A Historical Look Back At Video Games: Where We've Been & Where We're Headed by Elizabeth Olson & Andy McNamara [Appeared in the May/June 1993 issue of "Game Informer"] The video game industry has come a long way in the last twenty years. Technology-wise, we've seen game systems evolve from simple 8-bit processor- based units to 16 and 32-bit units, incorporating near infinite colors, rotation and scrolling, stereo sound and 3-D graphics. As we stand on the threshold of yet a new generation of CD ROM and interactive, multimedia laser technology, it's important to take a look back at where we've been. Cartridges Become Hot Commodities As new developments come and go in the realm of video games, the past begins to take on an air of nostalgia. A game can gain the status of a classic for one of several reasons. Nintendo and their licensees released several carts in 1989 that would later become big hits and, eventually, collector's items. Mega Man was not an instant success, but the release of its sequel sent gamers in search of the original. Tecmo's gridiron title, Tecmo Bowl and Hot B's Black Bass experienced the same kind of delayed popularity. Once gamers turned on to these titles, the manufacturers had ceased publishing them and cartridges were in short supply. Demand eventually persuaded companies to reissue certain titles. When SNK moved away from manufacturing Nintendo titles to pursue coin-op and their own 32-bit system, prices soared on remaining copies of their Baseball Stars. The biggest and most memorable case of a collector game centers around Alexey Pajitnov's Tetris. Tengen believed they had purchased the Nintendo version rights to this computer classic from the British company, MirrorSoft. MirrorSoft purchased the rights from a company called Andromeda, which claimed to have purchased them directly from the Russian developers. At the same time, Nintendo had pursued other channels in obtaining the rights. Court proceedings forced Tengen to halt production on their version. Unfortunately for gamers, the U.S. District Court ruled in Nintendo's favor and Tengen's superior version of the game was pulled off the shelves. Hand-Helds and 16-Bit Hit the U.S. The biggest news of 1989 was the onslaught of new systems hitting the market. After capturing a huge percentage of the Japanese market with their PC Engine system, NEC Home Electronics introduced the U.S. version, the TurboGrafx-l6, along with the optional TurboGrafx-CD drive and the TurboBooster, an audio/video enhancer. NEC followed the TG-16 with the release of the TurboGrafx-CD, the first CD ROM drive for a video game unit. Sega beat Nintendo to the 16-bit market with their Sega Cenesis System and Nintendo introduced the first hand held, interchangeable cartridge unit the Game Boy. [note from Dennis Brown: WRONG! See Microvision, 1979, TEN YEARS earlier!] Late that same year, Atari began to test market their 16-bit color hand-held system, the Atari Lynx. Marketing strategies played a big part in capturing the hearts of game enthusiasts. In addition to packaging the TG-16 with Keith Courage, NEC introduced a unique five-player adapter and several multi-player sports cartridges to support it. Unfortunately, additional strong titles were few and far between. Similarly, The TG-CD was introduced with Monster Lair and the popular arcade title, Fighting Street (the original Street Fighter). It was trailed by the role-play adventures Y's Books I & II, but it was nearly a year before programmers displayed CD's full-motion video capabilities in Sherlock Holmes and It Came From the Desert. The lag in title development and poor marketing strategy were strong factors in positioning Turbo products behind both Nintendo and Sega here in the States. In a wise move, Sega positioned their new machine as the premier 16-bit system, capable of improved graphics and sound, as well as more complex game play. They also introduced the Power Base Converter, a peripheral that upgraded the Sega Master cartridges for play on the Genesis system. Both moves placed Sega as the clear leader in the 16-bit market. 1990 marked the beginning of the RAM race. Developers had been in search of a way to push the original Nintendo system past its limits. With 16-bit machines taking a sizable chunk of the market, this was now crucial. The Research and Design team that developed the UNROM chip for the Nintendo and later, the MMC (Memory Map Controllers) chip found in games like Metroid and Zelda, devised the MMC3 chip. The MMC3 allowed the screen to be split in two and move independently. Next came the MMC5, which allowed for 8 megabytes of storage, thirty-two times more than original carts. Nintendo introduced their first 3-megabit game, Super Mario Bros 3, but there was more to come. Nintendo introduced the MMC6 chip, pushing the 8-bit system to its full capacity. An example of these capabilities put to use is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. Video game systems were now installed in more than thirty percent of all homes in America. Sales showed a growing percent of the market included adult players and players on the go. NEC joined the hand-held craze with their TurboExpress, which played the same HuCards as the TurboCrafx-l6. Games continued to expand with the introduction of Strider, an 8 meg game, and Star Control, the first 12 meg game. Realizing that game enthusiasts were pushing for bigger and better, beyond the limits of the 8-bit system, Nintendo introduced their 16-bit Super Famicom in Japan. Also in Japan, SNK debuted the home version of their 24-bit arcade system, the NeoúGeo, which consists of a 16-bit 68000 processor and an 8-bit Z80A processor working side by side for 'parallel processing'. With sales sky-rocketing to an all-time high, the video game industry re-cemented itself as a major part of American culture. Whether life was imitating art or vice versa, movies and books featuring video game characters developed almost as quickly as games based on movies and TV shows. Original PC and video game characters such as Tradewest's Battletoads, LucasFilm and JVC's Defenders of Dynatron City, Carmen Sandiego and the Toxic Crusaders all found their way to either comic books, television, or the big screen. 1991 proved to be a banner year for both Sega and Nintendo. Sega introduced their 8-bit, color hand-held system, the Came Gear, which could be adapted as a portable television receiver. Essentially, it was the Master System for those on the go. Perhaps more importantly, they introduced the world to a new trademark character, Sonic the Hedgehog. Comparable to Nintendo's Mario or NEC's Bonk, he was faster and more colorful than anything we'd ever seen before. This little, blue speed-demon captured the hearts of game players around the world, resulting in more than one million Genesis and Game Gear cartridges sold in under one year. His popularity landed numerous merchandising contracts worldwide, including his own soft drink in Japan. When Sega packaged the blue wonder with the Genesis, Sonic more than doubled the installed base of the Genesis single-handedly. Sonic pushed 16-bit sales up just in time, as Nintendo was about to challenge them to a real clash of the titans with their new U.S. 16-bit Super Nintendo System. The new system had stronger sound, along with scrolling and Mode 7 capabilities. Sega had the advantage of an installed base and a reasonable selection of titles, but Nintendo set out on an aggressive development path. The ever-expanding list of third party NES licenses concentrated on releases for the new plattorm and introduced new titles at a head-spinning rate, which helped push Super Nintendo unit sales well beyond initial expectations. A full-fledged marketshare battle ensued, which meant creative packaging, aggressive marketing and price-slashing for the consumer. Not to be outdone, Sega was already introducing a CD peripheral, the Mega CD in Japan. The Present Day and Beyond The technological advances and the hunger for more realistic game play have brought us to yet another new generation of gaming. 1992 saw the introduction of Sega's U.S. CD peripheral the Sega CD, as well NEC's latest upgrade to the 4-meg Super CD Chip and their combined system CD unit, the Duo from Turbo Technologies. Developers are already hard at work using the new SFX RISC chip to enhance the capabilities of the Super NES and several companies are concentrating on 32-bit development. From what we've seen, the future promises further technological advancements made possible by competition in the CD ROM arena, as well as new interactive, multi-media platforms such as 3DO and Virtual Reality. It's hard to imagine where we might be twenty years from today. Playing experiences that were once only the wishes of gamers are within our grasp. Welcome to the next generation. [Scanned and edited by Dennis Brown -- dgbrown (at) pixesthesia (dot) com]