I am pleased to announce that we have a new bundle of joy in our life, recently arrived.
I am referring, of course, to my new PS2.
This is the first gaming console I’ve owned since the Intellivision my family had back in the 80’s. I held off that long because I work out of home, and I was afraid that the temptation of a dedicated videogame console would be more than I could withstand. Over the years, though, I have slowly come to realize that if I want to procrastinate, I am going to procrastinate. That’s what the Internet is there for, after all.
I realize that I’m getting on the PS2 bandwagon just as it is becoming obsolete, but there is an advantage to being several years behind the curve: I haven’t yet had to spend more than five quid on eBay per game.
Congratulations! Two words for you: Katamari Damacy
Talk about a stroll down memory lane. I fondly remember playing your Intellivision. So cutting edge!! (Although the direction disk was a lot harder to use than the Atari or Colecovision controllers.)
Looking down the list of titles on http://www.intellivisionlives.com, I was scanning for Microsurgeon, which I remembered fondly, when my gaze came across Burger Time. Burger Time! Microsurgeon, you have my head, but my heart will always belong to Burger Time.
If it is nostalgia you are after (rather than fancy graphics and such), I saw all the old Atari 2600-era Activision games out for the Playstation (all on one CD, probably with room to spare). Kaboom, Pitfall, it’s all there. Alas, no Burger Time though (that wasn’t Activision, it was by the company with those skinnier gray-colored cartridges, who also issued Tron and the Return of the Jedi game). I might buy a game console if they have re-released Burger Time on some new platform…
Colin: Bizarrely, Katamari Damacy is not available in Europe. (Actually, given the game, perhaps the bizarre part is that it is available anywhere.) Apparently, Namco was so dubious of the original games prospect for success outside Japan that they didn’t bother to convert it to PAL. They seem to have learned their lesson.
Lucinda: I’m not too interested in playing Kaboom on my fancy shiny new PS2. However, I gather that Prince of Persia: Sands of Time includes the original Prince of Persia as a bonus unlockable feature, and I’m curious to see how my fond memories hold up.
Omigawd! Intellivision! Remember that moving congealed dots outer space shooting game?! It was positively glacial compared to our X-Box (which I cannot figure out how to play). I try and try to explain Intellivision to the guys, but it’s like trying to explain the Flintstones to the Jetsons. Impossible to fathom unless they actually meet in person. (Jeezus! George Bush interrupted Oprah again. You’re so lucky not to have to deal with that.) Enjoy the PS2!!!
I usually live as the King of Old Games, too. It’s definitely the way to go. Maybe rent a new one now and then, but buying them a year or two behind everyone else is much easier on the wallet.
That’s a shame you can’t play Katamari… maybe the sequel?