Page 38 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #7

modern
modern

Two Screens Are Better Than One?

Nintendo releases a handheld game fea-
turing two screens, a folding clamshell design,
and a d-pad. The year? 1982. The system?
Game & Watch.
When the first photos of the Nintendo DS
surfaced in May, many a classic gamer couldn’t
help but chuckle at its visual similarity to a sys-
tem two decades its predecessor. Nintendo’s
long-standing love affair with dual screens was
finally back in the open.
Only a few of the Game & Watch series
used two screens, but 1982’s Donkey Kong is
also notable for being the first appearance of
the cross-shaped ‘d-pad,’ which would become
a staple on just about every controller since.
Nintendo also used the two-screen verti-
cal orientation in Punch-Out!!, Super-Punch
Out!!, Arm Wrestling and in their Playchoice
arcade cabinets. But then it strangely went into
hiding until the announcement of the DS.
Obviously, the Nintendo DS is much
more than just a modern-day Game & Watch.
With a powerful processor, touch pad, voice
recognition and wireless gameplay, it has the
potential to host some great games. But while
they’re at it, what’s stopping Nintendo from in-
troducing some other “innovative” products?
How about a massive bazooka with six games?
A Rad Racer remake complete with 3D
glasses? Or a Power Glove for a whole new
generation? And we all know it’s about time for
a big R.O.B. comeback.
--Skyler Miller

Classic Gamer Magazine July 2004
38