will be watching .....feels old ... the 1st system i bought with my own money was the 7800 then a few months later i bought an NES with my X-mas cash born 1970 with 2 older brothers grew up seeing the local pinball/pool halls turn into videogame arcades by the late 70s saw new arcade cabinets pop up in every small shop that had a spot, after Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Asteroids took over the world (bought the Pac-Man fever LP as a kid) have often thought that if i had every .25 that i pumped into those machines as a kid back...i could be retired by now brothers had early pong systems then the 2600's and a bunch of games as well as some of the 1st home pcs... Texas Instruments TI-99
I'm addicted to your videos man, they are VERY interesting. I had no idea there was that much drama and luck throughout the history of video game consoles. Keep these up, seriously!
+AdamKoralik Adam, you got one major detail wrong. The dpad premiered BEFORE the NES. It was on the Game and Watch handhelds which far pre-dated the NES. As a VG Historian buff this really irks me lol. The Video Game Years got it right, so maybe do a bit more research next time. Excellent video otherwise.
I was an adolescent gamer during the 3rd gen and I ended up gaming on a Commodore 64 in lieu of any 3rd gen console.... but I distinctly remember my buddy’s older brother had the NES- and I was impressed by RC Pro Am, a game that my c64 simply could not match
That’s interesting because I found the C64’s capabilities amazing coming from an NES perspective. Guess the games are always greener on the other side? 😅
i really like watching your videos and im too a 3rd generation gamer born in December of 1985 and i too grew up playing the Sega Master system and Mega Drive console as a kid growing up in Melbourne Australia. Sega & Sony fan throughout 👍👍 Keep it coming with the videos. Top stuff.
I agree 100%, it was a special time...EVERYTHING was awesome... We saw Pre/Post Internet, Pre/Post Cellphones, Pre/Post HD, Pre/Post great cartoons & kids programming, and the awesome video game era of the early to mid 90's. I miss all of it.
It's funny, the 2600 era was the wild west but the NES library ended up as a dumping ground despite Nintendo's attempt to impose standards (or rather because their standards really had nothing to do with quality control). As much as the NES saved console gaming (and it did) the SNES did the same thing all over again because if it had gone on a bit longer, poor consumer confidence would've killed the market. Instead we got a fresh console with a strong launch library (something we haven't been getting lately, sad to say). Something about the 2nd gen crash that a lot of people don't mention. It had all the problems that people talk about but it was also falling further and further behind the arcade in quality. The consoles simply weren't up to running arcade quality games. People think the market crashed and the home console market did crash... The arcades went on drinking quarters without missing a beat. Because you can make a machine to run one game and have higher quality graphics than if you try to run a lot of games on a machine that was built a couple years previously. Another thing that was added to console gaming in the 3rd gen: True game saving. It blew my mind as a kid that I could play Zelda for awhile, shut it off and pick up the game the next day. Without losing anything. That's a little something that a person who started with 3rd gen probably took for granted from the start (and why wouldn't they?) As far as the 2nd gen not being aimed at kids... I dunno man, as somebody who was a kid during 2600 days I just don't see that. The 2600 was a huge want for kids, carts were sold in the toy department of stores. The arcades (where a lot of ppl in those days first played video games) were filled with kids lined up at Centipede and Ms. Pac Man. It was the desire to bring the arcade into your house that created the game console, so they've always been very much a kid's thing. If they seemed to market it to adults, that's probably because they knew they already had kids by the short hairs (not that we had short hairs).
+Matthew Graey Right on. I remember my mom taking me to Toy Chest (RIP) and buying me a copy of Donkey Kong for the Atari 2600 for getting a good test grade. This was a couple years before the NES came out. I remember the shelves had cards with the cover of the games on them, and you took the card up to the counter and they gave you the game.
I think the technical gap between the Colecovision and the NES wasn't really that big... but maybe the Colecovision needs to be seen as a 3rd-gen machine that landed a little too early.
(Having lived through those Wild West 2nd-gen days, it really seemed to me more like a series of sub-generations. You could roughly divide it into gen 2.1 which was the earliest cartridge machines like the Fairchild Channel F, Atari 2600, RCA Studio 2; gen 2.2 would be the Intellivision and Odyssey^2; gen 2.3 would be maybe the Atari 5200, Arcadia 2001, Colecovision, Vectrex.)
I really like your in depth videos, and you have very good knowledge of earlier video game consoles. I was born in 1970, and have been playing video games since arcade games first came out. One of my favorite memories was the first time I went into an "arcade" near my house.and played Space Invaders. Just all of the dozens of games' audio all at once was very mezmerizing, and when I finally was able to buy an Atari VCS was absolutely an incredible experience. I was probably 10 or 11 years old, and saved my paper route money for over a year to finally be able to buy it. My friends and I all loaned each other games. Thanks for the great videos.
Im 32 years old and one cool thing the nes helped me back in 89 besides by also learning in school when i was 6 my older brother bought ninja gaiden and i kinda learned how to read during the games cut scenes
I have been watching your recap series over and over again and switching episodes and rewatching each one I have been watching on and off for years I really appreciate your work 👍
Born in 84. my consoles: G3- Nes G4- Mega Drive G5- Playstation G6- Playstation 2 G7- Wii & Xbox 360 G8- Playstation 4 Keep making these good vids Adam.
+Steve Hutch born in 80. my consoles: nes snes with super gameboy gc with gameboy player wii ps ps2 ps3 ps tv 360 sega cdx saturn retron 5 with sega powerbase converter my portables: gb gba dsl 2ds psp 2000 and 3000 psp go
'83 here... NES SNES PS1 PS2 Xbox Xbox 360 (Some drug years where I had no consoles) PS4 I still have memories of Mario 3 coming out. I went to a friends house who had just bought the game. I asked if I could join him and play the game. He laughed in my face and slammed the door... Some friend huh 😜 When Mario 2 came out and I finally got a chance to play it I never thought, "Hey this is not a Mario game". I just thought, "Cool, something different and you can play as other characters? WOW". But I would never argue about what gen was better, gaming is such a personal thing. The main difference I see today between the modern and old school is that most of my generation played alone or with a couple of friends during a sleepover. It was just you and the game, today it's more social. Today it seems a lot more mainstream... For better or worse.
Do any of you remember Jolt Cola? Getting a two liter bottle and a bag of chips was my gaming fuel! Things just seemed simpler back then. Oh but look at me ramble on about the old days, just like an old timer... 🎮
I was born in 75, so video games were always around, but I mostly only got to play the *new* systems when I would visit my friends. We had a "pong" machine that we got in the early 80s, but I didn't get a real console until I got my Genesis in the early 90s. By that point, I had a lot of experience with the NES, but my best friend had a Master System and I was just blown away by "Space Harrier" with the scaling, and of course I played "Out Run" in the arcade. So, nobody talks about this too much, but honestly Sega's early edge to me was from their racing titles (Road Rash was *big* with me and my friends). This was a few years before "Sonic" was released, but if you combine that scaling and fast pace with a side scrolling platform, you've got the formula for the famous Hedgehog. Hardware capability, of course, wasn't everything -- I had a rich friend who had a Neo Geo, which was just amazing, but the price point on the games and the fact that I couldn't really trade/borrow games from anybody else made that a not really sensible choice. I bought a Master System Power Base Converter for the Genesis, because I bought it early enough in the run that there weren't many games yet. But the only Master System game I actually owned was "Reggie Jackson Baseball." Far, far superior to any kind of sports title on Nintendo. The range of games that Sega offered was unbeatable. But I can see how, for slightly younger gamers born in the 1980s, the Nintendo was still offering that more kid-oriented focus.
These recap videos are how I found your channel back in July and been subbed since. Its nice to see its back and with the 3rd gen. My first memory of ever playing a game was the first Zelda on the NES before going to preschool and I'll never forget it lol. BTW nice shirt, I also remember watching terminator but mostly Judgement Day a lot back then lol nice nostalgia trigger Adam.
Great work as usual, Adam. I'm 37 years old, and while my first real exposure to gaming came in arcades and at home with my 2600, it was this third generation, and the NES in particular, that really turned me into the gamer I am today. Your analysis of Nintendo and the way they treated their games as something special, and not as a disposable way to make a quick buck, was spot on. These were the first games that felt like real, living, breathing adventures. There's no way to describe what it was like to put that gold Legend of Zelda cartridge in my NES, fire it up, and realize I could go anywhere, do anything, and that I had to somehow make my way through that world. Stuff like Super Mario Bros., Metroid, Dragon Warrior, Contra...they changed who I was as a person. And I'm grateful for it. This is the most important generation of consoles in gaming history, IMO. Looking forward to the rest of the videos.
Awesome! I really enjoy the hell out of these generational videos you've been putting out. By the way, I found your channel thanks to Sega CD Universe aka Vampire Mike. Hell of a guy.
Thats a great series. I love it. I still learn a lot. I totally on your page with the generation question. I'm 35. Istarted Internet use on a regular basis when I was 18 (Europe was a little slow). Nintendo (and to a lesser degree Sega) was my only digital experiance for a long time. I really get sentimental when I think about the NES. Thanks for this awesome look at gaming history.
Adam!! I really think you knocked it out of the park with this video. me being a 37 year old gamer my first system was a ColecoVision. I can tell you everything you said was very much on point. great job man, keep em coming!!
Good recap, Adam. Enjoyed the Disney analogy. I was born in 78. First game I remember was Pac-Man on Atari 2600 at age 5. Then NES was what really got me addicted to gaming around '87 I think was when we finally got one. Neighbors had it before we did. Loved going over to their place and playing Super Mario Bros.
Worth saying, the GX4000 and the related Amstrad Plus range were released in Europe, it was extensive in France in particular. I focus a lot on this system on my channel.
Great recap! I was born in late 1985 and grew up first hand on the NES...then Atari 2600, SNES, N64, Saturn, Genesis, PSX, etc. Being 30 years old I only knew of the NES at the time and had a ton of fun with my siblings and friends. I remember seeing ads in certain gaming magazines slamming the NES toward their crappy game on another system but looking back they never succeeded in the long run. Oddly enough though I bought a Sega Master System and many games back in 2008 wanting to see what competition we had at the time. With that saw a system that was like a Game Gear that hooked up to my tv. The year later I invested in an Atari 7800 seeing how it played 2600 games along with new to me games that I missed in translation. Most kids won't understand what gaming was then compared to now in either case as a result of the technology at the time and the progressions over the years. It still boggles my mind that 15-20 years ago we were playing 16 bit games compared to the HD creations now.
Awesome video! Glad to see you covering this generation. Although it is a different category I would point out that Nintendo, Sega and Atari did compete one other time in the portable market. Gameboy, Gamegear, and Lynx. I look forward to individual videos!!
I can't even remember a time when video games weren't a part of my life. In the early/mid 80's I remember playing the Coleco Vision in my parents bedroom. It's been one hell of a ride and I enjoy these videos to learn stuff I might have missed out on during those years.
I've been waiting for this, and the first video certainly did not disappoint. I'm not that much older than you (born in '85) so I view this generation the same way you do, and I agree with everything you said. The NES was my first console and I played the crap out of it for about 3 years until 1993 when I finally got an SNES. I absolutely define myself as a gamer by the NES no matter what anyone says about needing to be around 33 to have experienced the NES. Plus it was great because a lot of the NES games were super cheap by 1990 when I got an NES for my 5th birthday, and I got a couple games a month that were all new and exciting to me no matter how old they were by 1993. Thanks for doing this series.
This is such an awesome series that you do man. This "series" (saw the 6th gen one first) thing is what hooked me on this channel, and certainly keep me coming back, along with the Keep Dreaming content. On another note, can we just talk about how cool the Master System looks?! It's so late 70's Star Wars looking. For me the NES defined my youth, and secured my love for the hobby through out my childhood, teens, early adult and now "adult" eras.
I love your Generation Recaps. I love hearing your stories and views. I've been wanting to do that for quite some time, since I believe I have a unique view of the generations...and I believe i'll go over the generations and talk about my experiences with them. I hope everyone else does as well!
I'm from New Zealand. I've seen a few SG1000s for sale here, very respectable prices as a standalone item. They were released under license by a company called Grandstand, who dabbled in a variety of consumer electronics. We also had the Sega SC3000 personal computer.
I'm in the same age bracket as you and I remember getting my NES, the funny thing is that a lot of people 25+ loved playing it, in fact I got it from a guy in his 30s as he wanetd the soon to be released SNES. I genuinely believe older people loved the NES and bought it. The reason I think that is because games where now at level where they could get into it. Gen 1-2 where incredibly basic/simple and perhaps too much for people of that age. In fact my nan had her own NES(it was in her room I had to ask to get at it), she loved dig-dug, Castelian and doctor mario.
I really have to say, it warms my heart that you did throw in a cameo of the VTech Socrates. Technically, my parents' 2600 was the very first video game system I ever had the chance to play, but Socrates was the first system that I could really call my own. I've spent heaven only knows how many hours on that thing throughout the years. It's the primary reason I have such a fondness for robots, and Socrates was just so darn cute! I'm also happy to say that, over twenty years later, it's still in perfect running order. I feel like a little kid every time I boot it up. It does takes a boat load of batteries, though, six D's for the main unit and four AA's for the controller. It did have an AC adapter, but it's long since vanished.
I was born in 82 and i remember when my mom bought an nes. we played that heck out of that thing. she also bought the top loader when it came out. lots of memories.
Thanks so much for your videos overall & the recap series, too! I have greatly enjoyed them over the weeks & months since discovering your channel. Of particular interest were your UK trip videos & the various generation recaps. The cleaning/repair videos were also quite helpful. I have wondered for a long while whether you were going to do a 3rd-gen recap. I am thrilled that you actually did one. This is where gaming benan for me, with the NES that I received & (still have) for Xmas in 1991. I appreciate this generation, including the computer games like C64 & Amiga (well Amiga came out in 1985 but probably belongs in the 4th-gen when it comes to games), more now than any prior decade. The primitive 8-bit graphics & sound that make up so many games from the 3rd-gen & related handheld & arcade hardware now are dear to many of us gamers. Companies really did a lot of ad-hoc work on trying to get functional games that were cohesive once again following the arcades crash in the middle 1980s. Many, many franchises that are household names began here & still live on. It is likely online gaming that made as big an impact on gaming in more recent times as this generation did back then. The 3rd gen was where games transitioned from being an arcade experience to a home experience.
I'd never have found your channel if you hadn't done these generation recap videos. Super love watching these videos, I think I've seen them all at least twice at this point. I'm re-watching them to comment because I watched them on my Wii U when you did them. Apologies in advance for the comment spam.
Interesting videos. I am a similar age to you (slightly older). By the time I was old enough to have a console, that master system was the latest thing. My mum wouldn't get me it. This was because it lacked a keyboard for educational purposes. 1990 I got an Atari ST. Christmas 1992 she gave in and just bought me a Sega Megadrive. It was either going to be the megadrive or the cheaper master system II (I asked for either, whatever I was allowed). I remember looking through the wrapping paper on Christmas eve and seeing the Megadrive pattern. My Atari ST will always be my favourite.
I remember the ads in comic books where they would have a picture of the game and how it was ported on different consoles. Now that I look at it, the ads aimed at us in the early 80's were quite crude, laughable even. Can't believe I;m still gaming through all of this lol!! Thanks for the memories Adam!!
Although im no where near 30, for some reason i feel like i understand your point. I grew up playing NES/SNES in the mid 90s. i was born in the early 90s. Although im 23, i did get to see a huge change in the gaming scene. For example when i saw 3D polygon games on the N64 and the play station i was blown away. But i agree that people who grew up in the 80s probably got to experience the whole evolution of gaming. I feel like the people born in the mid 90s were the last group of people to ever experience some sort of sense of seeing the evolution of gaming. Back then every generation of gaming had a drastic change, now a days its not like that. Thanks for making these videos.
man, I agree with the age thing. This was a very thought provoking video. I remember seeing an NES for the first time. my sister wouldn't let me play it much and I sucked at super Mario Brothers but that D pad was so intuitive the first time I used it :) thanks for making me remember some roots! we 86 kids are lucky indeed
A very good episode Adam. Nicely put into words. I'm a bit older than you but I remember when (decent) game intros and digitised voice was a big thing in gaming!! We grew up in the best gaming days for sure. I still remember seeing Super Mario World in a mag at school, before it launched, and I was in awe of all those rich colours on screen! oh those days!! Kudos on Sega with the RGB..shame they dealt the UK with shitty 50Hz! :)
Great video man I'm the same age as you and have the same memories of things progressing, and not just progressing but advancing in absolutely phenomenal leaps and bounds in a way that is just physically impossible to do any longer. You can only go from playing Super Mario in 2D to, let's say, Quake I in full 3D with a graphics card, one time. Can't do it again. And there is really no modern equivalent to that. Or take going from the Super Nintendo to the Playstation 1 for example. That was mindblowing, and the graphics of the N64? Incredible. I even played Goldeneye 007 before it was released in the development studio in Twycross, England, with the son of the developer (Joe Stamper) and got a little badge for my troubles. And playing Double Dragon with my school buddies on a, I believe it was a Master System, fantastic. Or Duck Hunt, or one of the Sega lightgun games (that huge plastic infrared rifle, how ridiculous) or the amazing graphics of Ecco the Dolphin, or getting on the internet for the very first time with an AOL disc or even Prodigy Internet or one of the other long-dead providers on a 14k modem. There were barely any adverts on the internet, that's how new it was, and even if they wanted to bandwidth was so precious you couldn't just shotgun adverts into people's faces a million times a second like they do nowadays. Playing Tomb Raider 1 and Wipeout 2097 for the first time after reading the magazine reviews. So just to add to your comments AdamKoralik, I would summarise our generation as being the first generation of what you could call "modern" gamers, modern in the sense that even young kids nowadays would recognise the formatting of the art form. The consoles, the reviews, multiplayer, the culture. Once you start going further back than the mid 1980's it starts becoming crazier and crazier, consoles made out of fuckin' mahogany dude, the Colecovision, consoles that rusted if you didn't take care of them. And that's part of what I mean when I talk about gamer culture that is recognisable and comprehensible to even new eyes in 2016. Amazing times, never to be repeated.
Nice video, looking forward to the other game console generation video you posted. One thig you should note is that any company could clone the Atari 2600 because there were no proprietary hardware components in the 2600, it was made from off the shelf parts that anyone could buy. A better example of the Atari 2600 is the Coleco Gemini console, the only difference on the Coleco Gemini console is the cartridge slot was rotated 180 degrees so the label on the Atari 2600 cartridge face the rear of the console.
The sega master system is my favourite system from this generation of consoles. The amstrad did have a limited release in Canada but I only knew one or two people in Toronto that had one.
So cool! I actually think it would be cool to hear your thoughts on the 2nd generation even though you didn't experience it in the moment if that's something you wanted to do. I'm 27 myself and have really developed an interest in it over the years, and I have the atari VCS and intellevision and a healthy number of quality games. You can really come to learn a lot by playing and researching, and you certainly seem like a competent researcher after the other retrospectives.
Oh, i love this series! I 19, and I really like watch and read about the history of the video games, and your recaps are one of the bests. And I think would be cool if you talk about the relation between Sega and Brazil, it's somewhat interesting, Sega was really important for the video game market here, and the official representative of Sega here did some pretty nice things, like the 8-bit port of MK3 or a lot of different versions of the consoles, and i believe they still producing both the Master System and the Mega Drive untill today, with the autorization from Sega. Anyway, continue with the great work, Sir. Greetings.
Great video man! Really enjoyed it! The Amstrad GX4000 was actually my 1st gaming console. I got it in 1991 and only had the pack in game for it. It was replaced a few months later on my 7th birthday with the NES Action Set! I'm so happy that I grew up in the 80's and 90's and got to experience all these systems in the hay day :) Looking forward to seeing the next episode! Cheers
Born in 1985, and got to see gaming evolve over the years and lean to appreciate what we have now. still love old School gaming because as you said, we got to experience a it as it was happening.
Like yourself my first video game memories were made on the NES. Born in '86 also. And then going into the 4th generation of consoles I actually had a Sega Genises before a Super NES. I never played the Master System. I wish I had.
As a kid, I grew up with the handhelds. GameBoy, than Colour, than Advanced, Advanced SP, etc. I've had almost every Nintendo handheld. I even had a GameGear. The only console I remember playing was a Genesis. Sonic 2, Mean Bean Machine and X-Men are the only games I can remember.
Akaji Blubb I have consoles now that I'm older and buying my own things. lol Pokemon Red is my earliest gaming memory and most likely my first game ever.
Hi #AdamKoralik.I'm european and I'm a lot older than you. I've had my first gaming computer when I had 6 years old, it was a ZX Spectrum, and that stuff was sold as a kids computer. I've played games like Chuckie Egg and Manic Miner with my school friends. With this I'm saying that gaming was already marketed mainly for kids and that there was already a gaming movida, and also that we played not using consoles but computers, they were open to use for a lot of other purposes and we could program ourselves. In my home town there were a lot of commercial places where we could go to copy games, piracy was the rule. Machines like Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad were marketed for kids.During early 90s, PC gaming was the "mature market" and console gaming appeared directed for kids, it was your generation arriving. During that period I got a Commodore Amiga (1991 maybe) and, as an example of those times, I was able to make a Kick Off (a football game of those days) Tournment on which 32 friends and friends of friends participate. We were a lot and active, but we were on PC and Amiga gaming. Playstation One was the first console that brought young adults to console gaming, with adult themed games, similar to those on computers.I understand what you mean when you say that Nintendo focus on kids, that's true, and it was a double edge knife for them. Their first image around here was that of a little kids machine, with no violence, with no blood, a secure console that parents could give to their children. A boy with more than 7 yo would never say that he had a Nintendo and dreamed on having a PC to play Mortal Kombat and Larry Suit. That little kids image that Nintendo got was later replaced by a family system image (Wii). That's why they are having problems to sell WiiU, it's a console that isn't for kids neither for families, they want to fight in the grow ups league against Sony and Microsoft.
I was born in '83 and the Nintendo was my first console. I have great memories of that time in my life and with help from my mom beat many a game. Then we got the SNES and we loved it! So many titles that still exist today got their start on the SNES, but most people know that. We stayed with the SNES until the PS1, that's how long it held my attention. Honestly I think anyone's first console will be their greatest memories of gaming. I love gaming as a whole and while I would never consider my generation the best there is no denying that we lived through a "revolution" with this technology. Great video man! In my opinion you are unbiased and tell the whole story, I think that's great. I will admit that I would play Zombies Ate My Neighbors before any FPS, but again that doesn't mean one is better than the other. 😎
I am 32 an one of the main benefits I think I gained from being born when I was an starting to game when I did would be the controllers. What I mean by this is the NES started me with a simple button layout and as newer consoles came out with more buttons an harder button combinations. I feel I an people like me who developed our skills in parallel with the games them selves coming out generation to generation had an advantage in understanding what to expect to do in terms of button pressing.I hope this makes sense I could not think of a better way to put in in text.
+Kristopher B I am your age and I definitely disagree. Controllers got more advanced, but they also became sloppier and less precise (except on the PC for games that can utilize the mouse). A thumb stick is too small; you either get speed or you get precision; with a D-pad or a mouse you get both. The games became easier because they had to run at 30 FPS, unlike the solid 60 FPS on the NES, and they had more memory to fit more content and they had to have mass-market appeal to recoup balooning development costs. Skill as a primary motivator for continuing to play was unceremoniously dropped along with game overs and high scores for xp-grind skinner boxes and "cinematic" games. The reason they had to run at 30 FPS is marketing. Sprite based hardware drew the hardware sprites (i.e. most of them) when the beam went by; there was no advantage to slowing down the frame rate. If there were too many sprites on the same scan line you had to turn one off. This was a mistake and was always ugly; if this happened some games and systems would slow down, drawing the same frame again, but with different sprites lit to not penalize the player with flicker sprites. This chasing of the electron beam gave spectacularly low latency and amazingly precise controls. You easily need > 120 FPS on a modern display and double buffering to equal the feel of sprite-based hardware on a CRT. What was lost going from SNES to N64 was huge. On the N64 and PS1; you couldn't see more than 30 FPS on a standard television broadcast or on a screenshot. Marketingwise it was a huge advantage if to make the game look significantly better by spending twice as much time on each frame. Even if this played far worse, it became the norm, just like 24 FPS cinema became the norm; not because it was good, but because it was the minimum that could sync up audio to the movie when "the talkies" took over from silent film. It's a mininum requirement for anything approaching playable, but far, far less than optimal.
I'll have to read the bulk of that later but I think you misunderstood me games went from holding right and pressing a holding a button in and pressing one other button too much more complex but in combinations I meant by taking it step by step in developing yourself alongside the consoles an new controllers coming out being developed you have a better understanding of the world of gaming because as new technology came out you hone your skills alongside the new technology already being a master the previous generation being able to add on to that in the way that the game developers at it on there's not much more for you to learn compared to somebody who hasn't played anything
+Kristopher B well I agree with you about the controllers and how we were able to grow our skills along with the consoles. I had Silver Surfer but no turbo controllers... My thumb still hurts from games like that and it is painful to play games where I have to press a button repeatedly, like running in GTA for example. 20+ years on gaming, wow has it really been that long?
Amstrad is the company name, they were run and owned by Sir Alan Sugar who is the host of the UK version of "The Apprentice". I never knew they did a console & I live in the UK. Lol
Not born in this generation, was born just before the Super Famicom came out in Japan, so very much a 4th generation baby. Being English probably explains my experiences. I have vague memories of playing my Dad's Commodore 64 as a young child (those tapes took ages to load). He also had an NES which he sold to my uncle(before I was old enough to play games), and I never really experienced a Nintendo Console until the Gamecube (excluding the handhelds). Though most of my memories of this generation come from my best friend having a Master System, and we'd usually play on that when I was round there because it was a novelty for someone with a Megadrive to see Sonic games on another system. I've probably come to play more NES games over the years, but I would say quality wise the Master System wins out for me.
I was born in 86 too and guess what the first game console I saw the nes. My brother owned one and I still think for how old it is it's one one of the best consoles ever made in history
I actually HAD a VTech Socrates but by grandpa sold it in a yard sale before he moved to Illinois. I was and still am so sad that I don't have it anymore.
I remember being unimpressed with video games until I saw "Batman" on the Genesis. Then I wanted one of my own (and my dad ended up playing it more than I did, his favorite was "Sonic Spinball"). Later I watched over the shoulder someone playing "Metroid: Fusion" and that was it. I've had a game console since about midway through the GB:A's lifespan.
Great video! I was in high school at that time and we did most of our gaming in the arcades. When the NES came out I absolutely hated the D-pad controllers (I know that's sacrilege to NES kids, but...) . It wasn't until the N64 that I really enjoyed console gaming again. I find it strange that I can't find a good joystick substitute for my NES or SNES. I know I'm not the only one who's glad that D pads are reduced to menu navigation these days. Looking forward to the rest of the videos!
+thewickedbill Not sure about the SNES but the Nintendo had the NES Advantage-- it was a joystick controller that was laid out a bit more like an arcade pad, plus included turbo options. Growing up my friend had it and almost used it exclusively over the regular controller.
+Motorheadache95 I have an Advantage controller and still prefer it over the regular controller today. Having turbo and slowmo was a big advantage on some NES games.
+Motorheadache95 I have the Advantage which works great for arcade style games, but not as much for Nes side scrollers. But still better than the d-pad. :)
i was born on a the year famicom came out 1983, so i got experience gaming on how it grew to what it is today, 27 years of gaming from nes to ps4, i was the lucky guys who have a dad who introduced me to gaming.
Adam good to know you are also a late 80s kids. I grew up playing with a Dendy, that is a Russian pirated Nes game console, it was made with original Nintendo hardware, produced by a Korean company and sold in Russia. So i grew up playing pal and NTSC releases. I really enjoyed everything you said and I really get your point about the internet, back than we had to solve our problems with the games our-self by playing our limited Libraries until we passed every lvl. Games were so expensive that i had to beg my parents for a very long amount of time to get at lest one game to play in a year and if you made a wrong choice this game was played until it was finished.
Thanks for this video! So many facts I never knew about or never mentioned like that was the first generation with d pads (thank god for this improvement) or that this was the only one generation Nintendo, Sega and Atari were in direct competition and ruled the market. The Sega Master System 2 was my first console and I loved it so much. Sad about Sega is out of console business and sad about the 2021 released new Atari console is very disappointing.
In Germany by the way. And here you found it in every store and tons of games. In the middle of the 90th in my small village still second hand stores had many games and also Master System 2 consoles to sell. From another video of you I just know it was not success in North America, that's shocking to hear. And about it was continued in Brazil so long time by Sega that's just completely blowing my mind.
As far as the third generation really being the first "modern generation" of video games, another element of that is the games themselves. Beyond the fact that companies like Purina were making games, the games of the previous second generation tended to be one screen, presented one scenario with a few variations and most could be beaten within 5 minutes by a skilled player if they even were beatable at all. Most couldn't even spend the memory to have a title screen. With the coming of the NES, suddenly 5 minute games with one screen one and one scenario could not compete. Games became multiple-hour affairs with title and credit screens, were beatable with real endings (even if they were often just a congratulations screen) and the technology became advanced enough to start to portray locations, stories and characters in the games. It could be argued that this trend started on the 2600 with Pitfall, games like that were the exception and far from the rule. The games of the NES essentially laid down the template for what a game was to contain from that point up to today and likely beyond.
will be watching
.....feels old
... the 1st system i bought with my own money was the 7800
then a few months later i bought an NES with my X-mas cash
born 1970 with 2 older brothers
grew up seeing the local pinball/pool halls turn into videogame arcades by the late 70s
saw new arcade cabinets pop up in every small shop that had a spot, after Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Asteroids took over the world (bought the Pac-Man fever LP as a kid)
have often thought that if i had every .25 that i pumped into those machines as a kid back...i could be retired by now
brothers had early pong systems then the 2600's and a bunch of games as well as some of the 1st home pcs... Texas Instruments TI-99
I'm addicted to your videos man, they are VERY interesting. I had no idea there was that much drama and luck throughout the history of video game consoles. Keep these up, seriously!
+James Fontenot Thanks!
+richy richy that would kick ass
yes
These videos are addictive
I love hearing you talk about anything sega. Extremely excited for your upcoming Master System video!
+DreamcastGuy Thanks!
I really like these generation recap series. good job 👍👍
I have one of those amstrad gx4000 paid £25 boxed. it's not very good.
+crimson bolt also have a mk 2 sg1000 haven't played it tho since importing the games from Japan is expensive
+crimson bolt Thanks.
+crimson bolt Oh I'm sure, still just thought it was neat.
+AdamKoralik Adam, you got one major detail wrong. The dpad premiered BEFORE the NES. It was on the Game and Watch handhelds which far pre-dated the NES. As a VG Historian buff this really irks me lol. The Video Game Years got it right, so maybe do a bit more research next time. Excellent video otherwise.
YESSSS!!!! So happy this is a thing.
+MrMario2011 OMG!!!! I found you again!!!
love your mods
Funny to find you here! Love your channel
Born in 1979. He is exactly right. gaming on the NES in 87. And have not stopped. Grew up with the industry.
I was an adolescent gamer during the 3rd gen and I ended up gaming on a Commodore 64 in lieu of any 3rd gen console.... but I distinctly remember my buddy’s older brother had the NES- and I was impressed by RC Pro Am, a game that my c64 simply could not match
That’s interesting because I found the C64’s capabilities amazing coming from an NES perspective. Guess the games are always greener on the other side? 😅
i really like watching your videos and im too a 3rd generation gamer born in December of 1985 and i too grew up playing the Sega Master system and Mega Drive console as a kid growing up in Melbourne Australia.
Sega & Sony fan throughout 👍👍
Keep it coming with the videos. Top stuff.
I agree 100%, it was a special time...EVERYTHING was awesome... We saw Pre/Post Internet, Pre/Post Cellphones, Pre/Post HD, Pre/Post great cartoons & kids programming, and the awesome video game era of the early to mid 90's. I miss all of it.
It's funny, the 2600 era was the wild west but the NES library ended up as a dumping ground despite Nintendo's attempt to impose standards (or rather because their standards really had nothing to do with quality control). As much as the NES saved console gaming (and it did) the SNES did the same thing all over again because if it had gone on a bit longer, poor consumer confidence would've killed the market. Instead we got a fresh console with a strong launch library (something we haven't been getting lately, sad to say).
Something about the 2nd gen crash that a lot of people don't mention. It had all the problems that people talk about but it was also falling further and further behind the arcade in quality. The consoles simply weren't up to running arcade quality games. People think the market crashed and the home console market did crash... The arcades went on drinking quarters without missing a beat. Because you can make a machine to run one game and have higher quality graphics than if you try to run a lot of games on a machine that was built a couple years previously.
Another thing that was added to console gaming in the 3rd gen: True game saving. It blew my mind as a kid that I could play Zelda for awhile, shut it off and pick up the game the next day. Without losing anything. That's a little something that a person who started with 3rd gen probably took for granted from the start (and why wouldn't they?)
As far as the 2nd gen not being aimed at kids... I dunno man, as somebody who was a kid during 2600 days I just don't see that. The 2600 was a huge want for kids, carts were sold in the toy department of stores. The arcades (where a lot of ppl in those days first played video games) were filled with kids lined up at Centipede and Ms. Pac Man. It was the desire to bring the arcade into your house that created the game console, so they've always been very much a kid's thing. If they seemed to market it to adults, that's probably because they knew they already had kids by the short hairs (not that we had short hairs).
+Matthew Graey
Right on. I remember my mom taking me to Toy Chest (RIP) and buying me a copy of Donkey Kong for the Atari 2600 for getting a good test grade. This was a couple years before the NES came out. I remember the shelves had cards with the cover of the games on them, and you took the card up to the counter and they gave you the game.
I think the technical gap between the Colecovision and the NES wasn't really that big... but maybe the Colecovision needs to be seen as a 3rd-gen machine that landed a little too early.
(Having lived through those Wild West 2nd-gen days, it really seemed to me more like a series of sub-generations. You could roughly divide it into gen 2.1 which was the earliest cartridge machines like the Fairchild Channel F, Atari 2600, RCA Studio 2; gen 2.2 would be the Intellivision and Odyssey^2; gen 2.3 would be maybe the Atari 5200, Arcadia 2001, Colecovision, Vectrex.)
I really like your in depth videos, and you have very good knowledge of earlier video game consoles. I was born in 1970, and have been playing video games since arcade games first came out. One of my favorite memories was the first time I went into an "arcade" near my house.and played Space Invaders. Just all of the dozens of games' audio all at once was very mezmerizing, and when I finally was able to buy an Atari VCS was absolutely an incredible experience. I was probably 10 or 11 years old, and saved my paper route money for over a year to finally be able to buy it. My friends and I all loaned each other games. Thanks for the great videos.
I love this series, I'm gonna be so sad when it's over.
Me too but at least we can rewatch them right?
Ah sure
i rematched the 6th gen at least 5 times!
Appreciated.
Thank you for putting together such good content for us all to enjoy an learn from.
+Kristopher B Thanks for watching!
Im 32 years old and one cool thing the nes helped me back in 89 besides by also learning in school when i was 6 my older brother bought ninja gaiden and i kinda learned how to read during the games cut scenes
I have been watching your recap series over and over again and switching episodes and rewatching each one
I have been watching on and off for years
I really appreciate your work 👍
Born in 84. my consoles:
G3- Nes
G4- Mega Drive
G5- Playstation
G6- Playstation 2
G7- Wii & Xbox 360
G8- Playstation 4
Keep making these good vids Adam.
+CAX 117 you had a snes although you are born 96? wasnt GC more like your time?
I was born in the same year, and my path is almost the same. However, the first system I owned was an Atari 2600 Jr, and I have yet to buy a PS4.
+Steve Hutch born in 80. my consoles:
nes
snes with super gameboy
gc with gameboy player
wii
ps
ps2
ps3
ps tv
360
sega cdx
saturn
retron 5 with sega powerbase converter
my portables:
gb
gba
dsl
2ds
psp 2000 and 3000
psp go
'83 here...
NES
SNES
PS1
PS2
Xbox
Xbox 360
(Some drug years where I had no consoles)
PS4
I still have memories of Mario 3 coming out. I went to a friends house who had just bought the game. I asked if I could join him and play the game. He laughed in my face and slammed the door... Some friend huh 😜
When Mario 2 came out and I finally got a chance to play it I never thought, "Hey this is not a Mario game". I just thought, "Cool, something different and you can play as other characters? WOW". But I would never argue about what gen was better, gaming is such a personal thing. The main difference I see today between the modern and old school is that most of my generation played alone or with a couple of friends during a sleepover. It was just you and the game, today it's more social. Today it seems a lot more mainstream... For better or worse.
Do any of you remember Jolt Cola? Getting a two liter bottle and a bag of chips was my gaming fuel! Things just seemed simpler back then. Oh but look at me ramble on about the old days, just like an old timer... 🎮
I was born in 75, so video games were always around, but I mostly only got to play the *new* systems when I would visit my friends. We had a "pong" machine that we got in the early 80s, but I didn't get a real console until I got my Genesis in the early 90s. By that point, I had a lot of experience with the NES, but my best friend had a Master System and I was just blown away by "Space Harrier" with the scaling, and of course I played "Out Run" in the arcade. So, nobody talks about this too much, but honestly Sega's early edge to me was from their racing titles (Road Rash was *big* with me and my friends). This was a few years before "Sonic" was released, but if you combine that scaling and fast pace with a side scrolling platform, you've got the formula for the famous Hedgehog.
Hardware capability, of course, wasn't everything -- I had a rich friend who had a Neo Geo, which was just amazing, but the price point on the games and the fact that I couldn't really trade/borrow games from anybody else made that a not really sensible choice. I bought a Master System Power Base Converter for the Genesis, because I bought it early enough in the run that there weren't many games yet. But the only Master System game I actually owned was "Reggie Jackson Baseball." Far, far superior to any kind of sports title on Nintendo. The range of games that Sega offered was unbeatable. But I can see how, for slightly younger gamers born in the 1980s, the Nintendo was still offering that more kid-oriented focus.
These recap videos are how I found your channel back in July and been subbed since. Its nice to see its back and with the 3rd gen. My first memory of ever playing a game was the first Zelda on the NES before going to preschool and I'll never forget it lol. BTW nice shirt, I also remember watching terminator but mostly Judgement Day a lot back then lol nice nostalgia trigger Adam.
+techninefan90 Thanks for watching!
Great work as usual, Adam.
I'm 37 years old, and while my first real exposure to gaming came in arcades and at home with my 2600, it was this third generation, and the NES in particular, that really turned me into the gamer I am today. Your analysis of Nintendo and the way they treated their games as something special, and not as a disposable way to make a quick buck, was spot on. These were the first games that felt like real, living, breathing adventures. There's no way to describe what it was like to put that gold Legend of Zelda cartridge in my NES, fire it up, and realize I could go anywhere, do anything, and that I had to somehow make my way through that world. Stuff like Super Mario Bros., Metroid, Dragon Warrior, Contra...they changed who I was as a person. And I'm grateful for it.
This is the most important generation of consoles in gaming history, IMO. Looking forward to the rest of the videos.
+El Tron Thanks dude! Glad you feel the same way.
I like your play load videos, but I love these gen recaps. You have great insight into these different systems of their time.
+Shawn A86 Thanks!
Was looking forward to this Adam, brilliant and great to see the GX4000 get a mention. Thoroughly enjoyable stuff.
+Novabug Thanks!
Awesome! I really enjoy the hell out of these generational videos you've been putting out. By the way, I found your channel thanks to Sega CD Universe aka Vampire Mike. Hell of a guy.
+The RPG Chick Yeah, Mike is a boss. Thanks for watching!
Thats a great series. I love it. I still learn a lot. I totally on your page with the generation question. I'm 35. Istarted Internet use on a regular basis when I was 18 (Europe was a little slow). Nintendo (and to a lesser degree Sega) was my only digital experiance for a long time. I really get sentimental when I think about the NES. Thanks for this awesome look at gaming history.
Adam!! I really think you knocked it out of the park with this video. me being a 37 year old gamer my first system was a ColecoVision. I can tell you everything you said was very much on point. great job man, keep em coming!!
+John D. Thank you sir.
Adam, great job. You always do top notch work on these generation reviews.
+Dylan Y Thanks!
Good recap, Adam. Enjoyed the Disney analogy. I was born in 78. First game I remember was Pac-Man on Atari 2600 at age 5. Then NES was what really got me addicted to gaming around '87 I think was when we finally got one. Neighbors had it before we did. Loved going over to their place and playing Super Mario Bros.
+Vanq78 You're the first person to even acknowledge the Disney analogy, thanks!
Awesome to see the debut of the 3rd gen recap series. Looking forward to the future episodes!
+Stevie G Thanks for watching!
Worth saying, the GX4000 and the related Amstrad Plus range were released in Europe, it was extensive in France in particular. I focus a lot on this system on my channel.
Great recap! I was born in late 1985 and grew up first hand on the NES...then Atari 2600, SNES, N64, Saturn, Genesis, PSX, etc. Being 30 years old I only knew of the NES at the time and had a ton of fun with my siblings and friends. I remember seeing ads in certain gaming magazines slamming the NES toward their crappy game on another system but looking back they never succeeded in the long run. Oddly enough though I bought a Sega Master System and many games back in 2008 wanting to see what competition we had at the time. With that saw a system that was like a Game Gear that hooked up to my tv. The year later I invested in an Atari 7800 seeing how it played 2600 games along with new to me games that I missed in translation. Most kids won't understand what gaming was then compared to now in either case as a result of the technology at the time and the progressions over the years. It still boggles my mind that 15-20 years ago we were playing 16 bit games compared to the HD creations now.
Awesome video! Glad to see you covering this generation. Although it is a different category I would point out that Nintendo, Sega and Atari did compete one other time in the portable market. Gameboy, Gamegear, and Lynx. I look forward to individual videos!!
+TheRaven078 Left out the Turbo Express.....sorry
I can't even remember a time when video games weren't a part of my life. In the early/mid 80's I remember playing the Coleco Vision in my parents bedroom. It's been one hell of a ride and I enjoy these videos to learn stuff I might have missed out on during those years.
great opener to the series. its mad that its come this far. but they've all been fascinating. loved the 'deep' analysis on this one. trufax.
+shenmueso Thanks dude.
I've been waiting for this, and the first video certainly did not disappoint. I'm not that much older than you (born in '85) so I view this generation the same way you do, and I agree with everything you said. The NES was my first console and I played the crap out of it for about 3 years until 1993 when I finally got an SNES. I absolutely define myself as a gamer by the NES no matter what anyone says about needing to be around 33 to have experienced the NES. Plus it was great because a lot of the NES games were super cheap by 1990 when I got an NES for my 5th birthday, and I got a couple games a month that were all new and exciting to me no matter how old they were by 1993. Thanks for doing this series.
This is such an awesome series that you do man.
This "series" (saw the 6th gen one first) thing is what hooked me on this channel, and certainly keep me coming back, along with the Keep Dreaming content.
On another note, can we just talk about how cool the Master System looks?!
It's so late 70's Star Wars looking.
For me the NES defined my youth, and secured my love for the hobby through out my childhood, teens, early adult and now "adult" eras.
+Eric Durant Thanks for watching!
Yeah, I agree, it's got a Vader vibe.
Yes! It's been a while since one of these. This series is why I subscribed. So happy to get more.
+Corban-James Halliday Thanks for watching!
+AdamKoralik No, thank you for the video. It made my day.
I love your Generation Recaps. I love hearing your stories and views. I've been wanting to do that for quite some time, since I believe I have a unique view of the generations...and I believe i'll go over the generations and talk about my experiences with them. I hope everyone else does as well!
Looking forward to this series, love all the past ones as well. Thanks man.
+Ryan Reed Thanks for watching!
I'm from New Zealand. I've seen a few SG1000s for sale here, very respectable prices as a standalone item. They were released under license by a company called Grandstand, who dabbled in a variety of consumer electronics. We also had the Sega SC3000 personal computer.
Thank you kindly for your recap, i have enjoyed your videos, especialy the ones on the best video game quality for you consoles.
I have been waiting this third generation recap videos forever , thanks man
+Brian Segarra Hope you like it.
Yesssss! So glad you're doing more of these. I watch the other ones all the time.
+OmniLink182 Thanks.
I'm in the same age bracket as you and I remember getting my NES, the funny thing is that a lot of people 25+ loved playing it, in fact I got it from a guy in his 30s as he wanetd the soon to be released SNES. I genuinely believe older people loved the NES and bought it. The reason I think that is because games where now at level where they could get into it. Gen 1-2 where incredibly basic/simple and perhaps too much for people of that age. In fact my nan had her own NES(it was in her room I had to ask to get at it), she loved dig-dug, Castelian and doctor mario.
Another great job, I'm glad you are keeping this series going. Each episode is filled with a lot of really interesting information.
Thanks for watching!
Love this series
I really enjoy these kind of videos, keep em' coming!
+WelshGamer Thanks dude.
I really have to say, it warms my heart that you did throw in a cameo of the VTech Socrates. Technically, my parents' 2600 was the very first video game system I ever had the chance to play, but Socrates was the first system that I could really call my own. I've spent heaven only knows how many hours on that thing throughout the years. It's the primary reason I have such a fondness for robots, and Socrates was just so darn cute!
I'm also happy to say that, over twenty years later, it's still in perfect running order. I feel like a little kid every time I boot it up. It does takes a boat load of batteries, though, six D's for the main unit and four AA's for the controller. It did have an AC adapter, but it's long since vanished.
I was born in 82 and i remember when my mom bought an nes. we played that heck out of that thing. she also bought the top loader when it came out. lots of memories.
Your videos are really awesome. I'm the same age and I relate to everything you remember too.
Thanks so much for your videos overall & the recap series, too! I have greatly enjoyed them over the weeks & months since discovering your channel. Of particular interest were your UK trip videos & the various generation recaps. The cleaning/repair videos were also quite helpful. I have wondered for a long while whether you were going to do a 3rd-gen recap. I am thrilled that you actually did one. This is where gaming benan for me, with the NES that I received & (still have) for Xmas in 1991. I appreciate this generation, including the computer games like C64 & Amiga (well Amiga came out in 1985 but probably belongs in the 4th-gen when it comes to games), more now than any prior decade. The primitive 8-bit graphics & sound that make up so many games from the 3rd-gen & related handheld & arcade hardware now are dear to many of us gamers. Companies really did a lot of ad-hoc work on trying to get functional games that were cohesive once again following the arcades crash in the middle 1980s. Many, many franchises that are household names began here & still live on. It is likely online gaming that made as big an impact on gaming in more recent times as this generation did back then. The 3rd gen was where games transitioned from being an arcade experience to a home experience.
I'm from Sydney Australia and distinctly remember my uncle having a SG-1000.
I'd never have found your channel if you hadn't done these generation recap videos. Super love watching these videos, I think I've seen them all at least twice at this point. I'm re-watching them to comment because I watched them on my Wii U when you did them. Apologies in advance for the comment spam.
Interesting videos. I am a similar age to you (slightly older). By the time I was old enough to have a console, that master system was the latest thing. My mum wouldn't get me it. This was because it lacked a keyboard for educational purposes. 1990 I got an Atari ST. Christmas 1992 she gave in and just bought me a Sega Megadrive. It was either going to be the megadrive or the cheaper master system II (I asked for either, whatever I was allowed). I remember looking through the wrapping paper on Christmas eve and seeing the Megadrive pattern. My Atari ST will always be my favourite.
Another great vid. I'm a GenX'er and remembering growing up with some of these systems.
Funny, the point you make about this generation. I was 8 when I got my NES and have been hooked on games since. Great video.
+Shane Wulff Thanks.
I remember the ads in comic books where they would have a picture of the game and how it was ported on different consoles. Now that I look at it, the ads aimed at us in the early 80's were quite crude, laughable even. Can't believe I;m still gaming through all of this lol!! Thanks for the memories Adam!!
+bvzxa3 Thanks for watching!
Although im no where near 30, for some reason i feel like i understand your point. I grew up playing NES/SNES in the mid 90s. i was born in the early 90s. Although im 23, i did get to see a huge change in the gaming scene. For example when i saw 3D polygon games on the N64 and the play station i was blown away. But i agree that people who grew up in the 80s probably got to experience the whole evolution of gaming. I feel like the people born in the mid 90s were the last group of people to ever experience some sort of sense of seeing the evolution of gaming. Back then every generation of gaming had a drastic change, now a days its not like that. Thanks for making these videos.
+DZR3WIND Thanks for having an open mind!
man, I agree with the age thing. This was a very thought provoking video. I remember seeing an NES for the first time. my sister wouldn't let me play it much and I sucked at super Mario Brothers but that D pad was so intuitive the first time I used it :) thanks for making me remember some roots! we 86 kids are lucky indeed
+blindreflex No problem, thanks for watching!
Love these series you do, look forward to the following videos.
+Martin Sutcliffe Thanks!
Thank you for doing this. Gaming history needs to be documented in video form for future generations. Thank you again.
+IQ2992 Thanks for watching!
A very good episode Adam. Nicely put into words. I'm a bit older than you but I remember when (decent) game intros and digitised voice was a big thing in gaming!! We grew up in the best gaming days for sure. I still remember seeing Super Mario World in a mag at school, before it launched, and I was in awe of all those rich colours on screen! oh those days!! Kudos on Sega with the RGB..shame they dealt the UK with shitty 50Hz! :)
+Arcadiality Thanks for watching!
Great video man I'm the same age as you and have the same memories of things progressing, and not just progressing but advancing in absolutely phenomenal leaps and bounds in a way that is just physically impossible to do any longer.
You can only go from playing Super Mario in 2D to, let's say, Quake I in full 3D with a graphics card, one time. Can't do it again. And there is really no modern equivalent to that. Or take going from the Super Nintendo to the Playstation 1 for example. That was mindblowing, and the graphics of the N64? Incredible. I even played Goldeneye 007 before it was released in the development studio in Twycross, England, with the son of the developer (Joe Stamper) and got a little badge for my troubles. And playing Double Dragon with my school buddies on a, I believe it was a Master System, fantastic. Or Duck Hunt, or one of the Sega lightgun games (that huge plastic infrared rifle, how ridiculous) or the amazing graphics of Ecco the Dolphin, or getting on the internet for the very first time with an AOL disc or even Prodigy Internet or one of the other long-dead providers on a 14k modem.
There were barely any adverts on the internet, that's how new it was, and even if they wanted to bandwidth was so precious you couldn't just shotgun adverts into people's faces a million times a second like they do nowadays. Playing Tomb Raider 1 and Wipeout 2097 for the first time after reading the magazine reviews. So just to add to your comments AdamKoralik, I would summarise our generation as being the first generation of what you could call "modern" gamers, modern in the sense that even young kids nowadays would recognise the formatting of the art form. The consoles, the reviews, multiplayer, the culture. Once you start going further back than the mid 1980's it starts becoming crazier and crazier, consoles made out of fuckin' mahogany dude, the Colecovision, consoles that rusted if you didn't take care of them. And that's part of what I mean when I talk about gamer culture that is recognisable and comprehensible to even new eyes in 2016. Amazing times, never to be repeated.
Awesome video Adam. Looking forward to the videos for this generation.
+Likea “Like1Spoon” Spoon Thanks!
Nice video, looking forward to the other game console generation video you posted. One thig you should note is that any company could clone the Atari 2600 because there were no proprietary hardware components in the 2600, it was made from off the shelf parts that anyone could buy. A better example of the Atari 2600 is the Coleco Gemini console, the only difference on the Coleco Gemini console is the cartridge slot was rotated 180 degrees so the label on the Atari 2600 cartridge face the rear of the console.
The sega master system is my favourite system from this generation of consoles. The amstrad did have a limited release in Canada but I only knew one or two people in Toronto that had one.
So cool!
I actually think it would be cool to hear your thoughts on the 2nd generation even though you didn't experience it in the moment if that's something you wanted to do.
I'm 27 myself and have really developed an interest in it over the years, and I have the atari VCS and intellevision and a healthy number of quality games. You can really come to learn a lot by playing and researching, and you certainly seem like a competent researcher after the other retrospectives.
+ValensBellator Thanks!
+Adam Koralik The D pad actually started on the Nintendo Game and Watch. But the NES/Famicom was the first console to adopt it.
+Tom Hill Very good point.
And now Adam owns an SG-1000. Cant wait to see a video on it!
Great vid Adam! I hope that you will eventually get to the second gen and maybe talk about the magnavox odyssey!
Second Gen!!! Second Gen!!!
Oh, i love this series! I 19, and I really like watch and read about the history of the video games, and your recaps are one of the bests. And I think would be cool if you talk about the relation between Sega and Brazil, it's somewhat interesting, Sega was really important for the video game market here, and the official representative of Sega here did some pretty nice things, like the 8-bit port of MK3 or a lot of different versions of the consoles, and i believe they still producing both the Master System and the Mega Drive untill today, with the autorization from Sega. Anyway, continue with the great work, Sir. Greetings.
+rodrigo davet I will be touching on the relationship between Brazil and Sega, yes. :D
Thanks for watching!
+AdamKoralik That's great man, I'll be looking forward to it!
Great video man! Really enjoyed it!
The Amstrad GX4000 was actually my 1st gaming console. I got it in 1991 and only had the pack in game for it. It was replaced a few months later on my 7th birthday with the NES Action Set! I'm so happy that I grew up in the 80's and 90's and got to experience all these systems in the hay day :)
Looking forward to seeing the next episode!
Cheers
+RetroDave Nintendo Thanks for watching!
Absolutely perfect 23mins.about 3rd gen,You sad everything thats importent,and all informations are correct.Nice vid man,Greetings from Croatia!
I was waiting for this series, good job and love your videos.
+Bogdan Popescu Thanks!
Born in 1985, and got to see gaming evolve over the years and lean to appreciate what we have now. still love old School gaming because as you said, we got to experience a it as it was happening.
+david4719 Hell yeah man.
Like yourself my first video game memories were made on the NES. Born in '86 also. And then going into the 4th generation of consoles I actually had a Sega Genises before a Super NES. I never played the Master System. I wish I had.
As a kid, I grew up with the handhelds.
GameBoy, than Colour, than Advanced, Advanced SP, etc. I've had almost every Nintendo handheld.
I even had a GameGear.
The only console I remember playing was a Genesis. Sonic 2, Mean Bean Machine and X-Men are the only games I can remember.
+Roxie ღ handhelds were cool. i remember pokemon the most. but not having a console sounds sad. grab now one :)
Akaji Blubb
I have consoles now that I'm older and buying my own things. lol
Pokemon Red is my earliest gaming memory and most likely my first game ever.
Roxie ღ yeah, i had pokemon blue and i played it so much
Hi #AdamKoralik.I'm european and I'm a lot older than you. I've had my first gaming computer when I had 6 years old, it was a ZX Spectrum, and that stuff was sold as a kids computer. I've played games like Chuckie Egg and Manic Miner with my school friends. With this I'm saying that gaming was already marketed mainly for kids and that there was already a gaming movida, and also that we played not using consoles but computers, they were open to use for a lot of other purposes and we could program ourselves. In my home town there were a lot of commercial places where we could go to copy games, piracy was the rule. Machines like Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad were marketed for kids.During early 90s, PC gaming was the "mature market" and console gaming appeared directed for kids, it was your generation arriving. During that period I got a Commodore Amiga (1991 maybe) and, as an example of those times, I was able to make a Kick Off (a football game of those days) Tournment on which 32 friends and friends of friends participate. We were a lot and active, but we were on PC and Amiga gaming. Playstation One was the first console that brought young adults to console gaming, with adult themed games, similar to those on computers.I understand what you mean when you say that Nintendo focus on kids, that's true, and it was a double edge knife for them. Their first image around here was that of a little kids machine, with no violence, with no blood, a secure console that parents could give to their children. A boy with more than 7 yo would never say that he had a Nintendo and dreamed on having a PC to play Mortal Kombat and Larry Suit. That little kids image that Nintendo got was later replaced by a family system image (Wii). That's why they are having problems to sell WiiU, it's a console that isn't for kids neither for families, they want to fight in the grow ups league against Sony and Microsoft.
I was born in '83 and the Nintendo was my first console. I have great memories of that time in my life and with help from my mom beat many a game. Then we got the SNES and we loved it! So many titles that still exist today got their start on the SNES, but most people know that. We stayed with the SNES until the PS1, that's how long it held my attention. Honestly I think anyone's first console will be their greatest memories of gaming. I love gaming as a whole and while I would never consider my generation the best there is no denying that we lived through a "revolution" with this technology. Great video man! In my opinion you are unbiased and tell the whole story, I think that's great.
I will admit that I would play Zombies Ate My Neighbors before any FPS, but again that doesn't mean one is better than the other. 😎
I am 32 an one of the main benefits I think I gained from being born when I was an starting to game when I did would be the controllers. What I mean by this is the NES started me with a simple button layout and as newer consoles came out with more buttons an harder button combinations. I feel I an people like me who developed our skills in parallel with the games them selves coming out generation to generation had an advantage in understanding what to expect to do in terms of button pressing.I hope this makes sense I could not think of a better way to put in in text.
+Kristopher B I am your age and I definitely disagree. Controllers got more advanced, but they also became sloppier and less precise (except on the PC for games that can utilize the mouse). A thumb stick is too small; you either get speed or you get precision; with a D-pad or a mouse you get both. The games became easier because they had to run at 30 FPS, unlike the solid 60 FPS on the NES, and they had more memory to fit more content and they had to have mass-market appeal to recoup balooning development costs. Skill as a primary motivator for continuing to play was unceremoniously dropped along with game overs and high scores for xp-grind skinner boxes and "cinematic" games.
The reason they had to run at 30 FPS is marketing. Sprite based hardware drew the hardware sprites (i.e. most of them) when the beam went by; there was no advantage to slowing down the frame rate. If there were too many sprites on the same scan line you had to turn one off. This was a mistake and was always ugly; if this happened some games and systems would slow down, drawing the same frame again, but with different sprites lit to not penalize the player with flicker sprites. This chasing of the electron beam gave spectacularly low latency and amazingly precise controls. You easily need > 120 FPS on a modern display and double buffering to equal the feel of sprite-based hardware on a CRT. What was lost going from SNES to N64 was huge.
On the N64 and PS1; you couldn't see more than 30 FPS on a standard television broadcast or on a screenshot. Marketingwise it was a huge advantage if to make the game look significantly better by spending twice as much time on each frame. Even if this played far worse, it became the norm, just like 24 FPS cinema became the norm; not because it was good, but because it was the minimum that could sync up audio to the movie when "the talkies" took over from silent film. It's a mininum requirement for anything approaching playable, but far, far less than optimal.
I'll have to read the bulk of that later but I think you misunderstood me games went from holding right and pressing a holding a button in and pressing one other button too much more complex but in combinations I meant by taking it step by step in developing yourself alongside the consoles an new controllers coming out being developed you have a better understanding of the world of gaming because as new technology came out you hone your skills alongside the new technology already being a master the previous generation being able to add on to that in the way that the game developers at it on there's not much more for you to learn compared to somebody who hasn't played anything
Voice to text by the way so grammar nazis I don't care
+Kristopher B well I agree with you about the controllers and how we were able to grow our skills along with the consoles. I had Silver Surfer but no turbo controllers... My thumb still hurts from games like that and it is painful to play games where I have to press a button repeatedly, like running in GTA for example. 20+ years on gaming, wow has it really been that long?
Been waiting for a 3rd generation recap for a long time, you're awesome, Adam! Keep up the great work.
I am soooo glad you are doing the 3rd generation. BTW you are my favorite youtuber man! Good work!!!
+Aadil Rizvi
WOW!! I just learned something today. I didnt know the SG-1000 was part of this generation. Always thought it was the second gen. cool to know thanks.
+Chris Adair Surprised me too actually.
Love this series. Can't wait until you do latest retrospective of current gen.
Amstrad is the company name, they were run and owned by Sir Alan Sugar who is the host of the UK version of "The Apprentice". I never knew they did a console & I live in the UK. Lol
Not born in this generation, was born just before the Super Famicom came out in Japan, so very much a 4th generation baby. Being English probably explains my experiences.
I have vague memories of playing my Dad's Commodore 64 as a young child (those tapes took ages to load). He also had an NES which he sold to my uncle(before I was old enough to play games), and I never really experienced a Nintendo Console until the Gamecube (excluding the handhelds).
Though most of my memories of this generation come from my best friend having a Master System, and we'd usually play on that when I was round there because it was a novelty for someone with a Megadrive to see Sonic games on another system.
I've probably come to play more NES games over the years, but I would say quality wise the Master System wins out for me.
I was born in 86 too and guess what the first game console I saw the nes. My brother owned one and I still think for how old it is it's one one of the best consoles ever made in history
I was waiting for you to cover all these consoles in depth, glad to see it happen!
I love these recap vids :)
I actually HAD a VTech Socrates but by grandpa sold it in a yard sale before he moved to Illinois. I was and still am so sad that I don't have it anymore.
I remember being unimpressed with video games until I saw "Batman" on the Genesis. Then I wanted one of my own (and my dad ended up playing it more than I did, his favorite was "Sonic Spinball"). Later I watched over the shoulder someone playing "Metroid: Fusion" and that was it. I've had a game console since about midway through the GB:A's lifespan.
Been looking forward to another one of these!
Alright this is where I will start a marathon today of the retrospectives, wish me luck.
Great video Adam. I generally really enjoy all your videos but these may be your best.
+TriforceRich Thanks!
Great video! I was in high school at that time and we did most of our gaming in the arcades. When the NES came out I absolutely hated the D-pad controllers (I know that's sacrilege to NES kids, but...) . It wasn't until the N64 that I really enjoyed console gaming again. I find it strange that I can't find a good joystick substitute for my NES or SNES. I know I'm not the only one who's glad that D pads are reduced to menu navigation these days. Looking forward to the rest of the videos!
+thewickedbill Not sure about the SNES but the Nintendo had the NES Advantage-- it was a joystick controller that was laid out a bit more like an arcade pad, plus included turbo options. Growing up my friend had it and almost used it exclusively over the regular controller.
+Motorheadache95 I have an Advantage controller and still prefer it over the regular controller today. Having turbo and slowmo was a big advantage on some NES games.
+Motorheadache95 I have the Advantage which works great for arcade style games, but not as much for Nes side scrollers. But still better than the d-pad. :)
i was born on a the year famicom came out 1983, so i got experience gaming on how it grew to what it is today, 27 years of gaming from nes to ps4, i was the lucky guys who have a dad who introduced me to gaming.
Adam good to know you are also a late 80s kids. I grew up playing with a Dendy, that is a Russian pirated Nes game console, it was made with original Nintendo hardware, produced by a Korean company and sold in Russia. So i grew up playing pal and NTSC releases. I really enjoyed everything you said and I really get your point about the internet, back than we had to solve our problems with the games our-self by playing our limited Libraries until we passed every lvl. Games were so expensive that i had to beg my parents for a very long amount of time to get at lest one game to play in a year and if you made a wrong choice this game was played until it was finished.
+Nicolas Peschkov Yep, exactly! Thanks for watching!
I'm 34, and totally a gamer. Grew up with a Spectrum +2, followed by my Master System 2, with Alex Kidd in Miracle World.
I live in sydney and some of my earliest memories are going to the Sega world in darling harbor, good times.
I am brazilian and i love Syd, especially Darling Harbour. Never forget 2006 2 2009, Just dreaming with residence permanent..
Thanks for this video! So many facts I never knew about or never mentioned like that was the first generation with d pads (thank god for this improvement) or that this was the only one generation Nintendo, Sega and Atari were in direct competition and ruled the market.
The Sega Master System 2 was my first console and I loved it so much.
Sad about Sega is out of console business and sad about the 2021 released new Atari console is very disappointing.
In Germany by the way. And here you found it in every store and tons of games. In the middle of the 90th in my small village still second hand stores had many games and also Master System 2 consoles to sell. From another video of you I just know it was not success in North America, that's shocking to hear. And about it was continued in Brazil so long time by Sega that's just completely blowing my mind.
Awesome video +AdamKoralik , i really enjoy all your videos , well done :)
+Kevin Hague Thank you!
As far as the third generation really being the first "modern generation" of video games, another element of that is the games themselves. Beyond the fact that companies like Purina were making games, the games of the previous second generation tended to be one screen, presented one scenario with a few variations and most could be beaten within 5 minutes by a skilled player if they even were beatable at all. Most couldn't even spend the memory to have a title screen. With the coming of the NES, suddenly 5 minute games with one screen one and one scenario could not compete. Games became multiple-hour affairs with title and credit screens, were beatable with real endings (even if they were often just a congratulations screen) and the technology became advanced enough to start to portray locations, stories and characters in the games. It could be argued that this trend started on the 2600 with Pitfall, games like that were the exception and far from the rule. The games of the NES essentially laid down the template for what a game was to contain from that point up to today and likely beyond.