#gaming-nostalgia

#gaming-nostalgia

For many of us at GameSpot, the Pokemon series has been a fundamental part of our gaming history. More so than most game series, which are often less frequent with new releases, the Pokemon series has remained a constant in our lives--forever evolving alongside us and acting as a sort of companion through all the various stages of our lives.

It's Christmas of 1994, and I am 16 years old. Sitting on the table in our family room next to a pile of cow-spotted boxes is the most incredible thing in the world: a brand-new Gateway 66MHz Pentium tower, with a 540MB hard disk drive, 8MB of RAM, and, most importantly, a CD-ROM drive. I am agog, practically trembling with barely suppressed joy, my bored Gen-X teenager mask threatening to slip and let actual feelings out.

Somewhere someone at Atari looked at the CX-10 joystick from the company's famous 2600 game console and went, that would make a killer decanter. And no, this isn't AI, it's hundred percent real... In fact, if you're a gamer in your late 40s (and beyond) and mildly irresponsible with money, please turn away immediately. The Atari Decanter is iconic, classy, and appeals to a unique niche of people - those who appreciate the finer things in life, but remember their roots.

The original three games fit together perfectly, adding new mechanics that completed the trick system by Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. Each game had structured two-minute skate sessions allowing players to achieve high scores and goals.

All of a sudden, and all at once, the entire industry seems to have come to a realization: Ninjas are cool.

"I always found that view when you initially step out that side door to the sub-pens to be so immersive. It's as if you can feel the chilling fresh sea breeze blowing freezingly in your bones..."