Play Meter

THE LAST WORD Only from the mouths of babes T he time had come to call in my key raced over to Konami's Teenage Mutant games and stuff! I'll play you when we get source, my ace-in-the-hole. He said Ninja Turtles. "Man, this game is so home if you want." No thanks, hustler. "Oh no, Sega Genesis is the best," he would talk, but only on deep, deep cool!" yelled Peter. "I'm gonna beat Peter countered. "That's what I have, background. His mission, if he chose to you, Peter!" challenged Jason. "No way, and it's the best. It really is best." OK, Jason, I'm the best," Peter retorted. I accept it, was to hook me up with colPeter, I think I know how you feel about kidded Jason, "Peter is the best; you can't leagues equally in-the-know. I needed to it. look. a me shot He have this question answered, once and for get past one level." "You guys don't know nothin' at all," all: how do home games stack up with "Oh yes I can. I've even gotten to the evil Josh yelled. "My NEC TurboGrafx coin-op games, from a technological Shredder." Whoops. Don't question the would totally kill both of yours! Ask my boy's prowess. standpoint? After some coaxing, I got him to go on record. "Cast off this shroud of secrecy, son!" I implored. "OK, Uncle Chris, I'll be quoted," replied Jason, my sevenyear-old nephew. Jason has appeared in these pages before. He made the big splash a year ago, in the May 1989 "Last Word," after pummeling me in a video game challenge match. He still rubs it in my face. I've received analyses on this coin-op daddy; he'll tell ya." "Shut up, Josh." "You shut up, stupid." "You aren't my friend anymore, dummy." "Go home, we don't wanna play with you no more!" "I'm tellin' my momma on you!" Break it up, the other boys, reminiscent of contestant it up. Good Lord, I'd started break boys, families on the corny "Family Feud" uprising! an game show. I went to get them Cokes while they patLet's try this again. I cornered six-yearup their differences. When I returnched old Josh, who was bravely attempting to overheard Peter ask Jason, "Your I ed, master Capcom's Final Fight. "Tell me, Uncle Chris is weird. Why's he asking us Josh, if you could play this same game at questions? I wish he'd just let these of all home, do you think you'd ever come back Sensing this was as good a time as any to begin, I asked Chad to compare the graphics on TMNT to his home games. "Uh, they're both real cool," he said. "Good answer, good answer!" cheered vs. consumer issue from both sides. All of the responses were thoughtful, but they came from reasoned adult minds. I to the arcade to play it?" I asked. wanted to look at it through the eyes of a "Maybe," he said. Just my luck to find a us play our video games without interrupting." I was sinking like the Titanic. It was decide. Kids just want to have fun. It took A beaten man, I gave Jason $5 and left. child, gathering answers that only a child Gary Cooper-type. "What would it deI drove off, realizing that coin-op vs. concaught up in enthusiasm can give. Jason pend on?" I pressed on. "I don't know," is an issue better left for adults to sumer he said. playing video is a living, breathing definition of bliss. I had Jason arrange a video summit at time for one last-ditch question, one they me a while to figure that out. a nearby arcade with a group of his couldn't answer "yeah," "no," or cronies. My plan: pepper them with ques- "maybe." I asked, "Boys, which home get the views from some real hardcore game junkies. "That's easy, Uncle Chris," Jason said. "Nintendo is so awesome! They tions about the coin-op games they're system is the best, with the games closest playing, in comparison to the software on to the ones you're playing here at the artheir home systems. Now, I thought, I'll cade?" Not surprisingly, they immediately 156 PLAY METER/May 1990 have this Game Boy with motorcycle Christopher Caire Christopher Caire News Editor