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"Memorabilia"

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Sat 03/08/02 at 18:06
Regular
Posts: 787
What makes a game memorable to you? Which part of a games makes you look back and sigh? Is it a certain character? A certain speech? A certain song? Or a certain part of Lara Croft? Whatever it is, it stays with for a lifetime. Games that truly can be called 'classic' have to have memorabilia. It's easy to make a good game, but there's so many, you aren't going to remember all of them. There has to be a special 'something' that not all games have. There's no specific 'something' you need a game memorable, it just needs to be unique.

Although you think you'll never see two things being remembered for the same thing, you'd probably be wrong. All Sega fans will remember Jet Set Radio for using the unique Cel-shading that Sega created to compliment the graffiti in the game. Now Nintendo have used the Cel-shading techniques on their new Zelda title. People think that Nintendo have made the game look more childish, but there's a big possibility that this will be remembered for being a brilliant game, even though it looks childish to a lot of people. So although these two games use the same techniques, they're unique and deserve to be remembered.

It's hard to a special 'something', but I'll give it a go all the same. Right, s first off all I’ve already explained that it has to be unique, but it doesn't necessarily mean that all unique games have memorabilia, to really have a special 'something' it has to be it's own. What i mean is, many things are unique in games; characters, level design, moves, speech and more. But it's easy for a developer to make a penguin character, maybe with special powers, or a wand, OH, or a gun, but that doesn't matter, you can have a character like that and put him or her in a desert but not back up why in storyline, it has to be thought out. It's the same with speech, you can have a good line for a character to say, but even though it's good, it might not fit in at all. Things like jokes for no reason, telling someone to 'shut up' in a certain that would make you laugh for no reason. Now in no way am I saying that penguins can't be on desert levels, or you can't tell someone to shut up, but you've got to time it right. If the penguin started off on an Antarctic-style level then after a few levels, or even one, and then goes onto a desert level, it's fine, it's well thought out and it makes sense.

Sometimes games can be remembered for things that aren't as obvious as you'd think. For example, the original Mario Bros. game on the NES. Some people may think it's remembered for the excellent 'Jumpman' gameplay. Others may think the characters make them remember. But for me it's the music. The Mario theme music is something that won't get out of your head. Sometimes when you're bored you find yourself tapping the song onto the table, other times whistling it, but because it's so catchy, I find myself doing this. Then when I realise I'm singing it I usually go and fish out Mario Bros. or another Mario classic and play it until my head explodes. This shows how memorabilia works, if hearing a bit of music from a game makes you want to play it, the franchise will keep selling as long as it inherits the music and a good standard of enjoyment.

Another good example is the Tomb Raider series. These games have memorabilia, but for different reasons. The female gamers may think of it as a game that shows people it's not only men that can tear into wolves with Uzi’s, women can as well. Male gamers may remember it for 'other' parts of Lara. But if whenever a man thinks about they play Tomb Raider, we'd never be off the damn thing. Of course this generally speaking. Different people remember things for different reasons. That's the brilliance of memorabilia, a game can be memorable to someone for different reasons to someone else.

This is where my post draws to a close. But remember (ho-ho) when you recommend a game, think of memorabilia.

Thanks for reading

RiCkOsS
Sat 03/08/02 at 19:05
Regular
"**I'm Disposable**"
Posts: 1,104
Great post there. I think that's why old games sell for so much nowadays. Lately I've had an amazing craving for NES stuff. I'm currently highest bidder on a mint condition NES, at the moment its costing me £60, this is just the action pack console! It's very well planed out by the developers, they know that people are still wanting old retro games so what do they do about it? They re-release them on different consoles. For example Space Invaders has been released on the GBA, its the same style of game but it has been very slightly enhanced using the capabilities of the little handheld.

The thing that always makes me go back to a game is not so much the music or the theme tune but if I see a picture which reminds me of the game the its straight upstairs to play the game. Take mario, he has had everything a pop star has. His face has got into millions and millions of people's vision, whether it be through magazines, cartoons or merchandise. Mario is the dude everyone thinks of when talking about video games. It's true what you say if you hear something or see something that triggers a desire to play the game then it becomes your objective which you must accomplish.

People will pay large amounts of money to actually relive there very first gaming memories (I'm doing the exact same thing). Some people say its not worth it and that you could be buying the latest graphically advanced games to hit the gaming market. This is fair enough but once that game has taken you into its world you feel the need to play it if you see or hear something that represents it. It's like its calling you back to the place in which you had your very best gaming experience. Once you get there you forget about all the wonderfully advanced games sitting on top of your next-generation console. The memories in everyone's gaming experience will always spark a desire to play the worlds which you once lived through.
Sat 03/08/02 at 18:06
Regular
Posts: 10,437
What makes a game memorable to you? Which part of a games makes you look back and sigh? Is it a certain character? A certain speech? A certain song? Or a certain part of Lara Croft? Whatever it is, it stays with for a lifetime. Games that truly can be called 'classic' have to have memorabilia. It's easy to make a good game, but there's so many, you aren't going to remember all of them. There has to be a special 'something' that not all games have. There's no specific 'something' you need a game memorable, it just needs to be unique.

Although you think you'll never see two things being remembered for the same thing, you'd probably be wrong. All Sega fans will remember Jet Set Radio for using the unique Cel-shading that Sega created to compliment the graffiti in the game. Now Nintendo have used the Cel-shading techniques on their new Zelda title. People think that Nintendo have made the game look more childish, but there's a big possibility that this will be remembered for being a brilliant game, even though it looks childish to a lot of people. So although these two games use the same techniques, they're unique and deserve to be remembered.

It's hard to a special 'something', but I'll give it a go all the same. Right, s first off all I’ve already explained that it has to be unique, but it doesn't necessarily mean that all unique games have memorabilia, to really have a special 'something' it has to be it's own. What i mean is, many things are unique in games; characters, level design, moves, speech and more. But it's easy for a developer to make a penguin character, maybe with special powers, or a wand, OH, or a gun, but that doesn't matter, you can have a character like that and put him or her in a desert but not back up why in storyline, it has to be thought out. It's the same with speech, you can have a good line for a character to say, but even though it's good, it might not fit in at all. Things like jokes for no reason, telling someone to 'shut up' in a certain that would make you laugh for no reason. Now in no way am I saying that penguins can't be on desert levels, or you can't tell someone to shut up, but you've got to time it right. If the penguin started off on an Antarctic-style level then after a few levels, or even one, and then goes onto a desert level, it's fine, it's well thought out and it makes sense.

Sometimes games can be remembered for things that aren't as obvious as you'd think. For example, the original Mario Bros. game on the NES. Some people may think it's remembered for the excellent 'Jumpman' gameplay. Others may think the characters make them remember. But for me it's the music. The Mario theme music is something that won't get out of your head. Sometimes when you're bored you find yourself tapping the song onto the table, other times whistling it, but because it's so catchy, I find myself doing this. Then when I realise I'm singing it I usually go and fish out Mario Bros. or another Mario classic and play it until my head explodes. This shows how memorabilia works, if hearing a bit of music from a game makes you want to play it, the franchise will keep selling as long as it inherits the music and a good standard of enjoyment.

Another good example is the Tomb Raider series. These games have memorabilia, but for different reasons. The female gamers may think of it as a game that shows people it's not only men that can tear into wolves with Uzi’s, women can as well. Male gamers may remember it for 'other' parts of Lara. But if whenever a man thinks about they play Tomb Raider, we'd never be off the damn thing. Of course this generally speaking. Different people remember things for different reasons. That's the brilliance of memorabilia, a game can be memorable to someone for different reasons to someone else.

This is where my post draws to a close. But remember (ho-ho) when you recommend a game, think of memorabilia.

Thanks for reading

RiCkOsS

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