80s-90s

I realised I have missed out the 90s video game history task, so I will dedicate this blog post to the 80s - 90s era of video games and consoles. This console generation was one of the most eventful, and many game titles that are still with us today were founded then.

(The big 3)

In 1983 the Nintendo Entertainment System was released. This was Nintendo’s first attempt to break into the fast moving video game console market that was now booming. They entered at the perfect time with a console that delivered a quality gaming experience for many different ages. Most importantly, it stood out from the competition.

(The variety of titles available for the NES was unbeatable.)

The launch titles of the NES are still famous to this day, duck hunt and Super Mario Bros to name just a few, but hundreds of really quality games came out on this pivotal console, making it the bestselling console of its time, outselling its rivals for the next 8 years, even those who boasted better graphics in the infamous ‘bit wars’.

Almost everything about the NES was both aesthetically and haptically. The console itself was lightweight, but the shape of it was robust and blocky. The cartridges were also a pleasant shape, they were also square in shape, andfitted into the neat slot with a satisfying click. Everything outside the actual gaming experience felt good and looked good, and the actual games were exactly the same.

Soundtracks from games were also very memorable, and utilised the 8 bit sound capabilities well. Such classics as the mega man theme, Super Mario Bros 3, Duck Tales and Battletoads all have really great sounding music. This made the games just that much more enjoyable than the earlier consoles had like the Atari 2600. Is this where Aesthetics and graphics really started to matter in video games?

Towards the end of the 80s, Nintendo’s NES was still well ahead of rival consoles and the most popular console of the time. This crown wasn’t going anywhere, with ‘Nintendo Power’ having been released, and games such as ‘The Legend of Zelda’ and ‘Dragon Quest’ establishing strong RPG titles for fans to lap up. It wasn’t until the 90s that gaming was to change again, and this time, it was even more significant.

(Nintendo’s magazine ‘Nintendo Power’.)

The 90s saw the introduction of processors such as the Intel 80386, which allowed for the first MMORPGs to start, although nothing really major happened in this genre until the late 90s. The big thing that blew everyone’s minds was the transition into 3D.

The market was flooded by cool new games that didn’t hold the all-powerful ‘licensed by Nintendo’ sticker. Games like The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehod, Warcraft and Command and Conquer were on the market by 1992. These great titles were all still running off 2D graphics, and it was ID’s game DOOM that started 3D gaming.

(A screenshot from ‘Doom’ one of the first and most significant 3D games.)

Consoles in the Fourth generation were now in swing, with PS1 and the SNES being the coolest toys that everyone had to have (including myself.) Sega and Sony were still trying to figure out how to best develop and use this new 3D power to their best ability, which required some time. Some of the ps1’s titles were gold, like soulblade, which paved the way for one of the most famous 3D fighting games Soul Callibur. Other classic games that were born from this new 3D technology were the Crash Bandicoot series, Wipeout and Resident Evil, all of which exist today, having been remade on newer consoles.

(My favourite PlayStation game ‘Hogs of War’.)