6.) Battletoads & Double Dragons:
We’ve all had that one friend that seems to own every cool thing that you can think of, especially when you’re a kid. In fact, they even had cool things that you didn’t realize were cool until you got a chance to use them, or in this case, play them. That’s what Battletoads and Double Dragon was for me. It combined two series that I could care less about into an action game that was awesome for its time. This is one of the two games on this list that I didn’t personally own but would always want to play every time that I went over to my friend’s house. It’s not particularly better than games that were similar in gameplay such as Streets of Rage and Final Fight, but it was fun game to play with friends at a sleep over.
7.) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters:
It’s hard to say when TMNT hit its peak (if I had to guess, I’d say with that God awful live action TV show and the “5th” ninja turtle) but if we’re talking early to mid nineties, nearly everything released with TMNT attached it to it was golden. Tournament Fighters falls into that category. It wasn’t exactly the most original of ideas (it was essentially Street Fighter with Ninja Turtles characters) but it was unique enough to stand out as its own type of fighting game, one that my young self enjoyed very much.
8.) Super Mario World:
Some may look at this as a cop out, but Mario didn’t become the huge brand that it is today by staying exclusively in Japan… No way were you an 80’s born American child who hadn’t at least once played some installment of the Mario franchise. I honestly haven’t picked up a Mario game since this one, but I’ll always appreciate the level of creativity that went into this game.
9.) The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey and Minnie:
If you don’t remember this game, I don’t blame you. As far as I know, the only people who’ve actually played/owned this game was my sister and I, but we had a lot of fun doing so. Gameplay wise, the only thing I can think to compare it to is a slower version of Super Mario, but with Disney Characters. You jumped on the heads of villains to defeat them, and your most powerful weapon at your disposal was a vacuum cleaner (don’t ask) but for my age at the time, I had a lot of fun playing this game.
10.) Pokemon:
Yes I was one of the many victims of what is quite possibly the greatest marketing ploy ever created for young children. There was absolutely no way to not get swept up in the Game-TV Show-Trading Card Game Triple combo that was the Pokemon roll out back in 1995. My weekly allowances were blown on Starter Decks and Rare Cards, the batteries in my Gameboy were constantly being worn out from constant usage, and if there was a new Pokemon episode out, you could guarantee I was going to do everything in my power to make sure I was home to watch it. The show and the trading card concept hasn’t aged well over the years but the games were actually pretty good. Plus, it’s one of those rare games that actually encouraged you to leave the comfort of your own home and hang out with other friends that played the game so you could all trade and battle each other. Good Times…
What were some of your favorite early childhood video games? Let me know in the comments below.
