Which Was THE BEST Year of the Golden Age?

[VectorGamer]

Up to and including 1983, which was the best year for arcade releases and why?

 

Man, it's tough between 1980 and 1981:

 

Some of the titles released in 81 were Donkey Kong, Frogger, Galaga, Gorf, Lady Bug, Mouse Trap, Ms. Pac-Man, Omega Race, Pleiads, Qix, Satan's Hollow, Space Fury, Stargate, Turbo, Vanguard and Venture.

 

1980 featured Asteroids Deluxe, Astro Invader, Battle Zone, Berzerk, Carnival, Centipede, Defender, Missile Command, Phoenix, Pac-Man, Space Invaders II, Star Castle, Tempest, Warlords and Wizard of Wor.

 

TOO CLOSE TO CALL! : ]

[darthkur]

1958 Tennis For Two

 

It's been downhill ever since.

 

 

Seriously though, I think almost everything throughout the 70's and 80's was great so I could never pick a favorite.

[fdurso224]

Hi guys,

 

I say 1980-1982. Those were definitely worth mentioning.

 

Anthony....

[mos6507]

In the coinops I'd say 1980 was probably the single biggest leap in innovation. That's when Tempest came out (which I guess was real late in 1980) which is kind of the last word on twitch platform shooters that started with Space Invaders. The color, density of objects, and the 3D framerate in Tempest blows away games like Battlezone and Red Baron which were released only months earlier.

 

The thing is, there really wasn't a time between 1979 and 1984 that you weren't consistently blown away by new releases. It was like being around to see all the classic 1950s cars or the late 1930s technicolor movies like Robin Hood, Wizard of Oz, and Gone with the Wind come out.

Edited June 10, 2009 by mos6507

[VectorGamer]

In the coinops I'd say 1980 was probably the single biggest leap in innovation. That's when Tempest came out (which I guess was real late in 1980) which is kind of the last word on twitch platform shooters that started with Space Invaders. The color, density of objects, and the 3D framerate in Tempest blows away games like Battlezone and Red Baron which were released only months earlier.

 

The thing is, there really wasn't a time between 1979 and 1984 that you weren't consistently blown away by new releases. It was like being around to see all the classic 1950s cars or the late 1930s technicolor movies like Robin Hood, Wizard of Oz, and Gone with the Wind come out.

 

I didn't want to include 1984 because of the introduction of laser disc games were far removed from the classic games released previously. As a whole, I'm not finding a whole lot of really good games released in 1984.

 

There were some big guns released in 80-81 that spawned numerous sequels - Pac-Man and Donkey Kong for example. Some of the games took previous releases an extra step like Galaga. Some of games were innovative like BattleZone and the one you mentioned in Tempest.

 

Doesn't seem like anyone can pinpoint one year as being the best so far, not even the original poster.

[+DamonicFury]

If you had to pick one year, 1980 would be a good one, not necessarily because it's games were the best (although you could make a case for that), but because it was the first year that a huge variety of great games appeared. Sure, you had Space Invaders in '78, and Asteroids in '79, but in 1980, you suddenly had a huge variety of great games that were unlike anything seen before. You had Pac-man on one end, introducing video games to a HUGE audience that had never been interested in them before. And on the other, you had games like Defender and Missile Command that provided an enormous challenge to players willing to put the time (and the quarters) into them.

 

Slightly off subject, in the realm of home video games, Atari released it's Space Invaders port, which was a true system seller, and Activision started releasing games for the 2600 that started to show it's true potential. Meanwhile, Mattel introduced the Intellivision, featuring home games with better graphics and more complexity that the Atari games of the time.

 

So while I wouldn't say that the games of 1980 were better than the games of 1981, I'd still give the edge to 1980 for being such a groundbreaking year.

Edited June 10, 2009 by sdamon

[108 Stars]

Being not exactly familiar with the use of the term, what exactly makes an era a "golden age"? Maybe I am not old enough to unerstand, but to my understanding golden age would refer to an especially great time...but for most the time from the NES onward would surely be the much better time, with a bigger boom in gaming and better games. So why do you refer to the pre-crash era as golden age? Would seem more like a rusty age for me.

[VectorGamer]

Being not exactly familiar with the use of the term, what exactly makes an era a "golden age"? Maybe I am not old enough to unerstand, but to my understanding golden age would refer to an especially great time...but for most the time from the NES onward would surely be the much better time, with a bigger boom in gaming and better games. So why do you refer to the pre-crash era as golden age? Would seem more like a rusty age for me.

 

I believe there are plenty of those before me that label the pre-crash era the "Golden Age" of gaming.

 

And with good reason - arcades were packed, the games were unique and simple to learn. Pac-Man fever, Space Invaders coin shortage, That's Incredible! video game challenge...others can add more reasons...

 

It sure was great while it lasted...

[108 Stars]

Well, this doesn´t go for me as a German anyay; there were no packed arcades here ever. Partially because kids are not allowed in arcades here, arcades fall under the same laws as casinos here, and games never really boomed before the C64.

Personally, I did grow up with an Atari 2600 (I was born in 1989, and the 2600 was sold well into the 90ies as kiddie-console), but I cannot share the love for the likes of Space Invaders, Pac-Man or Donkey Kong. They are good for 5 minutes or so for me, but I cannot draw nearly the same kind of motivation out of them as I can out of games of the NES era and after. The simplicity of these old games equals monotomy to me, but that is up to everyone else´s taste I guess.

 

I didn´t mean to offend you btw, it is just a matter of pure curiosity as to how one can rank the age of Pac-Man etc higher than that of Super Mario Bros, Mega Man, Contra etc; I feel a bit like Mr Spock trying to understand humans in a topic like this. An age being called golden does imply it was better to my understanding, be it because of quality or success. Yet again, I am not a native english speaker, so my understanding might be a little off.

 

Staying with this thread´s definition of the golden age, I believe that Donkey Kong was pretty much the best game I can think of, so I´d vote for ...1981, was it? My birthyear, how fitting

Edited June 10, 2009 by 108 Stars

[cimerians]

For the industry it was probably 1981 but for me personally maybe 1982 or 1983.

 

At that point I had a good collection of Atari games and a brand new Colecovision.

 

1984 was another good year for me because thats when I started playing with the Commodore 64.

[jboypacman]

70s and 80s for me after that i think arcade games started to lose there "magic" at lest for me.

[A Sprite]

Well, this doesn´t go for me as a German anyay; there were no packed arcades here ever. Partially because kids are not allowed in arcades here, arcades fall under the same laws as casinos here, and games never really boomed before the C64.

Personally, I did grow up with an Atari 2600 (I was born in 1989, and the 2600 was sold well into the 90ies as kiddie-console), but I cannot share the love for the likes of Space Invaders, Pac-Man or Donkey Kong. They are good for 5 minutes or so for me, but I cannot draw nearly the same kind of motivation out of them as I can out of games of the NES era and after. The simplicity of these old games equals monotomy to me, but that is up to everyone else´s taste I guess.

 

I didn´t mean to offend you btw, it is just a matter of pure curiosity as to how one can rank the age of Pac-Man etc higher than that of Super Mario Bros, Mega Man, Contra etc; I feel a bit like Mr Spock trying to understand humans in a topic like this. An age being called golden does imply it was better to my understanding, be it because of quality or success. Yet again, I am not a native english speaker, so my understanding might be a little off.

 

Staying with this thread´s definition of the golden age, I believe that Donkey Kong was pretty much the best game I can think of, so I´d vote for ...1981, was it? My birthyear, how fitting

 

Golden age as a term is generally given to any era of time where a product first exploded into mass consciousness. The Golden Age of (Hollywood) movies is considered to be the end of the silent era into the the late '50's. The Golden era of (American) Television is late 40's to early 60's. For (American superhero) comic books it would be from the late 1930s until the late 1940s.

 

None of this has anything to with quality, though nostalgic audiences may remember otherwise. Usually these golden eras are marked by basic good vs. evil narratives, and a lack of overt sexuality that give them a lasting aura of innocence. ( Censorship helps, in videogames, a lack of storage space and processing power had the same effect. )

 

As for why anyone would consider them superior to Nintendo style games? (Honestly, I don't, but people aren't shy about talking...)

 

Time.

 

You can pick them up, have a go for 15 minutes to half an hour, and not worry about them when you go back to whatever else needs done. They ask nothing of you.

 

They were also imaginative - just try to sell Dig Dug to a series of investors and shareholders now ( "And you insert your hose inside them, and - " "We've heard enough." ), and you'll see what's been lost in the modern era.

 

Plus...there's something magical about bright lights on the black void of space.

 

You insert a coin.

 

You step into another world.

 

PS: 1981 or 1989? You can't have been born in both. Being baptized doesn't count.

Edited June 11, 2009 by A Sprite

[darthkur]

Being not exactly familiar with the use of the term, what exactly makes an era a "golden age"? Maybe I am not old enough to unerstand, but to my understanding golden age would refer to an especially great time...but for most the time from the NES onward would surely be the much better time, with a bigger boom in gaming and better games. So why do you refer to the pre-crash era as golden age? Would seem more like a rusty age for me.

 

I believe there are plenty of those before me that label the pre-crash era the "Golden Age" of gaming.

 

And with good reason - arcades were packed, the games were unique and simple to learn. Pac-Man fever, Space Invaders coin shortage, That's Incredible! video game challenge...others can add more reasons...

 

It sure was great while it lasted...

 

 

There's lots of reasons why it was truly golden then:

 

 

There were many arcades all over. Each visit was an almost other worldly experiance. Surrounded by exciting sights and sounds it was easy to lose track of time.

 

But not only games, we had:

 

 

Feathered haired beautiful women.

 

 

Cars with no lack of space that were actually made of mostely of metal instead of dinky plastic bubble-mobiles.

 

 

TV shows that were actually entertaining instead of so called "reality" shows.

 

Plus great movies that seemed utterly amazing before we all became jaded with super-computer created images.

 

 

 

I completely agree with the above sentiment "It sure was great while it lasted...".

[godslabrat]

I dunno, my best year would fall well outside your definition of Golden Age. I'd pick 1989. I had just discovered video games the previous year, which was great timing because some of the best NES titles ever were released in late '87-'88. The NES was firing on all thrusters, and at the same time, it was causing a bit of a resurgence in Atari 2600 playing. Not only that, GameBoy was coming too! Everywhere you looked, games were getting better and better!

 

Culturally, we had the new Batman movie, plus Ghostbusters cartoons and a new movie. Rap was "around", but wasn't big yet, so 80s pop like Michael Jackson and Journey was still on the radio. People were finally trading in their cassettes for CDs, and VHS VCRs were finally dropping to affordable price levels where even gramma would buy one.

 

I love that era, and that year, because it was an era when if you loved Nintendo, the world catered to YOU. Department stores set up company-sponsored "World of Nintendo" areas, dedicated to your favorite hobby. Nintendo set up "Service Centers" to make repairs easier (Microsoft's RROD program pales in comparison). Any video store worth its salt would have a big sign in the window saying "WE RENT NINTENDO!"... because if they didn't, it wasn't even worth going inside.

 

BTW: I know that some of these things happened a bit "late" according to some of you. Keep in mind it's all relative-- I grew up in northeast PA, which has always been in something of a cultural lag-- being about 3-5 years behind many other areas. Stuff that was old hat to New Yorkers or Floridians was still brand new to us in NEPA.

[famicommander]

1981 would be my favorite in terms of arcade games being released.

 

Not that it matters, since I missed the entire decade (born in 1990).

 

I just really like Galaga, GORF, Donkey Kong, and Frogger.

[108 Stars]

Golden age as a term is generally given to any era of time where a product first exploded into mass consciousness. The Golden Age of (Hollywood) movies is considered to be the end of the silent era into the the late '50's. The Golden era of (American) Television is late 40's to early 60's. For (American superhero) comic books it would be from the late 1930s until the late 1940s.

 

None of this has anything to with quality, though nostalgic audiences may remember otherwise. Usually these golden eras are marked by basic good vs. evil narratives, and a lack of overt sexuality that give them a lasting aura of innocence. ( Censorship helps, in videogames, a lack of storage space and processing power had the same effect. )

 

Aaah, okay, thaks for the explanation. Now I understand better.

It was not the same around here...video games like the Atari 2600 were a very small niche and became more popular AFTER the American crash around here. And later on the NES did not become nearly as popular either, with the Master System beating it and consoles in general being of less importance than homecomputers. I think the first system that really boomed here was the GameBoy, and then SNES after the Amiga died. Before that consoles were only regarded as cheap, limited alternatives to a computer for elementary school age kids.

 

Well, and arcades...the arcade machines usually stand in bars or some dark, smelly vaults next to blackjack and flipper machines here; so that magic never worked either.

 

Ask a German about the great early memories with gaming, and he will most likely say "C64"; if he is old enough, that is.

 

PS: 1981 or 1989? You can't have been born in both. Being baptized doesn't count.

 

lol, excuse me, it was a typo; I was born in 1981, and naturally I can´t believe that anything of importance happened before that

[atarian63]

For me 1980, It was so new and great,something that had never been before. Very exciting. After 83 it was mostly over for me, By the time of NES and other stupid items it was over,not nearly as fun or exciting in the arcades.As someone else said the arcades had lost thier shine after the golden age. Fighters with button memorization,simulators(ugh) just really dull.

[VectorGamer]

Being not exactly familiar with the use of the term, what exactly makes an era a "golden age"? Maybe I am not old enough to unerstand, but to my understanding golden age would refer to an especially great time...but for most the time from the NES onward would surely be the much better time, with a bigger boom in gaming and better games. So why do you refer to the pre-crash era as golden age? Would seem more like a rusty age for me.

 

I believe there are plenty of those before me that label the pre-crash era the "Golden Age" of gaming.

 

And with good reason - arcades were packed, the games were unique and simple to learn. Pac-Man fever, Space Invaders coin shortage, That's Incredible! video game challenge...others can add more reasons...

 

It sure was great while it lasted...

 

 

There's lots of reasons why it was truly golden then:

 

 

There were many arcades all over. Each visit was an almost other worldly experiance. Surrounded by exciting sights and sounds it was easy to lose track of time.

 

 

Amen, brother...

 

It was not uncommon to have folks looking over your shoulders while playing the game. Although definitely not as fun as actually playing the game, but it was interesting enough to watch. In the pic you can see "Player #2" doing just that. The guy in the red jacket is in the way, but "Player #2" should have his right hand on the top corner of the cabinet in order to be in the correct spectator stance.

 

Maybe we can find a pic on the net documenting the correct stance...

[VectorGamer]

For me 1980, It was so new and great,something that had never been before. Very exciting. After 83 it was mostly over for me, By the time of NES and other stupid items it was over,not nearly as fun or exciting in the arcades.As someone else said the arcades had lost thier shine after the golden age. Fighters with button memorization,simulators(ugh) just really dull.

 

Wasn't Mortal Kombat the first that we can blame "button memorization" on?

[VectorGamer]

Well, and arcades...the arcade machines usually stand in bars or some dark, smelly vaults next to blackjack and flipper machines here; so that magic never worked either.

 

Ahh...that's how it all really started with a Pong machine sitting in a bar.

 

The first video game I played was Pong at a Two Guys department store. The game was parked in an aisle in the middle of the store. A genius decided that it would be a great place since there was a column with power already there. Later, they moved Pong and added Space Fury to the back of that same department store.

 

OK - my trip down memory lane is probably boring, but that's how it started. Pong in a bar or a department store. Then Space Invaders happened. Then Asteroids. Then Pac-Man opened the floodgates.

 

We had a huge arcade at the mall that had at least three full-size billiards tables, air hockey, a row of pinball machines sitting back to back, two of those projection screens for hunting or wild west shootout games and all the classic arcade games. I vividly remember Death Race cuz my mom would always give me hell for playing it.

 

So, when you have a sizable arcade that is packed on a Friday night, all the lights, sound and people create an ambiance that is something I will never forget.

 

Totally off topic, do you follow Bundesliga?

[STICH666]

1993-1998

[+RangerG]

1982 - You had the Atari 5200, Colecovision, and the Vectrex all with advanced editions of the golden age classics. The future seemed bright for a long run of the 5200 vs. the Colecovision console war.

[+else]

I don't know that I'd call Three's Company "actually entertaining". I used to watch it as a kid after school, but I tried sitting through an episode of it recently and found it to be all but unwatchable. I could only stand a few minutes of it before I had to change the channel.

 

My parents used to haul us kids around in one of those huge Ford LTDs. We hated it -- we thought the thing was so ugly. We used to call it "the tank" because it was built like one. We were always embarrassed if our friends saw us in it.

 

It may have been the Golden Age for some things, but I can't agree with Three's Company and the Ford LTD as being examples of it....

Edited June 11, 2009 by else

[108 Stars]

Totally off topic, do you follow Bundesliga?

 

Not too closely; I check the scores occasionally, but my hometown is so far away from ever winning the championship it depresses me too much.

[VectorGamer]

Totally off topic, do you follow Bundesliga?

 

Not too closely; I check the scores occasionally, but my hometown is so far away from ever winning the championship it depresses me too much.

 

Yeah - you guys are up and down all the time like Bielefeld or Koln...

 

I'm a Bayern fan but I love watching any Bundesliga on GolTV - it's the most exciting league out there...

 

Besides, my parents are Deutsche immigrants...