Console History

[Jayque]

Now let's take a history lesson for the fun of it. (My history from memory, possibly a little off ... but this is my recolection of the console game evolution ... also this will be somewhat stream of conciousnous here.)

 

Perhaps my views on games and gaming stem from my history as a gamer.

 

I started with an Atari ... I played Pac-Man, ET, Space Invaders, Pong and a slew of other games. It was fun and even my parents neighbors would come to the house because we were the only house on the block with a game system.

 

We gave our Atari and 40+ game cartridges to my parent's best friend's family as they decided to upgrade to a Commodore. Here I learned to play Pole Position, Frogger, and even had a copy of Zaxon (now that was some innovative stuff back then ... played it on a cassette tape that hooked in)

 

A few years passed and then the Nintendo Entertainment System came ... woot NES. Gyro-bot, Light Gun, controllers oh-my. Some of the NES games were crap - *cough Gauntlet* ... but many were the stuff of legend ... Super Mario 1 and 3 (two was a mistake, but as usual they were trying something new) while I am talking about Mario I want to speak on sequals quick. Mario Brothers, Super Mario Brothers, SM2, and SM3 all on the same system but all were completely different. They were NOT just the same engine with new level and content, they kept challenging the next evolution of the series ... just thought I would point that out.

 

Nintendo's innvoation didn't stop with the Light Gun and Gyro-bot ... but they added the Power Pad and multi-tap.

 

Dam I skipped the legendary games ... Skate or Die, Contra, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Zelda (the sequal kind of bit, but again they tried to make the sequal something different and new from the original), Hogan's Alley, Marble Madness, Mike Tyson's Punch Out, Byou Billy, and Castlevania II Simon's Quest ...

Day's of Thunder (first game to try and capture the "thrill" of Nascar) and Top Gun (first flight combat sim worth a poop) (of course I could on, but I believe that is enough of a blast from the past)

 

Of course here we have Sega coming on the scene duking it out with the Genesis ... Nintendo Fire's back with the SNES ... (I skipped some stuff I wanted to add, but I am making this long enough methinks) SNES begins to loose in sales to Genesis .. not because the Genesis was a better system but all because of the sale of one game ported to both systems ... Mortal Kombat ... the sale of Mortal Kombat on the Genesis destroyed the SNES all because Nintendo refused to allow blood (well it was there it was just grey scaled out to look like sweat) ...

 

Nintendo continued with inovation trying light gun again with the Super Scope, and also adding support for mouse ... and I think a musical keyboard, but I might be mistaken (a little fuzzy here)

 

Sega tried to battle the Game Boy here with a much better system, the Game Gear ... but lack of support for the game gear, and affordability of the game boy as well as GBC being reverse compatible helped Nintendo to stay ahead in the handheld market.

 

And at this point (actually a several lines ago) the Neo Geo hits the scene ... a system far beyond the Genesis or SNES ... but again ... Nintendo fought off a better system.

 

I don't know why the Sega CD never took off ... I really don't ... but it didn't and soon after it's short stint came the Playstation ...

 

Sony stole Nintendo's model for success over the other systems ... large product variety and support ... and So they began to mass produce titles (quantity of variation not number per release for those simpletons out there) ... Nintendo decided to not go with a CD ... they chose to keep cartridge based and launched the N64 ... great gaming console with many strong titles ... in the end I think it may have been the controller that did them in. And I think people felt that CD's felt more grown up. Sony did have some great titles on the PSX ... Suikoden, Vanguard, FFVII, Gran Turismo ...

 

Then Sony has the dance pad ... or whatever that thing is ... technology right from the 80's in the ... power pad ... (I have no idea how that thought popped in, it didn't belong here)

 

I forgot where I was going with this ... I think it had something to do with the fact that Nintendo has been there with innovation and new designs ... they are not satisfied to create the same game over and over and over and over ... Gran Turismo 5 is gonna be the same thing as GT4 ... GTA:Beverly Hills ... or Detroit, or London or whatever city they want to name it ... it's gonna be the same ... graphics may change ... sound may improve ... might even change the colors on the menus.

 

It doesn't matter what the power is in the game system ... I don't care if the PS3 is more powerful than an Xbox 360 with a bridged in Revolution. The games that will come out the Revolution (as well as the games that have come out that will be downloadable) and the games that will come out on the 360 will with little doubt in my mind be a much better investment than those on the PS3.

 

It's not the tech it's how you use and support it.

 

Oh ... and as far as backwards compatability goes since some forums I have read make it sound like Sony was brillant for deciding to do this with PS and PS2 ... For those that know but haven't realized it's yet another idea they stole from the success model of Nintendo in the Game Boy backwards compatability that led to the loyalty of its users.

 

Sony is nothing but a Nintendo wannabe.

 

I realize I may sound like a ranting Nintendo fanboy ... I respect them yes, but when I bought my cube I did it only because I already had Xbox and PS2 already. I didn't expect much out of the system but picked it up for the party games that my wife enjoys ... but I ended up being very impressed with a system I do not think it developed the respect it deserves from the gaming community, mostly because they had the preconceived ideas that I do. Just about anyway that bashes the cube has never really played one.

 

I got way off track and for that I appologize. I just hope that designers in the release of next gen games take a step back and look at the roots of gaming. Side-Scroll, FPS, RTS strategy, RPGs ... they all had their first. I hope that we have not already seen every genre of game and that new genres are created. I hope that designers spend time making games with more content ... forty-hours of game play is not enough ... Morrowind GOTY edition should be looked at as a model of game play content.

 

I hope that companies stop trying to release faster ... and spend the time to get in depth with their game design. I don't feel that the current rush to code mentality of gaming will ever allow the full potential of next gen systems to be met. More game play/content ... keep the eye candy and extras ... but they should be a bonus not the wrapping to cover a game poorly designed.

 

I'm done.

[metadigital]

Ah, the Neo Geo. I remember you well .. all those fighting games ...

[Child of Flame]

I was happy to see Metal Slug make a comeback on the Xbox, I'm not sure if it sold all that well though.

[metadigital]

I was happy to see Metal Slug make a comeback on the Xbox, I'm not sure if it sold all that well though. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought the Neo-Geo was meant to be the chip used by all the arcade games ... but that didn't seem to ever eventuate ...

 

I really miss some of those early arcade games. I still look for Crazy Climber (where you play a dude climbing a high-rise and the windows can close on your fingers and you lose your grip, residents try to knock you off by dropping flower pots on you, and crazy gorillas at the top of the building wave their dangerous fists at you ... girders come crashing down) ...

 

Apparently it was a very rare game outside Japan, yet I played it in Australia.

 

When I get a few thousand dollars for a stand-up machine I'll be sure to buy it ...

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong Jr

Asteroids

Mr. Do!

Joust

SPACE INVADERS

QIX

Marble Madness

Pac Man

Ms Pac Man

Frogger

Crazy Climber

that riverboat / skier avoiding the hazards (downscroller)

 

 

 

Mega

Ghosts 'n Goblins

1942

1943-Battle of the Midway

Edited June 12, 2005 by metadigital

[Yst]

I'm certainly a supporter of Nintendo, as much as I'm willing to support any console manufacturer, but this appears to be among the worst-argued, most historically dubious defences of Nintendo I've ever read.

 

For one thing, you keep pointing out Nintendo's tendency towards innovation as if it brought them a win in the console wars with reference to all its most horribly unsuccessful and widely ridiculed peripherals rather than anything that actually brought them customers and cash. I mean, the R.O.B.? It sold so horribly and proved so useless that they're now adequately rare to be collector's items merely on the basis of the historical significance of their strange uselessness. Nintendo's peripherals, however they might embody the company's tendency towards "innovation" have always been its biggest commercial and creative flops with the Power Glove and R.O.B. being particular standouts in that regard. As for light guns, those hadn't constituted innovation since the seventies and Sega offered a better selection during the NES era. By the SNES era, the Super Scope, despite Nintendo's advertising campaign, failed to convince anyone (even Nintendo Power) that it was anything but an attempt to repackage the same dumb gameplay concept in a marketable new package.

 

To give you credit, you mention the Mario games as embodying Nintendo's tendency to innovate, but for some reason you mention the least innovative Mario game in history as the example: Super Mario Bros 2 was developed in Japan as little more than a series of somewhat more annoying add-on levels for the original game with a few extra twists that increased the gameplay's frustration level. Only in the American release under that name was a game developed as Doki Doki Panic repackaged with Mario sprites and intro screens to look like Super Mario Bros 2. The original Super Mario Bros 2 was later rereleased in the west as The Lost Levels.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I dont really make an secret of my respect of Nintendo as innovators.

 

Wonder how Nintendogs will do over here. It's a tad odd talking to you handheld in public after all.

 

Nintendo appear to be taking the familiy route, games that can be played socially and by anyone. As such dont expect any praise from most serious gamers as they take the whole thing way too seriously.

[Child of Flame]

I dont really make an secret of my respect of Nintendo as innovators.

 

Wonder how Nintendogs will do over here. It's a tad odd talking to you handheld in public after all.

 

Nintendo appear to be taking the familiy route, games that can be played socially and by anyone.  As such dont expect any praise from most serious gamers as they take the whole thing way too seriously.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Dude! Eternal Darkness!

 

Mmmmm, Lovecraft!

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Dude!  Eternal Darkness!

 

Mmmmm, Lovecraft!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"The Revolution will use cutting edge technology, but it's ultimately about how that technology is used," he said.

 

"We asked ourselves, "Why would a family need or want to have a gaming console?" The answer is what's driving development of the Revolution.

 

"What we want to do is different - and we're happy with the road we're taking," Miyamoto continued. "When you have a Revolution, you're not going to have the same experience as you would with the other home consoles."

 

Miyamoto's comments follow on from Nintendo's E3 conference, where the emphasis was firmly placed on "All-Access Gaming" - titles that are easy for anyone to pick up and play. You can read the full story here.

[Child of Flame]

Dude!  Eternal Darkness!

 

Mmmmm, Lovecraft!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"The Revolution will use cutting edge technology, but it's ultimately about how that technology is used," he said.

 

"We asked ourselves, "Why would a family need or want to have a gaming console?" The answer is what's driving development of the Revolution.

 

"What we want to do is different - and we're happy with the road we're taking," Miyamoto continued. "When you have a Revolution, you're not going to have the same experience as you would with the other home consoles."

 

Miyamoto's comments follow on from Nintendo's E3 conference, where the emphasis was firmly placed on "All-Access Gaming" - titles that are easy for anyone to pick up and play. You can read the full story here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Here?!!

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Dude!  Eternal Darkness!

 

Mmmmm, Lovecraft!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"The Revolution will use cutting edge technology, but it's ultimately about how that technology is used," he said.

 

"We asked ourselves, "Why would a family need or want to have a gaming console?" The answer is what's driving development of the Revolution.

 

"What we want to do is different - and we're happy with the road we're taking," Miyamoto continued. "When you have a Revolution, you're not going to have the same experience as you would with the other home consoles."

 

Miyamoto's comments follow on from Nintendo's E3 conference, where the emphasis was firmly placed on "All-Access Gaming" - titles that are easy for anyone to pick up and play. You can read the full story here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Here?!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

my bad, lazy cut and pasting. :">

[Child of Flame]

Dude!  Eternal Darkness!

 

Mmmmm, Lovecraft!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"The Revolution will use cutting edge technology, but it's ultimately about how that technology is used," he said.

 

"We asked ourselves, "Why would a family need or want to have a gaming console?" The answer is what's driving development of the Revolution.

 

"What we want to do is different - and we're happy with the road we're taking," Miyamoto continued. "When you have a Revolution, you're not going to have the same experience as you would with the other home consoles."

 

Miyamoto's comments follow on from Nintendo's E3 conference, where the emphasis was firmly placed on "All-Access Gaming" - titles that are easy for anyone to pick up and play. You can read the full story here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Here?!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

my bad, lazy cut and pasting. :">

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

So there is no story? I am disappointed. I was hoping for some more sweet, sweet Nintendo media. Oh well, at least we've got a nice quote tree.

[jaguars4ever]

Dude!  Eternal Darkness!

 

Mmmmm, Lovecraft!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"The Revolution will use cutting edge technology, but it's ultimately about how that technology is used," he said.

 

"We asked ourselves, "Why would a family need or want to have a gaming console?" The answer is what's driving development of the Revolution.

 

"What we want to do is different - and we're happy with the road we're taking," Miyamoto continued. "When you have a Revolution, you're not going to have the same experience as you would with the other home consoles."

 

Miyamoto's comments follow on from Nintendo's E3 conference, where the emphasis was firmly placed on "All-Access Gaming" - titles that are easy for anyone to pick up and play. You can read the full story here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Here?!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

my bad, lazy cut and pasting. :">

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

So there is no story? I am disappointed. I was hoping for some more sweet, sweet Nintendo media. Oh well, at least we've got a nice quote tree.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No more quote trees, Eru!

[Darth Flatus]

Wasnt the neo geo ridiculously expensive? And the games were upwards of

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Dude!  Eternal Darkness!

 

Mmmmm, Lovecraft!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"The Revolution will use cutting edge technology, but it's ultimately about how that technology is used," he said.

 

"We asked ourselves, "Why would a family need or want to have a gaming console?" The answer is what's driving development of the Revolution.

 

"What we want to do is different - and we're happy with the road we're taking," Miyamoto continued. "When you have a Revolution, you're not going to have the same experience as you would with the other home consoles."

 

Miyamoto's comments follow on from Nintendo's E3 conference, where the emphasis was firmly placed on "All-Access Gaming" - titles that are easy for anyone to pick up and play. You can read the full story here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Here?!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

my bad, lazy cut and pasting. :">

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

So there is no story? I am disappointed. I was hoping for some more sweet, sweet Nintendo media. Oh well, at least we've got a nice quote tree.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No more quote trees, Eru!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Seconded.

[Kaftan Barlast]

NeoGeo was horribly expensive everywhere I think. For no reason at all.

[jaguars4ever]

For no reason at all.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A common misconception...for you see, the Neo Geo's price was inversely proportional to its popularity. :D

[Child of Flame]

Dude!  Eternal Darkness!

 

Mmmmm, Lovecraft!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"The Revolution will use cutting edge technology, but it's ultimately about how that technology is used," he said.

 

"We asked ourselves, "Why would a family need or want to have a gaming console?" The answer is what's driving development of the Revolution.

 

"What we want to do is different - and we're happy with the road we're taking," Miyamoto continued. "When you have a Revolution, you're not going to have the same experience as you would with the other home consoles."

 

Miyamoto's comments follow on from Nintendo's E3 conference, where the emphasis was firmly placed on "All-Access Gaming" - titles that are easy for anyone to pick up and play. You can read the full story here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Here?!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

my bad, lazy cut and pasting. :">

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

So there is no story? I am disappointed. I was hoping for some more sweet, sweet Nintendo media. Oh well, at least we've got a nice quote tree.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No more quote trees, Eru!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Seconded.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

OH SNAP INSTEAD OF ENDING IT YOU TWO JUST MADE IT LONGER!!!

 

Quote-Tree

[jaguars4ever]

Dude!  Eternal Darkness!

 

Mmmmm, Lovecraft!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"The Revolution will use cutting edge technology, but it's ultimately about how that technology is used," he said.

 

"We asked ourselves, "Why would a family need or want to have a gaming console?" The answer is what's driving development of the Revolution.

 

"What we want to do is different - and we're happy with the road we're taking," Miyamoto continued. "When you have a Revolution, you're not going to have the same experience as you would with the other home consoles."

 

Miyamoto's comments follow on from Nintendo's E3 conference, where the emphasis was firmly placed on "All-Access Gaming" - titles that are easy for anyone to pick up and play. You can read the full story here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Here?!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

my bad, lazy cut and pasting. :">

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

So there is no story? I am disappointed. I was hoping for some more sweet, sweet Nintendo media. Oh well, at least we've got a nice quote tree.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No more quote trees, Eru!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Seconded.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

OH SNAP INSTEAD OF ENDING IT YOU TWO JUST MADE IT LONGER!!!

 

Quote-Tree

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

So did you - I bet this is all part of Eru's "Grand Design".

[Child of Flame]

Dude!  Eternal Darkness!

 

Mmmmm, Lovecraft!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"The Revolution will use cutting edge technology, but it's ultimately about how that technology is used," he said.

 

"We asked ourselves, "Why would a family need or want to have a gaming console?" The answer is what's driving development of the Revolution.

 

"What we want to do is different - and we're happy with the road we're taking," Miyamoto continued. "When you have a Revolution, you're not going to have the same experience as you would with the other home consoles."

 

Miyamoto's comments follow on from Nintendo's E3 conference, where the emphasis was firmly placed on "All-Access Gaming" - titles that are easy for anyone to pick up and play. You can read the full story here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Here?!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

my bad, lazy cut and pasting. :">

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

So there is no story? I am disappointed. I was hoping for some more sweet, sweet Nintendo media. Oh well, at least we've got a nice quote tree.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No more quote trees, Eru!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Seconded.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

OH SNAP INSTEAD OF ENDING IT YOU TWO JUST MADE IT LONGER!!!

 

Quote-Tree

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

So did you - I bet this is all part of Eru's "Grand Design".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

It is part of my 20 year plan for the forum. Let the quote trees grow!

 

I kind of liked the Neo Geo home console, at least what I've played through it in emulators, thing was mad advanced for the time it was released, like N64 advanced!

[Volourn]

I used to love nintendo... then I grew up... and, reached the age of 5.

[jaguars4ever]

I used to love nintendo... then I grew up... and, reached the age of 5.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey, that's my line!

[Zagor]

I still love the old nes games. Just look at my avatar

Metroid, kid icarus, zelda, I had more fun with those games then I do with more recent games to the pc.

Of course, I wouldn't like them as much if they came out today. Nostalgia has something to do with it also I guess.

[metadigital]

I still love the old nes games. Just look at my avatar 

Metroid, kid icarus, zelda, I had more fun with those games then I do with more recent games to the pc.

Of course, I wouldn't like them as much if they came out today. Nostalgia has something to do with it also I guess.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

... and your age at the point of first contact. "

[Zagor]

Yes, I was about ten. I didn't care if your player character in the game was a 10year old kid, and you were fighting octorocs (I guess no one knows what kind of creature that is, let's just say it isn't in the d&d monster manual)

[Yst]

So I guess my cynical take on Nintendo is that innovation has harmed it more than it's helped it. In-house innovation is at best irrelevant to its success.

 

The NES was the right machine at a reasonable price at the right time, but it didn't make its name on the basis of innovation. And the unit itself is pretty boring technology, with most components being outdone by hardware which had been around for a decade by its release.

 

The vast majority of Nintendo's early attempts at innovation, the Powerglove, Powerpad, Four Score, R.O.B., etc. were rather unsuccessful, and more often mocked than lauded. Later attempts, like the SNES Mouse and N64DD just weren't sufficiently popular to be meaningful contributions. The Satellaview, XBand and SNES Multi-Tap were third party and, in the XBand's case, cross-platform, so they have nothing to do with Nintendo innovation.

 

As far as game development goes, Nintendo is kind of the David Bowie of the gaming industry, in that its work almost effortlessly wanders into and out of the styles of the times as they come and go and continues on toward the next fad. But its best successes are seldom its most innovative products. Nintendo learned its lesson when it released a genuinely unique and innovative sequel to The Legend of Zelda in Zelda II, and was told that fans wanted something more derivitive and conventional which reminded them of the original. So it released LttP as a remake of the original's gameplay. The best-favoured platformer of the late SNES era wasn't anything unique, but rather a very traditional side-scroller, Donkey Kong Country (and its sequels), which pasted shiny-looking sprites on top of plain old side-scroller gameplay and convinced the market it constituted something new because the graphics were somewhat improved over predecessors. Meanwhile, Nintendo's own in-house Super Mario World 2 languished in relative unpopularity thanks to its odd variation on side-scroller art styles and gameplay.

 

Nintendo didn't gain its popularity or make its successes through innovation, and if it tries to innovate the way it has in the past with the expectation that this will lend it market dominance, it can't hope to succeed. This isn't just a matter of the market being composed of uncultured swine who don't respect its creative achievements. This is a matter of the majority of Nintendo's in-house innovation over the years being genuinely misguided.