Video Games Movin' On

By JIM WEILAND
Collegian Staff Writer

They don't make them like they used to.

In the old days of eight-bit Nintendo and Atari glory, video games fell far from the tree of reality. Back then it was not uncommon to see a lineman intercept a pass and outrun a speedy receiver down the sideline for a touchdown, or a left fielder throw a perfect strike to home from the base of the Green Monster.

"If (Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman) Cornelius Bennett could turn in those five-interception games like he used to in 10 Yard Fight," mused Dan Silianoff (freshman-engineering science), "he'd have won those five Super Bowls."

Realistic games have made their mark in today's world, as witnessed by the success of EA Sports titles such as John Madden Football and NHL Hockey, which improve with updated versions every year. Real lineups exist where players are restricted to the gifts they received at birth and the rules of the game.

While today's games have come a long way to conforming to the sports they are modeled after, the most realistic sports games are not always the most successful. State Entertainment reported that its highest-selling game this year has by far been 1999 NFL Blitz by Midway.

This game has broken down football into a seven-on-seven war. Pass interference and illegal shots after the play are now legal and encouraged. Midway advertises no- holds-barred, in-your-face, smash-mouth football and it delivers. One of the highest-selling sports games of all time has been Acclaim's NBA Jam. Like Blitz, the two-on-two basketball game is physical, high scoring and most importantly, fast-paced.

The added realism and excitement, however, have not come without added costs.

"A quarter used to give you an entire game of Mike Tyson's Punchout, not just your match against Glass Joe," said Brad Young (freshman-computer engineering).

Students like Young remember their youth and the games that shaped it. Many of today's generation have thought that if only someone could have built a car that was controlled by the old Nintendo controller and set up just like RC Pro-Am, they could have been the best drivers in America at age 9.

And who knows? With the pace video games are improving at now, maybe someday their dreams will become reality.