covers to play the Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance after bedtime. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow nearly blinded me.
• Going to Blockbuster to print off my Pokemon Snap stickers.
• My Dad trying video games for the first time.  It was the original Super Mario.  He immediately fell into a hole because he didn't jump.  Never touched gaming again.
• My Dad revealing his hardcore pinball talents to me in an arcade as an adult.  No clue.
• Stuffing towels at the bottom of the door so my parents wouldn't see me play the PS2 after curfew.  I had just gotten Final Fantasy X and I wanted to play it soooo bad.
• Getting handed Persona 3 by a friend and using it to survive an extremely tough moment in my life.
• Na na na na na na naaaa, Katamari Damacyyyyyyyy
• Discovering trophies.  Damnit. 
• Trying my first MMO (Final Fantasy XIV) during a week long "staycation."

Edited December 12, 2016 by Bucknerd

[IntenseFATE98]

Playing games like Road Rash, VCop, NFS2 etc on our family PC in the early 2000's when I was like 4 or something, along with my brother was really amazing. I remember having occasional small fights with my brother which ended with me throwing the mouse somewhere  I miss those days  

[Redgrave]

I got several.

1. Playing Zone of the Enders and the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo that came with it. I loved Gundam back then, so Zone of the Enders was made for me at the time.
2. Unwrapping the GameCube with Luigi's Mansion and Rogue Leader on Christmas morning, then playing them the same day.
3. It was winter break with my mom for a certain year, so I spent most of it playing FFVII and Metroid Prime.
4. Pretty much every weekend where I was at my moms I would be up at 7:00 in the morning to watch Saturday morning cartoons and then play GTA: San Andreas or Dragon Ball Z Budokai all day with my friend who would usually come over.
5. During summer I would go over to my friends house and we would watch his brother play games until 4:00 in the morning. He would play stuff like Wind Waker, Arc the Lad, and some other JRPG's that I don't remember.
6. First playing the PS3 and how blown away I was when I played Modern Warfare, and would then be amazed with every other game that I would rent/buy on the PS3.
7. Discovering what an MMO was in early 2005. It wasn't World of Warcraft like most people played, it was Star Wars Galaxies. The idea of there being a Star Wars game where multiple people playing at once was like a dream come true. I had a lot of fun with guild members and parties where we would have to hunt high level creatures and it would take 10 minutes to kill one and then move on to the next. Among other stuff like seeing Jedi fight Bounty Hunters in the streets or just hanging out in the Mos Eisly cantina. It was great. Chances are if it were still up I probably wouldn't be playing PlayStation much.

[HaserPL]

It was 2006. I bought a Need For Speed Carbon for PS2 (I was the only kid on my neighbourhood with any console) and in my room there was 15 kids from my block of flats just watching me when I was playing it ;). Then I let them play for a bit and we made a Tekken 5 tournament. It was the best day of my childhood.

[xxLuBuX]

lol ima have to go back to my memories with me and my friends with the yearly cods before advanced warfare

[MMDE]

When I realized Tombi! wasn't some shitty kid's game.

[RabbiAndy]

Playing the first ever Ratchet and Clank for the first time. 

[Maxximum]

When I scored my first ever goal in a FIFA game (FIFA 10 PS2) in 2009.

[OdysseyPS]

I have many more I could list but they're pretty detailed so I'll just keep the list short.

 

- When my parents got me a GBA paired with Golden Sun for Christmas.

- Watching my older brother and his best friend take turns playing through games like Resident Evil & Silent Hill as a kid.

- Playing through all of Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword for the first time simultaneously with a friend in one week during the summer.

- Playing games in my early childhood like: Super Smash Bros, Pokemon, DBZ Budokai, Halo, and Dynasty Warriors with my brother and friends.

- Renting Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for 2 weeks in a row and playing it nonstop; beating it 4 times which was atleast 200+ hours of gameplay (I bought it shortly after).

- Staying up all night as a teenager, playing games online like: Diablo II, Warcraft III, World of Warcraft, League of Legends, and Call of Duty with my brother and friends.

[Lumibella]

- Buying and playing the PS2 for the first time;

- Buying and playing the X360 for the first time;

- Playing Gears and Halo with my friends, those were the days and I don't think if anything will ever top that;

- Hunting achievements;

- Discovering the fact that trophies are even more addictive than achievements.

- Playing Gears and Halo... but with my sister and on Xbox One.

 

 

 

[LunarCatDragon]

- Getting together with my cousins and staying up late on Friday night to play Mario Kart 64.

- Renting the original Klonoa game from Blockbuster any chance I could get.

- Playing nothing but FFX during the summer of '02.

[Yukizm69]

• Playing the PS2 on mute late at night on school days when I was 7.
• Purchasing and playing the xbox 360 for the first time.
• Playing Skyrim for the first time when it came out after 2 weeks of exams and stayed up until 4 in the morning.
• When I used to have friends over and we used to play COD and Tekken against each other for hours.

[ShonenCat]

I remember when I beat Ninja Gaiden on NES for the first time. And it was on some HDTV with high input lag. I dunno how I did it, but I was so proud that day. Now I'm capable of speed running it on a CRT.

[Raidou Kuzunoha XIV]

Bit of an abstract title, so I'll elaborate:

 

Do you have any memories that are associated with gaming, but also tied to something else? E.g. Playing a certain game during a specific period of your life, an experience with purchasing a game, playing something while on vacation, in school, in hospital, etc.

 

I have a few myself, to give perhaps better examples

 

• During the late 2000s, I was kinda going through some rough shit in my life. For some reason, I also often felt nauseous spontaneously. Never did find out what caused it, maybe it was just a side effect of depression. But anyway, around that period, I kinda lost interest in a lot of things, including games. I decided to look at upcoming releases one day, just out of pure boredom, and noticed Monster Hunter Tri was coming out soon. I'd always been a tad interested in the series since the first game on PS2, but never bought any of the games previously. I bought Tri on a whim, didn't even pre-order it but the clerk at the store was nice enough to give me the physical pre-order bonus (which was a small plastic Rathalos head, which I still have on one of my bookshelves to this day). And while I still felt like shit, it rekindled my love for gaming little by little. I soon became addicted and it was my main focus in my spare time for a few months after that. Still have fond memories of it helping to brighten my otherwise mediocre life and mental state at the time.

 

• Another I have is something I imagine many can relate to to some extent, and that is - playing Gameboy games in the back of the car on long trips. Mostly Pokemon. I look back now and have no idea how the fuck I saw the dim, non-backlit screen back then. I do distinctly remember always whining whenever we went through a tunnel and I couldn't see anything at least. There were a lot of handheld games I would play while I wasn't busy while out, even sometimes just waiting in queues and such. Though since around the release of the 3DS and Vita, I only really ever took my handheld consoles out with me if I was going on a trip that spanned a few days. I haven't been on anything like that in nearly 4 years now, and I pretty much always play my handheld consoles in my room with my home consoles in full view. Which always kinda make me a little, sad, I guess? I often don't feel like I'm getting the "handheld experience" any more, even if I am enjoying the games otherwise.

 

Anyone got any of their own memories/experiences they'd like to share?

[dev2610]

I don't know, I just felt great playing titles like Red Dead Redemption and The Last of Us during the dark days of my life, and a few more. These kept me so tied to the reality too, I mean, definitely acted as an anti-depressant. A life-changing experience, in my honest opinion.

 

Gaming definitely had a far-reaching effect, personally, that cannot be explained in words.

 

Good post, btw!

Edited June 28, 2022 by dev2610

[Guest]

I do have Crash 2 on ps1. When you jump into a portal to start a level, the music will freeze slightly before loading the level. the memory of it makes me cry almost instantly, but the circumstances are too heavy to elaborate.

[Phlegeth]

When I got to the Mall in Tony Hawk HD, it flagged down some nostalgic feelings.  Dunno what it was about that level specifically, it just reminded me of a snow day with me and my cousin chilling and playing that.

[TomataEighty9]

 

- Playing Wario Land on Gameboy on repeat. Beat that game soooo many times.

 

- Playing pokemon on gameboy. Once i sat on the toilet for 5 hours, just playing, lost in the game, totally forgetting where i was. My legs were paralyzed  

 

- Playing GTA 3 on my grandparents pc, when i was too young, but i had the time of my life. 

 

- The release of GTA V. I remember taking my scooter to town (an hour away), to pick it up (had it pre ordered in Blockbuster). That game was MAGICAL. 

 

- Playing Diablo 2 back in the day, on pc. It was THE game back then. 

 

- LAN parties with friends, playing Counter-Strike. Back when you brought your big ass pc to your friends house  

 

 

There's so many good memories from gaming  

[Infected Elite]

2 hours ago, Raidou Kuzunoha XIV said:

Bit of an abstract title, so I'll elaborate:

 

Do you have any memories that are associated with gaming, but also tied to something else? E.g. Playing a certain game during a specific period of your life, an experience with purchasing a game, playing something while on vacation, in school, in hospital, etc.

 

I have a few myself, to give perhaps better examples

 

• During the late 2000s, I was kinda going through some rough shit in my life. For some reason, I also often felt nauseous spontaneously. Never did find out what caused it, maybe it was just a side effect of depression. But anyway, around that period, I kinda lost interest in a lot of things, including games. I decided to look at upcoming releases one day, just out of pure boredom, and noticed Monster Hunter Tri was coming out soon. I'd always been a tad interested in the series since the first game on PS2, but never bought any of the games previously. I bought Tri on a whim, didn't even pre-order it but the clerk at the store was nice enough to give me the physical pre-order bonus (which was a small plastic Rathalos head, which I still have on one of my bookshelves to this day). And while I still felt like shit, it rekindled my love for gaming little by little. I soon became addicted and it was my main focus in my spare time for a few months after that. Still have fond memories of it helping to brighten my otherwise mediocre life and mental state at the time.

 

• Another I have is something I imagine many can relate to to some extent, and that is - playing Gameboy games in the back of the car on long trips. Mostly Pokemon. I look back now and have no idea how the fuck I saw the dim, non-backlit screen back then. I do distinctly remember always whining whenever we went through a tunnel and I couldn't see anything at least. There were a lot of handheld games I would play while I wasn't busy while out, even sometimes just waiting in queues and such. Though since around the release of the 3DS and Vita, I only really ever took my handheld consoles out with me if I was going on a trip that spanned a few days. I haven't been on anything like that in nearly 4 years now, and I pretty much always play my handheld consoles in my room with my home consoles in full view. Which always kinda make me a little, sad, I guess? I often don't feel like I'm getting the "handheld experience" any more, even if I am enjoying the games otherwise.

 

Anyone got any of their own memories/experiences they'd like to share?

 

when my parents got me a PS2 slim and GTA Vice City for xmas. It was awhile after since GTA was greatest hits. I was generally gifted nintendo but I wanted a ps2.

 

ANYWAYS first thing we did when it was hooked up, my mom had no idea, i stole a car, ran people over. my dad laughed. Then I stopped and got the hooker. Well the car went to an alley and bounced. She got out i backed over her and took my money and evaded the 2 star wanted level. My dad laughing his ass off, my sister not caring, and my mom just shocked this was in a game and was like well, "she must not have been good". To which we all had a good laugh

[Z1MZUM]

Breaking into and arcade machine and stealing all of the coins during a lunch break at school, I think it was Wonderboy, I was hungry and forgot lunch money.

 

Going to the Golden Super Market in Hong Kong and purchasing pirated games and consoles as a kid.

 

Playing Neo Geo cup 98 at an airport in Bahrain, I owned this machine. Literally killed it and had an audience Arabic commuters. 

 

Finally finding a copy of "Revenge of Gator" in an airport in Bangkok, God I loved this game to death Sure it was on a 100 in 1 cart but I loved it.

 

But by far the most memorable was being at the launch party for Dark Souls 3 in Shibuya at Tsutaya.

 

Play Street fighter 2 Turbo under Tokyo Station with the dip switched set to level 9, this was in 2020.

 

Yep they are all travel  situations except for the theft.

Edited June 28, 2022 by Z1MZUM