The NES at 40: Seven ways it changed the gaming world forever
The NES at 40: Seven ways it changed the gaming world forever
Nintendo's 8-bit console casts an outsized shadow on the gaming world.
I've never played on the official NES, here in Brazil we had bootleg versions like this one
What is that system playing? Cause that's like a Genesis / MD controller
As I said, that's a bootlegged NES! look at that Ghostbusters cart on the right :)
And you're right, the controller looks like a Genesis one. But zoom enough on the pic and you'll see that where the 'C' button would be, it's actually the 'Start' button
NES is one I think is on the verge of "not holding up" vs SNES/Genesis where you can just release a game for it now and it would still do well for an indie.
Still, solid enough library. Favorite game is Jackal.
I dunno, there's so many great NES games with interesting mechanics, and totally hold up today. Stuff like the OG Mega Man series, Bionic Commando, Blaster Master, Castlevania (especially CV3), River City Ransom, Little Samson, Batman (Sunsoft version), Metal Storm, Double Dragon 2, Mighty Final Fight (IMO better than the original), Ninja Gaiden series, Contra, Tecmo Super Bowl, Shatterhand... list goes on.
There's a lot of great games for the system if you can look past the graphics. And there are still games being made either for it, or as homages. Stuff like Micro Mages (actual NES game that's also on Steam and it's great), Blazing Chrome (inspired by Contra/Contra 3), and stuff like Legend Bowl and Retro Bowl (retro inspired American football games), and The Messenger, which was Ninja Gaiden and Metroidvania inspired.
I'm always vaguely jealous that I missed out on NES culture first time around.
In the UK, consoles weren't really a big thing until the Megadrive and the SNES, and the NES seemed to be nowhere at all, at least where I grew up. A few people had Master Systems, but mostly it was Spectrums and C64s.
I'd see the NES in magazines occasionally, or in game ads in American comic books I got my hands on, and it always looked so cool.
In South Africa, we got the Famicom. I was young and not aware of any others until the Mega Drive. I don't even remember the SNES. Arcades ruled. Until the Gameboy and PS1
In the UK? Were 8-bit micro computers popular there instead? I missed out on all of those in being in the US!
Yeah, until about 1990... I'm not sure why, but I suspect it was because of the relative price of console games. It was a lot easier to swing 8 quid for a game than 30 quid for a NES game. Plus, there was an underlying delusion that parents were buying their kids a tool that could be used for learning if they bought a computer over a console.
Consoles were a niche thing that occupied a couple of pages in the multi-format magazines of the late 80s.
anyone around when it came out will remember the excitement of super mario twins
Shiggity shiggity shwa
They look the same!
I would say to them You want ice cream cone?
Both of them say yes
We need games to be more "gaming" and less "cinematographic, ultrarealistic movie".
38 technically (it's the Famicom that's 40)
You're right! I thought that too but didn't double check
the funny thing is this it's not the first article I've read about it this year, and tbf to them it's really hard to talk about how some of the games we love for the NES are turning 40 while the console itself is only 38
I'm sure for the marketing it's a lot better to be succinct with a title for the casual reader. Saying "The Famicom, the pre-cursor to the NES, turns 40: ... "
40, damn. I still have mine.