Nintendo Vs. Series
Encyclopedia
The Nintendo
Vs. System is a coin-operated
video game platform designed for two-player competitive play using the VS. UniSystem or VS. DualSystem, arcade system board
s based on the Nintendo Entertainment System
. Many of these stand-up or sit-down arcade machines had two screens and controls joined at an angle. These games were arcade ports of home video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, thus they could be sold cheaply to arcades in the late 1980s.
, Donkey Kong Jr., Popeye
, and Mario Bros.
machines. Being as such, they require the same special monitor that these coin-ops used. These monitors use inverse voltage levels for their video signals as compared to most arcade monitors. Commercially available converters allowed one to use any standard open frame monitor with the game.
Almost all the games on the Vs. System ran on identical hardware, with the notable exception that four special PPUs (video chips) were also made, each containing a different palette (each of which appears to arrange the colors completely randomly). Most boards could be switched to a new game simply by swapping the program ROMs, though the appropriate PPU would also have to be used—if not, the game would appear with incorrect colors. Several of the later Vs. games employed further measures of protection by using special PPUs which swapped pairs of I/O registers and/or returned special data from normally unimplemented regions of memory—attempts to run these games in other Vs. systems would result in the game failing to even start.
There were some dedicated Vs. double cabinets produced which looked like two games butted together at an angle. A single motherboard powered both games on those models.
A steel sit down cabinet for the Dualsystem, nicknamed the "red tent" due to its upper portion's resemblance to a pup tent, allowed play for up to four players simultaneously. This cabinet used the same motherboard as the double cabinet referred to above.
. The graphics were also different from their NES counterparts; for example, Vs. Duck Hunt
had more details and animation sequences than its console counterpart.
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....
Vs. System is a coin-operated
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
video game platform designed for two-player competitive play using the VS. UniSystem or VS. DualSystem, arcade system board
Arcade system board
An arcade system board is a dedicated computer system created for the purpose of running video arcade games. Arcade system boards typically consist of a main system board with any number of supporting boards...
s based on the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. Many of these stand-up or sit-down arcade machines had two screens and controls joined at an angle. These games were arcade ports of home video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, thus they could be sold cheaply to arcades in the late 1980s.
Hardware
The Vs. System was designed primarily as a kit to retrofit Donkey KongDonkey 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...
, Donkey Kong Jr., Popeye
Popeye (arcade game)
is a 1982 arcade game developed and released by Nintendo based on the Popeye cartoon characters licensed from King Features Syndicate. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on Popeye....
, 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...
machines. Being as such, they require the same special monitor that these coin-ops used. These monitors use inverse voltage levels for their video signals as compared to most arcade monitors. Commercially available converters allowed one to use any standard open frame monitor with the game.
Almost all the games on the Vs. System ran on identical hardware, with the notable exception that four special PPUs (video chips) were also made, each containing a different palette (each of which appears to arrange the colors completely randomly). Most boards could be switched to a new game simply by swapping the program ROMs, though the appropriate PPU would also have to be used—if not, the game would appear with incorrect colors. Several of the later Vs. games employed further measures of protection by using special PPUs which swapped pairs of I/O registers and/or returned special data from normally unimplemented regions of memory—attempts to run these games in other Vs. systems would result in the game failing to even start.
There were some dedicated Vs. double cabinets produced which looked like two games butted together at an angle. A single motherboard powered both games on those models.
A steel sit down cabinet for the Dualsystem, nicknamed the "red tent" due to its upper portion's resemblance to a pup tent, allowed play for up to four players simultaneously. This cabinet used the same motherboard as the double cabinet referred to above.
Differences between Vs. System and NES versions
Sometimes, the games were different from their NES versions. For example, Vs. Super Mario Bros. is considerably more difficult than Super Mario Bros; some of these levels are in the Japanese Disk System version of Super Mario Bros. 2Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
, also known as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, is a platforming video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Family Computer Disk System...
. The graphics were also different from their NES counterparts; for example, Vs. Duck Hunt
Duck Hunt
is a video game for the Nintendo Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System game console system in which players use the NES Zapper to shoot ducks on screen for points. The game was developed and published by Nintendo, and was released in 1984 in Japan...
had more details and animation sequences than its console counterpart.
Games
- Vs. 10-Yard Fight10-Yard Fightis a American football arcade game that was developed and published in Japan by Irem and published in the United States by Taito and in Europe by Electrocoin. It is the first slightly realistic American football video game ever developed and released.-Gameplay:...
- Vs. BaseballBaseball (Nintendo game)Baseball is a simple baseball video game made by Nintendo in 1983 for the Nintendo Family Computer, making it one of the first games released for the Famicom. It was later one of the NES's 18 launch titles when it was released in 1985 in the United States. As in real baseball, the object of the...
- Vs. Balloon FightBalloon Fightis 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:...
- Vs. Battle CityBattle City (video game)Battle City is a multi-directional shooter video game for the Nintendo Family Computer produced and published in 1985 by Namco. The game was later released for the Game Boy and was included in the Japanese version of Star Fox: Assault...
- Vs. CastlevaniaCastlevaniaCastlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
- Vs. Clu Clu LandClu Clu Landis an arcade and Nintendo Entertainment System game released in 1984 and was later released in North America on the Wii Virtual Console on September 1, 2008 and in Europe on March 6, 2009. The game was called Vs. Clu Clu Land in video arcades...
- Vs. Dr. MarioDr. Mario (video game)is an action puzzle game designed by Gunpei Yokoi and produced by Takahiro Harada. It was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy consoles and released in 1990 and 1991....
- Vs. Duck HuntDuck Huntis a video game for the Nintendo Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System game console system in which players use the NES Zapper to shoot ducks on screen for points. The game was developed and published by Nintendo, and was released in 1984 in Japan...
- Vs. ExcitebikeExcitebikeis a motocross racing video game franchise made by Nintendo. It first debuted as a game for the Famicom in Japan in 1984 and as a launch title for the NES in 1985. It is the first game of the Excite series, succeeded by its direct sequel Excitebike 64, its spiritual successors Excite Truck and...
- Vs. GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- Vs. GumshoeGumshoe (video game)Gumshoe is a video game developed and published by Nintendo for the NES and released on June 6, 1986 in North America, and on June 15, 1988 in Europe. Gumshoe is played using the NES Zapper. The game was designed by Yoshio Sakamoto.- Story :...
- Vs. Hogan's AlleyHogan's Alley (arcade game)Hogan's Alley is a 1984 arcade game by Nintendo. It was one of the first games to use a light gun as an input device.-Overview:"Hogan's Alley" is the FBI's training camp tool to train new recruits...
- Vs. Ice ClimberIce Climberis a vertical platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for release on the Nintendo Famicom in Japan and the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in 1985...
- Vs. Mahjong
- Vs. PinballPinball (video game)Pinball is a 1984 arcade game created by Nintendo. The game is designed to simulate a game of pinball. It was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System later that year. In 1985 it reached North America as one of 18 launch titles. The Nintendo Entertainment System version added an alternating...
- Vs. Platoon
- Vs. SlalomSlalom (video game)Slalom is a skiing video game made by UK-based video game company Rare. It was first released by Nintendo for the Nintendo Vs. System in 1986. It was then released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in August 1987 and in Europe on October 15, 1987...
- Vs. Sky KidSky Kidis a horizontal scrolling shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1985. It runs on Namco Pac-Land hardware but with a video system like that used in Dragon Buster. It is also the first game from Namco to allow 2 players to play simultaneously...
- Vs. Soccer
- Vs. Stroke and Match Golf (released in "Men's" and "Women's" versions)
- Vs. Super Mario Bros.Super Mario Bros.is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
- Vs. TennisTennis (video game)Tennis is a sports game released in Japan for the Famicom in 1984, and in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985. In North America, Tennis was one of 18 launch games for the NES.-Gameplay:...
- Vs. T.K.O. Boxing
- Vs. Top GunTop Gun (video game)The popularity of the 1986 film Top Gun resulted in a number of licensed video games that have been released since the film's theatrical debut:-Top Gun:...
- Vs. Urban ChampionUrban Championis a 2-player fighting game produced by Nintendo in 1985. It was inspired by the 1984 Game & Watch title, Boxing . It is also Nintendo's first 2D fighting game, followed by the Joy Mech Fight, released exclusively in Japan for the same platform.-Gameplay:The purpose of the game is to knock the...
- Vs. VolleyballVolleyball (video game)is a volleyball video game developed by Nintendo and Pax Softnica and released by Nintendo for the Family Computer Disk System and Nintendo Entertainment System. Originally released in 1986, it was re-released for the Wii Virtual Console in Europe on August 10, 2007. It is part of the NES Sports...
- Vs. Wrecking CrewWrecking Crew (video game)is a action game developed and published by Nintendo. It was designed by Yoshio Sakamoto and released as a launch title for the Nintendo Entertainment System.-Gameplay:...
- Vs. The Goonies
- Vs. Atari RBI Baseball
- Vs. Freedom ForceFreedom Force (video game)Freedom Force is a video game created by Sunsoft and released in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In the game, the player takes the role of a sharpshooter in a counter-terrorist organization. Freedom Force was also one of the few NES games to make use of and require the light gun...
- Vs. GradiusGradiusThe Gradius games, first introduced in 1985, make up a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper...
- Vs. Ladies Golf
- Vs. Mighty Bomb JackMighty Bomb Jackis a 1986 arcade game that was later released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987 by Tecmo, and later for the Amiga, Atari ST and Commodore 64. The NES version was released on the Wii Virtual Console on May 7, 2007...
- Vs. Ninja JaJaMaru-kunNinja JaJaMaru-kunis an action game released in Japan on November 15, 1985 by Jaleco for the Famicom and in 1986 for the MSX.It was released for Nintendo's Japanese Virtual Console on December 26, 2006 and in PAL regions on September 21, 2007 as part of Ninja Week for the Hanabi Festival promotion...
- Vs. Star LusterStar Lusteris a first-person shooter and space combat simulator video game developed and published by Namco in 1985 only in Japan. It is an arcade-style combat-dedicated, sci-fi flight simulator that was first released for the Nintendo Famicom. That same year, Nintendo adapted the title for play in the arcade...
- Vs. Super Xevious: GAMP no NazoSuper Xevious: GAMP no Nazois a video game released for the Nintendo Family Computer and the Nintendo Vs. System series on the Arcades.-Summary:The only way to progress through the game is to solve challenging riddles in each stage, each one more difficult than the last...
- Vs. TetrisTetrisTetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union. It was released on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
( Tengen Version )
See also
- PlayChoice-10PlayChoice-10PlayChoice-10 was an arcade machine which could consist of as many as 10 different games previously available only on the Nintendo Entertainment System home console...
, another arcade series from Nintendo - Nintendo Super SystemNintendo Super SystemThe Nintendo Super System is an arcade system used to preview Super NES games in the U.S. It was essentially the Super NES hardware with a menu interface that—similar to Nintendo's PlayChoice-10 hardware for NES games—allowed players to play select SNES games for a certain amount of time depending...
, arcade system based on the Super Nintendo Entertainment SystemSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...