I catch a lot of flack sometimes from people who follow my body of work for sticking with the Destructoid kids, but I'm really proud of them for this -- the site mascot robot is now a playable character in Hudson Soft's latest Bomb-Up expansion pack for Bomberman Live. I think that's pretty significant, to see games press representin' in a game.I actually don't have the game yet -- I've been lazy about getting an adapter for my 360 (I swear, it's not a financial issue, because as a game writer I'm absolutely loaded), but it's one of the few gotta-have Live titles for me. Thought it'd be a fun time to tell a Very Special SVGL Story, from my days as a tiny, ankle-biting gamer child. This was me:
I recently wrote about my youth as the daughter of a tech writer in an Escapist feature, and described how we always had games in the house 'cause of Dad's work. We had a TG-16 (to this day one of my fave consoles) and I used to watch him play Bomberman on it. Back in the day, Dad could pwn me at videogames, and I was enthralled with his 1337 Bomberman skills. Out of eight levels to each of eight worlds, my Dad got to the very last, and when he couldn't beat the last boss, he decided to put it down for a bit.Aspiring to similar greatness, I decided to try my hand at the game -- and promptly, wholly by accident, saved over my father's Level 8-8 save state with my own humble 1-4.
I was mortified.
Fearing Dad's ire I quakingly confessed to what seemed to me at the time a massive misdeed. Luckily for me, he wasn't that mad -- yet, I was determined to make it up to him. With my clumsy child's skills I began to play Bomberman daily. It wasn't a game anymore; it was training. I took it very seriously.
It took me some eight months of arduous work, but at last, I'd made it. Level 8, world 8, as if my ill had never been done. Gleefully I awaited Dad's return home from work, and as soon as he came in the door, I sprang the great news -- what was once hopelessly lost was now restored, all was right with the world.
"Huh?" He said. "I forgot about that."
It was anticlimactic and I believe I wept, but I am a stronger woman today for the experience. And to this day, I kick serious ass at Bomberman. True story.
