Echo Screen #6: Generational Warfare - Who won each console war and why? (Part 1)
Commodore128In this episode of the Echo Screen Roo joins the Commodore in reflecting on the winners of each video game console generation beginning with the NES. How did each assert their dominance and win their console war? To answer this question, Roo applies his grand unified theory of console-game-nomics while the Commodore adds color commentary! Will Roo's theory hold up though the generations? What innovation did the Genesis bring to the party? Did the CD-I really sell more than 500 consoles? Found out as the Clan of the Gray Wolf engages in Generational Warfare!
In this episode:
- (0:00) Intro and memories of our first consoles
- (9:00) The 3rd generation of video games (Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System)
- (19:30) The 4th generation of video games (Super Nintendo, Genesis/MegaDrive)
- (38:30) The 5th generation of video games (Playstation, Nintendo 64)
Look for part two of this podcast, in which we'll talk about the more recent console wars, who won them, and why.
You can download this episode as an mp3 by clicking here.
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hi my name is 30plus i think you guys have missed out on the best console systeme that i think started all this i talking about the Atari my choise is the 2600 i don't think you can get a better systeme back then.
Well, we certainly considered going back at least as far as the "Atari" generation, but the fact is that the industry was really innindated with consoles that were so different from each other that it's hard to even compare them. That as well as the many, many unliscensed and poor games that spread throughout the market muddied the waters even more.
ColecoVision, Atari 2600 and 5200, Intellivision, Commodore systems, Magnavox Oydessey2... you have to admit the gaming industry was a in a bit of a free-for-all, and that makes it difficult to declare a "winner". That's mainly why we decided to start clean with the generation after the Great Video Game Crash of the 1983-1984. That doesn't mean we won't talk about the earlier video game systems in a future podcast, however...
I loved the Earthbound reference as that was an awesome game but one big game or actually two that really defined the 4th generation of VGs for me was Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat. I was surprised that didn't get mentioned.
Commodore and Roo!
I'm a little late to the party here, but wanted to comment as I listened/watched this podcast this afternoon while 'working' and wanted to weigh in. Specifically on something the Commodore posed to the audience about being a solid Nintendo backer and then getting psyched up about the Playstation. Specifically when titles like Final Fantasy VII hit the market.
Totally with you there, for years my best friend and I had delved into the world of 16 bit glory with the legendary game franchises that you guys talked about (Mario, Final Fantasy, Metroid, Donkey Kong, etc). And it was really when the RPGs started landing on the Playstation in full force that the pendulum swung heavily for me. Granted I was there on launch day for both the Nintendo 64 and Playstation with my hard earned dollars as which as a teenager was a HUGE amount of money for me.
When Final Fantasy VII hit though it really was thee game that everyone was talking about. Spanning three discs we actually had two Playstations going at my house at one time with one person on the first disc and another player playing simultaneously on the second disc as it was that big of a release and totally sparked the shift to the next generation in full (or at least in terms of hitting that level of game enjoyment and signature memorable experience).
I too went to Toys R Us to play Mario 64 before it was released and that totally sold me on the launch. As it was like nothing I had ever played before and the controller with the analog stick was seemingly pretty inovative at the time and definitely intrigued myself and my friends.
Seriously enjoying these podcasts and all the material on CotGW! Thanks!
~ Chris
I was thinking about what my first game was... and I really can't remember. I started gaming so early. But I suspect it was either a game on the NES or... the Commodore 64! I still have its monitor in my room, actually.
Innovation was very important for the NES: the invention of the D-Pad? One interesting thing that happened during the NES era were video game magazines that provided reviews, like Nintendo Power. I can't think of any earlier video game magazines that were popular and did that. This can be another way people could know how to buy good games instead of crap.
Was Zelda 2 your favorite game on the NES, Roo?
Golden age for me was NES and PC. Although of course, PC is not really a generation.
The SNES had shoulder buttons as an innovation. Not as big as the D-Pad, but certainly important.
I totaly agree with Roo on this one. The 16-bit era was the golden age of video games. So many classic titles on both the SNES and the Genesis. The 8-bit era was pretty much all Nintendo and it had good games but not near as many during the 16-bit era.
how can you guys forget the joystick design?? Nintendo molded every design that every other console stole. As far as innovation goes. It's subtle, but that's a biggie.
the very first video games I played was in 1995 on an Atari 2600, then the genesis, N64, PC, GBC, XBOX, PS2, XB360