History OlderThanTheyThink / VideoGames

*** The Switch is far from the first Nintendo console to not be [[UsefulNotes/RegionCoding region locked]]. You could easily import a Famicom game, and play it on your NES if you had an adapter that coverted the 60-pin interface to 72-pin (in fact, a lot of early NES titles were just that; a Famicom PCB attached to a 72-pin connector, which is why NES cartridges are so large). It wasn't until the [=GameCube=] when a region lock was implemented. As for the handhelds, they're all region-free with the exception of the Nintendo [=3DS=], whose ''cartridges'' have a region lock, but is otherwise region-free as well.

** Many fans think that "MEGALOVANIA," the music that plays during [[spoiler:the battle with Sans at the end of the Genocide route]], was composed for the game. It was actually first made by Toby Fox in ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}} [[VideoGame/TheHalloweenHack Halloween Hack]]'' (a ROM hack FanSequel to ''[=EarthBound=]''), then used in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' before finally being used in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}''. Plus, it was heavily based on "Megalomania," the [[BattleThemeMusic boss theme]] from ''VideoGame/LiveALive''. However, the version used in ''Undertale'' is an arranged version; wildly different from ''The Halloween Hack'' and ''Homestuck'''s respective versions.

** Many fans think that "MEGALOVANIA," the music that plays during [[spoiler:the battle with Sans at the end of the Genocide route]], was composed for the game. It was actually first made by Toby Fox in ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}} [[VideoGame/TheHalloweenHack Halloween Hack]]'' (a ROM hack FanSequel to ''[=EarthBound=]''), then used in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' before finally being used in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}''. Plus, it was heavily based on "Megalomania," the [[BattleThemeMusic boss theme]] from ''VideoGame/LiveALive''. However, the version used in ''Undertale'' is an arranged version; wildly different from ''The Halloween Hack'' and ''Homestuck'''s repective versions.

* Some people feel that ''VideoGame/SimCity'' is a more boring clone or spinoff of ''VideoGame/TheSims''. Funny thing is, ''VideoGame/SimCity'' is over 20 years old now, and [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny invented the sandbox-simulation genre]].
** Also interesting, according to the Washington Post, is that ''The Sims'' was originally intended to be a house architecture game, with the titular characters intended only to evaluate the functionality and aesthetic of the house. In other words, where ''VideoGame/SimCity'' was about the macro level of city planning, ''The Sims'' (probably not its working title) was about the micro level of home design, and both were intended more as entertaining simulators than as straight games. Of course, playing the characters turned out to be a lot more fun than expected.
* Remember the trailers for ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed: Hot Pursuit'' (2010) placing great emphasis on the moving wings and spoilers? The series has had that since ''Need for Speed II'' (1997).
* Think mature-themed and mature games were introduced with the UsefulNotes/PlayStation?? Actually, they already had soft-porn games in the early '80s, done up by none other than Creator/{{Sierra}}. There might have been even more made earlier too...

** There were also pornographic games on the UsefulNotes/Atari2600 (if you can call them that), courtesy of developer Mystique. ''Beat 'em and Eat 'Em'', ''Philly Flasher'', ''Cathouse Blues'', ''Jiggolo'', ''Custer's Revenge'', ''Westard Ho''... and that's not even scratching the surface.
** ''Bubble Bath Babes'', anyone? What about ''VideoGame/MonsterParty'', which features gore? Or ''VideoGame/BionicCommando'', which has Hitler's head explode in gory detail?

** Mario's 180 sideways somersault move in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' came first in [[VideoGame/DonkeyKong94 the Game Boy version]] of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong''.
** In fact, the opening and the whole slew of in-game moves in ''DK'94'' clearly showed off Mario's excellent acrobatic skills (other than his high jumps) for the first time.
** Also, Creator/CharlesMartinet's first game as Mario was not ''Super Mario 64''. It was ''Mario's [=FUNdamentals=]'', released a year earlier.
** Likewise, the North American name "Toadstool" was changed to "Peach" not in ''Super Mario 64'', but in ''VideoGame/YoshisSafari'', though it was reverted back to "Princess Toadstool" for ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''.

* While there was a lot of buzz about {{Indie Game}}s in TheNewTens, small independent developers have been around as long as personal computers have been. Many major studios, such as Creator/3DRealms, Creator/IdSoftware and Creator/EpicGames got their start as indie developers on the '90s shareware scene before hitting the big time. Even before that, there were lots of "bedroom coders" on both sides of the Atlantic who created and sold computer games on their own in the late '70s and early '80s.

* While many people do know that Creator/CharlesMartinet is the voice actor of Nintendo's Mario character, a lot of players that grew up on ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' think it was the first game to have Mario voiced. Mario's voice was actually done by Charles one year prior to ''Super Mario 64'' in ''VideoGame/MariosGameGallery'' (later re-released as ''Mario's [=FUNdamentals=]'') where he voiced Mario as the host of several tabletop games as well as being the player's opponent in said games. To go even further back, the first time the general public (outside of Trade Shows) ever heard Martinet's performance as Mario was the ''Pinball/SuperMarioBros'' and ''Pinball/SuperMarioBrosMushroomWorld'' released by Creator/{{Gottlieb}} in 1992. Five years prior to the release of ''Super Mario 64''.

* While there was a lot of buzz about {{Indie Game}}s in TheNewTens, small independent developers have been around as long as personal computers have been. Many major studios, such as Creator/ApogeeSoftware, Creator/IdSoftware and Creator/EpicGames got their start as indie developers on the '90s shareware scene before hitting the big time. Even before that, there were lots of "bedroom coders" on both sides of the Atlantic who created and sold computer games on their own in the late '70s and early '80s.

** Also, many gamers believe Amy debuted in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' or later, while her real first appearance was in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'' [[note]]and before that, a prototype Amy appeared in an obscure Sonic manga[[/note]]. One cause of this confusion might have been that Sega of America decided to call her "Princess Sally" ([[ViewersAreMorons the name of a different and unrelated character who was created for one of the cartoons and doesn't even exist in the games' continuity]]) in the American manual of her debut game as a marketing ploy to promote the American Sonic cartoons and comics of the time. Likewise, her [[DropTheHammer Piko Piko Hammer]], associated with Amy's ''Adventure'' redesign, actually dates back to ''VideoGame/SonicTheFighters'', implemented as a gag to fit in with the slapstick nature of the game.

** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2: Battle'' and ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Advance|Trilogy}}'' may be notable as the first Sonic games on consoles from Sega's former archrivals Creator/{{Nintendo}}, but they are not the first Sonic games to be released on another company's system. That honor goes to ''VideoGame/SonicPocketAdventure'', which was released only two years prior on the UsefulNotes/NeoGeoPocket Color, and only a few months after the 9.9.99 launch of the Dreamcast.

** Much later, in 1998, Sega obtained the rights to the ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' series from Creator/{{Compile}}, who was facing financial troubles. However, Compile was apparently allowed to continue to do whatever they wanted with the series, resulting in a Sega property receiving entries on the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}, UsefulNotes/PlayStation, and UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor.
** For that matter, the company had been in existence long before they started making video games, at least as early as 1960. Sega began as '''Se'''rvice '''Ga'''mes, which made pachinko machines aimed at military servicemen (hence the name). They then branched out into pinball before going into video games.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' stood out among other [=JRPGs=] when it released with its distinct ScienceFantasy aesthetic, in sharp contrast to the medieval fantasy settings of other games, including previous ''FF'' titles. However, the previous game, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' dabbled in science fantasy: while it had a strong medieval fantasy aesthetic, it also incorporated SteamPunk and prominently featured {{Magitek}} (which the game [[TropeNamer named]]). Before even ''FFVI'', though, the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI very first game]] had light sci-fi with the Sky Castle dungeon and the Warmech enemy, which also has the honor of being the series's first BonusBoss, predating Shinryu and Omega (the latter being a sci-fi inspired enemy) in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV''.

** Within the fandoms for ''Wolfenstein 3-D'' and ''Doom'', a good number of purist fans insist that the old games were never intended to be played with a mouse, and therefore versions that do feature the ability to look around with a mouse rather than needing to use the keyboard are, essentially, cheating. Though ''Wolfenstein'' and ''Doom'' were indeed designed around the assumption that a player might not have a mouse (many consumers didn't own one in the mid-90s), both games always supported mouselook as a control method. Part of this comes from confusion with the concept of ''vertical'' mouselook (that is to say, being able to look up or down as well as left or right), which wouldn't become standard-issue in shooters for another few years, but tends to show up in modern ports of those games despite them not being designed for it (for instance, it completely trivializes the FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/DoomII'').

** ''Tactics Ogre'' wasn't the first with those features... ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' predated it by a few years, and ''VideoGame/NobunagasAmbition'' and ''VideoGame/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' have been around since the mid-'80s.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'', the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS microphone can be used to stun Pols Voice and to haggle with shopkeepers. These two things could be done, respectively, in the Famicom Disk System versions of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'' and ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'', using the microphone built into the Famicom's second controller.

* As far as {{fighting game}}s go, [[ExcusePlot while the plot is usually an afterthought]] [[CompetitiveBalance to the gameplay]], many gaming publications and websites will state that story wasn't given a strong focus until titles like ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCalamityTrigger'' (2009), ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat|9}}'' (2011), ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'' (2012), and ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' (2013) came along. This is largely untrue. Among others, ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'', the ''VideoGame/{{Soul|Series}}'' series, ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'', and ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' [[note]]all of which date back to [[TheNineties the mid-to-late 90s]][[/note]] have narratives that are both elaborate and apparent within the confines of the actual game, though some [[ContinuityCreep were not like this initially]] and a few went off the rails with certain installments. It was also extremely common for titles based on licensed properties like the ''VideoGame/DragonBallZBudokai'' series (2002–2008), ''VideoGame/XMenNextDimension'' (2002), and Capcom's ''[[VideoGame/JoJosBizarreAdventureHeritageForTheFuture JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]'' game (1998 [[note]]1999 for ''[[UpdatedRerelease Heritage for the Future]]''[[/note]]) to have strong story elements in the single player modes. Similarly, ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood'' (2002) was a story-heavy "anime fighter" that spun off from the equally dense visual novel ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'', itself belonging to [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} a setting]] known for its sprawling continuity. ''VideoGame/{{Weaponlord}}'' (1995) also made an attempt at immersive storytelling in spite of mostly catering to hardcore players, and the original ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' (1992) also had a fairly heavy emphasis on story for the era it was created in. Even the poorly-regarded ''VideoGame/JusticeLeagueTaskForce'' (1995) made an effort, with the Story Mode featuring cutscenes between each battle to explain what was going on and why the characters were actually fighting. In fact, features such as branching story routes and multiple endings that earned ''Franchise/BlazBlue'' laudation were taken from previous Creator/ArcSystemWorks title ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' (particularly the console version of ''[[VideoGame/GuiltyGearXX XX]]'', which predates its SpiritualSuccessor's home release by about six and a half years), and the Tales of Souls in ''Soulcalibur III'' (2005) operated similarly. Likewise, the widely praised idea of a single narrative with constantly alternating characters/perspectives seen in the [[Creator/NetherrealmStudios NRS]] fighters began with the installment before the 2011 reboot of ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' (2008)... and even ''that'' concept didn't originate there; Creator/{{Koei|Tecmo}}'s ''VideoGame/DeStrega'' had a similar setup with its story and cast '''ten''' years earlier. Several of these titles lack the same kind of mainstream appeal that the largely bare-bones ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' series has and [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity many fans of the genre]] are known to [[PlayTheGameSkipTheStory ignore the story elements anyway]], which likely accounts for the misconception.

* [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame Arcade gaming as a whole]] is '''much''' OlderThanTheyThink. A common mistake made by many gamers is to believe "arcade games" started with ''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders''. A less common mistake made by veteran gamers is to believe "arcade games" started with {{Pinball}} and/or ''Pinball/BaffleBall''. In reality, UsefulNotes/{{Arcade Game}}s started around the [[OlderThanRadio second half of the 19th Century,]] when the first amusement parlors and midways were built on boardwalks, tempting tourists to spend their coins watching [[{{Film}} kinetoscopes]] and listening to [[{{Music}} phonographs]]. Later arcades broadened their appeal with more affordable lowbrow attractions, such as shooting galleries, strength testers, fortune tellers, peep shows, and vending machines. That's right -- as sophisticated as video games have become nowadays, they had their origins in the nineteenth-century carnival (or "funfair" for you British Tropers).

** The ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' [[ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast comic adaptation]] had a couple of these:

** The UsefulNotes/Atari2600 was one of the first consoles, if not ''the'' first, to have a network adapter developed for it: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameLine GameLine]] allowed subscribers to download games. It didn't do very well, though: at $60 per unit and a $15 per month subscription, even the enticing offer of games for only a buck apiece wasn't enticing (and you could only keep one game at a time).

* Believe it or not, ''VideoGame/ZooTycoon'' was not the first zoo simulation game. The Japan-only Sega Saturn game ''Simuation Zoo'' predates it by four years.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'''s gameplay mechanic of picking up Piranha Plants and using them to eat their foes was first used in ''VideoGame/MarioParty3'' for a minigame and by Waluigi in the Battle Mode.

* Virtually every dance emote found in ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' was created long before the video game made them well-known among the modern youth, with many of them originating from TV, movies and music videos from the '80s and '90s.

* The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMU Visual Memory Unit]] was a fascinatingly novel concept: a memory card with its own screen and controls used to not only manage game saves, but to download minigames and expand the functionality of games released on the console. It was not the first memory card of its kind, however: [[NoExportForYou while it was never officially released outside of Japan]], the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PocketStation PocketStation]] for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation beat Sega's VMU to the punch. Many games released internationally retained [=PocketStation=] compatibility, so savvy importers could use them without having to import games as well.

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' and ''[[VideoGame/SaintsRow4 4]]'' got a lot of praise for putting gender on a slider the CharacterCustomization, allowing players to create characters with a gender identity outside thE male[=/=]female binary. ''VideoGame/UltimaIII'', which predate them by decades, gave gender options "Male", "Female" and "Other". It didn't affect the story or even character appearance (everyone is just a few pixels), but it's still an early RPG that allowed you to play as a non-binary character before the term "non-binary" had even entered common parlance.