Populous and Black & White let players experience life as a god, while The Sims lets them live in alternate realities where consumerism rules all. But years before those games were conceived, Imagic looked into the hearts of gamers everywhere and let them experience the one thing they’d always wanted: the chance to be a squirrel or a kangaroo, living in the land of infinitely scrolling trampolines.
Gameplay: A grid of multicolored trampolines scrolls down the screen, and your goal is to hop on as many of them as possible, flipping them to your color for points. However, your opponent is trying to do the same thing, and you’ll only get the big points (in this case, six, which is quite a lot when adjusted for inflation) if the trampoline is your color when it scrolls off the bottom of the screen.
If you fall off the bottom of the screen, you’ll die, and the game continues until you or your opponent loses all lives. The surviving player wins bonus points for any remaining lives, and—according to the manual—gets to hit the loser in the back of the head with a wet sock.
Could be mistaken for: Q*Bert
Kids today might not like it because: Contrary to what the Internet led them to expect, the kangaroo doesn’t wear boxing gloves, and the squirrel doesn’t have huge nuts.
Kids today might like it because: The computer AI is easy to defeat, but playing against a human opponent involves a fair amount of strategy. And don’t forget the wet sock.
Enduring contribution to gaming history: Quick Step joined a long line of Atari 2600 titles that were passable when played alone, but became really fun when played against a friend, leading to the online multiplayer gaming experience that has replaced real life for so many of today’s gamers. —Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton collects "jump to conclusions" mats. It’s the worst collection ever.