What Games, Consoles (etc) Do You Remember Having in Childhood?

[oldgamerz]

My first time playing a console of my somewhat own, was at my dads during visits, it was a PlayStation 1 I never brought home. so it don't really count. I had "WWF Warzone" "Twisted Metal 2" "Mortal Kombat 4" "a PS1 demo disc" Cool Boarders 2

(story)
I had a PC computer for all my early childhood  than when I was like 13-14 years old I bought a Nintendo GameCube and 2 games "NHL 2002 hits" and "Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2". The GameCube was my vary first console that I had at home. then I got a Nintendo 64 about a few months later. I played mostly 1st Person shooters and Racing games growing up. The only thing I almost never played growing up is RPG games, since they were more for game television consoles at the time.

I collect for 99% consoles today because I missed out on almost everything console related when the 5th and 6th generation was newer.

We already have a thread created for top 5 childhood defining games, but I thought that this topic would be more of your memories of what you had. Like maybe an estimate of how many games you had back then

[stealthrush]

My parents bought an NES when I was a kid and we would play Super Mario Bro + Dunk Hunt games. I do remember going to the local video-rental store to rent NES games such as Blaster Master, Mega Man, and The Adventures of Lolo.

Besides my parents also had a (MS-DOS) PC computer, eventually we would upgrade to a (Windows) Packard Bell, then Compaq Presario. Also have fond memories going to stores buying soft, and hard floppy discs playing many games on PC.

Overall great memories playing SNES games, renting them at Blockbuster Video. Leading up to deciding what upcoming 32-bit home console I wanted and decided on SEGA Saturn over its competitors. Fond memories playing Die Hard Arcade on arcade, was my #1 reason I wanted Saturn since it was an exclusive game. PlayStation in '97, and waiting in line on 9/9/99 for SEGA Dreamcast.

I mostly played arcade oriented games, but also enjoyed platform, strategy, and RPGs. I would later own a PS2 and GC.

[betelgeuse]

Had a 2600 at my grandmas house and an Intellivision at home. Prob had about 25 games of each.
My mom would let us pick games outta the bargain bins from Sears, Gemco, Kmart etc. Most games back then on clearance were in the $2-$4 range.

[weirdfeline]

I had a Sega Genesis in the box with the first Sonic and John Madden '93. I think I saw it used once and as I got older and tried to play it I realized there was a cable missing and then never bothered to get the cable. Looking at the back of the box was fun though.

[kamikazekeeg]

I don't remember why, neither does my mom, but when I was 4, we got an NES and a box of games from a family friend for whatever reason.  First video games ever were Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt and Legend of Zelda.  My dad even got into Zelda and he was probably as good as I ever was with it.  Years later in retirement, he ended up playing through most of the Zelda games, but he still remembered quite abit of the classic original.  The one games/series we both had a love for.   

Never had tons of games for it, I remember the goofy bible games like Bible Buffet and Bible Adventures, the original TMNT game, and a few others.  By that time the NES was on the way out, so anything else I got was either rented from my local video store or borrowed from a friend.

[hoshichiri]

We got an NES for Christmas when I was in Kindergarten (from my uncle, and despite protest from my parents). We started with Mario/Duck Hunt of course, I also remember having Zelda, Tetris, Wizards & Warriors, Digger T. Rock, RC Pro-Am, and Carmen San Diego. Our copy of the Guardian Legend was stolen during a 'break in' and later returned (that's a whole thing onto itself).

When I was in 4th grade, we sold the NES to pay for a Genesis, which we'd played a bit at a neighbors (I think the game was Hellfire?) Started with Sonic the Hedgehog & Columns. I also remember Lightening Force, Clue, Art Alive, Home Alone, & Mutant League Football. While we liked the Genesis, we missed the NES & all agreed selling it was a mistake. I've never allowed another complete purge- meaning that, except for Mutant League Football, I still own the same copies of all of the above games. The Genesis itself is long gone- at some point it switched from being the 'family' console to belonging specifically to a sibling... I really don't remember the exact ownership chain, but I do remember my sister getting rid of 'her' Genesis, & my brother & I dividing up her collection (so at least one of us bought our own Genesis). That's why I don't have Mutant League Football, he kept that one & later got rid of his collection.

In 6th grade, we had to move 2 states up shortly after Christmas, so my parents got us Gameboys to keep us occupied during the trip. We all had Link's Awakening. My sister had Alleyway & I had Pyramids of Ra- don't remember what my brother had. I later gave that Gameboy to a friend when I got a Gameboy Color- something I do regret doing. Kept the games though, so not missing any of those!

I got a PS1 for Christmas freshman year, & bought a PS2 with my graduation money. the PS1 was given to a friend, who later gave it back to my brother, who eventually sold it. The PS2 I still have. Around the same time, I also bought a Sega CD from a friend moving away to college. The system itself broke within a few months, but I lucked into a cheap replacement.

I've sold one or two games over the years- Fighting Force, Alundra 2, Lode Runner I immediately remember- but it's been almost 3 decades since I've gotten rid of anything. I've spent more time picking up stuff I remember playing with friends. My best friends in early high school both had N64s, so I've picked up some of their games, like Starfox & Rampage 2. We also played a lot of Bomberman 64, I should look into that one.

[tripredacus]

The first console I got as a present, but it was something that was "for me" but it was kept at a relative's house. It was the Sega Master System. As a result, I rarely got to play it and then they got rid of it fairly soon afterwards.

The second console I had gotten was an NES, but it was only at my father's house. It was there for many years, and I would go there often to play it. I remember having a decent amount of games and even trading or borrowing games from friends. I do not know what happened to this console or the games.

The first system I had for myself personally was a Game Boy. It was from the Play it Loud series, and it was green and came in the clear plastic box. I don't remember having many games, maybe only Tetris and SML.

As far as classic childhood goes, that was basically it. Sometime in high school I had found a NES and a bunch of games in the garbage, and I had that for a while until the NES broke. The first console I bought for myself was the Sega Saturn, which I still have.

I think that is it for pre-graduation from high school. IIRC I didn't buy my Genesis until I was 17 with my first paycheck. Even the Game Gear I think I had bought after high school, but before I had my first job.

[Warmsignal]

I started gaming with our SNES, and my brother's old NES for a period. We had about 10 or so games for each, games like Super Mario Bros 1 and 2, Super C, Boulder Dash, Joust, and several others. For SNES we had Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Super Off Road, Faceball 2000, Gradius III, Super Punch Out, Yoshi's Island, Uniracers, and a few others.

My brother got a Genesis one Xmas because some neighborhood kids had one. We only ever got a few of the Sonic games, and the SEGA version of Aladdin which was pretty good, maybe a couple of other games but sadly couldn't really afford the time and money to play much with it while the SNES had us occupied. At some point, my father randomly brought home an Atari 2600 someone had given to him, it amused us for all of 15 mins.

Then we got super hyped up for the N64 release. We got it Xmas of 96' and were glued to the thing 24/7. I became something of Ninty fanboy, and looked down on anyone who'd consider buying a PS1 because those graphics. Evidently I thought muddy was better than jaggy. N64 was multiplayer fun like never before. We had Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Banjo, Goldeneye, Mario Party, Duke Nukem 64, Bomberman 64, Cruis'n USA, San Fransisco Rush, Top Gear Rally, and quite a few others. I did get a GameBoy color in 98', but sadly it couldn't hold my attention.

Broke my loyalty to Nintendo by 99', first getting PS1 and then in September of that year, a SEGA Dreamcast. For PS1 I had Twisted Metal 2, Driver, Tony Hawk, Runabout 2, Duke Nukem Time to Kill, and several others. For Dreamcast I had Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, Blue Stinger, Speed Devils, Shenmue, and maybe a few others. But once Phantasy Star Online became a big thing, my brother pretty much took over the Dreamcast and played only that game 24/7. It was the gateway drug that pulled him away from console games and into more hardcore MMORPG games for PC. I never got into that kinda stuff. Instead I contemplated buying either another Dreamcast, or just springing for a PS2. I went with the PS2. Theme Park Rollercoaster was my first game, but also had Midnight Club, and later got into the GTA games, the THPS games and all of that over-rated kinda drivel for a bit. I did eventually pick up another Dreamcast, but stupidly didn't take advantage of the game liquidations because *gasp*, you can just burn the games!

I was lucky enough to have very generous parents who also gifted us both an original Xbox and GameCube, but like a ungrateful turd, I basically paid almost no attention to either once I was hooked on the PS2. I did eventually get a GBA SP, but again, it wasn't able to hold my attention for longer than 15 minutes. That was around the time I first became interested in Saturn, and actually went and bought a second-hand Saturn back in the dark ages of eBay, when there were no pics of what you were buying, and no guarantees. I was never able to find much, or anything cheap for the system even back then, so I kind of gave up on it for the time being.

So that pretty much wraps up the memories from childhood/adolescence for me.

EDIT: Well, I guess there was some PC games that I played. Roller Coaster Tycoon, and The Sims is basically all that needs to be said. We had a Compaq Presario back in the day, and man it was terrible for running games.

[bikingjahuty]

my first console experience was at my cousin's house when I was 4. They had a Genesis and I was absolutely in love with it every time I went to their house. All I wanted to do was play it whenever we went over there lol. my parents took notice and bought me my own Genesis on my 5th birthday along with The Flintstones, Home Alone, and Batman Returns for it.


A few years later for my 8th birthday my aunt got me a Super Nintendo (yes, i was one of those brats that had both consoles), but outside of the DKC games I wasn't crazy about it. Never played any of the RPGs or Mario games back then, and mostly played my Genesis up until XMAS Eve 1996 when the same aunt who got me the SNES got me a Nintendo 64 along with Super Mario 64. I was absolutely floored by that game and I attribute my experience with Mario 64 and the N64 in general for making me a full on gamer.


I loved my N64 over the years and didn't get a new console until the Dreamcast game out, when my brother got one for his birthday in 1999. I then got a PS2 a year later for XMAS, which was a huge surprise to me. During the 2000s I played the PS2 and Dreamcast primarily, along with the Gamecube and XBOX as well. Yes we owned all of them. My parents weren't rich, but the aunt I mentioned several times is and since she didn't have any kids of her own she spent holidays and birthdays spoiling my siblings, my cousins, and I. During the early 2000s I was an adolescent and I guess this period marks the end of my childhood and the end of my contribution to this topic :p

[undertakerprime]

Again I see that I’m among the oldsters here

I’m pretty sure my first video game experience ever was a Space Invaders arcade cabinet at the local Sears. Played a lot of games in arcades and restaurants, but that’s beyond the scope of this thread

I was maybe 5 or 6 when we got an Atari 2600. I had Combat, Pac-Man, ET, Air-Sea Battle, Asteroids, Missile Command, Night Driver, Donkey Kong, Journey Escape, and a few more.

My grandma gave me some LCD handheld game as a present, and later I got into the Nintendo Game & Watch handhelds. First one was the Panorama series Snoopy. Around that time I also got Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr, Mario Bros, Mario’s Cement Factory, and Pinball.

Got my NES a few years after that.

[ferraroso]

My video game console growing up was the mighty Master System.
After a while, my cousin got a Mega Drive and a kid in the neighborhood got a Super Nintendo, which I also played a lot, but I stuck with the Master System until I got my PlayStation in the mid 90's.

[pzeke]

For consoles, the NES was the first one I owned, which was gifted to me by my mother one day out of the blue when she picked me up from daycare. I pretty much grew up with Nintendo, and enjoyed the heck out of the NES and SNES growing up. I experienced the ColecoVision and Atari 2600 before owning an NES, but, while I appreciate their legacy, they didn’t impact me like the NES did. My father would later gift me an N64, but by the time he did I was already knee-deep with the PlayStation. While the N64 would get used often, I played Pokémon Stadium the most given it was what got me hooked with competitive battling.

The Game Boy was also a big part of my childhood, which was a birthday gift from my father. I carried that brick everywhere I went, and enjoyed every moment of every game I played. I think I spent quite a chunk of my childhood playing Game Boy games, made worse the day I discovered Pokémon. I used to own a bunch of Tiger handhelds as a kid, so the Game Boy felt natural when I got it; like it was the next step, a level up, so to speak.

Video game-wise, I didn’t own a single game for the NES back in the day, as I would mostly rent them. I would also recur to renting games for the SNES, but I would eventually own games for the console, even though I only owned around 20+ for it. It was for the PlayStation when I started saving up to buy games. Mega Man X and StarFox for the SNES, Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation, as well as Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and Pokémon Red/Blue for the Game Boy are without a doubt some of the games that made a mark on my childhood.

[snyderec3]

My video game console growing up was the mighty Master System.
After a while, my cousin got a Mega Drive and a kid in the neighborhood got a Super Nintendo, which I also played a lot, but I stuck with the Master System until I got my PlayStation in the mid 90's.

Master System was my first video game console as well. The first video game I ever played, I think I was 4 or 5 and there was a Master System demo kiosk set up in a local department store, running Safari Hunt. My next birthday I got a Master System of my own.

[marvelvscapcom2]

In order as a kid I had

1. N64 (3 years old)
2. PS1 (5-7 years old)
3. PS2 (7-9 years old)
4. 360 (10 years old)
5. XB1 (18-19 years old)
6. Switch (21 years old)

Now im almost 24.  This sucks

[bikingjahuty]

In order as a kid I had

1. N64 (3 years old)
2. PS1 (5-7 years old)
3. PS2 (7-9 years old)
4. 360 (10 years old)
5. XB1 (18-19 years old)
6. Switch (21 years old)

Now im almost 24.  This sucks

Meh, it's just a number. I went through an existential crisis when I turned 30, which felt like turning 50 or 60 to me at the time. I felt like my best years were now behind me and things would only get harder and worse the older I got, which obviously is not a conducive mindset for being very happy. I realized after months of feeling like shit about it that it's actually the opposite.


For one, the last 3-years or so have been the most stable they've ever been. I'm not scrambling trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my life, I'm not a broke college student or a kid who relies souly on my parents for support. I have more freedom to choose who I allow into my life and who I don't then I ever have. And I have a job that I mostly like, with a lot of room for growth in the future. Essentially the older I get the more opportunity there will be for me to do and have the things I want, which was certainly not the case during my 20s. I've also noticed the older I've become the less I care about what others think of me which is a very liberating feeling.