What was the first game you mastered?

[used44]

Not the first game you liked, or even the first game you completed, but what was the first game you felt a mastery over?

How did you know that you were great at the game?
Did you have a high score (arcade, globally, just among friends)?
When was the last time you played this game? Did you burn out on it?
Do you think you would still have the skill to be as good at this game today? Is it like muscle memory?

 

[LinksOcarina]

First game I played, Chip And Dale: Rescue Rangers.

Today I can get to the last boss in less than an hour.

 

[cyberjim2000]

Thief 2. I was like a mother fuckin' ninja except without all the death.For some reason, playing stealth games on the hardest difficulty gives me the weirdest hard-ons.

 

[Sourdeez]

Mario Brothers 3


I loved all the secrets.

 

[C_nate]

Super Dodge Ball. Me and my friends used to have "tournaments" ladder style and I'd usually come out on top. When I just did single player it was the first game I learned how to play on hard difficulty. I added an extra challenge that if anyone on my team died at any time, I started over from the beginning. Man I loved that game. Still fire it up from time to time on the Wii.

 

[Longo_2_guns]

There are a lot of games where I know I'm good, but the first time I was ever like "I am amazing at this" was the Ace Combat games. While I'm certainly not the best ever, I've cleared the whole game on the hardest difficulty using terrible planes like it's nothing. And really, it doesn't FEEL that hard, but then I watch other people play and all the stuff that's second nature to me in the game can hardly be done by them.

 

[drathbone]

Easily Super Mario Kart then years later Mario Kart 64. I've sunk thousands of hours into those two games. I still play them every once in a while with friends.

 

[Master_Craig]

Probably Killer Instinct, on the Super Nintendo. I first played it when I was eight years old, I got it for my birthday along with one of those arcade sticks. I was an eight year old, who could pull off twenty hit combos with every character, even higher with certain characters (with Orchid, the best I did was plus forty hits).

I remember going to a family friend's party when I was a kid. It was for my mum's friend's 21st. I remember all these older people (around 18-21 or so) at this party and there was a Super Nintendo there, with Killer Instinct.

They were completely mortified when this bloody eight year old kid got a hold of the controller and started to decimate every single person who gave me a go.

 

[UghRochester]

I wouldn't say I mastered any game.

 

[MattAY]

Good question!

I'd say the closest I've come to mastering any game is Crash Bandicoot. I can get every gem almost first time.
Remember the level "Road to Nowhere"? With the snowy bridge and the falling planks? I remember being able to ace that without dieing as a kid.

I go to Vancouver 10 or so years later after this game first came out, and we buy Crash Bandicoot for a laugh. We all got to the Road to Nowhere level, taking it in turns. All my friends died first few jumps. Then I stepped up and did it first time...as if nothing had left my memory from ten years ago! I always remember that moment - I was so proud!
then we all got drunk - happy ending!

 

[Bretimus_v2]

MetalGear Solid 2. I knew patrol routes like the palm of my hand. I have a save card with all the dog tags from all of the different difficulty levels. That was quite the accomplishment. My first 100%.

I still play it from time to time.

 

[WickedLiquid]

Resident Evil 4. I played that game so many times...

Shoot zombie once in the head.
Run up to him while stunned.
Kick him to the ground.
Aim Camera down and knife him again and again until he dies.

Repeat.



Also, I feel like I'm stealing Dan's but Starfox 64. I remember I got every medal for every stage and I felt so proud.

I played it recently on the Virtual Console for Wii and I couldn't even beat the game. I got to Star Wolf near the end and they destroyed me. Although to be fair the classic controller just doesn't feel right. Especially when you use an analog stick for the C buttons on the N64 controller.


And of course Metal Gear Solid. A fellow GRian was playing that with a friend and they were stuck, all they had to do was say where they were and I guided them forward without even looking at them playing lol.

 

[Demosthenes]

Star Wars Rebellion. I can still quote the stats for every unit and character in that game, and being a strategy game there's no muscle memory involved, but these days I have to edit the game parameters a heck of lot to make it a challenge.

 

[Master_Craig]

Resident Evil 4. I played that game so many times...

Shoot zombie once in the head.
Run up to him while stunned.
Kick him to the ground.
Aim Camera down and knife him again and again until he dies.

Repeat.

I did the same thing. On the Cube and Wii versions I played through Normal, Veteran and Professional modes.

Got pretty good at Resident Evil 5 too.

Shoot enemy in knee, enemy falls to their knees.
Run behind enemy.
Quickly perform one eighty turn to now be facing back of enemy.
Press X to perform instant kill attack (neck breaker as Chris, slit throat as Sheva) - absolutely no chance the enemy's parasite will spawn.

 

[tinymhg]

The first game I ever Mastered was Super Mario Land on the original GameBoy. I could beat it 1 time through, then beat it a second time through (which was harder because of more bad guys). Remember one thing the game had NO saves what so ever.