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Take a figurative time machine trip back to the early 1990's with an old-school video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The sequel to the original Nintendo Entertainment Systems, the SNES seemed like high technology at the time. Kids of all ages were excited to see its improved graphics and more complex gameplay. Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf is a fun desert warfare game that sticks out as one of the most politically relevant games from the era. Developed by Electronic Arts, Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf deals directly with the Gulf War, allowing players to assume a first-person perspective in an Apache helicopter to complete missions, including search and rescue for MIA soldiers, destruction of weapons and chemical plants and other elements of the Gulf War. Unlike most games of the time, Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf deals with a nonfiction reality, albeit in a fictionalized video game format. Rather than taking on mythical villains or anthropomorphized animals, this game allows players to play a game that emulates a real-life struggle. This Super Nintendo game may not have been the only one to cause controversy, but it is one of very few to be deemed in bad taste, due to its alleged trivialization of a real-life conflict that was ongoing at the time of the Desert Strike SNES release. Though its title arguably capitalizes on the Gulf War, the game itself was in development before that military conflict began. Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf was not a Super Nintendo game to begin with. Rather, it was developed for the console after initial success in its release for Sega Genesis in 1992. In addition to the Super Nintendo release, Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf was released for use on a variety of contemporary gaming platforms, including Sega Game Gear, Amiga home computers, Atari Lynx, and Gameboy portable consoles. If you have a Super Nintendo and you miss playing Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf, the search for your favorite vintage game is over. Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf for Super Nintendo is an interesting game with a morally complex history. Now somewhat removed from the reality of the Gulf War, 90's kids may find that reconnecting with this game as an adult, provokes thought and consideration in a way it didn’t when they were young. Even if you’re just playing this vintage game for fun, its historic reference to real-life events makes it a unique part of the history of video games.

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Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf (Super Nintendo, 1992)

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