The Glory of the 80's

[Drtooth]

Say what you will about the eighties, I still think it was the Golden Age of video games. No parental warning systems, no frustrating 3d turn around. None of that junk.

Man, to go back to the days of 25 cents video games. Now you have to plunk down 2 dollars or more for a cookie cutter fighting game sequal, which only has the improvement of being louder and having explosions take up more of the screen.

Yes, simple and mild mannered, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Mario Bros, and the rest were more addictive, more fun than quests to find something that's impossible to find (to me anyway). These games proved that you didn't have to have explosions, blood, and loud screaming to be a great, popular game.

As you can guess, my two favorite video game systems of all time are Nintendo, and Super Nintendo. N64 realy derailed me.

But in all honesty, I could never get too far on SMB 1, because of the last castle. I got to the boss Koopa once, and Since I was small at the time, I was killed in one easy hit.

 

[Crazy Harry]

I have to admit, many of the more recent videogames have focussed more on superior graphics than on creative gameplay. This might be why we kept getting four or five different vertions of the same basic 3d platform game each year.

 

[Drtooth]

Ahh.. the eighties! Back when Saban just wrote music for cartoon shows and didn't hold any real power!

There's no place like the eighties! There's no place like the eighties! There's no place like the eighties! There's no place like the eighties! There's no place like the eighties! There's no place like the eighties! This ain't working!!

Please join me in a discussion on the Headlines forum to tell me what you think of the evil Saban buyout!!!!

Sorry I have to plug my complaints on another thread, but this really has me scared!!!!!!!

 

[crazy ernie]

DrTooth, I will be your ally in the fight against one of the 2 ultimate evils in the world,the other one being bill gates.

 

[beaker]

Ack, nooo! The knee jerk Saban thread is spreading ^_^

>>>Basically, with Middle Eastern Terrorists, bad economy, and George Bush in the wite house, it took us all those years to get back to we started. Isn't that quite the oddity?<<<

What are you talking about? It's 1991 all over again, not the 80's(I wish it was the 80's all over again!)

1991: George Bush, Desert Storm, Vanilla Ice, New Kids on the Block

2002: Geroge Bush Jr., Desert Storm 2.0, Eminem, N*Sync.

>>>I didn't like the 90s after 1993...<<<

I didnt like the 90's after the early spring of 1990!

>>>Say what you will about the eighties, I still think it was the Golden Age of video games. No parental warning systems, no frustrating 3d turn around. None of that junk.
<<<

EXACTLY!!! The late 80's WAS the quintesential golden age of video gaming. The 80's in general, but the late 80's especially. And no MSRP parental warning crap. Back then my favorite game at arcades was this ultra violent and visceral sure to get an M rating these days...a little gem called "NARC" (still my fave game to this day) And none of that 3D gunk. Ever since Mario64 Ive been in pure disgust of 3d...cept for first person shooters

Of course, the arcade is now dead...though Ive been going to LAN computer game centers now, which are like the new arcade.
(the few arcades left are nothing more than g rated annoying exercise machines)

>>>Say what you will about the eighties, I still think it was the Golden Age of video games. No parental warning systems, no frustrating 3d turn around. None of that junk.<<<

You mean a dollad for what is basically a ripoff of the old Nintendo Power Pad games.

>>>As you can guess, my two favorite video game systems of all time are Nintendo, and Super Nintendo. N64 realy derailed me.

Tooth, your one cool old school gaming lovin kid! I like it!
Yeah no system can beat Super NES in terms of sheer coolness.(well maybe Game Boy Advance) NES graphic's sucked butt compared the more impressive Sega Master System and TG-16 of the time(NES arcade conversions were just bizarre and far from the arcade game it was marketed as)

Virtually all of Playstation 1's '3d' game slook muddied, and have hardly any 'fun factor' that the older games had. Somewhere in the 90's game developers forgot about the fun factor and concentrated on 3d polygons...which I might add dont age well at all(ie: See playstation games) And N64 has to be one of the worst systems next to Jaguar, Virtual Boy, and a few other unmentionables.

>>>But in all honesty, I could never get too far on SMB 1, because of the last castle. I got to the boss Koopa once, and Since I was small at the time, I was killed in one easy hit.<<<

Please tell me youve beaten SMB 1.

>>>I have to admit, many of the more recent videogames have focussed more on superior graphics than on creative gameplay. This might be why we kept getting four or five different vertions of the same basic 3d platform game each year.<<<

If only game developers would listen to us gaming old schoolers!
Luckily some have...I mean who gives a dookie about Metroid Prime which looks sad, when theres the true sequel Metroid Fusion for Game Boy Advance coming out? Or the upcoming Contra Shattered Soldier. I sorely miss the side scrolling beat em up...nothing beat the fun of playing through one of those with a friend.

But I have to admit, some of those new fangled fancy 3d games are neat...like super smash bros. melee...but Mario Sunshine?
Blechhhhhhhhhhhhh!

 

[Chilly Down]

YES! Other people here get it. I'm so thrilled. I'm not surprised Phil moved us -- I knew we were getting way off topic, so it was only a matter of time. That's cool.

Anyway, I'm not officially a "child of the 80's," because I was born in '74. But I was too young to remember most of the 70's -- by the time I was 6, I was really able to remember everything. And what a decade!

Things that people said that could have come out of my own mouth (or keyboard):
--I've never beaten SMB 1 either.
--I liked the 90's until about '93 too. After Kurt Kobain's death in early '94, Nirvana's musical style seemed to take over every band on the radio. While I don't mean this in a way to speak ill of those who grieved Kobain's loss, it was that level of depression that seemed to permeate all music of the 90's that I disliked so much.
--UHF is a great movie. The DVD's got tons of great extra features...and it's only $9.99! A real bargain. I guessed they priced it low because they figured no one would buy it. In fact, it ended up in the top 10 DVD sales shortly after its release! That's better than it did in its initial run in the theaters. The press was surprised, but I wasn't. The film is a cult hit now, and to put all those goodies on there for such a low price... (Conversely, the same studio, MGM, released the Bill & Ted movies to DVD with NO extra features and priced at $15. And they wonder why they sit on the shelves.)
--I'm very much looking forward to Al's new release, whenever it comes out!
--I liked Ratt and Poison, at least at the time. Never liked Culture Club.
--Do Over is kind of interesting, but they haven't quite figured out what to do with the premise yet. They think having him smoke and drink at 14 makes for great, funny TV. It doesn't. And the historical inaccuracies are driving me nuts. The first week it was set in 1981. The following week they were going to the premiere of "Empire Strikes Back"--in 1980! Ugh. There have been some good laughs, though, and I might check it out again at some point. (Not so for the dreadful "Now and Then.")
--The movies previously mentioned by Cory, and I'd like to add to the list, in no particular order: Star Trek II ('82), III ('84), and IV ('86) (but not V in '89); Blade Runner ('82); The NeverEnding Story ('84); The Last Starfighter ('84); Stand by Me ('86); Explorers ('85); War Games ('83); Who Framed Roger Rabbit ('88); Romancing the Stone ('84); Tron ('82); The Princess Bride ('87); The Karate Kid ('84); Clue ('85); Ghostbusters ('84); Little Shop of Horrors ('86); etc. ...

OK, I could go on, but I just got disconnected from the Net, so I must have been online too long.

Wrapping up: I also liked the TV of the time, though most of that have become just campy fun in their old age, like The A-Team, Transformers, Small Wonder (anyone else remember THAT one?), Droids, Growing Pains, etc. But hey, I've got a soft spot in my heart for 'em. I also liked Perfect Strangers and Head of the Class. And of course, Cheers has completely stood the test of time.

Again, in all of this I'm deliberately leaving out all the Muppet stuff, because it's too obvious and we discuss it here everyday anyway.

There also seemed to be a stronger patriotism in the 80's, which I really enjoyed. I'm glad we seem to have gotten back to that a little more now, though it's a shame it took a national tragedy to do it.

OK, I'll quit now before someone has to physically restrain me. I'm off to try once again in vain to solve the Rubik's Cube, while listening to either Tears for Fears or Bon Jovi.

 

[beaker]

rubix cubes in da hizouse!

>>>Wrapping up: I also liked the TV of the time, though most of that have become just campy fun in their old age, like The A-Team, Transformers, Small Wonder (anyone else remember THAT one?), Droids, Growing Pains, etc. But hey, I've got a soft spot in my heart for 'em. I also liked Perfect Strangers and Head of the Class. And of course, Cheers has completely stood the test of time. <<<

My faves: JHH, ALF(sitcom and cartoon), Fraggle Rock(live action and cartoon), Muppet Babies, Perfect Strangers, Transformers,
Droids, etc.

And some of the best tv series premiered in the great year of 1989(Seinfeld and the Simpsons!)

 

[Chilly Down]

I just realized that I, Chilly Down, forgot to mention Labyrinth ('86), of all films, as one of the great films of the 80's.

Sigh. I must go subject myself to flogging now.

 

[Kermie Lover]

True, bands many would consider quite cheesy- mainly Culture Club and Duran Duran are just a couple of my many guilty private pleasures, but no one could ever justifiably mock the 1980's glory that belonged to David Bowie. The decade was a true renaissance for his music. On a side note, people who are casual listeners of Bowie or may not even know they are fans- should check out an album that I think has been much overlooked- "Scary Monsters"- from 1981- I believe. Major fans rarely mention it and its one of my absolute favs.

 

[beaker]

>>>On a side note, people who are casual listeners of Bowie or may not even know they are fans- should check out an album that I think has been much overlooked- "Scary Monsters"- from 1981- I believe. Major fans rarely mention it and its one of my absolute favs. <<<

As a long time Bowie fan, I'd have to say his crowning achivement of his career in my mind...as an avant garde performer was 1995's blistering masterpiece "1.Outside", a dark fusion of jazz, rock, industrial-techno and Brian Eno sensibilities.

For an overall catalog, a lot would point to his 70's collaborations, either with the great Phillip Glass, original Eno pairing, etc.

However, I just cant get into his post-Earthling era stuff...its either trying to be too commercial or really 70's nostalgic, back to the Heroes/Low/Lodger era.