THE NES TURNS 25! A QUARTER CENTURY OF NINTENDO

Across video games there are many iconic characters. There is Kratos a ultra violent Spartan warrior from the God of War games. The Halo series has the armored Master Chief a very different kind of Spartan warrior. Far older than both of fearsome combatants is Nintendo’s overall equipped Mario. Currently Mario’s face is known all around the world and throughout two galaxies. However there was a time when this plucky plumber was not so well known. It was a time before Blu-ray, bluetooth or even blue suit Mario. In the early 1980’s video games themselves were even somewhat obscure and the home video game industry was in a crisis. People just weren't playing games as much as before. Mario’s creators Nintendo had released their Famicom game system in Japan to success in 1983. That same year Atari, the company which had basically created home video gaming, lost half a billion dollars. The bosses at Nintendo were uncertain if America was ready for a new game system in this unprofitable video game market and so Nintendo’s console was only made available to lucky gamers in the northeast United Sates. It was a test launch. Before their system’s release here Nintendo’s Famicom was renamed the Nintendo Entertainment System. Also its original look was altered to appeal more to American gamers. The Nintendo Entertainment System or NES arose on the 18th of October in America like a grey and white phoenix from the ashes of the great game crash of 1983. A box-shaped console and two controllers were included in the basic NES package. The controller had a digital pad, select and start buttons and “A” and “B” buttons. The name that was most closely tied to the NES wasn’t mustachioed Mario but ROB. No, ROB wasn't the third Mario brother. ROB was a robot (“batteries not included”) that acted like a clunky controller for some of the initial games. It was included in the “Deluxe Set” NES package. Alas this accessory was quickly dropped by Nintendo (poor ROB, obsolete but not forgotten). Some of the first games for the fledgling game console were Duck Hunt, Kung Fu, Excitebike, and Hogan’s Alley. The titles that the NES offered were levels beyond what the Atari and others had made. 

The NES’ visuals, sound, and game design were unmatched at the time. However it was Nintendo’s brilliant game designer Shigeru Miyamoto’s killer app that fueled the NES revolution and forever changed the gaming landscape: Super Mario Bros. Players could control two overall wearing brothers, Mario or Luigi. The Mushroom Kingdom’s princess was captured by a fiend named Bowser. The heroes had to run, jump, stomp, dodge, swim, and smash their way through 8 levels and many turtle troopers to rescue the helpless princess. Along the way they grabbed power ups that granted them special powers like the ability to toss fireballs. This innovative title drew countless players to the NES and would influence games to this day. America seemed ready and the NES was later released nationwide. Now gamers everywhere could get their hands on the NES. Americans were enchanted by the NES and it became a smash hit. The US gaming industry had started moving again and would never stop! 

After the first wave of Nintendo games Miyamoto’s magic wasn’t finished. He would design many more memorable titles including The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo‘s magic wasn’t finished either. In the years following the release of the NES, Nintendo would conjure up new consoles that used more and more powerful technology. These machines would bring richer sound and visuals and more finer controls. Games became even more immersive and fun. 

The NES seems primitive next to today’s outerwordly game machines that do way more than play games but the NES had done it. It ushered in modern video gaming and now all of us enjoy what this console helped start. And it all began 25 years ago.