The GWW gaming team has put together a list of their first completed game. Are any of these on your list?
The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Published by: Nintendo
Released on: January 14, 1987
While it might not have been the very first one that I beat, this was one of the first ones I beat that was most memorable. The game I’m talking about is 1987’s The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. I remember with that game spending so much time figuring out all the mechanics of how it worked out and how best to power up my character as I went.
I had only been able to play little bits and pieces of the original Legend of Zelda prior to that at my cousin’s house so actually buying Zelda II was a big thing for me (along with the fact that I also did have the golden cartridge). It was definitely a challenge then, and I believe it can still be a challenge now. One of the first gaming challenges I was excited to accomplish, especially at that age.
Metroid
Developed by: Nintendo
Released on: August 6, 1986
When you have played games for over 30 years, it becomes a bit murky what games you beat as a kid and those as an adult. For me, the one game that I remember beating as a kid was the original Metroid for the NES. My brother was playing Super Metroid, and to keep me from pestering him, tricked me into having to play the games in order. So like a naive 8-year-old, I loaded up Metroid and struggled like all hell to beat it.
However, that struggle was worth it, as I loved everything about the game. The story, the graphics, how Samus fought every little detail, including the music was digested. As I finished the game, I wanted to experience it without using a strategy guide and beat it on my own. The sense of accomplishment beating the game on my own 27 years later still sticks with me. It is the reason why Metroid has become my favorite franchise and game series. And yes, I had to beat Metroid II: Return of Samus on the Game Boy before I could play Super Metroid.
Fester’s Quest
Published by: Nintendo, Sunsoft
Released in: 1989
Fester’s Quest for the NES is not a good game. In the booming video game market of 1989, Fester’s Quest is a dated action-adventure game from Sunsoft. Made by the Blaster Master development team, it used a similar overhead style. It was punishingly difficult. However, it was my first experience taking a picture to document my completion of a game.
As a kid in the NES era, renting video games was a weekend ritual. It was easy to rent a game for the weekend, but owning a was a rare occurrence. Consequently, on Christmas morning 1989, Fester’s Quest was wrapped and under the tree. I was interested in the game because of Nintendo Power‘s coverage.
Uncle Fester made his way through city streets and sewers defeating aliens. If the player died, the game started over back at the beginning. While I played it as an appreciative child should, it was not until the Sunsoft Game Time News publication ran a contest that I dedicated myself to finishing the game. Winners of the contest needed to submit a photo of the final screen. One of the prizes was a copy of Sunsoft’s Batman.
In 1989 and 1990, Tim Burton’s Batman was a pop culture phenomenon. I was there on opening night with my T-shirt, pins. I ate Batman cereal and drank from the branded McDonald’s plastic cup. The Batman game was a cover story in Nintendo Power. So the chance to win a free game featuring one of my favorite characters was strong motivation.
My cousin and I played it weekend after weekend. We memorized the enemy attack patterns and the paths of each different weapon. One Saturday afternoon at my cousin’s house, we successfully finished the game. We excitedly set up the camera, covered the flash, and documented our achievement, fortunately, just in time to enter the contest. I was notified by mail that we won a copy of Batman for the NES. And while that game was also hard, playing came with the satisfaction of knowing we finished an even more difficult game to earn our own copy of Batman. Fester’s Quest may not be a good game, but it was our opportunity to own a good game.
Frostpunk
Published by: 11 Bit Studios
Released on: April 24, 2018
I’m sure I’ve finished other video games in the past, but I can’t quite seem to remember my first… but I can remember the one I felt the most elation after completing – Frostpunk. I got the opportunity to play this game through GeeksWorldWide. It was initially so I could review the newest DLC (which disappeared for some reason!), but I figured, let me play the main game, so I know what I’m getting into. And hoo-boy, I was hooked… and frustrated.
In this game, you’re a Captain, and you must make sure people survive (are warm, fed, etc.), and each time I played, I would get exiled. But then, that one glorious night, I made it to the big storm, and I wasn’t exiled. And we made it through the storm! Okay, some – A LOT – of people died, but I passed! I beat it! I made it through! I had to celebrate in silence because it was midnight, and everyone was asleep.
I’m still playing this game, wanting to get better and better, and even playing some of the other scenarios as well. I’m currently playing “The Arks” scenario, and no, I haven’t made very good progress there yet. I’m sure you’ll all hear me scream when I do.
And let me tell you, I am hyped as all hell for Frostpunk 2!!
Resident Evil 4
Published by: Capcom
Released by: January 11, 2005
Gaming has been an integral part of my life. I still remember the first game I have ever played, Super Mario World, and my hands have picked up a controller ever since. When I was asked about the first game I had ever beaten, I didn’t know what route to take. I could go back to Super Mario World, but I don’t necessarily remember beating it, and if I did it probably didn’t mean as much to me. The game that always comes to mind when having this conversation is Resident Evil 4 on the Nintendo Gamecube.
I was obsessed with Resident Evil 4. I was in the 6th grade, so I was probably too young to be playing this, but that was part of the experience. Every morning I would go to my friends and talk about the secrets I had discover, or discuss the puzzle that I was stuck on, even discuss the new way I had been killed and how nightmarish that was. My first copy of Resident Evil 4 was a borrowed copy from a friend and once I had beaten that game I did not want to return it. Even though I had beaten that game multiple times, I wanted to own it, so I did what any 6th grader would do and I asked my parents to see if they could buy me that game.
I got that game a third time when it was released for the Playstation 2 and needless to say I beat that game a couple more times. The Spanish vibes, the gruesome gameplay, and the hellish creatures you encounter in this game are some of the reasons why I have beaten that game so many times. It may not be the first game I have ever beaten, but it’s the first game that I did that meant something to me. I had beaten that game and I did it all by myself. No guide, no help from my parents, just my will to complete this game and see everything it had to offer.