Existing comment:
SEGA Master System
Action: Marble Madness
Programmer Mark Cerny was a teenager when he created Marble Madness in the early 1980s. It was originally an arcade game, and Cerny designed the game to take advantage of a new controller, the trackball.
Players used the trackball to navigate a marble through an isometric world inspired by M.C. Escher. The physical experience of maneuvering the trackball directly related to the graphics on the screen. Although the home console version had different controls, the visual experience remained.
To increase the player's connection with the game's marble hero, Cerny gave it human characteristics. For example, the marble becomes "dizzy" when falling from a high ledge.
The complex terrain combined with the marble's realistic momentum and speed created a treacherous yet exciting experience.
Target: After Burner
The late 80s saw widespread adoption of home video game consoles like the SEGA Master System. Flight simulators were especially popular, with the rise of movies such as Top Gun.
In After Burner, players controlled an F-14 Tomcat jet and battled enemy fighters over an abstract seascape. The designers used a variety of tricks to create the illusion of three-dimensional game play.
The individual sprites, or 2D, animated objects, could be scaled quickly and displayed at a variety of angles. In addition, they could be layered over each other to suggest three-dimensional space. This, in addition to the dynamic horizon line in the background, gave players a dramatic sense of movement and action as they controlled the plane.
Adventure: Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star's sophisticated storyline and innovative use of technology set it apart from similar games of the time.
Players took the role of Alis Landale, who seeks revenge on the king for the death of her brother. As the game progresses, however, Alis discovers widespread oppression under the king's rule and her goal turns from revenge to liberation.
Phantasy Star's graphics were ground-breaking.
When players entered a dungeon, for example, the traditional, top-down 2-dimensional view switched to a 3D, first-person perspective, adding a sense of solidity and realism.
The game also made extensive use of background graphics. In most other role-playing games of the time, battles and events took place against generic backgrounds. In Phantasy Star, each background reflected the specific location, further connecting the player to the fictional world of the game.
Tactics: Spy vs Spy
Spy vs Spy was a tactical game that followed the antics of MAD Magazine's Black and White spies. Players were tasked to find hidden objects while also setting booby traps to ensnare and slow down their opponents.
Cuban artist Antonio Prohias created the original characters in 1961, directly inspired by Fidel Castro's rise to power in Cuba. Today, Spy vs Spy remains a symbol of the Cold War and the ongoing struggle between "good" and evil.
MAD magazine's artwork was irreverent and slapstick. The game added animation to this, breathing life into the familiar comic strip world. |