In this ongoing look at significant moments in the history of video game design, we have already taken a look at Nintendo’s Kid Icarus, Electronic Arts’ Mirror’s Edge, Raven Software’s Soldier of Fortune 2 and several others. The goal of this series is to go beyond simple gaming magazines and iPhone App Reviews, and take a closer look at what defines memorability and quality in game design. In this thirty-second part of the series we will examine some more of those classic moments where video game designers undoubtedly got it right and delivered a memorable, enduring and progressive gaming experience.

Nintendo Entertainment System – What can be said about the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) that has not already been said? Released in the United States in 1985, two years after its release in Japan, many credit the NES with saving the video game industry. After the video game crash of 1983 that was brought on by a glut of low quality titles and epic miscalculations by game companies, the American public was weary of video games in general, and home consoles specifically.  There misgivings were proven to be without merit, however, when they got their hands on the NES.

Hardware wise, the NES was not much different than consoles that came before it. It had a similar size, simplified controller and looked pretty unimpressive. What made the NES the amazing machine it became was not so much the capable yet rather drab hardware, but the software that supported it. When it released in North America, the NES was accompanied by 18 launch titles: 10-Yard Fight, Baseball, Clu Clu Land, Donkey Kong Jr. Math, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Golf, Gyromite, Hogan’s Alley, Ice Climber, Kung Fu, Mach Rider, Pinball, Stack-Up, Tennis, Wild Gunman and Wrecking Crew with the exception of one or two, each of these games has become a classic title that must be a part of any NES owner’s library.

The NES had, to that point, by far the strongest first party support of any console to date. Thanks to the genius of game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and his seemingly endless stream of classic games and characters such as Mario in Donkey Kong, Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros, Samus in Metroid, Link in The Adventure of Zelda and countless others, NES owners were treated to a wide variety of high-quality games across several different genres. It quickly became evident that the NES was succeeding in delivering the experience that the previous consoles had promised.

In the years since its release the NES and its various iterations are estimated to have sold over 60 million units. Gamers in nearly every country have been touched by NES games, and many of today’s players can trace the beginnings of their gaming history directly to their first experience with an NES console. For introducing so many gamers to the world of video games, for setting and maintaining such a high standard of software, and for continuing to remain on the cutting edge of console technology, the NES and Nintendo will forever be one of the most important consoles and companies in the history of gaming.

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