Introduction
The last day of Thanksgiving brings an article that I’ve been planning and crafting for almost the entire month. I hope that it lives up to that hype and doesn’t disappoint. When I came up with the “Thankful for….” series, I knew I wanted to say thank you Nintendo and Sega. Like other gamers my age, both played a huge role in my teenage and early adult life.
Those who come back to the page often know this story. But, I told it again texting my brothers for Thanksgiving. We owned an Atari 2600 forever. My parents fought against buying us and NES, but finally broke one year and got it for Christmas. It came years too late and I then got a job and rendered it obsolete by buying an SNES. But, it still remains a good memory and one that gave my brothers and I a smile in the face of the death of our mother.
Nintendo vs. Sega: A Battle for the Ages
Nintendo took a side character from Donkey Kong and gave him (and his brother suddenly?!) their own title. This title went on to spawn a genre that persists to this day, the side scroller. If you told me at the time that this game would bring literally thousands of clones and also birth other genres, like Metroidvanias, I’d never have believed you. Yes, we all know that I’m not the most visionary among us, so that’s no surprise. But, seriously, the games involved running sideways and jumping to avoid things. And, yet, I dumped quarter after quarter into that very game. I used that as one of my arguments to my parents when I asked for the NES. We spend this much and it saves me this much.
One of those clones came from Sega, a video game company that showed true promise. They made fun games that toiled in obscurity (sound familiar?) in the shadow of the Nintendo behemoth. To whit, I never even knew that Sega made a console before the Genesis. I discovered them when they made the bold decision to finally stand up to their bully in the console wars. Part of that stand came with a redesign of their blue (not yet mascot status) hedgehog as a supersonic (yes, pun intended on their part) alternative to the slow and plodding running sideways and jumping to avoid things of the Mario games.
As you see from the video, Nintendo responded to Sega’s claims that Mario is too slow and boring. They added new powers and, more importantly, put a run meter into the game. This worked because even though I started as a Sonic fan, Mario rules my gaming memories. The games are just much more deep and detailed than the Sega counterpart. Don’t get me wrong, I like much of what Sega did, but Nintendo made Mario into a true icon.
Beyond Mario and Sonic
Both companies obviously expanded their libraries beyond Sonic and Mario. Nintendo started their habit of allowing any and all development companies to throw shit at the wall and hope for the best. Sega held their cards closer to the vest and mostly just allowed polished games and franchises on their consoles. But, I plan to concentrate only on the best of the best games in this article.
Thank you Nintendo and Sega for these franchises that endured and followed me through life. Again, I became a staunch Nintendo fanboy when they dropped the pretense and released Mortal Kombat II unmolested. They repeated offered better graphics and more fun gameplay than Sega. Even so, it surprised and saddened me when Sega decided to stop manufacturing consoles.
Nintendo 64 and Sega Dreamcast
When I think of one of the seminal times of my gaming life, that death of Sega still feels fresh and raw in my memory. Being part of the problem when I purchased a Sony Playstation instead of a Sega Dreamcast as my first console as a grown adult, I obviously helped in that demise. However, as a young person not fully versed in the insanity of our money culture, I still expected Sega and their consoles to be a part of my life for the duration.
Thankfully, Sega stuck around long enough to give us one last Mario v. Sonic showdown into the three dimensional realm. You can argue the merits of this transition. Many, including some of my most esteemed colleagues made a living doing just that. For this article, I argue neither for nor against it. I simply include them as a monument to the fallen and a reminder that nothing in life is permanent. Oof, that got philosophical.
Both Companies Innovate and Survive
Nintendo famously went away from the bro culture that gaming became and started developing their consoles as more family oriented. They pioneered the use of motion based gaming with the Wii, revolutionized mobile gaming with the 3DS and WiiU, and then put it all together in their piece de la resistance, the Nintendo Switch. Again, I started the 3D console wars with Sony, moved to Microsoft, and ended up firmly back in the Nintendo camp.
Meanwhile, Sega focused on making great games for other systems, thereby removing the loss leading nature of gaming systems. They pivoted to a more pop culture focus for their characters, releasing several successful cartoon series. Finally, they triumphed over Nintendo in creating a “cinematic universe” for their mascot in the form of three movies and at least one television show. Nintendo eventually responded with a movie of their own and a soon to be released sequel.
The Verdict
No matter the setting, both Nintendo and Sega brought my great joy in my life. Sure, I mourned when Sega stopped making consoles and wondered if Nintendo could survive the leap to 3D gaming. But, that made me shout with excitement even louder when both survived and grew into their new roles in the ecosystem. I look forward to decades more with these two industry giants. One last time, for now, thank you Nintendo and Sega.
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