After 14 years of handheld gaming market dominance, Nintendo took the next step in the common era with the release of the Nintendo DS in November 2004 in North America.
The DS built on the Game Boy Advances correction to the monochrome deficit of the original Game Boy, building in color capabilities that Sega almost capitalized on during their competition bout, and took it even further.
It utilized a LCD screen with touch-screen capability, ahead of the current technology of phones by almost a decade! It also supported Wi-Fi capacity, so people could multi-play without the prior need to hook a wire connecting each other's systems physically together, as in the previous Game Boy.
The DS has had multiple upgraded versions throughout its reign, each one tweaking the prior in minor, yet significant ways.
The first upgrade was the DS Lite, which was sleeker and upgraded to brighter screens, yet still kept the same basic configurations of screen size and make, just being lighter and more portable.
The DSi basically was a larger version of the DS Lite.
Then came the DSi XL (Which I still use even now), which offered larger screens and more visual angles.
All 4 versions of the DS have sold a staggering 153.96 million units and has 1,826 games according to Nintendo's official site.
Showing posts with label retro games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label retro games. Show all posts
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Nintendo returns to the console competition
After the Gamecube was released in 2002, and was relatively ineffective at wedging itself into the market shares of Microsoft and Sony, Nintendo took a second try at it with the Nintendo Wii.
The most unique part of the Wii was that it was more interactive than the systems prior to it. The controller can actually respond to being physically moved and allow players to swing the controller like a golf club, a baseball bat, a bowling ball or even a sword (in Dragon Quest Swords), granting a new sense of 'realism' to gaming. No more hitting the 'X' button to somehow kill the slime, now you actually are swinging at it and stabbing towards the screen with your controller!
Later in its timeframe, Nintendo realized that people were more conscious about getting fit and exercising, and with a controller that responds to movement already, why not go the next step and make fitness related games, hence came Wii Fit.
The folks at Nintendo really put innovation on a pedestal with their ideas with the Wii, and keeping a tight hold on their staple icons of Zelda and Mario Bros. made it that if you wanted to have a go with these all-time favorites, you needed to return to the Nintendo franchise to have access to them.
Nintendo Wii actually beat both Xbox 360 and PS3 in sales numbers worldwide, and in Dec. 2009 broke the sales record for a single month in the U.S, with their DS handheld device coming in 2nd for the month. (^ "Wii and DS thrash competition in US News". Eurogamer. January 14, 2010. Retrieved Nov. 24, 2013)
Wii has sold over 100.3 million units worldwide, with a game library consisting of over 1,200 games, but their network store also allows you to play games from older systems (NES, SNES and even Sega Genesis games) on the Wii, which brings it's totals to 1778 games (according to Nintendo Inc. Official Site) (http://www.nintendo.com/games/gameGuide accessed Nov. 24, 2013)
The most unique part of the Wii was that it was more interactive than the systems prior to it. The controller can actually respond to being physically moved and allow players to swing the controller like a golf club, a baseball bat, a bowling ball or even a sword (in Dragon Quest Swords), granting a new sense of 'realism' to gaming. No more hitting the 'X' button to somehow kill the slime, now you actually are swinging at it and stabbing towards the screen with your controller!
Later in its timeframe, Nintendo realized that people were more conscious about getting fit and exercising, and with a controller that responds to movement already, why not go the next step and make fitness related games, hence came Wii Fit.
The folks at Nintendo really put innovation on a pedestal with their ideas with the Wii, and keeping a tight hold on their staple icons of Zelda and Mario Bros. made it that if you wanted to have a go with these all-time favorites, you needed to return to the Nintendo franchise to have access to them.
Nintendo Wii actually beat both Xbox 360 and PS3 in sales numbers worldwide, and in Dec. 2009 broke the sales record for a single month in the U.S, with their DS handheld device coming in 2nd for the month. (^ "Wii and DS thrash competition in US News". Eurogamer. January 14, 2010. Retrieved Nov. 24, 2013)
Wii has sold over 100.3 million units worldwide, with a game library consisting of over 1,200 games, but their network store also allows you to play games from older systems (NES, SNES and even Sega Genesis games) on the Wii, which brings it's totals to 1778 games (according to Nintendo Inc. Official Site) (http://www.nintendo.com/games/gameGuide accessed Nov. 24, 2013)
Monday, November 18, 2013
Video Game Consoles finally match the Arcade specs.
The emergence of the Sony Playstation, Sega Dreamcast, and Nintendo GameCube finally saw the in-home game console matching the superior processing power of Arcade games. This led to a rapid decline in Arcade goers, as the former patrons of the aforementioned group began to be able to get the same quality and gameplay value at home.
Why go out to the arcade if you can stay at home and play the same quality games on your own TV?
With this decline, Arcades were no longer viable social locations as they'd once been in the 70s and 80s. With fewer people going to arcade outlets, there's less reason to go to hang out with people, who aren't there.
Here is an article by Vancouver Video Games writer Jordan Rudek
I agree with him, I do miss the environment video arcades provided. The bells and whistles and 'otherworldly' feel is something that game consoles at home can never mimic, regardless of their graphics and gameplay.
Sure, there are a limited number of shops around most towns that are 'gathering places' for gamers to play on the shop's console, but its still not the same. Las Vegas still has full-scale arcades, as do Japan, where the video arcade is still seen as a social gathering place for gamers to compete and hangout, but as in large, the video arcade in the U.S. is pretty much extinct.
Why go out to the arcade if you can stay at home and play the same quality games on your own TV?
With this decline, Arcades were no longer viable social locations as they'd once been in the 70s and 80s. With fewer people going to arcade outlets, there's less reason to go to hang out with people, who aren't there.
Here is an article by Vancouver Video Games writer Jordan Rudek
I agree with him, I do miss the environment video arcades provided. The bells and whistles and 'otherworldly' feel is something that game consoles at home can never mimic, regardless of their graphics and gameplay.
Sure, there are a limited number of shops around most towns that are 'gathering places' for gamers to play on the shop's console, but its still not the same. Las Vegas still has full-scale arcades, as do Japan, where the video arcade is still seen as a social gathering place for gamers to compete and hangout, but as in large, the video arcade in the U.S. is pretty much extinct.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
ESRB instituted, the video game rating system is born
In 1994, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was founded, in reaction mainly to the institution of violence in video games.
During this time, the arcade game Mortal Kombat grew very popular, and for the first time in mainstream video gaming and arcades, violence and blood shed had taken the spotlight, leading to a massive reaction among society. This new craze led to many psychological studies conducted on if violence in video games leads children to commit violence in reality.
Many studies were done on this topic, but there was never a clearly-defined statistical correlation between the two. However, society was concerned enough about this new bloodshed in games, namely in Mortal Kombat that it paved the way for a rating system to develop on par with the already instituted system on movies. (such as PG, PG-13, R, etc.)
That ratings board became the ESRB, which still exists today, and is now prominently displayed on all packaged games on all current systems that are both for retail and rental.
There are currently 8 rating categories in the ESRB to guide consumers to age appropriateness of the games.
These ratings are Early Childhood (EC), Kids to Adults (K-A), Everyone (E), Everyone 10+ (E10), Teen (T), Mature (M), Adults Only (Ao) and Rating Pending (RP).
Also on the package is a more detailed description of certain criteria that was used to determine and classify the rating level. (ie. Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violent themes)
The ESRB serves as guidance for parents and consumers as to what games are appropriate for what age groups.
To this day, ESRB ratings are not used to censor games, or even legally limit sale of Mature or Adults Only rated games to minors, however, the ESRB does work closely with retailers and renters of software about informing their customers about the rating system. Many retailers have generated their own policies against sales of Mature ESRB rated or above games to minors.
ESRB website ,
During this time, the arcade game Mortal Kombat grew very popular, and for the first time in mainstream video gaming and arcades, violence and blood shed had taken the spotlight, leading to a massive reaction among society. This new craze led to many psychological studies conducted on if violence in video games leads children to commit violence in reality.
Many studies were done on this topic, but there was never a clearly-defined statistical correlation between the two. However, society was concerned enough about this new bloodshed in games, namely in Mortal Kombat that it paved the way for a rating system to develop on par with the already instituted system on movies. (such as PG, PG-13, R, etc.)
That ratings board became the ESRB, which still exists today, and is now prominently displayed on all packaged games on all current systems that are both for retail and rental.
There are currently 8 rating categories in the ESRB to guide consumers to age appropriateness of the games.
These ratings are Early Childhood (EC), Kids to Adults (K-A), Everyone (E), Everyone 10+ (E10), Teen (T), Mature (M), Adults Only (Ao) and Rating Pending (RP).
Also on the package is a more detailed description of certain criteria that was used to determine and classify the rating level. (ie. Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violent themes)
The ESRB serves as guidance for parents and consumers as to what games are appropriate for what age groups.
To this day, ESRB ratings are not used to censor games, or even legally limit sale of Mature or Adults Only rated games to minors, however, the ESRB does work closely with retailers and renters of software about informing their customers about the rating system. Many retailers have generated their own policies against sales of Mature ESRB rated or above games to minors.
ESRB website ,
Sony enters the scene of Video Gaming consoles
The PlayStation quickly entered the scene as Sony's debut into the gaming industry market, and just as rapidly snatched a huge share of the market.
What a lot of people probably didn't know was that Sony began its design for Nintendo, prior to the release of the Super Nintendo system. Nintendo began looking into CD-ROM capabilities and its vast superior memory capacity as an option, but due to contractual failings, Nintendo gave up on the idea.
Sony didn't, however, and continued development of CD technology with video gaming.
The original design of the "PlayStation" would have included both a slot for Nintendo's cartridges as well as a processor for CD-rendered game software. (How Stuff Works, How PlayStation Works by Jeff Tyson)
This new technology allowed for game storage on disks to climb to 650 megabytes, which was incredible at the time. The capacity was so great in fact that most games designed on the PlayStation never reached the full-capacity of the technology.
Sony released the PSX (PlayStation) in Japan Dec. 3, 1994, in North America Sept. 9, 1995 and Europe and Australia in Nov. 15, 1995.
Nintendo and Sega tried to answer with releases of the Nintendo 64 and Sega Dreamcast, which did provide some competition, the Dreamcast also utilizing CD-technology, which Nintendo continued using cartridges, but Sony kept the stranglehold.
Sony estimated throughout its lifespan that 1 in 4 households in the U.S. owned a PSX, I'd supposed including the 2 that I owned. (One stayed at home with my parents, and I bought another one for when I moved out)
That part that I find most amusing is Nintendo had the opportunity to work alongside Sony to develop this technology that pretty much knocked Nintendo out of the in-home video game console market for several years (after releasing another bid with the GameCube, then several years later with their current Wii system), but because of contract issues, they signed their own downfall, and allowed Sony to get involved in the industry and swallow Nintendo's market hold.
Sony PSX had a game library consists of over 2,400 games!
here's a link to the article by Jeff Tyson with in depth specifications of the system
What a lot of people probably didn't know was that Sony began its design for Nintendo, prior to the release of the Super Nintendo system. Nintendo began looking into CD-ROM capabilities and its vast superior memory capacity as an option, but due to contractual failings, Nintendo gave up on the idea.
Sony didn't, however, and continued development of CD technology with video gaming.
The original design of the "PlayStation" would have included both a slot for Nintendo's cartridges as well as a processor for CD-rendered game software. (How Stuff Works, How PlayStation Works by Jeff Tyson)
This new technology allowed for game storage on disks to climb to 650 megabytes, which was incredible at the time. The capacity was so great in fact that most games designed on the PlayStation never reached the full-capacity of the technology.
Sony released the PSX (PlayStation) in Japan Dec. 3, 1994, in North America Sept. 9, 1995 and Europe and Australia in Nov. 15, 1995.
Nintendo and Sega tried to answer with releases of the Nintendo 64 and Sega Dreamcast, which did provide some competition, the Dreamcast also utilizing CD-technology, which Nintendo continued using cartridges, but Sony kept the stranglehold.
Sony estimated throughout its lifespan that 1 in 4 households in the U.S. owned a PSX, I'd supposed including the 2 that I owned. (One stayed at home with my parents, and I bought another one for when I moved out)
That part that I find most amusing is Nintendo had the opportunity to work alongside Sony to develop this technology that pretty much knocked Nintendo out of the in-home video game console market for several years (after releasing another bid with the GameCube, then several years later with their current Wii system), but because of contract issues, they signed their own downfall, and allowed Sony to get involved in the industry and swallow Nintendo's market hold.
Sony PSX had a game library consists of over 2,400 games!
here's a link to the article by Jeff Tyson with in depth specifications of the system
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
The Fifth Generation of video game consoles, Nintendo 64
Now we're up to the 5th generation of consoles which lasted from 1993-2002. This era was the beginning of in-home gaming consoles utilizing compact disc technology for video games. Before this, all games were produced using cartridges, which were both expensive to produce and limited in their storage capacity compared to the emerging CD technology.
Notable systems of the era were Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation, and Nintendo 64.
The Playstation was by far the market success story, with the Saturn and the Nintendo 64 losing market share to the new competition Sony.
The Nintendo 64 was far less successful than the Playstation, mainly because it still relied on cartridge technology, limiting its capacity to store information, in an age where game producers' developing needs were climbing astronomically.
It only saw 368 games released on it, in comparison to Playstation's 1100, as developers who used to support the older Nintendo systems cut down, and sometimes completely cut off production for the N64.
Though this drawback hit them in the beginning, the N64 is still held in high regards as the 10th best video game system ever made (IGN) and Time Magazine named awarded it the 1996 Machine of the Year Award.
Notable systems of the era were Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation, and Nintendo 64.
The Playstation was by far the market success story, with the Saturn and the Nintendo 64 losing market share to the new competition Sony.
The Nintendo 64 was far less successful than the Playstation, mainly because it still relied on cartridge technology, limiting its capacity to store information, in an age where game producers' developing needs were climbing astronomically.
It only saw 368 games released on it, in comparison to Playstation's 1100, as developers who used to support the older Nintendo systems cut down, and sometimes completely cut off production for the N64.
Though this drawback hit them in the beginning, the N64 is still held in high regards as the 10th best video game system ever made (IGN) and Time Magazine named awarded it the 1996 Machine of the Year Award.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Recap, and game library lists of the great systems we've covered so far!
As the title states, this is just a recap of the systems we've touched base on, as well as links to the vast libraries of games which came out on all of these systems during their multi-year reigns.
First off, we have the original Arcade games, there really are too many to include all of them, so I will just post the VAPS (Vintage Arcade Preservation Society) top-100 ranked games list URL:
http://www.arcade-museum.com/members/statistics/most-collected-videogames.php
Then came Magnavox Odyssey, which flopped before it really got started, but still should have a game library listed too. However, it was responsible for Pong's release to the masses, and the craze that followed:
http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg70-odyssey.htm#page=games
The Odyssey only had 28 games released on it before it flopped.
Next we go to the Atari 2600:
http://www.listal.com/list/complete-atari-2600-game-library
This link also provides great little tidbits of information on a few of the games.
Next, to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) (Famicom) I know this list is Wikipedia, but is a very complete list complete with release dates and developers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_Entertainment_System_games
Then under 16-bit revolution we had the Sega Genesis and Super NES:
Sega Genesis titles, which totaled a staggering 986 titles!
http://gaming.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Sega_Genesis_games
Super NES games, there are some overlaps as developers for the first time began developing games for two consoles at once, 725 SNES games released in North America, according to GameFAQs:
http://gaming.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Super_Nintendo_games
First off, we have the original Arcade games, there really are too many to include all of them, so I will just post the VAPS (Vintage Arcade Preservation Society) top-100 ranked games list URL:
http://www.arcade-museum.com/members/statistics/most-collected-videogames.php
Then came Magnavox Odyssey, which flopped before it really got started, but still should have a game library listed too. However, it was responsible for Pong's release to the masses, and the craze that followed:
http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg70-odyssey.htm#page=games
The Odyssey only had 28 games released on it before it flopped.
Next we go to the Atari 2600:
http://www.listal.com/list/complete-atari-2600-game-library
This link also provides great little tidbits of information on a few of the games.
Next, to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) (Famicom) I know this list is Wikipedia, but is a very complete list complete with release dates and developers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_Entertainment_System_games
Then under 16-bit revolution we had the Sega Genesis and Super NES:
Sega Genesis titles, which totaled a staggering 986 titles!
http://gaming.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Sega_Genesis_games
Super NES games, there are some overlaps as developers for the first time began developing games for two consoles at once, 725 SNES games released in North America, according to GameFAQs:
http://gaming.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Super_Nintendo_games
The 16-bit revolution
Sega Genesis proved to be the first main competitor to Nintendo's stranglehold on the market. While Nintendo still was focused almost primarily on keeping their NES developers on board, Sega Genesis took the chance to upgrade the market's expectations.
NES was a rather good 8-bit system, but the Genesis boasted 16-bit technology as well as a staggering 7.2 MHz processing power. In 1989 they launched, and quickly gobbled up Nintendo's former market share wresting Nintendo's 7-year dominance over the video game console market.
Here's a very in-depth article about the rise of the Sega Genesis:
http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=ConsoleMuseum.Detail&id=36&game=11
Nintendo finally answered the 16-bit demand with their release of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in late 1991, almost two years after Sega Genesis's emergence. The SNES was slow to gather developers of games for their new system, and Sega continued its dominance in the 16-bit realm for another 2 years. In 1993, Nintendo finally closed the gap in regards to developers for their system, but not soon enough to weaken Sega's hold on the market.
Through 1994-97, there was a huge battle between both video game superpowers over dominance, with Sega retaining the upper-hand for the greater portion of the Genesis's almost eight year existence.
Other resources found during research:
http://gaming.wikia.com/wiki/Super_NES
NES was a rather good 8-bit system, but the Genesis boasted 16-bit technology as well as a staggering 7.2 MHz processing power. In 1989 they launched, and quickly gobbled up Nintendo's former market share wresting Nintendo's 7-year dominance over the video game console market.
Here's a very in-depth article about the rise of the Sega Genesis:
http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=ConsoleMuseum.Detail&id=36&game=11
Nintendo finally answered the 16-bit demand with their release of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in late 1991, almost two years after Sega Genesis's emergence. The SNES was slow to gather developers of games for their new system, and Sega continued its dominance in the 16-bit realm for another 2 years. In 1993, Nintendo finally closed the gap in regards to developers for their system, but not soon enough to weaken Sega's hold on the market.
Through 1994-97, there was a huge battle between both video game superpowers over dominance, with Sega retaining the upper-hand for the greater portion of the Genesis's almost eight year existence.
Other resources found during research:
http://gaming.wikia.com/wiki/Super_NES
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
The revival of the in-home video gaming systems.
After Atari and Intelivision nearly died and marked the ultimate demise of the video gaming franchise, out of the ashes emerged a new spark of life.
Nintendo [Famicom (Family Computer)], which began as a Japanese card manufacturer took the leap to practically single-handedly revive the video game console industry with the establishment of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
In 1983, it released this system under the Famicom nominer, and later released the NES in the U.S., selling a total of 62 million units! This figure of sales was despite just a few years prior marked the single largest crash in the industry's history.
In 1985, Nintendo released what soon became the staple icon of its franchise, Super Mario Bros. which sold over 40 million copies, and held the title for most sales of any video game title until 2008. My math isn't that great, but I figured that span of time (with the aid of a scientific calculator, mind you) as 23 years. That's quite a span of time to hold such a title. It exceeds the amount of time Mike Tyson held the Heavyweight boxing title, both World Wars combined, and all the conflicts the U.S. has been involved in within the Middle East since Desert Storm.
Not bad considering. The design of the system still has components of it that still live on to this very day.
The controller, for instance. Controllers on the current PS3 and PS4 systems as well as Microsoft's X-Box systems still mimic the basic layout of the NES controller. Both of these "new and improved" systems still have the directional keypad on the left side, with the buttons on the right. The Start and Select buttons still exist even today, and are placed, you guessed it, in the center of the controller. And they still are designed to fit in a two-handed grip comfortably.
Granted, controllers now have overcome the dilemma of left-thumb video game blisters/calluses, which were the badge of shame and tell-tale sign of hard-core videogamers, and made it much more difficult for us to come up with clever excuses of why we weren't able to finish our homework over the weekend... You know as well as I the reason it didn't get finished!
The NES dominated the markets for a staggering five years, and in that time accumulated a library of over 500 games, including some classics that go hand-in-hand with video game knowledge even today: The Legend of Zelda (which laid the foundation of the RPG gaming genre), Super Mario Bros., Excite Bike, Tecmo Bowl (Pre-Madden days!), Metroid, and so many others.
Another neat factoid:
In a study done at the time showed children were as or more familiar with Mario as with Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny. (Nintendo's corporate history page: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Corporate/Nintendo-History/Nintendo-History-625945.html
An article revolving around the 30th anniversary of the system which revived the nearly deceased video gaming industry:
http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/15/nintendo-famicom-30th-anniversary-nes/
Again, the video game industry was recovered from the fate of so many ventures who rise and fall throughout the hazardous realm of commerce, by a Japanese playing card manufacturer!
Here is an interesting timeline I found in my research.
Nintendo [Famicom (Family Computer)], which began as a Japanese card manufacturer took the leap to practically single-handedly revive the video game console industry with the establishment of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
In 1985, Nintendo released what soon became the staple icon of its franchise, Super Mario Bros. which sold over 40 million copies, and held the title for most sales of any video game title until 2008. My math isn't that great, but I figured that span of time (with the aid of a scientific calculator, mind you) as 23 years. That's quite a span of time to hold such a title. It exceeds the amount of time Mike Tyson held the Heavyweight boxing title, both World Wars combined, and all the conflicts the U.S. has been involved in within the Middle East since Desert Storm.
Not bad considering. The design of the system still has components of it that still live on to this very day.
The controller, for instance. Controllers on the current PS3 and PS4 systems as well as Microsoft's X-Box systems still mimic the basic layout of the NES controller. Both of these "new and improved" systems still have the directional keypad on the left side, with the buttons on the right. The Start and Select buttons still exist even today, and are placed, you guessed it, in the center of the controller. And they still are designed to fit in a two-handed grip comfortably.
Granted, controllers now have overcome the dilemma of left-thumb video game blisters/calluses, which were the badge of shame and tell-tale sign of hard-core videogamers, and made it much more difficult for us to come up with clever excuses of why we weren't able to finish our homework over the weekend... You know as well as I the reason it didn't get finished!
The NES dominated the markets for a staggering five years, and in that time accumulated a library of over 500 games, including some classics that go hand-in-hand with video game knowledge even today: The Legend of Zelda (which laid the foundation of the RPG gaming genre), Super Mario Bros., Excite Bike, Tecmo Bowl (Pre-Madden days!), Metroid, and so many others.
Another neat factoid:
In a study done at the time showed children were as or more familiar with Mario as with Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny. (Nintendo's corporate history page: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Corporate/Nintendo-History/Nintendo-History-625945.html
An article revolving around the 30th anniversary of the system which revived the nearly deceased video gaming industry:
http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/15/nintendo-famicom-30th-anniversary-nes/
Again, the video game industry was recovered from the fate of so many ventures who rise and fall throughout the hazardous realm of commerce, by a Japanese playing card manufacturer!
Here is an interesting timeline I found in my research.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
The history of in-home video game systems
Most members of the classic retro video gaming culture of today know about the Nintendo, Sega and Playstation of the past, but here's a website that goes even beyond that. Time Magazine does a blast from the past to recap even earlier additions to the video game world prior to the video game crash of 1983, which nearly killed the video game in-home console industry in its wake.
http://content.time.com/time/interactive/0,31813,2029221,00.html
I remember playing the Intelivision at my cousins place, but couldn't for the life of me put a name to what the system was called. I used to play the sports montage on it, namely the baseball game. You'd put the game card inside the controller, and based on the icon on the card designating the player you'd want to throw the ball to or control, you'd push the button underneath the 'game card'. It was a neat idea in my opinion.
Like many families in middle-class America, my parents owned an Atari 2600 system with a variety of game cartridges. Man, how games used to be is amazing to say the least. We used to be satisfied and even thrilled with the Burger-Time or Donkey Kong style graphics made up of VERY noticeable pixels. Your character was a series of squares put together in some semblance of order, with different clashing colors to denote clothes and such. Ah, the good ol' days.
Then came the Nintendo Entertainment System into our home. We thought we were in heaven with games like Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt (although often times I lost bullets on the next round from trying to shoot the dog for laughing at me), Legend of Zelda, Bomberman and Duck Tales. I even now sometimes go back to play Super Mario Brothers and realize just how freaking hard that game was! How could I play is so well and even beat the entire game as a kid?
Well, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis came after, and from then on I tended to have enough spending cash to buy both systems. That was the only way back then to get the best games, as some games were only made on Sega, and others only on Nintendo. Alas, to think that we now describe Super Nintendo and the Genesis as "retro games" and I was a teenager when those two systems were in their prime.
This site does well in going even further back than my own lifetime and experience to some of the predecessors even to the Playstation and Nintendo even. We've all heard of Pong, but there was actually video game life prior to Pong!
Feel free to post any comments, negative positive or otherwise on this blog. All additions are welcome, and feel free to feed this blog to your other friends who used to live in the closet of Nintendo video gamers of the "retro age."
http://content.time.com/time/interactive/0,31813,2029221,00.html
I remember playing the Intelivision at my cousins place, but couldn't for the life of me put a name to what the system was called. I used to play the sports montage on it, namely the baseball game. You'd put the game card inside the controller, and based on the icon on the card designating the player you'd want to throw the ball to or control, you'd push the button underneath the 'game card'. It was a neat idea in my opinion.
Like many families in middle-class America, my parents owned an Atari 2600 system with a variety of game cartridges. Man, how games used to be is amazing to say the least. We used to be satisfied and even thrilled with the Burger-Time or Donkey Kong style graphics made up of VERY noticeable pixels. Your character was a series of squares put together in some semblance of order, with different clashing colors to denote clothes and such. Ah, the good ol' days.
Then came the Nintendo Entertainment System into our home. We thought we were in heaven with games like Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt (although often times I lost bullets on the next round from trying to shoot the dog for laughing at me), Legend of Zelda, Bomberman and Duck Tales. I even now sometimes go back to play Super Mario Brothers and realize just how freaking hard that game was! How could I play is so well and even beat the entire game as a kid?
Well, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis came after, and from then on I tended to have enough spending cash to buy both systems. That was the only way back then to get the best games, as some games were only made on Sega, and others only on Nintendo. Alas, to think that we now describe Super Nintendo and the Genesis as "retro games" and I was a teenager when those two systems were in their prime.
This site does well in going even further back than my own lifetime and experience to some of the predecessors even to the Playstation and Nintendo even. We've all heard of Pong, but there was actually video game life prior to Pong!
Feel free to post any comments, negative positive or otherwise on this blog. All additions are welcome, and feel free to feed this blog to your other friends who used to live in the closet of Nintendo video gamers of the "retro age."
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