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Do you remember the great battle for supremacy between Nintendo and Sega? I know I do. This wasn’t some war where executives and PR folks lobbed vague barbs at the competition in obscure interviews; this was war.
The most memorable attack of the clash came via the now classic “Genesis does what Nintendon’t” campaign. Sega was pushing the 16-bit Genesis as the future of gaming, while Nintendo was still pumping out games for the huge user base of the NES. Rather than simply making a commercial showing how great their games were, Sega went one further and basically called Nintendo out for being stuck in gaming’s past.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7nsBoqJ6s8&w=425&h=344]
The commercial hasn’t aged particularly well (OK, it’s super-cheesy now), but it’s still highly entertaining to watch. I remember watching this commercial and feeling as though I desperately needed to get my hands on a Sega Genesis. I couldn’t afford one, but I darn sure wanted to see what it was all about.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOM01F4Ihcc&w=425&h=344]
The stakes may be higher in today’s console wars, but for my money nothing beats the classic face-off between Sega and Nintendo. As for my allegiance in the fight? I bought a Super Nintendo first, but bought a Genesis shortly after. Can’t we all just get along?
What do you think? Were the old-school battles between Sega and Nintendo more interesting than today’s three-way fight between Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony? Do you have fond memories of the “Genesis does what Nintendon’t” campaign? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
