Tag Archives: NES

Saturday morning, the controller is free, and you would quite like to finish something before Monday. Scrooge McDuck has treasure to find, the turtles have another appointment with Shredder, and Samus is about to land somewhere that deserves a few uninterrupted hours. There are plenty of excellent games waiting behind familiar titles, with adventures small enough to fit around an actual weekend. Some of these picks make an evening of it. Golden… Read more

A talking fish wants answers. A silver-and-blue superhero is sprinting through traffic because somebody needs a Pepsi. Somewhere else, a cucumber is trying to rescue a tomato from a pumpkin. The controller is ordinary enough; the jobs it has been given are considerably less so. And that is before the zombie outbreak that can only be stopped by typing quickly. Some of these games make their first impression before you have touched… Read more

  Released in North America on 09 October 1988, Super Mario Bros. 2 took everything we thought we knew about Mario and threw it out the window. No more stomping enemies. Now we were pulling vegetables out of the ground, throwing bad guys around, and choosing between Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Peach, each with their own abilities.   And I loved it.   Super Mario Bros. 2 will always have a… Read more

Before walkthroughs were a click away, Nintendo had people you could call. Meet the game counselors, explore their secret maps, and follow the hotline from its NES beginnings to its last recorded tips—with a small memory of my dad, Dark Link and a call around 1989–1990. Read more

Before the first bullet, before the jungle, before anybody could blame the other player for scrolling the screen too far, there was a little ceremony. Someone picked up the Nintendo controller and pressed Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Then Start. If they had done it properly, Contra became a considerably more generous host. The guns still killed you. The pits still killed you. The alien infestation was… Read more

The rainbow was small enough to miss on a video-store shelf. Marty McFly's face was not. Neither was Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, or Spider-Man. You went in with five dollars and a weekend to fill; the box supplied a movie you already loved. By Sunday night, you might be wondering why Marty spent so much time collecting clocks in the street. For millions of players, that was the LJN experience: a famous… Read more

Is It Illegal to Play Emulated Nintendo Games? If you've ever wanted to relive classic games like Super Mario Bros., Super Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, or Zelda: Ocarina of Time using an emulator, you're definitely not alone. Emulation has become one of the most popular ways to revisit older games, especially as original hardware becomes more expensive, harder to maintain, and increasingly inconvenient to connect to… Read more

NintendulatorNRS (2026/08/16) is a newly released Famicom/NES emulator for Windows, including support for VRT chipsets. This emulator is a fork of the original Nintendulator by Quietust and is maintained by NewRisingSun, offering extensive compatibility for various games. You can download the latest version from the provided source. NintendulatorNRS (2026/08/16) has been released. NintendulatorNRS is an emulator for the Famicom/NES (and its derivatives, like the VRT chipsets) designed for Windows. It is a… Read more

NintendulatorNRS (released on September 4, 2025) is a Windows emulator for Famicom/NES and its derivative VRT chipsets. This fork of the original Nintendulator, created by Quietust, is maintained by NewRisingSun and features extensive compatibility. The latest version, NintendulatorNRS (2025/11/02), is available for download. NintendulatorNRS (2025/09/04) has been released. NintendulatorNRS is an emulator for the Famicom/NES (including derivatives like the VRT chipsets) designed for Windows. It is a modified version of Nintendulator (originally… Read more

When Nintendo’s Punch-Out!! arcade game first emerged in 1984, it introduced a roster of wild, tongue-in-cheek characters. Among them was a hulking Russian fighter whose rough appearance and drinking gag made him especially memorable. In the arcade version of Super Punch-Out!!, he was known as Vodka Drunkenski, and yes — he drank a bottle of vodka between rounds. But when Punch-Out!! was brought to the NES, Nintendo of America made a key… Read more

The Streets Call for Heroes The year was 1987, and the arcade was still the epicenter of gaming culture. Kids poured their quarters into brightly lit cabinets, chasing high scores and showing off their skills to crowds of strangers who quickly became friends or rivals. The genre that captured much of that energy was the beat ’em up, a style of game where combat unfolded in scrolling stages filled with street gangs,… Read more

There are games that stay with us because they were groundbreaking, revolutionary, and unforgettable in the history of the medium. But there are also games that stay with us for a much simpler reason: because of who we played them with. For me, two games stand above all the rest in terms of the bond I shared with my dad. The first was The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link,… Read more

Before Resident Evil, There Was Sweet Home When you think of survival horror, chances are your mind jumps straight to Resident Evil. Released in 1996 on the PlayStation, it defined the genre with its tense atmosphere, limited resources, and unforgettable scares. But what many fans do not know is that Resident Evil owes its existence to a little-known NES game from Japan called Sweet Home. Released in 1989, Sweet Home was based… Read more

In the world of retro gaming, few titles carry the cultural weight of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! Released in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the game exploded in popularity thanks to the inclusion of boxing legend Mike Tyson. As the unbeatable final boss, Tyson brought credibility and star power that few games could match. What began as a $40 cartridge eventually became one of the most iconic and valuable collectibles in… Read more

Sonic the Hedgehog Vol. 2: The Blue Blur Races onto the NES Introduction In the realm of retro gaming, few ROM hacks have generated as much buzz as Sonic the Hedgehog Vol. 2 for the NES. This impressive modification, based on the notorious Somari the Adventurer, replaces the Mario-Sonic hybrid protagonist with Sega's true Blue Blur. Released in 2023, this hack breathes new life into a curious piece of gaming history, offering a polished and… Read more

Dedicated Fan Amasses 1000 Copies of Dragon Warrior on NES, and the Quest Continues In a remarkable display of passion and commitment, a devoted fan of the classic Enix JRPG, Dragon Warrior (known as Dragon Quest in Japan), has achieved an incredible milestone by collecting 1000 copies of the game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The individual behind this extraordinary feat, known as Ferris Bueller, is the current owner of The Unorthadox Dragon Warrior Collection. The Origins of the Collection… Read more

Disclaimer: My father, disconnected from the internet in many ways, will most likely never read this. And that is OK. On a frost-touched morning in December 1987, nestled beneath the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, a gift unwrapped would forge an unbreakable bond between a father and his child, a Nintendo NES. This is the tale of that bond, a story woven through the fabric of fantasy, adventure, and the shared… Read more

Blowing the Dust Off: The Truth Behind the Nintendo Cartridge Ritual   For decades, gamers around the world have sworn by a seemingly magical fix for glitchy Nintendo game cartridges: blowing into them. Despite Nintendo's own warnings that this practice could actually harm the delicate circuitry, many have felt the satisfying click of a cartridge that only started working post-puff. But what is the truth? Did blowing into those cartridges really make… Read more

Retro Review: Abadox – The Deadly Inner War In 1990, Natsume released a title for the Nintendo Entertainment System that would become known for its blend of grotesque visual flair and approachable gameplay: "Abadox – The Deadly Inner War." This side-scrolling shooter takes players on a perilous journey through the guts of a colossal alien organism that has consumed an entire planet, including its orbiting space colony. Gameplay and Difficulty "Abadox" is… Read more

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for NES - An Underwater Challenge of Epic Proportions The 1989 NES classic, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," brought the pizza-loving, crime-fighting reptiles from the sewers of New York City to the screens of eager gamers everywhere. While this title brought a lot of joy, it also brought immense challenge, particularly the notorious water level that tested the patience and skill of many. A Test of Turtle Power The… Read more

Ninja Gaiden for NES - A Test of Skill with a Story to Tell In the pantheon of NES classics, "Ninja Gaiden" stands out as a shining example of storytelling prowess and gameplay that tests the limits of even the most skilled gamers. Released in 1988, this action-packed platformer introduced players to Ryu Hayabusa, a ninja on a quest to avenge his father's death and uncover the mysteries of a cursed artifact.… Read more

This was our first time doing a game in a while. it was recommended by a friend and lots of fun. LifeForce Review: A Classic NES Shmup That Still Thrills The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) has a legendary lineup of games that helped define the tastes and gaming sensibilities of a generation. Among those classics, we find LifeForce, known in Japan as Salamander, a side-scrolling shooter that's both a spin-off and a standalone title… Read more

Retro Review: Dragon Warrior II – A Childhood Quest Fulfilled on the NES The 8-bit era of gaming was a time of simple pleasures and immense imaginations, where games like "Dragon Warrior II" for the NES captured the hearts of many young adventurers. As a sequel to the venerable "Dragon Warrior," this game promised a grander adventure and delivered a world that was not just a step but a leap beyond its… Read more

Retro Review: Revisiting Dreamland with "Little Nemo: The Dream Master" As a child of eight, tucked away in the comforting confines of Aunt Kelly's house, I encountered a game that would become etched in my memory: "Little Nemo: The Dream Master" for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Fast forward to today, and the nostalgia could not be more palpable as I dust off this 8-bit gem and take another dive into the… Read more

      Retro Review: Spiraling Back to "Gyruss" on the NES My first encounter with "Gyruss" for the Nintendo Entertainment System was in the early '90s at a friend's house—Frank Thomas was the name—and it's a gaming session I remember fondly. Fast forward to today, and with a mix of nostalgia and determination, I've revisited this classic shooter, finally seeing the ending that eluded me as a kid. A Tube Shooter… Read more