Anyone can finish a game. Just put in the hours, cast a furtive glance at an FAQ when it gets tricky and Bob's your uncle – in the corner sleeping off a festive Sherry binge after Eastenders...
But what does it prove? Playing videogames is about so much more than reaching a cut-scene and watching the credits roll. It’s the journey, not the destination.
Ever wondered why people's eyes glaze over as you recount your tales of gaming endurance? It's because you're trying to impress them with the wrong feats. They want to hear the gaming equivalent of "Attack ships off the shoulder of Orion", rather than the day you spent in a traffic jam on the way to Cornwall. Gaming is all about the special moments, the little victories, the sights and sounds every gamer should experience at least once.
So, in the spirit of the I-Spy books that enlivened many a drab caravan holiday, here's a quick checklist of those special moments to play for – from the trivial to the bastard-hard. And we’re not gonna spoil the fun by telling you how to do them.
How high can you try?
1. Freeze the screen on Defender (worth 4 points)
2. Get the Diamond on Mr. Do! (worth 3 points)
3. 99% on Qix (5)
4. Shot in the corner bug on Robotron (2)
5. Joust a Pterodactyl (in mid-air) (2)
6. Hide in the score on Asteroids (5)
7. Getting a bonus for using "The Force" in the trench on Star Wars (1)
8. Get the 200,000 bug on Phoenix (3)
9. Survive a wave of free space without using a smartbomb on Defender (3)
10. 800-point flagship on Galaxian (1)
11. Gang up on the Valkyrie once shots harm other players in Gauntlet (1)
12. Squash all the enemies during the Silly Wave on Marble Madness (3)
13. Warp on Stargate (1)
14. Get the 2000 point hidden bonus on Stargate (2)
15. Score 1600 points for a Spider on Millipede (2)
16. Dimension Warp straight after the first Challenge Stage on Galaga 88 (4)
17. "Rainbow" bonus on Space Invaders Part II (3)
18. Get the Bird and the Mole during the same game on Track & Field (3)
19. See the Sinistar on Star Rider (5) - just 'cos a working Star Rider is bloody impossible to find
20. Stop the Tanks firing in Robotron (2)
21. Complete a game of Breakout on Major Havoc (3)
22. Play the attract mode of Tempest (2)
FUSEBALL,
December 2004.
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