Post by skinzamen on Dec 2, 2008 3:26:22 GMT 1
I remember....
It was 1990. One year before my parents had bought a genuine IBM 286, EGA colours, midi... top of the range at that time (Seriously). I can't really remember many of the games, they were mostly ascii-based graphics or C64 remakes. My dad bought me Nova 9, and I was too young to understand the complex thingypit of the tank. My gaming days, started at age 0 with the c64 and amiga, looked like they were coming to an end.
And then my brother bought zeliard.
An explination of family dynamics might be in order here. My brother is 11 years older than me, so at that time he was 19, I was 8. Him and his friends would crowd around the 16 colour screen, all taking turns to try and beat whichever boss my brother was up to. They played as a team, probably barely noticing the little boy staring wide-eyed at his swords and scorcery fantasies coming to life on the screen. For the first few weeks I was too afraid to touch it. Finally, one day after my brother was about to finish playing, I asked if I could have a go. I recieved a look which said "Yes, but you will fail" and a non-commital grunt. They were up to the dragon, you see, and on the offchance they made it through the air current maze, the dragon trounced them without even lifting a claw. So my brother handed the computer over to me, sure I would give up on this one, just like nova 9.
I sat down and spread my fingers across the keyboard.
Three days later, after getting every second I could in after school, between freinds and meals and all the other little snatches of time I was allowed to play games, I was sitting down, hacking my way through metal dogs/wolves/whatever the hell those things are. My brother and his friends jostled loudly into the room, and my brother began to physically remove me from the computer. "Not yet!" I wailed "Not yet!" and my cries would have gone unheard if not for one of his freinds going "Look at that man! Look where he is man!". I was in the fire caverns, in my own game I had started three days before, but to my brothers eyes I was playing his savegame. He lit up with fury and I would have been in real trouble if not for one small thing: My weapon. He still had the knights sword. I had the illumination sword. I managed to choke this out and he realized I was up to the same place as him. So, instead of kicking me out, he decided humiliation was the best course of action. He sat me down in front of the screen and sneered "Play".
So I did. And beat the dragon on my first try. Magia stones, sabre oils, well-timed missiles and redirected fury had him dead with only half my health gone (I have never done it that easily again mind you!). My brother & friends were in sullen awe. Later that night he deleted the game in a sulk. Unfortunatley for him I had already finished it, I just didn't tell him because I knew it would not be well recieved
As stupid as it sounds, in that situation, surrounded by adversity and jeering but stil managing to beat what seemed like an impossible enemy, Zeliard gave me my self confidence. I've never stopped loving the game.
It was 1990. One year before my parents had bought a genuine IBM 286, EGA colours, midi... top of the range at that time (Seriously). I can't really remember many of the games, they were mostly ascii-based graphics or C64 remakes. My dad bought me Nova 9, and I was too young to understand the complex thingypit of the tank. My gaming days, started at age 0 with the c64 and amiga, looked like they were coming to an end.
And then my brother bought zeliard.
An explination of family dynamics might be in order here. My brother is 11 years older than me, so at that time he was 19, I was 8. Him and his friends would crowd around the 16 colour screen, all taking turns to try and beat whichever boss my brother was up to. They played as a team, probably barely noticing the little boy staring wide-eyed at his swords and scorcery fantasies coming to life on the screen. For the first few weeks I was too afraid to touch it. Finally, one day after my brother was about to finish playing, I asked if I could have a go. I recieved a look which said "Yes, but you will fail" and a non-commital grunt. They were up to the dragon, you see, and on the offchance they made it through the air current maze, the dragon trounced them without even lifting a claw. So my brother handed the computer over to me, sure I would give up on this one, just like nova 9.
I sat down and spread my fingers across the keyboard.
Three days later, after getting every second I could in after school, between freinds and meals and all the other little snatches of time I was allowed to play games, I was sitting down, hacking my way through metal dogs/wolves/whatever the hell those things are. My brother and his friends jostled loudly into the room, and my brother began to physically remove me from the computer. "Not yet!" I wailed "Not yet!" and my cries would have gone unheard if not for one of his freinds going "Look at that man! Look where he is man!". I was in the fire caverns, in my own game I had started three days before, but to my brothers eyes I was playing his savegame. He lit up with fury and I would have been in real trouble if not for one small thing: My weapon. He still had the knights sword. I had the illumination sword. I managed to choke this out and he realized I was up to the same place as him. So, instead of kicking me out, he decided humiliation was the best course of action. He sat me down in front of the screen and sneered "Play".
So I did. And beat the dragon on my first try. Magia stones, sabre oils, well-timed missiles and redirected fury had him dead with only half my health gone (I have never done it that easily again mind you!). My brother & friends were in sullen awe. Later that night he deleted the game in a sulk. Unfortunatley for him I had already finished it, I just didn't tell him because I knew it would not be well recieved
As stupid as it sounds, in that situation, surrounded by adversity and jeering but stil managing to beat what seemed like an impossible enemy, Zeliard gave me my self confidence. I've never stopped loving the game.
