10 Great Video Games That Almost Never Happened At All

2. Donkey Kong

Undoubtedly one of the most important releases of all time, the original Donkey Kong arcade game was Nintendo's first major success in the video game industry. It was developed by a young Shigeru Miyamoto and is among the earliest examples of the platforming genre, as well as introducing a plucky moustachioed carpenter, who would later be known retooled as a plumber and renamed as Mario. Originally though, the game was intended to be based on a Popeye comic strip, but the license fell through forcing Nintendo to create its own characters that they hoped could be marketed for later games. Over 150 games later, it's safe to say they pretty much nailed that one. The roles of the characters were based on the roles of the Popeye characters, casting Donkey Kong as Bluto, Mario as Popeye and Peach as Olive Oyl. Perhaps if Mario really wants to impress the Princess, he should get on the spinach. Donkey Kong went on to be a huge financial success and paved the way for Nintendo to go on to bigger and better things, as would the gaming industry as a whole.