Outer Conquests III

I was not emotionally prepared when my kids showed me the new trailer for Outer Conquests III. When I first watched it, I was amazed at the detail of the characters, the story seemed epic, and the nostalgia was real. I was blasted back to when I was a child playing the first Outer Conquests game with my siblings. I remember pulling all-nighters with my brother as we took turns trying to get the highest scores possible. I realized then that I have the same chance to expose my kids to the old games. Give them a new appreciation for the new and respect the old. This was my chance to give them the childhood I was given and make it better. So I did some research and found a place that still sold the game, then I called to confirm that they had it and they said that they did. Within the next week, I drove to the store and bought it at a really good price. I came home and inserted the game disc and let me tell you the nostalgia I felt when I first heard that title screen pop up I felt like a kid again. My kids were both eager and confused as they thought I got the third, but instead got the first. "This kids, is the version I grew up on. If you want the new version I'll have to pass through this one." I said. "But this one is so old, the pixel designs are so retro looking, the music is iconic but it seems scratchy, and the level design seems very basic, no, it's I don't know, It's different. " said my oldest, Sam, who was 15 at the time. He grew up on the newer games with the more highly detailed graphics and fast-paced level design. However, he had played older games before, but nothing like the original Outer Conquests. "Dad, why do you buy this game instead of the new one?" asked my youngest, Timothy. He was 9 when I first exposed them to the greatness of the original. We began rotating level by level, profile by profile. I began remembering where many of the pop-ups, and secret places were, weird combos, and many other things. I managed to impress my boys with how I managed to wipe out so many enemies with just a couple of moves. Then it was Sam's turn. He tried to speed-run it, recreate my combos, and try to get the highest score. He kept getting frustrated at several points in the game. My youngest somehow was able to find a way to get the bare minimum of health and kept getting the lowest score. When I brought it up to him he just said "Because if I can't get the highest score, might as well try to get the lowest.". It was an interesting challenge I never thought about. After some time my middle child, Ruth, decided she wanted to join in on the fun. Oh boy were I surprised with how well she did. She learned how to do combos I didn't think were possible, was able to find easter eggs I never found, and was skyrocketing to my level. I felt proud knowing that I had found my true successor. My boys didn't really feel the same sentiment. Sam was jealous and became even more frustrated, and Timothy was just going crazy bragging about how good his sister was at the game. After a couple of days, we all ended up finishing the game. My kids ended up enjoying it and appreciating the game as a whole. As for me, I loved being able to go back to my childhood, embracing how this game helped bond me and my siblings. Now I'm seeing that happen with my kids. Their smiles as they pass the levels, the shock value they get when they finally defeat the final boss, and when seeing their determination as they overthrow their father and claim the throne as king/queen of Outer Quests.

Before I got the third game I wanted to see if I could find and play the second one and see if it was any good. Turns out I can buy it and download it on the game console already. So I did, and boy do I regret it. Firstly it has a very similar title screen and intro music which was nice however the tone was very, shall we say, a mix of trying to be more mature while also staying as kid-friendly as possible. It somehow failed at both. I still don't understand how they managed to screw it up that much, but they somehow did. I played it, and it just kept getting worse. There was a lot more focus on puzzle solving which doesn't make much sense for a 2D platform shooter. It also had a lot more enemy variants which was nice however most of them ended up being annoyingly overpowered. I felt like my kids weren't going to like it so I only played when they fell asleep. Then one night Sam came in and was surprised I was playing the second game without him or his siblings. "I know but this one is nowhere near as good as the first," I said. "So what, that normally happens with sequels in general." was his response. "Yeah, but it's like really bad, like with the first I couldn't wait to finish and then play it again. Here I wait to finish so that I don't have to play again." I said. "Oh. Well, when you put it like that let me at least suffer with you, so that you have someone who understands your pain," he said. I was too tired to argue, so we took turns playing like we normally do. Let me just say, that seeing the frustration on his face was all I needed to know, that somehow he was actually right.

However, as we kept playing at night we noticed that someone was making progress: It was Ruth. I didn't understand it at first, but then it began to make sense to me. She was my gaming successor and I felt bad trying to keep the secret from her. But to make sure it was her I began making comparisons between the two games with Sam. I was hoping that at some point Ruth would chime in but never once did she. It was like she knew I was on to her, and didn't want to know. I felt bad again. So, one day I straight up her, and to my surprise she said no. Which could only leave one of two suspects. My wife, and my youngest.

Oh how much I felt like an idiot when I realized that my wife was playing as one of our kids. It took me way too long, and apparently, Sam somehow knew it before I did. Never once did I feel so betrayed and amazed at the same time. So to give some context. My wife also played Outer Conquest and the 2nd one. She said that her family wanted her to break as many stereotypes and that even back then boys typically were the only ones who would play video games and due contests. However, she didn't have the best relationship with her parents, so it makes some sense why she kept it a secret, but she still enjoyed playing different types of video games and such with her friends and family.

Now here we are, a family who has played the first two games and is about to get the third. Only to realize it's on the next-gen console, which is way too expensive. Until my wife got the idea of letting the kids make money doing yard work and stuff. Within a matter of months and driving across the neighborhood and doing yard work. They scraped together enough money for both the game and the console. We bought it and started playing, and it was interesting.

Right out of the gate, the game was very different, with different enemies, level designs, and many other things. In fact, the only thing similar to the other two is the main character, but even then his design was completely revamped, but with some creative choices. The story just seemed too much like the first one even though it begins where the first ends.

So overall I enjoyed it but I liked the first more, same with my wife. My kids though are all over. Sam likes the third because it's more familiar to what he plays, Ruth also likes the third because of all the broken combos she can unleash on the enemies. Timothy though likes the second one. I still don't know why, other than spite, and I don't know how to feel about it, but he is nine so yeah. That has been my year. What's yours?