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Absolute firsts in video games

Phediuk

Member
Updated "first-person gameplay in real time" category. Taito's Interceptor (arcade, 1975) came before Night Driver.
 

Phediuk

Member
Found a wonderful playlist of 70s arcade games on youtube, has about 200 games in the list. Just looked at the first 30 or so and made a short list, haven't verified it though:

-Clean Sweep (1974) - proto-Breakout? Has a paddle that deflects a ball like Pong but the screen is filled with other static balls/blocks that you need to clear/destroy, although your ball doesn't bounce off of the destructible blocks.
-Pin Pong (1974) - first pinball video game/computer pinball simulation?
-TV Basketball (1974) - first basketball game? The Guiness Book of World Records cites Basketball (1978) as the first one, although TV Basketball is more of a Pong clone.
-Shark Jaws (1975) - first game with underwater setting?
-Blockade (October 1976) - first snake game
-Death Race (1976) - running people over for the first time?
-Hit Me (1976) - first computer card game/blackjack game?

Very nice. Updated.
 

Coreda

Member
Saw this posted on Hacker News. It's a game dev going through Zelda Windwaker and analyzing some of the tech behind it.

In one of the panels they mention the changing ambient lighting when staring at bright objects, such as the sun. I wonder which game first implemented this dynamic.

Y3vCpqK.jpg
 
Saw this posted on Hacker News. It's a game dev going through Zelda Windwaker and analyzing some of the tech behind it.

In one of the panels they mention the changing ambient lighting when staring at bright objects, such as the sun. I wonder which game first implemented this dynamic.

Y3vCpqK.jpg

A very cool topic, I've always been fascinated at how nice the smoke and tidal effects looked in Wind Waker, interesting to see it decomposed like that.

As for the eye adapting tone mapping effect, I'm not really sure I've seen it so early, even faked. I seem to recall some PS1 graphics with a scene like that but can't put my finger on it, maybe an ingame cutscene, maybe a summon animation from one of the Final Fantasies, but that wouldn't really count.
 

Phediuk

Member
The NBA Live 2003 (PS2/Xbox, 2002) soundtrack was apparently the first game soundtrack to be certified platinum by the RIAA.
 

Phediuk

Member
One I'm interested in is the first game to exceed 1GB in total game data.

The 7th Guest (PC, 1993) might be it, because it came on two CD-ROMs, and was, I believe, the first game to do so (I would like to proven wrong here though.) Certainly Phantasmagoria (PC, 1995) would count--it came on five.
 

Phediuk

Member
I believe Time Zone (Apple II, 1982) was the first game to exceed 1MB in size:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Zone_(video_game)

It came on six double-sided floppy disks. Assuming they're standard 5.25" Apple II disks, which held up to 140KB per side, that would make the game drastically larger than any previous game, assuming each side of each disk was relatively full.
 

Phediuk

Member
Apparently, the first game with a point-and-click interface was Project Melphius (FM-7, 1983), and the first game with mouse controls was Enchanted Scepters (Macintosh, 1984).
 

Coreda

Member
Anyone know what the absolute first game to feature new game plus was? That is, a game that on completion unlocks new content for a second play through,

Seeing a thread on Super Mario Bros reminded me of this, but even Wikipedia isn't clear on which is the first.
 

Phediuk

Member
Anyone know what the absolute first game to feature new game plus was? That is, a game that on completion unlocks new content for a second play through,

Seeing a thread on Super Mario Bros reminded me of this, but even Wikipedia isn't clear on which is the first.

Donkey Kong (arcade, 1981) may be the first, by that definition. The first loop has only two levels, the second loop adds the bouncing spring level, and the third loop adds the pie factory level. You need to play through three loops to see all the levels.
 

Coreda

Member
Donkey Kong (arcade, 1981) may be the first, by that definition. The first loop has only two levels, the second loop adds the bouncing spring level, and the third loop adds the pie factory level. You need to play through three loops to see all the levels.

Ah, interesting, and being an arcade game it makes sense to have some extra motivation to continue. There must be similar things in other arcade games I'd imagine.
 
First game to show a woman being punched in the stomach within 5 seconds of starting - Double Dragon 1 Arcade

First game to show an obvious up-skirt panty shot:: Double Dragon 1 Arcade (probably not true, but it would be amusing in its own anecdotal way)

Also the intro of Double Dragon also has a cameo of the red car from the Laser disc arcade game Road Avenger.. Which makes me wonder... what is the first game to do a cross over/ cameo from another game?
 

Phediuk

Member
First game to show an obvious up-skirt panty shot:: Double Dragon 1 Arcade (probably not true, but it would be amusing in its own anecdotal way)

Also the intro of Double Dragon also has a cameo of the red car from the Laser disc arcade game Road Avenger.. Which makes me wonder... what is the first game to do a cross over/ cameo from another game?

Don't know about THE first, but Golf (NES, 1984) and Tennis (NES, 1984) both feature Mario cameos.


Here's a question: is Bruce Lee (C64, 1984) the first game to feature an actor's likeness in-game? Is it also the first to feature a fictionalized version of a celebrity as the protagonist?
 

Phediuk

Member
Is Goldeneye (N64, 1997) the first game featuring a sniper rifle with arbitrary zooming?

There are at least a few proto-examples of sniper zooming in games--Golgo 13 (NES, 1988) comes to mind--but Goldeneye might be the first where you can zoom it to arbitrary precision.
 

Santiako

Member
Is Goldeneye (N64, 1997) the first game featuring a sniper rifle with arbitrary zooming?

There are at least a few proto-examples of sniper zooming in games--Golgo 13 (NES, 1988) comes to mind--but Goldeneye might be the first where you can zoom it to arbitrary precision.

Did MDK do that as well?
 

Phediuk

Member
Did MDK do that as well?

Yes it did, and it came out first. Thanks.


Here's a question: was The Wizard (1989) the first movie with video game-related product placement? I'm skeptical, since that seems pretty late, but it's the earliest of which I'm aware.

Also, I've been looking into the earlier question of headshots and limb damage, as while Team Fortress (PC, 1996) may have been the first FPS to feature them, I'm skeptical that it was the first game overall. For example, UnReal World (PC, 1992) tracks the condition of both player and enemy limbs; you can catch frostbite on just one arm or leg, and you have the option of crippling enemies by attacking their legs: http://www.mobygames.com/game/unreal-world

Not sure if it features headshots though.
 
Is Goldeneye (N64, 1997) the first game featuring a sniper rifle with arbitrary zooming?

There are at least a few proto-examples of sniper zooming in games--Golgo 13 (NES, 1988) comes to mind--but Goldeneye might be the first where you can zoom it to arbitrary precision.

MDK was released three months before Goldeneye and featured an arbitrary sniper riffle. One of the main play mechanics of the game was that the character's helmet was a sniper riffle. Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxJMLE2FWLw&feature=player_detailpage#t=64

Mdk1cover.jpg


But before this game, I think Quake might have had a sniper riffle mod, but I don;t know if that came out before or after this.


whoops, beaten...



Here's a question: was The Wizard (1989) the first movie with video game-related product placement? I'm skeptical, since that seems pretty late, but it's the earliest of which I'm aware.

Nope... there might be earlier examples, but the oldest movie I can think of with video game product placements may have been this one: Joysticks released in 1983.

Terrible r-rated comedy film from 1983 which featured Midway manufactured arcade games like Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man and an early prototype of Satan's Hollow.
 

Phediuk

Member
What's the first game in which the player character can duck?

I've got Keystone Kapers (Atari 2600, 1983), but is there anything earlier?
 

Phediuk

Member
Nope... there might be earlier examples, but the oldest movie I can think of with video game product placements may have been this one: Joysticks released in 1983.

Terrible r-rated comedy film from 1983 which featured Midway manufactured arcade games like Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man and an early prototype of Satan's Hollow.

Nice. Adding.
 
One I'm interested in is the first game to exceed 1GB in total game data.

The 7th Guest (PC, 1993) might be it, because it came on two CD-ROMs, and was, I believe, the first game to do so (I would like to proven wrong here though.) Certainly Phantasmagoria (PC, 1995) would count--it came on five.

I don't have the disk on me, but I would say no to the 7th Guest being > 1 GB of game data. The second CD was mostly a music CD. Very little data was on the first track as it was used mainly for the end of the game. It might come close though due to asset copying... anybody have the second CD to check? Either way its release on iOS clocks in at 656 MB, so it probably didn't cross 1 GB in its initial release. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-7th-guest/id407707744?mt=8

Phantasmagoria definitely passes the 1GB mark. Also mostly due to asset copying though. BTW, Phantasmagoria came with 7 CD's, not 5.

Here's a question: was The Wizard (1989) the first movie with video game-related product placement? I'm skeptical, since that seems pretty late, but it's the earliest of which I'm aware.

Wasn't an arcade game played on Wargames? Galaga or something? I'm sure Wargames isn't the first. This is a tough one. I wouldn't even know how to track down the right answer. I mean, some movie back in the day had to have had an Atari, right? Or some early arcade game? Pong?

This one is freaking hard.
 

Laconic

Banned
Dragonfire on the 2600 was the first console game you could glitch out, I believe. Flipping the on switch off and on really quickly would cause the second part of the game where you are in the lair, to have all of the items lined up, easy as pie to collect despite that dragon.

Pitfall on the 2600 was the first game you could run backwards. I could run the game until time out, that way. Because fuck a forwards crocodile.
 

Phediuk

Member
Dragonfire on the 2600 was the first console game you could glitch out, I believe. Flipping the on switch off and on really quickly would cause the second part of the game where you are in the lair, to have all of the items lined up, easy as pie to collect despite that dragon.

Depends on your definition of "glitching out". Do killscreens in old arcade games count?
 

Phediuk

Member
Wasn't an arcade game played on Wargames? Galaga or something? I'm sure Wargames isn't the first. This is a tough one. I wouldn't even know how to track down the right answer. I mean, some movie back in the day had to have had an Atari, right? Or some early arcade game? Pong?

This one is freaking hard.

By product placement, I'm not just talking a game's appearance in a movie (that would be Computer Space in Soylent Green, as listed in the OP), but one in which its branding is clearly visible, i.e., that's advertising the game. The climax of Joysticks (1983) would be an excellent early example.
 
Journey (arcade, 1983) was the first game to contain a licensed song ("Separate Ways" by Journey): https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gFksPf8amMs#t=419

The game contained a cassette tape that played the song during the concert at the end.

Looking at the game, I have to wonder if Journey is also the first to use digitized sprites of real people?

UcBEFnL.png



Nice. Adding.

Actually, I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier, but Blade Runner from 1982 had the Atari logo clearly visible in one scene...

bladerunner.jpg


Though I am sure Joysticks may have been the first to actually use video games directly by their real names as product placement.

And George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead from 1978 featured a mall arcade scene as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTnvW2KHmnk

It showcased mostly mechanical arcade games though, but at some point in this clip you can see a Starship 1 arcade game as well as Gun Fight and Night Driver. This movie doesn't actually list any of these games by name except for some pinball game called Gang Busters. But the Atari logo is visible in one shot, which means that this could be the first movie to advertise a game company in it.

EDIT: Actually, looking at this topic more, I think it could be the movie Rancho Delixe from 1975 to feature the first product placement of a video game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_p4NsgH05E it features two characters playing Pong, with the name clearly visible.
 

Kurt

Member
My first game system which i played was
CBS color vision.

It was strange because nintendo & sega back then were 3th party developers

When the nes was released, that's when i owned my first video game system.
 
Scrolling platform game: Jump Bug (arcade, 1981), Moon Patrol (arcade, 1982) or Major Havoc (arcade, 1983), depending on definition. If Major Havoc is disqualified from the "scrolling" category due to being a vector game, then replace it with Pac-Land (arcade, 1984).

Going back to this here. I was doing a bit more research and came up with this little Atari 800 personal computer game called Snokie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czFFKT5MA_0

Snokie was released in 1983 and featured non-forced scrolling. I don;t think it had arbitrary scrolling though that moved the screen up/ down and backwards, by the look of it the game only scrolled forward. But this game does have most of the conventions of a standard platformer.

This game was also released on the C64 as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pju5Znpy1Vs
 
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