Oldies Others Translation Computer Othello - the first Nintendo arcade game ever - gets an English translation

  • Thread starter Thread starter SDA
  • Start date Start date
  • Views Views 62
  • Replies Replies 2
  • Likes Likes 2

SDA

Zero Regrets
Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2020
Messages
2,110
Reaction score
2,233
Trophies
2
Age
22
Location
Parete, Italy
XP
5,194
Country
Italy
This might not be news worthy at first, but when you learn all about it, you'll find it to be historically important.

Computer Othello is an old arcade game released by Nintendo on June 1978 only in Japan, therefore notable for being the very first arcade game that the big N developed and published themselves after leaving the toy market. Essentially, it is a table peripheral where you sit in front of it and play a game of Othello against a computer (there's no two player mode).

Nearly 50 years later, someone releases an English translation for this game, bringing one of Nintendo's earliest forays into gaming to the English-speaking audience.

If you want to try the patch yourself, you'll find it here.

https://www.romhacking.net/translations/7699/
 
This might not be news worthy at first, but when you learn all about it, you'll find it to be historically important.

Computer Othello is an old arcade game released by Nintendo on June 1978 only in Japan, therefore notable for being the very first arcade game that the big N developed and published themselves after leaving the toy market. Essentially, it is a table peripheral where you sit in front of it and play a game of Othello against a computer (there's no two player mode).

Nearly 50 years later, someone releases an English translation for this game, bringing one of Nintendo's earliest forays into gaming to the English-speaking audience.

If you want to try the patch yourself, you'll find it here.

https://www.romhacking.net/translations/7699/
Judging by your signature, I would have expected that you'd at least reupload it here :wink:

While this does seem like an interesting hack to use in a museum of some sort, Othello was conceived some 7 years before Nintendo made their digital variant thereof, and Othello seems to just be a variation of Reversi (nearly 150 years old). I think another variant of computer Othello (or even Reversi) would have sufficed for a live demonstration.

Still a cool hack, but I don't think it's really that significant outside of those who really, really want to play that variant of Othello in particular.
 
Still a cool hack, but I don't think it's really that significant outside of those who really, really want to play that variant of Othello in particular.
People in the 1970's were totally fine with playing computerized versions of board games. No fancy JRPGs, no action platforming segments, just this.

Besides, Nintendo did release games and gaming consoles before this one: they acquired the rights to distribute the Magnavox Odyssey console in Japan, in 1975. However Computer Othello was the first game they developed and published by themselves for arcade use.
 
Last edited by SDA,
  • Like
Reactions: lightwo

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum