Classic Console Launches - Retro Gaming Podcast Passion for Pixels 007

04/29/14 • 69 min

This episode we're talking classic console launches, starting with the launch of the NES in the US in 1985. We talk about figures and facts from launches spanning the NES to the Dreamcast, reminisce about our memories of the different launches and talk about how the advertising impacted us in different ways.

The videogame crash had put the industry in shambles, and Nintendo was trying to bring their console to an almost dead market when they released the NES in 1985. Did you know that it took more than a year from the NES was launched in New York until it was available nationwide - more than three years after the Japanese release of the Famicom? Console launches back then were not surrounded by the same amount of hype and propaganda as they are today.

We talk about the launch of the Sega Master System and the Sega Genesis. Stian tells about his memories of the Super Nintendo launch as a kid in Norway, and how this put videogames on norwegian TV for the first time.

We also talk about the launch of the Phillips CD-i and conclude that the console was actually way ahead of it's time, but very poorly marketed (and had terrible games).

We talk about the launch of the Panasonic 3DO, the Sony Playstation, the Sega Saturn, the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Dreamcast as well.

Did you know that the Sega Saturn was released in the US the same day that it was first shown to the American public at E3? Someone at Segas advertising department would probably get fired over that decision if it happened today.

ALL OUR EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE IN ITUNES!

Subscribe to have our latest episode downloaded to your preferred device, and please leave us a review!

Follow Passion for Pixels on Facebook to join the retro gaming discussion!

Have an opinion? Tweet us @passion_pixels or send us an e-mail at [email protected].

We also talk about the launch of the Phillips CD-i and conclude that the console was actually way ahead of it's time, but very poorly marketed (and had terrible games).

We talk about the launch of the Panasonic 3DO, the Sony Playstation, the Sega Saturn, the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Dreamcast as well.

ALL OUR EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE IN ITUNES!

Subscribe to have our latest episode downloaded to your preferred device, and please leave us a review!

Follow Passion for Pixels on Facebook to join the retro gaming discussion!

Have an opinion? Tweet us @passion_pixels or send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Previous Episode

The Final Word on Final Fantasy VII - Retro Gaming Podcast Passion for Pixels 006

A full episode dedicated to talking about one of the most well known games of all time - Final Fantasy VII. Stian and Danny discuss the impact this seminal title has had on the gaming industry, dissect the story and consider modern remakes.

We talk about the game was originally meant to be set in New York. This and other early ideas for the game ended up in other Square RPGs.

How character designer Tetsuya Nomura's style differs from earlier Final Fantasy artist Akira Toriyama is another topic we get into in this episode.

Remember the materia system? We talk about how this fully customizable character system gave players full control of how they wanted to develop their characters, and how it is related to Final Fantasy V's job system.

ALL OUR EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE IN ITUNES!

Subscribe to have our latest episode downloaded to your preferred device, and please leave us a review!

Follow Passion for Pixels on Facebook to join the retro gaming discussion!

Have an opinion? Tweet us @passion_pixels or send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Next Episode

Hideo Kojima and Metal Gear Solid - Retro Gaming Podcast Passion for Pixels 008

This episode starts off with us talking about Japanese game director, producer, writer and designer Hideo Kojima. We talk about the games that inspired Kojima to become a game developer, his earliest work (ever heard of Penguin Adventure?) and how his most well known series of games, Metal Gear Solid, came about. Once again it's a story of how the limitations of the console's hardware forced the developers to think outside of the box.

We also talk about the pros and cons of Kojima's style, which draws heavily on his fascination for films. Does his games feel too static at times, when the cut scenes drag on for too long?

ALL OUR EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE IN ITUNES!

Subscribe to have our latest episode downloaded to your preferred device, and please leave us a review!

Follow Passion for Pixels on Facebook to join the retro gaming discussion!

Have an opinion? Tweet us @passion_pixels or send us an e-mail at [email protected].