The Original Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES for short) was a gamble that paid off hugely for the creators. When the video game industry was about to crash, one factor being Atari’s unlicensed games making customers afraid to buy games, was needing a saviour. Along came Nintendo. They released this system, along with R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy), Duck Hunt, and Gyromite to select markets in North America. Kids were able to convince their parents that this wasn’t a video game system, but a mere toy that involved television. Quickly, R.O.B. was tossed aside, and revealed an excellent video gaming system.

Arcade Translations

The Nintendo was capable of producing arcade like graphics for the time. Such hits as Popeye, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong 3, Mario Bros.

Sports Titles

At the beginning of the Nintendo’s lifecycle, a lot of sports games were produced. Games like Baseball, Ice Hockey, Golf, and Volleyball. They usually were found in black label styles, followed in the corner of the cartridge stating “Sports Series”.

Super Mario Bros.

The arrival of Super Mario Bros. proved a new age for video gamers around the world. It had the best graphics and an actual plot. Two plumbers were sucked into a mushroom kingdom in desperate need of cleaning. They travelled far and wide to each castle, only to find their missing princess was nowhere to be found. It’s an epic tale that has been played over and over again, with experts beating the game in under a mere 6 minutes. The usage of warp zones and cunning game glitches makes this possible. The game was notorious in having glitches, and most of them were used to the player’s advantage. How can anyone get bored of this game? If your answer was “Yes”, then try using a Game Genie with the code PIGPOG. Instant replay ability!

The Legend of Zelda

A true epic. This game would bring you into a huge storyline that seemed to continue for ages. The game involves a young character named Link, but you can rename this character to whichever you’d like. With sword and shield in hand, a sweat on the brow, and a little luck, games were able to conquer the vast challenges of this game. Once you’ve completed the game, a surprise hits you! There’s a secret hidden quest called “The Master Quest”. Only true heroes are able to solve this, as all the dungeons and locations of items have changed! It’s almost like having two games in one!

Mega Man

The little blue bomber with a heart of gold. This breakout hit revolutionized the gamer’s concept of levels. You were able to choose which level
you wanted to attempt first! What a concept! At the end of each level, a boss character would challenge the gamer. If you were skilled enough to destroy their defenses, you were able to adapt your weapons to use the defeated boss’ arsenal. The trick to the game was to find the order in which each boss had a weakness from another boss. Then it was off to defeat Dr. Wily. (Sometimes spelt Dr. Wiley). This series broke out into five other games, six in total on this system.

Capcom’s Disney Games

Who couldn’t forget watching Disney cartoons on television? Shows like Ducktales or Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers screamed for interactivity. With Capcom leading the way, sure hits were created out of these beloved cartoons. Other shows like Talespin or The Little Mermaid were also brought to your touch. A lot of critics would say that these games were a bit on the easy side. Considering the target audience, the games’ difficulty level matched perfectly.

Super Mario Bros. 2

As awesome as this game is, there’s a huge history behind it. There were actually TWO versions of this game. In Japan, they released “Super Mario Bros. 2” starring Mario and Luigi. Mario was able to stop on a dime, but Luigi could jump much higher. The game was brutally difficult. Nintendo of America deemed this too difficult for North American players, and decided to bring over a different kind of game. The game “Doki Doki Panic” was about four different genies that were trying to save a couple of kids that were brought into a magical book. You were able to choose any of those four characters to solve the Subcon’s world. Nintendo of America decided to replace all the genies’ likenesses into the Mario characters. This is why Toad and Princess Toadstool were needed. (Check out the funky pants that Toad wears….) Nintendo of America released this game in Japan called “Super Mario Bros USA” and then brought it over as “Super Mario Bros. 2”.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Going back to the original roots, Super Mario Bros. 3 was once again groundbreaking. The ability to have more power-ups and a new overhead map system changed video games once again. There was even a small minigame based on the original Mario Bros. game! The level design was outstanding for the time, which makes it a game that never gets old.

Battletoads

Arguably, the hardest NES game made. This game lulls you into a false sense of security by the easiness of the first few levels, and then smacks you upside the head and brings you back to reality. Only true hardcore gamers have ever seen the end of this game. And the worst part, you’ll have to do it alone, as there’s one level in the game that doesn’t allow two players at once! Yikes!

Unlicensed Games

Nintendo was quite strict in allowing games onto their consoles for good reason. They didn’t want what happened with Atari to happen ever again. Unfortunately, this lead to a lot of producers that didn’t want to have to spend fortunes getting a license from Nintendo. They found a way around the lockout chip and was able to produce games for the NES. The graphics suffered greatly. In fact, the company Color Dreams was about to go bankrupt, so they knelt down and prayed. Literally. They changed their name to Wisdom Tree and started to develop Bible games.

Did You Know…?

• Nintendo, the company, is over 100 years old!
• They first started selling playing cards
• Mario’s first appearance was Donkey Kong. His original name was “Jumpman”
• Mario’s name was actually the landlord’s first name where Shigeru Miyamoto (Mario’s daddy) first had his apartment
• Shigeru Miyamoto is also the creator of Link, the hero from “The Legend of Zelda”