Console Wars

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Console Wars!

Original image located here. Accessed 25th February 2022

Anyone heard of this? It's a documentary chronicling the rise of Sega and how it challenged Nintendo and the changes it brought about into the console/video gaming market.
The titles indicates that this is about both Sega and Nintendo but this is really the former's story all the way. Sure Nintendo get a decent hearing but this is all about how one small company decided to take on a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut.
And this is how the various men and women made it happen, telling what they did and the repercussions the effects had.

If you know the story, then all the familiar beats are here: the crucial hiring of Tom Kalinske, the godsend that was Sonic the Hedgehog, the ingenious marketing strategies, appeals to a teenage market, the serious threat posed to Nintendo, the gulf between Sega of Japan and Sega of America, the flop that was the Saturn and the subsequent rise of Sony and it's PlayStation.
This certainly does present a fascinating snapshot of the era but it ends with Sony - who, of course, don't get a say. And I would've liked that they did - particularly Steve Race (whose story i would most be interested to hear) who remains frustratingly elusive.
Still this documentary made for a compelling story and one I am grateful is told