Genesis Does What Nintendon't

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Do you remember the great battle for supremacy between Nintendo and Sega? I know I do. This wasn't some war where executives and PR folks lobbed vague barbs at the competition in obscure interviews; this was war.

The most memorable attack of the clash came via the now classic "Genesis does what Nintendon't" campaign. Sega was pushing the 16-bit Genesis as the future of gaming, while Nintendo was still pumping out games for the huge user base of the NES. Rather than simply making a commercial showing how great their games were, Sega went one further and basically called Nintendo out for being stuck in gaming's past.

The commercial hasn't aged particularly well (OK, it's super-cheesy now), but it's still highly entertaining to watch. I remember watching this commercial and feeling as though I desperately needed to get my hands on a Sega Genesis. I couldn't afford one, but I darn sure wanted to see what it was all about.

The stakes may be higher in today's console wars, but for my money nothing beats the classic face-off between Sega and Nintendo. As for my allegiance in the fight? I bought a Super Nintendo first, but bought a Genesis shortly after. Can't we all just get along?

What do you think? Were the old-school battles between Sega and Nintendo more interesting than today's three-way fight between Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony? Do you have fond memories of the "Genesis does what Nintendon't" campaign? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Toby Davis

July 29, 2009 06:53

I remember this war, but tried to shy away from it. Then again I enjoyed the Saturn / Playstation / N64 Drama more. 8) I miss my Saturn.

David Matos

July 29, 2009 06:56

Haha, the good ol' days. I was a Genesis man myself (But I also had a NES) but that battle was much more "fun" I guess is the I will use. Even back then, at least with my friends at the time, we never had actual arguments over the war. There was a unwritten respect back then, even if you didn't have the opposing system. Nowadays there is WAY too much flaming done. Fanboys are one of the reasons I actually do not enjoy the company of gamers as much as I used to.

Aaron Thomas

July 29, 2009 06:57

After the 32x and the Sega CD there was no way I was going to buy a Saturn. Of course, I ended up with a 3DO, so what the hell do I know about anything?

Lance Darnell

July 29, 2009 07:01

What a wonderful trip down memory lane. And Genesis did do what Nintendont! Nintendo had the RPGs, Nintendo titles, and pretty much everything else worth having, BUT, when a title did come out for the Genesis that was really good, like Gunstar Heroes, it really shined. Phantasy Star 2. Those who know, know that's all I need to write. Phantasy Star 2. Or Comix Zone. :P

July 29, 2009 07:24

@Aaron - You know the Console Wars highligt can also be this one Between Wii , PS3 & 360. As both MS & Sony Bashed Nintendo, but look who made the most money with out bashing any one.

July 29, 2009 07:25

@Lance - Go buy Comix Zone on PSN which I need to do as well for some old school fun.

Jason Wilson

July 29, 2009 07:31

Aaron, you just had to put a picture that had Tommy Lasorda in it on the site? Gawd, I can't stand seeing him!

July 29, 2009 07:33

You know you love half-man/half-cartoon Tommy Lasorda!

Rob Savillo

July 29, 2009 08:31

This post would not be complete without a reference to this Penny Arcade strip.

July 29, 2009 08:33

Good call, Rob. I had forgotten about that strip. One of the best Penny Arcade's ever.

Chris Ternus

July 29, 2009 08:44

I think it was a great campaign as far as memorable tag lines go, but I think generation a better console war. Genesis just seemed like an upgrade of sorts rather than a direct competitor, it was just a question of upgrading with Sega or waiting for Nintendo to make a move. I have all the consoles this generation and I still find myself defending a my favorite system when I get into a gaming discussion. The systems are either so different or similar this time that it has become the console version of trench warfare, with constant potshots being taken from all sides, although mostly from the community rather than the companies. I think the old war was a fun smear campaign to watch, but I find this one far more interesting.

Dustin Halfacre

July 29, 2009 09:41

Sega convinced itself that the technology drove sales (see 32x and sega cd) instead of great software. Does this sound familiar Sony?

Tyler Thomas Moen

July 29, 2009 11:04

I definitely remember the war. It was still fresh in my mind years later, which made seeing the Sega logo flash across the screen on a Nintendo console kind of unsettling. And watching Mario and Sonic duke it out in Brawl still makes me smile.

Helen A. Lee

July 29, 2009 11:30

I remember this too. Was I the only one on the side of Nintendo? Honestly, back in those days I was really turned off my negative campaigns and I always thought it base and vulgar to attack your competition straight out--reeked of desperation to me, but I admit I was naive. Although I did think the Genesis was pretty cool when I came into contact with it. And I miss my Saturn too.

Michael Pangelina

July 29, 2009 11:54

I don't remember this campaign, maybe because I didn't have cable, but I did have a Genesis. I always wanted a an SNES though, I actually still want one. Shit, I actually had a dream that a friend bought one last night, and I was thinking about it. Anyway, I do remember quite vividly a commercial for the Saturn when the N64 came out. It had a guy skeet shooting an N64 with a voice over that said "Face it, Nintendo, you just weren't worth waiting for." I remember at that point, it was pretty clear which console was going to come out on top, and I felt kind of bad for sega watching it.

Jeff Voss

July 29, 2009 13:14

I have this awesome old fold-out Genesis ad I should scan and upload. It has a Batman Returns poster on one side and a bunch of game stuff on the other.

July 29, 2009 13:49

Do it, I've been meaning to just scan and upload a bunch of dated really fucking weird ads from an old EGM. Ad campaigns were so different back then, they weren't as subtle as they are today.

Bobby Krell

July 30, 2009 05:01

Yup, Sega thought they had Nintendo in a choke hold, Then Nintendo brought out the SNES and Sega never really did recover well.

July 31, 2009 19:36

They didn't, but I still love my Dreamcast.