Which was your first game?

[Cyan]

Something that sorta looked like Space Invaders (but wasn't) on an arcade machine in the lobby of a hotel in Greece. I'm guessing Galaga.

hehehehe, similar to Pong, very few people haven't played Galaga, even if you discovered it in the Playstation version of Ridge Racer.

Oh, so it's actually the first game we played, not that we owned? In that case, I think it was Street Fighter II, for me.

still as good for a first game, if not better, than Tomb Raider. You are a lucky guy who didn't have to play through many crappy games before playing the must haves.

The first game I played was PONG on a PONG console with paddle controllers in the late 70s.
The first game I bought was Space Invaders for my Atari 2600.
The first PC game I played was Wing Commander on a friend's 286 (which was shitty expensive at the time).
I don't really remember what was the first PC game I bought, could have been Ultima VII: The Black Gate

by expensive do you mean the game or the 286? 'Cos I know for sure computers were soooooooo expensive, games..., well, it depends.

Ultima VII is one of those games that I have -GoG, got it on sale- but I don't know when I am going to play it thoroughly.

By today's standards, just about every Chris Roberts game was a shitty experience on release.
If you had the recommended optimal specs for, let's say, Strike Commander at the time (which was a 486 Dx50 iirc), you were still looking at a sub 20 fps experience.

Strike Commander looks very good for its time, imho. Even on a Pentium 100, there were stages where the framerate suffered in games like Need for Speed -the original-, specially in a track you played at night and was one of the last tracks to get the best car in the game, a secret car. Other than that though, it was a smooth and beautiful experience.

The Simpsons game that was remastered a few years ago for PS4. I played it on a 386 DX at 32Mhz with 4MB RAM and 80Mb HDD

And the DOS Gorilla throwing bananas one, most likely the god father of Worms.

haha, I imagine you were like a silverback gorilla, the boss of the game. I choose Donkey Kong like 90% of the time in certain kart games.

mario brothers i guess for the nes.

you were up to a great start, that game still looks and plays good nowadays.

 

[McHuj]

iirc, Kings Quest 1 is the precursor of Heroes of Might and Magic style games, right? HoMM series has some of my favourite games.

King's Quest was the precursor to many point and click adventure games. It didn't really have any combat instead it focused on exploration and puzzle solving. Although the puzzles were incredibly difficult and the whole series is very unforgiving (if you missed an item that you needed later in the game you were screwed).

 

[Goodtwin]

Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt. So glad to be old enough to go through the monumental changes in gaming. I had experience with Atari and Intelavision with other family and friends, but the NES was my first console, and Nintendo has had me hooked ever since.

 

[Cyan]

Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt. So glad to be old enough to go through the monumental changes in gaming. I had experience with Atari and Intelavision with other family and friends, but the NES was my first console, and Nintendo has had me hooked ever since.

the legendary Duck Hunt, I think most of us played that game and saved the princess from peril.

Super Mario Bros. has everything, even the flaws -secrets- are virtues in the game.

 

[Aenima]

Hunchback on the Spectrum ZX. I must've been 6 or 7. A few colors and splishy splashy sounds, and yet it was quite magical back then.
Not long after that my 10 year older brother bought a C64 ...and I became a gamer.

 

[Cyan]

Hunchback on the Spectrum ZX. I must've been 6 or 7. A few colors and splishy splashy sounds, and yet it was quite magical back then.
Not long after that my 10 year older brother bought a C64 ...and I became a gamer.

Hunchback is one of those games that quite a few people played as their first game, it's not as niche as I thought, and I wonder why because I barely heard of it. Maybe it never made into consoles or the PC.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Technically it was Combat on the Atari 2600. We had more than Combat, but that was the first cartridge we put in. We then spent hours and hours playing the tank games. Lining-up the shot, shooting.. missing, waiting for the precious seconds before you could fire again whilst your opponent did likewise.

Then fiding there were variants of this mode with faster firing and guided bullets!!!

 

[N00b]

By today's standards, just about every Chris Roberts game was a shitty experience on release.
If you had the recommended optimal specs for, let's say, Strike Commander at the time (which was a 486 Dx50 iirc), you were still looking at a sub 20 fps experience.

I think your comment is a bit unfair. When Wing Commander came out it was a revolution. It was really a glimpse into the future. Wing Commander 2 and 3 ran actually pretty well if you had a good system. You can't judge them by today's standards. Strike Commander and Privateer were a bit different. Roberts wanted to do too much, but I knew people who played them for years and with newer hardware they became much better.

by expensive do you mean the game or the 286? 'Cos I know for sure computers were soooooooo expensive, games..., well, it depends.

I mean the 286. The whole system (including monitor, vga card, mouse and adlib soundcard) cost him around 20.000 Deutschmarks at the time. I think he bought it around 1987.

Ultima VII is one of those games that I have -GoG, got it on sale- but I don't know when I am going to play it thoroughly.

My favorite part is still Ultima III. I played that on the school Apple IIe. Got it from an american exchange student back then. Good times. ^_^

 

[Aenima]

Hunchback is one of those games that quite a few people played as their first game, it's not as niche as I thought, and I wonder why because I barely heard of it. Maybe it never made into consoles or the PC.

To be honest, I barely remember it, save for the fact it was that first game experience. That moment is special. I think in my country the Spectrum, Amstrad and C64 (later Amiga and PC) were more popular than consoles in the mid to late 80's. I bought my first console in 2006, and thus I have no childhood memories of the Mario or Sonic games. Instead it was Paradroid, Eidolon, Blue Max, Elite, Turrican, Battle Squadron, Bard's tale and so forth.

 

[Cyan]

Technically it was Combat on the Atari 2600. We had more than Combat, but that was the first cartridge we put in. We then spent hours and hours playing the tank games. Lining-up the shot, shooting.. missing, waiting for the precious seconds before you could fire again whilst your opponent did likewise.

Then fiding there were variants of this mode with faster firing and guided bullets!!!

well, if you had your hands on the tanks game included with the Wii, then you would totally fall in love with it. Judging from the video it is basically the same game, although the Wii version is better, it has better AI and you confront several enemies at once, some projectiles ricochet and you are always trying to beat your record, plus each stage gets more complicated. I played it with a 19 y.o. friend who is very good at the game and it is soooo fun.., yet simple.

 

[green.pixel]

Pong on Atari 2600 clone that sold in Eastern Europe.

By today's standards, just about every Chris Roberts game was a shitty experience on release.
If you had the recommended optimal specs for, let's say, Strike Commander at the time (which was a 486 Dx50 iirc), you were still looking at a sub 20 fps experience.

Origin games' r&r:

Required: current top of the line
Recommended: something faster will prolly come out soon!

 

[Nesh]

Technically it was Combat on the Atari 2600. We had more than Combat, but that was the first cartridge we put in. We then spent hours and hours playing the tank games. Lining-up the shot, shooting.. missing, waiting for the precious seconds before you could fire again whilst your opponent did likewise.

Then fiding there were variants of this mode with faster firing and guided bullets!!!

I remember this one!

 

[AzBat]

I think the first game I might have played was on a Pong home machine that my cousins had. I don't really consider it my first though. My first real game experience at home was a Sears Video Arcade(aka Atari 2600). Mom & Dad got us Target Fun(aka Air Sea Battle) & Tank Plus(aka Combat). Can't remember which I played first, but I liked Target Fun best. My next system was a IBM PCjr in 1984 that was a Christmas gift for me & my sisters. First games we got were King's Quest, Zyll, Shamus & Mouser. This system would make me a PC gamer for years to come. But I would eventually get a NES in 1990 with Guardian Legend as another Christmas gift. I wouldn't buy my first console until 2001 when I bought the Xbox to play Halo.

Tommy McClain

 

[Cyan]

I think the first game I might have played was on a Pong home machine that my cousins had. I don't really consider it my first though. My first real game experience at home was a Sears Video Arcade(aka Atari 2600). Mom & Dad got us Target Fun(aka Air Sea Battle) & Tank Plus(aka Combat). Can't remember which I played first, but I liked Target Fun best. My next system was a IBM PCjr in 1984 that was a Christmas gift for me & my sisters. First games we got were King's Quest, Zyll, Shamus & Mouser. This system would make me a PC gamer for years to come. But I would eventually get a NES in 1990 with Guardian Legend as another Christmas gift. I wouldn't buy my first console until 2001 when I bought the Xbox to play Halo.

Tommy McClain

you had a bit of everything, almost started with DOS.... Talking of which, the computer I'd have liked to try back in the day is the MSX, which was a success in Japan and Europe, but never had one.

Zyll, Shamus & Mouser..., first time I hear of both. Hope you come back to PC gaming now that you have stores like Steam/GoG and Gamepass.

My first console was the Xbox back in 2004 and from the look of things, the Xbox One -from launch day 2013- seems to be the last. I just enjoy more gaming on a PC and alternating between m/kb combo and gamepad.

 

[JPT]

Space invaders on atari 2600, was the first I owned.
First I bought was pole position on the atari.

And yay for racing destruction construction set. That one I pirated on the c64

 

[AzBat]

you had a bit of everything, almost started with DOS....

Oh yeah, I've seen a lot. Actually started to mention my CP/M experience before I got the PCjr, but left it out. My dad bought the Osborne 1 for his business & I would watch over his shoulder to see what he was doing. I would eventually learn how to use it & we would type in basic games or exchange with friends he knew that had games. Later on we would download games off BBS'es we found. This was in 1983 I think. I learned to type in BASIC programs & eventually write my own. I was about 10. Anyway, it was my first experience with the classics Adventure & Star Trek.

Talking of which, the computer I'd have liked to try back in the day is the MSX, which was a success in Japan and Europe, but never had one.

I heard of it but only in the past 10 years or so. Sounds like a Commodore 64. Which is the system that Dad originally bought for us before returning it for the IBM PCjr. LOL

Zyll, Shamus & Mouser..., first time I hear of both. Hope you come back to PC gaming now that you have stores like Steam/GoG and Gamepass.

Everyone remember King's Quest because of the 16-color graphics, but Zyll was great too. It was an text adventure/RPG game(you could be a thief, wizard or warrior). It didn't let you type the commands like Adventure or Zork. It used a Function key menu system. The original IBM PC had the 2 columns of Function keys on the left & it used that layout for its menu system. You could even play co-op on the same machine or competitive co-op. The game had a timer & all the items & solution was randomized. So it was different every time you played. The timer was used to see who won first. You can play it online here. Shamus was an action/adventure maze game. It was inspired by Berzerk & ported to every system out there, even made it to Game Boy Color. You can play it here too. Mouser is a forgettable cartridge game made by IBM. Found a video here but beware it's being run on an emulator & the audio is jacked & loud. There were much better games on cartridge like River Raid, Pitfall 2 & Demon Attack.

My first console was the Xbox back in 2004 and from the look of things, the Xbox One -from launch day 2013- seems to be the last. I just enjoy more gaming on a PC and alternating between m/kb combo and gamepad.

Although I started gaming first on a PC, I don't think I will ever go back. I'm married, have kids, etc. My life is not geared for PC gaming. I don't have the time or the patience. Plus, I use a PC all day at work. Sitting in front of a PC when I get home to play games doesn't sound like much fun. Playing with a controller is a little easier & more relaxing. I don't even have a Windows 10 PC. I'm using a Chromebook at home.

Tommy McClain

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Oooh, fun thread. Good to see I'm not the only one that started their home gaming experience with Pong.

First video game. The original Pong home console. Purchased at Sears.
First console game as we think of them now. Combat on the Atari 2600. It came with the console.
First console game that I actually purchased. Space Invaders.
First home computer game. Something on the Trash 80. ER, I mean the TRS-80. I can't remember what the first game I tried on that was.

Oh and the console game that started friends and family trash talking each other? Combat.

Regards,
SB

 

[Cyan]

Oh yeah, I've seen a lot. Actually started to mention my CP/M experience before I got the PCjr, but left it out. My dad bought the Osborne 1 for his business & I would watch over his shoulder to see what he was doing. I would eventually learn how to use it & we would type in basic games or exchange with friends he knew that had games. Later on we would download games off BBS'es we found. This was in 1983 I think. I learned to type in BASIC programs & eventually write my own. I was about 10. Anyway, it was my first experience with the classics Adventure & Star Trek.



I heard of it but only in the past 10 years or so. Sounds like a Commodore 64. Which is the system that Dad originally bought for us before returning it for the IBM PCjr. LOL



Everyone remember King's Quest because of the 16-color graphics, but Zyll was great too. It was an text adventure/RPG game(you could be a thief, wizard or warrior). It didn't let you type the commands like Adventure or Zork. It used a Function key menu system. The original IBM PC had the 2 columns of Function keys on the left & it used that layout for its menu system. You could even play co-op on the same machine or competitive co-op. The game had a timer & all the items & solution was randomized. So it was different every time you played. The timer was used to see who won first. You can play it online here. Shamus was an action/adventure maze game. It was inspired by Berzerk & ported to every system out there, even made it to Game Boy Color. You can play it here too. Mouser is a forgettable cartridge game made by IBM. Found a video here but beware it's being run on an emulator & the audio is jacked & loud. There were much better games on cartridge like River Raid, Pitfall 2 & Demon Attack.



Although I started gaming first on a PC, I don't think I will ever go back. I'm married, have kids, etc. My life is not geared for PC gaming. I don't have the time or the patience. Plus, I use a PC all day at work. Sitting in front of a PC when I get home to play games doesn't sound like much fun. Playing with a controller is a little easier & more relaxing. I don't even have a Windows 10 PC. I'm using a Chromebook at home.

Tommy McClain

haven't managed to play Zyll -got to the initial screen but didnt know how to choose Solitaire-, although I am more the visual type and playing text adventure games doesn't appeal me very much. I like how pure they are because they are just code though, good games for programmers to show up skills, but usually programmers tend to be very bad artists and UI designers.

Shamus is more palatable, but darn is it hard. The walls and enemies must have the heat of a thousand suns 'cos they kill you if you just touch them.

Well, I can easily see why you have a limited time to play, although trust me that these days there is no difference between using a console and a PC, almost. I havent tweaked anything on my laptop PC, CPU and GPU are running at default clocks and just play games when I need to. Also if I want to message another gamer with a gamertag it's way easier and less time consumer to just type it in on a PC.

Oooh, fun thread. Good to see I'm not the only one that started their home gaming experience with Pong.

First video game. The original Pong home console. Purchased at Sears.
First console game as we think of them now. Combat on the Atari 2600. It came with the console.
First console game that I actually purchased. Space Invaders.
First home computer game. Something on the Trash 80. ER, I mean the TRS-80. I can't remember what the first game I tried on that was.

Oh and the console game that started friends and family trash talking each other? Combat.

Regards,
SB

hehehehe, never thought Combat was such a console seller. What I noticed from yours and DSoup post's on the game is that the game is always best played in vs mode.That contrasts with the Wii tanks game I played recently which was very addictive in single player mode, because they AI is quite good and fun to play against, each stage becoming more challenging than the previous.

The TRS looks like a ATM. From the info I found it had a MSDOS os, The computers in America at the time seem to be very different from the typical Amstrad or C64, MSX, Sinclair, people used to have here, and consoles reigned I think.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

The TRS looks like a ATM. From the info I found it had a MSDOS os, The computers in America at the time seem to be very different from the typical Amstrad or C64, MSX, Sinclair, people used to have here, and consoles reigned I think.

Microsoft didn't exist back then. It didn't run anything based on MSDOS.

The various operating systems you could run on the machine.

http://www.trs-80.org/category/operating-systems/

Regards,
SB

 

[digitalwanderer]

Either Pong or the one with the black line and white line where you try and surround each other back in the early 70s.