The NES Classic Edition was announced last month to great excitement among fans. It will come packed in with 30 games and an NES Classic Controller (extra controllers can be purchased for $9.99). Preorders have already been sighted in the wild at retailers like Target, so keep your eyes open! Most if not all of the games included are great and here’s why:
(OCD bonus, they’re in alphabetical order!)
Balloon Fight
Balloon Fight was originally an arcade game and was released to the NES in 1986, about a year after the system’s launch in the states. The game features design by Yoshio Sakamoto, Programming by Satoru Iwata and (excellent) music by Hirokazu Tanaka. The idea of this side scroller is to avoid obstacles as you float along the screen to the end. It also has the Balloon Trip mode in which the same premise applies, but you play for a high score instead of trying to reach the goal.
Bubble Bobble
Released by Taito in 1986, Bubble Bobble is a game where “Baron Von Blubba” kidnapped the brothers Bubby and Bobby’s girlfriends, then turned the siblings into Bubble Dragons. Their mission is to navigate 100 levels on the Cave of Monsters in order to rescue their damsels in distress. Zuntata, Taito’s in house band, wrote the music for this game which is way too catchy.
Castlevania
Castlevania, released for the NES in May 1987, is an action-adventure game developed by Konami. In Castlevania you control Simon Belmont as he navigates Dracula’s castle, a mysterious structure that only emerges once every 100 years. Simon’s main weapon of choice is a magic whip which he uses to great effect as he platforms his way to Dracula himself. The music of Castlevania stands out as one of the best soundtracks on the system.
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest was released stateside in 1988 as the successor to Castlevania (see directly above). Castlevania II is very similar to it’s predecessor with a few nice tweaks. There is now a world map and Simon can talk to the townspeople to get helpful (aka not helpful at all) tips! There is also an experience system in the game which allows you to level up, increasing your maximum health and overall level.
Donkey Kong
Everyone knows about Donkey Kong! Released in 1981 as an arcade game it quickly became a symbol of videogaming worldwide, synonymous with legends like Space Invaders, Pong, and Tetris. If you really need a description of this game consult your local Google.
Donkey Kong Jr.
Mario is the villian this time around in this 1982 arcade game released by Nintendo (later brought to the NES). You play as Donkey Kong Jr. as you attempt to save DK from the cage which Mario placed him in. The gameplay is similar to Donkey Kong, a bit of arcade-style platforming utilizing vines and ropes for climbing as well as traditional jumping mechanics.
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Released in 1990 on NES, Double Dragon II: The Revenge follows Billy and Jimmy Lee on their mission to avenge the death of their girlfriend Mirian, who was shot to death by the Black Warriors in the previous game. It’s still unclear to me why Mirian was dating them both, but then again they are pretty heroic. Technōs originally released this game in arcades in 1988 then ported it themselves to several consoles by 1990 including the NES.
Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario is one of those legendary NES games that everyone knows about. Released in 1990 it features Tetris style gameplay where you try to match colored medicine capsules with viruses onscreen to save the patient. Designed by Gunpei Yokoi with music by Hirokazu Tanaka.
Excitebike
Excitebike was an NES launch title in 1985 in the US and was later re-released as Excitebike: World Rally on the Wii as part of their 3D Classics series. You can choose to race solo or against computer assisted riders in an attempt to qualify for the championship race! 10/10 would excite again.
Final Fantasy
What can you say about the Final Fantasy series that hasn’t been said by millions since it’s release on NES in 1987? The first game in the series, Final Fantasy was released as Sakaguchi’s last ditch effort to stay in the game industry and it reflects his feelings at the time. Luckily the game was met with critical acclaim and Sakaguchi continues his work on the series to this day.
