NBA Jam 1993′

As one of the earliest real playable basketball games, NBA Jam was developed in 1993 by Midway, an American video game developer that defunct in 2010. The game is also one of the first sports games to feature NBA-licensed teams and players. NBA Jam features two-on-two basketball. This allows for up to four players to play the game simultaneously. There would be two teams of two. Upon turning on the game, you are presented with 27 teams (The Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, and New Orleans Pelicans had not been created). Two players have been pre-selected from every team, and below them, stats on their speed, 3-point shot, dunks, and defense are shown. When the game came out in 1993, Michael Jordan (At the time, the most famous basketball player), was part of the Chicago Bulls. However, he left the NBA for a year in 1994 and so only the earliest versions of the game had Michael Jordan. In terms of game play, it doesn’t take long to notice the exaggerated nature of play. Often reaching heights multiple times their own, and running at the speeds of Olympic runners, the players are given abilities that defy all human anatomy. To make the game even more fun, if a player makes 3 baskets in a row, he then catches “On Fire”, at which point, his chances of making shots increases and his turbo becomes unlimited. The game deviates itself from the NBA when it came to rules because unlike the NBA, in NBA jam, there are no fouls, no free throws, or violations (except for the 24-sec violation). Additionally, in the NBA, each quarter is 12 minutes, in NBA Jam, this shrinks to only 3 minutes.

 

When NBA Jam released in 1993, it became a huge success. So much so, that by early 1994, the Amusement and Music Operators Association had declared NBA Jam The highest earning arcade game of all time. The game brought in over $1 billion quarters. Due to this huge success, sequels were created, and NBA Jam Extreme (1996) and NBA Jam 99 (1998) came out. NBA Jam now has 8 games in its series. The game has definitely left its mark on the Video Game world (It was ranked as the 7th best game of all time by SEGA), but it has also left its mark in today’s basketball culture. Often, when visiting a basketball court, one does not need to stay there for more than 15 minutes to hear the phrases “He’s on fire”, or “Boomshakalaka”. These are both catchy phrases that came from the game. Almost 25 years after its creation, I don’t know how many players still play the original NBA Jam game, but I do know that NBA Jam has been forever immortalized in basketball courts around the world.

 

Donkey Kong (1981)

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia

When reflecting on the history of gaming, I often think about one of the classic Nintendo games, Donkey Kong (Nintendo 1981), released in 1981. This platform genre game features two renowned Nintendo characters, Donkey Kong and Mario, in rivalry. Donkey Kong throws barrels down at Mario to prohibit him from saving the woman that Donkey Kong has captured. It is the game player’s objective to climb to the top and save this lady, named Pauline. To do so, the gamer must direct Mario over barrels, up ladders, and to the platform where Pauline is located. While doing so, one may earn points by collecting items to increase their score. However, in order to stay alive, they must avoid the barrels which roll down the platforms and ladders.

Image Courtesy of Microsiervos on Flickr

Donkey Kong (Nintendo 1981) was groundbreaking for a variety of reasons. It was one of the earliest platform games, the first being Space Panic (Universal 1980), and the first platform game to use jumping as a way of avoiding obstacles and hopping from platform to platform. Furthermore, it has four unique stages and was one of the first games to include this multi-stage element. After the player completes all four stages, the game begins again from stage 1 but increases in difficulty. The game goes on until the player loses all of their lives or until they reach level 22, at which there is an error in the game’s programming which kills Mario quickly. Another reason that Donkey Kong (Nintendo 1981) is renowned in the gaming industry is that it introduced the first complete narrative. Other video games did not have this narrative element to them at the time. Nintendo achieved this through the use of cutscenes which was introduced by Pacman (Namco 1980). Furthermore, the storyline of the game was created prior to the programming, which was also unusual at the time.

Donkey Kong’s (Nintendo 1981) significance for Nintendo, though, lies mostly in its success abroad. It allowed the Japanese company to enter the North American market. Despite trademark infringement allegations from Universal City Studios in relation to their game King Kong (Universal 1980), Donkey Kong (Nintendo 1981) was deemed not in violation of these terms and served to be a crucial proponent in Nintendo’s current success in the gaming industry. At the time of the game’s release, the Nintendo company was trying to break into overseas markets. In an attempt to do so, Hiroshi Yamauchi, the company’s president, thought it would be wise to repurpose their previously manufactured game, Radar Scope (Nintendo 1979), into another arcade game as there were many unsold machines. He hired Shigeru Miyamoto to design the new game. At first, they intended to make the game about Popeye but since they were unable to get the right’s, they invented the Donkey Kong (Nintendo 1981) characters instead. Evidently, this proved to work in the company’s benefit. By the end of June 1982, Donkey Kong (Nintendo 1981) had brought in over $180 million for Nintendo through the sale of around 60,000 machines. Its success continued and it was monumental for the growth of Nintendo.

Altogether, Donkey Kong (Nintendo 1981) was impactful for a variety of reasons. It brought economic success to Nintendo (allowing for expansion), it introduced new elements to video games, and became a renowned symbol in video game culture. 

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Works Cited:

“Donkey Kong (video game).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

Kent, Steven L. (2002). The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World. New York: Random House International.

Dragon Quest (1986)

One of the more renowned video game franchises of the Japanese gaming empire is Dragon Quest (ドラゴンクエスト), the single-player RPG series created by game designer Yuji Horii and released in Japan by game publisher Enix. The franchise was born with the release of the first of its series, initially in 1986 in Japan as Dragon Quest (Enix, 1986), followed by a North American release by Nintendo as Dragon Warrior (Nintendo, 1986) three years later. Both versions were released for the 8-bit home video game console Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as the “Famicom” or the Family Computer. The Japanese version was simultaneously released for two other computer-based gaming systems, the MSX and PC-9801, while in North America, where the latter two platforms weren’t as popular, the game wasn’t released in another format until 2000 when it was rereleased for the Game Boy Color.

One of the challenges Horii faced in his development of the game was the relative unfamiliarity of RPGs in the Japanese gaming world at that time. According to Horii, “I first made Dragon Quest, computer and video game RPGs were still very much in the realm of hardcore fans and not very accessible to other players,” Horii explains in a 2007 issue of Nintendo Power.

Yuji Horii, game designer of Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior franchise. (Source: Waseda University)

“So I decided to create a system that was easy to understand and emotionally involving, and then placed my story within that framework.” Horii also had to keep in mind the Famicom system when designing the gameplay—which game reviewer Bill Johnson has described as “Spartan”—because of the added pressure of the rise in popularity of Famicom after the release of Super Mario Bros. Horii speaks of this and his inspirations for the gameplay and game design of Dragon Quest: “There was no keyboard, and the system was much simpler, using just a controller. But I still thought that it would be really exciting for the player to play as their alter ego in the game. I personally was playing Wizardry and Ultima at the time, and I really enjoyed seeing my own self in the game.”

The object of the first Dragon Quest game is quite straightforward: maneuver yourself, the descendent of the warrior hero Loto (ロト, or Erdrick in the N.A. version), through the fantasy world of Alefgard (アレフガルド), slaying as many monsters (e.g. the now-iconic Slime monster) as possible, leveling up through battles, and collecting gold and items. The ultimate mission is to defeat the Dragon Lord, the main villain of the game’s story, and retrieve the Ball of Light (光の玉) from him. The story unfolds through the dialogue box and with the press of the A button, command boxes give the player access to information and various actions with which to control the RPG character, simple commands such as “Talk” or “Door.”

Dragon Quest, 1986 (Source)

The game, with its colorful, low-quality 8-bit graphics based on the illustrations by the famous manga artist Akira Toriyama and the catchy soundtrack by composer Koichi Sugiyama (the main theme of which is perhaps as familiar in Japan as is the Mario theme) attracted wide appeal and sales in Japan, and Dragon Quest is considered to have been a key catalyst of the JRPG. In the US, however, Dragon Quest didn’t attract nearly as much popularity.

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Reference:

Enix 1986, Dragon Quest, Nintendo Entertainment System/MSX/PC-9801, Enix.

Johnson, B. “Dragon Quest – Review: In the Beginning…” review, RPGamer, viewed on 27 Feb. 2017 <www.rpgamer.com/games/dq/dq1/reviews/dq1strev1.html>

Kalata, K. “Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior”, Hardcore Gamer 101, viewed on 27 Feb. 2017 <http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/dragonquest/dragonquest.htm&gt;

neshagui 2006, ‘DRAGON QUEST’ (1986) MSX, video, YouTube, 11 Dec., viewed 27 Feb. 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erz98uJZxec&gt;.

DOOM, the OG First-Person Shooter

Doom (id Software 1993) is a horror-themed first-person shooter that was released as shareware in December 1993. Although it was released as shareware and many people did not purchase the registered version, the game has sold several million copies. Upon release it was abundantly clear that Doom would go down as one of the most influential video games of all time, and is heavily known for being the pioneer game in the massively popular first-person shooter genre.

Doom was praised for its ability to create a chilling atmosphere and its detailed design, resulting in both comprehensive and customizable levels that added an extra element to the game that previous shooters didn’t offer. Doom’s gameplay also set it apart from its predecessors by managing to be fairly simple, yet not monotonous at all. Many secret pathways, levels and power-ups, as well as a wide arsenal of weaponry, keeps the gameplay fresh throughout an otherwise basic “narrative” and uncomplicated controls. There was also a smaller, but not insignificant, multiplayer setting that would set the precedent for many of the more recent, super-popular, multiplayer and online shooters.

            Doom’s legacy speaks for itself, but really cannot be understated. With the massive success of the Call of Duty and Halo franchises (to name a few), the sheer popularity of first-person shooters today is through the roof. Immediately, however, Doom sparked an onslaught of what became known as “Doom clones,” which were just other first-person shooters (no matter how good or bad) that came out in the 90’s. This is what truly ignited the first-person shooter genre boost. From Doom’s release until now, these types of games are absolutely everywhere.

But beyond that, the innovation and courage involved in making a game like Doom is often overlooked. Creating a game in which you essentially place a gun in the player’s hand and order him to shoot other beings is both inherently risky and incredibly revolutionary. Add on the utter explicitness of the violence and you’re playing with fire.

In fact, this did spark major controversy for Doom. The game was met with a large amount of criticism for this graphic violence and was even declared by some as a “mass murder simulator”. Many religious groups also heavily criticized its satanic themes. Doom reached its peak of controversy after it came out that the Columbine High School shooters were passionate players of the game, causing many to fear that first-person shooters like Doom would spark players to want to emulate the game in real life. Especially with the growth of virtual reality on the horizon, this panic only heightened.

Despite this controversy, Doom is still viewed as one of the most important and influential games of all time. I believe that the appreciation for this game is only going to grow as first-person shooters continue to innovate. Essentially, what Doom did was create one of the biggest video game genre markets today, and that alone is an incredible achievement. When you add in the fact that this game completely shook up not only the gaming world, but also the real world as much as it did, you end up with a truly legendary game that will transcend time.

Works Cited:

“Doom (1993 video game).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.

idSoftware 1993, Doom, video game, MS-DOS, GT Interactive.

Lindsey, Patrick. “20 Years of Doom: The Most Influential Shooter Ever.” Pastemagazine.com. N.p., 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.

The iconicism of Donkey Kong

The conception of Nintendo’s most iconic character Mario made his debut in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. Originally released in Japan in early that year, Donkey Kong ‘s booming success granted the impetus for Nintendo to emerge in the North American market, making it one of the biggest video game developers even till this day. It was brought to the United States by July of that year where it quickly gained massive popularity all over the country.

Donkey Kong was one of the first video games with a storyline that progresses along with the game. The game’s story features the protagonist Mario, then called “Jumpman”, who is trying to save the princess from her kidnapper the dreaded Donkey Kong. Speaking in terms of gameplay, it is one of the earliest examples of the genre of platform games; the aim is to control Mario and navigate him across platforms and up ladders while avoiding and destroying obstacles thrown by Donkey Kong. In comparison to arcade games, gamers have categorized the Donkey Kong as a highly challenging one. The game also provides an end score based on the obstacles passed and the distance covered by Mario who has a total of three lives per turn. A life is lost when Mario is hit by an object thrown by Donkey Kong, if he falls over the edge or comes into contact with Donkey Kong. A bonus life can be gained when the player gains 7,000 points.

The characters in Donkey Kong would later be featured in Nintendo titles for decades to follow- the most popular being the Mario series, which remains to be Nintendo’s primary cash crop selling over 570 million units (Web, Vgsales). In its first year, the Donkey Kong game sold 60 thousand units, earning them a whopping 180 million dollars. Designer Shigeru Miyamoto, in collaboration with engineer Gunpei Yokoi transcended numerous boundaries by employing graphics as a method of characterization. They introduced event scenes in order to develop the plot with various stages, putting it amongst the most complicated games of its time.

Clearly, Donkey Kong greatly transformed the face of the gaming world in many ways. With over 48 million games sold, the game became one of the highest sold video game franchises worldwide (Web, GameplayFAQ). Nintendo Entertainment System’s 1988 compilation encompass Donkey Kong and its successor Donkey Kong Junior. Mario vs. Donkey Kong was Nintendo’s initial name for the first Game Boy Advance version of the game. Following the release of the first ever Donkey Kong game, Nintendo was sued by Universal Studios who claimed that the game was based off of the film King Kong. The court ruled in favor for Nintendo, which acted as a huge win, propelling it even further. The game collected many accolades, amongst which are the 7 world records by Guinness World Records. From the Golden Age of Video Arcade Games, Donkey Kong is amongst the most influential of all time. Not only did it change the face of arcade games but it also introduced the most iconic characters of the gaming world.

 

 

“Mario.” Video Game Sales Wiki. Fandom, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.

“Donkey Kong.” Video Game Sales Wiki. Fandom, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.

Nintendo, Retro Studios /. “Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.” My Games Statistics for Wii U – Collections, Tracking and Ratings – GameFAQs. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.

 

 

Missile Command’s Message about War

In 1980, during the midst of the United States’ Cold War with Russia, Atari designer David Theurer created the game Missile Command (Atari Inc 1980), an arcade game that required players to fend off incoming attacks and protect their nameless cities. Theurer himself did not come up with the idea for the game; a high-ranking employee at Atari saw a story about satellites in a magazine that included a picture of a radar screen and he passed the image along to Theurer’s boss. His boss told him to make a game that resembled the photo with the intent to intercept missiles and protect the player’s bases, which would remain the general concept of the game throughout the design process as would the core components of the gameplay (Rubens).

Once the game was commissioned, Theurer finalized the narrative and worked to make the game as sleek as possible, routinely taking out additional design elements. While the finished game design simply has base camps at the bottom of the screen and missiles coming in from the top of the screen, there were many features that were removed before the game was released, including a railroad system to bring in more missiles that could be blown up by the enemy’s fire, a radar that would reveal parts of the screen slowly, and, most notably, any signifiers for the location of the base camp (Rubens). The cities were originally six cities in California where Atari had offices, but they removed the names and any clues to the location so that every player would feel that they were protecting their hometown (Rubens). This kind of choice by Theurer shows that he was taking the concept and narrative of the game very seriously and was interested in the morality behind having the USSR bombing America, especially with regards to the larger social context as that was a very real fear for many people. Theurer also consciously made the decision to not allow the player to be capable of being on the offensive of the attack; he wanted the players to be able to take pride in this game of defense.

To play Missile Command (Atari Inc 1980), the player must move the crosshair across the sky background by using a trackball and press a button to launch missiles to counterattack the incoming enemy fire. The player has thirty missiles cased in three batteries which can be damaged by enemy fire that is not stopped. Once the player passes a level, they are faced with new challenges and difficulties, including faster and more prolific missiles. As with most arcade games of this era, there is no real way to win; the six cities are eventually all destroyed and the player is simply competing to see how long they can last. However, there is an option to win a bonus seventh city, which would keep the player in the game a bit longer. Each level ends when all enemy missiles are destroyed or reach the cities and only three cities can be destroyed per level. Once the level ends, the remaining missiles and cities are converted to the bonus points capable of unlocking a seventh city. If the player runs out of missiles during the level, the enemy’s missiles will continue if there are more cities left and they will lose control of their base. When the game finally ends, it does not display the traditional “Game Over” message, but rather, above the image of the burning cities, the screen reads “The End.” This is emblematic of the creator’s intended message as he was tormented by the game and even had nightmares of his city being attacked by missiles; he wanted the player to know that “In the end, all is lost. There is no winner” during war (Rubens).

 

Works Cited

Atari Inc 1980. Missile Command, video game, arcade, Atari Inc.

Rubens, Alex. “The creation of Missile Command and the haunting of its creator, Dave Theurer.” Polygon. Vox Media, 15 Aug. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.

 

Asteroids 1979

Published for the first time in 1979 by Atari, Asteroids blasted its way onto the scene as one of the first arcade space shooters. Part of the widely regarded “golden age” of arcade games, Asteroids was a huge success. It was directly inspired by such classical games as Spacewar! (Steve Russell 1962) and Computer Space (Atari 1971) evident in its use of vector graphics and simple physics. Examining the context, its success was undoubtedly bolstered by Atari’s previous trailblazing of the field, its name a reputable one within the video games community. Upon its release, Asteroidsi, became the most popular Atari game of all time with over seventy-thousand copies sold, surpassing even Space Invaders (Atari 1978). It was even heralded as Atari engineer Ed Logg’s “magnum opus” by Retro Gamer in September of 2008. The gaming community was not the only one singing the praises of Asteroids, though. In 2013, the Modern Museum of Art added the retro game along with 6 others to its collection. From an artistic standpoint it is easy to see why the acquisition happened, its vector graphics referencing the minimalist movement in America during the late 1960s and 1970s.

The game made use of the high score competition structure that was popular among arcade games of the time. Its gameplay was simplistic and intuitive. The player controlled a triangular ship that appeared in the center of the screen. It could rotate left and right moved via thruster in whichever direction it was facing. It Its physics were similar to that of Star Castle (Cinematronics 1980), which must have been inspired by the popular Atari game. The screen set up was such that the edges flowed into one another, causing the ship to show up on the opposite side once it hit an edge, a hallmark of these kinds of vector games. Players started with three lives, and had the ability to gain more each time they scored ten-thousand more points. This feature actually caused the game to slow down once the player earned between fifty and one-hundred lives due to a programming error in which there was no limit set to the number of possible lives. The objective was simple: destroy all the objects on screen using the ship’s front facing cannon. Periodically among the asteroids, flying saucers would appear offering an extra point bonus of one-thousand. The game is lost once a player loses all of their lives, but winning is only determined by high score.

Asteroids is part of a long history of video games and set the stage for subsequent shooters like the aforementioned Star Castle and even closer copycats like Astrosmash (Mattel Intellivision 1981). The game is a quintessential example of longevity of classical games; it still reigns as one of the most popular arcade games and has seen many iterations and reboots to date.

Works Referenced

Stephanie Mlot (June 28, 2013). “MoMA Adds Seven Video Games to Art Collection”. PC Magazine.

The Legend of Zelda: A Brief History

By Isabella Estrella (blog post 1)

     On February 21, 1986, Nintendo released Shigeru Miyamoto’s first The Legend of Zelda game to Japan for play on the Family Computer Disk System.  Soon afterwards and more popularly, the game came out as a cartridge for the NES for North America and Europe (Webster).  Since the first release, numerous games, books, and even shows have come about, spinning off or centering around the characters and storylines found in the original game.  The first The Legend of Zelda has been so impactful, with people hailing it “the mother of action-adventure,” because it created a compelling game franchise that has had incredible longevity through its combining of elements like “[exploration], transport puzzles, adventure-style inventory puzzles, [action], [a] monetary system, and [simple building]” (Fahs).  The melding of various genres and inclusion of different elements to develop a new sub-genre at the time enabled refreshing gaming experiences that people still have not grown tired of.  

     In the original game, you play as Link, a young boy in an all green outfit.  You are placed in a world called Hyrule with a vague map and are tasked with the ultimate goal of finding the pieces to complete the Triforce (Nintendo Research), the main object of the game representing Power, Wisdom, and Courage (Plunkett).  After receiving your sword, you can explore Hyrule however you like, which seems to be the most attractive element of the game.  You are allowed and encouraged to roam this open space with no right or wrong direction to see what it holds in store and what you can find to help you on your quest to assemble the Triforce.  While traveling, you collect supplies like boomerangs, bows, and keys and build up your inventory in order to unlock new areas or defend yourself against enemies (Hoggins).  As you play, you have an overhead view of what is occurring in the game with simple, no-frills graphics (Davis).

     The Legend of Zelda had a major impact on the gaming world.  It was one of the first games designed to be played over a long span of time, rather than in a single sitting.  Therefore, the player could save their progress and return to the game later, which was a gigantic step in the gaming world.  The release and popularity of a game with this feature paved the way for more games to be invented, many of which were like The Legend of Zelda, in the sense that they included exploration over a large span of land or had no time limit for how long the person could play.  The distinction between video games and typical arcade games grew after this feature was popularized, because arcade games did not have this same capability (Finnegan).  The public and game critics adored the game, and rave reviews came out in Computer Gaming World.  Many computer gaming fans had denounced the NES prior, claiming it was an unnecessary purchase because it seemed like an over glorified arcade game, but the reviews for The Legend of Zelda convinced many to change their minds.  This is only a fraction of this iconic game’s impact.  

     The Legend of Zelda also came about during a strange era in Japan.  The 1980s in Japan were marked by extreme wealth, materialism, and consumerism.  People were buying nicer things, luxurious items, items in excess, or items for leisure and paid significant attention to their possessions (Living the Good Life).  Simultaneously, the Japanese government was pushing people to buy products made in Japan.  The excellent economy, interest in leisure products, and technological propensity in Japan all combined perfectly to foster a strong video games industry (Picard).  The Legend of Zelda fell right in the middle of this, which may be another reason aside from the genuine greatness of the game, that it found so much success around the world, and for such a long time.  

 

Works Cited

Davis, Justin. “The Visual History of The Legend of Zelda.” IGN. IGN, 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2017. <http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/24/the-visual-history-of-the-legend-of-zelda&gt;.

Fahs, Travis, and Lucas M. Thomas. “IGN Presents The History of The Legend of Zelda.” IGN. IGN, 05 July 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2017. <http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/07/06/ign-presents-the-history-of-the-legend-of-zelda&gt;.

Finnegan, Liz. “How The Legend of Zelda Changed Video Games.” The Escapist. Defy Media, 26 Feb. 2016. Web. 27 Feb. 2017. <http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/16779-How-The-Legend-of-Zelda-Changed-Gaming&gt;.

Hoggins, Tom. “The Legend of Zelda at 30: Birth of a Gaming Great.” The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 27 Feb. 2017. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/what-to-play/the-legend-zelda-at-30-the-history-of-a-gaming-great-part-one/&gt;.

“Living the Good Life? Waste and Wastefulness in Japan of the 1980s.” Stanford Department of History. Stanford University, 08 Dec. 2016. Web. 27 Feb. 2017. <https://history.stanford.edu/events/living-good-life-waste-and-wastefulness-japan-1980s&gt;.

Nintendo Research and Development 4 1986, The Legend of Zelda, video game, NES, Nintendo

Picard, Martin. “The Foundation of Geemu: A Brief History of Early Japanese Video Games.” Game Studies 13.2 (2013): n. pag. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

Plunkett, Luke. “The Real History of the Triforce.” Kotaku. Kotaku.com, 21 July 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2017. <http://kotaku.com/5823249/the-real-history-of-the-triforce&gt;.

Webster, Andrew. “30 Years of Zelda: A Timeline of the Legend so Far.” The Verge. Vox Media, 21 Feb. 2016. Web. 27 Feb. 2017. <http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/21/11063982/zelda-30th-anniversary-nintendo-history-link-smash-bros&gt;.

Street Fighter

Street Fighter (Capcom 1987) is one of the original arcade fighting games. While today there are many fighting games, Street Fighter (Capcom 1987) was one of the first of its kind. It established many of the conventions that we see in fighting games today. It is also a great example of a game that has come a long way in terms of game and series progression. It was initially made by Capcom as a typical arcade game in 1987. However, it soon adapted to other game consoles such as the Playstation, the Xbox, the Wii, and more. The game has done so well that there is even a new one coming out in 2017 called “Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers” (Capcom 2017).

The top of the machine states “Street Fighter” in big letters. The artwork is of Ryu (your character) and then other enemies off in the distance. There are some images of Ryu kicking or punching the other characters as well. Lower on the machine is the screen and then the controls. There is an option for one player and for two player. There is a nob that allows you to control where Ryu moves and then there are controls to decide whether you want Ryu to kick, punch, or act out other various attack moves.

After inserting the coin to play the game, you pick your country, and then you are introduced to your character: Ryu. The first battle is with an opponent named Joe. To fight, you use different variations of punching, kicking, and dodging. the goal is like like any other fighting game -try not to get hit and try to hit the opponent – with the added element of a timer of 100 seconds. The faster that you are able to defeat your opponent, the more points you receive. next round: If you win then you are told that you won, but that there are people like you all over the world. Every time you defeat someone, the same message is displayed. For each opponent, you’re in a different part of the world. For example, in round two you’re in Mount Rushmore, and in another round, you’re in front of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Japan was doing extremely well in the 1980s. There was a significant boom in the economy, so consumers were paying very high prices for whatever they bought. The unemployment rate was very low (4.9%) so more people had money to spend. In terms of culture, Japan’s entertainment industry was becoming more well-defined. Anime and manga became more firmly established in Japanese culture. With this came the establishment of Studio Ghibli which is an extremely well-respected animation studio made by Hayao Miyazaki. There were also other games that started being distributed, such as Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., and more. Nintendo was more firmly established and proved to be much stronger than the American company Atari in the realm of video games. In terms of politics, Japan went through many prime ministers during this time. Some leaders were good and helped the economy to continue booming, while others were scandal-ridden and were exposed for having sex with a geisha. Despite the instability of Japanese leadership during the 80s, this was still thought of a good time for them economically and politically.

Game Archive 2015, Street Fighter, video game, Arcade, Capcom.

 

 

Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat (Midway 1992) is a fantasy-themed fighting game franchise originally developed in 1992.  In the early 1990’s, the Street Fighter (Capcom 1987) franchise was dominating the market.  It’s deep storyline, bright color scheme, and intricate fight sequences were a stark contrast from the games that were already in arcades, starting the transition into a whole new genre of games. In 1992, developers Ed Boon and John Tobias (along with the rest of their team) created Mortal Kombat (Midway 1992) as a both competitor to Street Fighter (Capcom 1987) and a huge new franchise. The franchise, as of the year 2000, had generated $5 billion in revenue, making it “one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time”₁. The first games in the series were known for their “realistic digitized sprites (which differentiated it from its contemporaries’ hand-drawn sprites) and an extensive use of palette swapping to create new characters”.₁ The first game, which serves as the focus of this post, was played in an arcade with a joystick and several buttons, including high punch, low punch, high kick, low kick, and block. Most of the characters were only differentiated by their fighting styles and nothing else. Some styles were based on actual martial arts while others were completely made-up₁.  Additionally, the creators of Mortal Kombat (Midway 1992)and Street Fighter (Capcom 1987), respectively, spent the majority of the early 90’s locked in a rivalry. Much was said by both parties, including claims that MK was “cartoonish” in comparison to SF.  SF’s creators also vehemently stated that there would be no crossover between the franchises₁.

The series takes place in a fictional universe comprised of eighteen “surviving realms”, which were all created by the Elder Gods₂.   The first game in the franchise takes place in Earthrealm, “where seven different warriors with their own reasons for entering participated in the tournament with the eventual prize being the continued freedom of their realm, threatened with a takeover by Outworld. Among the established warriors were Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. With the help of the thunder god Raiden, the Earthrealm warriors were victorious and Liu Kang became the new champion of Mortal Kombat”₂. John Tobias, one of the franchise’s creators, stated that his inspiration for the game came largely from Chinese Mythology and stories about the Shaolin Monks₁. 

The giant, sweeping popularity of the Mortal Kombat (Midway 1992) games, particularly among teenage audiences, led to some concern from both parents and legislators.  The gory, somewhat violent quality and fighting theme of the game (notably it’s use of Fatalities, or finishing moves) led to the fear that MK was corrupting young minds, and would eventually lead to a spike in violent behavior among youth. People felt that the game needed to be regulated. This reaction eventually led to the creation of the ESRB, which would become effective in 1994.  Sega also enacted it’s own rating system which spanned from GA (General audiences) to MA-17 (Mature audiences only)₂.  After all the issues surrounding the game’s content, it ultimately was awarded an MA-13 rating.  So, despite the controversy, Mortal Kombat (Midway 1992) wasn’t even given the harshest rating.

Works Cited

¹“Mortal Kombat.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Feb. 2017. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

²Jasper, Gavin. “The Mortal Kombat Timeline: The Krazy Story Explained.” Den of Geek. N.p., 21 Aug. 2015. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.