Nintendo of America dropped a huge nostalgia bomb and announced a new Nintendo Entertainment System slated for November. But what’s so special about this release?
The original Nintendo Entertainment System or NES (not the Famicom) came out in North America in October 1985 and has been the gateway for many gamers around the world. The remake, officially called the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition, is Nintendo’s move to revive a classic console & provide an opportunity for those not able to get their hands on the 31 year old original.
I’m excited to sit on the couch and show off my mad password memory skills (Megaman 2: A5, B2, B4, C1, C3, C5, D4, D5, E2 to unlock everything at Dr. Wily’s Castle) and platforming prowess. Now some may not have the same skills as I do, or ability to remember passwords, so Nintendo has built in “suspend points” into the games which essentially work like checkpoint so you don’t have to start from scratch! So for those of us who struggle with Ghosts ‘n Goblins we may actually have a fighting chance. The console will be smaller than the original and include an HDMI connection for HDTVs. SNK released a similar remake, Neo Geo X Gold, in 2012 but was a limited release edition. I hope this becomes a trend and see some official Sega remakes.
Another detail that has me excited was the inclusion of a NES Classic Controller (SRP $9.99 USD) which is modeled after the NES version but uses a Wii Nunchuck connector. This allows for use with the NES Classic Edition but also the Wii & WiiU Virtual Console. The NES Classic Edition will support both the Wii Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro, include 30 games (listed below), and is scheduled to release on November 11th, 2016.
List of included games:
- Balloon Fight™
- BUBBLE BOBBLE
- Castlevania™
- Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest™
- Donkey Kong™
- Donkey Kong Jr. ™
- DOUBLE DRAGON II: THE REVENGE
- Dr. Mario™
- Excitebike™
- FINAL FANTASY®
- Galaga™
- GHOSTS’N GOBLINS®
- GRADIUS™
- Ice Climber™
- Kid Icarus™
- Kirby’s Adventure™
- Mario Bros. ™
- MEGA MAN® 2
- Metroid™
- NINJA GAIDEN
- PAC-MAN™
- Punch-Out!! ™ Featuring Mr. Dream
- StarTropics™
- SUPER C™
- Super Mario Bros.™
- Super Mario Bros. ™ 2
- Super Mario Bros. ™ 3
- TECMO BOWL
- The Legend of Zelda™
- Zelda II: The Adventure of Link™
Kelvin M. is an AYBOnline.com content contributor who still uses the pause glitch to beat Megaman 2.
