There is a lot of history to cram into This Week in Gaming History, including major anniversaries for some iconic game titles.
On August 27, 1992, Japan saw the release of Super Mario Kart for the Super Famicom. A title that is still popular today, it came out in the US just a few days later, on September 1.
Two years later, on August 27, 1994, Mother 2 was released for the Super Famicom. This unique RPG became a cult classic to US gamers under the name of Earthbound.
On August 29, 1989 NEC’s TurboGrafx-16 hit North America. A highly successful system in Japan, where it was known as the PC Engine, it never caught fire on this side of the pond where it became the third wheel in the Nintendo and Sega console wars.
On August 30, 1987, the original Street Fighter was released. While the franchise this game kicked off didn’t catch on until it’s sequel was released four years later, there is no doubting the impact the original left on the industry. Some arcade versions included a pressure-sensitive punch pad that is hard to locate today.
On August 31, 1982, the iconic BurgerTime was first introduced. Called Hamburger in Japan, this game was popular enough in North America to be manufactured by two companies at the same time. Creators Data East produced conversion kit versions of the arcade title while Bally Midway released dedicated arcade cabinets featuring a cartoonish Peter Pepper.
On August 31, 1996, Crash Bandicoot crashed onto the PlayStation. Sony’s answer to Mario and Sonic was depicted to invade the parking lot of Nintendo’s HQ in one commercial, calling out Mario himself.
Check back to JaceHallShow.com each Monday for more Video Game History and see what other gaming notes and milestones are being celebrated that week.
Patrick Scott Patterson – who has written 91 posts on The Jace Hall Show.
Patrick Scott Patterson is a Video game personality & historian who has been gaming since 1981. He contributes two weekly columns for The Jace Hall Show: "This Week In Video Game History" and "This Week in Gaming News".

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