I Don't Need No Stinkin' Next Gen

2014 may be the year the next gen really takes off, but if there's one thing I learned since November 22, 2013, it's that great games are great games, regardless of hardware.  That's not to say I haven't enjoyed the Xbox One.  It has certainly taken up residence at the center of my entertainment console.  I did eventually reconnect the Xbox 360 to play Disney Infinity and Mass Effect 3, but neither have received much play time.

Gearing up for the midnight launch, I packed up my Vita and DS to assist with the long wait in line.  Cold as it was, I started getting ghosting on the Vita touchscreen so I went ahead and went old school, super old school in fact.  I fired up some Tetris DS and followed it up with some Japanese import wackiness in Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! (the precursor to Elite Beat Agents).

The thing was, it didn't matter that the games were as old as they were, they just played well.  Familiar but challenging, combining fast reflexes and catchy tunes, the games brought a smile to my face which, in part, was nostalgic, but equally, or more so, engrossing.

After a fun trip through Ryse and miles driven in Forza 5, I received a 2DS for my birthday along with Pokemon X.  Pokemon, though the newest version, remains fairly true to its original gameplay.  There are new Pokemon and types and graphics, but the game still pits your Pokemon with others, and before I knew it, the hours are starting to pile up as I work to catch them all.  The game brings back some favorites and again, I find myself smiling as I head into battle with Pikachu and Charizard.  I feel my body tense after using the pokeball and seeing it shudder once... twice... three times.  I think my Pokedex is in the eighties. I have two gym badges.  More hours to come.

Finally upgrading to current gen Nintendo handheld, I got a chance to check out the Virtual Console and downloaded a couple of NES classics.  Punch-out! (featuring Mr. Dream) and Mega Man 2.  The NES was MY first console.  I got one for Christmas in 1985 and the rest was, as they say, history.  But as much as I have enjoyed fighting my way to Dr. Wily or guiding Little Mac to the heavyweight crown (still having trouble with the Bald Bull "bull charge," third bounce I thought), when we celebrated our family Christmas, my nephews, possessors of 3DSs, 360, and now PS4, were equally attracted by the challenge of the old games.

I am looking forward to the new generation of games as much as the next guy.  But great games are great games.  I even downloaded Candy Crush Saga for my new tablet.