Games of Yesteryear

Below is a handful of my favorite classic computer and video games that have been thoroughly discussed in other articles on The Grig Post. I have included snippets from those articles here. I decided to present them in chronological order because I just cannot seem to bring myself to number them.

Chrono Trigger

I first played Chrono Trigger in 2000; one year after the "Year of Lavos." Technically, I first played it on PC, since I used an emulator (Snes9x). Before I played Chrono Trigger, I was not much of an RPG fan. I had a few friends that were very much into RPGs, however. They strongly suggested that I play a few. I was blown away by the depth of Chrono Trigger.

Nintendo Rhapsody (World 6: It's About Time):

What is time? We like to think of it as a straight line from past to present to future, but our hearts and minds often dwell exclusively in the past or future. We rarely exist in the present moment. Time, it would seem, is merely an earthbound construct. It was the year 2000 AD in actuality, but my mind was fixated ever in the past. 1995 AD to be more precise. I was trying to hunt down a copy of Chrono Trigger for the Super Nintendo. I was very unlikely to still find the game in any store, and virtual console services would not exist for another six years. Thus, I settled on an emulator for Windows 98. I downloaded Snes9x alongside a ROM of Chrono Trigger. I would eventually find and purchase the Sony PlayStation compilation with Final Fantasy IV and the Nintendo DS version of Chrono Trigger, but for now, emulation appeared to be my only option. Chrono Trigger begins with a legitimate sense of joy and wonder. Crono is a carefree boy just out to have fun with his friends on the morning of the Millennial Fair. A stark contrast from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in which Link's adventure begins with a frantic quest in the midst of a storm. Both story techniques work effectively in their respective games, but Chrono Trigger does a far better job of building tension, and boy does it deliver on surprise twists. From the moment Crono's mother drew open his bedroom curtains, I knew that I was in for something special. Lucca, one of Crono's dearest friends, is a dedicated scientist and a rather talented inventor. Her latest invention, a teleportation device, was about to take the Millennial Fair by storm.

Farewell, Satoru Iwata

I, like many others, was shocked to learn of Satoru Iwata's sudden death. Yet another tragic victim of cancer. He was Nintendo​'s chief executive officer. But he was so much more to the fans; more than a mere businessman. He himself was a gamer. He touched so many with his Iwata Asks and Nintendo Direct initiatives.

IGN's tribute illustrates the man far better than I can put into words...


IGN's A Farewell Tribute to Nintendo's Satoru Iwata

Farewell, 1UP!

I am saddened to hear about the closure of 1UP, and seeing as everyone else is writing a farewell blog, I thought that I would do the same. I have been a 1UP member for so long, I do not recall exactly when I began, but it looks like I only started blogging there in 2006. For some of you, 2006 is probably still a very long time ago. One of the curses of getting older is that time seems to fly by faster. Oh, look, it has already been 30 minutes since I committed to writing this!



Throughout the course of this wild 1UP train ride, I met a number of wonderful people. Some of which I am still in contact with! 1UP.com was always my first stop for gaming news. The cover stories were always informative reads, and a blast to give feedback on. Most of all, I enjoyed seeing the positive feedback to many of my own blogs. It helped encourage me to continue writing.

Farewell, 1UP! I will be thinking of you every time I open my web browser for news... or gain an extra life in Super Mario Bros. Just for you, I am going to touch the very top of that flagpole!

Nintendo with the Haleys U

With Wii U's release immanent  I thought that I would re-share my tribute to Nintendo, Nintendo with the Haleys. In the near future, I plan to write a proper retrospective blog about Nintendo, and what their games meant to me. I am also kicking around an idea for another video, Nintendoland with the Haleys, with the intention of focusing on my family's Mii characters and Wii gaming memories, and just as much as Nintendo with the Haleys was a look back at the early 8-bit era, Nintendoland with the Haleys would also be a look at the present era (and future). It is something that I am thinking about, anyway. In any case, I want to preserve as much of my dad as possible, and while the Mii/Wii memories are less interesting than other things, it is something that I would still like to do. With that said, onto the original post.

From the Graveyard: Worst Side Story (E For All Expo 2007)

This blog has been a long time coming. I chose not to write about E For All Expo 2007 immediately following the event because, quite frankly, it was a bit of a disappointment. There was only one saving grace. A little company known as Telltale Games. You may have heard of them.

Before I begin, I should point out that I was one of the lucky few to receive a free pass from Telltale Games. They posted a blog shortly before the show, and offered twenty free passes to die-hard (not the movie) fans. No contest or anything, just the first twenty people to send them an e-mail with "E For All Pass" in the title.


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