Atari may have pioneered the technology, Sinclair and Commodore International had helped nurture it, but video games didn't start taking shape into the entertainment behemoth we know today until card manufacturers Nintendo arrived on the scene. Donkey Kong was their first big hit, introducing the world not only to Japanese video game developers as a viable source of 8-bit fun in the arcade and at home, but also a little character called Jumpman...
15. Then Super Mario Bros Takes Over The Living Room
...Who was later rechristened Mario by his visionary creator Shigeru Miyamoto, just in time to headline his first home console game. Not only was Super Mario Bros the standard to which all 2D platformers would be judged, it also ensured the company's dominance over the console market with their Nintendo Entertainment System - or NES for short. Miyamoto's first big hit for a home title also meant he could go on to produce some of the biggest titles in gaming history, with countless Mario spin-offs and sequels, the Zelda series, and Pikmin.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
