As most of you know, Game Over started as a wrestling avenue of expression through writing. This recent switch from wrestling to games has brought about a massive influx of inspiration. Ever since I was a kid reading Nintendo Power, there has always been a drive to write and talk about video games.
Similar to my wrestling history, my video game consumption has had its ups and downs. Gaming is a cool hobby or lucrative career nowadays, but it was not like that growing up in small town Ohio. A kid with a love of video games and wrestling was a tough sell to potential friends labeling me a weirdo. Obviously, in retrospect, I should not have cared about their thoughts of me, but tell that to an only child.
And with that being said, I’d like to welcome you to Game Over Reviews first series, the “Games that Define Me.” This is not my list of best games ever, but my favorite games of all time. The games that crafted the wannabe gamer/writer with a crazy idea about starting this website.
And we kick off this list with one of my first gaming memories on my first console, Donkey Kong Country.
The year is 1994. Sony has revealed the Playstation and convinced many gaming fans to move on from the Super Nintendo’s 16-bit Super Nintendo. Then, along came a former villain turned loveable lug named Donkey Kong with an amazing side scrolling platformer called Donkey Kong Country that was very different from the previous installations of Donkey Kong games. The game was a massive hit, and according to IGN, saved the Super Nintendo. Donkey Kong Country is one of my first childhood gaming memories. I still play it from time to time on Nintendo’s lovely Switch Online retro platform.
It’s a game with a simple concept—walk right, jump on gators and beavers, and don’t die. Except it is beyond that simple. There’s a vast array of challenging levels, ranging from jungles, mines, underwater, and Aztec temples. Some of my favorite levels in gaming are the Donkey Kong mine cart ride levels. They turn a basic platforming game into a racing/rhythm/platformer that is so satisfying.
And hard. They are very frustrating…
I love platformers. They are one of the oldest gaming genres, dating back to, funnily enough, the original Donkey Kong. Speaking of the original Donkey Kong. Did you know that the grumpy gorilla in the arcade becomes Cranky Kong in all the subsequent Donkey Kong Countrys? Super interesting factoid that I discovered during my research.
Donkey Kong Country spawned that interest in platformers. Without Donkey Kong Country, I might never have tried a Mario game. I might never have fought Doctor Eggman as a blue hedgehog. Finally, I probably never would have played one of my recent favorite games, Celeste. (Play Celeste!)
Most importantly, had I not played Donkey Kong Country, I’d never have experienced this glorious piece of art from Donkey Kong 64.
And that will do it for the first Games that Define Me! Thank you for reading! Up next in the series is a little game revolving around a rag-tag group in space!