Kyle and Salami's Games of Yesteryear Quiz

Answer: Jumpman

In 1981, "Donkey Kong" appeared in arcades as a platformer starring the popular Mario character (then known as Jumpman) and the titular primate. Two years later though, a similar game known as "Jumpman" appeared on the Commodore 64. Both of these later led to the creation of Nintendo's hit title "Super Mario Bros" (NES), one of the first home console games.

This, of course, was preceded by a fighting/platformer title in the arcade solely known as "Mario Bros.". This later appeared alongside "Super Mario Bros. 3" for NES and GBA. All of these titles appeared on Wii's Virtual Console.

Answer: Duck Hunt

"Duck Hunt" was released in a two-pack, along with "Super Maria Bros." in 1984. They were also sold separately, as two different games. The object of "Duck Hunt" is to use the NES Zapper, a toy gun that plugs in to the console much like a regular controller, to shoot ducks.

The ducks would fly around the screen, and you would try to aim and shoot them. A hound would then collect the ducks. There are two different levels of duck hunting, and a third level of clay pigeon shooting. The dog does not appear in this level.

However, in "Duck Hunt Vs." the dog does appear in the clay pigeon shooting level, and you can actually shoot the dog in this game.

Answer: Super Mario Bros. 2

Though "Doki Doki Panic" and "Super Mario Bros. 2" appeared on the NES console (Famicom in Japan), they both later appeared on "Super Mario All-Stars" for SNES, the Game Boy Advance, and Wii's Virtual Console. The game was well-known for being the first in which players had a choice between a set of characters including Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Toadstool (who, I may remind you, could float inexplicably).

The levels progressed in many different ways (taking away from the original game's left-to-right platforming) and contained new bosses. Birdo, for example, was introduced in this game.

Many of the elements of this game were thrown away for the third title, and perhaps most popular, of the NES "Mario" series. Nonetheless, the game remains a classic. "Doki Doki Panic" was released in 1987, and "Super Mario Bros. 2" in 1988.

Answer: Dig Dug

"Dig Dug" was released in 1982. "Dig Dug II" was released three years later, in 1985. Dig Dug, the main character, would have to destroy Pooka and Fygar to advance a level. In the arcade, only level 256 was accessible. A player could never go any farther, as this was what is considered a "kill screen." A bad guy starts on the exact spot you do in this level, so it is impossible to win! Sometimes, a bad guy can turn into a ghost-like thing and travel to a different hole in the ground. You better watch out, because if one of the bad guys touches you, you die!

Answer: Kid Icarus

Not many people know how this game infamously broke Kyle down to tiny little pieces. As much as platformer games on the NES system were primitive examples of the 3D platformers released today, "Kid Icarus" was in a league of its own, opting to force players into the most difficult platforming situations possible.

While games like "Mario" and "Zelda" prevailed and became popular, "Kid Icarus" stayed much lower (though it did gain some recognition). Until the release of "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" on the Wii, most players didn't even know who Pit was...which is a shame, but anyone who decided to look deeper on the Virtual Console would find a reason to dislike him.

The game contains intricate levels filled with enemies that kill on a single hit.

The awkward platforms, jumps, and shooting make the game unnecessarily difficult to play, and until "Super Ghouls and Ghosts" came along for the SNES, it was the only game to tear at Kyle's mind. He still has dreams about it; they aren't happy ones. "Kid Icarus" was released for the NES in 1987.

Answer: Super Buster Bros.

Colors of balloons include red, pink, blue, and green. Shapes include round and hexagonal. In "Super Buster Bros." your character must destroy all the bubbles on the screen without losing a life. In the arcade mode, you travel on a plane across the planet to each new level. Panic mode is a never-ending parade of bubbles, and you keep going until you lose all of your lives.

There are also several powerups throughout the game. There is a powerup allowing you to shoot two shots at once, a grappler, a machine gun, something to slow down the bubbles, something to stop the bubbles, a bomb, and a shield.

Answer: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Each one a classic in its own right, Sega knew how to make "Sonic" games when they had their own consoles- and it showed! "Sonic the Hedgehog" (1991, Genesis) became so popular, they replaced their first mascot, Alex Kidd, with the speedy blue creature, started up the franchise, and began production of an animated TV show. An extremely fast-paced side-scrolling platformer, the game sped along as Sonic fought the evil Dr. Robotnik at the end of each stage, saving the wildlife of each locale from Green Hills Zone onwards.

The second "Sonic" game introduced the fun-loving Tails while the fifth added Knuckles to the roster. All of them proceeded as staples in the growing series and all three of these games appeared on Virtual Console and XBLA. Sadly, "Sonic" games on the seventh generation consoles didn't do too well.

The Wii's "Sonic and the Secret Rings" tanked while the series reboot on the PS3 and Xbox 360 flopped. Perhaps progress doesn't need to go by so fast.

Answer: Galaga

"Galaxian" was the original of the series released in 1979. The sequel, "Galaga", was released 2 years later. Sometimes, being sucked in by the vortex can be a good thing. If you have an extra life, and you get sucked in, you can attack that creature who took you, known as a boss Galaga, later, and you will get the spaceship back, and play two of them at once for twice the firepower! "Gaplus", also known as "Galaga 3", was the third in the "Galaxian/Galaga" series.

Answer: It was the first 3D game to be classed as 'survival horror'.

"Alone in the Dark" got a bad reputation. After a trio of relatively popular survival horror games in the early-to-mid nineties, a horrible film adaptation by Uwe Boll (we all feel worse knowing the name) and a less-than-thrilling reboot in 2008 resulting in a tarnishing of the once-noble name of the series.

The original in the series on the computer involved a rather elaborate haunted house filled with supernatural oddities and death traps. The player assumes the role of either Edward or Emily and tries to escape.

The game is noted to have inspired many other games such as "Resident Evil" and "Silent Hill". The movie, on the other hand, inspired disgust. The game was the first 3-D MADE that got the recognition of being a survival horror game, although the term wasn't coined until "Resident Evil".

Answer: Space Cadet

All three mentioned were made as tables to be played in arcades, but only "Space Cadet" was used as a Windows game for the computer. The goal of the game is to get the highest score possible. To earn points, one must be assigned missions. There are nine different levels of missions, from Ensign to Fleet Admiral. "Skulduggery" and "Dragon's Keep" have not been made as a computer game.