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Raising Them on the Classics

Written by Tayler Bell Published at 2009-03-15 00:44:34 1 23 124 809     12

Recently I found out my other half is pregnant and I couldn't be happier, but after a while it started to sink in and we noticed that there were a lot of things that we just didn't want our child to be exposed to. Eventually this led to us discussing our video game habits.

I grew up in the Northwest Territories, and due to the long cold winters there wasn't a whole lot to do. At the early age of two, I had a Coleco controller in hand, and ever since then, video games have been a part of my daily life. I'd say I play games more than the average person, but I'd never say that games have ever prevented me from experiencing new things. In school I competed in basketball, soccer, and wrestling, and I was on the track & field team. Outside of school, I took Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, skateboarded, played an insane amount of guitar, and played underwater hockey. I can honestly say that video games have never held me back from doing physical things, nor have they coerced me to physically hurt anyone. They do, every now and then, cause me to curse uncontrollably. This is usually due to poor translation, dubbing, gameplay, glitching, artificial intelligence, but usually it's just the overall crappiness of a game.

My yelling at the TV worried my girlfriend a bit, and I can understand why. We agreed that I would get my own gaming room so I can still play the games that I want, and be as loud as I want. We also discussed what games would be appropriate for our kids. We pretty much agreed that they won't have access to any games we deem too violent, or too stupid. I want to raise my kids on the games I'd consider to be the classics.

I think my girlfriend and I might not be on the same page when it comes to what we consider classic games. Every now and then I like to revisit the games from my past, and when I do she'll usually say something like "why the hell would you want to play some ugly old game when you have shiny new ones you haven't finished?" I'm not sure what it is, but there was something about the quality of the older games. The 16 bit era was, in my opinion, the best time period for gaming. I think it's because the games at that point in time didn't really have voice acting, didn't have an over abundance of movies, and were on cartridges.

When I think of classic games, I think about the games that had a huge impact on me as I was growing up. Games like Dragon's Lair, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Super Mario Brothers 3, Dragon Warrior 3, ActRaiser, The Guardian Legend, Mega Man, Double Dragon, Blaster Master, Ys Book 1 and 2, to name a few. When I think about these older games, I think about how little the focus was on realism, and more on hand-eye coordination, and delivery of a world beyond belief. Multiplayer games were played with people in the same room, and there was a whole lot less shit-talking going on.

Don't get me wrong - there have been a few recent titles that I have really enjoyed, however, as much as I like them, they won't be appropriate for my kids for a very long time... And the more I think about it, the less I want my kids playing them at all. I'm not going to try to hide the harsh realities of the world from my kids, but at the same time, I'm not going give them any bloody or killing-related games until they are old enough for the ESRB rating that has been given. Even then, if it's a stupid game, it won't be coming home (Mortal Kombat, Halo, Mirror's Edge, SOCOM, 50 Cent, I'm looking at you).

Having a child really does change your perspective on games and the gaming community, and I can honestly say I'm glad that the PS3 is my system of choice. I think a lot of that has to do with the amount of shit-talking on Xbox Live. I've played a lot of online games over the years, but I haven't heard nearly as much nonsensical garbage as I have while playing on Microsoft's online service. It never seems to be from the older crowd; it usually sounds like some irate 9 to 14 year old screaming obscenities at the top of their lungs. To this I ask, where are their parents while they are doing this?

Let's brush the negativity aside, and get to the good stuff: the classics. I've come up with a list of games that I think stand the test of time, and are appropriate for all ages. I guess you could say it's my "25 Classic Games I Want My Children Exposed To" list.

In no particular order (because I'm lazy like that):


This was the first game I played on the Turbo Grafx-16, and it was a pretty decent side-scrolling action game. With laser swords, crazy looking mechs, and the Nova Suit, how can you go wrong?


One of the first side-scrolling action games to incorporate RPG elements. I really like the way Westone handled the puzzle elements of this game. Although it has had many different ports, the Sega Master System release was the one that I preferred.


What more needs to be said about the best-selling puzzle game of all time? I get a strong nostalgic feeling whenever I pop in the old NES version, I think this is the foundation, as far as getting my kids into puzzle games.


I can't even begin to tell you how many hours I've put into this game. I think this is a fine example of good cooperative play, not to mention the humor is priceless.


It was a difficult choice, picking the right Sonic game, since there are so many to choose from. Sonic Adventure is the only 3D game in the series that was actually any good.


In my opinion this was the best child-friendly multiplayer experience I had on the Nintendo 64. Since Mario Kart 64 suffered from massive framerate issues in multiplayer, F-Zero X easily gets the win.


I had originally played Arkanoid in the arcades when I was a kid, but I didn't have a home version until it was released on the Super Nintendo. I can see this one being great for improving hand-eye coordination, as well as being a gateway title to puzzle games.


Ah, city planning at it's most basic. Not only is this game fun, but it's educational.


Okami manages to blend Japanese art and adventure quite nicely, while offering a decent challenge. I'll probably wait until my kids have Zelda figured out before handing them this title, but it makes the list.


Although looking like it was designed by Richard Scarry on a serious acid trip, Earthbound is one of the best entry-level RPGs. Combining odd humor with quirky music and graphics, this game is a must-play for my kids.


No other game on my Super Nintendo has accumulated as many hours as this game. It's a rare sight to see an Adventure-RPG that offers a decent weapon upgrade system and supports multiple players. This was a no-brainer for my list.


The fourth installment, and the last decent game in the franchise, Phantasy Star 4 was one of the few RPGs with a Sci-fi setting, well drawn cutscenes, and multiple-planet exploration.


I have a strong attachment to this one (probably why I own 3 different copies of it). I had originally imported this game, and even without understanding any Japanese, it had me glued to the television for hours, trying to collect all the Dragon Genes.


I received this game as a Christmas present in 1990 and spent a lot of time trying to find everything in it. Crystalis has been compared to Zelda on many occasions, but I feel that the game offered a lot more than the Zelda titles at the time.


When ICO first came out, I was blown away by how amazing the graphics were, and even more so by the way you could interact with objects and characters in the world. Offering decent puzzles and a unique art style, ICO is a captivating title.


This was an easy pick for me. This is, in my opinion, the best Mega Man game in the entire series. Make no mistake, this game is difficult and took me hours to finish. Mega Man 2 also taught me that hindsight is a bitch, running out of Crash Bombs before the 3rd last boss = game over.


This was one of the first Super Nintendo games I bought. What makes ActRaiser unique was that the game was split into two types of play: the first being the side-scrolling action game, and the second being the overworld god-like town planning. Unfortunately, the sequel did not have both types of play, and managed to alienate fans of the first ActRaiser.


I had a real problem with a lot of the RPGs that came out on the PS2... THEY WERE ALL TOO EASY! Dragon Quest VIII brought back the challenge that was missing and managed to bring the series up-to-date graphically. Everything about this game is charming, from the way the enemies are animated, to the varying accents characters had in different locations. This had to be on my list.


How do you kill four birds with one stone? Well, with Super Mario All-Stars. I normally prefer having the games in their original form, but the Super Nintendo updates to Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3, while including Super Mario World, fit nicely in one package.


This is a choice game if you own a mulit-tap. The 4-player battle mode is where it's at.


I had to pick a Zelda title, and as much as I like Ocarina of Time, A Link to the Past was longer, more challenging, and stands the test of time a little bit better.


Final Fantasy is a touchy subject with me, but this is the one I like the best. This game had such a good story, a huge cast of characters (each with their own abilities) and amazing art.


Possibly the best RPG ever made... That's all that needs to be said.


Aside from Super Spike V-Ball, Spot was the only reason to own a NES Satellite. Spot was probably the best game to ever feature a 7-Up mascot - and, believe it or not, there were quite a few. Spot is a very hard title to find, but is the best Othello-based game I've played.


Before there was Spore, there was E.V.O., and as far as I know, it was the only Action/Evolution/RPG on the SNES. Eat or be eaten, evolve to survive.

So there you have it, my kid-friendly list of classics. Since Sony has been talking about the possibility of having a service similar to the Wii's Virtual Console, I'm hoping that some of these titles make an appearance. Either way, I still have my old consoles and most of the games.

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