PixlBit

Now you're playing with Power!

Hey Pixlbit, how are you. As I've previously mentioned, this Sunday is the 30th Anniversary of the NES. The NES was Nintendo's entry in the video game market and while it may not look like much now, it's thanks to the NES that the industry was revived and most likely the reason we are playing games now. It wasn't perfect by any means, but the games it had were great. Well except the bad ones obviously.

I haven't played many NES games, but I've played my fair share of them, either in its original format or as a digital rerelease. To get in the spirit of the celebration, I'm going to list my favorite NES games from the ones I've played. And, if you want to join in on the fun on twitter, use the hashtag #Happy30thNES

Balloon Fight: I first played Balloon Fight via Animal Crossing on the Gamecube. I found the game very addictive. It's a very simple game but very fun. It's like Joust. Besides that, I also have Balloon Fight on the 3DS and Wii U. I always try to beat my high score every time I play. I think I got to number one in the Balloon Trip mode. Really nothing special now for some, but like it.

 

Super Mario Bros. 2: You all know the story about how this isn't a Mario game, and that the Lost Levels is the real SMB2. I don't care, all I know is that it's a very fun game. It made Peach and Toad playable for the first time as well a differenting Mario and Luigi rather than Luigi being a palette swap of Mario. Each character had their own abilities too. It also introduced new elements that would become staples of Mario games. Like picking up and throwing things as well as a health bar. To characters like Shy Guys, Bob-ombs, and Birdo. It's a very different game from the first SMB, but that's what I like about it, and Mario. To me, it says that Mario may stick to his bread and butter, but not afraid to try something new to shake up the formula.

 

Mega Man: I remember trying it on the Mega Man Anniversary Collection for the Gamecube. It's probably one, if not the most challenging NES game I ever played. I remember how underpowered you are at the start, especially when you go against one of the Robot Masters. But you feel a great sense of accomplishment when you take down one of them. The game feels less impossible with a new power-up, and from there you have to figure out who to take down next based on which power-up you got since the power-ups play like a rock, paper, scissors thing. Meaning that another Robot Master is weak against one of the power-ups you got. And that's how it works. There's this funny story actually. I thing I had gotten Fire Man's power-up and I went to Bomb Man's stage and I was confronting him. I beat him with Fire Man's ability but before I delivered the final blow, Bomb Man tossed a bomb. I defeated Bomb Man but the bomb he dropped blew me up. So we both died. Then Bomb Man's power-up dropped. The rage I had at that was hilarious. 

 

Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt: This is the version of SMB that I played for the first time. Yes it may be cheating but eh. Like I said before, Super Mario Bros. is the very first game I ever played and what (probably) turned me into what I am. Probably the most famous and most influential game of all time. Everyone has played this at some point in their lives. As for Duck Hunt, I remember my dad and I playing it on the NES I got for xmas. It was fun. It's probably nothing special now, but definitely a piece of gaming history. Couldn't find a working image of the SMB/Duck Hunt game.

 

Kirby's Adventure: One thing I notice about Kirby is that he has a habit of showing up late to the party on consoles. Kirby's Adventure showed up on the NES a while after the SNES was out. Thought Kirby's Adventure showed that the NES still had some life left. People who were acquainted with Kirby's Dream Land should feel familiar with Kirby. Though Kirby introduces his trademark copy ability for the first time, adding his own twist to the platforming formula. The game is easy, meaning younger players can beat it, but also offering enough challenge for older players. There's a remake of this on the GBA/Wii U VC called Nightmare in Dream Land, which is obviously better. Kirby's Adventure however is a fine addition to the NES and a classic.

 

Metroid: The original Metroid was a side-scrolling action platfomer with exploration. It had this brooding atmosphere to it and had the music to match the tone. It was also the game where at the end, you found out that Samus was a woman. It's definitely one of gaming's biggest twists at the time. I actually beat Metroid for the very first time a while back. Definitely one my gaming achievements. Obviously Zero Mission is better than the original Metroid in every way possible, but it's not on the eShop yet. But still, Metroid was a fine game for its time. Definitely a classic.

 

The Legend of Zelda: At the time this game was big, and made way for future installments in the Zelda franchise as well as laid groundwork for many other games as well. What I love about this game is the exploration. As soon as you get the sword from the old man in the cave, you head out and you're on your own. You could find lots to do before stepping inside the first dungeon. I would love to see this remade with modern mechanics and updated graphics. Heck maybe even in 3D.

 

Super Mario Bros. 3: This is obviously the best NES game ever, no questions asked. Great level design, great music, new power-ups, and tons of fun. It also introduced us to the world for the first time and would become a staple of the 2D and some 3D Mario games. This is the finest NES game ever made and is the pinnacle of the era. It was also featured near the of the movie The Wizard, which is as some say is shameless video game advertisement. But I'm willing to guess many of you went to see it at the time just for Super Mario Bros. 3. Nothing more can be said at how fantastic this game is.

Those are my favorite NES games. I've played more than these and I loved them, but these are my absolute favorites. I've already asked which are your favorite NES games in a previous post, so I wont ask that here. Thanks for reading and Happy 30th NES.