<s>
In	O
the	O
history	B-Application
of	I-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
the	O
third	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
,	O
commonly	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
the	O
8-bit	B-Application
era	I-Application
,	O
began	O
on	O
July	O
15	O
,	O
1983	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Japanese	O
release	O
of	O
two	O
systems	O
:	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Family	O
Computer	O
(	O
commonly	O
abbreviated	O
to	O
Famicom	O
)	O
and	O
Sega	O
's	O
SG-1000	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
generation	O
marked	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
crash	O
of	O
1983	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
shift	O
in	O
the	O
dominance	O
of	O
home	B-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
manufacturers	O
from	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
to	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Handheld	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
were	O
not	O
a	O
major	O
part	O
of	O
this	O
generation	O
;	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
&	I-Device
Watch	I-Device
line	O
from	O
Nintendo	O
(	O
which	O
started	O
in	O
1980	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
Milton	B-Application
Bradley	I-Application
Microvision	I-Application
(	O
which	O
came	O
out	O
in	O
1979	O
)	O
that	O
were	O
sold	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
are	O
both	O
considered	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
generation	O
due	O
to	O
hardware	B-Application
typical	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
second	I-Application
generation	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
number	O
of	O
simultaneous	O
colors	O
on	O
screen	O
and	O
the	O
palette	B-Data_Structure
size	O
both	O
increased	O
which	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
larger	O
resolutions	O
,	O
more	O
sprites	O
on	O
screen	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
advanced	O
scrolling	O
and	O
pseudo-3D	O
effects	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
developers	O
to	O
create	O
scenes	O
with	O
more	O
detail	O
and	O
animation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
notable	O
innovation	O
of	O
this	O
generation	O
was	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
with	O
on-board	O
memory	B-General_Concept
and	O
batteries	O
to	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
save	O
their	O
progress	O
in	O
a	O
game	O
,	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
introducing	O
the	O
technology	O
to	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
next	O
generation	O
,	O
the	O
capability	O
to	O
save	O
games	O
became	O
ubiquitous	O
—	O
at	O
first	O
saving	O
on	O
the	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
itself	O
and	O
,	O
later	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
industry	O
changed	O
to	O
read-only	O
optical	O
disks	O
,	O
on	O
memory	B-Device
cards	I-Device
,	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
and	O
eventually	O
cloud	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
best-selling	O
console	O
of	O
this	O
generation	O
was	O
the	O
NES/Famicom	O
from	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
Sega	O
Master	O
System	O
(	O
the	O
improved	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
SG-1000	B-Operating_System
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
previous	O
generation	O
of	O
consoles	O
had	O
also	O
used	O
8-bit	O
processors	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
third	O
generation	O
that	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
were	O
first	O
labeled	O
and	O
marketed	O
by	O
their	O
"	O
bits	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
also	O
came	O
into	O
fashion	O
as	O
fourth	O
generation	O
16-bit	B-Application
systems	I-Application
like	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
were	O
marketed	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
differentiate	O
between	O
the	O
generations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
third	O
generation	O
was	O
marked	O
by	O
the	O
emergence	O
of	O
16-bit	B-Application
systems	I-Application
of	O
the	O
fourth	O
generation	O
and	O
with	O
the	O
discontinuation	O
of	O
the	O
Famicom	O
on	O
September	O
25	O
,	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
the	O
third	O
generation	O
still	O
lives	O
on	O
as	O
dedicated	B-Device
console	I-Device
units	O
still	O
use	O
hardware	O
from	O
the	O
Famicom	O
specification	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
VT02/VT03	O
and	O
OneBus	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Japanese	O
video	O
game	O
market	O
was	O
still	O
a	O
growing	O
"	O
wide	O
open	O
"	O
market	O
for	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
in	O
1983	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Epoch	B-Device
Cassette	I-Device
Vision	I-Device
,	O
released	O
in	O
1981	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
best-selling	B-Application
console	I-Application
in	I-Application
Japan	I-Application
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
Bandai	O
Arcadia	O
(	O
priced	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
Japanese	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Arcadia	B-Application
2001	I-Application
released	O
in	O
1982	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Atari	O
2800	O
(	O
priced	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
Japanese	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
marketed	O
in	O
May	O
1983	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
15	O
,	O
1983	O
,	O
they	O
both	O
released	O
new	O
consoles	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
Sega	O
's	O
SG-1000	B-Operating_System
and	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Famicom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
Japan	O
's	O
largest	O
arcade	O
companies	O
,	O
was	O
intending	O
to	O
compete	O
in	O
both	O
the	O
console	O
and	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
markets	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
home	O
computer	O
version	O
called	O
the	O
SC-3000	O
released	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meanwhile	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
focused	O
on	O
making	O
the	O
Famicom	O
more	O
powerful	O
than	O
competing	O
home	O
systems	O
so	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
comparable	O
to	O
their	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
(	O
1981	O
)	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
hardware	O
,	O
while	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
selling	O
it	O
for	O
cheaper	O
than	O
the	O
Cassette	B-Device
Vision	I-Device
,	O
selling	O
the	O
Famicom	O
for	O
(	O
about	O
$150	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
unveiled	O
the	O
Famicom	O
shortly	O
before	O
the	O
Tokyo	O
Toy	O
Show	O
in	O
June	O
1983	O
,	O
becoming	O
a	O
sensation	O
among	O
toy	O
show	O
exhibitors	O
,	O
prior	O
to	O
Sega	O
unveiling	O
the	O
SG-1000	B-Operating_System
at	O
the	O
Tokyo	O
Toy	O
Show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Famicom	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
become	O
very	O
popular	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
where	O
it	O
quickly	O
beat	O
the	O
Cassette	B-Device
Vision	I-Device
to	O
become	O
Japan	O
's	O
all-time	O
best-selling	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
's	O
SG-1000	B-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
preceded	O
Sega	O
's	O
more	O
commercially	O
successful	O
Master	O
System	O
,	O
initially	O
had	O
little	O
to	O
distinguish	O
itself	O
from	O
earlier	O
consoles	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
ColecoVision	B-Device
and	O
contemporary	O
computers	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
MSX	B-Operating_System
,	O
although	O
it	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
achieve	O
advanced	O
visual	O
effects	O
,	O
including	O
parallax	O
scrolling	O
in	O
Orguss	O
and	O
sprite-scaling	O
in	O
Zoom	B-Application
909	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
its	O
success	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
decided	O
to	O
enter	O
the	O
worldwide	O
home	B-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
this	O
in	O
mind	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
approached	O
the	O
American	O
company	O
Atari	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
the	O
majority	O
share	O
of	O
the	O
home	B-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
market	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
proposal	O
for	O
Atari	O
to	O
license	O
the	O
Famicom	O
and	O
distribute	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
CES	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
Coleco	O
exhibited	O
its	O
Coleco	B-Device
Adam	I-Device
home	O
computer	O
,	O
which	O
featured	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
were	O
initially	O
discouraged	O
after	O
the	O
crash	O
,	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
's	O
market	O
research	O
being	O
met	O
with	O
warnings	O
to	O
stay	O
away	O
from	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
and	O
US	O
retailers	O
refusing	O
to	O
stock	O
game	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
instead	O
introduced	O
the	O
Famicom	O
to	O
North	O
America	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
an	O
arcade	O
hardware	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Vs.	I-Application
System	I-Application
,	O
in	O
1984	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
became	O
a	O
major	O
success	O
in	O
North	O
American	O
arcades	O
,	O
giving	O
Nintendo	O
the	O
confidence	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
Famicom	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
as	O
a	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
,	O
for	O
which	O
there	O
was	O
growing	O
interest	O
due	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
positive	O
reputation	O
in	O
the	O
arcades	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gamepads	O
were	O
wireless	O
and	O
worked	O
with	O
it	O
using	O
an	O
infrared	O
port	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
bundle	O
would	O
also	O
include	O
a	O
light	B-Device
gun	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
1985	O
as	O
an	O
experiment	O
within	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
bounds	O
with	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
game	O
bundled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1985	O
,	O
Sega	O
succeeded	O
the	O
SG-1000	B-Operating_System
with	O
the	O
Master	O
System	O
,	O
which	O
incorporated	O
hardware	O
scrolling	O
,	O
alongside	O
an	O
increased	O
color	O
palette	B-Data_Structure
,	O
greater	O
memory	B-General_Concept
,	O
pseudo-3D	O
effects	O
,	O
and	O
stereoscopic	B-Application
3-D	I-Application
,	O
gaining	O
a	O
clear	O
hardware	O
advantage	O
over	O
the	O
NES	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
had	O
an	O
estimated	O
65%	O
of	O
1987	O
hardware	O
sales	O
in	O
the	O
console	O
market	O
;	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
had	O
24%	O
(	O
including	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
,	O
2600	B-General_Concept
Jr.	I-General_Concept
and	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
)	O
,	O
Sega	O
had	O
8%	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
companies	O
had	O
3%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
consoles	O
grew	O
so	O
quickly	O
that	O
in	O
1988	O
Epyx	O
stated	O
that	O
,	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
a	O
video	O
game-hardware	O
industry	O
in	O
1984	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
had	O
described	O
as	O
"	O
dead	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
market	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
was	O
larger	O
than	O
for	O
all	O
home-computer	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1988	O
,	O
The	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
Times	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
rise	O
of	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
had	O
a	O
positive	O
impact	O
on	O
computer	O
games	O
,	O
sales	O
of	O
which	O
grew	O
37%	O
during	O
the	O
first	O
quarter	O
of	O
1988	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	B-Application
1989	I-Application
,	O
however	O
,	O
Compute	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
reported	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
popularity	O
caused	O
most	O
computer-game	O
companies	O
to	O
have	O
poor	O
sales	O
during	O
Christmas	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
serious	O
financial	O
problems	O
for	O
some	O
,	O
and	O
after	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
decade	O
making	O
computer	O
games	O
,	O
in	B-Application
1989	I-Application
Epyx	O
converted	O
completely	O
to	O
console	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	B-Application
1990	I-Application
30%	O
of	O
American	O
households	O
owned	O
the	O
NES	O
,	O
compared	O
to	O
23%	O
for	O
all	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
and	O
peer	O
pressure	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
console	O
was	O
so	O
great	O
that	O
even	O
the	O
children	O
of	O
computer-game	O
developers	O
demanded	O
them	O
despite	O
parents	O
 '	O
refusal	O
and	O
the	O
presence	O
of	O
state-of-the-art	O
computers	O
and	O
software	O
at	O
home	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Editing	O
and	O
censorship	O
of	O
video	O
games	O
was	O
often	O
used	O
in	O
localizing	B-General_Concept
Japanese	O
games	O
to	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
examples	O
are	O
Super	O
Mario	O
Bros.	O
,	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
,	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
,	O
Dragon	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
,	O
Metroid	B-Device
,	O
Mega	B-Application
Man	I-Application
,	O
Metal	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
,	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
,	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
,	O
Megami	B-Application
Tensei	I-Application
,	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Bomberman	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	B-Application
1990	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Master	O
System	O
was	O
the	O
biggest-selling	O
console	O
in	O
Europe	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
NES	O
was	O
beginning	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
fast-growing	O
user	O
base	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
their	O
reduced	O
capacities	O
,	O
these	O
systems	O
typically	O
were	O
not	O
labeled	O
by	O
their	O
"	O
bits	O
"	O
and	O
were	O
not	O
marketed	O
in	O
competition	O
with	O
traditional	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
and	O
Master	O
System	O
were	O
discontinued	O
in	O
1992	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
NES	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
produced	O
for	O
several	O
more	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
15	O
,	O
1983	O
,	O
the	O
SG-1000	B-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
console	O
to	O
be	O
created	O
by	O
Sega	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Famicom	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
15	O
,	O
1983	O
,	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
region	O
in	O
October	O
1985	O
as	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
(	O
NES	O
)	O
,	O
is	O
an	O
8-bit	O
cartridge-based	O
console	O
developed	O
and	O
marketed	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sega	O
Mark	O
III	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
20	O
,	O
1985	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
Japanese	O
market	O
and	O
was	O
the	O
third	O
iteration	O
of	O
the	O
SG-1000	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
was	O
released	O
in	O
May	O
1986	O
and	O
was	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	O
5200	O
.	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
console	O
to	O
be	O
backwards	B-General_Concept
compatible	I-General_Concept
without	O
additional	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Famicom	B-Device
Disk	I-Device
System	I-Device
:	O
</s>
<s>
Optional	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
chip	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
100	O
sprites	O
(	O
30	O
per	O
scanline	B-Algorithm
without	O
background	O
)	O
BackgroundTilemap	O
playfield	O
,	O
8×8	O
tilesTilemap	O
playfield	O
,	O
8×8	O
tilesTilemap	O
playfield	O
,	O
8×8	O
tiles	O
,	O
tile	O
flippingN/A	O
ScrollingN/ASmooth	O
hardware	O
scrolling	O
,	O
vertical/horizontal	O
directionsMMC	O
chips	O
:	O
IRQ	B-General_Concept
interrupt	B-General_Concept
,	O
diagonal	O
scrolling	O
,	O
line	O
scrolling	O
,	O
split‑screen	O
scrollingSmooth	O
hardware	O
scrolling	O
,	O
vertical/horizontal/diagonal	O
directions	O
,	O
IRQ	B-General_Concept
interrupt	B-General_Concept
,	O
line	O
scrolling	O
,	O
split‑screen	O
scrollingCoarse	O
scrolling	O
,	O
vertical/horizontal	O
directions	O
AudioMono	O
audio	O
with	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
wavetable	O
synthesizer	O
(	O
Famicom	B-Device
Disk	I-Device
System	I-Device
)	O
Mono	O
audio	O
with	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Optional	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
chip	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
North	O
America	O
in	B-Application
1989	I-Application
,	O
between	O
Nintendo	O
and	O
Sega	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
94%	O
to	O
6%	O
split	O
in	O
market	O
share	O
between	O
the	O
NES	O
and	O
the	O
Master	O
System	O
,	O
in	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
favor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
NES	O
sold	O
units	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
during	B-Application
1986	I-Application
,	O
much	O
more	O
than	O
the	O
Master	O
System	O
(	O
125,000	O
)	O
and	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
(	O
100,000	O
)	O
combined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	B-Application
1990	I-Application
,	O
Nintendo	O
had	O
a	O
93%	O
North	O
American	O
market	O
share	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
Sega	O
with	O
a	O
3.8	O
%	O
share	O
,	O
NEC	O
with	O
1.3	O
%	O
and	O
Atari	O
with	O
1.1	O
%	O
share	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
maintained	O
its	O
North	O
American	O
lead	O
through	B-Application
1991	I-Application
,	O
when	O
it	O
had	O
a	O
market-share	O
of	O
80%	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
much	O
more	O
than	O
Atari	O
(	O
12%	O
)	O
and	O
Sega	O
(	O
8%	O
)	O
combined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
due	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
strong	O
lineup	O
of	O
both	O
first-party	O
titles	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Super	O
Mario	O
Bros.	O
,	O
Metroid	B-Device
,	O
Duck	O
Hunt	O
,	O
and	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
)	O
and	O
third-party	O
titles	O
along	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
strict	O
licensing	O
rules	O
that	O
required	O
NES	O
titles	O
to	O
be	O
exclusive	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
for	O
two	O
years	O
after	O
release	O
,	O
putting	O
a	O
damper	O
on	O
third-party	O
support	O
for	O
other	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
other	O
regions	O
,	O
the	O
Master	O
System	O
was	O
the	O
most	O
successful	O
console	O
in	O
Brazil	O
,	O
South	O
Korea	O
,	O
and	O
Australia	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
Dendy	O
(	O
a	O
Taiwanese	O
Famiclone	B-Operating_System
of	O
the	O
NES/Famicom	O
)	O
was	O
the	O
most	O
successful	O
in	O
the	O
former	O
Soviet	O
Union	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alex	B-Application
Kidd	I-Application
in	I-Application
Miracle	I-Application
World	I-Application
(	O
SMS	O
)	O
by	O
Sega	O
featured	O
Sega	O
's	O
original	O
mascot	O
,	O
Alex	O
Kidd	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
(	O
NES	O
)	O
by	O
Konami	O
is	O
loosely	O
based	O
on	O
Bram	O
Stoker	O
's	O
Dracula	O
,	O
featuring	O
Count	O
Dracula	O
as	O
the	O
main	O
antagonist	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
game	O
initiated	O
the	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
series	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dragon	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
(	O
NES	O
)	O
by	O
Chunsoft	O
and	O
Enix	O
introduced	O
the	O
Dragon	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
series	O
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
(	O
NES	O
)	O
by	O
Square	O
started	O
the	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
series	O
in	O
1987	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
(	O
NES	O
)	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
R&D4	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
initiated	O
the	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
series	O
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mega	B-Application
Man	I-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
NES	O
)	O
by	O
Capcom	O
was	O
the	O
breakthrough	O
title	O
in	O
Capcom	O
's	O
Mega	B-Application
Man	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metal	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
(	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
)	O
by	O
Konami	O
initiated	O
the	O
Metal	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
series	I-Application
in	O
1987	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
computer	O
and	O
remade	O
on	O
the	O
NES	O
shortly	O
after	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metroid	B-Device
(	O
NES	O
)	O
by	O
R&D1	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
initiated	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
series	O
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
(	O
NES	O
)	O
by	O
Tecmo	O
initiated	O
the	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
series	O
in	O
1988	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
acclaimed	O
for	O
its	O
extreme	O
difficulty	O
,	O
high	B-General_Concept
quality	I-General_Concept
music	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
having	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
earliest	O
uses	O
of	O
cutscenes	O
in	O
video	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
(	O
SMS	O
)	O
by	O
Sega	O
Consumer	O
Development	O
Division	O
2	O
and	O
Sega	O
is	O
considered	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
benchmark	O
role-playing	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
among	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
science	O
fiction	O
setting	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
feature	O
a	O
female	O
protagonist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
(	O
NES	O
)	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
R&D4	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
was	O
bundled	O
with	O
the	O
NES	O
and	O
became	O
the	O
best-selling	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
of	I-Application
all	I-Application
time	I-Application
,	O
a	O
title	O
it	O
held	O
until	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
3	I-Application
(	O
NES	O
)	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
is	O
widely	O
considered	O
the	O
best	O
sidescrolling	O
platform	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
topping	O
many	O
"	O
Best	O
Game	O
"	O
lists	O
for	O
the	O
NES	O
.	O
</s>
