|
Game and Watch
|
|
Click for Google +1
|
The Game and Watch hand-helds are an 80s icon that few people today would appreciate. Long before Nintendo's Game Boy or Game Boy Advance, these simple games would destroy the posture of millions of 80s children. Game & Watch weren't the first portable electronic games, but they were the first high quality, compact models that could slip into your pocket and not require a crate of batteries.
The typical Game & Watch weighed about 60 grams, although later multiscreen models would hit 100-150 grams. The key to this size was the incorporation of an LCD screen. It allowed two innovations - the use of compact watch batteries and higher screen detail. |
One major drawback of most 70s electronics is that they used an LED display (these are still commonly used in clock radios - they glow green or red). These gave off light but sucked power quicker than dracula at your neck. Also, each LED is large, making it hard to create fine detail. The LCD solved both these problems, not to mention they could be mass-produced quite cheaply. Suddenly hand held games were in the price range of most people. Plus they were cheap to run and easy to carry.
Most of Nintendo's Game & Watch models feature a few simple play buttons and a choice of A or B games. The B was designed for experts, but generally they were not played. Rather than provide better challenges, most often the B game was simply A at faster speed. There was a technical issue that made the B games unplayable. LCDs had slow response times - in fast mode you couldn't quite tell where the objects were located - they were kind of smeared over an area.
The First Game & Watch was released in 1980 and, like most of the games in the series, had a name that even a 2 year old could say - Ball. It was a juggling game that looks very basic by today's standards, but it was ground-breaking at the time. Throughout the early 80s, Game & Watch's took off, but like many fads, it started to lose its appeal as the decade progressed. It looked like that the last game would be 1989's Zelda. However, in the recession of 1991, Nintendo released the final game that brought Game & Watch back to its origins. It was Mario The Juggler. After 60 releases and a decade of production, Game & Watch had a final hurrah with its homage original juggling game (Ball) that started the whole craze.
Release dates for Game & Watch
- 1980 - Ball
- 1980 - Flagman
- 1980 - Vermin
- 1980 - Fire
- 1980 - Judge
- 1981 - Manhole
- 1981 - Helmet
- 1981 - Chef
- 1981 - Egg
- 1981 - Fire
- 1981 - Lion
- 1981 - Mickey Mouse
- 1981 - Parachute
- 1981 - Octopus
- 1981 - Popeye
- 1982 - Donkey Kong
- 1982 - Donkey Kong Jr.
- 1982 - Fire Attack
- 1982 - Greenhouse
- 1982 - Mickey & Donald
- 1982 - Oil Panic
- 1982 - Snoopy Tennis
- 1982 - Turtle Bridge
- 1983 - Donkey Kong II
- 1983 - Donkey Kong Jr. - Tabletop
- 1983 - Donkey Kong Jr. - Panorama
- 1983 - Lifeboat
- 1983 - Manhole
- 1983 - Mario Bros.
- 1983 - Mario's Bombs Away - Panorama
- 1983 - Mario's Cement Factory
- 1983 - Mario's Cement Factory - Tabletop
- 1983 - Pinball
- 1983 - Popeye - Tabletop
- 1983 - Popeye - Panorama
- 1983 - Rain Shower
- 1983 - Snoopy - Tabletop
- 1983 - Snoopy - Panorama
- 1984 - Boxing
- 1984 - CrabGrab
- 1984 - Donkey Kong Circus - Panorama
- 1984 - Donkey Kong 3
- 1984 - Donkey Kong Hockey
- 1984 - Mickey Mouse - Panorama
- 1984 - Spitball Sparky
- 1985 - Black Jack
- 1985 - Tropical Fish
- 1986 - Balloon Fight - Crystal
- 1986 - Climber - Crystal
- 1986 - Squish
- 1986 - Super Mario Bros. - Crystal
- 1987 - Bomb Sweeper
- 1987 - Super Mario Bros. - Special Series
- 1988 - Balloon Fight
- 1988 - Climber
- 1988 - Gold Cliff
- 1988 - Punch-Out
- 1988 - Safebuster
- 1988 - Super Mario Bros.
- 1989 - Zelda
- 1991 - Mario the Juggler
|
