Christmas Vidya Memories

[Magus]

Share 'em. Games you got for Xmas, games you gave, memorable moments gaming during the Xmas time, whatever.

I WANNA HEAR YOUR STORY

[Valkysas]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

My sister and I got the NES for christmas '87. Was awesome. We were probably the only kids who played duck hunt more than super mario bros. we dinged up the TV screen by sitting way too close to the TV while playing duck hunt.

We then got an SNES (super mario world bundle) with Mario Paint in '92. This was probably the best christmas we ever had. We didnt even know we got mario paint, because we stopped opening everything when we got the SNES unwrapped. my parents had to bug us constantly to finish unwrapping presents while we were more concerned with opening that box and hooking the sucker up. eventually we did discover mario paint under the tree, and my sister made the most use of that, making a long series of "cartoons" starring "Hobart" and "Lulu". They were the small people graphics, but with giant heads. often planes would crash into them, knocking their heads off. or pigs would eat them. I made a bunch of megaman sprites.

First console I got that was exclusively mine was the Playstation, in '97. Got Megaman 8 with it. and no memory card. I also discovered Armored Core thanks to the demo disc that came with the system. I got X4 in february. still didnt buy a memory card. because then I couldnt have afforded X4. got a memory card a week or two later. the playstation era was kind of lame for me. I couldnt get a job yet, so I couldnt afford games. and my parents considered me "too old" to buy games for on anything but my birthday and christmas.

I got a Wii for christmas '06 from a friend. That was cool. that was awesome. A friend got me twilight princess too, but that was after christmas. but again, very cool. When I got the Wii, I tried getting my dad to let me borrow his credit card, so I could get Gunstar Heroes for the Virtual Console, as I was very much unemployed and completely broke at the time. he refused. so for about 12 days, all I had was Wii Sports. and the Mii channel. It was hard to be impressed with the system at first because of this.

[Duel]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

I got an N64 for Christmas.

[Sivart the Sloth Trencher]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

It was a really long time ago, but when I was like 5 we got a Playstation along with Crash Bandicoot and Castlevania Symphony of the Night. I remember watching my sisters play both of those games a whole bunch and it brings back fond memories. At some point shortly after Christmas (possibly the same day) I mustered up the courage to play SOTN. Those bloody zombies and the way you die, coupled with my poor skill, gave me nightmares.

[American Hero]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

My parents always were haters of the vidya. "All I want for Christmas is an Nintendo 64!" I would repeat. But my mother and father would just laugh and tell me these gifts are silly and far to expensive for Santa to make. Then one Christmas morning I woke up and didn't get a N64. I don't remember what I got. It wasn't what I wanted that is for sure. But then, the next day, a Christmas miracle occurred! My grandfather came to the house and picked me up to go visit his brothers and sisters (who all live relatively close). As I was at my Uncle's house my cousin, who was many years older then I, told my Grandfather that he was sailing his Nintendo 64! I couldn't believe it! I was young and didn't have any money, but maybe there was enough Christmas spirit left in my parents to squeeze just a bit more money out of them. Anyway there was, and I did. Then I got my N64 an was the happiest kid alive, I played Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask and Mario 64 until my eyes bled. I also had some kind of Megaman game for the N64 that I loved, can't remember the name.

Anyway I know this is for video games, but one Christmas I remember getting a huge cardboard box filled with various Batman: TAS action figures, including Batmobiles and Bat Planes and such. I used to take the dinning room chairs and throw a quilt over them to make a Batcave. Good times.

[Valkysas]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

I also had some kind of Megaman game for the N64 that I loved, can't remember the name.

Megaman 64. Port of the first game in the playstation's Megaman Legends series.

[Tintenfisch]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

The last video game I got for Christmas was Viewtiful Joe 2.

I don't have many since I didn't get many vidyas on christmas. The one memory I do have was of disappointment. Getting Home Alone for the SNES. I honestly thought it was a joke when I opened it up, but there I was shooting Marvin with a water gun while he went "uh" and fighting giant spiders.

[Caciss]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

The year I got Ocarina of Time and my life changed forever.

[Kire]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

My biggest first Christmas memory was when my bro and I got Final Fantasy I for christmas for the NES. I think it was like $60-80 brand new for some reason. Either way we were extatic and played the crap out of it.

Also, one of the first times my brother and I exchanged gifts, he got me Shadow of Olympus (pretty cool game) and I got him Crystalis (PHENOMENAL GAME). We switched off playing Crystalis, but I would also play Olympus out of guilt. Seriously, Crystalis was one of those games out of nowhere that was just too cool for words.

[Shard]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

Probably the best present-wise was getting FF6. I couldn't play it right away because other people were using the TV, but I devoured the instruction booklet in anticipation and for about three days I was glued to the console.

A close second was getting the SNES w/ Mario World and two games, Drakhen (snore.) and Super Castlevania IV. SCIV and SMW split my time about evently, but SCIV settled deep in my heart.

[Toaster]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

*shrug*

I buy most my own videogames these days. Last time I got a videogame as a present was MGS2, and I had already beat that via a rental a few months prior.

The year I got LandStalker and Shining Force for a Christmas gift from my grandparents was a pretty awesome. Those were two of my favorite Genesis games, and my first real experiences with the RPG genre (albeit strategy RPG and action RPG).

Waaaay before this I remember getting Bubble Bobble for the NES and being really excited and playing it all day the next morning with my brother and allllmost beating it. Then using a GameGenie months later to finish it up by starting on the last level with my Mom as the 2P.

One story I remember, in particular, was how I opened up my cousin's gift on accident but I was able to keep it anyways. He was quite a bit older than me, and it said on the box "Mike". I was really little at the time, and when I saw that present shaped like an NES cartridge with MY name on it I quickly snapped it up. It was Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers. Turns out the present was from my Uncle Mike, to his son Dan (divorce) and after all the gift unwrapping my parents and everyone soon discovered what happened. They kept trying to convince me that it wasn't a good game and that I could take some money in place of it to buy another game instead, but never once did they tell me that the game wasn't mine in the first place. After a while they decided to let me keep the thing, and gave the cash to my Uncle so that he could buy a replacement for his son. I pieced everything together years later when looking back at it all, because nobody wanted to tell me what I had done seeming as I was probably only 6 or 7 years old. What a little bastard, I was.

[Kefka Jr.]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

I got Xenogears for Christmas. I don't remember playing it too much that day, but I remember waking up and starting it the day after that. I just kept playing, the whole day. My friends came over, we paused for lunch, and then we just went back to playing it for 10 hours.

I can remember the Forest of the Black Moon, a dusky pale light coming in through the windows from outside and a plate of leftover cookies on the coffee table in front of the couch.

[Ωbright]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

Christmas of 82, I got my one and only video game console until moving out: a Vectrex. I set it up in my room, and my dad and I played it...no ****...for about 6 hours straight. We had one of those giant peppermint sticks, and my dad smashed it into a million pieces and poured it into a bowl. They went all over the place and we didn't care. We ate what was left the whole time we played.

It was awesome.

Second was the Christmas when my sister's husband gave me Mega Bomberman, and I gave him Zombies Ate My Neighbors (both for Genesis). He was from Scotland, and apparently zombie games and movies were banned over there. He was so happy, I swear, I thought he was going to cry. The next year I got him Army of Darkness on DVD.

[Adrian Foley]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

One story I remember, in particular, was how I opened up my cousin's gift on accident but I was able to keep it anyways. He was quite a bit older than me, and it said on the box "Mike". I was really little at the time, and when I saw that present shaped like an NES cartridge with MY name on it I quickly snapped it up. It was Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers. Turns out the present was from my Uncle Mike, to his son Dan (divorce) and after all the gift unwrapping my parents and everyone soon discovered what happened. They kept trying to convince me that it wasn't a good game and that I could take some money in place of it to buy another game instead, but never once did they tell me that the game wasn't mine in the first place. After a while they decided to let me keep the thing, and gave the cash to my Uncle so that he could buy a replacement for his son. I pieced everything together years later when looking back at it all, because nobody wanted to tell me what I had done seeming as I was probably only 6 or 7 years old. What a little bastard, I was.

That's so cute.

When my sisters and I were 6-ish, 7-ish and 12-ish, *somewhere around there* our father got us a Super Nintendo for Christmas- We were so excited, but then it turned out he'd actually bought it for himself.

[Jamos]

Re: Christmas Vidya Memories

I got a PS2 and MGS2 the year it came out (the game, I can't remember when the PS2 came out.) However, I did not have a memory card and played nearly the entire game without it. The issue came when I realized I was at the end of the game and without the card I couldn't save for the new game+. I kept the thing on pause until the next day when I could actually buy it. Not exactly the greatest memory, but it was the only one I could think of at the moment. Get off me.