Game & Watch

Overview

The Game and Watch handheld systems were released by Nintendo between 1980 and 1991. They were made by Gunpei Yokoi, who would later create the Gameboy in 1989. The games were played on little LCD screens where a character lights up once you interact with it. Along with a game, it also includes an alarm clock (giving its name Game and Watch). Many of the games featured famous characters like Mario, Popeye, and Snoopy. Some games were ports of original arcade games (like Donkey kong and Mario Bros.). Each game had two game types; Game A and Game B. Game B was usually the faster, harder game. The games came in many different forms. Some even had two screens (which was the idea used for the Nintendo DS handheld).

Mr Game And Watch

Mr. Game and Watch is the character that appears in most of these games. He's an all black, 2D figure with a large nose. A simplistic design for its time. Today the character is mostly used in the Super Smash Bros. games. He was the last character that you were able to unlock in Super Smash Bros. Melee where you can unlock him by beating Classic Mode or Targets with every character. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he's a playable character in The Subspace Emmissary. He was also in Game and Watch Gallery 4 running a museum with Mario.

Today

Although the Game and Watch handhelds aren't sold anymore, the games are available on the Game and Watch Gallery games on the Game boy Color and Game Boy Advance. These games were remade for the handhelds that include moving sprites and color. The original games are packaged in as a choice.

Club Nintendo members are able to get the Game and Watch Collection, a compilation of Multi-screen Game and Watch games (to contribute with the DS's design). The games that are included in the package areOil Panic, Donkey kong, and Green House.

The system would see a rerelease in 2020 with a Super Mario themed device. It would come with a colored LCD screen as supposed to the original system, and a USB charging cable. The system would come with three packed in games, Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, and a Mario themed version of Ball.

Later during their E3 2021 presentation another Game & Watch rerelease was announced. This time based around the Zelda franchise, the system comes with four packed in games. Games included are Zelda, Zelda II, and Link's Awakening, and a Zelda themed version of Vermin