Nintendo Reviving Some Top NES Games of All Time

The Nintendo Switch is proving to be popular among gamers. In only a couple of years, it has already managed to sell 20 million units which are more than the Wii, Wii U, or GameCube ever sold in the entirety of their lifespans.

The system, like all of the systems Nintendo has developed over the decades, targets not just one specific demographic, but all players in any form; and that has always been the appeal of Nintendo. That has been what has made their games, and the games published on each of the company’s consoles, so memorable. They are, in one word, fun.

But Nintendo is not just developing and publishing new games for their newest home system. They are releasing older console games on the Switch as well. While this is not a new concept, Nintendo is taking it one step further and not simply porting these classics over. They are adding new modes of play, including achievements in many titles (which are harder to gain than current-age trophies due to the difficulty of these old school games), and adding bonus content.

 

With nearly 30 classic titles currently available, and more lined up for release in the near future, we thought it would be a great time to revisit some of the best games released for the original Nintendo Entertainment System, whether or not they will be released for the Switch. And we do this for no other reason than nostalgia’s sake.

Super Mario Bros 3

This was the quintessential game of the NES. No matter who you were, what kind of games you preferred (which there wasn’t a whole lot of variety back in the day), you had this game. A vast improvement in graphics and artwork from the original Super Mario Bros, Mario 3 introduced some new game mechanics that have stuck with the series even 30 years later. The map of the overworld was just one of these enhancements that carried over into other Mario games.

Stomping on a Koopa Troopa in the first Mario game sent the turtle-like creature back into its shell, and if you bumped it, you sent the shell sliding away. In Mario 3, you now had the ability to pick up the shell and throw it at a Goomba or other baddie.

Super Mario Bros 3 also introduced to the series the concept of hidden exits in levels and castles, as well as secrets on the map screen. This revolutionary idea was the only way you could find the three warp whistles (although you only needed two of them). Now, every Mario game uses secret exits to extend the life of the game, giving players more levels to explore and more coins to collect.

Double Dragon

One of the first side-scrolling beat ‘em ups, this game had you play as either Billy Lee or his brother Jimmy Lee (player 2) who were differentiated by only the color of their outfits. Granted, it was an arcade release prior to being ported onto the NES, but the button-mashing fun of this game was an experience millions of gamers remember from back in the day.

This game had you go through the streets fighting off gang members on the brothers’ quest to rescue Billy’s girlfriend Marian from boss Willy Mackey (not a very threatening villain name). It was from Double Dragon that games like Streets of Rage and Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage emerged from, and it was this genre that gave birth to the fighting game craze of the 1990s and beyond.

Mega Man 2

Thirty years of the Blue Bomber has been collected in a number of collections, all available for purchase in retail stores or download for the Switch. The 11th one in the main series was just released, taking advantage of the series’s success and tried-and-true game mechanics. But it is thanks to the second installment that made it the phenomenon that it is.

Mega Man 2 boasted improved graphics over the original, with an incredible soundtrack that rock bands have since emulated. The rock-paper-scissors concept was taken further with eight new, creative Robot Masters whose weapons were more useful in the main levels than the first Mega Man. It also introduced additional items you could earn throughout the game; these functions having sense been incorporated into the dog Rush and the cat Tango (from the Game Boy games).

The final battle with Dr. Wily (fans know what is meant by this) at the end also had you believing something that was outrageous (spoilers! - even though it is 30 years later…). You had to survive a lengthy fight only to find that your weakest weapon was the best one for this occasion.

Duck Hunt

First-person shooters are great blow ‘em ups with expansive worlds to hide in and fulfill hundreds of objectives. The very first first-person shooter was not that complicated, but it was difficult as heck! Duck Hunt had you playing the part of...well, a duck hunter, and you had your faithful dog along to collect the kills. Using the Nintendo Zapper, you would aim the corded gun at the TV and shoot down the ducks as they appeared.

As you progressed, the difficulty increased. They started coming in groups of twos and threes and fours, and they became much faster. But it wasn’t the ducks that got to you. It was when you missed the ducks that the biggest annoyance appeared. That faithful dog would outright laugh at you for missing around. Worst of all, you couldn’t shoot him! You could stand there and pull the trigger, but he would keep on mocking you.

Great memories!

Now that nostalgia has you craving the feel of the familiar rectangular controller in your hand, and the need to blow into a game cartridge, it’s time for you to go back and relive these 8-bit classics - No! These 8-bit marvels.

Record your adventures in an old school gamer’s blog. Remind those who grew up with these games what it was like back in the day. Show the newer generations just how difficult games were in the 80s and 90s, and how they have it easy with current video games.

These gems will never die. We will be playing these when we are 80 years old, and rocking in our chairs in front of the holographic projector (assuming we will finally have holoproj by then).