Hardware: NES History Game System: Nintendo System Cheat Category: Various text Game Company: Unknown Game Category: Unknown Hint, Cheat, Walkthrough:   NES General - History ===================== 1985 Nintendo releases the NES packaged with Gyromite, Duck Hunt, two Control Pads, the Zapper, and R.O.B. Suggested retail price is $249.95. 1986 Nintendo starts the Nintendo Game Counselor Program. Gamers can call Nintendo for help on games. 1987 Nintendo releases the 1st issue of Nintendo Fun Club News. It was sent quarterly to NES owners (Nintendo Fun Club Members) for free. 1988 Nintendo releases the1st issue of Nintendo Power. Nintendo ends Nintendo Fun Club News with the 7th and final issue and starts the subscription only Nintendo Power. Nintendo was proud that it contained no ads and that it had over a million subscribers. Atari files antitrust charges against Nintendo and sues Nintendo for $100 million. Tengen, a subsidiary of Atari, announces that they have developed a chip that bypasses Nintendo's lock-out chip. 1989 Tengen terminates its licensing agreement with Nintendo. Nintendo responds by suing Tengen for copyright infringement and breach of contract. Tengen loses the Tetris license to Nintendo. The court rules that Nintendo has the license to produce Tetris in the U.S. Tengen is forced to recall their version of Tetris. Mirrorsoft, the European company that granted Tengen its Tetris license, is forced to pay damages. Mattel releases the Power Glove and two games specifically designed for it, Bad Street Brawler and Super Glove Ball. World of Nintendo boutiques open in malls and department stores across the country. 1990 Mike Tyson loses to Buster Douglas. Due to a clause in the licensing agreement with Nintendo, he also loses the license for Punch-Out!! Mike Tyson is replaced by Mr. Dream in the re-release of Punch-Out!! Nintendo hosts the Nintendo World Championships. In search of the ultimate power player, the Nintendo World Championships traveled through 30 cities from May to October. The entry fee is $3 and there are three age categories: 11 & younger, 12-17, and 18 & older. A special triathlon cartridge was developed specifically for the tournament. It included modified versions of Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer, and Tetris. General admission is $9.50 for children under 18 and $12.50 for adults. The finals were held in Orlando, Fl. Thor Aackerlund is crowned as the Nintendo World Champion. He later sponsers Camerica's unlicensed NES games. Nintendo releases the NES Satellite and the NES Four Score. These peripherals allow for 4 Player simultaneous play and enable the A and B buttons to have Turbo power. The Satellite also allows for remote play. Suggested retail price for the Satellite is $29.95. Suggested retail price for the Four Score is $19.95. Konami releases the Laser Scope. This peripheral allows the player to play Zapper Light Gun games without the gun. The headset utilizes an "eyesight" target locater and voice activated firing sequence allowing players to more easily manipulate the control pad. Also built into the headset is a sound enhancer which improves the audio which you normally hear from the NES. Software Toolworks releases the Miracle Keyboard. The keyboard uses a MIDI interface and is designed to work with NES cartridges created specifically for its use. The user can have the option of playing the keyboard through the NES or channeling the console's output through the keyboard. Suggested retail price is $249.95. Galoob introduces the Game Genie. It uses special codes to artificially create cheats and modifications in games. The unit fits over a NES cartridge and is inserted normally into the console. Nintendo files suit to prevent the product from coming to the market, claiming that it lessens the life of a game by allowing players to use invincibility codes and other enhancements. Nintendo loses the first round of proceedings, which would have given them a temporary restraining order against Galoob. Nintendo ends its chip allocation system. Previously, publishers were only allowed to manfacture a specified number of cartridges and titles due to chip shortages. This resulted in software shortages but ensured that publishers published "quality" titles. 1991 American Video Entertainment files antitrust charges against Nintendo and sues Nintendo for $105 million. Nintendo allows its licensees to manufacture their own cartridges. However, Nintendo can still indirectly control cartridge production since Nintendo distributes the lock-out chip. Unlicensed publishers, American Video Entertainment, Color Dreams and Sharedata, are recognized for not infringing on the lock-out chip. Nintendo wins its suit filed against Tengen for copyright infringement and breach of contract. Nintendo is hit with a $30 million settlement by the Federal Trade Commission on the claim of price fixing. NES owners received a $5 coupon in the mail from Nintendo. Game Genie is declared legal in the U.S. U.S. District Court Judge Fern Smith rules in favor of Galoob in their lawsuit with Nintendo regarding the manufacture and sale of the Game Genie, saying 'no harm would be done to Nintendo's future business by the Game Genie". Galoob plans to persue further litigation to recover lost profits. STD Entertainment introduces the Game Action Replay. This peripheral allows players to save their progress at any point in a NES game. Nintendo allows licensees to indepently manufacture cartridges. Acclaim's Smash T.V. is the first independently manufactured licensed NES cartridge. Previously, Nintendo manufactured all the cartridges in Japan. 1992 A U.S. 9th Circuit Court Judge in San Francisco awards Lewis Galoob Toys a $15 million settlement against Nintendo of America to compensate for lost profits from the Game Genie between July 1990 and July 1991. Camerica introduces the Aladdin Game System. Designed to reduce cartridge prices, the Aladdin Deck Enhancer contains the extra chips that were used in NES games. Camerica plans to make Aladdin versions of their games. 1993 The Federal Trade Commission clears Nintendo of antitrust charges filed by Atari in 1988. Camerica releases the Aladdin Game System and the following Aladdin games, Big Nose, Dizzy the Adventurer, Linus Spacehead, Micro Machines, Quattro Adventure, and Quattro Sports. Suggested retail price for the Aladdin is $29.95. Suggested retail price for the Aladdin games are $19.95. Nintendo re-releases Metroid, Punch-Out!!, Zelda and Zelda II under the NES Classics Series label. Suggested retail price for these games is $29.95. Nintendo releases the New Design NES packaged with one Control Pad. Suggested retail price is $49.95.