My Back. My Log. My Backlog – Handheld Nostalgia (Part 8)

There’s much more year to go! And I have more gaming memories that need formal documentation! This time I decided to recollect some of the obscure handheld devices that I owned as a child. Are these video games? They have a screen and buttons (well, most of them do). I’m counting them!

The backlog is also slowly being chipped away. I have to say, I never thought my progress would come this far! Keep reading below to learn what I’ve finished recently and what I’ve decided to play next.

Visit my previous posts for the full backlog:

– Games from the 2020’s (Part 1)
– Games from the 2010’s (Part 2)
– Games from the 2000’s (Part 3)
– Games from Last Century (Part 4)
– Games on the PC (Part 5)
– The Lost Nintendo Games (Part 6)
– The Lost Atari Games (Part 7)

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Games Completed Since Last Post:

Outer Wilds
(Nintendo Switch, 2023)

After multiple people urging me to play Outer Wilds, it finally took a prompt from Chat GPT to convince me that this was the next best choice. I know, I know. I should trust my friends! It was amazing, though, how easily the program could weigh all of my options while also considering my previously completed games and variety of systems.

Once I dove in and committed myself, I was fully locked in – exploring the mysteries of space little by little and filling up my computer log with every bit of information I’d come across to understand why the universe was ending every 22 minutes. How did this connect to the Nomai people who were here before us trying to solve the same problem?

I found that I became deeply connected to the story which unravels through the game’s characters and bits of text scattered throughout each world. My only frustrations spurred from moments where I was uncertain if my efforts were warranted, vehemently trying something (and failing) over and over again while not knowing if I was in the right place.

Except, that’s the point. You’re meant to flounder. You’re meant to discover. You’re meant to take in the intricacies of your environments. The joy is in the LEARNING. Eventually, you have the clues you need to move forward. Once you know, you can finish the game in minutes. And, my gosh, the ending is one of the most impactful conclusions I’ve ever experienced. This is one I’ll never forget.

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Currently Playing:

Super Punch-Out!!
(SNES, 1994)

While I do own a physical copy of Super Punch-Out for my Super Nintendo, I’ve elected to play this game via the Nintendo Switch Online. Why, may you ask? Well, for one, it’s very convenient. And, secondly, I can abuse the crap out of the built-in save states! Yeah, there’s just no way I have the time and patience to play this game organically – painstakingly learning each opponent’s patterns until I am one with my muscle memory.

I’m stuck on Heike Kagero, the second opponent in the World Circuit (there are four circuits total, each with 4 opponents – oh, and to unlock the fourth circuit, you have to be undefeated in all three circuits leading up to that!). I tried for at least twenty minutes the other night and maybe only knocked him down just a handful of times, never enough to get the TKO.

I’m starting to understand how to hit him more easily, but he has this hair-whipping attack that I’ve not yet been able to dodge. I’m worried because this is just the World Circuit. How will I get through the final one????

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Handheld Nostalgia:

Note – a few of these I still own! The rest have been lost to the sands of time.

Electronic Hand-Held Battleship

My Dad and I often used to bust out his original copy of the Battleship board game, vying to be the one who could finally scout out the final 2-holed Cruiser ship. He claimed he used to the be master of the game and then joked that I took over the title (though, I suspect we were probably more evenly matched than he gave away). To satiate my constant urge to play the game, my parents eventually gifted me the pictured Battleship handheld game. Now that needy kid can finally entertain himself!

Video Poker

I recall my grandparents having a little video poker device at their house, and since that was the honest-to-goodness only thing to do while visiting, it was all I played. My Mom also had a love for video poker machines (recall that we owned the Atari Blackjack game and later on we picked up Vegas Stakes for Super Nintendo). So, eventually we got our own game to play – a staple for those long rides on camping trips!

Batman LCD Video Game

There was a time when many of my friends had those handheld Tiger Electronics games, touting a connection to some major franchise that was cool at the moment. Instead of getting me one of the handheld games, my parents opted to go for the Batman Watch Game 😂 I remember it vividly. Batman was on the left of the screen. You navigated some basic platforms. Enemies would appear on the right and you could either punch them or throw a batarang to defeat them. There might have been the Joker at the end? It was bad. For some reason, I remember that I would play it while sitting in my closet 🤷‍♂️

Star Wars Giga Pet (Yoda)

We couldn’t miss the Tamagotchi craze. Except, of course, instead of getting a true Tamagotchi, I got this weird adjacent Yoda Giga Pet. The goal was to take care of Yoda (predating Grogu by ages) and make sure that he stayed on the light side of the Force. He could meditate, levitate a ball, and…. walk back and forth. Yeah, I didn’t really know what to do. BUT, I still have it today, and it still works – just needs a fresh battery!

TI-89 Graphing Calculator

No high school math student would be complete without their trusty TI-8X Graphing Calculator. Did we use it to solve equations and plot out data? No! We used it to play games! My favorite game was a basic version of Snake where you controlled a line that would eat dots, growing bigger with each bite.

There was a time when I figured out how to build “code” into the calculator, and I was able to create my own Choose-Your-Own-Adventure stories! What was your favorite Graphing Calculator game?

Speak & Spell

I was surprised to see that Speak & Spell has made somewhat of a return when I noticed them back on the shelves at the local Walmart. The appeal was that the device would say words to you and then you’d have to spell them out using the keypad. I learned to read at a pretty young age. I wonder if Speak & Spell pushed me forward!

Excalibur Chess Computer Game
(Model 118E)

Blending a small screen with a physical board, this clever game let you play chess with a computer opponent by showing you where to move the pieces on the display. Basically, you’d tell the game which piece you were moving by pushing the red button on the right, then you’d push down on the piece itself to activate a button that let the game know where you were. Then, you’d move to desired space, again pushing down hard enough to activate the new button. It’s amazing that a little computer could keep track of all of that!

Lights Out

We’ve reached the formal “screenless” section of my blog post, but Lights Out had all the action of a video game without really needing the video. The goal was simple: turn off all the lights. But, each pushed button would activate each light next to it. That’s it! I don’t think I really thought too deeply about the game’s strategy. Eventually, every round turned into just frantically pushing buttons until I got board. I remember that this was a game I could play before bed even in the dark!

Simon

Simon may very well have been what started my fascination with electronic games. I was completely enamored by the colors and sounds, beckoning me to give the game just one more attempt in getting a slightly higher score. Dare I say, was Simon my gateway to video games???

Questron

Reaching waaaaaay back, I still have my original Questron books! I have no idea how this worked, but the books came with a “wand” (basically a large pen with a sensor on the bottom). Every page had activities or questions with which you could interact by pushing the pen onto the pages. I think if you did it right, it would light up green, and if you did it wrong, it would let up red. How the heck did the book know????? Beats me!

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Thanks for stopping by to read my post! Did you have any of these games? Share a memory or two with me in the comments section!

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