What I like about your Substack compared to other media that has covered the NES is that it isn't about nostalgia. If a game is awful, you make that clear and if it's a classic, you don't spend 30 minutes telling us all what we already know. I enjoy reading your work because it's like a guided tour through the NES library where I make a mental note of which pieces I'd like in my own collection.
Feedback-wise? It's difficult. I can't say much other than I'd happily read anything you write that's later too: especially on the Gamecube as I know we have different opinions on that console. Writing what creatively fires you up will always be the best bet, at least in my opinion.
Your comment is incredibly helpful, thank you so much!
Nostalgia is wonderful but also very deceptive. I don't expect most NES games to stand the test of time compared to how games have evolved today, but do they have anything at all that makes them worth revisiting many decades later?
The super OCD part of me wants to keep going in "pure " chronological order, general interest be damned. But if I'm honest with myself, branching out to other systems - while still proceeding in chronological order with them - will likely hold my interest while drawing in others as well.
I enjoy the chronological and catalog-encompassing way you’re doing this, but I wanna read what you’re excited about writing with games.
I don’t want you to get bored or burned out by sticking to a formula, especially if there are other related thing you’d be excited to be doing that would align with the content a purpose. If you threw in some Game Boy, some competition perspective from Sega and NEC, or some later-than-NES Nintendo reviews, I’m all for it.
I think it would be cool if you mixed timelines so that you’re going chronologically through each system’s catalog, but we’re not having to wait through several generations before we get to hear your thoughts on Game Cube games. I do like hearing how the gaming landscape evolved and the progression of game development/design as a whole over time, but there’s a (as you aptly stated) lifetime of Nintendo content to cover and I think having some of the other bits in here and there wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.
I’ll be here reading however you decide going forward. Thanks for all the write ups!
I've definitely considered going through each system in chronological order, just alternating. I really like that idea to keep me and others from getting bored with 8-bit stuff. Perhaps that's something I can explore more in the new year 🤔
LJN also came out with the first licensed NES NFL game the following year. It also lacked an NFLPA license and no one remembers it because Tecmo Bowl was so much better.
Apparently this game was so disappointing that a 9-year old (who had earned the 40 bucks the game cost by turning in cans and bottles for the deposits) sued LJN, MLB and Nintendo claiming it didn’t give the realistic baseball experience promised on the box.
Enjoyed this trip back through this game. I know I rented it at least once. Could it have been my first post-Baseball, NES baseball experience? Maybe. From that standpoint, it was interesting. I'll admit that back in the day, I never really had a bad time with an NES baseball game -- especially because, as I've mentioned before, it was the only time dad would game with me.
I didn't care about real players/teams in the slightest in 1988, but of the two, players are obviously far more valuable. And these sorts of licensing splits were very common in the 80s and 90s, I guess it may have been twice as expensive to get both and the payoff was seen as not worthwhile. The famous NHL 94 was preceded by NHLPA 93 (players, no teams). Ken Griffey Jr. on SNES had teams but fake names for players other than Ken Griffey Jr., etc., etc.
A friend owned Sports Talk Baseball for Genesis in the early 90s, which was the first game where I remember both having real players and actually personally caring about them. We had season tickets to the Braves in those days, so I knew the roster very well at that point and enjoyed pitching as Tom Glavine (pretty sure Maddox was still on the Cubs at that point).
But at the time it didn't really even occur to me that in Sports Talk Baseball, the Braves are never named and their logo never shown -- they're referred to as "Atlanta."
Yes. The jankiness of the talk was delightful. It's something I'm deeply nostalgic for to this day. Ken Griffey Baseball is a far superior 16-bit baseball game, but it's not the same for me because it lacks that beloved janky speech.
My favorite thing to do in the game: if there are no runners, have the pitcher throw to first. Then have the first baseman throw to first (i.e., throw the ball at an empty first base).
The announcer: "He throws to first. He throws to first. OFF THE WALL!!!" [Crowd roars]
I would do this constantly. My dad would get really annoyed at it.
Another thing was you could hit the A button to alternate the infield's positioning.
The announcer: "Infield in. Infield out. Infield normal. Infield in. Infield out. Infield normal..."
This would queue up, so I would pound that button about 200 times and then record on my stopwatch how many minutes it took the announcer to stop cycling through those statements.
To be fair, a basic YouTube video will get you a sense of the game's basic janky speech, but it might be hard to find someone who recorded himself actively pursuing and maxing out the jank like my friends and I did.
I was just remembering the one other thing I would do is if a runner on a base was safe, you could pound the B-button with the fielder who had the ball and he would keep trying to tag the runner.
The announcer: "Safe. Safe. He's safe! Safe. Safe. The runner is safe. Safe. Safe..."
Much like the infield thing, this would queue up and the announcer would keep saying this, even into the next play.
I did check out a Youtube video, but I see what you’re saying, the person recording was just playing a standard game. They weren’t maximizing the jank like they should have been, haha.
What I like about your Substack compared to other media that has covered the NES is that it isn't about nostalgia. If a game is awful, you make that clear and if it's a classic, you don't spend 30 minutes telling us all what we already know. I enjoy reading your work because it's like a guided tour through the NES library where I make a mental note of which pieces I'd like in my own collection.
Feedback-wise? It's difficult. I can't say much other than I'd happily read anything you write that's later too: especially on the Gamecube as I know we have different opinions on that console. Writing what creatively fires you up will always be the best bet, at least in my opinion.
Your comment is incredibly helpful, thank you so much!
Nostalgia is wonderful but also very deceptive. I don't expect most NES games to stand the test of time compared to how games have evolved today, but do they have anything at all that makes them worth revisiting many decades later?
The super OCD part of me wants to keep going in "pure " chronological order, general interest be damned. But if I'm honest with myself, branching out to other systems - while still proceeding in chronological order with them - will likely hold my interest while drawing in others as well.
No worries! I can see why you’d feel that way: an unbroken chronological chain looks nice. I think you’ll make a good decision.
Thanks buddy
I enjoy the chronological and catalog-encompassing way you’re doing this, but I wanna read what you’re excited about writing with games.
I don’t want you to get bored or burned out by sticking to a formula, especially if there are other related thing you’d be excited to be doing that would align with the content a purpose. If you threw in some Game Boy, some competition perspective from Sega and NEC, or some later-than-NES Nintendo reviews, I’m all for it.
I think it would be cool if you mixed timelines so that you’re going chronologically through each system’s catalog, but we’re not having to wait through several generations before we get to hear your thoughts on Game Cube games. I do like hearing how the gaming landscape evolved and the progression of game development/design as a whole over time, but there’s a (as you aptly stated) lifetime of Nintendo content to cover and I think having some of the other bits in here and there wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.
I’ll be here reading however you decide going forward. Thanks for all the write ups!
Hey Chip, thanks for the feedback!
I've definitely considered going through each system in chronological order, just alternating. I really like that idea to keep me and others from getting bored with 8-bit stuff. Perhaps that's something I can explore more in the new year 🤔
Thanks for the support!
I agree with all this, that sounds like it might be a good idea to keep things fresh.
LJN also came out with the first licensed NES NFL game the following year. It also lacked an NFLPA license and no one remembers it because Tecmo Bowl was so much better.
Oh yeah, forgot about that one.
Tecmo Bowl forever!
Apparently this game was so disappointing that a 9-year old (who had earned the 40 bucks the game cost by turning in cans and bottles for the deposits) sued LJN, MLB and Nintendo claiming it didn’t give the realistic baseball experience promised on the box.
Agh! I can’t believe I didn’t find this sooner. I have to include this now. Thanks for the heads up JT!
Enjoyed this trip back through this game. I know I rented it at least once. Could it have been my first post-Baseball, NES baseball experience? Maybe. From that standpoint, it was interesting. I'll admit that back in the day, I never really had a bad time with an NES baseball game -- especially because, as I've mentioned before, it was the only time dad would game with me.
I didn't care about real players/teams in the slightest in 1988, but of the two, players are obviously far more valuable. And these sorts of licensing splits were very common in the 80s and 90s, I guess it may have been twice as expensive to get both and the payoff was seen as not worthwhile. The famous NHL 94 was preceded by NHLPA 93 (players, no teams). Ken Griffey Jr. on SNES had teams but fake names for players other than Ken Griffey Jr., etc., etc.
A friend owned Sports Talk Baseball for Genesis in the early 90s, which was the first game where I remember both having real players and actually personally caring about them. We had season tickets to the Braves in those days, so I knew the roster very well at that point and enjoyed pitching as Tom Glavine (pretty sure Maddox was still on the Cubs at that point).
But at the time it didn't really even occur to me that in Sports Talk Baseball, the Braves are never named and their logo never shown -- they're referred to as "Atlanta."
That makes sense that it took awhile before the team/player licensing finally merged in the 90s.
Isn't Sports Talk Baseball the game that has digitized commentary as well, hence the "Talk"?
Yes. The jankiness of the talk was delightful. It's something I'm deeply nostalgic for to this day. Ken Griffey Baseball is a far superior 16-bit baseball game, but it's not the same for me because it lacks that beloved janky speech.
My favorite thing to do in the game: if there are no runners, have the pitcher throw to first. Then have the first baseman throw to first (i.e., throw the ball at an empty first base).
The announcer: "He throws to first. He throws to first. OFF THE WALL!!!" [Crowd roars]
I would do this constantly. My dad would get really annoyed at it.
Another thing was you could hit the A button to alternate the infield's positioning.
The announcer: "Infield in. Infield out. Infield normal. Infield in. Infield out. Infield normal..."
This would queue up, so I would pound that button about 200 times and then record on my stopwatch how many minutes it took the announcer to stop cycling through those statements.
It was a simpler time.
Haha, that sounds hilarious. I’ll have to pull up a Youtube video to check it out.
To be fair, a basic YouTube video will get you a sense of the game's basic janky speech, but it might be hard to find someone who recorded himself actively pursuing and maxing out the jank like my friends and I did.
I was just remembering the one other thing I would do is if a runner on a base was safe, you could pound the B-button with the fielder who had the ball and he would keep trying to tag the runner.
The announcer: "Safe. Safe. He's safe! Safe. Safe. The runner is safe. Safe. Safe..."
Much like the infield thing, this would queue up and the announcer would keep saying this, even into the next play.
I did check out a Youtube video, but I see what you’re saying, the person recording was just playing a standard game. They weren’t maximizing the jank like they should have been, haha.