Yesterday, Nintendo made a surprise announcement that seemingly no one saw coming. On November 11th, they’re launching a mini NES, called the NES Classic Edition. It resembles the original Nintendo Entertainment System, but it’s considerably smaller. The MSRP will be $59.99 in the U.S.
It connects to a TV via HDMI, and it includes 30 digital games that are built into the system. It’s the same concept used in the Atari Flashback systems that have been released over the past decade or so. It comes with a replica of the original NES controller, and you can buy another controller (priced at $9.99) for two-player games.
The Game Lineup
It’s not surprising that the roster of 30 games includes Nintendo classics like the Super Mario Bros. games, Zelda and Zelda II, Excitebike, Kirby’s Adventure, Metroid, and Punch-Out!!
But it is a bit surprising that some great third-party games are included as well. That includes Final Fantasy, Mega Man 2, Tecmo Bowl, Ninja Gaiden, Super C (the sequel to Contra), and the first two Castlevania games. Here is the full lineup, along with links to reviews and gameplay videos of some of them:
- Balloon Fight
- Bubble Bobble
- Castlevania (review)
- Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
- Donkey Kong
- Donkey Kong Jr.
- Double Dragon II: The Revenge (review)
- Dr. Mario (review)
- Excitebike (review)
- Final Fantasy
- Galaga
- Ghosts N’ Goblins
- Gradius
- Ice Climber
- Kid Icarus
- Kirby’s Adventure (video)
- The Legend of Zelda (review)
- Mario Bros.
- Mega Man 2 (review)
- Metroid (review)
- Ninja Gaiden (review)
- Pac-Man
- Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
- StarTropics (review)
- Super C (review)
- Super Mario Bros. (review)
- Super Mario Bros. 2 (review)
- Super Mario Bros. 3 (review)
- Tecmo Bowl (review) (video)
- Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
This is really a great lineup. It has a bunch of one-player classics, with several great two-player games as well. Maybe not all 30 are among the best NES games ever, but it is a very strong lineup and it has something for everyone.
It’s Not Perfect
The NES Classic Edition is a cool concept and a great value, but it’s certainly not perfect. My biggest complaint is the lack of a cartridge slot. If it could play actual NES carts, that would’ve been amazing. It truly would have been a new model of the NES. The top-loading NES I have doesn’t even support composite cables (only RF), so I really would have loved to get an HDMI compatible NES.
Also, there is no online play for any of the games. This isn’t particularly surprising, but it’s a feature that many NES fans would have truly loved. Also, since the game library is built-in, you won’t be getting more games for it beyond the 30 that are included.
Another minor complaint is that the controller is a replica of the original, rectangular NES controller as opposed to more comfortable “dog bone” model released later on. Here’s a picture that shows the difference between the two (from my controller collection page).
My Thoughts
When I first saw the news of this system, I thought it was joke. I didn’t just think it was a hoax, I was sure of it. But it’s real, and I was shocked. When I found out it didn’t have a cart slot, I couldn’t picture myself buying it, even though it was certainly a cool thing to see Nintendo making. I own an NES already, along with one-third of the games in the list above.
But then I thought about it some more. Ninja Gaiden and the original Legend of Zelda are games that I’ve enjoyed in the past, but don’t currently own. And Final Fantasy and Zelda II (and a few others) are games that I’ve always wanted to try. This gives me a perfect excuse to finally add those games to my collection, and have a cool collectible mini system as well.
While this probably won’t become anyone’s primary gaming system, it would be a great thing to hook up to a second TV–especially where visiting friends or family could easily play it without having to deal with a bunch of carts. Whether you’re nostalgic for the old classics, or just want to get a taste of the NES era you may have missed on, this would make a good addition to your collection. I’m looking forward to it.