The original Nintendo started in Japan as the Famicom in 1983. The redesigned Nintendo Entertainment System began its American rollout in 1985, with the broader release followin…

The original Nintendo started in Japan as the Famicom in 1983. The redesigned Nintendo Entertainment System began its American rollout in 1985, with the broader release following in 1986. It arrived after the North American console market had gone through a major crash, and it became a big part of getting people buying home video games again. Super Mario Bros. was obviously a major part of that, but the library kept expanding well beyond one game or one type of game. There were platformers, action games, sports games, adventures, and longer games you could keep working through over multiple sessions. Look at how many familiar series were establishing themselves in that period: The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, Castlevania, and Final Fantasy, along with Mario. You can see very different approaches taking shape. Some games were about memorizing stages and surviving them. Others had you exploring, finding equipment, working out where to go, or building up a party. The controller was simple, with the directional pad and two main action buttons, but developers got a lot out of it. The NES library gives you a pretty broad look at how many of the genres people still play were developing during the same generation.