I definitely put a lot of time in with my Atari but I was very young and who knows if any of what I played had a win condition. What sticks out in my mind as my first is DuckTales for NES. Those Capcom Disney Afternoon games sure are something, huh?
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What was the first game you ever beat?
- Thread starter Issun
- Start date
ArugulaZ
Fearful asymmetry
I have to assume that it was Alien Invaders- Plus! for the Odyssey2. Let me bring up some video...
On the surface, it seems like a clone of Space Invaders, but there are subtle differences in the play mechanics which give it its own identity. Basically, it's you, a square headed robot in a tank, against the Merciless Monstroth, a weird eyeball monster at the top of the screen. Between you are three black barriers, eight robots with cannons, and eight shot absorbing orbs. The goal is to destroy all eight robots, then the Monstroth as it swoops down for a final conflict. If you do this, you get a point, and if you reach ten points, you win.
Thing is, if you're hit by a bullet, you lose your tank and it's just you as the robot, desperately scrambling for cover. You can get another tank by standing under a black barrier and pressing the fire button, but then the barrier disappears, limiting your protection. If you're blasted as the robot, the Monstroth wins that round, and if it gets ten points, the game is over.
It's simple, as most Odyssey2 games were, but the differences in the gameplay led to some compelling strategies. Destroying the cannons below each enemy robot left them helpless, but threading a shot upward to the robot itself meant that the cannon had nobody to fire it, rendering it useless. The Monstroth is surprisingly wily, and it's genuinely tough to nail the bastard as it closes in to attack. You're probably better off striking it when it's at the top of the screen (which doesn't count as a point) then killing the last robot soldier before it reappears (which does count as a point).
The game was dismissed as Space Invaders- Minus! by some players, with one reviewer claiming that "calling this Alien Invaders- Plus! makes as much sense as calling Phyllis Diller Catherine Deneuve- Plus!," but I think they failed to pick up on the subtle nuances of the gameplay that make this more than just Space Invaders. Hence, Alien Invaders- Plus!.
Okay, fine, if you're going to pin me down to a game with a narrative conclusion rather than just freezing at the end, probably Super Mario Bros.
On the surface, it seems like a clone of Space Invaders, but there are subtle differences in the play mechanics which give it its own identity. Basically, it's you, a square headed robot in a tank, against the Merciless Monstroth, a weird eyeball monster at the top of the screen. Between you are three black barriers, eight robots with cannons, and eight shot absorbing orbs. The goal is to destroy all eight robots, then the Monstroth as it swoops down for a final conflict. If you do this, you get a point, and if you reach ten points, you win.
Thing is, if you're hit by a bullet, you lose your tank and it's just you as the robot, desperately scrambling for cover. You can get another tank by standing under a black barrier and pressing the fire button, but then the barrier disappears, limiting your protection. If you're blasted as the robot, the Monstroth wins that round, and if it gets ten points, the game is over.
It's simple, as most Odyssey2 games were, but the differences in the gameplay led to some compelling strategies. Destroying the cannons below each enemy robot left them helpless, but threading a shot upward to the robot itself meant that the cannon had nobody to fire it, rendering it useless. The Monstroth is surprisingly wily, and it's genuinely tough to nail the bastard as it closes in to attack. You're probably better off striking it when it's at the top of the screen (which doesn't count as a point) then killing the last robot soldier before it reappears (which does count as a point).
The game was dismissed as Space Invaders- Minus! by some players, with one reviewer claiming that "calling this Alien Invaders- Plus! makes as much sense as calling Phyllis Diller Catherine Deneuve- Plus!," but I think they failed to pick up on the subtle nuances of the gameplay that make this more than just Space Invaders. Hence, Alien Invaders- Plus!.
Okay, fine, if you're going to pin me down to a game with a narrative conclusion rather than just freezing at the end, probably Super Mario Bros.
Couldn't get it to work as a kid. In fact, it made me lose lives.
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4-So
Spicy
Agreed. Just ended up being a quick way to end the game.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Seriously. I got the compilation that came out a few years ago and it's so much fun for $20.
Somehow, I think it was Dragon Warrior, the one that came free with a Nintendo Power subscription way back when. Probably a combination of being able to save progress, the fairly comprehensive guide that came with the game, and just generally not requiring a lot of manual dexterity. I don't think I was ever able to beat any platformers or more actiony games until I got a little bit older.
Sarge
hardcore retro gamin'
I came to the NES late, being my first console at the ripe old age of 11. But those were definitely tough stages, but I did have some help in some old Nintendo Power mags that covered some of those tricks like the infinite 1-Ups, and I also had several of the "How to Win at Nintendo Games" books, which also likely covered some of those tricks. I still find SMB pretty tricky, even after all these years.
Hrm. Thinking on it, I think this might be mine too. I played a lot of SMS, Atari, and C64 games, but I don't recall finishing any of them. I was young and dumb, but fortunately DQ just allows you to throw yourself against it over and over until you fail forward. Which I did!
My memory is struggling here. I wanna say Super Mario World, but I'm not sure.
The earliest game I have vivid memories of beating for the first time is Star Fox for the SNES, but I'm fairly certain that I had cleared Star Fox 64 multiple times by that point.
Dang this is a hard question.
The earliest game I have vivid memories of beating for the first time is Star Fox for the SNES, but I'm fairly certain that I had cleared Star Fox 64 multiple times by that point.
Dang this is a hard question.
After thinking about this, the first game I probably beat was the Legend of Zelda, using the same method I've used countless times since then: brute force extrusion through the game with the help of a "Tips & Tactics" strategy guide*. One of the very few home videos of me as a child is me, at 5, explaining how to find a secret in Level 8.
*In later days the strategy guide was replaced by long-distance phone calls with Redmond, WA, and later, GameFAQs.
*In later days the strategy guide was replaced by long-distance phone calls with Redmond, WA, and later, GameFAQs.
Sarge
hardcore retro gamin'
Someone else that started the NES era with SMB and Zelda II! Very cool. Of course, it was 1990 when I finally got an NES, so to say I was late to the party is an understatement.
muteKi
Geno Cidecity
While I never did beat it, it could very easily have been the first game I ever played. First game I ever beat was probably King's Quest VI. Text parsers and I have a tenuous relationship.
As I was probably 3 or 4 at the time it was very funny to hear people on the radio talk about that new band the smashing pumpkins, as my little child brain was like "...did they seriously name the band after the first thing you do in that Hugo game??"
I had a NES but really late in the system's cycle and I sucked at games too much to beat anything, and my parents gave it away when they got me a SNES. If I beat anything on the NES it was probably something really easy on a rental that I don't even remember.
Probably the first game I actually beat was Super Mario World. I was not good at that either, but the introduction of a save system made it doable.
edit: oh you know what it was probably Glider lol
Probably the first game I actually beat was Super Mario World. I was not good at that either, but the introduction of a save system made it doable.
edit: oh you know what it was probably Glider lol