Assignment 1-5 Video Games 1980-Present

Video Games 1980-Present

  Video Games 80's

           Video games were around before the 80's, they just weren't that good or graphically impressive. The first real counsel that started the vast movement was the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). The NES was launched in

the U.S in 1985, taking the video game industry to new heights they never thought was possible. With such games as Mario, Zelda, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bomber Man, Contra, Super Mario Bros. 3, Tetris and Metroid, made the NES a must have for gamers everywhere, marking their stamp on video games for the next 30 years plus.

            The next biggest counsel to hit the market was the Sega Genesis. This was a must have counsel of its time. The Sega Genesis released in the U.S in 1989. The Genesis was the first counsel to be a mega hit in the European and U.S market. The Genesis brought many must have games and characters into the lives of millions; Sonic the Hedge Hog, Mortal Kombat, Earth Worm Jim and the other Sonic games 2 and 3. This was just the beginning of video games.    

Video Games 90's

            The 90's marked the next big wave of gaming. With a new decade came new counsels. In 1993 the Super Nintendo was released. This was a must have counsel of its

time. With such titles as Super Mario world, Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, Super Mario Kart,  Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Super Metroid, Nintendo made its mark once again in gaming history as one of the best gaming counsels ever made.

            Nintendo did it again in 1996 with the release of the Nintendo 64. This is the system that started making video games what they are today with its 3D gaming, not just a 2D one way image. You were able to have Mario in Super Mario 64 run around and jump with a 360 degree view, the first of its kind. Nintendo kept making the hits with Banjo-Kazooie, Bomber Man 64, Mario Tennis, Mario Party, Star Fox 64, Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64 and you cannot forget Golden Eye 007. These titles are still some of the best games to have ever been made.

            Sega released their next big counsel in 1999, the Sega Dreamcast. The Dreamcast had a handful of hit titles; Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, House of the Dead 2 and Soul Caliber. Dreamcast was one of the first systems to bring hit

arcade games into the living room and they were one of the first counsels to hook up online with a phone cord. The big boy hit the market in 1994 in Japan, Sony PlayStation. The PlayStation didn't really dominate until the release of the PS2 in 2000.

        Game 2000-Present

            This next generation of games and counsels are what really defined and changed the gaming industry forever. First is the Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2). The PS2 is still the best-selling counsel of all time, with over 150 million units sold as of 2011. The PS2 was a blockbuster of a counsel which every gamer had to have. In 2001 its competitor was made by Microsoft, The Xbox.

Xbox had a huge success right out of the gate because of one of the greatest gaming franchises ever made, Halo. Halo pumped life into the Xbox and made it a must have system.

            The real war of counsels came with the second generation of the Xbox and PlayStation; The Xbox 360 and PS3. Gamers were now broken into two different groups, the Xbox fan boys and PlayStation fan boys. If you have ever been involved in a conversation of the comparison of the Xbox 360 and PS3, you know it may become a very heated conversation. Both counsels have its hits and reasons why one is better than

the other, that's why they are the hardcore gamers choice in counsels. There is the Wii in all of this, but that was more of a focus for children, yet they do have Mario still.

            Now as of 2013, both Xbox and PlayStation have reveled their next counsels and specs; the Xbox One and the PS4. The battle continues for the dominate counsel. In my opinion, Xbox 360 took round one in the first major battle, in this second round, I'm putting my money on PS4; really, I'm putting my money on the PS4, this is the one I am buying when it releases. I was a huge, huge Xbox fan boy for the last ten years, I think it's time for a change and the PS4 looks like it is going to dominate this round in the counsel wars.