I recently found a leaflet for Nintendo's Color TV Game Racing 112. The leaflet is a bit stained on the back, but still a nice relic from the late 1970s. It is dated June 26 1978.
Nintendo Racing 112 leaflet (1978)
During these early video game days, game play was portrayed as something for the whole family. With only a single tv set in most houses, it would usually take place in the middle of the living room.
Racing 112 in double player mode, using the paddles
In 1977, Nintendo entered the home video game market with the Color TV Game series. The image below is taken from a leaflet announcing this series in May of that year.
The games were announced as 「見るテレビから遊べるテレビへ」, which translates to "from watching television to playing television". In 1977, interactive entertainment was still a concept that required explanation to a large group of the prospective audience.
When Nintendo entered the home video game market in Japan in 1977, they did so with two Pong based TV tennis games, co-developed with Mitsubishi: the Color TV-Game 6 and its bigger brother (sister?) Color TV-Game 15.
Advertisement for TV-Game 6 and TV-Game 15
The circuitry inside TV-Game 6 and TV-Game 15 was very similar (their main chip was actually identical), but the latter came with detached controllers and provided more game options: fifteen to be precise (obviously).
Nintendo released two versions of TV-Game 15 (again, just like TV-Game 6).
Nintendo TV Game 15 CTG-15S Manual
The first release had an orange colored box and orange housing with a black base. It had product code CTG-15S.
I recently acquired some vintage leaflets for Nintendo products. These leaflets were used as marketing material for distributers and shop buyers, and are very colorful and informative.
The leaflet below is the one for the Nintendo Color TV Game Block Kuzushi (任天堂 カラー テレビゲーム ブロック崩し).
Block Kuzushi is part of the Color TV Game series. It is the first home video game system to bear the Nintendo name on its front.
In my experience, the consoles in the Nintendo Color TV-Game series (カラー テレビゲーム シリーズ) are pretty much unbreakable. Even though they are well over thirty years old by now, I have never had a problem with any of them.
But as they were produced and sold in the hundreds of thousands, of course every now and then one would break down. And this is were the Service Manual (サービス マニュアル) of the Color TV-Game 15 (カラー テレビゲーム 15) comes in.
This manual covers all you (don't) want to know about Color TV-Game 15; it shows what makes it tick. The model covered is the more common second generation (CTG-15V). Differences with the first generation (CTG-15S) are minor, though.
In the early days of video arcade games, three genres stood out in terms of popularity. Number one has to be shooting games (with examples like Space Wars, Space Invaders and Nintendo's own Sheriff), followed by racing games and sport simulation games (including Pong!). All three genres have remained popular ever since.
Early arcade racing games include Taito's Speed Race (1974) and Atari's Night Driver (1976).
In 1978 Nintendo brought the video game racing experience to living rooms in Japan, with the introduction of Color TV Game Racing 112 (カラー テレビゲーム レーシング 112).
Nintendo Color TV Game Racing 112 (1978)
It is one of the first home video game with an actual steering wheel. The Coleco Telstar Arcade, which also featured a steering wheel (as well as a gun), was released one year earlier in the US.
Racing 112 is the third of the four games in the Nintendo Color TV Game series. It followed TV Game 6 and TV Game 15, both from 1977. Like all games in the Color TV Games series, it is a dedicated game machine with hardwired game play and a fixed number of game variants.
Color TV Game Racing 112 and Color TV Game Block Kuzushi
Racing 112 is a big game, with a big box (check out the size difference with Block Kuzushiin above picture).
What's in the box
The console features a steering wheel and gear shift for single-player game mode, and two paddle controllers for two-player mode.
The model number of Racing 112 is "CTG-CR112". The box exterior contains the Nintendo name in the copyright notice, as well as in large kanji ("任天堂").
A price drop to ¥12,500 required the existing stock to be sticker-ed over
The game price was originally set to ¥18,000, but quickly lowered to ¥12,500 to ensure competitiveness. The price would eventually be further reduced to ¥5,000.
Later versions of the box have the lower price printed on them
When opening the box, we see the console firmly packed between two polystyrene pieces.
The steering wheel is included loose, to reduce the dimensions of the game and prevent an even bigger box.
Color TV Game Racing 112 manual
The steering wheel can be mounted easily on the console, and taken off again after playing.
The manual includes assembly instructions
Like all other Color TV Games, the set includes an RF-switch. In the 70s, TV sets were still produced primarily for watching television broadcasts. They were not yet designed to take input signals from multiple devices, and only had a single input (intended to be connected the an antenna). A video game like Racing 112 could be connected directly to this input, but this would require the antenna cable to be removed and moved back again before and after playing the video game.
RF switch included with Color TV Game Racing 112
Enter the RF-switch. This device allowed both the video game and antenna to be connected to the TV at the same time. With the switch you would select which of the two input signals you wanted to pass on to the TV. Once installed you would have no more messing about with cables before and after play.
In 1978 a typical video game manual contained many pages with instructions on hooking up the console to your TV set. Today life has become somewhat simpler, thanks to TV sets with multiple AV inputs. And with the current widespread availability of cable TV, who remembers roof-top antennas?
The console measures an impressive 43 centimeters wide. The steering wheel is 18 centimeters in diameter. The casing has a nice off-white and brown color combination and feels very solid. The widened and raised body underneath the steering wheel gives a real dashboard-like feel to the controls left and right of it.
The "Racing 112" name is included on a bright metal faceplate on the front. Like the two earlier Color TV Games, the Nintendo name is still not displayed prominently; only on the box and on the bottom of the console.
The gear-shift and steering wheel on the front-side of the console are used to control one of the one-screen cars in single-player mode. The gear shift has two positions. First gear is up.
Second gear is down.
On the back-side we find two cups for storing the paddle controllers when they are not used, the output cable (to connect to the TV through the RF-switch) and a connector for the power adapter.
Racing 112 requires an external 9 volt power adapter, which had to be bought separately. It is the same adapter (model CTGA-901R) used by all games in the Color TV Game series.
A note on the inside of the box explains the compatibility of
the required power adapter with TV Game 6 and TV Game 15
When switched to two-player mode, the two paddle controllers are used to steer two on-screen cars. These controllers have a good length cable, which is fixed to the console.
The paddles are well-designed and the turning knob has a good size, allowing precise control of the cars.
The objective of the game is to pass as many cars on the track as possible with the player controlled car(s), without crashing into any of them. Every car passed scores a point.
Game variants are selected using the many switches on the control panel on the right.
The top left switch on the control panel is used to select the game mode (ゲームセレクト). The left and middle positions are single-player games, the right position is the two-player mode. The two versions of the single-player mode are "spacious course" (広いコース) and the more difficult "narrow course" (狭いコース).
The top middle switch sets the speed (スペード). From left to right: low (低), medium (中) and high (高) speed. In two-player mode this sets the fixed speed of the game. In single-player mode this defines the top speed of the player's car (reached when switching to second gear with the gear shift). The low speed is not available for single-player mode. The relation between the game mode options and the speed options is indicated by the green and yellow bars above and below these switches.
The red button on the top right is used to start the game (スタート).
The left-most switch in the bottom row is the power switch "電源" ( up is on, down is off).
The other four switches in the bottom row manage special game elements and allow the player to further refine the difficulty level to his or her own taste. From left to right: zigzagging of opponent cars "ジグザグ" (up is yes, down is no), touching the guard rail causes a crash "ガードレール接触" (up is yes, down is no), bad road "悪路" (up is yes, down is no) and number of cars "車の量" (up is many, down is few). The really tough players will set all these switches in the up position.
TV Game 6 had six game variants. TV Game 15 had fifteen. After looking at all these switches and related settings, one question remains: does Racing 112 really have one-hundred and twelve game variants, as the name suggests?
It turns out this is actually true, though many of the variants are simply permutations of the same game elements.
Let's do the math. There are seven game modes it total; four single-player modes (spacious or narrow course combined with medium or fast speed) plus three two-player modes (low, medium or fast speed). With the four difficulty switches it is possible to select sixteen different options (2x2x2x2).
So, seven game modes with sixteen difficulty options each brings the total to one-hundred and twelve game variants (16 x 7 = 112).
The manual includes an overview of the 112 game variants
Color TV Game Racing 112 is a fun and challenging racing game. As one of the earliest Nintendo home video games it was rightly honored with a mini game in Wario Ware Inc for Game Boy Advance.
The last of the four video games in theNintendo Color TV Game series released in Japan at the end of the 70s is definitely the most interesting. The earlier Color TV Game 6 and TV Color Game 15 from 1977 are of note because they represent the first endeavors by Nintendo in the video game market, but from a design point of view (game play as well as packaging) they are not very original; just well executed pong clones. Color TV Game Racing 112 (1978) already looks more exciting and its game play is all right, but it is its successor, Color TV Game Block Kuzushi, which takes the crown.
Nintendo Block Kuzushi (1979) with CTGA-901R adapter
Nintendo Color TV Game Block Kuzushi (任天堂 カラー テレビゲーム ブロック崩し) was released in 1979 and oozes 70s design and appeal.
The Japanese word "kuzushi" (崩し) stems from "kuzusu" (崩す) which means to break or to demolish, so the translation of "Block Kuzushi" (ブロック崩し) is "Block Breaker".
Block Kuzushi manual
The model number of this game is "CTG-BK6". This, of course, is short for "Color TV Game Block Kuzushi". The "6" in the model number refers to the six game variants this game offers, as advertised on the box as well as on the game housing.
The six game variants are shown on the left side of the top of the box
Block Kuzushi was obviously inspired by Atari's 1976 arcade smash hit "Breakout". Atari's arcade release was followed by a number of home conversions by Atari and others, including this one by Nintendo.
Block Kusushi is the first Nintendo video game to feature the company's name prominently on the housing. The Color TV Game series started as a cooperative effort together with Mitsubishi, but at the time of Block Kusushi this had moved completely in-house, and the Nintendo name on the front was fully deserved.
The game was launched in 1979 with a retail price of ¥13,500.
The game retailed initially for ¥13,500
The price was soon reduced to ¥8,300, in order to address fierce competition. The price for pong clones was quickly coming down and Epoch also successfully released a block game called "TV Block".
Console price drops already occured in the 70s
Besides the fact that Block Kuzushi is the first video game to wear the Nintendo logo on its chest, it is historic for another reason: the involvement of video game genius Shigeru Miyamoto. A recent industrial design graduate from the Kanazawa College of Art, he had started in 1977 in the "Creative Section" of Nintendo and initially worked on various graphical design assignments. In 1979 his industrial design training came to good use when he was tasked with the design of the housing of Block Kuzushi.
Block Kuzushi - front
Shigeru Miyamoto did a great job. The round shapes work really well, and the design of the control panel is clean, clear and beautiful.
Block Kuzushi - back
The design is functional, playful and inviting. The colors of the orange body, black control panel and white control buttons also go nicely together.
Block Kuzushi - left side
If this shape and color does not shout "seventies", then what does?
Block Kuzushi - right side
On the right side we find the cable to connect to the TV and the connection for the external power adapter. On the bottom there is a switch to select the RF output channel.
Block Kuzushi - bottom
Like the other games in the Color TV Game series, Block Kuzushi is powered by a 9V adapter (CTGA-901R) which had to be bought separately for ¥1,500.
The controls on the front are - from left to right: serve button, power switch (up is on, down is off), reset button, game selector, number of balls selector and paddle controller.
After the console has been switched on, a game is started by selecting the required game variant from the six options, setting the required number of balls per game (3, 5 or 7) and hitting the red reset button.
Game variant "6" selected, with 5 balls per game
Next, each of the available balls is "served" by pressing the big serve button on the left. This brings the ball into play. The objective of the game is to use the "racket" displayed at the bottom of the screen (a blocky white line) to bounce the ball (a blocky white square) towards the colored blocks at the top of the screen. Upon hitting the blocks, these will disappear ("break").
Serve button (サーブボタン)
The racket at the bottom of the screen can be moved horizontally by turning the big white controller on the right.
Racket controller
Depending on the point of contact between ball and racket, the ball will take a different trajectory after bouncing, as explained in diagram below (taken from the game's manual). Please note the very square "ball" (ボール) in this picture.
Move racket, bounce ball
The six game variants offered by Block Kuzushi are all single player games. Where the multiple game variants included in most of the pong clones (including Nintendo's TV Game 6 and TV Game 15) were all very similar (up to the point that calling them variants was sometimes laughable), these six variants all offer a unique and fun challenge.
Game 1 ("Block Out" or "ブロックアウト"): The standard game. Hit a block and the ball bounces back and the block disappears. If you miss the ball when it returns, you lose it, and need to serve a new ball. Continue until all blocks are gone or you run out of balls.
Game 2 ("Block Easy" or "ブロックイージー"): Similar to game 1, except that a line of blocks is missing. As a result, less blocks need to be hit in order to clear the screen, but more importunately, this extra open line allowed for extra "rapid block breaking" when the ball would start bouncing between the blocks, something that is only possible between the top line and the top of the screen in the standard game.
Which of the six games do you fancy?
Game 3 ("Block Safe" or "ブロックセイブ"): Another variant of the standard game, this adds a line of blocks at the bottom of the screen, protecting the ball from disappearing when it is missed by the racket. Each of these "safe blocks" can only help you once, after which it disappears. This gradually reduces the safety net.
In game variants 1 to 3, points are awarded based on the color of the block (2, 4 and 8 points per block).
Game 4 ("Block Through" or "ブロックスルー"): This variant throws a whole new challenge. It is a time based game, in which the objective is to clean the screen as quickly as possible. As soon as the first ball is served, a timer starts counting up. The counter will stop when all blocks are gone, or when the counter hits 999. The lower the score, the better. When a block is hit, the ball will not immediately bounce back, but continue its course (hitting other blocks on its way) until it hits the top or side of the screen. Hence the name "block through". You have an unlimited number of balls in this game variant.
The six different game options of Block Kuzushi
Game 5 ("Block Lighter" or "ブロックライター"): Here there are four special flashing pink blocks in the middle of the top line. The objective is to remove these blocks by hitting them, leaving as many as possible of the other blocks untouched. So avoid hitting anything but the pink blocks. When all four pink blocks have been hit, your score will be calculated based on the remaining blocks; the more blocks left, the better.
Game 6 ("Block Killer" or "ブロックキラー"): Combining the concept of game 4 and 5, this game variant challenges you to remove four special flashing blue blocks in the middle of the screen as soon as possible, against a counting timer.
An interesting game feature (for all game variants) happens when the ball hits the top of the screen, rather than a block. This triggers the racket to shrink to half its size, only to regain its normal dimensions after a ball has been missed and a new one served. This makes the final stages of the clearing of the screen quite tricky.
The score is kept on the top left side. The middle of the screen shows the previous score (rather than a high score) which is updated at the end of each game. Although Block Kuzushi does not feature an actual two player game, displaying the previous score facilitates head to head play.
The game variants explained in the manual
The asymmetrical design of the Block Kuzushi console, with the racket controller on the right side, poses some problems for left-handed players. The manual offers some suggestions on how to operate the console in this case: side-ways or even back-to-front.
How to play when you're a lefty
During the introduction of Block Kuzushi, promotional competitions where staged in department stores.
Block Kuzushi medal of honor
When successful during this competition, you would be awarded a special Block Kuzushi medal.
The medal was accompanied with a commemorative note, underlining the achievement.
This medal signifies that you are a block breaking master
As part of the marketing campaign for Block Kuzushi, a colorful leaflet was produced (check it out here) as well as a TV commercial.
(Video uploaded by Youtube user ksoik)
One final note of warning to all collectors and other folks interested in obtaining a Block Kuzushi. Please be aware that the plasticizers in the RF cable of this game, added to keep them flexible, have a habit of damaging the orange casing upon prolonged contact. These plastic softeners more or less "melt" the hard plastic case, leaving ugly marks. When buying a second hand item, always make sure to check for this type of damage, which easily occurs if the cable has been stored on top of the case for a long period of time or, even worse, when it has been wound around it.
