After reading my article yesterday asking for new entries for our Gamer's Closet, reader Sarahvait wasted no time in tearing down the door of her Gamer's Closet to bring us this classic tale of a young girl's love for Barbie and all her pink glory.
When I was first introduced to it, video gaming was still pretty young. Our family's first console was the original NES, and my sister and I liked it very much. I was a cute little girl at the time, young and naive, hardly able to finish any game I was given because, as a child, I was stupid. But, I do remember that we often played games together with our next door neighbors. And one game I remember distinctly at these gatherings Barbie, for the NES.
Yeah, this was a cash cow game based on a doll that little girls begged their moms to buy them in droves. While I wasn't exactly doing the whole drove thing, I had my fair share of Barbie dolls. And I was young, so I still liked pretty things, and the color pink.
Anyway, I would watch my older female neighbor play through this game in about an hour, since it wasn't very long. As the story goes, Barbie goes to bed after reading a riveting tale of mermaids. As she falls asleep, she goes through her mental checklist of all the super fun things she's going to do tomorrow. In the game, she enter her dream world to visit these places. When you completed each level, you would get a piece of an outfit. From the mall to the Soda Shop to the ocean where you become a mermaid, you collect shoes, a gown, and a tiara. What happens when you win? You get to show up at a party, pretty as a princess, with Ken waiting to escort you. When I was actually given the chance to play it myself, I had a lot of fun. My neighbor had to walk me through it, but it was great to platform through the game.
Well, I'm older and wiser now. After my sister got me a CD with hundreds of original NES games and an emulator, Barbie included among them, I thought it might be fun to revisit that old nostalgia. But surely, it would just feel silly to my matured sense of taste in gaming.
I was perusing some of the lesser trodden areas of the site yesterday and realized that we haven't had an entry to the Gamer's Closet in many moons. So, I thought I would put out a call for more stories to round out this section.
Gamer's Closet is a place for you, our faithful readers, to write in and tell us about your darkest gaming secrets. Everybody has at least one game that they played and loved, but if they told anyone else how much the enjoyed it, they'd be the object of much finger pointing ridicule. Think of Gamer's Closet as a confessional of sorts, where you can feel free to admit your love without fear of retribution. Past entries have included Spice World (The Spice Girl's Game), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Princess Tomato and the Salad Kingdom, Final Fantasy X-2, Rugrats' Scavenger Hunt and the one that started it all, Strawberry Shortcake's Musical Match-Ups. If you need some help figuring out how it works, check out the Gamer's Closet section and see some of the pieces that some of your fellow GayGamers have written. Once you have your piece ready to go, send it to us here at info@gaygamer.net with the subject "Gamer's Closet".
So, tear down the doors of your gamer's closet, brothers and sisters, and step into the cleansing light of confession!
Back in the days of 8-bit and 16-bit gaming, I played a ridiculous amount of games. On weekends, my mom would take me down to the local rental store, and I would get to pick out one game to devour until Sunday evening. I remember looking at the wall of games with wide-eyed wonder. Which title should I pick? It better be a good one, ‘cause it would suck having to play a crappy game all weekend. That’s how I came across Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom. The title instantly grabbed my attention, and when I flipped the box over, I noticed that the game looked like it would play like Shadowgate and Deja Vu. I really loved those games, so I took it home one weekend, and was never the same.
Princess Tomato is a point and click adventure game similar in style to the NES adventure games of it’s time, Shadowgate and Deja Vu. You played the role of Sir Cucumber, a knight of the realm of the Salad Kingdom. The evil Minister Pumpkin betrayed King Broccoli, kidnapped Princess Tomato, stole the royal Turnip Emblem, and retreated to the castle in the Zucchini Mountains. Sir Cucumber, ousted from his castle, must make his way back to the castle with his trusty persimmon sidekick Percy, and rescue his fair Princess Tomato. The journey is long and treacherous, Sir Cucumber must dodge the terrible Farmies and Dice-O-Matics, join the resistance, and squash the terrible Minister Pumpkin.
When vegans dream, do they dream of crying persimmons, persecuting pumpkins and electric sheep? It’s a quandry that keeps me up at night, every night.
The Double Switch saga concludes with this final installment of Gamer’s Closet. Corey Haim, Eddie, has escaped the basement and is running around the apartments dressed as a mummy. He’s seriously flipped out at this point and is trying to keep everyone from escaping the building. Deborah Harry, is still serving up some Egyptian fierceness. Jeff is still shirtless and hot. Of course the statue of Isix, plays a big part in the conclusion. Enjoy the hilarity as everyone falls in the various traps around the Edwards Arms, and the big secret of the apartments is revealed.
*Make sure you have seen both part 1 and part 2 before viewing the conclusion.
The saga continues in the second installment of Double Switch. Corey Haim is still in the basement, Jeff the rocker dude still hasn’t given us a glimpse ‘neath the kilt, and Deborah Harry is still fierce. The plot thickens with the mention of a killer running loose in the Edward Arms apartments. Haim escapes the basement. I know it’s completely random, but Taylor Negron shows up as a record exec. As he passes, Harry has a classic moment when she turns to the camera and says, “I’m a singer, torchsongs mostly.” Talk about chewing up that fourth wall, sheesh. To make matters worse for the crew, a mysterious mummy shows up. So pop some popcorn and enjoy the second installment of Double Switch.
*Make sure you have seen the First Installment of Double Switch before watching this video.
Here’s a blast from the past from the FMV days of the SegaCD. Double Switch, brought to you by Digital Pictures, is the spiritual sister to Night Trap.Double Switch was a slightly better game with a better production value, and some recognizable faces. The game starts with Corey Haim whining about being locked in a basement. By setting off traps, you can help him get out and uncover the treasure locked within the walls of the apartment building. And yes, that’s Deborah Harry from Blondie playing an Egyptian nut job who runs the joint. There are some priceless moments in this game, the “Tunnel Vision” music video, various people falling in traps, and c’mon it’s Deborah freakin’ Harry. You gotta love her.
FMV games were known for their stinktacular acting and equally bad gameplay. I thought FMV was the coolest thing to happen to video games, when I was a kid. I had an unedited copy of Night Trap, played the hell out of Sewer Shark. I even had Ground Zero Texas, and Voyeur. Well, hindsight is 20/20, and it’s clear to see why FMV died off. Damn, it smells like an army of stinkbombs just went off. Sorry if some green smoke seeps it’s way out of your monitor, it’s natural and should dissapate shortly.
Reader Billy H opens the crypt to find his tale from the Gamer’s Closet…
“I may have one of the most looked-down upon reasons ever for even buying an Xbox. That reason is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I am a huge fan of the show. So, when I noticed that a game had been released exclusively for Xbox, I had to have it! I wasn’t terribly familiar with gaming systems at this point despite practically growing up in the arcade. I had an original Nintendo (after begging my mother for months), the ill-fated Turbografix 16 (it was supposed to be the thing to have and I wanted to be the first to have it, for once. Turns out I was the only one to have it.) and I got a Playstation about 2 or 3 years after they were released.
Needless to say, I’ve never been a “hardcore gamer.” I didn’t play games much by the time Xbox and PS2 were released so I wasn’t terribly interested in having either one. The price tags were also a deterrent. However, the allure of being able to play as one of my favorite characters drew me in and I plopped down my 200 plus dollars just to play this one game.”
Reader and friend Doug R. sends in this (very well written) story proving that gay gamers aren’t the only ones with a Gamer’s Closet!
“I’ve always been a fan of the Final Fantasy series. When I was 10 years old one of the first games I had ever truly beaten and felt accomplishment all throughout the adventure was the very first installment for the original Nintendo. Over a decade of amazing game play, brilliant cinematic and involving storylines the excitement of each title that graced my console never changed or got dissolved. My own personal adventure battling through epic worlds of airships, notorious villains, dazzling magic, unearthing old gods to summon alongside you in battle, and riding giant yellow chickens never grew tired in my favorite genre of gaming. The Final Fantasy series made me love games, and made me even more inspired to play role-playing games. It is and always will be my all time favorite style of escapism. Although in 2003, I was a bit confused, Final Fantasy X-2 had hit the selves and I was ready for yet another adventure. This time around though, it was from a different perspective.
In FFX2, you play only as a trio of heroines, destined to battle through the lands of Spira in order to find true love, belief and self resolve in the struggle of good versus evil. The battle mechanic of “Dresspheres” which allow you to change outfits during fights and allow you to ‘morph’ into familiar character classes of the series on the go were intriguing as well as the lengthy variations of Japanese Pop inspired cut scenes with all sorts of glamorous dancing and love-strung ballads. So what if it did have romantic overtones of a woman longing for her man, I played that game like every one before it…”
Reader peteypuke can now shamelessly reveal his guilty gaming pleasure from inside the Gamer’s Closet…
Spice World – PS One
I absolutely had to have it, though I confessed it to no one. The game was purchased in secret, at a Toys R Us two towns over. I think I may have even offered the unsolicited “It’s a gift, I swear” to the cashier.
The gameplay was basically timed button presses (think Parappa). But the allure of seeing the Polygon-Spice Girls dancing to all their hits with ultra-cheerleader choreography had me compelled to play this, despite the gameplay.
I played until my thumb was sore, until every piece of crap video clip was unlocked. And then I played some more. And from time to time … I STILL play it.
Editor’s Note: Erm…I loved this game too…
Does anyone else have a game they have played, and kept it a secret. It’s time to ‘fess up. Let us know what’s in your Gamer’s Closet. Inquiring minds want to know.
Reader Freezair SilverEye roots around in the dusty entrails of her game box and bring you her tale from the Gamer’s Closet.
I’m not personally a gay gamer, though my best friend is. No, I’m one of those exotic femgamer types. And my collection is mostly pretty respectable: Zelda, Metal Gear Solid, Katamari, lots of prettyboy RPGs and some not-so-prettyboy ones including the much-reviled Pokémon which is actually a good RPG series… But there is one game I keep to myself, because if anyone knew I played it… Well, girl gamers get teased a lot anyways, but this one would more or less send my reputation down the tubes.
“This one” would happen to be “Rugrats’ Scavenger Hunt” for Nintendo 64.
The very sound of it sends chills down your spine, don’t it?
When I was a tiny Toots, I came out of the womb in a sequined jumpsuit tap-dancing and twirling a baton. I knew very early that I was a little different. If I ever had any doubt that I was queer, the truth was solidified when I asked for and received Strawberry Shortcake Musical Match-Ups for the Atari 2600. I saw it at a Sears on the Atari display, and I had to have it. My little eyes beamed with excitement, as I was mesmerized by the fluorescent lights sparkling off of the shiny silver box. How I lusted to run in the fields of Strawberryland with my little Shortcake, being chased by the despicable Purple Pieman and Captain Cackle. I wanted to stop by Apple Dumplin’s house for tea with Teatime Turtle. A day wouldn’t be complete without a long walk by the creek with Huckleberry Pie and Pupcake. Such sweet simple times. Thankfully I never mentioned this game to anyone at school….
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