294: The Case of Dad vs. Phoenix Wright

[RowdyRodimus]

No matter how many systems I get the one question out of my Dads mouth is, "Does it have Galaxian?" Ever since those long ago days of the crash of '84 when I picked it up for our Atari 2600 for $2.00 at Kaybee Toys, he has been hooked on that game.

He still has it (although we upgraded to the 7800 when that came out lol) and has already played his few games for today before he had to go to the doctor. The only other series of games he'll play are the R.B.I. Baseball games.

He likes watching my brother and I play our new games but to him you can't top Galaxian, so there's no reason for him to play anything else.

 

[randommaster]

This article hurt my brain. I love the Phoenix Wright games, and I love trying to expose my friends and family to things that I love in hopes that they'll understand my passion and share my experience, but never have I come accross a reaction to a game that was at all similar to that of your father's. I still don't understand whether or not he enjoyed the games or appreciates you imposing them on him.

His dad likes them like a bad movie. You don't watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show to learn about genetic engineering, you watch it because it's completely absurd and you want to see what happens next.

My mother was like this with games. She got her first taste with Banjo Kazooie and me and my siblings told her to jump into the lava to get more lives. She did, and we laughed. She began playing more, though, and ended up being the first to beat Gruntilda, at two in the morning, no less. She went on to play Dr. Mario for the N64, getting crazy good, and SMB3.

 

[ANeM]

This is a testament not to his casual nature, but rather to his single-minded devotion and perseverance. He used to flip on Dr. Mario on the NES on the hardest setting, music set to "Chill," and methodically empty out that jarful of viruses pill by pill without breaking a sweat.

Spooky. My father used to do the exact same thing. While not a judge, he is a corporate lawyer, and I fear he has the same sort of opinions about video games...

 

[Arlocke]

This was a very amusing read. My dad used to say "goodies" as well. We don't really talk much anymore... or at all, really... but I'm still close to my mother and she doesn't really get gaming I don't think. But she's pretty supportive of me studying game design at college.

 

[The Random One]

That was a great article, but the only thing I can think of to reply is: goodies is an excellent word. Definitively better than 'items' or 'inventory'. Than 'loot'? Possibly.

 

[Abbyrose07]

Cute story...unfortunately the only thing my father is interested in playing is Halo...lol.

 

[ckam]

Great story, man. It does seem pretty cool that he's oddly compelled by such a game, but that's just the way to make bonds greater and better.

 

[miva2]

haha awesome.
I like listening to other people how they experience a game. my dad often tells about what happened in his far cry matches. bu there's no that connection of lawyer/gamecritic or anything comparable, that's pretty cool.

 

[havass]

That was an awesome article. Was surprised to find something heart-warming on The Escapist...and I got shocked when you said his heart stopped. I thought he'd passed on. :/ Thankfully your dad's fine now. And still playing Phoenix Wright. >

 

[Black Watch]

That is cute man. Real cute. I wish I could get my dad into videogames but he doesn't take a shine to anything unless it is a military shooter... even then, when I let him play CoD or MoH, he finds it to be too complicated.

 

[Electrogecko]

This article hurt my brain. I love the Phoenix Wright games, and I love trying to expose my friends and family to things that I love in hopes that they'll understand my passion and share my experience, but never have I come accross a reaction to a game that was at all similar to that of your father's. I still don't understand whether or not he enjoyed the games or appreciates you imposing them on him.

His dad likes them like a bad movie. You don't watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show to learn about genetic engineering, you watch it because it's completely absurd and you want to see what happens next.

My mother was like this with games. She got her first taste with Banjo Kazooie and me and my siblings told her to jump into the lava to get more lives. She did, and we laughed. She began playing more, though, and ended up being the first to beat Gruntilda, at two in the morning, no less. She went on to play Dr. Mario for the N64, getting crazy good, and SMB3.

Well I'd say there's a difference between something you watch because it's so bad and something you watch because it's unpredictable and absurd....you can have both, and it wouldn't make the movie good or make you want to continue watching, but if you genuinely want to finish something, even if it's due to seemingly cheap tricks, I'd say that you found it compelling and were successfully entertained.

As far as I know my dad has never picked up a single video game. My mom, on the other hand, used to play a lot of Super Mario All-Stars (specifically Super Mario Bros.) and Tetris 2 for the SNES, and she was exceptionally good at both. But for her to beat Banjo Kazooie....absolutely absurd. She says she can't handle the 3rd dimension virtually....I don't remember her ever attempting a 3d game, and she stopped playing video games altogether a long time ago. (unless it's solitaire on the comp)

 

[randommaster]

This article hurt my brain. I love the Phoenix Wright games, and I love trying to expose my friends and family to things that I love in hopes that they'll understand my passion and share my experience, but never have I come accross a reaction to a game that was at all similar to that of your father's. I still don't understand whether or not he enjoyed the games or appreciates you imposing them on him.

His dad likes them like a bad movie. You don't watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show to learn about genetic engineering, you watch it because it's completely absurd and you want to see what happens next.

My mother was like this with games. She got her first taste with Banjo Kazooie and me and my siblings told her to jump into the lava to get more lives. She did, and we laughed. She began playing more, though, and ended up being the first to beat Gruntilda, at two in the morning, no less. She went on to play Dr. Mario for the N64, getting crazy good, and SMB3.

Well I'd say there's a difference between something you watch because it's so bad and something you watch because it's unpredictable and absurd....you can have both, and it wouldn't make the movie good or make you want to continue watching, but if you genuinely want to finish something, even if it's due to seemingly cheap tricks, I'd say that you found it compelling and were successfully entertained.

As far as I know my dad has never picked up a single video game. My mom, on the other hand, used to play a lot of Super Mario All-Stars (specifically Super Mario Bros.) and Tetris 2 for the SNES, and she was exceptionally good at both. But for her to beat Banjo Kazooie....absolutely absurd. She says she can't handle the 3rd dimension virtually....I don't remember her ever attempting a 3d game, and she stopped playing video games altogether a long time ago. (unless it's solitaire on the comp)

I was thinking more along the lines of liking something that's not well-made. The PW games aren't good reproductions of an actual courtroom, so his dad notices all the details that are wrong. It's not the whole game, just various details. It's like when you're a biologist and you hear characters talking about "higher stages" of evolution.

 

[Brendan Main]

The PW games aren't good reproductions of an actual courtroom, so his dad notices all the details that are wrong. It's not the whole game, just various details. It's like when you're a biologist and you hear characters talking about "higher stages" of evolution.

Or when some supposed kung-fu master is bragging about their unbeatable style, and says that they know 23 ways to kill somebody with their left pinky.

First off, that's way too many. There's six, okay? Only six. Seven if you count the Wushu Inverted Lotus Strike, but any idiot knows that those scrolls have been lost to the sands of time.

And second off, in a pinch, your left thumb will do just fine.

 

[randommaster]

The PW games aren't good reproductions of an actual courtroom, so his dad notices all the details that are wrong. It's not the whole game, just various details. It's like when you're a biologist and you hear characters talking about "higher stages" of evolution.

Or when some supposed kung-fu master is bragging about their unbeatable style, and says that they know 23 ways to kill somebody with their left pinky.

First off, that's way too many. There's six, okay? Only six. Seven if you count the Wushu Inverted Lotus Strike, but any idiot knows that those scrolls have been lost to the sands of time.

And second off, in a pinch, your left thumb will do just fine.

That depends entirely on what two fingers they are using to pinch you. The tricky Qi-chu Thumb-pinky Over-hyphenated Ankle Throw is tricky to pull off, but nearly impossible to counter without hyper-extending your kidneys.

 

[The Wykydtron]

I wonder what his reaction to Godot would be? Lazer Face throwing coffee at the defense? WTF?!

 

[scottsteve]

I was smiling until the last sentence of the first paragraph of page four. That's when the emotional significance of the piece hit me.
I honestly have to say that this is the one of the best articles I have seen on this site, from a story telling view and entertainment. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[NaramSuen]

That was a very well written and thoroughly entertaining article. My father is of the opinion that video games went downhill after Pac-Man, with the possible exception of Ms. Pac-Man.

On an unrelated note, there was Hebrew word in my captcha.

 

[Lord_Seth]

I gave up on the Ace Attorney games after the second one. Rife with poor characterization and illogical puzzles (you know the ones, this item proves what I need, but the game wants me to choose THAT item), AA2 just wasn't a pleasant experience for me. None of the characters were relatable, and it seemed like they were trying too hard to focus on quirks rather than personality. Maya's behavior was based solely on her stupidity and like of cheeseburgers; Franziska's behavior was based entirely on her whip, etc. Backstories to explain characters' personalities felt like afterthoughts, ways of explaining after the fact why they are the way they are, and mostly interchangeable.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the first game, but the second one seemed like a pale imitation. One was charmingly campy, the other was ludicrously stupid. The fact that this man who didn't even like the first game was able to play through the second simply astounds me.

P.S. Thanks

The second game is generally considered to be the weakest of the first three games. I'd recommend checking out the third (Trials & Tribulations), it's a big improvement.

 

[The Youth Counselor]

My grandmother, my mother, and sisters all loved Tetris. But my dad never liked video games from day one and criticized them frequently.

I only recall two times where he played a game.

The first time, he watched my friend and me play Mortal Kombat II at a bowling alley. He kept criticizing how it was tasteless gratuitous violence that would surely spawn a terrible generation. Then he asked to play, and without ever touching it before, kicked my ass four matches in a row. I didn't let him, win. He refused a rematch, claiming it was a waste of money.

The second time, was when I had to make a quick run to the bathroom while playing Mafia. When I came out, I had seen he was laughing maniacally after having crashed the car and unsure how to get back in, and was randomly spraying a Tommy gun into crowds.

 

[omegawyrm]

Hopefully He makes it through the second game, some of the cases in there are unbearably nonsensical. You basically have to break the 4th wall by applying something with one character that you learned as another character to have the slightest clue how to beat the last case (It does introduce Pearl though, who is adorable). I hope he makes it to 3 and 4, I found those much more satisfying.