Changing the Game
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Gaming in 1983 - An Overview, Part I
Arcade
Don Bluth delivered the hit Laserdisc fantasy arcade game Dragon's Lair this year to massive success. Delays would push his second arcade game to next year, but the success of Dragon's Lair was more than enough to hold over his studio. Bluth was not the only one to bring a cinematic experience to the arcade this year, as Atari was given the rights to create an arcade game based on the Star Wars films. The game is a vector-based simulation of Luke Skywalker's attack on the Death Star, and was incredibly successful.
Other notable titles this year include Tapper, a game about serving drinks at a tavern, and Nintendo's Mario Bros., notable for being the first game to feature Mario's brother Luigi.
Atari VCS
The VCS was, simply put, on its way out. Atari was quick to move to the SuperSystem, where they focused on quality control and more technologically advanced games. As a result, the few games released this year were mostly arcade ports, with the most glaring exception being the SwordQuest series. The concept behind the series was a spiritual successor to the 1979 VCS game Adventure, but also serving as a contest split into four games representing earth, fire, water, and air. Each game came with a comic strip that explained the plot to the game and contained clues that would be crucial to solving a major puzzle in the game. If the player puts an item in the correct room, the game reveals where the clues are found in the comic. Those who submitted the right words from the comic to Atari first for each game were dubbed the winners of each game, and would move on to the second phase of the contest. As of 1983, only the contests for Earthworld and Fireworld have been held.
Intellivision
Mattel had received flak for the Intellivision II model released last year. The name implied it to be a successor to the first Intellivision, but in reality it was just a cosmetic redesign. Just like the VCS, the Intellivision series was kept afloat by a plenty of arcade ports.
RCA Studio II
1983 would see the release of the fourth Master Strategy game, Space Monster Invasion. The premise involves one player controlling Earth's defense force while the other player controls a large army of creatures from an unknown planet. Conflicts between the two factions are settled through events on both the board game and the home arcade. Critics say that while it might not hold up to the first three in quality, it was an enjoyable game in its own right. It was a commercial success, but RCA was slowly losing its stronghold on the home arcade industry thanks to stiff competition.
Don Bluth delivered the hit Laserdisc fantasy arcade game Dragon's Lair this year to massive success. Delays would push his second arcade game to next year, but the success of Dragon's Lair was more than enough to hold over his studio. Bluth was not the only one to bring a cinematic experience to the arcade this year, as Atari was given the rights to create an arcade game based on the Star Wars films. The game is a vector-based simulation of Luke Skywalker's attack on the Death Star, and was incredibly successful.
Other notable titles this year include Tapper, a game about serving drinks at a tavern, and Nintendo's Mario Bros., notable for being the first game to feature Mario's brother Luigi.
Atari VCS
The VCS was, simply put, on its way out. Atari was quick to move to the SuperSystem, where they focused on quality control and more technologically advanced games. As a result, the few games released this year were mostly arcade ports, with the most glaring exception being the SwordQuest series. The concept behind the series was a spiritual successor to the 1979 VCS game Adventure, but also serving as a contest split into four games representing earth, fire, water, and air. Each game came with a comic strip that explained the plot to the game and contained clues that would be crucial to solving a major puzzle in the game. If the player puts an item in the correct room, the game reveals where the clues are found in the comic. Those who submitted the right words from the comic to Atari first for each game were dubbed the winners of each game, and would move on to the second phase of the contest. As of 1983, only the contests for Earthworld and Fireworld have been held.
Intellivision
Mattel had received flak for the Intellivision II model released last year. The name implied it to be a successor to the first Intellivision, but in reality it was just a cosmetic redesign. Just like the VCS, the Intellivision series was kept afloat by a plenty of arcade ports.
RCA Studio II
1983 would see the release of the fourth Master Strategy game, Space Monster Invasion. The premise involves one player controlling Earth's defense force while the other player controls a large army of creatures from an unknown planet. Conflicts between the two factions are settled through events on both the board game and the home arcade. Critics say that while it might not hold up to the first three in quality, it was an enjoyable game in its own right. It was a commercial success, but RCA was slowly losing its stronghold on the home arcade industry thanks to stiff competition.
Gaming in 1983 - An Overview, Part II
Atari SuperSystem
Once again, Atari focused on arcade ports as per norm. Games this year include Mario Bros., Pengo, Q*bert, and Pole Position. Movie tie-ins were also available, with a pair of Star Wars games and a game based on E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. The latter game was released in time for the holidays after a year of development, and was considered the SuperSystem's killer app.
ColecoVision
Toe-to-toe with the SuperSystem as the must-have home arcade of 1983, Coleco was no slacker to drive the ColecoVision to the forefront. Hits this year included Donkey Kong Jr., Frenzy, Pepper II, Mr. Do!, Q*bert, B.C.'s Quest for Tires, and SubRoc. Plans for a module that allowed the system to play Atari VCS were quickly shot down by lawyers.
The Japanese Console Wars
Two big names in the arcade machine industry, Nintendo and Sega, wound up releasing two competing home arcades on the same day: the Nintendo Family Computer and the Sega SG-1000. Both firms competed for dominance in the Land of the Rising Sun, with plans for international releases only a few years away.
Once again, Atari focused on arcade ports as per norm. Games this year include Mario Bros., Pengo, Q*bert, and Pole Position. Movie tie-ins were also available, with a pair of Star Wars games and a game based on E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. The latter game was released in time for the holidays after a year of development, and was considered the SuperSystem's killer app.
ColecoVision
Toe-to-toe with the SuperSystem as the must-have home arcade of 1983, Coleco was no slacker to drive the ColecoVision to the forefront. Hits this year included Donkey Kong Jr., Frenzy, Pepper II, Mr. Do!, Q*bert, B.C.'s Quest for Tires, and SubRoc. Plans for a module that allowed the system to play Atari VCS were quickly shot down by lawyers.
The Japanese Console Wars
Two big names in the arcade machine industry, Nintendo and Sega, wound up releasing two competing home arcades on the same day: the Nintendo Family Computer and the Sega SG-1000. Both firms competed for dominance in the Land of the Rising Sun, with plans for international releases only a few years away.
Bomster
Banned
Wait the E.T. game ITTL is actually good? Talk about butterflies...Atari SuperSystem
Once again, Atari focused on arcade ports as per norm. Games this year include Mario Bros., Pengo, Q*bert, and Pole Position. Movie tie-ins were also available, with a pair of Star Wars games and a game based on E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. The latter game was released in time for the holidays after a year of development, and was considered the SuperSystem's killer app.
ColecoVision
Toe-to-toe with the SuperSystem as the must-have home arcade of 1983, Coleco was no slacker to drive the ColecoVision to the forefront. Hits this year included Donkey Kong Jr., Frenzy, Pepper II, Mr. Do!, Q*bert, B.C.'s Quest for Tires, and SubRoc. Plans for a module that allowed the system to play Atari VCS were quickly shot down by lawyers.
The Japanese Console Wars
Two big names in the arcade machine industry, Nintendo and Sega, wound up releasing two competing home arcades on the same day: the Nintendo Family Computer and the Sega SG-1000. Both firms competed for dominance in the Land of the Rising Sun, with plans for international releases only a few years away.
Easy to butterfly, combo of programmer not listening to Spielberg plus no time plus Warner signing the deal to get Spielberg to make movies for them. Simple enough to change heh. @Andrew T and Dirty Laundry did a nice take on it.
Note that this ET game has a year of development instead of six
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Weeks actually, the thing was programeed as fast to be Christmas rushed plus with that exclusive License the game needed a Lot of copies(3+ Even more) to be profitable
Gaming in 1983 - An Overview, Part III: The Computers
Commodore 64
C64 gaming still had a ways to go in terms of entering the mainstream, but the release of Lode Runner for the system helped kickstart the computer's gaming scene. While the ZX Spectrum was dominating Commodore on the European front, Commodore proved strong in North America. Little did they know their British rival had plans for the American front...
Timex Sinclair ZX Spectrum
The partnership between Timex and Sinclair allowed for Sinclair to easily export their products to the other side of the pond. Timex originally had plans to release a modified version of the ZX Spectrum called the TS2068 but Sinclair heavily pushed Timex to just release the Spectrum as-is. Timex Sinclair would end up with a sizable amount of share in the computer market, and in terms of gaming, titles like Manic Miner and Jetpac kicked off its gaming scene.
Compaq 1000/1000X
With the computer business off Atari's back, Compaq entered a conundrum as to how they should continue Atari's line of 8-bit computers. Before selling their computer division, though, Atari did have plans for upgraded versions of the 400 and 800 with less expensive parts. Compaq ended up taking the gamble and went through with making the computers Atari abandoned, only with Compaq's branding instead of Atari's Mt. Fuji. The computers ended up moderate successes by the end of the year,, with computer magazines deeming Compaq a worthy successor to Atari.
Apple Lisa
Apple's 1983 machine wasn't quite as lucky. Upon launch, the Apple Lisa was known more for its poorly designed and overall unreliable floppy disk system then its implementation of a graphical user interface. While Steve Jobs was involved in the product's development, he was kicked out of it early, prompting him to develop a different kind of all-in-one GUI-based computer. The Lisa sold barely enough to keep Apple afloat by the end of the year.
Microsoft announces their GUI
Whereas Apple had been experimenting with GUIs for a few years, Microsoft had been doing so since 1981. In November 1983, however, Microsoft publicly unveiled their work in progress, with the codename changed from "Interface Manager" to "Windows". A full release of the product is to be expected in two years.
C64 gaming still had a ways to go in terms of entering the mainstream, but the release of Lode Runner for the system helped kickstart the computer's gaming scene. While the ZX Spectrum was dominating Commodore on the European front, Commodore proved strong in North America. Little did they know their British rival had plans for the American front...
Timex Sinclair ZX Spectrum
The partnership between Timex and Sinclair allowed for Sinclair to easily export their products to the other side of the pond. Timex originally had plans to release a modified version of the ZX Spectrum called the TS2068 but Sinclair heavily pushed Timex to just release the Spectrum as-is. Timex Sinclair would end up with a sizable amount of share in the computer market, and in terms of gaming, titles like Manic Miner and Jetpac kicked off its gaming scene.
Compaq 1000/1000X
With the computer business off Atari's back, Compaq entered a conundrum as to how they should continue Atari's line of 8-bit computers. Before selling their computer division, though, Atari did have plans for upgraded versions of the 400 and 800 with less expensive parts. Compaq ended up taking the gamble and went through with making the computers Atari abandoned, only with Compaq's branding instead of Atari's Mt. Fuji. The computers ended up moderate successes by the end of the year,, with computer magazines deeming Compaq a worthy successor to Atari.
Apple Lisa
Apple's 1983 machine wasn't quite as lucky. Upon launch, the Apple Lisa was known more for its poorly designed and overall unreliable floppy disk system then its implementation of a graphical user interface. While Steve Jobs was involved in the product's development, he was kicked out of it early, prompting him to develop a different kind of all-in-one GUI-based computer. The Lisa sold barely enough to keep Apple afloat by the end of the year.
Microsoft announces their GUI
Whereas Apple had been experimenting with GUIs for a few years, Microsoft had been doing so since 1981. In November 1983, however, Microsoft publicly unveiled their work in progress, with the codename changed from "Interface Manager" to "Windows". A full release of the product is to be expected in two years.
Yes. ITTL Atari proves more successful to Warner Communications than OTL. Coleco might have to look for a buyer as well, if things go south.
Pretty late reply here, but I do have an idea that maybe Hasbro could buy out Coleco if things go wrong, both expanding their toy department and making them a potential player in the home arcade wars.
Gaming in 1984 - An Overview, Part I
Arcade
Industry analysts predict that the popularity of arcades would wane in favor of home arcades by the end of the decade. Notable titles released this year include Namco's Pac-Land and Gaplus, Capcom's 1942, and Atari's Marble Madness.
Atari VCS
At this point, the SwordQuest competitions are the only things keeping the VCS alive, and the SuperSystem's native backwards compatibility allows them to safely continue. The competition for FireWorld ended with Michael Rideout winning the chalice, and the contest for WaterWorld commenced shortly afterward.
RCA Studio 2
With Space Monster Invasion being the last Master Strategy game to be released on the Studio 2, the home arcade eventually fell behind the competition. Rumors as to there being a Studio 3 are unconfirmed, and Jerry Lawson has expressed interest looking for another job. The Studio 2 did have its fair share of arcade ports.
Intellivision
Since the Intellivision was well-known for its sports games at launch, Mattel founded an in-house development label named "INTV" and released some new sports games to keep the Intellivision and Intellivision II fresh. Just like RCA, rumors about a potential Intellivision III are aplenty.
Industry analysts predict that the popularity of arcades would wane in favor of home arcades by the end of the decade. Notable titles released this year include Namco's Pac-Land and Gaplus, Capcom's 1942, and Atari's Marble Madness.
Atari VCS
At this point, the SwordQuest competitions are the only things keeping the VCS alive, and the SuperSystem's native backwards compatibility allows them to safely continue. The competition for FireWorld ended with Michael Rideout winning the chalice, and the contest for WaterWorld commenced shortly afterward.
RCA Studio 2
With Space Monster Invasion being the last Master Strategy game to be released on the Studio 2, the home arcade eventually fell behind the competition. Rumors as to there being a Studio 3 are unconfirmed, and Jerry Lawson has expressed interest looking for another job. The Studio 2 did have its fair share of arcade ports.
Intellivision
Since the Intellivision was well-known for its sports games at launch, Mattel founded an in-house development label named "INTV" and released some new sports games to keep the Intellivision and Intellivision II fresh. Just like RCA, rumors about a potential Intellivision III are aplenty.
Gaming in 1984 - An Overview, Part II
ColecoVision
Hit after hit made the ColecoVision the hottest home arcade of the holiday season yet again. Games like Jumpman Jr., War Games, Fortune Builder, and Antarctic Adventures - combined with arcade ports aplenty - sold both games and home arcades aplenty, with Coleco looking at a strong, bright future. At least, what seemed like it at the time.
Atari SuperSystem
ColecoVision owners, however, were jealous of the SuperSystem's new killer app, Pitfall II. It wouldn't be until the next year when the hit game eventually made its way to the other home arcades, with the exception of the Commodore 64 port. Other games, such as H.E.R.O. and Rescue on Fractalus proved to be popular enough to keep Atari from surrendering to Coleco.
An update on the Japanese "Home Arcade Wars"
What started off as a seemingly fair competition ended up with Nintendo maintaining a strong lead ahead of Sega, with titles like Duck Hunt and Excitebike proving popular in their homeland. Both companies are currently negotiating potential ways to releases their respective home arcades in North America. Nintendo had approached Atari about importing the Famicom, but Atari declined as they wanted to make their own 8-bit home arcade. Sega was much more desperate about finding a potential American business partner, going so far as to approaching multimedia companies that had never done business with video games before. Analysts believe that both companies should just let their American branches release the home arcades themselves, assuming that there is enough elbow room with Atari, RCA, Mattel, and Coleco already fighting amongst each other.
Hit after hit made the ColecoVision the hottest home arcade of the holiday season yet again. Games like Jumpman Jr., War Games, Fortune Builder, and Antarctic Adventures - combined with arcade ports aplenty - sold both games and home arcades aplenty, with Coleco looking at a strong, bright future. At least, what seemed like it at the time.
Atari SuperSystem
ColecoVision owners, however, were jealous of the SuperSystem's new killer app, Pitfall II. It wouldn't be until the next year when the hit game eventually made its way to the other home arcades, with the exception of the Commodore 64 port. Other games, such as H.E.R.O. and Rescue on Fractalus proved to be popular enough to keep Atari from surrendering to Coleco.
An update on the Japanese "Home Arcade Wars"
What started off as a seemingly fair competition ended up with Nintendo maintaining a strong lead ahead of Sega, with titles like Duck Hunt and Excitebike proving popular in their homeland. Both companies are currently negotiating potential ways to releases their respective home arcades in North America. Nintendo had approached Atari about importing the Famicom, but Atari declined as they wanted to make their own 8-bit home arcade. Sega was much more desperate about finding a potential American business partner, going so far as to approaching multimedia companies that had never done business with video games before. Analysts believe that both companies should just let their American branches release the home arcades themselves, assuming that there is enough elbow room with Atari, RCA, Mattel, and Coleco already fighting amongst each other.
Looks like the fight is getting more intense and as OTL's video game crash taught us, its that there isn't room for enough competitors (this being the big four along with Nintendo and Sega). The question though is who will drop out first?
I'd rather not spill the beans as to who drops out first.
It'll get an update sometime today.
Addendum: Vectrex
The Vectrex was released by General Consumer Electronics in 1982. Upon release, it was praised by many electronics magazines as innovative, but didn't sell many units compared to the other home arcades at the time. GCE would be acquired by Milton Bradley in 1983, and Milton Bradley's marketing appeal would result in a price drop and more widespread availability, driving up Vectrex sales significantly. Milton Bradley was seen by some as the "fifth pillar" alongside RCA, Atari, Mattel, and Coleco, while others saw it as a niche product with a cult following. Bandai released the Vectrex in Japan, but the Famicom and SG-1000 would dwarf it in sales there.
In 1984, Milton Bradley was bought out by Hasbro, which continued to use the MB name on the Vectrex and other board games. By this time, the Vectrex seemed to be growing in popularity, even outselling the Atari VCS, RCA Studio 2, and the Intellivision during the holiday season of 1984. Hasbro continues to support the Vectrex, and a new Vectrex model is currently in the works as of New Year's Day 1985.