Welcome back! In Part 1, we explored how developers pushed early-mid ‘80s console and computer hardware beyond its limits. Now we're moving into the mid-to-late '80s era of personal computers and arcades, when sound chips became more sophisticated and composers found even more creative ways to squeeze every last bit of quality from their hardware. This period saw the rise of 4-op FM synthesis,...
(Note that I'm assuming you've read the previous parts on the early evolution of game audio.) In the previous parts of this series, we explored the early evolution of sound and music in video games. Now it’s time for something a bit more specific: the unusual and innovative ways developers either pushed their hardware beyond its intended limits, or used it in an otherwise inventive way, affecti...
Note that this is a shorter, chronological version covering one year at a time (1985-1991). See my website for the complete essay spanning 60+ pages and covering each sound chip in detail. 1990's developers built upon lessons learned in previous years, but with even greater confidence and technical polish, exploring a gaming landscape more sonically diverse than ever before. FM synth, now well...
Note that this is a shorter, chronological version covering one year at a time (1985-1991). See my website for the complete essay spanning 60+ pages and covering each sound chip in detail. 1989 saw game music and sound pivoting a bit further towards being either fully or partially sample-based, and various 4-op FM synth works inching closer to reaching the technology's full potential. Older pla...
Note that this is a shorter, chronological version covering one year at a time (1985-1991). See my website for the complete essay spanning 60+ pages and covering each sound chip in detail. By 1988, game music had entered a phase of intense stylistic diversification, aided by increasingly flexible and diverse hardware. While some platforms were being pushed to their limits - like the NES through...
Note that this is a shorter, chronological version covering one year at a time (1985-1991). See my website for the complete essay spanning 60+ pages and covering each sound chip in detail. Starting with the NES, Metal Gear (NES, 1987) by Kazuki Muraoka is an appropriate mix of suspense, action, drama and adventure, taking inspiration from ‘80s action and espionage movies. Sound design-wise, the...
A Namco compilation album from 1986. Note that this is a shorter, chronological version covering one year at a time (1985-1991). See my website for the complete essay spanning 60+ pages and covering each sound chip in detail. Let’s start this year off with a few standout C64 OSTs. Martin Galway crafted an influential OST this year in Comic Bakery (C64) , later remixed in Jonathan Dunn’s Juras...
Note that this is a shorter, chronological version covering one year at a time (1985-1991). See my website for the complete essay spanning 60+ pages and covering each sound chip in detail. Welcome to the next chapter in my series on the early evolution of video game audio. This time, let’s go back to when what game audio developers learned from experimenting with the early-mid '80s PSG and FM s...
The hub map/overworld The pre-Metroid and Legend of Zelda era (ca 1979-mid 1987, globally speaking) of Action Adventure games was a highly experimental time when basic genre concepts like Platformer, Shooter, Rogue-like and Adventure games themselves hadn't been fully established yet. As such, you tend to see some of what we now see as defining traits represented in various games, such as explo...
Welcome to Now in the '90s: Fan-made Blog Post Edition, where we look at the video game releases and major industry events of 30 years ago, today. This month, we look at sequels to two classics in the Action Platformer and Adventure genres, the first 3D Fighting game on the Playstation, a not so beloved 2D Fighting game sequel, and a surprising glimpse into the future of the industry! I'm not y...
1984 was a year of contrasts in the gaming industry, especially from an international, multi-platform perspective. The year is defined by groundbreaking and quality games in multiple genres on the one hand, and lingering challenges from the 1983 crash on the other. Games like Elite, Knight Lore, "I, Robot", Kung-Fu Master, Pitfall II, King's Quest and Marble Madness showcased new gameplay and t...
1995 was a pivotal year in the history of video games - a time of experimentation, technological transition and true innovation, but also one tarnished by growing pains and industry struggles. It was a defining moment for several genres like JRPGs, RTS, 3D Fighting and Racing, and Adventure, and a year with groundbreaking if not always well aged visuals and storytelling techniques. It also lend...
The year 1983 tends to be the setting for a cautionary tale in North American video game history - a time when groundbreaking innovation seems to have been overshadowed by industry turmoil. While games like Mario Bros. revolutionized platformers, Ultima III expanded the possibilities of RPGs, and some regions outside of the US saw growth or even thrived, the era is best remembered for the infam...
The quest for firsts and mapping out the early evolution of notable video game innovations continues! This week, let's dive into a mechanic that is sometimes divisive, yet can add a layer of excitement to the games that utilize it well: the Corpse Run. A corpse run is when a player, upon dying in a game, is required to navigate back to their place of death to retrieve dropped resources such as...
Gen 3 Consoles: NES w/ chips, SMS, A7800, GB, GG (besides the color palette) Games pictured: Forbidden Forest, Donald Duck's Playground, Pitstop II, Entombed, Summer Games 2, World Games, California Games, Defender of the Crown, IK+, The Last Ninja, IO, Operation Wolf, R-Type, Cabal, Stunt Car Racer, Turrican, Another World (different), Turrican II, Flimbo's Quest, Wrath of the Demon, Creatures...
This week, let's delve into two interesting narrative tools that can express themselves a bit differently in video games: The meta moment and the fourth wall break. First off I am not talking about the more recent, alternative meaning of meta, which basically means the optimal strategy/ies to win in a game and tends to be used when talking about competitive MP games. Meta moments are when a gam...
This week, stay a while and listen to the tale of an important yet often overlooked and taken for granted aspect of video game history: Sound and Music. Much like in cinema, sound and music have always been essential parts of the gaming experience. Using them, developers aim to immerse players in the virtual worlds they create in various ways. For example, they can set the tone of a moment , se...
One of the most significant, yet often overlooked aspects of retro gaming is the innovation of the difficulty curve. The difficulty curve can be visualized in a 2D graph and refers to the gradual increase (or decrease) in challenge level as the player(s) progresses through a game. It keeps players engaged and ensures a sense of progression and accomplishment as they overcome increasingly toughe...
Risk/reward or risk vs reward can be defined as a main ingredient in games, in that you tend to have to take a risk to overcome an obstacle in the first place, such as getting in the enemy's line of sight/attack range to be able to shoot it or hit it, or stronger blows being harder to land. Without this tension, there's no excitement and no fun, so it's a necessary ingredient for action games e...
This week, let's delve into a quality of life innovation in gaming with a capital Q: Fast Travel. This game mechanic has revolutionized the way we navigate virtual worlds, saving us countless hours of tedious backtracking and uneventful exploration. While it has sometimes been criticized as lazy or for making players miss non-crucial for progression but still worthwhile aspects of the game, var...
For every Mega Man, there's a few Chubby Cherubs . For every Turrican, a few Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures . As some have argued, mayhap with prejudice, ignorance and sometimes factual errors, both Japanese and Western 2D platformers from back in the day tend to be so-so games or worse. While there are certainly standout titles from each region, and quite a few at that, it is nonetheless tr...
This week I want to shine a spotlight on something that in real life has fascinated people since we could formulate our thoughts around it: Immortality. In games, while it's common to flirt with the concept to for example play around with a game's pacing and difficulty curve (see the earlier post about power ups), and of course through extra tries (1-ups), permanent immortality is pretty rare....
In the early days of game development, those who wanted to create large scale, open-ended adventures spanning whole worlds or even multiple ones were likely asking themselves one or more of these questions: a. How am I going to render all of the detail of an entire world on screen without the game slowing to a crawl, b. How do I keep the game from losing focus from the player getting lost in th...
This week, let's talk about an innovation that lets the player put themselves in the game designer's shoes: the level editor (also known as the track editor, map editor or scenario editor). This tool has allowed players without programming skills or a position in a development team to create, play and share their own levels, race tracks and scenarios with others. The level editor (along with co...
This week, we delve into an innovation that used to be pretty rare to see within the games themselves - the Bestiary aka the Monster Encyclopedia. This innovation has proven to be more than just a collection of fantastical creatures; it can be a narrative tool, a world-building device, and a strategic resource. Furthermore, it helped games go fully digital by putting what would otherwise be in...
This week, let's explore a classic mechanic that many RPG enjoyers but also Open World enjoyers tend to love: Manual Stat Allocation on Level Up. In the world of classic RPGs, the concept of manually allocating attribute or skill points upon leveling up adds a strategic layer to character development, while increasing the player's say in how their character develops, if not personality- or stor...
We all know the satisfaction of discovering a unique way to overcome a challenge or to have our favorite playstyle be a valid option in a game. Even better if no one else had thought of the solution before us, perhaps not even the developers of the game! For this week, let's have a look at an innovation that in some ways ties into the previously tackled object interaction topic: alternative sol...
Today I want to show some appreciation for an interesting aspect of games that often goes unnoticed but plays a crucial role in enhancing immersion and emotional impact: Adaptive/Dynamic/Interactive Music. This innovation combines the fact that non-redbook CD audio hardware plays back the game music and sound effects in real-time with the interactivity and non-linearity of games, to have the mu...
Today, let's discuss the roots of a gameplay mechanic that has been beloved by strategists and stealth players for decades: Trap-laying. This innovation adds an extra layer of strategy to gameplay and can create intense, suspenseful moments where you carefully set up a plan and hope that it executes properly based on what the enemy or another player does. While some games center around this mec...
Happy holidays! Today I want to shine a spotlight on a couple of gaming innovations that let us feel powerful and in control, that can add to immersion and realism, and that allow us to let off some steam without hurting others or their property: Destructible Environments and Multiple Destructible Parts. Destructible environments potentially bring more interaction and stimulation of player crea...
This week, let's dive into a more technical aspect of video game design that has significantly shaped the medium: Procedurally & Randomly Generated Content (PGC/RGC). Procedural Generation involves the creation of data using an algorithm as opposed to manual input, and the data is generated while the game is running. This approach to content creation has been a game-changer in the industry, sha...
This week, I'd like to show some appreciation for a gaming innovation that has kept evolving over the years and continues to fascinate players: Object Interaction & Manipulation. It's an important one as it homes in on a core aspect of games - interacting with what's on screen, plus it opens up many possibilites beyond simply defeating enemies. It allows players to engage with the game environm...
This week, let's dive into something that has excited, frustrated and intimidated many players over the years – the boss. From the early days of video games to the more recent classics, bosses and kicking their butts have become an integral part of gaming culture. They add a layer of anticipation, challenge but also narrative depth to video games as they present a clear antagonist to the player...
This week, let's have a look at a classic mechanic that has stood the test of time and continues to shape popular titles: ability gating/tool gating. This concept is about overcoming obstacles by acquiring persistent abilities or tools, essential for progression. Usually these are gained through item pickups or completing specific objectives. More than a metaphorical key, using these involves t...
This week, let's take a moment to appreciate one of the iconic features in games: the power-up. For this post I'm defining power-ups as items that grant your in-game character (player avatar) a temporary* change in their abilities or state when picked up or used. Power-ups can add some extra flavor, give the player a break, and/or even add a new layer of strategy to the gameplay. They can be a...
Hey everybody. This week, let's dive into a topic that has become an expected part of most modern games but had humble beginnings and took a long time to take hold outside of certain genres – Character Creation & Customization! These innovations have added layers of personalization, player agency and immersion. They allow players to mold their in-game avatars to match their own preferences, eit...
This week, it's time for an (eventually) revolutionary innovation that has fundamentally shaped how we interact with many games: Twin-Stick Controls. This was an important innovation in that it provided a more immersive, precise and flexible gameplay experience, particularly for 3D games and multidirectional shooters since it would let players move their avatar with one stick and aim with the o...
This week, let's talk about something that has truly revolutionized the way we play video games - Network & Online Multiplayer. Online play in particular has become the norm ahead of local multiplayer and taking turns to play, a transformation that really became noticeable on PC during the mid-late '90s but - as with many other innovations - has much older roots. This innovation has transformed...
Today, it's time for the innovation that let human make human in their own image - the human player avatar! The concept of a human player avatar was important because it allowed players to more easily project themselves into the game world. This not only added a personal touch to video games but also added another layer of immersion and engagement. Before this innovation, most games relied on a...
For this week, I'd like to dive into a topic that captivates many players: Easter Eggs and Secrets. An easter egg is a hidden feature in a game or piece of software added as a bonus or joke (I'm excluding cheat codes here unless they're hidden and adding some frivolous feature like big head mode). These hidden gems in games have been around for decades. In fact the first one seems to be from Mo...
Maze War from 1973 is seen as a precursor to 3D FPS games, but today I want to highlight another important feature that it introduced: the in-game map system! With simpler, repetitive visuals and the maze structure of this game's (and many other retro games) levels, you'd easily get lost without it. Maze War uses a separate map screen which shows the entire level layout with walkable paths and...
For this week, I'd like to shine a spotlight on a feature that I think is more commonly associated with PC and strategy games: The Advisor NPC. This is a way to personalize a game's tutorial and immerse players into the game quicker, segmenting the learning process into smaller, easier to follow steps that tend to happen as a player is exposed to a new challenge. It can also be a way to present...
The first example of this if asking ChatGPT is Chrono Trigger, which is also a popular example, however the feature actually predates that game by at least 25 years. The actual first seems to be High Noon (PC, 1970), developed by Ivan Vassilievich. It's a wild west-themed, gunfight duel sim of sorts, with turn-based combat. It puts players in the shoes of a sheriff in a small town during the er...
This groundbreaking innovation first saw use in SpaceWar!/Space War (PDP-1, 1962), but they have been used in several genres afterwards such as Racing, Platform, Sports and more. Shoot 'em ups that use them are sometimes called Thrust-likes, after the 1986 game, though that game is heavily based on Gravitar from 1982. A shout-out to some other early examples: Moonlander (1973) Springer (ARC, 19...
While researching various video game firsts, I sometimes became frustrated with incorrect, lacking or scattered info online. First power-up? No, not Pac-Man. First easter egg? No, not Adventure. And so on. What's more, sometimes the correct info isn't even that hard to find if you just look past the first google search or AI chat result. Hence this blog series, which will highlight innovations...
The fifth console generation. PS1, N64, Voodoo graphics on PC and now insanely expensive 2D games for the Saturn. This was a time when shamelessly clunky 3D models were put on the front of magazines and game boxes while young people and games journalists tried to forget that 2D was still a thing. A time when you could walk into a store, pick a few random games and end up discovering about as ma...
So, the sixth console generation. A period of about ten years if we start counting from the release of the Dreamcast and stop after only the PS2 is left standing. While I gradually gravitated away from modern (at least console) games during this period, towards other interests like music, film and books, I did give most of the bigger PS2 titles a chance and occasionally played through some of t...
This blog entry is part of a series covering games that are featured on my website about the Platform Adventure (aka Metroidvania) subgenre's history. It's a site created mainly as a quick reference guide for those looking for the next game to play or relevant and detailed info on earlier games in the subgenre for their other projects. The platform adventure subgenre, when seen as a retro reviv...
This blog entry is part of a series covering games that are featured on my website about the Platform Adventure (aka Metroidvania) subgenre's history. It's a site created mainly as a quick reference guide for those looking for the next game to play or relevant and detailed info on earlier games in the subgenre for their other projects. Released at the tail end of what in the US was an in-betwee...
This blog entry is part of a series covering games that are featured on my website about the Platform Adventure (aka Metroidvania) subgenre's history. It's a site created mainly as a quick reference guide for those looking for the next game to play or relevant and detailed info on earlier games in the subgenre for their other projects. Brain Breaker (1985) is an early platform adventure game de...
This blog entry is part of a series covering games that are featured on my website about the Platform Adventure (aka Metroidvania) subgenre's history. It's a site created mainly as a quick reference guide for those looking for the next game to play or relevant and detailed info on earlier games in the subgenre for their other projects. Below the Root (AII/C64/PC, 1984) , developed by Windham Cl...
This blog entry is part of a series covering games that are featured on my website about the Platform Adventure (aka Metroidvania) subgenre's history. It's a site created mainly as a quick reference guide for those looking for the next game to play or relevant and detailed info on earlier games in the subgenre for their other projects. The pre-Metroid era (ca 1979-1986) of Platform Adventure ga...
This is the first blog entry covering games that are featured on my website about the Platform Adventure (aka Metroidvania) subgenre's history, a site created mainly as a quick reference guide for those looking for the next game to play or relevant and detailed info on earlier games in the subgenre for their other projects. Released in 1979 for the Atari 2600, Superman was a groundbreaking game...
Popular Game OSTS by Year I decided to go through my Impressive VGM by Year lists and rank game OSTs by popularity based on Youtube views. I went with YT since it's linked to Google and those two are by far the most popular in their respective fields. A few things to note about YT uploads: 1. Various video uploads to YT have been removed over the years, some as recently as 2018-2021 and a bunch...
A recurring discussion in MV circles (and I bet various other popular subgenre forums) is the definition itself and whether or not game x or y fits within it completely, partially or not at all. Let's start with a basic definition: A Metroidvania, also known as a Platform Adventure , is a subgenre of Action Adventure and Platform games. In short, these are real-time games that focus on platform...
This is more of a list post. I'll go by the points below as a definition and comment on each element individually: -Higher than average difficulty - This is as old as games but if we include a boss focus, I suppose Ninja Gaiden, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Shinobi, Castlevania and the like are good early-ish examples. -ARPG w/ character creation, shops and leveling - Well this one goes far back. In Japan...