NBrid

Console War of Yesteryear

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Written by: klamkilla

Back in the late 80s you pretty much only had one clear cut choice when
it came to gaming, the NES. Sure you could have been on of those isolated
kids on the block that couldn't join in the conversation about how to
beat Ice Man in Mega Man 1 by using the Elec Man pause trick because your
parents bought you the Sega Master System for Christmas by mistake, but
come on who wanted to be that kid am I right?

You see the folks at Nintendo H.Q. over in Japan really didn't need
to pull all nighters scratching their heads and eating rotisserie chicken
while trying to come up with a clever slogan or alluring logo for the
NES because they really had no competition. It was not until the 16 bit
era that the dogs of war were awoken, the gloves came off, and the proverbial
mud was slung.

You see back in what my 18 year old mind likes to refer to as "the
good old days" gaming companies wouldn't pussyfoot around each other.
No, quite the contrary in fact for you see the war for 16 bit supremacy
was an unprecedented battle with both the participants (Nintendo and SEGA
for those not so up to date on their videogame knowledge) holding back
nothing in their attempts to be number one.

It started out quite innocent enough. SEGA, in need of a mascot with
the obvious intent of putting him in every genre of game ever conceived
decided to create the anti Mario. Mario was but a fat, slow, plumber with
absolutely no 'tude and those red overalls didn't exactly scream uber
trendy either. Sonic on the other hand was a sleek speed demon and using
the "blast processing" (I will touch base on this later) power
of the Genesis he zipped through his games at unparalleled velocities.
He was also quite the cocky and impatient little bugger what with the
annoyed look he gave you between vomit inducing fits of speed. Surely
SEGA had captured the gaming worlds attention. However SEGA didn't unleash
their creation until after the SNES launch so many people stuck with Mario.
That is not to say that Sonic did poorly, but Mario was widely considered
the better of the two.

Not wanting to be outdone by the competition, along with the launch
of the SNES came a print and televised ad campaign gloating the wide variety
of colors and sprites the SNES could push at once compared to the paltry
number the Genesis could muster. This is what I remember the ad that sparked
the great war.

What came to follow is avidly remembered by many gamers to this day.
SEGA not wanting their system to seem weak and inferior launched a T.V.
ad which depicted a Genesis and a SNES in a race car type atmosphere.
When the light hit green the SEGA system fueled by it's "blast processing"
destroyed the wimpy SNES which didn't possess said processing. Nintendo
launched a print ad in several major gaming magazines featuring a Genesis
and a SNES back to back with a list of the many numerous features of the
SNES underneath the SNES, underneath the Genesis was some clever line
about how it couldn't stack up to the SNES (it alludes my memory at this
time). SEGA fired back with what is far and wide the most well received
and remembered console slogan: SEGA does what Nintendon't.

Yes the console war was raging but SEGA was not content until it cornered
the portable market as well. This is when SEGA launched its anti Game
boy ads. These usually featured some kid complaining that his Game Boy
had no color until he was struck upon the head with a blunt object like
a frying pan or other such nonsense and the blow to the head made him
delusional and he saw "colors". Another ad depicted a bunch
of kids trading in their "obsolete" Game Boys for the far more
powerful AND colorful Game Gears.

Of course the two companies could bash all they wanted but when it came
to the games it was put up or shut up. Of course each company had their
respected franchises that they flaunted. Nintendo had Mario, Zelda, and
Metroid while SEGA had Sonic, Toejam and Earl, and the Streets of Rage
gang. However the opposing forces would need the help of the big third
party developers to win the war. While Konomi and Capcom pledged support
for the Genesis they usually gave it the less polished version of their
games with the better going to the SNES. A prime example of this is the
Hyperstone Heist game. Electronic Arts on the other hand helped SEGA a
great deal with top notch titles including the Strike series.

The lines were also drawn in genre specific battles as well. Whereas
the Genesis dominated the field in shooters, beat em ups, and sports the
SNES ruled in RPGs (thanks in part to Square), platformers, and racers.

One big factor was Nintendo's stance on blood and gore in games. They
made a decision that still haunts them to this day. They decided that
for the home version of one of the most popular arcade games ever Mortal
Kombat no blood was to make it in the game. This sent an outcry of displeasure
throughout the gaming community and many fans flocked over to the Genesis
and it's DULLARD blood code for all the gory fighting greatness. Even
though Nintendo learned from their mistake and allowed full blood and
guts in the subsequent sequels the damage had been done, Nintendo slapped
themselves with a kid friendly label and in most gamers eyes that is how
they are viewed even now.

Now that I have taken a look back at the battle it is time to declare
a winner. The winner of the great 16-bit war was neither SEGA or Nintendo…
it was the gamers themselves. You see during this time of war it was imperative
that companies released the best possible games to lure consumers to their
side so gaming fans around the globe were treated to top notch title after
top notch title. All of the fighting between SEGA and Nintendo was merely
for our entertainment and fodder for the arguments we had with the kid
down the block over whose copy of NHL 95 was superior. Yes as a result
of this war we got great games like Gunstar Heroes, Final Fantasy 3, Super
Metroid, Phantasy Star 4, Zelda: A Link to the Past, Vectorman, Earthworm
Jim, and countless other classics that still hold their own today.

So as the next great console war approaches us take a few minutes to
flip through an old edition of Game Players, look at some of the ads,
read some reviews, and reminisce about a time when it did not matter which
company could cram the most FMV into a game and loading times were nonexistent.
Think back to a time when your only concern was getting the password to
the next level in whatever game you were playing that wasn't battery backed.
To a time when licensed soundtracks were all the rage, all we got were
MIDI style soundtracks, and we were damn happy with them. Think back to
a time when console commercials actually made it clear that they were
selling GAMING MACHINES! Think back with a deep sadness because you know
those days will never be upon us again…

So what was your favorite part of the great 16-bit console war? I am
anxious to read what everyone thinks. So please drop me a line at klamkilla@nbrid.net
with your thoughts, opinions, and memories. With that I bid you all adieu.