Game Over Screens Were Better Back Then

Those were virtual kidnappings, we can all agree on that. But there's no denying that the old Game Over-Continue? screens were far superior to today's. Anything was fair game to make us, through anger, drop in another coin. From time bombs to electric saws and falls into deadly pits. And if you refused, your favorite hero suffered a bloody and painful death. And none of us wanted that... or did we? Mwahahaha!

The phrase 'video games were better back then!' is debatable and carries a nostalgic undertone that doesn't always do reality any favors. Nostalgia, that bittersweet monster we veterans carry, is nothing more than emotion, and a very subjective one. Let me explain: for most people, childhood is the happiest and most carefree stage of their lives. That's why it's not unusual that as adults we miss everything that surrounded it: movies, video games, books, cartoons, etc. But there is something undeniable: maybe the games of yesteryear aren't better than today's, but they were certainly harder.

Final Fight

It's not hard to see why old games were harder. In the early consoles they had to be; storage capacity and limited processing power didn't allow for games with too many levels or long durations. If you bought a game and it didn't last more than a couple of hours, you'd likely be disappointed and want your money back.

Don't believe me? Try playing, for instance, Super Mario Bros. with some invulnerability trick and without using Warps, and you'll see it won't last more than 40 minutes (give or take). Imagine that, if you paid a considerable amount of money, a game that lasted 40 minutes wouldn't satisfy you. So, to make games last longer, developers came up with ways to make them difficult, hard to chew, and with limited continues.

Ninja Gaiden

The same happened in the world of arcades, coin-ops (or whatever you want to call them), but with the added urgency that if you lost too much and got bored, the developer also lost a customer. Even so, games had to remain difficult, not only because they could come up short (like console games), but because once you beat it, you wouldn't play it again.

The Punisher

The first big successes (the big money makers) were competitive games in the style of Pong (for more than one player). In competition games, length didn't matter. You didn't play to finish them, but to beat someone else. The same happened with arcades like Pac-Man or Space Invaders, unprecedented successes in the arcade world. You didn't play Pac-Man to complete it (Pac-Man had no ending, but it did have a kill screen), but to get the highest high score, to challenge other players, and to be the 'bestest' in the whole neighborhood.

Mortal Kombat 4

But arcades couldn't stay apart from the evolution brought by console games like Super Mario Bros. Not only did games start having endings, which limited their money-making potential, but (little by little) the importance of high scores faded. You played The Punisher, for example, to beat it, to see the story, to have fun cooperatively with a friend.

What the hell did high scores matter in Final Fight? Nothing, absolutely nothing! And here developers had a brilliant idea, one that has generated some of the most memorable animations of old arcades: the Game Over-Continue? screens in the style of 'virtual kidnapping'. What was the first? That of Street Fighter I, which you can see below.

Street Fighter 1

Maybe it's true, then, that 'the past wasn't always better.' But it's indisputable that for fun Game Over screens, better to look back. And that's something I miss. I miss those Game Over-Continue? screens that practically insulted you if you didn't put in another coin. Dynamite, electric saws, guns pointing at the player, anything was fair to keep you playing. And if you refused, one of your favorite heroes died dishonorably and, very possibly, extremely bloodily.

Tecmo Knight

Yes, you could say these were unscrupulous virtual kidnappings, but damn were they fun! They filled you with rage and helplessness, they disrespected us to our faces, and we inevitably fell into the trap. 'I'll show you, you cursed devil programmer. I'll spend all my damn money to prove you wrong,' we shouted to the heavens. And click, the trap was closed.

Cadillacs & Dinosaurs

The Game Over-Continue? screens you've seen here are the best I can remember, but by no means the only ones. So, to make a nice list and for all of us to have fun with our memories, share your favorite in the comments.

Final Fight 2

Continue? 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. GAME OVER!