Reminiscing the 90s! Video Games

This week on Going Off Topic we are going back to the greatest decade, the 90s. I reached out to a few friends and family members who grew up during that time to cover a few categories: Music, Movies, TV Shows, Athletes, Toys, Stores, Video Games/Board Games and Crushes from the 90s. I gave them the reins to discuss each topic whether that meant things they remember from each category, things they had or loved, things they didn’t have but wish they did. I enlisted a few returning people but most are making their blogging debut. Each day we will be covering a new category with each person’s opinion on that topic. The fourth category for the Going Off Topic 90s week is video games so blow into your N64 cartridge and play some Mario Kart!

Kyle:
Video games were a huge part of my life as a kid and I still play today. As a kid I had the original Nintendo, Gameboy, Sega, and the PlayStation 1. Unfortunately I never had an N64 but I had a lot of friends that did so whenever I went to their houses we played for hours. 007 Goldeneye, NFL Blitz, NBA Jam, Sonic, Toejam and Earl, Super Mario 64, all the Pokémon games for Gameboy, Mario Kart, among others these were some of the best games of the 90s and you could play for hours with your friends. The 90s were also a great time for PC games: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Putt Putt goes to the Zoo, Sims, Roller Coaster Tycoon are just a few I can think of.  

Ellen:
My brother was (and still is) a huge gamer and I watched/played a ton of Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, The Legend of Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog. I would try to play Zelda, but my little brother would just get so frustrated at how much I sucked and he would take the controller away… I don’t blame him. I suck at video games.

Shannon:

Pokemon. Enough said.

Becca:

I wasn’t a huge video game person growing up. After the regular PlayStation I don’t think we got a new console. I do remember playing Super Nintendo with my brother, we would play Donkey Kong and of course Super Mario Brothers but that’s about it. Once the PlayStation came out we would play Tony Hawk Pro Skater.

Patrick:

Growing up in the 90s one of the coolest game consoles to have was a N64 (Nintendo 64 for you ipad generation bums). The status of pre-puberty sexiness, the N64 was a treasured item if you wanted to essentially buy your friends.

Me: “hey Kevin you wanna come over today after school?”

Kevin: “uh I don’t know I have a lot of..”

Me: “I have an Nintendo 64”

Kevin: “lets do this, tell your mom I want pizza rolls hot and ready for us.”

That’s all it took and I had friends. Well, for those brief hours after school. But you get the point. Anyway….with N64 came some of the GREATEST games ever to hit the screens in the 90’s. One of my all time favorites: NFL Blitz Special Edition 1999.

This game attracted a lot of attention in 99 but also into the 2000’s considering I brought my n64 to college with me (yes still desperate for friends 15 years later) and would break out this game and I would catch passer byers in the halls of the dorms. All shocked that I brought an n64 with me yet all KNEW AND LOVED all the games I had with it. Mind you this game would either spark a friendship or drastically burn a longtime bromance over the tiniest of choices made towards your opponent.

For the few that didn’t know what NFL Blitz was they were soon to NEVER forget it.

NFL BLITZ SPECIAL EDITION

The franchise NFL blitz entered onto the scene in 1997 NFL paid little to no attention to its makers until right before the launch. Upon watching a preview scrimmage the NFL decided it couldn’t associate itself with the brand because of its EXTREME violence and blatant disregard to actual NFL rules. Midway changed it up and re-released it. And it became a major success.

Unlike the NFL pass interference IS allowed (possibly my favorite thing about the game). No matter when the ball is thrown you can absolutely demolish offensive receivers. Even receivers that are NOWHERE near the play!! This comes in handy when you are losing the game forcing your opponent to run. Or just to simply give them no options and frustrate them thus making them lose a lead just by being an jerk.

The game play is very simple. On offense you have 10 plays to pick from. Defense 10 plays. Each set of plays for offense all you have to do as the quarterback is point to the receiver you want and throw.

Defensive players can do whatever they want. You can even knock down every player on the field if you wanted. During and after a play has been done.

The ball is free game after that QB throws, considering there’s basically no rules in this game. There are unreal hurtles you can make, stiff arms that send players into a coma, and trash talk that is simply hilarious.

Achieve consecutive first downs on offense to the same player and you unlock the FIRE cheat code. The cheat essentially makes you invincible and you never run out of turbo speed…as an offensive receiver your guaranteed a catch and about 15 yards after because it takes not 1, not 2, but sometimes up to 3 players to take you down.

If you get consecutive loss of downs/stops while on defense and you achieve the same cheat code. You can blow through any offense and send the QB out on a stretcher.  

You can also try your best in entering “secret codes” before the game starts while its loading. And achieve something hysterical. You know? Something as random as “invisible ball carriers”. You read that correct. There’s a cheat code that turns whoever has the ball INVISIBLE as if the game couldn’t get any more cheap shots in.

With a game this ridiculous it’s hard NOT to love it. No matter how strange you lose a game. Out of the 50 games we had growing up NFL BLITZ special edition is possibly my favorite. Still producing memories today and it was popular enough to be called “the best football game ever made” by Gamespot.com. The game was made in 1997 and continued in and out on different game consoles until 2012. Check it out for yourself with this video.