Alas, we have come to the final Nintendo-themed topic of the month.  This time, we’re covering, as the title implies, our favorite Nintendo memories.  I’d like to discuss a variety of memories, so I’ll try to keep these as short as my overindulgent self will allow.

ReDeads and Gibdo, My Mortal Enemies: Back when I was a duckling, I would have frequent nightmares about ReDeads.  Seriously, I was so terrified of these things that I would often find myself unable to continue the game because of them.  Underneath a gravestone in the Kakariko cemetery in Ocarina of Time was a room with ReDeads, and I would often cower in the entryway, working up the courage to run out and use Din’s Fire on the undead monstrosities.  Just the sound of their soft, padding footsteps gave me chills.  I also remember my first encounter with ReDeads in Wind Waker.  It was probably the Earth Temple, and I saw this blue…creature.  Not recognizing it yet as the ReDeads I so despised, I walked right up to it, only for realization to set in as I turned right around and ran away in terror, dismayed at how close I had come to disaster!

The first time, however, that I encountered such creatures was the Gibdo circling the Music Box House in Majora’s Mask.  Having no clue yet what these shambling mummies did, I walked carelessly around the house one night, only to hear a blood-curdling scream.  I actually had no idea yet from where the scream had originated, but I noticed that Link was frozen.  A mummy emerged from the darkness moments later, grabbed our poor hero, and proceeded to…do whatever it is these things do while Link’s hearts disappeared one by one.  Mother Duck walked into the room at this moment, stopped in her tracks, and merely said, “I don’t like that”.  A frightening experience at the time, but kind of hilarious now that I look back on it.

Of Horses and Spoopy Things: My most extensive collection of Nintendo memories come from the amazing Breath of the Wild.  If you want to read about these memories in more detail, then you can read this post, this one, and also this one.  But basically, it goes a bit like this….

Most of these memories are surprisingly horse-related.  The first one was my hunt for the fabled Giant Horse, who turned out to be more of a Clydesdale.  Seriously expected a larger horse when its name is preceded by the word “Giant”.  I’ll also never forgot the first time that I discovered Satori, otherwise known as the Lord of the Mountain, a beautiful glowing horse that occasionally appears atop the mountain of the same name.  A truly magnificent sight indeed.  And last of all, let’s not forgot those chilling Stalhorses, who look creepy at first, but are actually perfectly sweet and noble steeds when you give them a chance.  Alas, my time with you was too short, brave Stalhorse, but you shan’t be forgotten!

I also remember having an awesomely eerie time trying to navigate the Lost Woods and the giant dome of pure darkness somewhere north of the woods.  Breath of the Wild was such an amazing game, and exploring and discovering new and surprises things was always a major highlight.  Again, the posts listed above go into more detail.

Super Mario World with Mother Duck: Okay, I’ve talked plenty about Zelda, so let’s discuss some Mario memories now.  A few years ago, Mother Duck and I were playing Super Mario World, a game I had never managed to complete before.  Though we had plenty of fun and even hilarious experiences, two come to the forefront.  In one memory, I was working my way through Wendy’s Castle.  I managed to reach Wendy herself with no health left at all.  As I fought the one female member of the Koopalings, I commented that it would be pretty shocking if I actually managed to beat her on my first try, without taking a single hit.  Fully intending to perish at any moment, I completed the battle minutes later, completely unscathed.  It doesn’t seem like much now, but it felt like a huge accomplishment at the moment.  And certainly an unexpected one!

Another time, Mother Duck and I were trying very hard to get through a ghost house.  I thought this one required you to jump over moving gaps in the floor, while one of those fishing ghosts fly above?  I could be remembering this all wrong, but we tried over and over again, to no avail.  During one attempt, Mother Duck accidentally managed to jump onto the fishing ghost and bounce on his head across the entire room.  I don’t think we beat the level on this attempt, but it was certainly an amusing effort indeed.

Quality Time with my Cat: Lastly, this is a short memory from when I was playing Super Mario 64.  I was inside the pyramid in Shifting Sand Land, and my cat, Alex, came over and climbed into my lap.  He almost never does that, so I was quite surprised indeed.  He was a very big cat, so he barely managed to fit into my lap, but he remained there for a little while before a sound in the game startled him.  I lost Alex about five or six years ago, so it’s nice to remember one of those simple moments we had all those years ago.

Having been playing Nintendo games practically my entire life, I have no shortage of memories, some good, some bittersweet.  But here’s at least a small glimpse at how Nintendo has touched my life, and if you, dear readers, would like to share your own Nintendo memories, please feel free to do so in the comments below!  We’d love to hear from you!

Image from Flickr User: Jeux Video