Console Wars (film)

Console Wars is a 2020 documentary directed by Jonah Tulis and Blake J. Harris. The film is about the 1990s console wars between Nintendo and Sega in the 16-bit era and the rise and fall of Sega in the home console market. It is based on Harris's 2014 book and is the first original film for CBS All Access, now Paramount+.

Premise
The documentary dives into the history behind how Sega stepped up to take on Nintendo during the 1990s. The events that unfolded between these two game companies would come to be known as the console war. From focusing on Sega’s views to then Nintendo’s views and the events they faced, it inevitably ends with fall of Sega during the late 90s. For older audiences, it a nostalgic trip as they see many games and consoles they might have grown up with. Not so much for the younger audiences, but it may offer them some insight to how some of their favorite video game characters came to be.

Reception
The documentary received generally favorable reviews. Some articles also would express both interest in how the document holds up to its predecessor, Harris's 2014 book on the topic. These articles would also critique some aspects of the film like how long Sega was talked about until Nintendo finally got some of its own time to be discussed. The documentary would earn an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on thirteen reviews.