Power Pad for Nintendo
Posted on | August 17, 2009 |
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The Power Pad came with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) my parents bought me when I was 5-years-old in 1988 while living just outside San Francisco. That day will forever live in infamy. It came as a complete shock and surprise to me when recently I was discussing the Power Pad and its undefinable glory to my friends who all had blank stares. There were about 6 of us and nobody knew what I was talking about. “You know, the Power Pad? World Class Track Meet? Cheetah?…OK, how about Super Team Games?” Nothing. Any Power Pad enthusiast out there can imagine the shock that ran through my body.
The Power Pad was the original. The Power Pad started it all. The Power Pad was truly the first interactive video game system. If not for the Power Pad we certainly would not be balancing on our Wii Fits today. Wii Fit is a reincarnation of the Power Pad but pails
Power Pad NES
in comparison. The reason NES is still so popular today is due to its simplicity. Two Buttons. Great games. Easy. The Wii Fit basically complicates things by calculating your BMI and all that other nonsense. I guarantee you I will burn more calories playing World Class Track Meet or Dance Aerobics than ANYTHING on the Wii Fit. In fact, I will challenge anybody to a Who-Can-Burn-More-Calories contest; you take the Wii Fit, I will take the Power Pad and play Super Team Games.
Before there was Dance Dance Revolution, there was Power Pad. Every time I see people hopping and crossing on Dance Dance Revolution I say to myself, “I’ve been hopping and crossing while playing Athletic World for Power Pad since 1988.” A few years ago there was a lot of buzz surrounding Dance Dance Revolution and the cardiovascular benefits to playing. I’ve played DDR myself and I agree. However, DDR itself is incredibly lame. Hitting arrows? Seizure-inducing music? Weird crap just flashing? The entire unit is pink? That’s pretty horrible. Why don’t you fire up Athletic World and see how epic it is to run the animal trail on expert mode. Also, the music for Athletic World is pretty amazing.
Unfortunately it appears the Power Pad for Nintendo is a forgotten legend. Perhaps the Power Pad was too advanced for its time and people weren’t ready for it - like the Power Glove (please see post not yet written: The Power Glove Owns My Face). I’m going to make it my personal quest to resurrect the glory of the Power Pad and bring it back into the video game spotlight. If there is one thing I ask, it’s that you view the below footage from Super Team Games. If it simply does not blow your mind and make you want to play Power Pad all day long, then I suppose I will also let the Power Pad fade away into the video game archives…
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