Nintendo was established in 1889, seemingly ages before video games were invented. They thrived as a card maker, transitioned into toys, and then finally to video games. Today, the company is hardly remembered for their cards or toys, as the NES brought them to full dominance, or as it was known in Japan, the Famicom. Nintendo is one of the oldest video game companies, and this year they launched a new system, the Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s doing extremely well.
In celebration of this accomplishment, let’s look back at what Nintendo has been accomplishing for decades in the video game market. What were their games like ages ago, and how old are they? Also, are they still fun today? All of these dates will be based on the Japanese releases, and they will mainly focus on the actual video games, while lightly touching on the systems and electronics that led to them.
Game & Watch
Portable Origins
Game & Watch: Ball
- Released
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April 28, 1980
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- First Game & Watch System: Ball
- Japanese Release Date: April 28, 1980
The Game & Watch was Nintendo’s first portable video game system, but not its first console. That honor belongs to the Color TV-Game 6, a 1977 licensed-based product that contained variations of Pong. The Game & Watch systems were sold with one game included, unlike the future Famicom console, where players had to buy cartridges.
The first several Game & Watch systems were silver, and the very first unit came with a juggling game called Ball in 1980. Other notable games included Flagman, Fire, Vermin, Judge, and many, many more. They’re not so much games as they are interactive pieces of electronic hardware, but they are notable in the run-up to the NES in terms of Nintendo-developed video games.
The Arcade Scene
From Donkey Kong To Punch Out
- First Nintendo-Made Arcade Game: Computer Othello
- Japanese Release Date: June 1978
Technically, Nintendo’s first arcade game was Laser Clay Shooting System in 1973, which was a mixed digital and mechanical experience. Their first pure video game was Computer Othello in 1978, which was a digital version of the board game Othello. Block Fever, Space Fever, Color Space Fever, and many more unrecognizable games by today’s Nintendo fans were quick to follow.
While it kept them afloat, Donkey Kong was the game that put Nintendo on the global map in 1981, leading to other arcade hits like Donkey Kong Jr., Mario Bros., Punch-Out!!, and many others right before the Famicom launched on July 15, 1983.
Donkey Kong
One Of The Famicom’s First Games
- Japanese Release Date: July 15, 1983
Donkey Kong was a huge hit in arcades, so what better way to launch a system than with a console port? It was virtually the same game on the Famicom: Jumpman, an early iteration of Mario, had to get past obstacles set up by Donkey Kong to rescue a princess, in this case, Pauline.
