Kirby’s Adventure – 25th Anniversary
Major Game Anniversaries in March 2018 to Make You Feel Old
Kirby’s Adventure released on March 23, 1993 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and is widely known for introducing fans to the signature pink blob’s Copy ability, which allows him to to gain power-ups by gobbling up certain enemies. It released toward the end of the NES’ life cycle, pushing the hardware’s capabilities to its limits in terms of graphics and color palettes.
Frequently regarded as one of the best Kirby games ever made, Kirby’s Adventure was the product of direct feedback from players who claimed the game to be “too easy and too short.” As a result of the complaint, Masahiro Sakurai (who Nintendo fans recognize today for his work on the most recent pair of Smash Bros. games) thought up a means for both seasoned players and newcomers to enjoy the game, thus creating the Copy ability we all know and love.
StarCraft – 20th Anniversary
Major Game Anniversaries in March 2018 to Make You Feel Old
The international phenomenon known as StarCraft first debuted on March 31, 1998 and has since spawned great commercial success for Blizzard. Having sold more than any other PC game the year it was released (over 1.5 million copies), the game and its subsequent add-ons and sequel are credited with spearheading the use of high quality cinematics – a feature that many developers like Naughty Dog use to this day.
Two decades since its debut, StarCraft still remains one of the most popular games in the world, having sold nearly 10 million copies in lifetime sales and establishing a competitive esports scene that’s still going strong in South Korea. In fact, StarCraft pros in the country are regarded somewhat as celebrities, proving how much the game has had a cultural impact on international societies at large.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – 15th Anniversary
Major Game Anniversaries in March 2018 to Make You Feel Old
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is still one of the most lauded games in the franchise’s history. Released on March 23, 2003, the game was met with universal critical acclaim for its visuals, expressiveness, and careful attention to detail. Though the new art style divided fan opinion, Wind Waker pushed the GameCube’s hardware limitations to the limit, similarly to how Kirby’s Adventure tested the NES’ power 10 years prior.
Though the game generated the most successful pre-order campaign in Nintendo’s history at the time, sales did not meet expectations. As a result, director Eiji Aonuma decided to change the series’ direction for the next installment, opting for a more realistic look in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. This being said, The Wind Waker’s art style was used again in smaller, handheld installments like Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII – 10th Anniversary
Major Game Anniversaries in March 2018 to Make You Feel Old
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII released on the PlayStation Portable on March 24, 2008 and serves as a prequel to the events that take place in the original Final Fantasy VII. It’s equal parts a tribute and a franchise original, combining some gameplay mechanics of the past with then modern nuances to make the experience feel fresh and new.
Crisis Core earned generally favorable reviews from critics at the time and became Square Enix’s best selling game for the year, with the publisher itself deeming the title “an incredible success.” With a remake of the original Final Fantasy VII on the horizon, it remains to be seen if Crisis Core will be getting any attention in the near future as well.
Other Anniversaries
Major Game Anniversaries in March 2018 to Make You Feel Old
A slew of other games celebrate noteworthy anniversaries this March. The Square Enix-published niche survival horror franchise Parasite Eve was born, the colorful and endearing Yoshi’s Story released, the controversial Final Fantasy X-2 debuted, and BioShock Infinite launched players into the skies of Colombia. Though it’s a publisher and not a software title, it’s worth nothing that publisher Konami began its adventures into the world of gaming in March of 1973 – precisely 45 years ago.
A full list of other anniversaries this month can be found below:
- Yoshi’s Story – 20th Anniversary
- Parasite Eve – 20th Anniversary
- Sonic Advance 2 – 15th Anniversary
- Mega Man & Bass – 15th Anniversary
- Final Fantasy X-2 – 15th Anniversary
- Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire – 15th Anniversary
- Gears of War: Judgement – 5th Anniversary
- Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon – 5th Anniversary
- BioShock Infinite – 5th Anniversary
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