Playstation One
Years ago when I was a nipper, venturing to the town centre alone to browse the shops was a frightening thing. Everything was so big - I was around the age that it was still possible to get lost in Tesco, and you couldn't cross until the green man was displayed instead of the red one.

I had been quite ill if I recall and as a treat for being such a good lad, my father took me into town to go and look at all the latest gadgets and electronic paraphernalia there was at the time - big TV's, casette players, landline telephones and such like. My Dad liked keeping up with technology, and so did I. CD's might have been available back then, I honestly don't recall. But if they were, looking at a CD Player was pretty groundbreaking for me.

Right, back to the story! We popped into the local Electronic Boutique store because I'd been telling my Dad how my friend had a Nintendo 64 and another had a Playstation and they were both really really cool. Being so naive and probably simple minded I had not twigged to the events forthcoming. He asked which I preferred, and I gazed at the display console boxes on the top shelf (this was a full 'tilt the head back as far as possible and step backwards' affair) before settling on the Playstation because I liked the games better. One phone call later (to clear it with my mother) and I had a shiny new Playstation, memory card and a couple of games.

This is where I begin to feel a little ripped off. You see, years later I discovered Mario RPG on the N64, Banjo Kazooe and the likes. Bags more fun than the Playstation. I was probably 14/15 by now. But I loved my playstation. I felt I had made the right choice (which I blatently did). Thing is, I ended up purchasing an N64 with Mario RPG and a rumble pack for fifty something quid. When it clearly wasn't worth it. Needless to say I was a little mad. I then didn't play the N64 as much as I hoped, which is typical of me really. Get the itch for something new, purchase it and then stop using it or lose interest in it after a few months.

The N64 was then stored under my bed all kept tidily in Tesco carrier bags. Few years later I decide it's time to get the N64 out for a bit of retro gaming. The sodding bags had only gone and disintergrated on me. Noone told me they were biodegradable! The mess under my bed (well, in a drawer under my bed) was astouding. It still is as I refuse to tidy it all up. Talk about ripped off, I smuggled those carrier bags away from my mother's watchful eye and for what?!
(mannitol, Mon 19 Feb 2007, 0:55, Reply)