Nintendo Pioneer Talks NES Phenomenon

Thanks to Video-fenky for his article translating a recent Famitsu interview with Hiroshi Imanishi, former executive director of Nintendo, about the original launch of the Famicom/NES console, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last week. The Famicom wasn't immediately well-received, according to Imanishi: "We were the new kid on the block, and a lot of places said to us 'We've already seen Donkey Kong in the arcades and on the Game & Watch! You're putting it out again?'" He also describes how the trademark NES controller almost never came to be: "...during development the majority of Nintendo wanted to include a regular joystick with the system. However, during that time, we made the first multi-screen Game & Watch, and we introduced the control pad so you wouldn't have to keep on glancing at your hands while you're playing the game"

Comments

Donkey Kong

[sofakingl]

As far as I can remember, Donkey Kong was better in the arcade. The NES version lost 2 of the original levels.

Re:Donkey Kong

[AndyBusch]

Almost. The NES version only lost one level (the pie factory). The 2600, Intellivision, etc versions also lost the elevator level. In the earliest NES games, they hadn't figured out how to use memory mappers to access larger amounts of data, so the earliest games were incredibly small. All those early carts (even through Zelda and Metroid) dump to about 40 k.

The NES was an incredible feat, though. Since it only used a bit of internal hardware, it then relied on large amounts of processor in the cart. That's why it's so hard to emulate the console. By contrast, only a handful of SNES games (Super FX games, and Mega Man X 2 and X 3) have any processing hardware in the cart.

Re:Donkey Kong

[edwdig]

Zelda 1 and Metroid were both 128k roms. In Zelda, notice that when you're in the levels, only certain combinations of enemies are possible. You'll never see Stalfos and Wizrobes in the same level. That's because the enemies are stored in seperate memory banks.

Remember the bug in Metroid that allowed you to access "hidden areas" ? Get caught in a door, mash up & down repeated on the control pad, and you'd work your way thru the wall into the room above or below you. It would look different, but it would really be nearby areas of the map, but the graphics data of the room you started in would still be mapped in.

Toy?

[TripleA]

Well, thet wanted the machine to look like a toy, didn't they? To take a step away from all the coputer wannabee videogames of that era. So they made the controls non-changeable and the colors very silly.

if only they had used a joystick...

[gl4ss]

as default controller.. how many thumbs could have been saved!

the nes arcade style stick controller that nintendo sold too was _very_ good imho especially for games like tmnt2(the arcade conversion), the 'flying stick' kind of a stick(stinger??) that nintendo sold sucked ass though imho, mostly because digital sticks like that just suck major ass.

Its all about the buttons

[DrWho520]

I never had a problem with the d-pad. In fact, I much prefer it over an atari style joystick. The buttons, on the other hand, were murder. When I got my SNES, I was overjoyed at the convex buttons. That was a well designed gamepad. Something I never appreciated was the convex and concave buttons and how I always new exactly where I was on the pad by the feel. I still have trouble with a PS* controller today. All the buttons are exactly the same!

I just got my GCN the other day (and promptly stayed up till 10 AM on Zelda) and was instantly hooked on that controller. Well, I guess 20 years of console building experience will do that for you. If Ninetendo ever goes the way of the SEGA, not only will they be able to continue on as a software designer, they could make some kick-ass peripherals as well.

Here's hoping for another 20 years!