My Genesis Beginning

I was still in my 8 bit era, enjoying playing my Nintendo games, never anticipating anything better. Cause after Nintendo, some of the consoles that I have seen are bootleg versions of NES and I thought the gameplay is better. I had another stupid idea (I was a kid duh!), that NES games where all Black and white. I proved myself wrong when I tried the NES on a new TV which had NTSC capability. I have been using PAL TV all the time for a NTSC console. In 1993, my dad bought me a Family console, which was the Japanese version of NES (Super Famicom). I realized that 2-3 years when I tried my Nintendo cartridge on it.

 

It was 1995. At that time, I didnt have access to internet or even gaming magazine since it was hard to get those in my country. I once caught a glimpse of a new gaming console from Sega from an Indian channel. I thought, it could be a new console (I didnt know it was launched way back in 1985). I am talking about the Master System. I also thought it could just like another 8-bit console to me. The advertising (as most of you already know how mush publicity Sega did for its console). When my dad went out for another trip to Singapore, I asked him just to buy any other console. I was anticipating any console with just different gameplay mechanics. He returned with Sega Mega Drive II (Genesis) with 16 Bit. I thought wasnt this from the same company from the advertisement. Well I was happy that I got another video game console which looks different and the control looks slick. It had 6 buttons. Oooooooh!!!!!!! I was told by my dad that this console will give better gameplay and graphics and the stores recommended it.

 

I plugged my new Sega Mega Drive II on my very olf 1982 Sony PAL TV. I realized that it MDII had different type of wires for hooking up to TV. I was still relying on RCA cable. My dad realized its time to buy a TV (an NTSC one). Next day he bought it (a Phillips 14 inch!!! Come on I am was a little kid and I cant have a big screen so soon) and I hooked the A/V cables. Guess what game my dad bought? It was Action 52 (the total abomination for the gaming industry and is considered one of the worst games of all time). When I played the game, I was pretty amazed at listening to the music, as it was nothing like the NES. It had better quality. The game was totally boring. Action 52 is basically a collection of simple minigames. I was like, is this type of game you get from Sega. It was so bad. I would rather go back to my NES. Not only that Action 52 crashed occationally. I was scared and I asked my dad whether he bought a faulty console. So my dad ordered another game from Singapore. It takes time to get my hands of it. In the meantime, I hooked back my NES on my new TV and I was shocked to see, the game is in full color. OMG! I just started playing all my games. It was a different experience. It was then I realized that the consoles that i have seen before Sega are all same. I still could not distinguish whether Sega was actually good. Everyone saying it is better than any 8-bit console, even my dad was telling me it is different.

 

I got a new cartridge. The title said MD 16 in 1. My dad had the habit of buying me collection of games on one cartridge. I though MD is Mega Drive. So I started playing it. It had some of the games, that I had fun playing it, but it felt like those games nothing new. At least those games didnt crash. Those were just like NES with color and little better sound. This thing went on for a year when I keep on shifting back and forth with NES and MDII and I havent touched Action 52 that much.

 

My school friend asked me to get Mortal Kombat for my next Sega cartridge so I asked my dad to get Mortal Kombat from his trip to Dubai. He got back with 4 different Sega games (Mortal Kombat III, Jurassic Park Rampage Edition, Bare Knuckle (the first game that my sister played and loved it and disturbed me asking me to play 2 players) along with Desert Strike (loved the series) and Revolution X (I had most fun playing this game)) and one of them is Mortal Kombat III. I could not wait to play (I got a new game, that all what I thought). When I came back from school the next day, I hooked the MKIII into my MDII. I was completely blown away with the graphics, sound, gameplay and even how fast the game ran. Then I finally realized this is the original Sega MDII capability. There was no turning back. I kept on searching more better consoles since then and after another year I found myself getting a Super Nintendo, which was another great console.

 

By the way, after 10 years I realized that games in the MD 16 in 1 were all Sega Master System games, which is an 8 bit console.