Shades of Resonance: Fond Reminiscence - Memory Log #13

The Super Challenge Sports Games

Another one of my gaming regrets is that I didn't spend more time during my formative years playing multiplayer-focused Atari 2600 with my brother, James.

Finding the opportunity was difficult because James was, in certain ways, the typical older brother: He had a large group of friends with whom he was always hanging out, and thus he had no desire or inclination to ever spend time with a younger sibling whose favorite activities included repeatedly flicking light switches and sprinting around the living room table for no apparent reason (he didn't know what he missing, man).

So to me, it always seemed like a special occasion whenever the two of us were able to get together and play a few rounds of our favorite multiplayer games--whenever we were able to spend an hour or two competing in endlessly fun games like Combat, Armor Ambush, Outlaw and Miniature Golf and connecting with each other via "deep" conversation and silly banter. At that point in my childhood, there was nothing better than hangin' out with my big bro, who seemed to know so much about the world, and having a good time enjoying the magic of video games.

I have to say, though, that my fondest memories of that era are those that derive from our experiences with two of the Super Challenge sports games: Super Challenge Baseball and Super Challenge Football.

The sports genre wasn't a favorite of mine, no. It was basically at the bottom of my list, below even shoot-'em-ups. Sports games were, in my experience, slow-paced and overly complicated, and whenever I'd attempt to play one of them, I'd quickly grow bored with it and then promptly move on to the next game.

I just didn't like 'em.

The Super Challenge sports games, though, were a major exception. For a number of reasons, they were always able to hold my attention for long periods of time and keep me entertained. They were a ton of fun because of the amusing ways in which they replicated real-life-sports mechanics and because of how things would tend to go wildly wrong whenever my brother and I would compete in them!

First there was Super Challenge Baseball. We gravitated to this one because its action had a brisk pace and because there was real snap to its controls. You could do whatever you desired to do and do so with great speed; you could throw swift-moving curveballs, quickly switch to any fielder you wanted, and zip the ball to any of the four basemen.

Super Challenge Baseball was the fastest and most responsive baseball game around!

The problem, though, was that the 2600 controller's input was so limited that you couldn't do some of these things reliably. You were, after all, controlling an entire team of fielders using only a single button and four directional inputs. So when you wanted to switch to a specific infielder, you had to hold down the button and then push the control stick in the direction that corresponded to the fielder's position; and because there was no diagonal input, switching to an outfielder was instead a matter of pushing the stick left, up or right twice in quick succession.

That's where our trouble began: We both sucked at double-tapping, so we could almost never activate the outfielders quickly enough! So what we'd end up doing was having the infielders run out into the outfield to field the ball. And as you would suspect, this was not conducive to keeping runners off the base path.

Sometimes we'd have so much trouble with the controls that our games would devolve into complete mockeries in which we couldn't field a single hit because we were otherwise too busy spastically, helplessly trying to switch to desired fielders and failing miserably in our attempts. And typically these follies would lead to the creation of old-fashioned 40-run games.

Then there were the times when James would become so exasperated by the controls that he'd just give up and field outfield hits with the catcher. And as the catcher was leisurely running toward the ball, he'd yell "I'm coooooooooomin'!" and watch on helplessly as I rounded the bases for my usual unearned triple.

I'd always laugh hysterically when he'd do stuff like that--when he'd comically yell out his favorite wisecracks and movie quotes. He'd do it because he knew that it would make me laugh. He liked to entertain. He liked to keep things lively. That's why playing games with him was so much fun.

So even when we struggled with Super Challenge Baseball's controls, we still managed to have a great time with the game and with each other.

I still laugh when I think about how James used to torment me by running back and forth along the base path and threatening to steal second base anytime he got on. He knew that it was annoying and distracting, and that's why he enjoyed doing it so much. I wouldn't have gotten so mad about it had he not refused to teach me how he was doing it--how he was leading off bases and freely running along the base path. I tried to figure it out on my own, yeah, but I just wasn't able to find the correct button-combination. So for me, stealing bases was never an option.

To this day, I still have no clue how he was doing it.

I guess some mysteries just weren't meant to be solved.

Super Challenge Football was a different story. Its action was easier to manage because there was less to control. Setting up offensive and defensive schemes was a simple matter of addressing each player individually and inputting a command. If, for instance, you wanted a defensive player to block, you'd push down on the control stick; and if you wanted to an offensive player to, say, break through the pack and run out for a pass, you'd press the button. Then it was all a matter of running or throwing the ball.

It was hard to screw up.

Still, I was at a little bit of a disadvantage because I didn't know much about the sport or how it worked. James, conversely, was a big NFL fan and knew a lot about football, but he had zero intention of explaining the rules to me because he wanted to keep his competitive advantage. The only thing I understood was that I could score a "touchdown" by outrunning the defense and reaching the other side of the field; and if I could do that enough times, I'd earn enough points to defeat my big brother!

Whenever I'd win, I'd see it as a huge accomplishment because James was the master of sports games (his Super Challenge Baseball outfielding issues aside) and would usually beat anyone he played. It was like beating Muhammad Ali in his prime.

This time, though, we were equally adept at pulling off an advanced technique. And by "advanced technique," I mean the exploitation of a glitch that allowed the main defender to pass through the screen border and wrap around to the screen's opposite side and thus get easy access to the quarterback.

At some point, we'd realize that this "technique" was breaking the game and come to an agreement to stop using it. But I always knew, though, that it would only be a matter of time before James would break the agreement and surprise-tackle me and then have a good laugh at my expense.

He was kinda mean, yeah, but he was also fun-loving and entertaining. That's why I enjoyed playing games with him. That's why I wish I'd done it more.

So if you're reading this, big bro, please know that I do remember those days and that I cherish the memories of the time we spent together.

And know this, too: The next time we play, man, I'm gonna win!