Videogames Of My Childhood: Fifa 96.

The Sega Megadrive was in itself, a very special console to me. It went on to play a huge part in creating the love I have for Games and the Gaming Industry today. Every kid I knew had allegiances to one of the two big videogame companies of the time, either you were a Nintendo Nutcase or a Sega Super Fan. At least that's what my friends and I used to call them, I guess looking back I was indeed a fanboy of sorts, but so were the rest of my fellow friends in Primary School. Even now I still recall odd memories in of my younger days in School which were somehow often game related, for example the first time I saw a fellow pupil wearing a Super Mario wristwatch and watching him play for ages in lunchbreaks. But for all gamers, be them 14 to 40 years old, can still recall that one specific game that made them fall in love with videogames as a form of entertainment. 

The days when HD Gaming was just a dream.

Though I had been fascinated by arcade gambling machines since I was in my mothers arms, my first true gaming experience came in the form of Electronic Art's long running Fifa Football (Soccer) series which is still going amazingly well today and is EA's biggest earner financially. Even today it's still one of the best (if not the best) virtual representation of the beautiful game. My first ever experience of the Sega Megadrive came on a cold and dull Christmas morning, when I was given one from my parents. I was originally set to get a Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) but decided a few weeks before Christmas day that I would rather have the Sega Megadrive. Now some would think that mad, because the Nintendo console was itself a stunning platform for some of the best videogames of all time. But to this day I still recall the words I told my mother when explaining the sudden change of mind ''But Mom, Sonic is so much better then that fat plumber'' looking back I have to remind myself that I was still a kid, it was a stupid thing to say because Mario as featured in so many classic games and Sonic is well, struggling to even be noticed in the videogame World we live in. But Sonic (like many past Sega owners) still as a place in my heart, partly because I still think his original set of games blew Mario out of the water. 

But I'm not here to discuss which is better, and I definatly don't want to be starting a fanboy war. But both my friends and I had some pleasant (and sometimes violent) discussions about which console was the best, and even now I still think the Nintendo Consoles are more remembered with passion then those created by Sega, which does leave me a little sad. Fifa 96 was my first ever game on the Sega Megadrive and technically speaking my first owned videogame. On that fateful morning my parents had also bought me Ghostbusters and a collection of other Megadrive titles which I might look at in future installments. But Fifa 96 was what it was all about, we hooked it up to our old TV and I started it up. Is it strange that I can even remember what my first match was and even the score? Maybe it isn't, but my first ever Fifa 96 exhibition match saw me take control of England against Brazil. Sadly at that moment I would also learn what a tough game Fifa 96 was as I went on to lose 0-3. I have often wondered if Fifa 96 was really that tough, or if it was just my inexperience of videogames that made it feel like that. But I have been informed that many fellow Fifa 96 gamers found it quite a tough title to master. It took me three weeks to score my first goal, a shot from outside of the box scored by Tommy Johnson of Aston Villa. I probably should be ashamed that it took me that long, but that game was one tough son of a gun. The latest installment is like walking through a pleasant park when compared to the toughness of that game back in the 90's. 

96 featured some of the toughest keepers in any football game.Fifa 96 became my most played Sega Megadrive title and I still own it today. It partly played it's part in the passion for Football I grew to have and is still as fun as ever despite being over ten years old. Eventually I grew to master it's tricks and overall controls, becoming quite a solid Fifa 96 player (solid enough that I had quite an impressive record against friends). There may have been better versions out on other formats, but I didn't care back then. Sometimes I wish I could just see more games for what there worth, but now I often see myself looking for that something special if I'm willing to spend my time with such a title. I still own that exact Sega Megadrive, I've had offers to purchase it from friends and family, and I'm sure you could get it super cheap on Ebay now. But I wouldn't sell my Sega Megadrive for the World. It offered a personal experience I rarely get from videogames or consoles today. Sega might now be seen as nothing more then a joke, but back then Sega were an amazing company both developing games and developing a superb console. I still think Mario as nothing on Sonic (despite how poorly Sega have treated the Sonic franchise) and deep inside I still think I'm a Sega fanboy of sorts, even though I own no allegiances in todays videogame wars. 

For me, todays games are a total different breed of animal. Things are not the same and that's often a good thing. But I often wonder if it's gaming that as seen such change or myself. Back then I only thought dear old England played videogames and I had never even heard of the Internet until my last year of Primary School. I had never heard of videogame community sites or even consoles that only ever existed in Asia or North America. Even PC gaming was of little interest to me, now PC gaming played it's own part in my love for this industry but I am still technically more of a console gamer. So both Fifa 96 and the Sega Megadrive were key forms of entertainment in my childhood, I was often found playing them when I wasn't playing some football in the street outside with friends and neighbours. If I wasn't playing football outside, I was often playing the virtual form of this wonderful sport inside, thanks to such a special game on such a fantastic console.