Even at a young age, I was smart enough to know two things about buying used Nintendo games.
1) Don't waste a lot of time at sellers that have a lot of games, because their prices are higher, usually. Now that I'm older, I realize that this is because they are resellers, people who buy up everyone else's undervalued games then mark those games up to make a profit. When I was a kid, though, all I knew was that the more games a person had, the higher their prices.
2) Prices are negotiable. My grandpa would often have me offer the sellers less, presumably because might be able to get a better price as a kid.
What does this all have to do with Time Lord? Nothing really. Aside from the fact that I got Time Lord from a Flea Market when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I bought it at a flea market in Buffalo, the day before we left for home. Schenectady. 260 miles from Buffalo. The longest car trip of my entire life, I think. I was so psyched to get home to play this bad boy. I always was, and to a certain extent, still am, to this day, so excited for a new game...no matter how crappy it my be...simply because I'm in store for a new experience.
So awhile after we get home, I popped Time Lord in, and started to play. Immediately I was struck by how hard this game was. I mean, my first few times, I didn't get out of the first level, which was more or less a trial level. Finally, after a lot of struggle, I got to the second level, which takes place in the middle ages. I don't think I got out of the middle ages that first day playing, but I'm pretty sure I got to the next level, the Old West, fairly soon after the game.
I didn't get out of the Old West until I was in high school.
Then I stayed in the next level, pirate level, until I was in college.
I still played this game from time to time, trying to get further and further each time. The thing is, after the first week or so of playing, I didn't even like the game, but it was so difficult I felt like I had to take the challenge and some day beat it.
Some years after I made it to the penultimate level, the front lines in World War II, I finally made it to the final level. I actually relaxed a bit, because I have had this habit in video games, especially for NES and SNES...I very rarely die in the last level of any game. Sometimes I may struggle to get there, but once I do I am untouchable. Unfortunately, my luck lasted until what I assumed (correctly, I might add) was the final boss...and I got destroyed. The boss has 3 phases. I didn't get hit a single time in the first 2. The third one, when all three heads of this dragon swarm around you, is impossible to get through...or so I thought at the time.
I went on another several year hiatus from Time Lord until yesterday. I decided to give it one more go. And you know what? I DID IT. I probably had 1 or 2 more hits to take before I was dead, but I beat that damned three headed brain showing dragon thing.
Time stood still as I waited for the ending. I mean, this game is FUCKING HARD, so that means the ending's gotta be great, right? Maybe a parade of pixelated nude women congratulating me on my near impossible feat?
I got this:
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Fuck you. Just...fuck...you.
