It was the beginning of the portable gaming craze  that has engulfed the gaming world.

Gunpei Yokoi

strikes a match and sets stardards!




I Released in Japan by Nintendo October 26, 1982.
Game & Watch Review
      I remember just standing there trying to make the decision. My hand was on the glass case and I was looking down, eyeing the price tag which said clearance $12.95. Something was stirring inside of me. Something was beginning to awaken. It may have had the side effect of slight dizziness when it finally took hold. Could it be a virus? It doesn't matter, Gadget sickness had finally settled in and I have never recovered.


       

     I reached for my pocket and pulled out the money and purchased my first portable gaming device, the Game & Watch "Donkey Kong Jr." Portable gaming sickness began to subdue me with little resistance on my part. The Game & Watch was my beginning in portable gaming addiction. I didn't even know who Gunpei Yokoi was, and yet the influence he was making lay there in my hands. I feel like a lot of standards were being set during the Game & Watch series, standards that would have a profound effect on portable gaming for years to come. Just look at the multi screen Donkey Kong in the series and you see todays Nintendo DS design. The controls in relation to the screen and gaming concept has impacted the portable gaming world. This series lit the flame that has burned a trail and created the pathway to modern portable gaming.








Pros:
Donkey Kong Jr. in your pocket.
Old School gaming
Simple and addictive
 
 Cons:
Only one game per unit.
No Backlight
Not everyone's cup of tea.

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The Kickstand on the backside.
 Games:

     The one that I have is Donkey Kong Jr. which is based on the arcade game of the same name. It is the first game of the New Widescreen series. There were 11 different Game & Watch series. In the New Widescreen series there were eight games. This particular series was made in 1982 through 1991. Each unit has an alarm clock built-in as an added feature. Believe it or not, I used this for a while, after I got it, to wake up to. The games are what we would probably call, in the present gaming generation, "mini games." The game images and limited pathways are predetermined in the LCD.The graphics that were built into the LCD corresponded to the painted graphics on the plastic overlay. The gameplay is a simple timed hand to eye coordination. There is only one game built into each unit with nothing else to buy. You purchased each individual unit for the game that was built-in. The sound consist of electronic bleeps and blips, which is very retro.


The Wide screen Game & Watch Series:

Donkey Kong Jr.

Mario's Cement Factory

Manhole

Tropical Fish

Super Mario Bros.

Climber

Balloon Fight

Mario the Juggler



 

Power:
     The system requires two button cell LR44 watch batteries.





Screen:
     The screen is a simple monochrome LCD with no backlight. There is this plastic cover over the front of the LCD that contains a color picture that is part of the game. The plastic overlay signifies the "level."  Level after level looks the same. The game play difficulty was determined by pressing button "A" or "B."

This game is available on the Game Boy Color hybrid cart “Game & Watch: Gallery 3.”


     
 

Final Thoughts: It still works and it is still fun. I have it setting here on my desk and I can look over at it watching little Donkey Kong Jr. in the demo that continuously runs as the unit tics away the time. Nintendo has released a series on the GBA of the Game & Watch games. They are in full color and the gameplay is the same addictive quality. This is a thumbs up for a pioneer in portable gaming.

 


Redesigned by Retro Junkie