April 25th (TUESDAY)
Deep Black: Episode 1 (Xbox Live Arcade)
Bloodforge (Xbox Lie Arcade)
April 26th (WEDNESDAY)
Max Payne Mobile (Android)
Chuck E. Cheese’s Arcade Room (DS)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (MAC)
Frenzy Pop (iPhone)
Operation CrossCounter (iPhone)
I will update this throughout the week if I learn of any additional releases not listed, or if something is listed in error. Any games you looking to pick up this week?
I never played the original Prototype, I really should do that… Prototype 2 looks freakin’ awesome.
Oh Sleeper's videogame Stand Your Ground for the App Store by developer EMI Records Limited.
Oh Sleeper, the titanic Christian metal band from Solid State Records, has released a videogame based on their hit album “Children of Fire”! That’s right, A VIDEOGAME. Compelete with 8bit renditions of 10 Children of Fire songs!
“Stand Your Ground” is the first time Solid State has entered this new level of promotion, and hopefully creating videogames based on awesome albums will be the wave of the future! Children of Fire, the album, was released by Oh Sleeper on September 6, 2011 to rave reviews; many calling it the best Oh Sleeper album to date and one of the best metal albums of last year; with critics hailing that Children of Fire has elevated Oh Sleeper to the level of bands like UnderOath, August Burns Red, The Chariot and As I Lay Dying.
Here is the official trailer for Stand Your Ground! So far the game has garnered excellent reviews, with a five star rating and over 50 people giving it the highest rating on the App Store of Five Stars!
The release of Stand Your Ground marks a new foray into the fusion of music and gaming with a full-fledged and immersive side-scrolling arcade-style videogame based on the storyline of the band’s latest album, ‘Children of Fire.’ An album that continues the concept from the bands previous album “Son of the Morning” and takes place in the aftermath of the war between God and Satan. Which gives us some very interesting intellectual nuggets to chew on.
In the game players will battle through multiple levels of enemy forces, in classic beat-em up style, collecting power-ups that allow you to improve your conquering abilities and summoning allies to help you in your quest. Solid State insists that Stand Your Ground is not just a “promotional gimmick”, but is a fully-fldedged title that will appeal to gamers on all levels, who are looking for a rich action experience. Stand Your Ground will offer replay value for those who’ve completed the main quest, and it contains a rich storyline and unique cast of characters that players will grow to love. Fans of games like Golden Axe, Swords & Soldiers, Patapon or Plants vs Zombies are ensured to enjoy “Stand Your Ground”.
A gameplay screenshot for Oh Sleeper's Stand Your Ground game!
Here’s the official synopsis for Stand Your Ground:
“Send me all of hell and I’ll face them. I’ll face them one on one thousand.”
Pry your eyes and learn to swing in this high-intensity side-scrolling arcade fighter from Oh, Sleeper.You were born to fight. Gage Ryan, the new breed of warrior, sent by the Great Councilor to lead an army of the far-from-perfect. The tattered and bruised. The few. The only ones who remained true. Following in the footsteps of heroes, they came from the pile, from the fires of the victims, from the dead and dying. Children of fire. They’ve waited so long for the rescue.Anchored by glory, you’re a war machine moving fast to reclaim this pale grey landscape of savage darkness. It’s time to tear down and rebuild this world. With blistering heat, the enemy bursts through. Show no mercy when the gates swing. Just past the gold-stained bones, you’ll find the new sign of proof. Stand and believe that it’s true. You hold the voice to change the sea, so pick yourself up and fight. No truce or compromise. Grip your axe and swing until the cowards bleed.This kingdom’s end is written. Take it one on one thousand. Ignite the world and let it burn.
BE THE HERO YOU’VE ALWAYS DENIED
* Fight through multiple levels of ferocious enemy forces and strongholds
* Lead your unwavering army of allegiant fighters into battle
* Call in Oh, Sleeper sonic artillery in the assault on your savage foes
ALL-NEW ARCADE VERSIONS OF OH, SLEEPER SONGS
* Game includes retro-style renditions of new tracks and old favorites
Here’s a trailer for the album “Children of Fire” by Oh Sleeper!
“We are so pumped to release this project to the masses,” explains OH, SLEEPER frontman Micah Kinard. “This adventure allows the gamer to step into the boots of a
warrior, pick up his axe, and traverse through the storyline of our latest album, Children of Fire. We are always looking for ways to allow our listeners to delve deeper into our concepts and we think ‘Stand Your Ground’ is the perfect way to do this. Plus, who doesn’t love video games!?”
Children of Fire itself has been a force to be reckoned with, debuting at #142 on the Billboard 200 and, more importantly, hitting #1 on the iTunes metal charts and maintaining that position in the Top 10 for months. The album got lots of praise from critics and fans alike, who called it their best work yet.
Oh, Sleeper has built a dedicated international fanbase on tours with Bring Me The Horizon, Underoath, Every Time I Die, Demon Hunter, Silverstein, Finch and more. Their “broken pentagram” symbol has become synonymous with breaking from societal norms, uplifting spirits and merging melody with might.
Here is the song “In the Wake of Pigs” off of Children of Fire by Oh Sleeper! It’s a song with a powerful message!
The Armored March EP announced the arrival of Oh, Sleeper upon the heavy music scene with intense raw power. Their debut full-length album, When I Am God, sold over 30,000 copies based on the strength of its songs, the group’s live show and the music video for “Vices Like Vipers,” which remains a staple of the group’s setlist.
The broken pentagram symbol made its first appearance on the bold cover for Son of the Morning, the Sophomore effort and second album from Oh Sleeper. The graphic quite literally subverts and “evil” symbol of the pentagram by breaking off the top points that represent the horns, in direct reference to the line “I’ll cut off your horns!” which Kinard screams while posturing as the voice of God against the devil in the title song “Son of the Morning vs The Finisher”. Many fans have connected with the purpose associated with this new symbol and have tattooed it upon their bodies in droves, and it’s become a new staple of the “White Metal” scene that represents positive, Christian metal.
Here is the 2012 Oh Sleeper tour schedule. They are currently on tour with The Devil Wears Prada, Every Time I Die and Letlive.
Mar 20 – Austin TX @ Emo’s East
Mar 21 – Tulsa OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
Mar 22 – Springfield MO @ Transformation Gallery
Mar 23 – Nashville TN @ Rocketown
Mar 24 – Myrtle Beach SC @ House of BluesMar 25 – Raleight NC @ Lincoln Theater
Mar 26 – Harrisonburg VA @ The Blue Nile
Mar 27 – Norfolk VA @ The Norva
Mar 28 – Allentown PA @ Crocodile Rock
Mar 29 – Nutley NJ @ Radient
Mar 30 – Providence RI @ Lupo’s Hearbreak Hotel
Mar 31 – Buffalo NY @ The Town Ballroom
Apr 1 – Indianapolis IN @ Egyptian Room at Murat Center
Additional Tour Dates:
Apr 6 – Tlaxcala, Mexico @ Exodo Fest
Jun 21 – Wilmore KY @ Ichthus Fest
Jun 27 – Shirleysburg PA @ Creation Festival
Jul 14 – Willmar MN @ Sonshine Festival
Sep 15 – Shippensburg PA @ Uprise Festiva
The history of the portable handheld videogame industry is a long and tumultuous one dominated by Nintendo’s line of portable machines. With the PlayStation Vita just being birthed into the world this week, it seemed fitting to take a look back at the history of this “kid brother” industry to the videogame consoles and PC gaming industries.
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The history of handheld gaming got the groundwork laid in the early 1970s with toy-like game machines from companies like Mattel; you know, those little sports game devices of standalone game machines and the like. These toy games simulated playing sports like football or memory games using lights, colors or very primitive displays much like a clock or calculator. Although these were technically “game machines”, they were vastly different than portable videogame systems proper, because they lacked a true video display or the ability to purchase new games to be played on said devices.
This video shows you several portable game machine toys from the 1970s and early 1980s.
Thus, the real foundation of the handheld videogame industry’s inception got its start thanks to a very familiar name: Nintendo. It was the Game and Watch series of handhelds (debuting in 1980 in America) that propelled Nintendo into the portable marketplace that would eventually birth the portable gaming industry as a whole. These individual standalone games featured a screen, action buttons, directional buttons, and low-tech blips and bleeps as sound. They doubled as both a clock by telling the time (thus the name “Game & Watch”) and also featured an alarm. The idea for the system came from non-other than Nintendo mastermind Gunpei Yokoi (the mentor of Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and many of Nintendo’s biggest hits), who was inspired to create the small game machines after watching a bored businessman playing with the buttons on a calculator while making his daily commute to work.
A typical, single-screen Game & Watch standalone unit
Unlike a dedicated videogame machine, the Game & Watch units were only able to play the game installed on the machine. And while they featured an LCD display, that display was made up of segmented pre-printed images with an overlay and wasn’t a real screen. Thus the “animation” was really just the screen “filling in” or highlighting a piece of the screen that was already there (In fact, you could easily see the non-highlighted sections at all times). By highlighting different sections in a pattern or rhythm, it created the illusion of motion. The movement would also correspond to the button being pressed (so pressing right or left would highlight a character or print on the right or left side of the screen, etc.). All of the games were extremely simple in nature and some featured buttons that allowed the user to select a difficulty (A Game, B Game, C Game) where the game played faster or whatnot to add more challenge.
The Game & Watch series includes games like “Fire” in which the player had to bounce people who had jumped out of a burning building up and down on a trampoline so they didn’t crash to the ground. The “falling person” was already printed on the screen, but the unit would “fill in” the pattern of characters printed on the screen at different heights and angles to simulate falling, while also highlighting two characters holding a trampoline that the player could “move” to either the right, middle or left and bounce the falling people back up and over to the waiting ambulance. If your timing was off, you would “miss” and the people would crash to the ground, losing you a “life”. Three misses and the game would end. A high score for most games was kept. In many ways, these devices were similar to a very primitive form of traditional cell animation used in cartoons and movies. And while the game’s are laughably primitive by today’s standards, they did their job back in the day.
This video shows off many of the game’s in the Game & Watch series!
Nintendo’s Game & Watch line was more advanced than anything yet seen; and the company had many hits released between 1980 and 1991. Game & Watch units would go on to sell over 43.4 MILLION units with a total of 53 different Game & Watch standalone games being released in the line. And while the first units were single-screen, later Game & Watch units introduced better tech, including clamshell designs with two screens, where the screens could fold atop one another to close the unit, units based on hit Nintendo arcade and NES titles, and units with much better displays. They even created a line of Game & Watch units that looked like mini arcade machines! The two-screen design is infamous because it served as the inspiration for the design of the Nintendo DS system nearly two-decades later.
Many different Game & Watch units in a personal collection
The Game & Watch line was the first major sales success for Nintendo, and convinced them that electronic games, not electronic “toys”, were the future. That lead to the game console that would revive the gaming industry in Japan, following the American crash of Atari and it’s competitors in the early 1980s. After Nintendo had a huge success with their “Famicom” (which stands for “Family Computer”), they decided to target the United States and released the Famicon in the USA under the name “NES” which stood for “Nintendo Entertainment System” in 1985 (The Famicom debuted in Japan all the way back in 1983, the same year the videogame industry crashed in America).
Here is a video that goes in-depth on the whys and hows of the 1983 American Video Game Crash.
Before the NES, Nintendo had a number of successful arcade and Coin-Op machine successes (including Donkey Kong, Popeye and “Mario Bros.), as well as success making toys and other games (like cards) in Japan. Interesting tidbit, Nintendo was actually founded all the way back in 1898 (no that’s not a typo, 1800s!) as a card making company.
Coming off the huge success of the Nintendo Entertainment System game console a few years following the introduction and big sales of the Game & Watch line internationally, Nintendo was inspired to make a dedicated portable gaming device known as the Game Boy (abbreviated to “GB” for short). This came roughly a decade following the original Game & Watch debut. The Game Boy, like the NES console system, would offer a device from which new games could be purchased and played, loaded via a cartridge medium; this was in sharp contrast to the standalone Game & Watch line where new games could not be loaded onto the device and you could only play what was built-in to the system.
Game Boy Was Bundled With Tetris. Instant Hit
Even though the Game Boy was black-and-white and colorless, and offered graphics inferior to that of the NES, it managed to become one of the best-selling videogame machines of all time and is now a total iconic device of the late 80s. It was released in America in 1989 at a price of $99. The Game Boy featured two action buttons (A and B) along with a D-Pad to control your character and Select and Start Buttons at the bottom, along with a mono speaker; it featured a vertical design (screen on top, buttons on bottom).
Colored Game Boys were eventually released as well (Green, Red, Yellow, Blue)
The Game Boy was powered by four double A batteries. Thankfully, almost every system had an AC adapter that could be purchased for it, and plugged into a wall so you could easily play the system at home. Launching with Tetris bundled into the package, the Game Boy produced an incredible lineup of great games like the Super Mario Land series, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Donkey Kong Land series, Mega Man series, Castlevania series, Kirby series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Metroid 2 and many more… including Pokemon late in the life of the system which become an international phenomenon rivaling the likes of Star Wars and Star Trek; All this allowed Nintendo to dominate the handheld scene with a near Monopoly until present day.
Here is a video showing off 100 Game Boy games in ten minutes!
It was these early games, combined with their console games, that set a pedigree and high-quality for Nintendo that would serve them well for decades. People knew that Nintendo was synonymous with fantastic, high-quality titles and that you could trust the namebrand. This point was driven home by the “Nintendo Seal of Quality” that graced every game for their system. All games had to be approved by Nintendo themselves before they hit the market.
Of course, there were many challengers waiting in the wings who would try and steal Nintendo’s crown. Chief among them was then-Nintendo-killer and mega-rival Sega. Sega had (successfully in many ways) challenged Nintendo’s authority on gaming in the console space with the moderately success Sega Master System/Mega Drive in 1986, but really hit its stride with the Sega Genesis in 1989.
The greatest battle ever fought
The Genesis was a console machine that took the thunder away from the NES in it’s latter years and successfully fought Nintendo to the death in the 16-bit era against Nintendo’s Super Nintendo (follow-up to their NES console). Due to game’s like Mortal Kombat, which included full violence in the Genesis version, but was censored for the SNES version, Sega did extremely well and knew they could take on “The Big N” with videogames that were of just as high a quality.
The backlit and in-color Game Gear System from Sega
Sega followed-through in the portable-space by challenging the Game Boy a couple years later with their handheld console known as the Game Gear, released in 1991 in America. The Game Gear is the most publicly remembered classic portable system outside the Game Boy, because it did fairly well sales-wise and offered a number of big games, chief among them a portable Sonic series.
Games for the Sega Game Gear
But it’s biggest claim to fame was the color (AND BACKLIT!) display that seemed to piss all over the sad lil’ Game Boy. It also offered a much larger screen and a system design that was horizontally-oriented instead of vertical. Making it much larger to hold (and thus much bulkier). The Game Gear had two action buttons (1 and 2) on the right side along with a D-Pad on the left, essentially the same layout as the Game Boy. It also featured one Start Button and one mono speaker, and had the ability to link to another system for two-player play, just like the Game Boy (via a link cable).
Here is an in-depth look at the Game Gear system.
However great tech does not a successful sales machine make, and Sega’s post Game Gear portables like the Sega Nomad (a portable system that played Sega Genesis games released in 1995 for $180) did not fare nearly as well as their initial Game Gear system. And, ultimately, the Game Gear failed to achieve anywhere near the success of the Game Boy.
The Sega Nomad offered a lil' known portable Genesis console in 1995
Although it sure did try, and successfully built a very large library of great games from Sega themselves and third-party developers. But the machine was simply too expensive thanks to the better tech (it launched at a price of $200, as opposed to the Game Boy costing $100). And if you thought four batteries was bad, try SIX double As! This made the Game Gear much less portable, and thus less practical for travel, than the Game Boy. Especially considering kids were hard pressed to fit the gigantic behemoth in their pocket. But boy did that screen sure look pretty in motion and full color!
Thus the Game Boy remained undefeated in the portable market space, falling competitors like the Atari Lynx in 1989 (the first handheld system to offer linked network play on a large scale with up to 17 players and the first portable to feature a backlit AND color screen… for a VERY high price of $180 that killed it immediately) and the TurboExpress (a portable TurboGrafx-16 from Hudson and NEC, released in 1990 which also died quickly). As well as handheld game systems you’ve never heard of like the Gamate from BitCorp and Watara Supervision. Both abysmal failures.
Lynx portable from Atari. Original model on top, redesign Lynx II on bottom
The Atari Lynx was the earliest system to attempt to seriously challenge Nintendo’s Game Boy, having released the same year. It featured a horizontal orientation with two sets of action buttons on the right side (A and B) and a Dpad on the left side. Unlike the Game Boy, the Lynx was in color AND BACKLIT (which blew the mind!) and could be turned upside down and played using the second set of action buttons for left-handed players.
Here is a video of a guy showing off his huge Atari Lynx collection, complete with a ton of boxed and loose games!
Like the other systems, it used a cartridge-based medium for games, but had graphics far and away more advanced than the Game Boy or Game Gear. However it was big, bulky, and ugly looking, and was powered by six double A batteries (about 4–5 hours of playtime). As mentioned above, it was also the first game system to feature multiplayer games with up to and over 8 players. Up to 17 although few games supported it. And this was done by linking the systems together. If the system hadn’t costed so much, this may have been a viable option. The Lynx would sell a vast number of units total, over 5 million, but this still placed the system in third place behind the Game Boy and Sega Game Gear. The Lynx would live on though, as Hasbro eventually bought the rights to the system and released the developer data to the public, allowing homebrew games to be made and officially supported. Thus there is a large fanbase of Lynx developers still making games today, and other companies released newer games even in modern times.
Here is a video showing off the Lynx in action.
In 1991 Atari redesigned the Lynx with a new look, smaller and less bulky hardware, and improvements, the redesign is called the Lynx II. Aforementioned improvements included rubber handgrips on the sides to make it easier to hold, and a clearer screen. It also included a headphone jack that allowed for stereo sound, and a button that turned the backlight off in order to save on battery life. The battery life itself was also improved by about an hour, but still required six Double A batteries. The Lynx II was released in the USA in 1990 and dropped the price to $100 (by not including any accessories in the package), but it was not enough to save the Lynx and it eventually died off. Atari had ultimately FAILED to maintain a prominent role in the videogame hardware business, unlike Nintendo.
Then you had the TurboExpress released by Japanese electronics giant NEC in 1990. The TurboExpress was a portable version of NEC’s TurboGrafx-16 (Abbreviated “TG-16”) home console from 1989 (1987 in Japan). Like their failed console, the TurboExpress also failed due to the fact that the system was released for the OUTLANDISH price of $250/$300. Although two years later it was dropped to $200, which was still too pricey and not enough to save it.
TurboExpress offered a portable TurboGrafx-16 console! WOW!
Although the price was lowered pretty quickly, it still maintained its cost-dominance as the most expensive handheld system by far. And this is a repeating theme and reason that Nintendo was always successful, while others were not. TurboGrafx-16 games were released on a small memory card medium called “HuCards”, which made them perfect for portability, and the TurboExpress could play almost the entire library of the TG-16. Instantly giving the portable system a huge library of game’s at launch.
The TurboExpress system WOW’d with a full-color, beautiful screen (for the time), advanced graphics even better than the NES, and it was backlit! The system featured the same control layout as the TG-16 controller, on a vertically-oriented system. You had the I and II action buttons to the right with a Dpad on the left (basically the same control layout as the Game Boy). You also had Select and Run buttons at the bottom. Additionally you had two “turbo” switches that you could turn on for either the I or II buttons to make them go off rapid-fire style.
Here is a video taking a look at the TurboExpress handheld system.
The TurboExpress was a failure though for a number of reasons. The price was the biggest, but also the fact that the system required six AA batteries to power and only offered you a few hours playtime (about three hours). The screen also had dead pixel issues, and the sound had issues as well. Additionally, you couldn’t save your game in most games because the portable system, unlike the console whose games it played, didn’t have any built-memory to store saves. One really cool feature though was a sold-separately TV Tuner, once purchased you could watch TV (by extending the antenna) on your portable game console! Unfortunately, it wasn’t all that portable either as the TurboExpress was even larger than the original Game Boy.
Despite NEC’s quality line-up of software, like their mascot Bonk, and the fact that the system could play all of the TurboGrafx-16 games, the pricey cost killed it pretty instantly. Although it did sell around 1.5 million units all told.
TurboGrafx-16 games to be played on the TurboExpress Portable
Despite having far, far inferior hardware to many of its competitors, Nintendo came out ontop due to a simple philosophy; offer consumers a non-expensive device with simple to grasp, fun games. Tetris was the embodiment of this philosophy as was Super Mario Land, both games that propelled sales of the Game Boy. The Game Boy survived when put up against backlit screens, much more graphically advanced games and color displays because the Game Boy was MUCH cheaper as a result of its inferior tech, had a better battery life in comparison, and pumped out a huge library of high-quality titles from every publisher in existence. No other company with the exception of Sega (a fellow Japanese competitor, and perhaps NEC) could even begin to compete with the great Nintendo developed titles for the Game Boy (from Metroid to Tetris to Kirby); Nintendo had mastered the craft of design and fun gameplay that was easy to grasp. And the Game Boy offered many more titles from third-party company’s, ensuring there was something available for everyone.
That point is proven with this unforgettable commercial. Are ye convinced? :P
Nintendo followed-up the Game Boy with a slimmer version of the console known as the Game Boy Pocket in 1996. This redesign finally fixed the bulky nature of the Game Boy and really made it into a portable machine that actually could fit in your pocket. Plus it only required TWO triple A batteries to power it!
This commercial reveals how Game Boy Pocket was ACTUALLY manufactured.
The Game Boy Pocket was just as huge a success as its predecessor, and marked the first revision of portable console tech from Nintendo. From then on out, Nintendo would release improved versions of its portable machines in relatively short intervals of a few years.
The Game Boy Pocket ensured Nintendo’s Game Boy dominance and the system successfully defeated many foes like the Japan-only WonderSwan (and Wonderswan Color) and the Tiger Game.Com, as well as the short-lived Tamagotchi “Virtual Pet” craze (remember that? Ahhh those were the days!).
Here is a gal showing off her amazing Virtual Pet collection!
The Game Com (released in 1997) is interesting in particular, due to how it tried to ride the PDA device wave (before the popularity of powerful cellphones/smartphones faded the PDA into oblivion) by offering a touch-screen and including a stylus… both key features of Nintendo’s DS line that would come later.
New Boxed Game.Com Games and the System Itself
The Game.com even featured Internet connectivity! However the system did not catch-on or sell well, despite netting big-name titles like ports of Resident Evil 2, Sonic and Mortal Kombat games. These ports were made in-house by Tiger however and third-party support was non-existent; dooming it from the start. The Game.com was also was in black and white (with no backlight), when games like Resident Evil 2 demanded color. The Internet was also slow and cumbersome, and mostly text. A dial-up modem could be plugged into the system to access the Internet (or you could buy a separate Game.com-branded modem) but a sold-separately Internet cartridge was required to access the web or send/check email. Perhaps the only thing Tiger got right with the system was the low price-point ($70).
Here’s a funny and “edgy” commercial for the Game.com.
The system featured a horizontal design with Dpad, four action buttons (A, B, C and D), along with Menu, Sound and Pause buttons, and a touchscreen as previously mentioned. There was also a storage space on the front of the system to store your stylus (although the stylus didn’t slide inside it like it does with the DS, so it’s common to find Game.com system’s sold nowadays with the stylus missing).
The system took four double A batteries to power it. Two more interesting features about the system was the fact that it featured an internal battery, which would hold your game saves, high scores or downloaded add-ons like wallpaper and it featured TWO cartridge slots. This is a feature unique to the Game.com. Why would you need two cartridge slots you ask? Because you could easily take two games with you, and swap between both without having to actually physically swap games! It’s a very novel idea…
Here is an in-depth look at the Game.com in action.
Despite all this, the system died a quick death; crushed by the weight and inferior power of the Game Boy once again… A year later Tiger tried to revive it’s sagging sales with a redesign of the system, known as the Game.com Pocket Pro, and sold it for a measly $30 bucks. This version was slimmer and more easily portable, but it got rid of one of the cartridge slots (which was one of the cool ideas of the system) and extended the battery life by requiring only two double A’s instead of four. It wasn’t enough however, and Tiger, an LCD toy company used to making LCD games (much like Nintendo’s Game & Watch line), went back to doing that instead. Ultimately the Game.com was a huge bomb and failed to even sell half a million units, topping out at less than 300,000. Ouch.
Here is a commercial showing several Game.com games like Mortal Kombat Trilogy and Duke Nukem 3D.
The icing on the crap-cake was the fact that only 20 titles were made for the Game.com, with around 7 additional games that were cancelled… This put the Game.com in a similar failing-category as the next system we’re about to discuss. Although the Game.com had many more recognizable titles than most failing systems could boast. So there’s that.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a system whose name I originally left out of this article. It was not done purposefully, as despite owning it in complete form with 9 complete games (something few people have), the system is so remote that it completely slipped my mind.
It pierces into your soul... Staring... Endless.... WATCHING
In 1995 Nintendo made a bold and brave attempt to bring “the future” into the then-present of 1995, by releasing the Nintendo Virtual Boy, marked as the “next-generation” of portable videogame machines. The Virtual Boy was never meant to replace the Game Boy, but was to be a new system, a new pillar if you will. Sadly, that pillar came crumbling down just as quickly as the system hit the scene, and is infamous for it.
One of the only known photos with Miyamoto and Gunpei together
Developed by Gunpei Yokoi himself (remember that name?), the Virtual Boy was far and away more advanced and more unique than anything else at the time and trounced the Game Boy in graphical power. Gunpei was the godfather of the Game Boy itself, and had invented the Dpad, which he patented (along with amazing Nintendo videogames like Metroid, Kid Icarus and Super Metroid that he produced)… His newest baby, the Virtual Boy (abbreviated “VB”), attempted to simulate true stereoscopic 3D graphics. Getting as close to “virtual reality” as could be realistically done at the time. That was the attempt anyway.
Instead of requiring glasses to do so, like with 3D films of the time, players would look into a set of goggles… It’s about as awkward as it sounds. That’s because the system was essentially a very heavy pair of goggles, thus it required a stand in order to properly use. This defeated its portability, as it was very unlikely a person would set up the system and stand in their lap…. especially given the fact that it’d probably fall over since the headpiece was so heavy. Although, most people played their portable game systems at home anyway, especially given how hard it was to play portable systems in direct sunlight in those days.
The Virtualboy standing upright. The stand was included in the box
So the system required a flat surface like a table for you to set the system up. Once you looked into the goggles, you’d be transported into a videogame world where the display literally featured images that would come towards you. It was true 3D, however the system featured an extremely strange design decision… The graphics were entirely in two colors: Red and Black (this was done for a number of reasons: cost being major). Although this made the graphics “bold”, it was a huge turnoff. And many players complained that it’d give you a headache if you played the system for too long, thus Nintendo had disclaimers and even in-game warnings telling you to take a break (something they still do in 3DS games, actually).
Mario Clash, one of the best Virtual Boy games (2D screenshot of 3D game)
There were many turn-offs with the Virtual Boy… The system was expensive for a portable ($180), it required SIX AA batteries in order to power the system (housed in the controller itself) and drained batteries at an alarming rate. The system used cartridges for its game medium.
The controller for the Virtual Boy was also really weird. It was oriented in an M shape, and featured two D-Pads, one on the right side and one on the left side. The original intent had to do with allowing the player to use the two D-Pads to control different functions relating to depth and the 3D effect, where one Dpad would control something in front of you, the other something behind it or in the background, for example. The right side of the controller featured the B and A action buttons, while the left side featured Start and Select Buttons. The controller also featured two trigger buttons on the back of the controller (similar to shoulder buttons). In short, the controller itself was awkward, much like the system as a whole.
If you take the red pill, all is Virtual Boy, if you take the blue pill.... headache relief
Sadly, the Nintendo Virtual Boy was before its time and the system died a quick and sudden death. Only 23 games were released for the Virtual Boy and the system was an abysmal failure; the first ever failed system for Nintendo (and arguably the only, with a few exceptions), leading to the ouster of Yokoi from Nintendo. The Virtual Boy would go on to be a “great shame” to Nintendo’s name for years to come. Yokoi himself would end up developing the WonderSwan handheld for Bandai. As mentioned above, WonderSwan was one of the few systems that ever was able to compete with the Game Boy with some success (much more detail on that below).
Here is a video going indepth on the Virtual Boy.
Things did not end well for Gunpei Yokoi, who died tragically in a car accident on October 4th, 1997. After rear-ending the vehicle in front of them, Yokoi and an associate got out to expect the damage, when the two were side-swiped by another vehicle. Yokoi was killed while his associate received only minor injuries. His legacy lives on however in the Nintendo’s current system, the 3DS, which features glasses-free stereoscopic 3D graphics. Which would’ve made Gunpei proud. Maybe one day we’ll see re-releases of Virtual Boy games for the 3DS system (or remakes of them), as the Virtual Boy did have some great games: like Virtual Boy Wario Land, Mario Tennis, Mario Clash and 3D Tetris.
Now that the “red mark” on Nintendo is done with, we can turn to their next big handheld. Finally the handheld gaming scene changed in a more fundamental way when Nintendo released the Game Boy Color (abbreviated “GBC”) in 1998. It cost $80 at launch. Although it lacked a backlight once again, it FINALLY added a color display. Hooray! It also featured slightly improved graphic capabilities over the regular GB, resulting in games that could only be played on the Game Boy Color. However all regular Game Boy games were playable on the GBC.
Here is an awesome commercial for the Game Boy Color, which shows a fun twist on “Game Boy Color Nation” by showing each state in the U.S. drawn up as a GBC, then coming together to form the entire mainland! It’s very, very cool.
The Game Boy Color was far from the first portable game console to include a color display nor was the Game Boy Color that much more graphically superior to the regular Game Boy. In light of that fact, you would think the system would not sell so well. Think again.
The Game Boy Color took off right where the Game Boy left off and shot up like a rocket! It would defeat many more handheld newcomers like the WonderSwan (1998) and WonderSwan Color from Bandai (a Japan only line of portable systems) and SNK’s Neo Geo Pocket Color.
The many colors of Game Boy Color. I had the yellow, you?
One of the reasons why the Game Boy Color became so popular was all thanks to ONE game. That game was… Pokemon. Pokemon, as you know, exploded to become a worldwide phenomenon (bolstered by a hit anime, trading card game, animated movies, toys and other media and merchandise). While Pokemon began as a design way back in 1991, the game took until 1996 before it was actually released… In Japan. And it did not hit American and worldwide shores until 1998. Just in time for the Game Boy Color!
Even though Pokemon was a regular Game Boy game (and NOT a Game Boy Color title), it helped to boost sales of the Game Boy Color through the stratosphere, and it was because of the extreme and unrivaled popularity of Pokemon (Nintendo’s innovative creature-racing and battling RPG) that other competitors to the Game Boy Pocket & Game Boy Color, like the ones listed below, did not stand a CHANCE.
Pokemon, Pokemon, Pokemon! A Game Boy Color's Best Friend!
The Game Boy Color though was simply an improved system over the regular Game Boy and Game Boy Pocket. Although it included slight improvements, it featured the same layout (A and B action buttons, select and start buttons, and a Dpad), didn’t feature a backlight, and was slightly larger than the Game Boy Pocket (although way slimmer than the original “brick” Game Boy). So Nintendo wasn’t exactly re-inventing the wheel here. But Nintendo fans had gone so long (from 1989 until 1996, seven years!) without getting a color display on their portable along with Nintendo software, that fans ate it up once Nintendo finally gave them the chance to play all their favorites, from Metroid to Mario to Pokemon to Donkey Kong to Zelda, in full and glorious color.
Here is an indepth look at the Game Boy Color and comparisons to the Game Boy Pocket.
And like the Game Boy Pocket before it, the Game Boy Color was fully backwards compatible with regular Game Boy games. It could play all of the Game Boy’s huge library from day one, as well as all-new games that were in full color and would not work on the regular Game Boy. Although the Game Boy and Game Boy Pocket’s instal base was so large that many of the best Game Boy Color games were also made to work on a regular Game Boy, sans color.
One unique feature of the Game Boy Color though that was never continued on any other future handheld system was an IR or Infrared port. In the days before wireless and bluetooth were popular, the IR port was located at the top of the Game Boy Color and allows you to set two systems close to each other, and exchange data “wirelessly”.
The box for a Japanese Game Boy Color. Cool design!
Ooooo. I know what you’re thinking, big whoop. But back then this was pretty cool, as it meant that, for once, you did NOT have to lug around a Link Cable if you wanted to do simple things like trade Pokemon in Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal or other simple things. Although the Game Boy Color did also contain a standard Link Cable jack that allowed you to link up with a friend for more complex and complete two-player play, like battling in Pokemon. But still, having the IR Port was a cool feature of the Game Boy Color. It’s also worth noting that the Game Boy Color had absolutely incredible battery life, and ran on only two double A batteries. Those two batteries were worth over 30 hours of gameplay! (I knew this well, as my original Pokemon Yellow cart had it’s clocked stopped at the max time allowed!) The IR Port, as mentioned, was never continued to future systems, as it was eventually obsolete and replace with the true wireless that we know of today.
A competitor of the Game Boy Color was the WonderSwan. This system did relatively well in the Japanese market (it was released in 1999), bolstered by a deal with Square that saw the early Final Fantasy games released exclusively on Wonderswan (and not on Game Boy systems) and bundled with the system; as well as strong support from third-party powerhouses like Capcom. This despite the fact that the system was not much more powerful than the Game Boy Color. Read the rest of this entry »
