At some point in your life, you've probably heard about Nintendo, or at least the games it has developed. Its titles have enriched many childhoods and still provide entertainment for us now. Here are some interesting facts you might not know about the video game giant.
1. Nintendo Made Mario a Villain Once
Mario has always been portrayed as a savior, but at one point, he was actually the antagonist in a game. First, you have to know about the game Donkey Kong to understand its context. In another related game. Donkey Kong Jr., Mario imprisons the titular gorilla's father as punishment, making Mario the villain of the game.
2. The US Didn't Get Miyamoto's First Game
Shigeru Miyamoto is respected in the gaming industry, especially since he's behind iconic franchises like Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda. But, his first game titled Devil World wasn't distributed in the US, and it has something to do with the religious context and it having the word "Devil" in the title, according to How Stuff Works.
3. Nintendo Almost Gave Kirby a Weird Name
You know the little pink ball of cuteness Kirby? Well, that wasn't the first name Nintendo thought about naming the character. It was supposed to be "Tinkle Popo." Realizing that it might not be as appealing to consumers in the US, the company finally changed it to Kirby, which we are all thankful for, frankly.
4. The NES Stuck Around
Game consoles now are usually taken off the market or discontinued just a few years after a newer model is released. The same could not be said with the Nintendo Entertainment System, as it was still distributed 20 years after its release. It was only discontinued by 2003, which was 20 years after its release.
5. The Old Nintendo Puts Fragile Consoles to Shame
The more recent consoles require proper care and cautiousness to avoid breaking them. A simple drop of the PlayStation Portable, for instance, could immediately result in a cracked screen. Game Boys, on the other hand, can withstand fire, literally.
As told by CBR, a Game Boy was sent to Nintendo for repairs. They were no hard-to-fix issues except for the fact that it was burned during a bombing. Despite that, the handheld console still works after the owner tried loading a Tetris cartridge. Imagine that.
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6. Back to Ridiculous Potential Names
Nintendo almost naming Kirby "Tinkle Popo" was not the only instance where it happened. Remember the Nintendo DS? The DS simply stands for dual screen. Although, that's not what they first thought of. Initially, the company was supposed to name the console Nintendo City Boy. I think it's safe to say that Nintendo DS was better.
7. Final Fantasy Shifts to Sony
All the other Final Fantasy games were released on Nintendo's consoles. That, however, changed in the release of Final Fantasy VII. At first, it was set to be released on the Nintendo 64 but soon changed to the PlayStation.
It was due to Nintendo still using cartridges for its consoles. With the amount of cutscenes and the soundtracks that the seventh Final Fantasy had, a cartridge did not provide enough storage, This led to the the game's developer, Squaresoft, to shift to the CD-ROM format of PlayStation.
