In these features I'm going to talk about my favourite retro games and consoles in the hopes that I can stoke the fire of nostalgia in some of you. I'm going to start with a game system very close to my heart, the Nintendo Game & Watch.
Before the NES, Nintendo released several handheld gaming systems and gaming watches in the 1980's. These mini systems were essentially simple games that operated on a loop. Complete the game, it resets the cycle. As I said, very simple. With each completion of a cycle, the game would generally speed up and get more difficult. These games were a good test of endurance, seeing how times players could beat the loop before failing. Like many games back then the ultimate goal was to beat your top score. It's the sort of game that saw a type of resurgence with the introduction of mobile phone games. Limited controls, simple but addictive gameplay etc.
Aside from 'Super Mario Bros.' in the arcade, my earliest memory of a 'video game' was 'Donkey Kong Game & Watch'. Even though the premise was simple, I'd play it for hours and hours trying to get a higher and higher score. Looking back, I'm sure it did my parents head in with the continues blips and bleeps which was the only audio the game had. Every time I got a chance, I'd be on it. I found it a great tool for car journeys! It's funny, my parents and relatives referred to anything video game related as 'the Nintendo'.
Game & Watch games were extremely popular, selling 14 million units in just their first year. There were 60 games in total, though I was only able to get around 4 or 5. Their RRP at the time was quite expensive. Though you'd be lucky to find it on Ebay now for less than £100.
My main game was 'Donkey Kong' however I also had 'Squish', 'Cement Factory' and 'Mario 3', which was in watch form. The latter was my favorite by far and it was one of the simplest versions of Game & Watch out there.
Whilst the gameplay was simple it was slightly more advanced in that it had a little audio loop. It also, naturally, acted as an actual watch too. So, it was the envy of all my friends, and they all wanted to play it. It was really pretty fiddly as you can see from the Youtube video below, which made human error quite frequent. However, don't underestimate the determination of an 8-year-old! It wasn't enough to deter me, and I'd still play it for ridiculous periods of time. The NES was out at this time, sure there were better consoles and games out there but my parents weren't rich, and I was grateful for what I was given. It wasn't until years later I tasted the power of 8-Bit. That's for another feature!
I feel the success of Game & Watch paved the way for more advanced consoles (for the time) such as Nintendo's own 'Game Boy' and Sega's 'Game Gear'. Mobile gaming is as popular now as it was back then, just look at the 'Switch' and 'Steam Deck'. We have a lot to thank Nintendo for. I've always felt they were the underdogs, particularly when Sony and Microsoft entered the fray. However, they never let their innovation die and as a result they have come up with some of the finest gaming experiences out there. It's interesting to see how and where it all started, from these quirky little games with A and B and a directional pad. We've come so far since but don't ever forget where this all came from.
I hope after reading this you take a nostalgia trip of your own. Tell me, did it dislodge any memories for you? Did you have similar experiences or perhaps were your first gaming memories more recent, or further back than mine? I'd love to hear some of your stories.
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