In a recent post i wrote about the iPad ‘game changer’ as quoted by Disney CEO Bob Iger. This post will be a follow on in terms of looking at how games have evolved over the years from decade to decade. I’m sure a few of these games I put up for you to play will bring back many fond memories of old.
Gaming in the 70’s & 80’s
Gaming in the 70’s-80’s hold so many memories so for millions of people and rightly so too! With the development of games we still play today such as Tetris, Mario Bros, Pacman, Bubble Bobble, Donkey Kong, Contra, Metal Gear, Zelda and so many others I couldn’t possibly name them all, there is no wonder the 80’s was such a revolutionary decade for video gaming.
Here is a look at some of the arcade games in the 70’s and 80’s.
Asteroids
Starting in the late 70’s and early 80’s is the game Asteroids. It was one of the biggest selling games released in its era, released in 1979 and proving to be a huge hit across the world for the Atari 2600 Console
Other Free Online Asteroid Game Versions
Official Atari Asteroid Game – Play Official Atari Asteroid Game
Official Atari Asteroid Deluxe – Play Official Atari Asteroid Deluxe Game
3D Asteroid Game – Play Asteroids Online Free
Free Asteroid Game - Play Asteroid Game Free
Battlezone
Battlezone is also an Atari game released a year after Asteroids in 1980. It uses such old fashioned graphics that really shows just how much gaming has developed over the years. Vector Graphics instead of Raster Graphics are used and the game was a big hit in its time. Simply move the aim from left to right and shoot the enemy which is also shooting at you. An intriguing game to play.
Play Battlezone Online Free
Official Atari Battlezone Game – Play Official Battlezone Online Free
More information on Battlezone
Joust
As a child i remember playing Joust on the GameBoy Colour. It was one of my favourite games as a child and you played the game as a knight armed with a lance on a ostrich (player1) or a Stork (player2). The aim of the game is to fly and keep from landing in the lava below you, only walking on the platforms provided above whilst trying to kill all the enemies and move onto the next ‘wave’.
Play Joust Free Online
Nintendo Joust Online- Play Nintendo Joust Game Free Online
Tetris
Tetris is one of the most simple yet most popular games of the 80’s decade. A challenging game that has collected many hours of effort and concentration by millions of people all around the World. I will hog no more of your time explaining this game, and let you get on with having a go yourself…
2D Tetris Online – Play 2D Tetris Online Free
3D Tetris Online – Play 3D Tetris Online Free
Various Tetris Games – Play Multiple Tetris Games Online Free
To play the most popular Atari games free online, click the link – Play Atari Games Free Online
To play various different games from the 80’s, click one of the links below:
Free 80’s Games Online - Play 80’s Games Online Free
Free Retro 80’s Games Online – Play Retro 80’s Games Online Free
80’s Arcade Games Online – Play 80’s Arcade Games Online Free
Gaming in the 90’s
The 1990’s were a decade full of development in terms of video gaming. It was the decade that evolved from pixelated games to 3D graphical gaming. We saw the decline in arcade games as the incease in home consoles became inevitable. First-Person Shooter (FPS), Real-Time Strategy (RTS) and Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMO) were the main three genres to rise in the 90’s thanks to the release of the Nintendo Gameboy and others.
Games such as Sonic, SimCity, Gran Turismo Racing, Metal Gear Solid: Stealth, StreetFighter2: Turbo Hyper, Super Mario 64, Doom and Legend of Zelda are just some of the popular games to be released in the decade.
Here is a look at some of the video games from the 90’s.
Super Mario 64
Released in 1996, this game was brought out and published as a game for the Nintendo 64. Extremely popular at the time and still to this day, it was played by people all over the World. Newer versions have been brought out since by Nintendo to take advantage of the new graphics and gaming technology with it being brought out for handheld consoles such as the Nintendo DS.
“Super Mario 64 has been commercially successful; it was the best-selling Nintendo 64 game. As of May 21, 2003, the game has sold eleven million copies. At the end of 2007, Guinness World Records reported sales of 11.8 million copies. As of September 25, 2007, it is the seventh best-selling video game in the United States with six million copies sold. By June 2007, Super Mario 64 had become the second most popular title on Wii’s Virtual Console, behind Super Mario Bros.“- Wikipedia: Super Mario 64
Play Super Mario 64 Free Online
Super Mario 64 - Play Super Mario 64 Online Free
More information on Super Mario 64
Sonic The Hedgehog
Sonic the hedgehog was released in 1991 on the Sega Megadrive and quickly became the leading game for Sega. Over the years multiple different versions of Sonic have been released with new characters being brought out for different consoles throughout the years. This is one of the great games that has managed to be developed through from the 90’s until today.
Play Sonic Free Online
Play Sonic the Hedgehog Online : Play Free Sonic Online
The Legend Of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda is a truly legendary game selling over 57 million copies worldwide. The game published by Nintendo is a mixture of action, adventure, puzzle solving and role-playing. One of the most talked about things about Zelda is its timeline. Discussions all over the net have brought many arguments and disagreements over it. Here is a video that explains Hyru’s timeline better than I can, so you can decide for yourself.
Play Legend Of Zelda free Online
Play The Legend Of Zelda Online- Play Free Online Legend Of Zelda
Play Legend of Zelda without pop-ups- Play Free Legend of Zelda Online
Play Zelda Online- Play Zelda Free Online
Play Various Zelda Games Online- Play Zelda Games Online Free
Gaming in 2000-2009
The 2000s in video gaming was a decade that had been primarily dominated by Sony, Nintendo, the newcomer Microsoft, and their respective systems. Sega, being Nintendo’s main rival in the 1980s and 1990s, left the console market in 2002 in favor of returning to the third party company they once were. Overall the decade has seen the last of the low resolution three dimensional polygons of the 1990s and has entered the realm of High Definition games, and has often focused on developing immersive and interactive environments, implementing realistic physics, and improving artificial intelligence. (source: wikipedia)
Nintendo have dominated the 2000 decade holding the top 5 best selling games of the decade. Games including Wii Sports, Wii Play, Halo, COD, Nintendogs along with the new Super Mario Brothers and the versions of Pokemon. Microsoft brought out the X Box consoles with Sony rivalling with the PlayStation consoles.
Top 50 selling games of 2000-2009
Halo 3
Halo 3 was and still is one of the most popular games of this decade, gaining over $300 million in its first week, Halo 3 had 4.2 million units in retail outlets the day before it was released. Playing as the Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier, you wage a war in defence of humanity along with Human Marines and an allied Alien race called the ‘Elites’ against the Covenant Alien Races.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
GTA:VC is a game published by Rockstar Games which followed on from GTA:III and uses a tweaked version of its game engine allowing huge cityscape, fully populated with people, vehicles, and buildings.
Vice City is modelled on Miami with the story being revolved around Mafia member Tommy Vercetti just after a drug deal went wrong. He is released from prison and seeks revenge on those responsible. During this time he builds a criminal empire and seezes power from all the other criminal organisations in the city.
GTA Vice City on X Box Gameplay Video
More information on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Wikipedia
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Official Website Homepage
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Radio Online Info
Pokemon
Pokemon is a role playing game developed by Game Freak and Creatures Inc and produced by Nintendo. Extremely popular with the younger audience primarily, Pokemon not only was a game but was a huge hit with the Pokemon playing cards. The first Pokemon games were actually released in 1996 but it was only when the new developments were made in gaming in the 2000’s did the graphics and gameplay become a lot better on the Pokemon games.
List of Pokemon Games
Handheld games
- Generation I (Game Boy)
- Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green (JPN 1996)
- Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue (US 1998)
- Pokémon Yellow (JPN 1998)
- Generation II (Game Boy Color)
- Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver (JPN 1999)
- Pokémon Crystal (JPN 2000)
- Generation III
- (Game Boy Advance)
- Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire (JPN 2002)
- Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen (JPN 2004)
- Pokémon Emerald (JPN 2005)
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (JPN 2006)
- (Nintendo DS)
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (US 2005)
- Pokémon Dash (US 2005)
- Pokémon Trozei! (US 2005)
- Pokémon Ranger (US 2006)
- Generation IV (Nintendo DS)
- Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl (JPN 2006)
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time (US 2008)
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness (US 2008)
- Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (US 2008)
- Pokémon Platinum (US 2009)
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky (US 2009)
- Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver (JPN 2009)[16]
- Generation V (Nintendo DS)
- RPG (JPN 2010)
Console games
- Generation I (Nintendo 64)
- Pokémon Stadium ( Pokemon Sutajiamu?) (JPN 1998)
- Pokémon Stadium 2 (JPN 1999) – known as Pokémon Stadium in US and Europe (US 2000)
- Pokémon Snap (JPN 1999)
- Pokémon Puzzle League (US 2000)
- Hey You, Pikachu! (US 2000)
- Generation II (Nintendo 64)
- Pokémon Stadium Kin Gin (JPN 2000) – known as Pokémon Stadium 2 in US and Europe (US 2001)
- Generation III (Nintendo GameCube)
- Pokémon Colosseum (JPN 2003)
- Pokémon Box: Ruby and Sapphire (JPN 2003)
- Pokemon Channel (JPN 2003)
- Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (JPN 2005)
- Generation IV (Wii)
- Pokémon Battle Revolution (JPN 2006)
- My Pokémon Ranch (JPN 2008)
- Pokémon Rumble(JPN June 16, 2009)
- Poképark Wii(JPN December 5, 2009)
(List of Pokemon Games Source: Wiki Pokemon)
Gaming in 2010!
Now, this is where the list I’m afraid stops. Although we are only a few months into the new decade of 2010, the future looks brilliant for gaming. With motion sensor gaming becoming increasingly popular, could the iPad’s multitouch screen revolutionise gaming on the move?
I personally can’t see the iPad being a console to be played at home as much as on the move as it cannot compete with the likes of the PS3, X Box 360 and Nintendo Wii. But it isnt trying to is it?
With the iPad including such brilliant gaming features like amazing high resolution, large screen, multi-touch features and so on, Disney may be right! (read earlier Disney Post) The iPad may well just be a ‘game changer’. Well if 2010 is going to continue to progress its gaming technology as we have come to expect now, I hope this is the start of a new era of gaming on the move in 2010!
complex.com’s Top 100 Games 2000-2009
Play Games Online
Play Free Classic Games Online
Play Classic Retro Games Online
Bring On The 90’s Games Online
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