80s

10 Game Consoles We Spent Hours Playing But Now Barely Remember

While game companies like Nintendo have been bringing back their classic consoles, the industry has a very selective memory. Not all of the consoles we owned growing up were global hits. In fact, we spent hours playing games on these 10 forgotten systems:1. Sega DreamcastPolygonAh, take your mind back to just before this console's famous 9/9/99 release date. Remember how excited you were? The console's 32-bit graphics were quickly overshadowed by the PlayStation 2, especially since the Dreamcast was launched with barely any great games.While the console was later home to hits like Sonic Adventure, Shen

00s

21 Memories We All Share From Spending Hours Playing Neopets

There are a lot of sights and sounds of the internet from the early 2000s that bring back a flood of memories, but just hearing the word "Neopets" can cause intense flashbacks. We spent hours raising our virtual pets and catering to their every need. If you grew up playing Neopets, these memories are burned into your brain, probably forever.1. First, you had to pick your petsNeopets IncAgh! This is already too much pressure!2. Don't forget to pick up your daily ration of omeletteNeopets Inc.The easiest way to provide for your growing Neo-family.3. And stop by

90s

Nintendo's Gamebooks Used To Be The Hardest Thing We Had To Deal With, And We Miss That

If you were like me, you can probably thank your childhood spent playing video games for your strong reading skills today.I learned me grammar skills from games too.Know Your MemeNot only did we have to learn to read to master the games we played, but we also honed our skills on countless copies of Nintendo Power, that great monthly supply of tips, tricks and walkthroughs. But there were also a few great book series based on video games, including the Worlds of Power books.Pictured: how to write a book report in third grade and still have fun.

70s

Arcade Photos That Bring Back So Much Nostalgia You'll Reach For Your Quarters

These days, when pretty much every video game ever created can be bought and downloaded in minutes, it's hard to believe we used to trudge down to the local arcade with rolls of quarters in our pockets.Like Totally 80sWhether you lived near a full-blown arcade,KOTTKEa bowling alley with a handful of games, Slateor a local pizza joint with one lonely arcade cabinet,Redditthere was something magical about popping a quarter into one of these machines and playing until your luck ran out. It's an experience that most of us haven't had in years, which is a shame because

80s

The Commodore 64 Is Coming Back And We Need It

The retro gaming renaissance that has been going on lately is continuing to grow. We have seen the Sega come back, the original Nintendo, the Super Nintendo, and now we will have one more retro system to add to our collection: The Commodore 64. ClassicCMPThe Commodore 64 is actually a Guinness World Record holder for being the highest-selling computer of all time. Estimates say that it has sold somewhere between 10-17 million units. It was more affordable than a lot of the others on the market, and it also had some pretty awesome games made for it! YouTubeThe new system

90s

The Strange Story Behind The Tetris Theme Song - Including Its Original Lyrics

If you grew up in the '80s or '90s, you can probably still see the iconic Tetris blocks falling when you close your eyes.Abandonware DosThe classic puzzle game of matching blocks and disappearing lines has a long and strange history that stretches throughout the final years of the Cold War. Tetris was originally created by Alexey Pajitnov, an artificial intelligence researcher at Moscow's Soviet Academy of Sciences.Pajitnov and his son.Pajitnov was working at the Academy's Computer Center in 1984, and would test the new hardware's strength by designing simple games. His creations were shared between departments, and

Retro

10 Awesome Facts About The Worlds Of Power Books

If your middle school library was anything like mine, there was probably a huge waiting list for the only copy of the Ninja Gaiden book from the Worlds of Power series.WikimediaThe classic young readers series adapted some of the best NES games into full-length books that doubled as game guides. But who came up with this genius idea? And why were only a handful of titles turned into books?1. They were meant to get young boys to readThe series seems like it was thought up in Nintendo's marketing department, but credit actually belongs to Seth Godin. He was

Pop Culture

Nintendo Has Updated Mario's Job Description And It's Got Him Saying 'Mamma Mia'

In a weird confirmation that no one expected, Nintendo has announced that Mario is not a plumber like we all thought he was! CBSThe character first appeared in the original Donkey Kong game all the way back in 1981 and has gone through a lot of changed over the years. The EconomistWhether it was in his original Super Mario Bros game where he got to play in the pipes that took him through all kinds of interesting worlds...TV Over MindOr the elaborate Super Mario Galaxy where he could travel through space...NintendoMario has a had a lot of makeovers