Firsts in video games

Some rare trivia right there. :+1::grin:

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Saw that the early/illegal Spectrum Holobyte version of Tetris had a Boss Key that shows a blank command prompt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_key

Apparently, firsts:

  • Rogue (1980)
  • Asylum (1981)
  • Bezare (1982) link
  • FriendlyWare PC Arcade (1983)

https://www.mobygames.com/group/10255/games-with-boss-key/

https://www.howtogeek.com/749864/gaming-when-you-should-be-working-the-history-of-the-boss-key/

I added a boss key to my game Wire Hang Redux back in 2004 :slight_smile:

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Love the boss key. I forget what game it was that put up a spreadsheet but that was solid execution.

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the first on-screen depiction of a human, or the first game to take place across multiple screens. The first overworld map. The hidden “Easter Egg.” Or how about the first cutscene — those cinematic sequences that temporarily remove control from the player?

We consider a game important based on the range of its influence or concepts it innovated. Incidentally, all the “firsts” innovated above debuted in a single game: 1973’s Moonlander by Jack Burness.

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First real time 3D arcade game…

1983, Cube Quest

It also adds laserdisc video backgrounds!

From https://arcadeblogger.com/2023/04/10/arcade-raid-south-dakota-mega-haul/

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Seeing that in action at the arcade must’ve been mind-blowing at the time!

You know, I was wondering what the first ever bonus stage was. According to Wikipedia, “Namco’s 1980 arcade game Rally-X was one of the first to feature a bonus stage.”

So, Rally-X was one of the first, but could there have been an earlier game that featured a bonus stage?

I’ve done some searching online but all sources seem to reference the same Wikipedia article, so I guess the answer is inconclusive for now.

Claim regarding Microprose Golf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicroProse_Golf (1991, Amiga & Atari ST, 1992 DOS)

It was the first golf game to use the circular bar swing method, which would become common in later golf games.

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The cite on wikipedia needed correcting, as the quote was featured in a magazine supplement rather than the main magazine itself.

And I would probably qualify the claim with “around the player whilst they are in-situ”, because…


Naxat Open (TG-16, 1989) had an arc around a side view of the player in an inset panel.
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New 3D Golf Simulation (PC-98, 1989) used a arc (3/4 of a circle) shot meter, but it was in the the HUD rather than around the player.
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As did The Golf (1989, MSX) which is a great game
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Albatross (1986, MSX) had a similar arc around the ball.
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Links: The Challenge of Golf (1990, DOS) had an arc power meter in the HUD.
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Ultra/Konami/Konamic Golf (1991, GB) had a circular meter around the player, on its own screen.
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First Escape Room (video game perhaps predated physical)

Mystery of Time & Space (2001, Logan Interactive)

https://www.mobygames.com/game/34859/mystery-of-time-and-space/

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Or maybe…

https://excitingescapes.co.uk/blog/what-did-the-worlds-first-escape-rooms-look-like/

Crimson Room (2004, Toshimitsu Takagi)

https://www.mobygames.com/game/84539/crimson-room/screenshots/

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The firsts, like the Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device or Tennis for Two laid the groundwork for what we have today. While I’m a big fan of CS:GO myself, it’s fascinating to think about the early days of video games.