{"id":3012,"date":"2014-01-20T23:04:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-20T23:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/?p=3012"},"modified":"2014-03-12T21:47:40","modified_gmt":"2014-03-12T21:47:40","slug":"space-the-nauseating-frontier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/?p=3012","title":{"rendered":"Space… the nauseating frontier."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NESha\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In retrospect, one of the most memorable gifts I got at Christmas in \u201991 was Home Alone<\/i> on VHS.\u00a0 It was one of those gifts that I opened and had to fake a reaction with, simply because I hadn\u2019t asked for it and had very little knowledge about it.<\/p>\n

My sister (who had gotten it for me) was quite excited about watching it and seeing my reaction to various scenes, so we all gathered and watched it that same day.\u00a0 When it came to the part with all the booby traps, I was quite literally ROTFL<\/i>-ing.\u00a0 It was definitely the most entertaining movie I had ever seen!<\/p>\n

Fast-forward to a week or so later…<\/p>\n

Katie\u2019s parents next-door had planned a New Year\u2019s Day brunch with a few people from around the block.\u00a0 My parents were hosting a small get-together the night before, so they decided it would be easier for everyone if I just went over and slept at Katie\u2019s house on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n

A \u201csleep-over\u201d was a strange concept to me at the time, but Katie and I were good friends, and we\u2019d undoubtedly have lots of fun watching movies and eating junk food into the wee hours of\u2026\u00a0 well, 1992.<\/p>\n

On top of movies and snacks, we made a trip to Major Video and got to rent not one, but TWO games.\u00a0 I got to pick one, and Katie got to pick one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>

In the early 90’s, Major Video was bought out by Blockbuster Video. With Blockbuster’s demise, Major Video stores are now making a comeback. Funny, how that works.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Naturally, my game of choice was Home Alone<\/i> for NES.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the game was not nearly as fun as the movie.<\/p>\n

The controls were touchy and unresponsive all at once.\u00a0 Kevin\u2019s running animation looked awkward and unnatural, remeniscent of a forward-moving Moonwalk.\u00a0 The booby traps, the best part of the movie, were just square icons that could be placed anywhere around the house.\u00a0 The only goal was to just run away, not let Harry or Marv touch you for 20 minutes exactly, and the game was beaten.<\/p>\n

I guess it was kinda fun exploring the 8-bit version of the McCallister home for a few minutes, but it was just so…\u00a0 jagged<\/em>-looking.\u00a0 Not long after I started playing it, I was done with it.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, Katie\u2019s game of choice that night was\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"NESlm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I hung out with Katie so much that it was inevitable for me to do things I didn\u2019t necessarily want to.\u00a0 I played with Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, Barbie dolls, played house a bunch of times (I always ended up in the pretend-kitchen), and of course, watched TV shows and movies I didn\u2019t really want to.<\/p>\n

The Little Mermaid<\/i> was one of those movies.<\/p>\n

Katie was a trooper and watched me play a lot of video games, so I thought it was only fair for me to repay the favor, and do things she wanted to do.<\/p>\n

In any case, when the opportunity came to rent The Little Mermaid<\/i> for NES, she jumped at it.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t completely against the idea, but I wasn\u2019t necessarily all for it either.<\/p>\n

Somewhat surprisingly, the game was fantastic!\u00a0 It was yet another instance of Capcom working their magic with the Disney license.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the most challenging game ever, but man, trapping enemies with your tail-whip bubbles, then grabbing and throwing them at other enemies\u2026\u00a0 so much fun!<\/p>\n

To this day, I\u2019ve gotten get more satisfaction from playing The Little Mermaid<\/i> than I ever did with Modern Warfare 2<\/i>…\u00a0 just sayin\u2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n