1984 in video games: Nintendo Golf, Pole Position II, a portable Punch-Out

The Nintendo Entertainment System has almost arrived in North America (it's on my schedule for next week in 1985), though it continues to top home gaming sales in Japan as the Famicom system. Because of Nintendo's virtual library of classic games, I was able to play the number one game of 1984, Golf, on the Switch.

And - it's exactly as I remember it. It's not quite as nostalgic a game for me as Golf for Game Boy, but all of the beats of the game came back to me instantly. It's missing a lot of the finer touches of later iterations (especially in terms of precise aiming and a target showing where your expected landing will be while scrolling through club options) but, hey, it's a great start!

 

Pole Position II, meanwhile, does exactly what a sequel should do: it improves the look (the explosion is much more detailed with tires flying and bouncing away); the car's animations are sharper in general, and it expands on the track options. 

If you loved the first one then you'll love the second one; again, neither were ever really my speed.

https://www.retrogames.cc/arcade-games/pole-position-ii.html

And while this Game & Watch Boxing game isn't actually a "Punch Out!" title, it's a Nintendo boxing game and it would have to be at least considered an ancestor. The gameplay itself is obviously relatively limited in accordance with its time, but the system itself is another fascinating piece of Nintendo history with attached controllers and multiplayer functions. 

This YouTuber is quite rightly effusive in his wonder at how Nintendo has always been pushing tech forward in weird and long-lasting ways: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd1zKb9xqZ0