Hit Replay returns this issue with an article close to the hearts of many! We pick up where we left off from the last issue on video games! Still fresh in our memories are the 8-bit soundtracks, giant pixelated screens and epic time consuming madness of the early consoles and handhelds! Many of you reading this may still remember the early days of games like Contra, Pokémon, the Legend of Zelda, and more.
As we mentioned in the last article, by the late 80s and the dawn of the 90s, the status of arcades and their game manufacturers slowly dwindled. Arcades themselves started closing their doors, as large national chains such as Chuck E. Cheeses, and Dave and Busters took their spots. Many video game manufacturers turned their gaze elsewhere, and saw new potential far from arcade centres in the homes and hands of video game enthusiasts everywhere.
It is not hard to argue that the fall of arcades was caused by the video game giants SEGA Enterprises Limited and Nintendo for their introduction of their home systems in the mid-80s, paving the way for the home entertainment systems and eventually the hand held gaming systems. Nintendo’s release of the Famicom in Japan, later known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America, caught the attention of many. Sega similarly released the Sega Genesis (known as the Mega Drive in Japan) won the hearts of gamers in the late 80s. These two consoles would later establish foothold in the gaming world and propel the industry towards home entertainment systems.
The inevitable shift that these consoles caused, started what became known as the Nintendo—Sega console wars. Nintendo dominated the North American and Japanese markets with their Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and eventually the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES); releasing games such as Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid which would later establish themselves as staples of the gaming community. As of December 2009, the estimated count for total sales of the NES consoles top out at 61.97 million units worldwide. Sega competed releasing systems such as the aforementioned Sega Genesis, and Sega Master Systems. Sega introduced their own plethora of games that gained popularity such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Contra, and their own arcade game ports of the Street Fighter and Mortal Combat games. While Nintendo dominated the North American and Japanese markets, Sega became more popular in Europe, South America, and Australia. Not surprisingly, more games were also released for the Sega Master Systems and the Genesis in these markets. The Sega Master System by comparison, has sold approximately 15 million units worldwide as off 2012.
On April 21 1989, Nintendo released a device in the market that would forever change the face of the gaming industry. It was on this day that the original Game Boy first appeared in Japan, created by the mastermind Gunpei Yokoi and his team the Nintendo Research & Development 1. The Game Boy was subsequently released in North America on July 31, and in Europe on September 18 1990. The handheld device debuted with games such as Super Mario Land, Tetris, and Alleyway. The device became the best-selling item created by Gunpei. The Game Boy paved the way for hand held devices in the gaming world. Until today, it has left a lasting legacy; its predecessors such as the Game Boy Advance, SP, and even today’s Nintendo DS iterations are well loved.
For the next ten to fifteen years, the gaming industry would see massive advances in home consoles and hand held devices. Mega corporations such as Sony (in the mid-90s) and Microsoft (in the early 2000s) would enter the introducing their own gaming consoles, the PlayStation and XBOX respectively. These two consoles would very quickly earn their place in the fast growing industry and establish a new era of gaming consoles.
Nowadays, with 4K resolution, wide-screen TVs, wireless controllers, fully-customizable gaming keyboards and endless lines of graphics cards, it is easy to forget the long road that the gaming world has been on. It is safe to say however, there are many out there who miss those 8-bit tracks and lovable pixel characters! It is for example not hard to run into GameBoy games or SNES games at conventions such as Toronto’s FanExpo and Anime North. Looking forward to the future, it’s without a trace of doubt that many of these games are here to stay, and gamers will inevitably Hit Replay!
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