Side Scroller. « Chomper Stomping

5Sep/070

Side Scroller.

I've been playing the original Metroid on my GB SP, and I'm enthralled. It's like a time machine, taking me back to the days of my youth.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I had actually saved up what was probably only $20, but what seemed like $300, and my dear Mother took me on an adventure to the video game store.

There the wall was filled with row after row of cheap used video games. It was all silver and golden wonderland portals to me. I stood there staring, completely overwhelmed. Entranced by the sheer number of games. I hadn't realized there were so many.

I needed an anchor. Something safe and familiar to latch onto and bring me back to earth. I asked if they had Super Mario Bros. 3. They said they did and asked if I'd like to play it. I said I would. Once they popped it in, my mom asked, "Don't you have that one at home". Erm... Oops... yeah I do.

Back to the overwhelming rows I went. I needed some help. I asked what he would recommend. He was, after all, the ruler of this strange and mystical universe, and would know which of his beautiful subjects where the best.

He had me try "nightmare on elm street". I immediately got lost in the woods and was completely befudled by the game.

Back the rows I went.

Eventually I settled on one rad-tacular game I came across. "Metroid". It looked pretty awesome, and I bought it. I'm fairly sure I was only five or six.

I went home and popped it in and played for hours. Years. This game sticks in my mind as much as Super Mario Bros., Mega Man and Zelda do. Except it has a special place. It was so different. It was the first game I ever played that was immersive. You could spend hours playing it, grinding on the birds that came out of the flower pots to increase your health, or wandering the depths of Norfair.

I never beat the game (I'm working on that though). I've beaten the new ones for the GBA and the Super Nintendo one. I haven't beaten any of the Primes either (working on that too)...

But this has made me realize, I need to make a side scroller. I've wanted to since the moment I turned on my NES for the first time. I wanted to make a game of my own. Now that I know Java and Flash, this is actually possible. I just need to buckle down and do it. I made one my senior year in college, but it was pretty pathetic (it was just a small class project). I want to make one that works fluidly and is fun to play.

Keep your eye out for updates. I think I'll base it on Chomper, but it'll be a melding of Metriod, Zelda, Mario, and Mega-Man, with a little sonic sprinkled on the side.