Games of the last century

The era of portable gaming consoles, apparently, in the next few years will go into oblivion. Due to rampant spread of smartphones honorary title of "handheld consoles," now applies to almost any mobile phone for more than $ 200.

And as it was in the last century, when a cell phone is not even dream?



Oddly, but perestroika case with portable consoles we were a lot more fun than a set-top boxes. Soviet industry navigate the surprisingly fast and, like a real Chinese master copier, just four years cloned gaming system Nintendo Game & Watch. Japanese original in Japan appeared in the early 1980s, and we have known, and, as it seemed, fantastic, "Well, wait a minute!" Conquered the kids from the mid-1980s, and almost to the beginning of the XXI century.

"Happy Chef" by Nintendo


The success of the toys was so overwhelming that in spite of the production capacity of nearly two dozen plants, including two Belarusian, she's always been in short supply. And it is considering imposing a purse for a Soviet citizen prices 23-25 ​​rubles! Internet was not, and learn about the presence of (and often - the lack of) famous "Electronics" in the sale could only be stopped at a specialty store. One could, of course, to call only is no guarantee that the toy you wait, it was not - the shelves were empty in no time.

Soviet clones of Game & Watch


Unassuming brick-sized compact smartphone sluiced its contents over an avalanche of positive emotions. Imagine, in the late 80's - early 90's you have in your hands is a game with cool graphics system in your computer (it was like to think)! Well, let one device meant only one game! Well, let half of the "graphics" was just painted on the substrate normal paint! Well, let the monotonous process! But all that stuff you can carry with you to show to friends and then compete with who is more pick points.

Worry about running is not necessary: ​​a pair of cheap batareek- "tablets" lacking a very long time. It was not about the hours and even the days and months of work. With completely new batteries, however, it had one not very nice feature: all the game elements on the screen, even inactive, become so contrasting, that it was easy to discern the movement of the wolf from "Well, wait!" Or cars from the "Avtoslaloma." < br />
The famous "Autoslalom" and at the bottom - export version of "Just you wait!»


Just a series of "Electronics" published more than two dozen games. Almost all of them more or less repeated, "Well, wait a minute!". Instead, the wolf could be the cook, the goalkeeper, fisher cat, monkey-keeper, instead of chickens and eggs - foods, washers, fish, balls and so on. D.



Racing "Autoslalom 'differing concepts and had no counterpart among the devices on the Game & Watch Nintendo - a real independent Soviet product! At the dawn of the 1990s, dashing writer, after a long wait and kilometer jogging parents shopping still I waited it was his - "Avtoslaloma." In my opinion, this is the best of all of these games. Popularity is not spared superstability Soviet paint: the arrow keys for control shabby over time, even the signature on the almost unused button "Time" has become a "burden».

The device can be used as a clock and alarm, there was a special metal stand


Today, it is impossible to believe, but a primitive melteshenie dashes barrier from which the later stages of the game in the eyes dazzled, gave an amazing sense of speed. Dial 200 points at which restores all "broken" machine, it was cool, 500 points - very cool, but then ... Then began the myths. Some games line "Electronics" among kids went "credible rumors" (with arguments like "one older brother saw myself!"), Though after 1000 points to monhromnom LCD screen toys you will see a cartoon! Ah, then it was easy to pick up a stronger motivation for playing your favorite games again and again. And after the children understand that in this world there is not only Santa Claus but also in the movie "Just you wait!". Of course, as more than 999 points scored was impossible ...

But quite nemificheskimi proved failures, which could cause by simultaneously pressing a few buttons Soviet console. If successful, the game ceased to set off losses, but can and does break down.



The happiest young gamers some unknown ways of receiving terribly rare even with the total deficit modification "Electronics" with removable screens. The device consisted of a base in the form of a control unit to which you can connect one of the five available "cartridge", "Well, wait a minute!", "Funny football", "hockey", "cat-fisherman" and "Autoslalom." The Japanese have something similar appeared five years earlier. Nothing to do but to clone again. Copy even unnecessary in this case, stick that amiss only alarm settings and easily switch between games.



In the mid-1990s along with the expansion of "Dandy" and other "syuborov" in the CIS has penetrated the Japanese engineering marvel called the Game Boy. It was a logical continuation of the development of the Nintendo Game & Watch, clone which we have not been able, or more likely, unwilling - not before it.

At this time - no-drawn levels and split screen. Console Game Boy game cartridges was supported and its weekly 5 minutes of fame in the transfer of Sergei Suponeva "Dandy - The new reality».



At that time it could provide an interesting and, most importantly, diverse gameplay in a portable console? Total a 4-MHz processor, 2, 6-inch monochrome screen is a resolution of 160 × 144 pixels, 8 KB of memory, D-pad, a pair of game keys, compact size and weight of about 400 grams.





And, of course, games. The success of the Game Boy has identified a complete "Tetris", assigned to the still went after Nintendo's entire detective melodramatic stories with cloud actors. If the handheld console, was not "Tetris," people just do not buy such a device, even if it had a large color screen and powerful filling. Not least because of this failed miserably such competitors Game Boy, as the Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear.



We have, however, Game Boy, too, is not particularly popular - fun getting too expensive. This is despite the large "park" of about 800 games, many of which were simplified in terms of graphics and gameplay versions of "adult" platformers projects. Take, for example, Super Mario, different versions of "Batman», Battletoads, Castlevania, The Lion King, Final Fantasy, and even Pac-Man.

Version Game Boy with color screen


And as much as accessories to the device could be purchased abroad: here you and a real sonar, and a printer for printing screens, and camera for black-and-white photos and SNES-cartridge to output video to a TV, and an adapter for multiplayer competitions, and much more . The main thing - manage to change every five hours four AA batteries.

Not surprisingly, the success of the Game Boy, as well as its successor color Game Boy Color, abroad has been predetermined. In Belarus the chance to meet these consoles were approximately the same as the fulfillment of a wish, make a when a shooting star. But without the "Tetris" we did not stay! For this thanks not only to the Soviet programmer Alexey Pajitnov, but enterprising Chinese, the products of labor which were literally inundated stumbles at every corner commercial stalls, also known as "tent».

Remember this "rounded rectangle"? It seems like the device is officially called the Brick Game, but all this "game with bricks" called simply "Tetris", which it was in the first place. Multi-colored, but in most cases, light gray bars in the 90 students replaced mobiles. No, with their help they did not call, but the game is not just change, but also the lessons away.

One of the first version of "Tetris" - only two games


School status for some time can be determined by the number of built-in "Tetris" game. What could be "cooler" than an insane amount in 9999? Well, let no one and never played even a hundredth part of them. All the same, they are variations of a dozen different games. Most were of different kinds of "Tetris": different rates of movement of figures, additional elements, and so on. D. On the second place in popularity are variations on the theme of "Snakes" plus "Breakout" and the race in countless, often does no different modifications .

The advanced version of the game with five buttons


Although Asian origin, fortress these devices was not to occupy. A thick plastic accept any bullying. Buttons and began to sink when it is easy to were repaired by loosening a few screws, and replace the rubber substrates. Even the most "zayuzat" model of living over the years and usually becomes unnecessary only after buying a cellular phone.

Without software bugs could not have done, but still, many believe that it is not "glitches" and "chips". From time to time one of the games, shooters showed miracle of miracles - a "secret level"! To do this it was necessary to shoot one strip in the center of the sinking of the pyramid and then go on to receive the groove. Next happening shaped like a mess of cubes appear out of nowhere. Make is not always turned out that only gave an aura of mystery "secret level».

"Full stuffing»


The era of mobile phones changed everything. Chinese manufacturers have tried for some time to adjust to the new demands by releasing "Tetris" in the form of especially popular among gamers phones (for example, in the form of Nokia N-Gage) or these portable consoles like the Sony PSP. They say that the descendants of those very kirpicheobraznyh "Tetris" and there are still, that's just about the former popularity, they can only dream of.

Played in more exotic things. Even calculators! In very advanced models of "Electronics" could be found hidden away from prying eyes, "Tetris," "snake" and Pac-Man. For models produced simpler whole book, which described the undocumented features of the Soviet calculators. At the same time it was not about the usual "guessing" numbers, but about the arcade, quests, and even strategy. Without instruction brochure play it was impossible: he had to enter the longest program codes to fill registers to remember that represent certain numbers, letters and other characters. In general, the calculator-games were popular among a relatively small number of enthusiasts.

In this, too, could play!


A couple of years during the second half of the 90s, many girls had been ruined courting electronic pets - Tamagotchi. Small egg-shaped contraption straight in class could virtually crap one's pants, ill and die if the owner just did not pay attention to their popiskivaniya. Classic revive the tamagotchi was impossible, that in Japan there were whole cemetery electronic toys. On the wave of teenage suicides had to integrate the reset button. We like to suicides is not reached, but its place in gaming history of the XX century took Tamagotchi.



This was the portable gaming world at the end of the last century. Without mobile phones and consoles with advanced color (!) Graphics, but memorable and fascinating. Today, you can remember about him thanks to computer emulators. But, really, it is better not to get involved - let all remain in the memory.

And what consoles and portable consoles were you? Your favorite igruhi them? In that play now?

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