You kids and your not-so-memorable games

For as long as I can remember, I remember video games being in my life. I was 4, maybe 5 when the very first console entered our home. It was, of course, an NES. I remember the majority of the games we had clearly. So clearly, I can remember the game's names, can hum some of their music, imitate sound effects, and picture going from screen to screen in my head. Considering I can't really remember anything else from when I was 5, those must've been some games. I remember having: 1942, Bases Loaded, Contra, Metal Gear, Mega Man, Rad Racer, Super Mario Brothers, and The Legend of Zelda. I also remember playing other ones at friends' and family's homes like Dr. Mario or Yoshi's Cookie.

Of course, sometimes, I remember things I loved as a child, come back to them as an adult and then realize it wasn't as great as I thought it was. I have not come back to the majority of the games I listed, though I have stuck with some of their franchises. I'm not saying the NES had nothing but totally awesome games, but they were so memorable, I don't remember anything else from that time.

My nephew is now 5. He will be 6 in May. His name is Tony. My sister bought him a Wii this past Christmas. I know most of scoff at the Wii, but the titles are improving...slowly. I keep mine for a reason. Tony loves Super Mario Brothers Wii, which I have yet to play. (I find multi-payer without online is no longer a selling point to me.) Then he has complete garbage like Nascar Kart Racing? I actually picked up and played this with him for a bit. It was...uninspired. There was nothing creative about it. The controls with the Wiimote and nunchuck were wonky, and I don't know anything about Nascar. So, the little super deformed versions of the drivers didn't appeal to me. It made me wonder how many of the games he is playing now he will remember in twenty years. I'm a firm believer in, "Don't knock it 'til you try it," but I really don't want to try any of Ubisoft's Imagine games.

I don't want this to be a "remember the good old days" post saying things like talking about how games (for kids, or a general audience) just aren't what they used to be. Maybe it was better because I had never seen it before. When my sister asked what games to buy for Tony, I suggested Mario Kart. I own this game, and if I think about it, it's not that great. It is worlds better than Nascar Kart Racing, and I played the hell out of it, but...it's just not that great. On the SNES? The N64? It was awesome. On the Wii? Well, not much has changed. You'd think that would be a good thing, but I've seen this game for almost 20 years now. They say Final Fantasy XIII is receiving mixed Western reviews. We've seen so many linear RPGs. Maybe, as adult gamers, we just want a change in our gaming experience.