If only they made memory cards for your brain

Remember when you first played Super Mario Bros. on the NES? Remember how awesome it was to grab the Fire Flower, go down the pipe, destroy the metal crab, throw bombs in the dinosaur’s mouth, and whip the brick wall to get the roasted chicken? Wait, what?

After so many years of gaming, it’s hard to keep up with everything you’ve accomplished; every princess you’ve saved, bad guys you’ve killed and where exactly it all took place. To make matters worse, the mind often tricks you into remembering things that never happened, or flips everything upside down.

Back in 1994 I beat Super Metroid in 1:21, my best speed run record. I knew that game inside and out -- every power up, hidden missile, boss strategies, everything. A few months ago I started playing it again, and it kept taking my lunch money and giving me wedgies. That game is a lot harder than I remembered.

Another mental glitch is remembering if I actually beat certain games, or just saw someone else do it.

• Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: I think I did.
• Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts: Hmm…
• R-Type: Yessss. No.
• Battletoads: There may have been a Game Genie involved.

Have you replayed a cherished game, only to find it’s not quite how you remember it?

Tags: Super Mario Bros., R-Type, Super Metroid, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, Battletoads, Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts

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Alex R. Cronk-Young

June 01, 2011

I think this explains why people think of Kid Icarus as a classic. That game was not good.

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Samir Torres

There you go. It turns out every good thing I remember about Kid Icarus was from Captain N: The Game Master, and not the actual game. The Eggplant Wizard owns!

Jason Lomberg

I daresay many NES and SNES games (not to mention PSX "classics" like FFVII and Metal Gear Solid) don't hold up today. Many NES games were insanely hard because of poor design--case in point, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

With the amount of hours I spent trying to beat that game, I could have completed two PhD's. TMNT was more than a poorly designed game, it was downright cruel and noneducational. Giant rats can't teach you martial arts. I checked!

Rob Savillo

Man, I had the exact opposite reaction when the Wii's Virtual console launched and I decided to indulge in some nostalgic play. I remember spending weeks -- no, months! -- with Link to the Past and Super Metriod back in the '90s. And the NES' Metriod had taken me years to finally overcome in the late '80s. But after playing again them now, I found them all trivially easy, and my memory came back in waves to pave the path forward with every step.

There's just nothing like the first time.

You're a Jedi Knight, aren't you? I saw your laser sword. Only Jedi carry that kind of weapon.

During my Zelda: A Link to the Past fever sometime in 1992, I had made my own strategy guide (100% item locations and everything) in Word Perfect, and printed out copies for my friends. I should play it again just to see how much I remember.

One of the games I'll always be good at, regardless of time, is Street Fighter II Turbo. By "good" I mean I remember all the special moves, AI patterns and general strategies.