8 Trips to Videogame Memory Lane: 30 Years Ago

Gaming has gone a long way since 30 years ago. We are now in the age of high definition, high resolution, 3D gaming where games compete with each other and boast to have realistic graphics. If we look at the past, games focused on originality and fun over graphical impacts. Here we list 8 events and releases in the gaming world three decades ago, and look back how much the gaming world has evolved.

8. The Master System was released

30 years ago, Sega entered the console market for the first time and introduced the Master System in Japan (known as Sega Mark III). This didn’t have a strong launch due to its competitor, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), so it had to heavily rely on internally developed games and ports of other games, though the ports weren’t as successful. This system introduced classics such as Phantasy Star and Alex Kidd, who was the face of Sega before Sonic.

7. Westwood Studios was founded

This one’s popular among hardcore strategy PC gamers. Westood Studios was founded in 1985 and was eventually acquired by EA in in 2003. Before they were acquired by EA (though they are now defunct), they’ve developed other games such as The Legend of Kyrandia series which is known amongst hardcore adventure games and the famous strategy game series Command & Conquer for the PC.

6. Battle City was released

Namco (now known as Bandai Namco) was one of the first entrants in the video gaming world. Battle City is the successor of Tank Battalion, which was released in 1980. The younger ones might know Battle City in the NES (aka Famicom) and might be considered one of its harder games. Your task in this game is to destroy obstacles and various enemy tanks.

5. The Amiga was released

30 years ago, the Amiga was the go-to game for PC gamers and programmers. Developed by Commodore, it boasted high processing speed, advanced graphical capabilities, and even 3D rendering. Though the Amiga series was short lived (it ended during mid-90s), memorable games such as The Secret of Monkey Island, Another World, and Lemmings were released.

4. Ice Climber was released

Ice Climber was technically a launch game when the NES was released. The game featured two ice climbers, namely Popo and Nana. You may know them from Smash Bros, but this duo was one of the very first faces of Nintendo. The goal in this game is to reach the peak of 32 mountains, killing the enemies you encounter, and recovering the stolen vegetables.

3. Nintendo released R.O.B.

You may also know R.O.B. from Super Smash Bros. But 30 years ago, he was a peripheral who stayed in the market for only a short while. It was introduced as novelty and it only supported two games: Gyromite and Stack-up. R.O.B. was shortlived but he had a legacy in the Nintendo ecosystem. He appeared in various games such as StarTropics, WarioWare, F-Zero, and was a featured fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series.

2. The NES was released for a limited time in the US

Did you know that it was the NES that revitalized the video game industry from the video game crash? Without the release of the NES, video games might not have existed until today. Also known as the Family Computer (Famicom for short) in Japan, this system showcased various exciting games and characters such as the difficult but memorable Ice Climber, the exciting Excite Bikes, and of course this was when…

1. Super Mario Bros. was released

We all know who Mario is and we all know what Super Mario Bros. is. 30 years ago, Mario has dawned into the gaming world and has amassed to 40 million copies worldwide and is considered one of the best selling video games of all time. Mario has spawned numerous games featuring him such as Mario Kart, Dr. Mario, Super Mario RPG, and Mario Golf. This game basically led Mario to becoming the most iconic video game character of all time.

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