Game & Watch
Encyclopedia
is a line of handheld electronic game
s produced by Nintendo
from to . Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD
screen in addition to a clock and an alarm (thus, "Game
& Watch
").
43.4 million of those 59 games were sold worldwide. It was the earliest Nintendo product to garner major success. The device was known as Tricotronic in Germany.
, saw a bored businessman playing with an LCD calculator
by pressing the buttons. Yokoi then thought of an idea for a watch that doubled as a miniature game machine for killing time.
The units use LR4x/SR4x "button-cell" batteries, the same type used in most laser pointer
s or handheld calculators. Different models were manufactured, with some having two screens and a clam-shell design (the Multi Screen Series). The Nintendo DS
and Game Boy Advance SP
later reused this design.
Titles available in Game & Watch form vary from Mickey Mouse
to Balloon Fight
, including Nintendo staples such as Donkey Kong
, The Legend of Zelda, and Mario Bros.
. For a more complete list, see List of Game & Watch games.
There were 59 different Game & Watch games produced for sale and one that was only available as a contest prize, making 60 in all. The prize game was given to winners of Nintendo's F-1 Grand Prix tournament, a yellow-cased version of Super Mario Bros. that came in a plastic box modeled after the Disk-kun character Nintendo used to advertise their Famicom Disk System. As only 10,000 units were produced and it was never available for retail sale, the yellow version is considered rare.
Mario the Juggler, released in 1991, was the last game created in the Game & Watch series.
, five Game & Watch collections released for the Game Boy
, Game Boy Color
, and Game Boy Advance
. They feature the original ports, as well as new, modernized versions starring the Mario
series cast.
From 1998 onward, a number of third-party distributors have been licensed to re-release smaller LCD versions of ten separate Game & Watch games which together compose the Nintendo Mini Classics series
.
In 2001, Nintendo released Manhole-e bundled with its Nintendo e-Reader systems. Although an entire line of Game & Watch e-Reader cards were planned, they were never released.
Between July 2006 and March 2010, Nintendo produced two Game & Watch Collection cartridges for the Nintendo DS
to be released exclusively for Club Nintendo
members. The first cartridge featured three games from the Game & Watch Multi Screen series: Oil Panic, Donkey Kong, and Green House. The second compilation, Game & Watch Collection 2, contained Parachute, Octopus, and a new dual-screen game with Parachute on the top screen and Octopus on the bottom. Both cartridges are now available to the general public.
Between July 2009 and April 2010 Nintendo released nine separate Game & Watch ports for DSiWare including remakes of Ball (called Game & Watch: Ball), Flagman (called Game & Watch: Flagman), Manhole (called Game & Watch: Manhole), and Mario's Cement Factory (called Game & Watch: Mario's Cement Factory) among others.
In February 2011, Club Nintendo also released a reproduction of Ball entitled Game & Watch: Ball. The game cost 1200 Coins.
In Australia game stores stock mini Game & Watch consoles.
and their Star Wars
themed games.
Nintendo's Game & Watch units were eventually superseded by the original Game Boy
. Each Game & Watch was only able to play one game
, due to the use of a segmented LCD display being pre-printed with an overlay. The speed and responsiveness of the games was also limited by the time it took the LCD to change state. The Game & Watch Multi Screen version became the model on which the Nintendo DS
was based.
Nintendo Game & Watch was issued under different trademarks in different countries, resulting in different packaging. These have become rare and are also collectable.
, clones
of some wide-screen console games appeared by mid-1980s; they were sold under the universal Elektronika brand. The choice of titles included Octopus (renamed Mysteries of the Ocean), Chef, Egg (renamed Nu, pogodi!
with the Wolf resembling the main character from the animated series), slightly different variants of Egg named Hunt (featuring a hunter firing at ducks) and Explorers from Space (featuring a space ship being fired upon), and many others.
Before the Game & Watch Gallery series
, the Game & Watch Mario Bros. game was the only Game & Watch game ported onto a different system. In this case, it had been unofficially ported over to the Commodore 64
system. Since the arcade game
Mario Bros.
had also been ported over to the same system, the similarly titled Game & Watch version had to be rebranded as a sequel
, entitled Mario Bros. II.
, although the character was first seen in the Game & Watch game Ball. Mr. Game & Watch does not speak in the games that he is featured in, instead makes beeping noises similar to those heard while playing Game & Watch games. Other traits unique to the character are him being paper-thin (due to having only two dimensions, not possessing depth) and his very limited animation, both alluding to the LCD screens on which Game & Watch games run. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
, the main storyline suggests Mr. Game & Watch is made of a primordial substance that can take on any number of forms. Mr. Game & Watch was harvested for this reason to create The Subspace Army. It is also stated on the Smash Dojo that Mr. Game & Watch allowed this to happen because he has no concept of good and evil.
, he was able to speak, unlike prior appearances. He is a part of the playable rosters of both Super Smash Bros. Melee
and its sequel, Super Smash Bros. Brawl
. In both games, the character's special abilities include attacks derived from various aspects of the Game & Watch series (such as turning into the octopus seen in the game Octopus). A Game & Watch system was one of the treasures in Pikmin 2
, although it was referred to as the "Dream Architect." Mr. Game & Watch appears in several games in the WarioWare series, along with several other characters that bear a strong artistic similarity to him, usually as a brief cameo appearance
. He also appears in the Nintendo DS title Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What To Eat?
in the Game & Watch game Chef, after it is unlocked. In the title Donkey Kong Country Returns
, he appears in the background of level 7-1, as a worker in a foggy factory. He also appears during certain stages in Rhythm Heaven Wii.
7
Handheld electronic game
----Handheld electronic games are very small, portable devices for playing interactive electronic games, often miniaturized versions of video games. The controls, display and speakers are all part of a single unit. Rather than a general-purpose screen made up of a grid of small pixels, they...
s produced by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
from to . Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
screen in addition to a clock and an alarm (thus, "Game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
& Watch
Watch
A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...
").
43.4 million of those 59 games were sold worldwide. It was the earliest Nintendo product to garner major success. The device was known as Tricotronic in Germany.
Origin and design
In 1979, Gunpei Yokoi, traveling on a bullet trainShinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
, saw a bored businessman playing with an LCD calculator
Calculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
by pressing the buttons. Yokoi then thought of an idea for a watch that doubled as a miniature game machine for killing time.
The units use LR4x/SR4x "button-cell" batteries, the same type used in most laser pointer
Laser pointer
A laser pointer or laser pen is a small portable device with a power source and a laser emitting a very narrow coherent low-powered beam of visible light, intended to be used to highlight something of interest by illuminating it with a small bright spot of colored light...
s or handheld calculators. Different models were manufactured, with some having two screens and a clam-shell design (the Multi Screen Series). The Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and Game Boy Advance SP
Game Boy Advance SP
The , released in February 2003, is an upgraded version of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. The "SP" in Game Boy Advance SP stands for Special. The SP was marketed at US$99.99 at launch. In September 2004, Nintendo lowered the price to US$79.99...
later reused this design.
Titles available in Game & Watch form vary from Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
to Balloon Fight
Balloon Fight
is a 1984 video game developed by Nintendo. The arcade version was released in 1984 and the Nintendo Entertainment System version was released in 1986. The gameplay is similar to the arcade game Joust by Williams Electronics.-Gameplay:...
, including Nintendo staples such as Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong (video game)
is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a...
, The Legend of Zelda, and Mario Bros.
Mario Bros.
is an arcade game published and developed by Nintendo in 1983. It was developed by Shigeru Miyamoto. It has been commonly featured as a minigame in the Super Mario Advance series and other games...
. For a more complete list, see List of Game & Watch games.
Game A and Game B
Most titles have a 'GAME A' and a 'GAME B' button. Game B is generally a faster, more difficult version of Game A, although exceptions do exist, including:- In Squish, Game B is radically different from Game A — the player must touch aliens to eliminate them as opposed to avoiding moving walls.
- In Judge, Boxing, Donkey Kong 3 and Donkey Kong Hockey Game B is a two-player version of Game A.
- In Climber, Balloon Fight, and Super Mario Bros., there is no Game B button.
998>999 high score bug
If a player reaches 300 points on the later Multi Screen series games, they are rewarded with double points until they lose a life, whereupon the game returns to single-point increments. If the player surpasses 1000 points without losing a life, the game will only register 998 points earned, the next increment rolling back to 0 and skipping 999 altogether. If a later player then reaches 999 points, the game will still register the former 998 as the higher score. However, if they reach 999 after having died at least once, the game will register 999.Series
- Silver (1980)
- Gold (1981)
- Multi Screen (1982–1989)
- Tabletop (1983)
- Panorama (1983–1984)
- New Wide Screen (1982–1991)
- Super Color (1984)
- Micro Vs. System (1984)
- Crystal Screen (1986)
- Mini ClassicsNintendo Mini ClassicsNintendo Mini Classics are a series of small LCD games licensed by Nintendo. Most games in the series are reissues of Game & Watch titles, but the series does include titles that were not from the original Game & Watch line. All of the Mini Classics titles are still officially licensed by...
(1998)
There were 59 different Game & Watch games produced for sale and one that was only available as a contest prize, making 60 in all. The prize game was given to winners of Nintendo's F-1 Grand Prix tournament, a yellow-cased version of Super Mario Bros. that came in a plastic box modeled after the Disk-kun character Nintendo used to advertise their Famicom Disk System. As only 10,000 units were produced and it was never available for retail sale, the yellow version is considered rare.
Mario the Juggler, released in 1991, was the last game created in the Game & Watch series.
Evolution
The Game & Watch games were renewed between 1995 and 2002 with the Game & Watch Gallery seriesGame & Watch Gallery series
The Game & Watch Gallery series, known in Japan and Australia as the series, is a series of compilations of some of Nintendo's original Game & Watch titles in two styles: original and remade with characters from the Super Mario Bros. series....
, five Game & Watch collections released for the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
, and Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
. They feature the original ports, as well as new, modernized versions starring the Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
series cast.
From 1998 onward, a number of third-party distributors have been licensed to re-release smaller LCD versions of ten separate Game & Watch games which together compose the Nintendo Mini Classics series
Nintendo Mini Classics
Nintendo Mini Classics are a series of small LCD games licensed by Nintendo. Most games in the series are reissues of Game & Watch titles, but the series does include titles that were not from the original Game & Watch line. All of the Mini Classics titles are still officially licensed by...
.
In 2001, Nintendo released Manhole-e bundled with its Nintendo e-Reader systems. Although an entire line of Game & Watch e-Reader cards were planned, they were never released.
Between July 2006 and March 2010, Nintendo produced two Game & Watch Collection cartridges for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
to be released exclusively for Club Nintendo
Club Nintendo
Club Nintendo is the name of several publications and a more well-known customer loyalty program provided by Nintendo. The loyalty program is free to join and is committed to providing rewards in exchange for consumer feedback and loyalty to purchasing official Nintendo products...
members. The first cartridge featured three games from the Game & Watch Multi Screen series: Oil Panic, Donkey Kong, and Green House. The second compilation, Game & Watch Collection 2, contained Parachute, Octopus, and a new dual-screen game with Parachute on the top screen and Octopus on the bottom. Both cartridges are now available to the general public.
Between July 2009 and April 2010 Nintendo released nine separate Game & Watch ports for DSiWare including remakes of Ball (called Game & Watch: Ball), Flagman (called Game & Watch: Flagman), Manhole (called Game & Watch: Manhole), and Mario's Cement Factory (called Game & Watch: Mario's Cement Factory) among others.
In February 2011, Club Nintendo also released a reproduction of Ball entitled Game & Watch: Ball. The game cost 1200 Coins.
In Australia game stores stock mini Game & Watch consoles.
Legacy
The Game & Watch made handhelds vastly popular. Many toy companies followed in the footsteps of Game & Watch, such as Tiger ElectronicsTiger Electronics
Tiger Electronics is an American toy manufacturer, best known for its handheld LCD games, the Furby, and Giga Pets. When Tiger was an independent company, Tiger Electronics Inc., its headquarters were in Vernon Hills, Illinois....
and their Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
themed games.
Nintendo's Game & Watch units were eventually superseded by the original Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
. Each Game & Watch was only able to play one game
Dedicated console
A dedicated console is a video game console that is dedicated to a built in game or games, and is not equipped for additional games, via cartridges or other media.- History :...
, due to the use of a segmented LCD display being pre-printed with an overlay. The speed and responsiveness of the games was also limited by the time it took the LCD to change state. The Game & Watch Multi Screen version became the model on which the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
was based.
Nintendo Game & Watch was issued under different trademarks in different countries, resulting in different packaging. These have become rare and are also collectable.
Clones and unofficial ports
In the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, clones
Clone (computer and video games)
A video game clone is a video game or game series which is very similar to or heavily inspired by a previous popular game or game series. Some video game genres are founded by such archetypal games that all subsequent similar games are thought of as derivatives.The term is sometimes derogatory,...
of some wide-screen console games appeared by mid-1980s; they were sold under the universal Elektronika brand. The choice of titles included Octopus (renamed Mysteries of the Ocean), Chef, Egg (renamed Nu, pogodi!
Nu, pogodi!
Nu, pogodi! is a Soviet/Russian animated series produced by Soyuzmultfilm. The series was created in 1969 and became a popular cartoon of the Soviet Union. Additional episodes have been produced in Russia since 2006...
with the Wolf resembling the main character from the animated series), slightly different variants of Egg named Hunt (featuring a hunter firing at ducks) and Explorers from Space (featuring a space ship being fired upon), and many others.
Before the Game & Watch Gallery series
Game & Watch Gallery series
The Game & Watch Gallery series, known in Japan and Australia as the series, is a series of compilations of some of Nintendo's original Game & Watch titles in two styles: original and remade with characters from the Super Mario Bros. series....
, the Game & Watch Mario Bros. game was the only Game & Watch game ported onto a different system. In this case, it had been unofficially ported over to the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
system. Since the arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
Mario Bros.
Mario Bros.
is an arcade game published and developed by Nintendo in 1983. It was developed by Shigeru Miyamoto. It has been commonly featured as a minigame in the Super Mario Advance series and other games...
had also been ported over to the same system, the similarly titled Game & Watch version had to be rebranded as a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, entitled Mario Bros. II.
Mr. Game & Watch
is the mascot of the Game & Watch series, following his appearance in Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
, although the character was first seen in the Game & Watch game Ball. Mr. Game & Watch does not speak in the games that he is featured in, instead makes beeping noises similar to those heard while playing Game & Watch games. Other traits unique to the character are him being paper-thin (due to having only two dimensions, not possessing depth) and his very limited animation, both alluding to the LCD screens on which Game & Watch games run. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
, the main storyline suggests Mr. Game & Watch is made of a primordial substance that can take on any number of forms. Mr. Game & Watch was harvested for this reason to create The Subspace Army. It is also stated on the Smash Dojo that Mr. Game & Watch allowed this to happen because he has no concept of good and evil.
Appearances
Mr. Game & Watch has appeared in several Game & Watch Gallery games. In Game & Watch Gallery 4, where in he was the manager of the "classic games" area alongside MarioMario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
, he was able to speak, unlike prior appearances. He is a part of the playable rosters of both Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
and its sequel, Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
. In both games, the character's special abilities include attacks derived from various aspects of the Game & Watch series (such as turning into the octopus seen in the game Octopus). A Game & Watch system was one of the treasures in Pikmin 2
Pikmin 2
is a real-time strategy video game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan on April 29, 2004, in North America on August 30, 2004, in Europe on October 8, 2004, and in Australia on November 4, 2004....
, although it was referred to as the "Dream Architect." Mr. Game & Watch appears in several games in the WarioWare series, along with several other characters that bear a strong artistic similarity to him, usually as a brief cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
. He also appears in the Nintendo DS title Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What To Eat?
Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat?
Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat?, known in North America as Personal Trainer: Cooking and in Japan as , is a digital cookbook for the Nintendo DS. The original, Japanese-language edition was released in Japan on December 4, 2008, in Europe in English on June 20, 2008, in Australia on July...
in the Game & Watch game Chef, after it is unlocked. In the title Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns, known as in Japan, is a side-scrolling 2.5D platform game developed by Retro Studios and released by Nintendo for the Wii console on November 21, 2010, in North America, December 3, 2010, in Europe, and on December 9, 2010, in Japan...
, he appears in the background of level 7-1, as a worker in a foggy factory. He also appears during certain stages in Rhythm Heaven Wii.
7
Reception
UGO.com listed Mr. Game and Watch on their list of "The Cutest Characters", stating "Mr. Game and Watch is adorable because he’s completely oblivious to his condition."See also
- List of Game & Watch games
- Elektronika versions of the Game & Watch
- Nelsonic game watch
- Bandai LCD SolarpowerBandai LCD SolarpowerThe LCD Solarpower series were handheld electronic games powered by solar energy made by Bandai in 1982. Some of the games, such as Terror House, featured two LCD panels, one stacked on the other, for an early 3D effect. This was particularly prominent in the horror-themed game Terror...
External links
- GAME&WATCH at Nintendo official website
- The most comprehensive history book on the Game & Watch (French to English translation coming soon)
- Pica Pic - online flash conversions of several Game & Watch games