Today we will be looking at not just one game, but a series of games created by Nintendo during the 80s, known as the Game & Watch series. Read on after the jump.
Tag Archives: 2nd generation
Why Games Appreciation?
A Simple Question for a Simple Mind
Back in August of 2011 when I wrote my first Games Appreciation article I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought it would be a cinch to write about the games that held a special place in video game history. Well, in 2011-2012 I began intently reading up on the history of games so that I could one day call myself a Video Game Historian–and during my research I found out that some games were overrated, some were sorely underrated, others still were completely forgotten. It became quite clear that my task was about to become a lot more involved. Here’s a sample of what 1982 had to offer.
2nd Generation Video Game Notes
This list doesn’t include every game from the 2nd generation, unfortunately–I lost the original files. But here’s what I have.
To skip to the next article, click here.
Runners-up of 1982
1982 was without a doubt one of the best years in video gaming history. The sheer amount of innovation and variety is stunning. Of course, the glut of low-quality games released in 1982 directly caused the great crash of ’83. So, it was the best of times and the worst of times. But maybe, considering how many games there are on the list below, 1982 ought to be called “the year that almost made it.”
Ms. Pac Man
Original version: Ms. Pac-Man, released in 1982 for arcade
Japanese Video Game Industry: A Brief History 日本のビデオゲーム業界の短い歴史
This is my semester project for Japanese 301. The first video is the finished product in Japanese, the second video contains an English dub, and the third is my rough draft, complete with grammar errors. Enjoy!
empty
Runners-Up of 1981
For this year we’ll do a brief overview of the Vectrex console, and take a look at an interesting first entry of a long-running CRPG series.
Galaga (HONORABLE MENTION)
Original version: Galaga, released in 1981 for arcade
Welcome to my new category “HONORABLE MENTION,” which is reserved for games that just barely fall short of being timeless classics. Perhaps a game has a technical or gameplay flaw that holds it back, or perhaps a game’s core gameplay is completely eclipsed by a later game. Nevertheless, a game with the title of “HONORABLE MENTION” is still good and is deserving of an article; and if you were to play it you would probably have a great time. In the interest of fairness, only one game per year can receive this title.
Kaboom!
Original version: Kaboom!, released in 1981 for Atari VCS
I discussed in my review of the 1970s that Activision was the first third-party developer in video gaming. They took advantage of their new-found license to make games by producing a slew of titles for the Atari VCS, some of which were even good. OK, that’s a little harsh. Compared to the standard fair Activision’s games were better than average–well, most of them. Some games were still shovelware.
