Video Game History What If's?

[IHatedSega]

Well looking at those really quickly sounds like the big question is What if Nintendo actually kept with sony on partnership. What would have happened?

The short answer would be microsoft probably would have never even made console knowing they would never have even stood a chance. And probably sega would have saw the numbers pulling in from this alliance and not even bother releasing the dream cast making Nintendo/sony the ultimate ruler of the console market with no one to challenge them.

Monopolies are never good for industries, just look at Pro Wrestling in America.

Sega would have been better off if Sony hadnt made the Playstation, it caused them to rush a lot of things and then Bernie Stolar came from being in charge of the American Playstation to being in charge of Sega America and he made it not have 2D games or RPGs, then ultimately killed the Saturn. Sega would have been a strong number 2 to Nintendo after the the N64 would have been a 3D cd based console since the Saturn wasnt originally going to be a 3D machine. In fact the N64 may not have been a 64 bit system, and the Dreamcast may not have been a 128 bit system. Microsoft would have entered the console market because then it would have been only Nintendo and Sega against each other. Sony would have only have made the cd attachment and hardware for Nintendo, it wouldnt have been an equal joint venture. It all rested on Sony not wanting to be a major player in the video game world, they did, so we got the Playtstation and here we are now.

[Rob2600]

What if Atari had distributed The Nintendo Entertainment System!!!

Atari would've deemed "Super Mario Bros." too Japanese-sounding and renamed it something like "Plumbers Quest" or "Mushroom Fighters". Nobody would've bought it and the U.S. Super Mario franchise would've been killed in 1985.

[Berserker]

What if Infocom hadn't been bought by Activision and left for dead shortly thereafter? Would the text adventure genre have survived and advanced in the mainstream as opposed to being revived by hobbyists years later?

What if Looking Glass hadn't gone under? Would they be making new awesome or would people just be lamenting that System Shock 5 just ain't the same?

What if John Romero and Tom Hall hadn't been ousted from Id Software?

What if Chris Crawford had stayed in the gaming industry and tried implementing his interactive storytelling ideas gradually from within instead of seperating from it completely?

And this is a minor one, but what if the source code for Daggerfall hadn't been lost and was instead released as open source when Bethesda put the game out for free a few years ago? Would there be shiny modern ports of it with modern features, perhaps even a modding community like there are for the later Elder Scrolls games?

[A.C. Sativa]

What if Atari had distributed The Nintendo Entertainment System!!!

Knowing Atari they would have fucked it all up (especially with Jack Tramiel in charge of Atari by then), we would have never recovered from the Crash of 83, and the console industry in the U.S. might not even exist, or at least certainly wouldn't be the billion-dollar business it is today.

[BricatSegaFan]

Knowing Atari they would have fucked it all up (especially with Jack Tramiel in charge of Atari by then), we would have never recovered from the Crash of 83, and the console industry in the U.S. might not even exist, or at least certainly wouldn't be the billion-dollar business it is today.

Whoa man dropped the f bomb. You must have some strong opinions about Atari lol

[retroguy]

I guess he hasn't played Atari today.

[wiggyx]

While I wasn't a "Sega guy" during he 8 & 16-bit eras, I was very much on board with the Saturn and VERY much with the DC. What saddens me more than Sega bowing out of the console market when they had finally nailed the fuck out of it, is that their best franchises have either gone untouched, molested to the point of total irrelevance, or given only enough attention to whet the appetites of us devoted fans ever since. I think a return to the console market could potentially revitalize Sega, especially if they played the game differently than Microsoft or Sony. Less is more is the new more is more. There's no reason for them to spend 9 figures developing a console at this point. I think jumping on the open source bandwagon could both give their brand a boost AND help put a name to what is an otherwise generic new platform.

It's sad to see a company fall so hard just when they hit their absolute peak (in terms of great ideas).

[Greg2600]

Monopolies are never good for industries, just look at Pro Wrestling in America.

Sega would have been better off if Sony hadn't made the Playstation, it caused them to rush a lot of things and then Bernie Stolar came from being in charge of the American Playstation to being in charge of Sega America and he made it not have 2D games or RPGs, then ultimately killed the Saturn. Sega would have been a strong number 2 to Nintendo after the the N64 would have been a 3D cd based console since the Saturn wasn't originally going to be a 3D machine. In fact the N64 may not have been a 64 bit system, and the Dreamcast may not have been a 128 bit system. Microsoft would have entered the console market because then it would have been only Nintendo and Sega against each other. Sony would have only have made the cd attachment and hardware for Nintendo, it wouldn't have been an equal joint venture. It all rested on Sony not wanting to be a major player in the video game world, they did, so we got the Playtstation and here we are now.

SEGA was just a horribly managed company, always were, and STILL are. They got incredibly lucky with the Genesis, in that they were the first big competitor to the exploding NES, and had a far advanced system. In many ways they stood on Nintendo's shoulders on that one. SEGA, unlike Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft, did not have the billions and billions of revenue/cash behind them to be able to make mistakes. They were kind of like a mid or small market baseball franchise, if they got it right, they had the flexibility to win, but if they had missteps it would hurt bad. And it did. For a Japanese company I really am shocked at how they allowed Sega of America to make so many important decisions or at least go with their calls.

They are dead for good in the console making business. They don't have the capital to get back in.

Knowing Atari they would have fucked it all up (especially with Jack Tramiel in charge of Atari by then), we would have never recovered from the Crash of 83, and the console industry in the U.S. might not even exist, or at least certainly wouldn't be the billion-dollar business it is today.

Ray Kassar was running Atari at the time for Warners, and it's unlikely they would have been able to just dump the home division onto Tramiel's lap with the Nintendo contract signed in 1983. Part of what derailed the deal was that Atari stalled and stalled waiting to see the capabilities of the MARIA chip (7800). It's possible that had the deal been signed, Atari's financial fiasco may have taken the NES with it before it ever got to US stores. Really no way of knowing. Plus it would have begun by Christmas '83, two years before Super Mario Bros. came about. Both Atari, regardless who owned them, and Nintendo, would be getting destroyed by the crash after effects. Famicom in 1984 didn't have much of a lineup different from Colecovision or any other system. I don't know if they would have lasted 2 years under that scenario. The deal was supposed to be 4 years, with a re-eval for another 4 year period. So again Nintendo could have dumped Atari by 1987 if they so choose.

[wiggyx]

They are dead for good in the console making business. They don't have the capital to get back in.

I really don't think it would require the amount of capital that you're thinking of. With indie and casual becoming so big, it seems like there is most definitely a way back into the market as "the small guy". Honestly, I think it could be the best time ever for a smaller company like Sega to make a splash.

[Rob2600]

What if Sega makes a Kickstarter page for a new game console?

[BricatSegaFan]

What if Sega makes a Kickstarter page for a new game console?

Don't take my idea!!!! I said that in that pffft neogeo x thread!!!!

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1948931


But still I'm glad I wasn't the only one with this idea

[Greg2600]

I really don't think it would require the amount of capital that you're thinking of. With indie and casual becoming so big, it seems like there is most definitely a way back into the market as "the small guy". Honestly, I think it could be the best time ever for a smaller company like Sega to make a splash.

What would they possibly have to offer the big boys don't? The developers are all in lock step with Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. For that matter Apple too. There's simply no room left for another console. SEGA's first party development could never sell it. Heck, weren't they nearly bankrupt a couple years ago?

[wiggyx]

What would they possibly have to offer the big boys don't? The developers are all in lock step with Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. For that matter Apple too. There's simply no room left for another console. SEGA's first party development could never sell it. Heck, weren't they nearly bankrupt a couple years ago?

Open source support.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...o-game-console

People seem to be getting tired of the big brother methods that are or will be employed by "the big 3", and I think something like the Ouya could be great for Sega to place their name and support on.

[Rob2600]

Don't take my idea!!!! I said that in that pffft neogeo x thread!!!!

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/show....php?p=1948931


But still I'm glad I wasn't the only one with this idea

Great minds think alike.

[sneekyweezel]

What if there was a Metroid that was made for the Nintendo64? Why?! Why?! ಠ_ಠ

[Collector_Gaming]

What if there was a Metroid that was made for the Nintendo64? Why?! Why?! ಠ_ಠ

wonder why there never was. I mean the button and stick control system that they perfected for FPS games (using the stick as your view and the c buttons as your movement) you'd think they would be like "hey guys why don't we make our first metroid fps game for the N64". And if not why not a nice clever 2d/3d hybrid action platformer atleast

[wiggyx]

I imagine it was for the same reason that we still have never received a home console Kid Icarus sequel. Nintendo often does't support its non-Miyamoto properties. They took a chance with Metroid Prime and it obviously paid off really well. Hopefully Other M didn't make them reconsider the strength of the franchise and we'll get more great Metroid titles.

[Collector_Gaming]

I imagine it was for the same reason that we still have never received a home console Kid Icarus sequel. Nintendo often does't support its non-Miyamoto properties. They took a chance with Metroid Prime and it obviously paid off really well. Hopefully Other M didn't make them reconsider the strength of the franchise and we'll get more great Metroid titles.

Wonder what they are gonna do when the guy finally sleeps in his final resting place (hopefully not for awhile but ya know thats how life works). Because makes it sound like he's everything they got.

[Collector_Gaming]

Here is a interesting What If that could have changed gaming as we know it entirely.

What if Nintendo never released R.O.B? Some say he is the savior of the gaming industry as nintendo convinced people into buying this toy robot which then is revealed that it can only work with supporting device the Nintendo Entertainment System.

[IHatedSega]

Stores werent going to carry another video game console, ROB made the thing more into a toy so without him the stores wouldnt have sold the console.

Id like to know what games Nintendo had the kids play in their study group? Has anyone tracked them down in the years since and interviewed them on why they didnt like the NES?