Timeline | 1986: Sega Master System

Sega's competition for the NES, didn't reach nearly the same heights but it did pave the way for the Genesis/MegaDrive

The height of Sega's console sales, and arguably their importance as a video game console manufacturer came during the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive era - but the foundation for that success was laid during the previous gaming generation with the humble Sega Master System. The Master System was released in Japan in 1985 as the Sega Mark III and later rereleased as the Master System in 1987. It first came to North America in 1986. The Master System was not Sega's first console, it succeeded the SG-1000 in Japan, but it was Sega's first to come to North America and was released to compete with the Nintendo Entertainment System. Unfortunately due to a lack of advertising and third party games (due in large part to Nintendo's policy on the NES not allowing games to be released on other consoles) along with some questionable decisions as far as game localization by Tonka, the company Sega had contracted the North American market for the Master System to, the system never really took off. While the Master System only sold between 10-13 million consoles worldwide, compared to the 61+ million of the NES, it did establish successful markets for Sega in Europe and places like Brazil and Sega would build off of this success with the Genesis/Mega Drive.

A typical Master System game case.

The Master System's game library is relatively sparse, even more so when you consider that many of its later games could also be found (in superior ports) on other systems including usually the Sega Genesis. However, there are a few games that released on the Master System that would go on to be important for Sega including most notably Shinobi and Phantasy Star. Sega's first attempt at a mascot to compete with Nintendo's Mario was Alex Kidd whos games (all but 1 which came out on the Genesis) released for the Master System. Later Sonic the Hedgehog would replace Alex Kidd as Sega's mascot and while he came to the Master System a few times it was only ports of the newer systems.

Further Reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_System
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Master_System_games

Magazine | 1988: Nintendo Power Issue #1

The Inaugural Issue of Nintendo Power!

Prior to Nintendo Power, Nintendo produced a monthly newsletter call Nintendo Fun Club. The Fun club ran for 7 issues from 1987 to 1988 before Nintendo decided to start a full-fledged magazine and so Nintendo Power was born. Even if you are only a casual fan of video games, you likely remember Nintendo Power, it ran for nearly 300 issues starting in 1988 all the way until its demise in late 2012. We at least have it's spiritual successor - Nintendo Force!

They didn't skimp on the SMB 2 details, they included basically a walkthrough guide to the first 2 worlds/6 levels even.

For their Premiere issue, Nintendo Power ironically focused on seconds. The cover depicted a clay-mation scene from Super Mario Bros. 2 which was the focus of the magazine with gameplay tips and some great art about the enemies. They followed this with an article about the Second Quest in The Legend of Zelda which included a fold-out map of the game. Double Dragon, Gauntlet, Contra and several other games got smaller articles along with a 'Classified Information' section and a 'Counselor's Corner' section both with game play tips and tricks - in the pre-Internet era this was the place to be for how-tos (we didn't have 'Let's Play' videos on Youtube).

Eventually Nintendo would split the walkthroughs off as 'Nintendo Player's Guides' but early Nintendo Powers had all that included, the Zelda map here was quite an impressive addition.

A Howard & Nester comic (which introduced Nester who would become a long time mascot of Nintendo Power) along with a 'Video Shorts' section talking about other recently released NES games, and a 'Pak Watch' section talking about games that were coming soon were next followed by the NES Journal section which included an article about the launch of Dragon Quest III in Japan around that time. They had a 'Player's Forum' with some advertisements for books and movies along with the 'NES Achievers' sections with high scores.

They printed close to 3.6 million copies of Nintendo Power #1, and almost 1/3 of those that had Nintendo Fun Club before it subscribed - that 'Next Issue' might not have happened without those sales!

Finally the issue has a Top 30 Ranking of most popular NES games, then breaks it down to top 30's for 'Players' 'Pros' and 'Dealers' and then information on what is coming in the Next issue of Nintendo Power: Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Bayou Billy, and Bionic Commando. Should be fun!

Timeline | 1988: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

The follow-up to The Legend of Zelda diverged from the original significantly!

Originally developed for the Famicom Disk System in Japan (and released about 7 months before the original Legend of Zelda in the US) The Adventure of Link was a whole different beast than the original. Eventually making its way to the US in December 1988, Zelda II would introduce several new gameplay aspects to the series. Some, including the 'Magic Meter' and the Dark Link character would see use in later Zelda games, however others including Experience Points and Multiple Lives. Zelda II is famous for being the 'only' Zelda game with side-scrolling portions, however this is not exactly the case as some of the Gameboy Zelda games would reuse this concept.

A screenshot from the Zelda II Overworld

Zelda II borrowed the 'overworld' idea from Role-Playing games of the era (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, etc.) and plays very similar to another great NES game - Faxanadu (a side-quest from Xanadu/Dragon Slayer, an RPG series nearly exclusive to Japan with Faxanadu being one of the only releases outside of Japan).

A screenshot from Zelda II's side-scrolling portions - here he finds the sleeping (original) Princess Zelda for the first time.

Zelda II was the most popular NES game of 1988 and would eventually go on to surpass all other NES games (save the Super Mario Bros. trilogy and the original Legend of Zelda) in sales. The game has since been ported to the GameCube (in the The Legend of Zelda: Collectors Edition) and later to the Game Boy Advance (as part of the NES Classics series) and has been released on the Virtual Consoles of the Wii, 3DS and Wii U.

Further Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link

Timeline | 1988: Paperboy

A unique Arcade game and a great experience on NES

Paperboy was released in the Arcades in 1985 and made its way to the NES in 1988. The game involves the player taking the roll of a neighborhood paperboy who rides a bike and attempts to successfully deliver papers to newspaper subscribers while avoiding obstacles and gaining extra points for using newspapers to vandalize non-subscribers homes.

A screenshot of Paperboy showing the paperboy on his bike, sticking to the sidewalk to avoid an obstacle and attempting to line up for a throw to the next house's mailbox (mailboxes only show on subscriber homes).

Paperboy was an awesome game with a unique premise. The Arcade cabinet had an actual Bicycle Handlebar controller (which was in actuality a modified Star Wars 'yoke' controller). The Arcade game was a mild success, with some of the console (and home PC) ports doing slightly better. Eventually Paperboy would be ported to all the major consoles of the day (into the early 90's) and received a sequel (Paperboy 2) which came to the NES as well as the SNES and Sega systems, etc. Later Paperboy 64 for the N64, along with inclusions in a Midway Classics game, a mobile game in 2005, an XBLA game (although this has since been delisted) and an iOS appearance in 2009 is the last inclusion in the franchise.

Further Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paperboy_(video_game)

Timeline | 1988 Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mario Bros. 2 was a radical departure for the series.

Super Mario Bros. 2 launched in North America in October 1988. This game had several new additions to the series including a save feature, multiple characters, new enemies and items and a different look and feel from the original game that included a more vertical nature to the level design (due mainly to the original game it was based upon).

Japan received a very different Super Mario Bros. 2

The Super Mario Bros. 2 that was released in North America was not the same Super Mario Bros. 2 that Japan got. In Japan Super Mario Bros. 2 was a continuation of the original game, designed to be more challenging and engaging for veteran Super Mario Bros. players, but Nintendo of America was afraid that this game would be too difficult for their North American audience and turn people off of what was quickly becoming their flagship franchise. So another Super Mario Bros. 2 was created for the non-Japanese world based upon the prototype game: Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic. Later the original Super Mario Bros. 2 would be released as Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels as part of Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES (and has since been released several times via these remake channels, virtual console, etc.)

A screenshot from Super Mario Bros. 2 (NA) showing Mario carrying an item, in this case a POW block.

Super Mario Bros. 2 differentiated from the original in a few key aspects. 1) Jumping on an enemy no longer killed them, you could stand on top of most enemies and even pick them up and fling them (as weapons or down pits, etc.), also the character's ability to throw things were key parts of the gameplay. 2) The four characters had different playing styles (Mario was balanced, Luigi had the highest jump, Peach could jump and float, Toad was the strongest) and some secrets could only be attained (or at least much more easily attained) by certain characters.

Super Mario Bros. 2 was a great game and a unique followup to Super Mario Bros. this pattern of reinventing games (Donkey Kong 3, Zelda 2, SMB 2, etc.) was very successful for Nintendo in the first half of the NES's timeline. The game was popular enough (and financially successful enough) that it was eventually released in Japan as Super Mario USA and has been rereleased in compilation games (Super Mario All-Stars), on the Virtual Console and on the Game Boy Advance (Super Mario Advance) - it was also influential in many of the gameplay elements in the Wii U's Super Mario 3D World.

Further Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros._2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.:_The_Lost_Levels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario

Timeline | 1988: Contra

Contra was an amazing game on the NES and still shines even today.

Contra was released for the NES in North America in February 1988. Contra had been a very popular arcade game for Konami and they handled the NES port in house (as opposed to other ports to the COmmodore 64 and other home PCs at the time which were done by Ocean Software).

A screenshot of the NES version of the game.

The majority of the gameplay in Contra is a side-scrolling shooter/action-platformer, but there are also levels with a pseudo-3D feel (shooting and moving forward and left/right) and a top down portion where the player moved up the screen shooting up.

A screenshot from the Arcade version, note the more detailed Pallet and the different character sprites for Bill and Lance.

The NES was not nearly as powerful as Arcade machines of the time, but Konami did a great job stripping out what they could and making a very nice port of the game on the home console.

Some intersting notes about the game from wikipedia:

"Contra was one of the early NES games to feature the Konami Code. Inputting the code at the title screen starts the player with thirty lives instead of the usual three. The cheat will be in effect as well when the player runs out of lives and uses a continue to retry a stage.

When the NES version of Contra was localized for the North American market, certain details of the game's background story were altered. The year of the setting was changed from 2633 to 1987 (the year of the arcade version's release) and the location was moved from the Galuga Islands to the Amazons. Bill and Lance were also given the codenames of Mad Dog and Scorpion."

Contra was well received both critical acclaim and financial success and two sequels (Super Contra or Super C as it was known in North America and Contra Force) that also came to the NES along with the Gameboy Operation Contra. Later console games like the SNES Contra III: The Alien Wars and Genesis Contra: Hard Corps continued the burgoning franchise. Contra would wax and wane in popularity but is now one of Konami's most well known franchises and has seen 15 installments.

Further Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contra_(video_game)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contra_(video_game_series)

Timeline | 1987: Mega Man

Mega Man didn't do so well initially in North America thanks in part to this weird artwork!

Mega Man was an action-platforming game for the NES (much like many of the popular games of the time) but differentiated it that it had multiple levels with distinct bosses that the player could take on in any order - this freedom of advancement was quite the novelty at the time and along with the pretty good graphics and difficult but rewarding gameplay made Mega Man a great game. It would go on to start one of Capcom's most successful franchises (with 6 Mega Man games on the NES alone). Later Mega Man 2 and 3 especially would be more financial successes for Capcom (and Mega Man 2 is widly regarded as the best of the original series) but the Original Mega Man set the stage for all those that would come before it.

A screenshot of Mega Man's Cut Man stage.

Mega Man was vibrant and fun to play, it had great graphics for the time, awesome music, great replayability and awesome boss battles (although they are hard!). Mega Man was released (in both Japan and North America) in December 1987. While the game did better in sales than Capcom had expected (especially in Japan) it lagged behind what it's creator thought it should have done, especially in the United States - he blamed the inaccurate box art of the North American version for this.

The European box art is much cooler I think.

After the 6 NES Mega Man Games, Capcom revamped the series with Mega Man X (the start of a new sub-series) on the SNES which they continued with X2 and X3 (although they also did Mega Man 7 on SNES as well). Later they would take the series to the PS1, N64, PS2, and handhelds (in the form of Battle Network games). More recently Mega Man received two neo-retro games for downloadable services (PSN, XBLA, eShop, etc.) called Mega Man 9 and 10 (8 was on the PS1) that returned to the NES style.

Today Capcom mainly uses Mega Man as a guest start (games like Project X Zone, anything Capcom vs., etc.) with his biggest appearance being alongside PacMan and Sonic as guest stars in the newest Super Smash Bros. (for 3DS and Wii U)

Further Reading

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Man_(video_game)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Man

Timeline | 1987: Metroid

Metroid was one of the shining examples of a great year for the NES.

Metroid launched on the NES in North America in August 1987. Like many of the best NES games coming out in America at the time, Metroid was a port from the Famicom Disk System in Japan and utilized a Password system in leui of an actual saving mechanism. Metroid was a triumph for the Action-Adventure genre of the time, it focused more on exploration than other games of the period and required the player to back track and explore to open different areas, unlock different items (several of which were necessary to win the game like the missiles and Ice Beam - something that was almost unheard of in a time when items like Mario's FireFlow were the norm).

A typical screenshot from Metroid, the EN in the top left is the player's Energy (Life).

The player in Metroid had an Energy indicator that could be refilled with Energy and reduced as they took damage. Metroid had an intricate back story (although you would have had to read the manual to know most of it) and was one of the first games to really inspire a sense of solitude and dark struggle onto the player (at least for me, especially on the NES). Once the final battle with Mother Brain occurs and the player is victorious, they then plant a bomb to destroy the entire enemy facility and have 999 seconds to escape (back track through the entire game)!

If you beat the game quickly enough it is revealed that Samus Aran (your character) is a woman! This was a huge surprise at the time and a big stepping stone to moving women out of the role of 'Damsel in Distress' to much stronger roles.

Metroid, and games like it, paved the way for more mature, intricate storylines and settings. Metroid also defined the 2D action-adventure/exploration genre so much that games like it are referred to as being in the style of Metroidvania (after Metroid and Castlevania, also quite important in the genre).

Metroid went on to found an important franchise for Nintendo, receiving sequels on the GameBoy (Metroid II: The Return of Samus) and SNES (Super Metroid - highly acclaimed). Metroid Prime on the GameCube (and its sequels, Metroid Prime 2 and 3 on the Gamecube and Wii) along with their slightly enhanced bundle Metroid Prime Trilogy, were very highly acclaimed. The game itself got an enhanced remake (in the form of Metroid: Zero Mission) on the DS along with Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime Hunters (and pinball) also on the DS. The last game (currently) in the franchise is 2011's Metroid: Other M, unfortunately the game was not received as well as previous games in the franchse and the franchise has seemingly gone dormant - hopefully it will be revived for the Wii U and 3DS soon!

Further Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metroid_(video_game)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metroid

Timeline | 1987: The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda was one of the best on the NES and established one of Nintendo's greatest franchises.

The Legend of Zelda was released in North America in 1987 (after the sequel had already been released in Japan). The top-down action adventure game that focused on exploration was an awesome experience on the NES. The franchise that it would establish has become the 'hardcore' cornerstone of Nintendo's franchises.

Zelda was also important in that it was one of the first NES games with a save function, it had 3 save slots and you could save the game, shut off the system and restart from the save point later thanks to a battery powered RAM chip inside the cartridge. The game also had a 'Second Quest' after beating the game which was a more difficult version of the game with an additional dungeon.

A screenshot of Link fighting Octorock on the overworld

The basic setting of Hyrule and some of the iconic locations within Hyrule (like Death Mountain, Lake Hylia, etc.) were established in The Legend of Zelda along with the main character (Link) and his search for Zelda. The Triforce was in the game and a focus, but was split into 8 pieces instead of 3 like in most other Zelda games. The Legend of Zelda is also unique in that it did very little to lead the player and left them to discover what they needed to know on their own (you even have to find your sword in the first cave or you will die very quickly).

Later Nintendo would release a sequel to the Legend of Zelda called Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link which is the only Zelda game not officially called 'The Legend of Zelda' with a subtitle, it is also the only Zelda game that comes after the original game in the official Chronology (the rest are either prequels or come in another branch of the timeline).

A nice table of the Chronology of the Zelda series from Wikipedia shows the original Legend of Zelda second from the last in the first column.

The Legend of Zelda was the first NES game (besides the pack in Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt) to hit 1 million sales, and would eventually go on to sell over 6.5 million copies. Other Zelda games would come on every Nintendo console and handheld up until today (with the only exception being the Virtual Boy I believe)

Further Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda_(video_game)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda

Collection | Atari 2600 - SSJGohan3972's Collection - Update

We've added quite a bit to our Atari 2600 collection in the last few weeks.

I posted about my Atari 2600 back around the end of August. Since then I have actually picked up a console and came across a cache of Atari 2600 games through trades. I've added several more cased games, I have several more loose that I've yet to make cases for and I also picked up a new Atari game!

Along with the Atari 2600 system (right) I also have an Atari Flashback 3 Retro Game Console which has 60 Atari games built in, it's fun to play but its just not the same!

Halo 2600 is the cap to my collection, a relatively new Atari 2600 game I bought from AtariAge.com

The Games I have made Universal Game Cases for are:

Adventure

Air-Sea Battle

Asteroids

Berzerk

Breakout

Centipede

Combat

Defender

Dig Dug

Dodge 'Em

Donkey Kong

Dragonfire

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

Golf

Haunted House

Home Run

Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark

Joust

Ms. Pac-Man

Missile Command

Night Driver

Pac-Man

Pitfall

Pole Position

River Raid

Space Invaders

Star Raiders

Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back

Swordquest Fireworld

Yars Revenge

Loose Games Include:

Demon Attack

Vanguard

Phoenix

Moon Patrol

Demons to Diamonds

Jungle Hunt

Enduro

Super Breakout

Slot Racers

Summer Games

Super Football

Street Racer

Football

Baskeball

Mouse Trap

I have spent quite a bit on video games recently (and have several more preordered for the Holidays) but after the new year I plan to start picking up a new Atari 2600 game every month or two from AtariAge (the first one I plan to do is Star Rocks).

Links

AtariAge.com

Universal Game Cases

Collection | NES - SSJGohan3972's Collection

Collecting for the NES can get pricey, but so many cornerstone game franchises are represented!

I never had an NES as a child, my first console was the SNES (well actually it was an Atari 2600, but that was my dads he would bring down from the attic every once in a while) and later the PS1. However my neighbor and another friend of my sisters' both had Original Nintendos and there was one at a daycare I went to as a youngin. I loved playing Super Mario Bros 3, Paperboy and Zelda the most and those passions only grew with their sequels on the SNES I had at home.

Recently I have looked into expanding my retro game collection by establishing an NES collection. Unfortunately for me, NES collecting can get a little pricey (not quite as much as SNES collecting but almost). I wanted to get the Top-Loading NES (the late model they made after the SNES was out) but that is still about $100 to pick up a nice one (and that's loose without any games or the box!). So I got one of the original 'Toaster' models and have since picked up a few games.

My Current NES Collection

Currently I have the following games:

Duck Hunt

Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt

Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mario Bros. 3

Dragon Warrior

Mega Man 2

Kirby's Adventure

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Star Wars

Star Soldier

Commando

I have been modding some Universal Game Cases to fit the NES games and printing covers from thecoverproject.net and I think I have the beginnings of a nice collection. I would love to get the Zelda games, the other Dragon Warriors, Final Fantasy, the other Mega Man games, the Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden games and so many others - but they are quite expensive so I will just slowly pick them up and trade for them and eventually I'll have the collection I'm dreaming of.

If you are looking to establish an NES collection there are a few things to note:

You will want to get an NES that has been cleaned and the 72 pin connector replaced (or you can do this yourself, not too difficult).

You will want to clean the corrosion from the cart's connectors before plugging them into your NES - they are less likely to work before cleaning and some of the corrosion will be transferred to the console. Unfortunately it was quite common for people to blow into the cartridges when they were spotty and this invariably caused corrosion (no matter how 'dry' you blow into the cart you are basically spitting into it and that causes major corrosion).

Keep track of NES game prices at VGPC.com and pick up games when you see them any lower than shown there - NES games are only getting more pricey as they get older.

Links:

VGPC.com

thecoverproject.net

Universal Game Cases

Updates:

Recently picked up the Original Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in a game trade (shout out to GameTZ.com). The label on Zelda II is a little damaged, but both games are in great condition otherwise (minimal gold worn off, play and save).

I haven't decided if I am going to use game cases based on the original artwork or more in line with the rest of the NES library, the Originals will stick out on the shelf, but that may be a good thing! I'll made up both types, and will try them out on my shelf and decide which I like better.

Timeline | 1987: Kid Icarus

Another awesome experience on the early NES

Another game that was originally released for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan in 1986, Kid Icarus came to the US in July 1987 and was an awesome experience. The game was an action-platformer like so many other games that were popular at the time. The things that set Kid Icarus apart were the flying & shooting aspects (shooting light arrows from a bow of course) the upgrade items that would increase the potency of Pit's (the main character) bow as long as his health bar was high enough. The game also had a password system which allowed a player to come back to certain points in the game after turning off the system.

A screenshot from Kid Icarus on the NES

Kid Icarus was an important early entry on the NES. It was not the best selling (although it did do well over a million sales) and was only mildy critically acclaimed, but Kid Icarus was a unique setting and experience. The game was a stepping stone to developing the greater games that the NES is known for and gave the NES a great base to build from. A sequel, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters would be released for the Game Boy in 1991 but the franchise would lay dormant for many years until a revival for the 3DS - Kid Icarus Uprising thanks mostly to the popularity of Pit in Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii.

Further Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kid_Icarus

Timeline | 1987: Castlevania

Castlevania was an amazing experience when it first arrive on the NES (in NA) in 1987

Originally produced by Konami in Japan for the Famicom Disk System, Castlevania was ported and localized for the NES in Northa America and released in May 1987. In Castlevania you play as Simon Belmont, a vampire hunter (with an awesome whip!) as you set out to storm the demonic Castlevania, the fortress of Count Dracula. The game was a platformer with quite a few items, enemies, secrets, bosses and great stuff to explore. 1987 was one of the better years on the NES and Castlevania was a big reason why.

A screenshot from Castlevania, showing Simon Belmont utilizing his whip - there was a slight but noticeable delay between the button press and the whip action in the game (this was intentional and a subtle way of imitating the relative slow speed of using something like a whip - as opposed to a gun for example)

Castlevania had great graphics for the time (later NES games would surpass it, but in the early days it was right up there with the best) and the smooth controls, and challenging but rewarding gameplay made the game a hit. There would be another two Castlevania games on the NES (and another on the SNES along with many more moving forward) making it a big hit for Konami. Konami released quite a few games for the NES but Castlevania was one of the most popular (right up there with Contra, the TMNT games, and of course Metal Gear released under their Ultra Games shell corporation to name a few).

Further Reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania_(1986_video_game)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania

Timeline | 1986: Ghosts N' Goblins

Capcom continued to make a name for itself early in the NES lifecycle.

Capcom continued the success of 1942 (and a few other games like Commando) with Ghosts 'N Goblins. This game is widely regarded as one of the most difficult games, not only on the NES but of any medium. The game is a side-scrolling platformer (which you will see was VERY popular for the timeperiod) much like later games like Castlevania, Metroid, Mega Man, etc. The game allows the character, Sir Arthur, to fight against ghosts and goblins and other spawn of the main villain - Satan as he tries to save the princess! (See, it wasn't just Nintendo doing the whole 'save the princess' thing). What makes the game difficult (besides the tight controls and multitude of enemies) is that the player gets only 1 'free' hit before the next hit takes a life (the first hit removes Arthur's armor, he then is in his underwear until he gets hit again and dies or finds some more armor). Also each 'life' has a 3 minute time limit before you simply loose it automatically. Additionally, after fighting all the way through the game's size levels you will come upon the main villain and be (likely) informed that you didn't get the right weapon to fight him (unless you had played before and knew to find the right weapon in the 5th level) - you are then transported back to the 5th level to play it and the 6th level again. Then (assuming you picked the cross weapon this time) you face Satan. If you are able to beat him (it's not easy let me tell you) you are then sent back to the VERY BEGINNING OF THE GAME, the difficulty is turned up and you have to beat the ENTIRE GAME AGAIN to get the 'real' ending!

Sir Arthur has lost his armor here, not the best time!

Many of these technique's of artificially elongating a game (by having to replay levels, changing difficulty, etc.) would quickly become the norm in NES era (and even later - hell all the way to today even) - but rarely was it done so mercilessly as in Ghosts 'N Goblins.

Capcom had themselves another successful game with Ghosts 'N Goblins. The Arcade version would spawn several home PC and console ports including the NES version (actually ported by a company called Micronics, they did a lot of the Capcom NES ports but rarely got credit). Later a sequel, Ghouls 'N Ghosts would be released for the Sega Genesis (1989) and Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts would come out on the SNES (1991). Eventually Capcom would relaunch the series with Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins on the PSP (2006) and Ghosts 'N Goblins: Gold Knights (1 and 2) on iOS (2009/2010)

Further Reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_'n_Goblins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_%27n_Goblins_(series)

Timeline | 1986: Balloon Fight

It may have taken a lot from Joust, but Balloon Fight was one of the fun things about the early NES days.

The basic premise of Balloon Fight is to stay airborne and keep flying while trying to pop the balloons of the other player (or computer players). The character has two balloons attached to his helmet and pressing A or B causes the Balloon Fighter to flap his arms and go up (doing nothing will cause him to slowly float down). If one balloon is popped your ability to rise is lessened and you drop faster. Loosing a life occurs when both balloons are popped, you fall in the water despite still having balloons, you allow the large fish to eat you (by straying too close to the water's surface for too long) or you get hit by lightning.

A screenshot from Balloon Fight showing Player 1 (center) Player 2 (left) and 4 enemies, one of which is temporarily defeated.

The two basic modes of the game are Balloon Fight and Balloon Trip. Fight can be played with one or two players and the goal is to clear the screen of enemies and be the last man still flying, you can play this mode cooperatively to reach higher scores. Balloon Trip is a single player only game where you try to dodge lighting sparks and obstacles to try to collect as many balloons as possible to get a high score.

Balloon Fight was loads of fun (on the NES, in the Arcade as 'Vs. Balloon Fight' or in the original Joust form :) ) but lacked depth. Other NES franchises would spawn many sequels and huge franchises, but besides a Game Boy sequel called Balloon Kid, the only thing that has come from Balloon Fight are cameos in other games (like Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros., etc.) and re releases on the various Virtual Consoles (Wii, 3DS, WiiU). Still it is a fun game!

Further Reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon_Fight

Timeline | 1986: 1942

1942 was a hit in the Arcades but less than perfect on the NES

1942 was an arcade hit for Capcom released initially in 1984. The game is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up set in the Pacific in World War II. You pilot a plane called 'Super Ace' (a P-38) and you shoot down enemy planes, attempt to avoid their fire and collect power-ups, etc. The game was fun because of the great graphics (for the time), smooth gameplay and the different enemies and power-up.

Unfortunately the NES version (and most of the console ports of the time) were pretty bad. Micronics has a reputation of porting Arcade games poorly and this is definitely one of them. Terrible framerate, sluggish controls and horrible music make it less than a true conversion of the arcade game (although to be fair there wasn't much better for any home console at the time).

Despite its failings, the NES version of 1942 is still quite fun.

1942 was important for several reasons. First it was possibly the best game you could get for the NES in 1986 if you already played the initial released games if only because it was one of the few NEW games to come out on the NES in 1986. Many of the other titles released that year were simply conversions of older games (Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong 3, Mario Bros., Popeye, Gumshoe, etc. all released in 1986 were all games that had releases on previous consoles). Not to say there weren't any others (Balloon Fight and Ghosts 'n Goblins were released that year as I will detail in my next few posts) but the picking were slim when compared to the onslaught of amazing games that came later in the NES's lifetime.

The second reason that 1942 was so important was because it was the game that basically established Capcom's popularity. Later series (like Mega Man, Street Fighter, etc.) would grow that popularity by leaps and bounds but 1942 (in 1984 :) ) is where it began.

Further Reading:

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1942_(video_game)

Timeline | 1985: Duck Hunt

Duck Hunt was an awesome game for the NES

Released in America as a launch game for the NES, Duck Hunt utilized a 'Zapper' controller for the NES that allowed the player to 'shoot' digital ducks on the screen. This simple premise along with decent graphics (for the time) and smooth gameplay, two modes (one shooting ducks and another clay pigeons) and a teasing Dog that has since become a fan favorite all came together to make Duck Hunt a great experience.

A screenshot showing a freshly shot duck about to fall from the sky.

Duck Hunt was based on a 1976 toy/game made by Nintendo of the same name, the original was Japan only and as it came out before Nintendo got popular worldwide it did not sell to a very wide audience. Duck Hunt on the NES and the Zapper controller (which was used for a few other games, but none nearly as popular as Duck Hunt) helped to reinforce the marketing of the NES as a toy as opposed to a computer that happened to play games. The Zapper itself was actually a light detector in that when you pulled the trigger the screen would go black for a single frame, then the next frame most of the screen would stay black but the target would be drawn in all white, the gun would sense the change from low light to bright light and register a hit - otherwise you missed! This entire process is nearly imperceptible by the human eye, but you do get a nice 'flashing' effect on the screen which most take to be the visual effect of the gun shooting. An interesting side note of this process is that it is only compatible with CRT displays, newer LCDs' plasma or other flat panel display TVs will not work due to the display lag (the gun assumes you missed because it doesn't see what it thinks it should in time).

The Duck Hunt Dog would laugh if you missed. He has become very popular among fans and is rumored to be featured in the next Smash Bros. game (unverified as of Sept. 2014)

Duck Hunt's popularity was further increased by the fact that it was packaged in with Super Mario Bros. (on the same cartridge most of the time) and even further packaged with another game (World Class Track Meet) on a 3 Game Cartridge for the NES Power Set (Console bundle with the Power Pad). The Zapper would get an SNES equivalent (the Super Scope) but would not be nearly as popular as on the NES and Duck Hunt really never got a sequel (although there is a similar game in Wii Play for the Wii). Duck Hunt is one of the most memorable games on the NES (and with its pedigree that is really saying something) simply due to the amount of simple fun it could be!

Further Reading:

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Hunt

The Original Duck Hunt Game Info (beforemario.com)
http://blog.beforemario.com/2012/10/nintendo-kousenjuu-duck-hunt-how-it.html

Timeline | 1985: Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. established what has become the most profitable franchise in gaming history.

Nintendo wanted to enter the North American video game market in 1985 with the NES, they were confident that they could respark at least some of the success that the Atari 2600 had been (and lost) by marketing differently and by utilizing strict quality control. However, they needed a 'Killer App' - the game that everyone would want to buy their system for - and thanks to Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka they got that game: Super Mario Bros.

A quasi sequel to Mario Bros. (itself a spin-off of Donkey Kong), Super Mario Bros. was a revelation in gaming at the time. The game was simple to approach, with the first portion (and especially the first level) designed to teach anyone how to play it. Super Mario Bros. was a jumping platformer with great level design, several power-ups, different enemies and many levels - all of which presented in very good graphics for the time. It was no wonder that kids of all ages snapped up Super Mario Bros. and couldn't quit playing.

Super Mario Bros. for the time was a graphical powerhouse.

Super Mario Bros. established the 'Mushroom Kingdom' setting that most other Mario games are set in, as well as the basic power-ups and characters in the Super Mario games. The game would become wildly popular thanks in part to combo packaging on Nintendo's part (packaged with both the system and the Duck Hunt game for large periods of time) and very smart marketing - Mario became and largely still is almost ubiquitous especially in video game circles.

Super Mario Bros. would have two (kinds 3 in Japan) sequels on the NES and many more sequels and spin-offs on later Nintendo consoles. The main game would go on to sell over 40 million copies and become the best selling video game console title until it was surpassed by Nintendo's own 'Wii Sports' over 20 years later.

Further Reading:

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_(series)

Timeline | 1985: Nintendo Entertainment System

The NES rocketed to popularity in the mid '80s marking a resurgence of the North American video game market and making Nintendo a household name.

Following the Video Game Crash of '83 and the sudden and abrupt end of the popularity of the Atari 2600 many where convinced that video games (or at least home video game consoles, as the Arcades were still doing relatively okay) was a fad that had passed. However, Nintendo entered the game in 1985 with a limited release of the Nintendo Entertainment System and quickly began to prove them all wrong.

Nintendo had previously released the NES in Japan under the name Famicom (short for Family Computer) and after an initial period of bugs and recalls the system had begun to get very popular there. Initially Nintendo had explored teaming with an american company to release their system and games, they had previous dealings with Coleco and Atari. Consumer confidence in established video game companies dropped so low during (and because of) the Crash of '83 that Nintendo decided it would be best to pursue their own brand.

Nintendo marketed the NES not as a 'computer than can play games' like most gaming systems had been marketed previous, but instead as a toy. The system itself wasn't called a Video Game Console but an Entertainment System or Control Deck. The games weren't called cartridges they were called GamePaks and the original system was packaged with a toy rob (ROB).

Nintendo also had the advantage of having already worked out the kinks of the system in the Japanese market and having a nice backlog of games to release. And so, in October 1985 the NES was released in a few markets within the US (mainly New York and the West Coast) with 18 launch titles - double the number the Atari 2600 had released with. These games were varied and relatively high quality for the time including several sports titles (Golf, Baseball, Tennis, etc.) some platformers and racers (Super Mario Bros., Wrecking Crew, Ice Climbers, Excitebike, Mach Rider) and several shooting games (Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley and Wild Gunman) among others.

Nintendo followed up with the release of the console to the entire North American market in mid 1986 and several popular Nintendo arcade titles were released at the same time (Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong 3, Popeye, Mario Bros., and Balloon Fight). The shinning stars of the original launch titles - Duck Hunt and especially Super Mario Bros. were put on one Cartridge and packaged in with the gaming system. This 'Action Set' would prove very popular in the US especially and contribute to massive sales for the two titles.

These two titles, on one GamePak, were a huge incentive to purchase an early NES.

The list of franchises that were established on the NES is quite extensive, Nintendo's Super Mario Bros., Zelda, and Metroid along with other games like Castlevania, Metroid, Metal Gear, Ninja Gaiden, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy and dozens more came out for the system. The quality of the games for the systems was due, in part, to Nintendo's firm control of what went on the system. To avoid the glut of poor quality games that spelled the downfall of the Atari 2600, Nintendo instituted the 'Nintendo Seal of Quality' and only allowed games they had approved to be on the system. This system was enforced by the 10NES chip, this was a chip (that Nintendo patented) that prevented unauthorized games from playing on the NES. Using this power Nintendo was able to keep incredibly low quality games (or offensive, sexual, graphic, etc. games) from coming to the system. Unfortunately Nintendo also used this power to restrict the number of games even good third parties were allowed to release and soured their relationship with quite a few companies - this was fine when Nintendo was on top but they still feel the repercussions of it to this day.

The NES would go on to sell over 60 million consoles (about twice as much as the best estimates for the Atari 2600) and be on the market for over 10 years (actually was still on sale in Japan in limited quantities until the year 2000, a 17 year lifespan for that market). Nintendo would go on to make the GameBoy, the Super Nintendo and many other systems with countless games due to the success of the NES. That same success would attract other companies, most notably Sega and eventually Sony and Microsoft to break Nintendo's dominance of the market - but even today Nintendo is still a major player in the Video Game Market (although not nearly as much as they were in the 80's and 90's).

Further Reading:

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Entertainment_System
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_Entertainment_System_games
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_(third_generation)

Timeline | 1981-1983: Ultima: Age of Darkness (Ultima I-III)

The first three Ultima games, collectively known as the 'Age of Darkness' were some of the best gaming experiences around in the early '80s.

Most long-time RPG players are likely to know that series like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy and the majority of the older great RPG games are Japanese in origin. In fact it has only been relatively recently (ie the last decade or so) that great (and/or great selling) RPG games have again started to emerge from North America and Europe - but before the Video Gaming industry shifted to a decidedly Japanese focus, Ultima was a huge name in gaming.

The series would rise to popularity on early PCs (Apple II, Commodore 64, early IBM compatibles, etc.) and eventually spawn one of the earliest and longest running MMORPGs (Ultima Online, started in 1997 - still going!). But, it was in the early '80s that Lord British himself, Richard Garriott made Ultima: The First Age of Darkness (later known as Ultima I) and founded the franchise.

The Original Ultima was released on the Apple II computer in 1981

Ultima presented a fantastic world to the player likely unlike anything he/she had ever experienced before. It established a trope that would be in most RPGs moving forward, a topdown overworld with various dungeons. The dungeons in Ultima are displayed in first person, one-point perspective (much like the later Shin Megami Tensei series). The game starts with character creation not unlike table-top RPGs (like Dungeon's and Dragons) in which the player chooses a race (and class) and has a number of attribute points to customize their character with. Ultima was also unique in that it allowed the player to pick a gender (although it had little to no effect on the gameplay). The character had Hit Points (abbreviated HP, this would become standard in even modern RPGs) Food, Experience Points (or EXP) and Gold. Ultima had fairly rudimentary magic and combat systems but the combination of all of these things together involved in an overall story made the game incredibly deep and engaging for the time.

A screenshot of the overworld of Ultima I

A screenshot of Ultima's space sequence, the enemy fighter looks similar to a TIE fighter from Star Wars

Ultima II was originally released in mid 1982

Ultima II built upon the original, it was larger with more places to explore (even several planets, dungeons and towers that could be fully explored but were not required to complete the game). The game had the player traveling through several different time periods of Earth and out into the solar system. It is interesting to note that Ultima II took place on Earth when Ultima I (and all other games in the series) took place in the land of Sosaria/Britannia - this was later retconned as the lore of the Ultima universe grew.

Ultima II had a very similar visual style to Ultima but had a few enhancements.

Inside the dungeons in Ultima II there were actual pixelized monsters instead of just stick figures

Ultima III: Exodus was released for the Apple II in 1983 and further catapulted the franchise to popularity. For the time the game had amazing graphics, it was the first computer RPG to display animated characters. It introduced a character party, in which the player could control the actions and destinies of up to 4 characters (a feature influenced from the game Wizardry that would go on to be in most later major RPGs). The battle mechanics of the game were also upgraded to include rudimentary tactics and understanding of the weapon and magic system could now really effect the outcome of a battle.

Ultima III: Exodus was more widely ported than the first two games, specifically Exodus was the first to receive a home console port in the form of the upgraded NES version released in 1988. All three games of the original series were redone and released for DOS in 1986 shortly after the release of Ultima IV - this is the version that most played and is still most widely available today, besides graphical updates the games remained largely unchanged.

Ultima III's overworld continued to receive graphical upgrades along with the Character Party system.

Ultima III's dungeons were no longer wire-frame but 3D (albeit rudimentary)

Further Reading:

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_(series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_I:_The_First_Age_of_Darkness
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_II:_The_Revenge_of_the_Enchantress
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_III:_Exodus

GoG.com
http://www.gog.com/game/ultima_1_2_3