Light gun (NES)

Originally uploaded by TheMeekGeek

A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.

Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target(s) emit light rather than the gun. The first light gun of this type was used on the MIT Whirlwind computer.

The light gun and its descendant, the light pen, are now rarely used as pointing devices due largely to the popularity of the mouse and changes in monitor display technology—conventional light guns only work with CRT monitors.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_gun

PONG (GRANADA)

Originally uploaded by TheMeekGeek

PONG (GRANADA)

Pong is a two-dimensional sports game which simulates table tennis. The player controls an in-game paddle by moving it vertically across the left side of the screen, and can compete against either a computer controlled opponent or another player controlling a second paddle on the opposing side. Players use the paddles to hit a ball back and forth. The aim is for a player to earn more points than the opponent; points are earned when one fails to return the ball to the other.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PONG

The ColecoVision Video Game Console

Originally uploaded by TheMeekGeek

The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries’ second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system’s basic hardware. Released with a catalog of twelve launch titles, with an additional ten games announced for 1982, approximately 125 titles in total were published as ROM cartridges for the system between 1982 and 1984. River West Brands currently owns the ColecoVision brand name.

Coleco licensed Nintendo’s Donkey Kong as the official pack-in cartridge for all ColecoVision consoles, and this version of the game was well received as a near-perfect arcade port, helping to boost the console’s popularity. By Christmas of 1982, Coleco had sold more than 500,000 units,[3][4] in part on the strength of its bundled game.[5] The ColecoVision’s main competitor was the arguably more advanced but less commercially successful Atari 5200.[6][7][8]

The ColecoVision was distributed by CBS Electronics outside of the United States, and was branded the CBS ColecoVision.

Sales quickly passed one million in early 1983,[9] before the video game crash of 1983. By the beginning of 1984, quarterly sales of the ColecoVision had dramatically decreased.[10]

Over the next 18 months, the Coleco company ramped down its video game division, ultimately withdrawing from the video game market by the end of the summer of 1985.[11][12] The ColecoVision was officially discontinued by October 1985.[13] Total sales of the ColecoVision are uncertain but were ultimately in excess of 2 million units, as sales had reached that number by the spring of 1984,[14] while the console continued to sell modestly up until its discontinuation the following year.

In 1986, Bit Corporation produced a ColecoVision clone called the Dina, which was sold in the United States by Telegames as the Telegames Personal Arcade.

The main console unit consists of a 14x8x2 inch rectangular plastic case that houses the motherboard, with a cartridge slot on the right side and connectors for the external power supply and RF jack at the rear. The controllers connect into plugs in a recessed area on the top of the unit.

The design of the controllers is similar to that of Mattel’s Intellivision—the controller is rectangular and consists of a numeric keypad and a set of side buttons. In place of the circular control disc below the keypad, the Coleco controller has a short, 1.5-inch joystick. The keypad is designed to accept a thin plastic overlay that maps the keys for a particular game. Each ColecoVision console shipped with two controllers.

All first-party cartridges and most third-party software titles feature a twelve-second pause before presenting the game select screen. This delay results from an intentional loop in the console’s BIOS to enable on-screen display of the ColecoVision brand. Companies like Parker Brothers, Activision, and Micro Fun bypassed this loop, which necessitated embedding portions of the BIOS outside the delay loop, further reducing storage available to actual game programming.

Technical specifications

* CPU: Zilog Z80A @ 3.58 MHz
* Video processor: Texas Instruments TMS9928A
o 256×192 resolution
o 32 sprites
o 16 colors
* Sound: Texas Instruments SN76489A
o 3 tone generators
o 1 noise generator
* VRAM: 16 KB
* RAM: 8 KB
* Storage: Cartridge: 8/16/24/32 KB

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColecoVision

To the Earth (NES)

Originally uploaded by TheMeekGeek

To the Earth is a light gun shooter for the Nintendo Entertainment System produced by Nintendo. It was released on November 1989 in North America and in Europe on February 23, 1990. It uses the NES Zapper to destroy ships and gain powerups. The game requires quick reflexes and good aiming due to the enemy space crafts being very agile and quite difficult to shoot.

The object of the game is to destroy incoming enemy spacecrafts, bombs, missiles, asteroids, etc. without destroying friendly vessels. Due to the very quick speeds of the enemy ships and asteroids, the game is considered to be one of the most challenging Zapper games for the NES. The shield of the spacecraft players are in command of constantly goes down each time they shoot at an enemy and miss. Players also can use a powerful bomb to destroy everything on screen, as well as a shield-repairing item dropped off by a friendly spacecraft. Game bosses are fought at the end of each level as the player moves through the Solar system. When the player reaches the Earth level, the player must battle and destroy the final boss, who is an alien named Nemesis. The goal is to retrieve vials of medicine and deliver them to the Earth while preventing Nemesis from passing through the planet’s atmosphere.

The level locations of the game in order are Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, and the final level, Earth. There are also several powerups in the game, which includes different shields, energy boosters, comets, and smart bombs. A comet in the game is a barrier which temporarily protects from enemy fire, and a smart bomb appears at the bottom of the screen and destroys all on-screen enemies if shot.

Taken directly from the American release of the game, “It’s 2050. The Ragossians have invaded the earth with a dastardly bacteriological weapon! The human race is facing the danger of extinction. You are on a special mission to bring the antibacterial agent from the Neptune-Terrestrial Allied Force base, ‘Triton’, to the Earth. You must break through the invaders’ cordon. Time is limited! The fate of the earth is in your hands. Save it!”

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_the_Earth

Double Dribble (NES)

Originally uploaded by TheMeekGeek

Double Dribble, known in Japan as Exciting Basket (???????? ??????), was the second basketball arcade game developed and released in 1986 by Konami, following Super Basketball. Much of the game’s popularity came from its animation sequences showing basketball players performing slam dunks, as well as The Star-Spangled Banner theme during attract mode, which was the first arcade game to feature the national anthem. These were uncommon in video games at the time of Double Dribble’s release. While successful in the arcades, the game became and remained popular and remembered when it was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987.

Double Dribble was followed by a sequel titled Double Dribble: The Playoff Edition, which was released in 1994 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. A remake titled Double Dribble Fast Break was released as an online exclusive, which is based mostly on the NES version; however, the animation sequences were ripped from the arcade version.

Gameplay
Screenshot of the arcade version.

Several positions on the court were ‘hot spots,’ high-percentage areas where shots-taken were likely to score points. For example: it is easier to hit a 3-pointer on the bottom right-hand side of the screen. A player could start a 3-point jump shot from the top right or left corner of the court inbounds, and continue the jump out of bounds and even slightly behind the hoop and it would go in nearly every time. Another nearly guaranteed shot is taken with the player standing 3-quarters length of the court away from their goal could go for a running 3-point shot, provided that the shot button was pressed within the other team’s free throw shooting circle. In certain circumstances, the display would break away from the full court action and show a close up of the players either dunking the ball or making a shot. Frequently a player would miss a slam dunk, which is a very high percentage shot. The arcade version was a timed play (much like Star Fire), where after every minute of play, the game was owed a credit if the score was tied or the computer is ahead. However, if the live player was ahead, a “free” minute was earned. Many average players could earn the first free minute, but this became increasingly more difficult to do as making 3-point shots became virtually impossible over the course of gameplay.
[edit] Quirks

Compared to many sports-related Nintendo games of this era, Double Dribble resembled its sport with surprising accuracy. However, there were several quirks in the programming that are noteworthy, if only for their contribution to the overall experience of playing Double Dribble. The game clock, as in most early timed videogames (see also: Tecmo Bowl), was accelerated (far faster than real-time). In the third-quarter, third is abbreviated as “3rt.”

The game was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in September of 1987, which was later released in Japan in disk card format for the Family Computer Disk System under the title of Exciting Basketball. The NES version features 5-on-5 action on a horizontally scrolling court, four different teams (Boston Frogs, New York Eagles, Chicago Ox, L.A. Breakers), three levels of single-play difficulty, and four different choices of quarter lengths. Double Dribble was among the first games to feature cut scenes, which depicted a mid-air player completing a slam dunk, and one of the first to use speech, though in a limited quantity (such as announcing the game title, the game’s beginning jump ball, and some foul calls).”The Star-Spangled Banner” in this version was slightly altered, while it was being played in a cut scene depicting the crowd entering the stadium before the menu pops up. The NES version was ported to the Wii’s Virtual Console in Europe on November 16, 2007, and in North America on November 26, 2007.

In 1990, the game was ported to three home computers: the Commodore 64, the Commodore Amiga and MS-DOS operated PCs.

In 1991, a Game Boy version was released titled Double Dribble 5-on-5.

A Genesis version was released in 1994 titled Double Dribble: Playoff Edition (Hyperdunk in Japan and Europe).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Dribble_%28video_game%29

Caveman Games (NES)

Originally uploaded by TheMeekGeek

Caveman Games is an NES Olympic-style computer game where cavemen participate in athletic events. The events are basically the same as their modern counterparts, except that prehistoric hazards are used as a system of checks and balances in order to prevent the player from becoming overly confident in his ability to play track and field-type video games.

This game was originally offered for computers, during the time of the Commodore 64, under the name Caveman Ug-lympics.

Licensing

G-mode currently owns the intellectual rights to Caveman Games and licenses these games globally.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caveman_Games

Toxic Crusaders (NES)

Originally uploaded by TheMeekGeek

As Toxie, your first order of business is to defend the city of Tromaville from the nefarious Dr. Killemoff and the Radiation Rangers., While running some experiments at the Island City Chemical Plant, Melvin Junko accidentally falls into a vat of Grossolium 90. The highly toxic substance turns Melvin into Toxie, a heinously deformed mutant of superhuman size and strength. After joining his newfound friends Major Disaster, Nozone, Headbanger, and Junkyard in the TOXIC CRUSADERS, Toxie adopts a life of crime fighting. He will not rest until all evil is eliminated.

nesguide.com/games/toxiccrusader/

Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

Originally uploaded by TheMeekGeek

Super Mario Bros. 3 (????????????3?) (also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3) is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and is the fifth game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, in the United States in 1990, and in Europe in 1991. Development was handled by Nintendo’s Research & Development Team 4, led by Shigeru Miyamoto, who directed the game along with Takashi Tezuka.

The game centers on the quest of Mario and Luigi to save the rulers of seven kingdoms from Bowser, the series’ antagonist. The two brothers must travel across eight worlds to restore order to the Mushroom World. It built on the gameplay of previous Mario games by introducing new power-ups that augment character abilities, and established conventions that were carried over to future games in the series.

Prior to its private consumer North American release, game play footage from Super Mario Bros. 3 appeared in the Universal Studios film The Wizard, which helped fuel the game’s anticipation among fans. Upon its release, the game was commercially successful and has since become one of the best-selling video games in the industry. Super Mario Bros. 3 was well received by critics and has been included in numerous lists of top 100 video games. The success of the game resulted in an animated television show based on its elements, and in the game’s re-release on later Nintendo consoles.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros_3

Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt (NES)

Originally uploaded by TheMeekGeek

Super Mario Bros. (?????????????) is a platform video game developed by Nintendo in late 1985 and published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the titular character, Mario, seeks to rescue Princess Toadstool (later renamed Princess Peach) of the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser, king of the Koopas. Mario’s younger brother, Luigi, is playable by the second player in the game’s multiplayer mode, and assumes the same plot role as Mario.

For over two decades, Super Mario Bros. was the best-selling video game of all time, before being outsold by Wii Sports in 2009.[1] Excluding Game Boy Advance and Virtual Console sales, the game has sold 40.241 million copies worldwide. It was largely responsible for the initial success of the Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as ending the two-year slump of video game sales in the United States after the video game crash of 1983. As one of Shigeru Miyamoto’s most influential early successes, it has inspired many clones, sequels, and spin-offs. Its theme music by Koji Kondo is recognized worldwide, even by those who have not played the game, and has been considered a representation for video game music in general.[2]

The game was succeeded by two separate sequels that were produced for different markets: a Japanese sequel which features the same gameplay as the original and a Western sequel that was localized from an originally unrelated game titled Yume K?j?: Doki Doki Panic. In both cases, the games are titled Super Mario Bros. 2, causing both games to be rereleased in different countries with different titles. There also have been many “alternate” versions of the game, such as All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros., which featured personalities from the Japanese radio show of the same name. The success of Super Mario Bros. has caused it to be ported to almost every one of Nintendo’s major gaming consoles, as well as the NEC PC-8801 in the form of Super Mario Bros. Special.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.

* * *

Duck Hunt (???????) is a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game console system in which players use the NES Zapper to shoot ducks on screen for points. The game was developed and published by Nintendo, and was released in 1984 in Japan. The ducks appear one or two at a time, and the player is given three shots to shoot them down.

Duck Hunt was one of the two original pack-in titles for the first release of the game system. The game was not initially reviewed often, but given mediocre critical praise and positive gamer reaction. Prior to the NES version, Nintendo also made a Duck Hunt game based on Laser Clay Shooting System released in 1976.

In Duck Hunt, players utilize the Nintendo Zapper Light Gun that must be plugged into their NES consoles, and attempt to shoot down either ducks or clay pigeons in mid-flight. Duck Hunt was also released as an arcade game in 1984,[5] as Vs. Duck Hunt, and is included in the PlayChoice-10 arcade console.[6]

The game has three modes: one and two-duck variations on the above formula, and a third mode called “clay pigeon shooting”. The clay pigeons are much smaller sprites than the ducks, and, in later rounds, require faster reaction time to shoot down than in comparably numbered duck modes. In Vs. Duck Hunt, Clay Shooting mode appears as the second round with the first round being the two duck variation (the arcade version never had one duck).

Throughout the game, the player is accompanied by a nameless dog. Before every level, the dog sniffs around a grassy area, then jumps into it barking excitedly when he smells ducks. After that, he either does one of two things for a player: retrieves the ducks a player shoots and congratulates them, or laughs at them for missing (as well as for failing to advance to a higher level). Since then, the nameless dog has passed into video gaming folklore. The dog has become so infamous for his laugh that ScrewAttack rated him first in their “Top 10 Douchebags” list.[7]

According to urban legend, the dog can be shot. While correct, it cannot be done on the NES Duck Hunt.[8] During bonus stages in Vs. Duck Hunt the dog jumps out from the grass as a distraction to the player as they try to shoot ducks, thus putting himself in the line of fire and enabling a player to inadvertently shoot him. If the dog is shot, his carefree and happy expression becomes angry and glaring, and his entire face becomes covered in black. The bonus round ends at this point, with the dog hobbling back onto the screen on a broken leg with crutches. He glares at the player and barks angrily, saying “Ouch! Shoot the ducks, not me!”

Several unofficial remakes of Duck Hunt have been released which enable the player to shoot the dog. The nameless dog makes a cameo appearance in the NES game Barker Bill’s Trick Shooting (another Zapper game) and he can be shot.

While Duck Hunt does not have a traditional multiplayer mode, the manual states that a second player may plug in a standard NES controller in the other controller port and control the duck that appears. This option was only possible in the one duck mode, and could not be done with the clay pigeons.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Hunt