My Gaming Birthday Memories

Hi all! So, I thought I'd write a blog post a little bit more personal today seeing as though its the month of my birthday. During March, particularly on my actual birthday, it tends to make me very nostalgic which usually results in me playing as many retro games as I can within the day. I've been very lucky during the many birthdays I've had other the years as I've received multiple games and even one or two consoles over the years. So I'd thought that maybe I'd share a few of my very favourite memories with you guys and girls! There have been multiple games which have made an impact on me personally due to the memories which surround it in addition to the game itself being quality. For example, I have a few games which I always play at Christmas due to the original impact that game gave me at that time of year. I'm sure it's the same with a lot of you. So without further delay, let me share with you some of my personal best birthday gaming memories!

25/3/05 (16th birthday) - Sonic Mega Collection Plus

2005 was a time before retro games and re-release collections were a big thing. These days most companies have released a collection or two based on their popular characters and properties. One such collection I received for my 16th birthday was Sonic Mega Collection Plus for my original Xbox from my brother. Till this day this collection remains as one of my very favourites due to the amount of classic games included on the disk. It introduced me to so many of the classics which made Sonic the icon he is, particularly the Game Gear games. It was fantastic to have so many great games on one disk staring my absolute favourite character! Once I got this game I couldn't stop playing it for months! I remember having a football party on the weekend of my birthday and before the party I invited a bunch of mates down and we just played the various levels together on a bunch of the Sonic titles; it was great fun and we were very much all high on Coca Cola and chocolate to top the day off. God knows how we managed to play footy afterwards. Whenever I bring the landmine (the Xbox) down from my attic, this game is always a sure-fire thing I play. This was a particular good birthday memory for me as it was such a great collection, which as I said earlier was a bit more rare back then, and it starred my favourite character and so many great games in addition to bonus features such as art and entire issues of the Sonic The Hedgehog Archie comic series which I would read. It really was, and still is a great title to pick up if you're a Sonic fan.

25/3/98 (9th birthday) - Owning my own SNES

This one of my strongest nostalgic gaming memories for sure. I remember when I was younger than 9 seeing the SNES every now and again at gatherings or parties around my older cousins' houses; just seeing mind you, not playing. Me and my younger brother were usually the on-lookers as we were the younger children of the family. Every now and again we would get a few golden minutes on Super Mario World or challenge each other on Street Fighter 2, but usually we were the viewers, which I didn't mind too much. Anyway, on my 9th birthday my prayers were finally answered when my parents bought me a SNES of my very own! And not just a SNES either, but one with two controllers and multiple classic games! Including the likes of Mario World, Street Fighter 2, Starfox, Super Mario Kart, Turtles In Time and so many more! I was in love with it. Finally a SNES of my very own which I could play whenever I wanted to. I finally got explore the likes of Mario World at my own pace and defeat the evil M. Bison all by myself! And I got the chance to playthrough Bubsy... Whatever though! I was extremely pleased with my gift as it provided so many cherished memories playing with family and friends and ultimately cemented the console as my very favourite.

25/3/97-99 - My gaming parities

So the last big birthday memory I'd thought I'd share is probably the most strongest and well-loved of them all. From about 1997 to 1999 I used to host video game parties! I loved them and still remember them strongly now. Basically I would have about three TVs set up around various locations in our living room and each TV would be hooked up to a console I owned. The usual line up was the SNES, Mega Drive and NES. From there my friends were free to pick which console they would like to play and then, well, play! My parties became quite legendary and I eventually had about twenty people or so who would come round! Must of been manic for my parents but I'm so glad they put up with us all as this is one of my most fondest childhood memories, period. Heck, I'd love to do that now let alone thinking it was a neat idea when I was younger! It was just a great time loved by all as It had so many people who were close to me participating in the hobby which I adore: playing video games. Maybe for a birthday in the near future I will rekindle this particular memory by recreating these legendary parties I used to host.



Thank you for reading a slightly smaller but more personal blog post of mine guys and gals, it's much appreciated! Like I said earlier, I would love to hear some of your gaming memories too! We all have them and I really do enjoy hearing about them.