Video Games tagged with 80s - 4/4

Sega

Remember those old Charles Atlas comic book ads about the 98-lb. weakling who got sand kicked in his face by a bully, went home, bulked himself up, and came back a bully-kicking hero? Maybe it's a bit of a stretch, but Sega's home console story wouldn't be too out of place in Charles Atlas Land. And what's more, the former 98-lb. weakling is still enjoying the happy ending after more than 15 years in the home console business. Take that, beach bullies.

Space Invaders

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Backed by a thudding bass beat, dozens of invaders from another world descended on our planet in 1978. Within months, Space Invaders was one of the hottest fads on the globe, helping propel the video arcade into a multi-billion dollar industry. Let's take a look back and trace this history of this beloved game.

Super Mario Bros.

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In his first two video game appearances, Mario had to play second banana to two starring gorillas, Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr.. The mustachioed carpenter-turned-plumber finally got top billing (and a twin brother, Luigi) in 1983's original Mario Bros. arcade game, but the future King of All Things Nintendo didn't really ascend to the throne until 1986. In that watershed year, Super Mario Bros. hit the arcades in Nintendo's Vs. cabinets, jumpstarting both Mario's career and the future of side-scrolling platform video games.

Tempest

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Placing unsuspecting gamers right in the heart of a terrifying storm, Atari's Tempest literally put a whole new perspective on video games. With dazzling color vector graphics (an arcade first), the game was set in a gravity well, a forced-perspective structure with your claw-like yellow "Blaster" skirting around the outside rim. From inside the blackness, hordes of enemies approached, sliding up and around the walls, ready to destroy you on contact.

Tetris

Video Game Memories

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Today, we direct you to the always-insightful blog of actor Wil Wheaton, known for his roles in Stand By Me and Star Trek: The Next Generation. He posted this thought-provoking gem recently, and we couldn’t help but notice that his question might be intriguing to our readers as well.

Whac-A-Mole

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Tough day at school? Siblings giving you a hard time? What you need is little cathartic activity to make things seem all better. All can be cured with a trip down to the local Chuck E. Cheese (or Showtime Pizza, if you prefer) where a plastic mallet and a field of unsuspecting rodents await your assault. The game is called Whac-A-Mole, and it's been delighting kids for decades.