Top 5 'Legendary' Video Games From the 1980s
"Nostaligic" may be the word which comes to mind when 1980s was cited. The 1980s saw great social, economic acceleration as wealth and production migrated to newly industrializing economies.
But silently there was a gaming revolution which started in late 1970s and became very popular during early 1980s. Video games were synonymous with school and college.
Nintendo, the video game pioneer saw considerable success in Japan since 1983. By 1989, Nintendo enjoyed a 90 percent market share.
Here are the top 5 video games from the 1980s that ruled the world:
1. Super Mario Bros.
Without a doubt, Super Mario Bros. became the best video game every created. This video game was introduced in 1985 by Nintendo featuring its lead man or mascot Mario. The original Super Mario Bros. was awarded the topspot on Electronic Gaming Monthly's greatest 200 game's list.
The highlight of this game is its memorable characters. There are hundreds of spin-offs based on this video game. It is still known for its brilliant design. Recently, Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen quoted his inspiration for creating Flappy Bird came from Super Mario Bros. Flappy Bird's popularity and success speaks for itself.
2. Tetris
This was the celebrated "block game" that players were hooked for many hours. This game was one of the addictive games ever.
Tetris was launched in 1984. It was a puzzle video game from Game Boy and enjoyed fan base even today. Easy to learn and simple gaming controls are some of its stand-out factors. This game turned 30 this June. Nintendo became a household name with Tetris's success. It is still going strong.
3. Pac-Man
Introduced in 1980, this arcade game was developed by Namco. The designer Tōru Iwatani said the character's shape was inspired by a pizza missing a slice, one of the distinguishing designs back then. The gamer controls Pac-Man through a maze, eating pac-dots (a.k.a. pellets). Upon eating all the pac-dots successfully, Pac-Man will be taken to the next level. Pac-Man was the pioneer of storytelling via video games. The highlight was that this game appealed to both genders. Pac-Man was considered to be one of the classic video games and an icon of 1980's culture.
4. Legend of Zelda
Legend of Zelda was introduced in 1987 marking the debut of Link, Ganon and Zelda. This game was developed and published by Nintendo. Also, this was the first console game to feature an internal battery for saving game progress. Its non-linear structure in a fantasy setting and the combination of action and role-playing spawned several sequels, prequels and several spin-offs. This series became one of Nintendo's most popular games.
5. Duck Hunt
Launched in 1984, Duck Hunt was a light gun shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo. The players used the "NES Zapper" to shoot the flying ducks that appear on the screen. Hunting more ducks yielded more points. This simple concept and the beautiful interface made so many around the world hooked to the game. Perhaps, this was one of the most popular video games among girls.
Which was your favorite video game from the 1980s?