VIDEO: Back when the news used to love video games

Matt Hawkins Contributing Writer, Video Games

Remember when the news didn’t treat games as murder simulators and were instead this weird and wacky export from Japan, PLUS they actually gave hints for Super Mario? Yes, this really happened.

Also remember that post I did concerning Fox New (at least those of you who weren’t offended and decided to stick around), which ended with Bill O’Reilly going apesh*t because his game of Battletoads wasn’t going so well? Well, here he is again, looking far more pleasant and introducing a story on the rise of Nintendo in America (at this point, Battletoads had yet to come out, hence the pleasant demeanor perhaps)…

Okay, so many the use of the term “news” is stretching here, since Inside Edition was just one of numerous tabloid shows that were hot in the late 80s. Still, my local “legit” news ran a similar piece on the rise of the big N, as did other outlets across the country. And yes, they often gave out a hint from some game (often Super Mario, but sometimes Legend of Zelda) as well.

My favorite part would have to be the devilish grin from the Nintendo exec about Mario and Luigi’s last names; it clearly screams: “I have been asked this question a billion times, but I don’t care, cuz I am SO F’N RICH!!!” That and the “games counselor” giving (once again) Mario advice with the awesome heavy metal hair. Dude was totally into Megadeth, I can tell.

The fact that they were able to spit out that cheese-ball line about Mario representing all of us and not get raked over the coals tells you something right there. But if one needs further proof that Nintendo had the entire imagination of young and old by the scrotum at that point in time (which I’m sure Nintendo dearly misses), look no further to this sugary heroin that kids were also injecting into their bodies…

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