Joust

1990, Age 8

The draw to Joust was simple for me: you got to ride an ostrich! And the enemies were riding vultures! Awesomesauce! My young brain at the time was not as accommodated to simple twists on conventional traditions, like jousting in the air instead of on the ground, so the novelty of the idea delighted me.

I also remember Joust having a distinctive weight to the controls, and in spite of the primitive graphics and NES controller, I felt like I was manipulating a heavy beast just from the way momentum worked with turning around in mid-air and landing while you were flying at a fast clip. It made the simple world feel very real.