New gamers would argue that graphics in the various games they now play make for an immersive gaming experience along with a well-crafted storyline. But as far as the world of gaming is concerned, it is necessary to acknowledge, from time to time, how far it’s come. There is a bit of romanticism attached to the nostalgia— it is when you look back that you realise your favourite games look nothing like they did when they first came out!

Donkey Kong first came out on July 9, 1981. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, a Japanese video game designer and producer, the game soon grew into a franchise and has now sold more than 40 million units. The series featuring the adventures of a large ape — called Donkey Kong — was instantly a hit among the crowd when it first came out. Created to appeal more to Americans, the game set a benchmark for Nintendo at the time, becoming one of the best-selling arcade machines of the early 1980s. Mario, Nintendo’s much-loved flagship character, made his first appearance in the Donkey Kong game. The games of the first series are mostly double-screen platform/action puzzle types, featuring Donkey Kong as the antagonist against Mario in an industrial construction setting. The game got so big in the years to come that it reserved a place for itself in the popular culture. “It’s on like Donkey Kong” is a much-used expression, inspired by the game. Nintendo req­uested a trademark on the phrase with the US Patent and Trademark Office in November 2010. The success of the series has resulted in Guinness World Records awarding the series with seven world records!

Contra took the gaming world by storm when it was launched in 1987. Though usually misunderstood and embroiled in controversy, since it is unclear whether the game was deliberately named after the Nicara-guan Contra rebels (as the company that made the game is Japanese and not American), the game was a hit. The video game series was produced by Konami and it composed primarily of run-and-gun style shoot-’em-ups. The series debuted in 1987 as a coin-operated arcade game, but soon Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) released it in its Gameboy device. The majority of the games in the series are side-scrolling shoot-’em-ups where the player takes control of a muscled and armed commando who must fight all sort of menacing alien monsters while avoiding giant boulders and lasers in the process.

Prince of Persia franchise has come a long way from where it once began. Originally laun-ched in 1989 for the now ancient Apple II Computer, the series switched to 3D format in 1999. Now with a Walt Disney movie (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time) in tow, the gameplay has taken a whole new direction and has a life of its own. Created by Jordan Mechner, the original game seemed repetitive at first but soon managed to captivate many players. This was achieved by interspersing intelligent puzzles and deadly traps (for example — deadly spikes that pop out of the ground and falling slabs) all along the route the player-controlled Prince had to take. And lest we forget, all this was packaged in fluid, life-like motion that players of that day and age weren’t used to seeing.

If you are accustomed to the 16-bit era of video gaming, you would have surely, at some point of time, come across a Sega console. The company was responsible for bringing out one of the most loved video game characters of all time — Sonic. The series began in 1991 with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis, a fourth-generation video game console. The Sonic Team, or the Sega division responsible for the first game in the series, has since gone on to make many more titles in the franchise. As the name suggests, the game features a blue hedgehog called Sonic who must run and jump at high speeds with the use of springs, slopes, and loops. The games detail Sonic and his allies’ attempt to save the world from various threats, primarily the evil genius Doctor Ivo ‘Eggman’ Robotnik, main villain of the series.

aazaranis@mydigitalfc.com