This week in gaming history provides GameRevolution’s readers with a blast from the past, going back in time to outline all the biggest news stories from this week in games. Every week, we will take a look at some things that happened this week in video game history over the past three decades.
Last week we saw the founding of Capcom, the birth of DragonQuest, and much more. This week, we will celebrate the release of Earthbound, Tetris, and a whole lot more. So without further adieu, let’s take a look at this week in gaming history for the week of June 3-9.
This Week in Gaming History | June 3-9
June 3, 1986 | The incredibly hard Super Mario Bros 2 is released
Super Mario Bros. 2 is a collection of 32 levels and is considered to be a sequel to the popular Super Mario Bros. game. It was initially released in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2 on June 3, 1986 and then later came out in North America under a different name, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
Super Mario Bros. 2 is known for being quite hard, which is one reason that many don’t consider it to be one of the main Mario games. It is remembered as one of the most difficult games ever published by Nintendo and is the least important to the Mario series. Super Mario Bros. 2 requires loads of precision and is a very unique entry to the franchise.
June 5, 1995 | EarthBound released in North America
Known as Mother 2 in Japan, Earthbound was released in North America on June 5, 1995. Earthbound is a role-playing game that combines features of the real world and the RPG genre. Earthbound was designed to be an enjoyable experience for gamers but also aimed to reach non-gamers. Earthbound takes place in the fictional land of Eagleland, where a young boy named Ness sets out on an adventure to find his missing brother Picky.
Earthbound didn’t get off to a great start in North America, selling only half as many copies in North America as it did in Japan. However, it quickly amassed a cult following of sorts who worked hard to promote it. Eventually, the main character Ness, made his way into the Super Smash Bros. series, which helped promote the series. It is now considered by some to be one of the greatest games of all time.
June 6, 1984 | Tetris begins taking over the world
Tetris is one of the few games that virtually everyone is familiar with, even if they aren’t regular video game players. Today, there are many version of the game, but the very first playable edition was completed on June 6, 1984. Created by Russian programmer Alexey Pajitnov, Tetris was the first entertainment software to be exported from the Soviet Union to the United States.
Since its initial release, some form of Tetris has been released on virtually every electronic device that is capable of playing games. This includes things like graphing calculators, PDAs, and even oscilloscopes. It was so well loved that it even coined the term “The Tetris Effect,” which is when people dedicate themselves to something so much that it starts to invade their thoughts or dreams.
That is definitely true of the game Tetris, as it is now one of the most recognizable and well-known games in video game history. There’s a reason it’s on almost every platform.
June 7, 2004 | Link gets his cooperative console adventure in North America
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords was released in North America on June 7, 2004 for the GameCube. In the game, Link faces off against an evil version of himself, known as Shadow Link. It is the eleventh installment in The Legend of Zelda series and has been ported over to various Nintendo gaming devices.
While not as revered as some of its brethren, Four Swords has garnered respect within the Zelda community. Despite releasing for the GameCube, it is also playable on the Game Boy Advance and the Wii. It is also unique because it is one of the few games that can be played on the GameCube while using a Game Boy Advance, which was unique for the day but a little less so in the Switch era.
June 9, 2013 | The 3DS finally gets its Animal Crossing game
Animal Crossing: New Leaf is the fourth installment to the popular Nintendo series and was released in North America on June 9, 2013. Animal Crossing: New Leaf was released for the 3DS and quickly became a beloved title. It was the first new addition to the Animal Crossing series since 2008, so there was a decent amount of hype surrounding its release. Isabelle even made her way into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as was the character from the series to make their onto the crossover fighting game’s roster.
