“Being late to the party” is the new “ahead of the curve.” Or am I just making an excuse for having no clue that these epic Nintendo classics became available back in 2020 and I just now found them? It’s not for a lack of visiting the eShop and buying new Nintendo Switch games. But what I can say is that just a few months ago there seemed to be a huge digital storefront makeover and the “Nintendo Classics” emulators took over my shopping experience. So I did what their redesign was intended for. I downloaded their featured product. And the rest has been history!
The excitement behind playing these NES classics is everlasting. I do still have my original NES (I believe we got it around 1991?) and it does still work. It now requires an HDMI adapter and the graphics are horrifying. So we’ll just keep that in a safe place and simply turn on the NES emulator on the Switch.
Let’s talk about some of the classics available to play on the emulator today, as well as some other favorites I remember from childhood.
Super Mario Bros.
Where it all began. Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I actually remember playing this on an arcade cabinet first and then asking my mom for the game. Which of course, you had to buy the NES console to get the game.
When you beat the game, you played through again. This time however, the Goombas changed to “bonbons.” It was only about 10 or so years ago now, but I have beaten this game!
Super Mario Bros. is available on the NES Classics emulator! Also available, the “Lost Levels” edition of the game.
Duck Hunt
Time to bust out the Zapper because it’s time to play Duck Hunt. How revolutionary. Not only can you hunt ducks from the comfort of your living room, but also go clay shooting!
The competition between my friends and me was testing the maximum distance from the TV we could shoot ducks.
Dr. Mario
A lot like Tetris, but with a twist. Dr. Mario is a match-4 style game with the goal to eliminate viruses resting in a pill jar. Easy. Funny enough, just played this the other night and I completely forgot the whole concept of eliminating the viruses. But don’t you worry, I still won the match.
Dr. Mario (and Tetris) are available on the NES Classics emulator!
Beetlejuice
An odd-ball of a game but a good one at that. Beetlejuice is a side-scroller and a top-down, mixing it up a bit throughout gameplay. The music is super creepy, as are some of the graphics. And without a cheat magazine, kind of hard to grasp! But nonetheless, I played for endless hours and applaud the developers for sticking to the whole Beetlejuice theme appropriately.
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2 brought a unique twist to the original Mario game. This particular version gives the player the ability to choose which character to play. The trick being, each player has different abilities so you need to be strategic in which player you select before each level. This is when the game magazines came in handy.
I remember finally beating this game and being so disappointed in the ending. Spoiler Alert: It’s all a dream.
Super Mario Bros. 2 is available on the NES Classics emulator!
Snoopy’s Silly Sports Spectacular!
Not one of the most popular games by any stretch. But Snoopy’s Silly Sports Spectacular! is one of those games that I never owned, but probably rented from the video store over a dozen times. It has about six different Olympic-style events to compete in. I remember specifically the boot throwing event, and how sore my left thumb would get from doing circles on the D-pad. Like, almost debilitating. That’s dedication.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3 going back to the gameplay roots of the Mario franchise. But this time, Player 1 and Player 2 alternate turns. No more waiting for your friend to die before you get to play. With all new power-ups available, secret levels, and little easter eggs, this version of Mario on the NES is the best.
Back before the internet, we either had video game magazines for cheat codes, or we had to make our own cheat cards.
This is an example of the time and energy spent but paid off nicely! However, I still to this day have not beat this game.
Super Mario Bros. 3 is available on the NES Classics emulator!
Yo! Noid
Yo! Noid is a whacky video game starring the Domino’s pizza mascot, hired to stop chaos amongst New York City. His reward? Pizza.
The only memories I have of this game is playing it at the neighbor’s house. But we spent so many hours playing it. It sure was a blast. “Avoid the Noid!”
World Class Track Meet
The game that launched with the Nintendo Power Pad, World Class Track Meet. Another revolutionary piece of technology that basically got you moving while playing. Ahead of the times as we probably need this more now as a society, then we did back then.
But this sure was a whole lot of fun. And when you get tired of jumping around the living room? You can just sit on the floor and smack the pad with your hands. (Because we aren’t quitters.)
Mike Tyson’s Punch Out
Another game I solely remember playing at the same neighbor’s house, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out. But again, countless hours spent. We were pretty young but “knew” who Mike Tyson was. And this was before 1997 and the famous “bite heard around the world.” So it was still considered cool to play this game. Phew!
Interested in checking these out? Stay up to date on the latest games released to the Nintendo Classics emulators for the Switch and Switch 2, here. And as for the other classic consoles, stay tuned… I’ll touch on those at a later date. 😉