Giveaway Holiday Video Game Memories - Giving Away Nintendo Plastic Cards AND Partial Mario Sample Set (1 Viewer)

[harrysallout]

The best video game gift I ever got for Christmas was...

 

[grandmeme]

A video game I remember asking for as a kid was getting warcraft 3. Such a blast playing, and definitely didn't help that I was also addicted to starcraft at the time. Thanks for the giveaway!

 

[BiGGyT]

@satisfyingbutton Tele-Games was the licensed by Sears version of the Atari console, before Atari was known as the 2600. They also changed the names on the cartridges for the games. I think I saw it on the wiki page as well as having it still in my possession.

 

[200 Motels]

1 - A video game I remember asking for as a kid was...
I think the only game I asked for as a kid was Zelda: Link to the Past on SNES. The first Zelda was one of my fav games and I still beat it on emulator once in a while. So when a "16 bit Zelda" was announced, we were pretty pumped.

2 - The best video game gift I ever got for Christmas was...

Definitely an NES. We got Mario/Duck Hunt plus Wrecking Crew and Wizards and Warriors. Both are pretty great games.

3 - My favorite memory of playing video games during winter holidays is...

Once a friend of mine figured out that you could jump on a shell in Mario in Level 3-1 for unlimited 1UPs. We thought we were hot shit. We were probably 12 or 13.

My absolute favorite xmas video game memory was visiting our local ma & pa video store on boxing day. This was around the time the N64 came out, and they were selling a bunch of old NES games with box and manuals. It was old inventory from an out of province video store they bought. They had games I hadn't heard of like Dragon Warrior 2, 3 and 4, Mega Man 4 and 5. The were selling them for next to nothing so bought like 10 of them. It was my first real taste of nostalgia.

 

[satisfyingbutton]

The best video game gift we ever got for Christmas was way back in '75. It was from Sears & the game was called Pong. I was 5 years old & my brother, sister & I had never seen anything like it before...

Honorable mentions:
Adventure
RBI Baseball
Doom
Super Mario 64
Goldeneye
Gran Turismo

I have to imagine the idea of plugging something into a TV and playing a game with it was just downright mind blowing. A lot of younger folks tend to forget that not only was this a big chance in what a TV could do, it predated most people having cable boxes (also antiquated!) and home VCRs. Crazy stuff in today's age where everything just does everything.

Doom and Gran Turismo are two we haven't seen mentioned yet that were really watershed moments in gaming. Playing the first level of Doom for the first time is an experience!

Mine are all the same it’s 1999 and all everyone has been talking about is Pokémon. My mom spent what little extra money we had getting me and my brother Game Boy Colors with newly released Pokémon Yellow and the paperback game guide. I played that all day that Christmas and it was great.

Pokemon might end up being our biggest winner by the end of this thread! I think that has a lot to do with the social aspect. Not only is it connected to our nostalgia for family and gifts, but also our ties to siblings, cousins, and friends. Definitely a major factor here. Thanks for sharing!

 

[satisfyingbutton]

I'm loving all these posts so much. I'll respond to more later today.

Because this has been so fun, I'm going to add a pot sweetener - in addition to the main drawing, I'll also add three more of the partial sample sets (four chips each) so that four total winners can be drawn.

Keep the stories coming!

 

[HughDrackman]

A video game I remember asking for as a kid was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES. I opened all my presents on Christmas Day, and didn’t get the game (sad, I know). When my sister finished unwrapping all of her presents, it turned out that SHE had gotten the game instead of me.

She lorded that over me for months, saying it was HER game, and telling me that I had to ask permission to play it. I don’t think she ever played it once, just used it as leverage over me.

But the game was awesome.

 

[200 Motels]

LEFT 4 DEAD. Incredible episodic shooter, just an amazing game that my friends and dad spent days on. Little tips and tricks to finish Expert mode, yelling and laughing with friends over break. No bullshit, didnt bother with any of the lower difficulties. When we all extracted off the top of the hospital in No Mercy I almost cried.

Likely my favorite game. (Maybe L4D2)

Met so many Steam friends in Left 4 Dead, which led to playing the Borderlands franchise, which led to Payday: The Heist (and Payday 2). Sadly, I was a full blown adult when I played all of these lol so nothing xmas-y here.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Likely my favorite game. (Maybe L4D2)

Met so many Steam friends in Left 4 Dead, which led to playing the Borderlands franchise, which led to Payday: The Heist (and Payday 2). Sadly, I was a full blown adult when I played all of these lol so nothing xmas-y here.

Ayo, Payday was just as good. GET DOWN ON THE GROUND

 

[upNdown]

I have to imagine the idea of plugging something into a TV and playing a game with it was just downright mind blowing. A lot of younger folks tend to forget that not only was this a big chance in what a TV could do, it predated most people having cable boxes (also antiquated!) and home VCRs. Crazy stuff in today's age where everything just does everything.

So I’ll tell you. I was there, but a little bit young. I think we got a PONG around 1982? I was probably 9 and it was the first thing we’d ever plugged into a TV aside from an antenna.
So in the ‘80s we went from pong to cable TV, to VCRs, to really good video games to friggen computers with internet. Imagine all that happening in 10 years?

 

[bernielomax]

A game I asked for:

The best video game gift I ever got for Christmas was:

My favorite memory of playing video games during winter holidays:

 

[jpietrella]

A video game I remember asking for as a kid was...Mario Bros. 3

 

[satisfyingbutton]

The best video game gift I ever got for Christmas was...

View attachment 1045860

Such a classic. Have you ever beaten it? It has some brutally difficult parts! Those darn hawks!

A video game I remember asking for as a kid was getting warcraft 3. Such a blast playing, and definitely didn't help that I was also addicted to starcraft at the time. Thanks for the giveaway!

I only dabbled a bit in the RTS version of Warcraft, but I definitely put in some time on Starcraft. It was such a novel game at the time!

@satisfyingbutton Tele-Games was the licensed by Sears version of the Atari console, before Atari was known as the 2600. They also changed the names on the cartridges for the games. I think I saw it on the wiki page as well as having it still in my possession.

Wow - I didn't know that. I know a lot of weird licensing deals were part of the time, but I didn't know Sears had their own lineup!

1 - A video game I remember asking for as a kid was...
I think the only game I asked for as a kid was Zelda: Link to the Past on SNES. The first Zelda was one of my fav games and I still beat it on emulator once in a while. So when a "16 bit Zelda" was announced, we were pretty pumped.

2 - The best video game gift I ever got for Christmas was...

Definitely an NES. We got Mario/Duck Hunt plus Wrecking Crew and Wizards and Warriors. Both are pretty great games.

3 - My favorite memory of playing video games during winter holidays is...

Once a friend of mine figured out that you could jump on a shell in Mario in Level 3-1 for unlimited 1UPs. We thought we were hot shit. We were probably 12 or 13.

My absolute favorite xmas video game memory was visiting our local ma & pa video store on boxing day. This was around the time the N64 came out, and they were selling a bunch of old NES games with box and manuals. It was old inventory from an out of province video store they bought. They had games I hadn't heard of like Dragon Warrior 2, 3 and 4, Mega Man 4 and 5. The were selling them for next to nothing so bought like 10 of them. It was my first real taste of nostalgia.

Holy moly - great pics, and what a great Boxing Day story! That's the kind of thing that retro gaming legends are made of! Side Note: I don't think I've ever pulled off that shell trick!

A video game I remember asking for as a kid was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES. I opened all my presents on Christmas Day, and didn’t get the game (sad, I know). When my sister finished unwrapping all of her presents, it turned out that SHE had gotten the game instead of me.

She lorded that over me for months, saying it was HER game, and telling me that I had to ask permission to play it. I don’t think she ever played it once, just used it as leverage over me.

But the game was awesome.

The joy of siblings. I think that game has a much better reputation now than it once did now that players approach it with a modern eye. I always thought it was a really quirky game that was pretty enjoyable.

Likely my favorite game. (Maybe L4D2)

Met so many Steam friends in Left 4 Dead, which led to playing the Borderlands franchise, which led to Payday: The Heist (and Payday 2). Sadly, I was a full blown adult when I played all of these lol so nothing xmas-y here.

Sometimes the joy IS in the adult experience. I do love when one game leads to another - you end up in some interesting places!

So I’ll tell you. I was there, but a little bit young. I think we got a PONG around 1982? I was probably 9 and it was the first thing we’d ever plugged into a TV aside from an antenna.
So in the ‘80s we went from pong to cable TV, to VCRs, to really good video games to friggen computers with internet. Imagine all that happening in 10 years?

I remember growing up and watching movies on reel-to-reel projectors in elementary school and finishing my college career with broadband connected projectors and flat screen TVs. Wild ride!

A game I asked for:
View attachment 1046610

The best video game gift I ever got for Christmas was:
View attachment 1046613

My favorite memory of playing video games during winter holidays:
View attachment 1046614

We have to be the same age plus or minus three years. This set of games still hits a perfect nostalgia spot.

A video game I remember asking for as a kid was...Mario Bros. 3

Another vote for SMB3. Such a fun game. I'm going to have to give it another play through soon.

Again, thanks everyone for the replies! Keep them coming! Merry Christmas Eve!

 

[harrysallout]

Such a classic. Have you ever beaten it? It has some brutally difficult parts! Those darn hawks!

Yes as an 11 year old. I remember playing it nonstop into the earlier morning. Not sure if I would have the patience to do it now.

 

[BarrieJ3]

The best video game gift I ever got for Christmas was...

My uncle showing up to Christmas and convincing parentals that I was old enough for video games. Received my PlayStation for Christmas that year.

He second handed me all of his games.

I spent that Christmas and the next 3 years playing everything he gave me - FFVII, Legend of Legaia, Legend of Dragoon, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Descent Maximum, Twisted Metal, Soul Reaver. I went from being far too green at 10 to get past certain parts in these games to becoming an expert. I can still hear the noise of my grandmas computer when I decided to print off that 150+ page walkthrough of Final Fantasy from gamefaqs.com.

 

[Cheroczech]

The best video game gift I ever got for Christmas was...

My uncle showing up to Christmas and convincing parentals that I was old enough for video games. Received my PlayStation for Christmas that year.

He second handed me all of his games.

I spent that Christmas and the next 3 years playing everything he gave me - FFVII, Legend of Legaia, Legend of Dragoon, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Descent Maximum, Twisted Metal, Soul Reaver. I went from being far too green at 10 to get past certain parts in these games to becoming an expert. I can still hear the noise of my grandmas computer when I decided to print off that 150+ page walkthrough of Final Fantasy from gamefaqs.com.

You have a good uncle for sharing FF7. How many discs was that?

 

[satisfyingbutton]

The best video game gift I ever got for Christmas was...

My uncle showing up to Christmas and convincing parentals that I was old enough for video games. Received my PlayStation for Christmas that year.

He second handed me all of his games.

I spent that Christmas and the next 3 years playing everything he gave me - FFVII, Legend of Legaia, Legend of Dragoon, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Descent Maximum, Twisted Metal, Soul Reaver. I went from being far too green at 10 to get past certain parts in these games to becoming an expert. I can still hear the noise of my grandmas computer when I decided to print off that 150+ page walkthrough of Final Fantasy from gamefaqs.com.

Oh man, I definitely aspire to cool uncle status. Though the Switch is already a mainstay at my brother's house.

I just played some Final Fantasy VII for the first time in a long time today. Still holds up!

 

[BarrieJ3]

You have a good uncle for sharing FF7. How many discs was that?

Oh shit right? Lol I forgot about having to grab the next disc. Also had to occasionally pray that save data wasn’t corrupted. I’d save multiple slots just in case.

Oh man, I definitely aspire to cool uncle status. Though the Switch is already a mainstay at my brother's house.

I just played some Final Fantasy VII for the first time in a long time today. Still holds up!

Yeah I mean that had a lifetime impact for me. I’m not quite sure what his intent was, but he handed a 10 year old a handful of the best JRPGs ever created.

The patience and learning that those required, appreciation for strong character arcs and development, sense of accomplishment.

Cool uncles are amazing, glad you get that opportunity! Great holiday thread, thanks for reminding me of those great memories.

 

[Pinesol13]

- A video game I remember asking for as a kid was...ZOOP for SNES.

Underrated game, I spent countless hours playing this

 

[satisfyingbutton]

- A video game I remember asking for as a kid was...ZOOP for SNES.
View attachment 1046973

Underrated game, I spent countless hours playing this

OH MY GOD

I have this game! I probably also got it for Christmas or my birthday. Such an odd little game that I absolutely still play for a bit whenever I have my SNES hooked up. The background music is bored deep into my brain.

I can't believe I've found another Zooper in the wild!

 

[Pinesol13]

OH MY GOD

I have this game! I probably also got it for Christmas or my birthday. Such an odd little game that I absolutely still play for a bit whenever I have my SNES hooked up. The background music is bored deep into my brain.

I can't believe I've found another Zooper in the wild!

Hahaha, I've never known another person that had, nay played, Zoop!

 

[satisfyingbutton]

Hahaha, I've never known another person that had, nay played, Zoop!

You just let me know when we need to start working on the Zoop chip set.

 

[markleteenie]

In!
2 - The best video game gift I ever got for Christmas was...Starfox 64 with the RumblePak! It was so good! Great game!

 

[aych]

3 - My favorite memory of playing video games during winter holidays playing multiplayer Halo all night with friends on Hang em High map.

 

[duffman]

1 - A video game I remember asking for as a kid was... Super Mario Bros. 2

I can remember this game was super hard to find. Christmas of '88 i believe. Got the NES Action Set that same year for my birthday. I didn't get the game on Christmas day. My parents had tricked me into thinking it was lost and they hid it behind the tree the next day. I was super pumped and played that game for hours on end. Great memory!

Thanks for the chance!

 

[satisfyingbutton]

In!
2 - The best video game gift I ever got for Christmas was...Starfox 64 with the RumblePak! It was so good! Great game!

A true classic. I know for a lot of people it is still the pinnacle of the series. And boy, those RumblePaks! That was truly the future come to life!

3 - My favorite memory of playing video games during winter holidays playing multiplayer Halo all night with friends on Hang em High map.

I definitely miss these kind of gaming sessions. I still get together with friends regularly for analog gaming, and we do occasionally game online. However, nothing quite hits like couch co-op.

1 - A video game I remember asking for as a kid was... Super Mario Bros. 2

I can remember this game was super hard to find, Christmas of '88 i believe. Got the NES Action Set that same year for my birthday. I didn't get the game on Christmas day. My parents had tricked me into thinking it was lost and they hit it behind the tree the next day. I was super pumped and playing that game for hours on end. Great memory!

Thanks for the chance!

Great story! I was always really drawn into the characters that debuted in SMB2. I'm glad that Nintendo hasn't left them behind over the years.

 

[Beanieman]

A video game I remember asking for as a kid was Mario bros 3. It was so great and I played it for weeks. Still remember exactly how to get the flute. You have to crouch on the white box until you drop behind the map.

Merry Christmas!

 

[BarrieJ3]

A video game I remember asking for as a kid was Mario bros 3. It was so great and I played it for weeks. Still remember exactly how to get the flute. You have to crouch on the white box until you drop behind the map.

Merry Christmas!

Don’t forget the other world 1 flute! Bowsers castle - at the first door, don’t go in. Fly up and over the map to the right of the door for a second flute!

 

[satisfyingbutton]

Okay, it's still Christmas morning here for...seven minutes. I'm going to freeze new entries and do the drawing!

 

[satisfyingbutton]

Results!

First Draw: 22 @dinosaur

Second Draw: 29 @TheRealTeddyKGB

Third Draw: 6 @Cheroczech

Fourth Draw: 38 @200 Motels

Congrats! @dinosaur gets the deck and the sample set. The other three all get sample sets. Send me your shipping info at your convenience.

Thank you to everyone who participated! It was great reading through these stories! Merry Christmas!