October 18, 1985: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) released
After the video game crash of the early 1980s, there didn’t seem be much left to salvage. But what may have been perceived as the end was really only the beginning. After finding success in Japan for several months as the Famicom system, the 8-bit NES hit the American market twenty-eight years ago today. And what a system it turned out to be!
While it’s been stated time and again, the NES really did help save the industry from oblivion…eventually. Okay, so it took several years for the industry to really get back on its feet; but in the meantime, those who invested in the NES received a now-classic library of games, including Duck Hunt, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, Metroid, and Castlevania. Nintendo not only revolutionized graphics and gameplay but also made waves in the console-developer relationship. What was initially seen as a passing fad turned into a 10-year, multi-million dollar career, making the NES one of the best selling consoles of all time.
Head to the comments and share with us your favorite NES memories. You first game, your favorite game, we want to hear it all!
Happy birthday to the NES! It’s where it all started for me and it’s the reason I’m still gaming today :)
I bet what you said is true for many of us! The NES, a truly fantastic system, certainly heralded in a new generation of gamers, even more so than Atari had years prior.
We owe so much to that funny-looking grey box…
Funny looking grey box? What funny looking grey box??? I had one that was pretty small and simplistic compared to that one ;)
Man, all this post reminds me is that Atari really had to go make E.T didn’t they :D
Ok in all seriousness, I’d have to say my favorite NES game is Duck Hunt. No, don’t ask how a kid my age (I was either 5 or 6 at the time) managed to play a game with guns xD
It was a time when plastic guns didn’t make everyone go into a tizzy! We were all pretty young then, and my parents didn’t mind us “shooting” ducks — heck, they even joined in sometimes. Duck Hunt definitely had its fun moments.
And yes, E. T. is a memory that we all just have to live with and accept. :)