Platform: 3DS
Time played: 45 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10
I decided to try all the free NES games Nintendo gave early 3DS buyers. I played Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, Metroid, NES Open Tournament Golf, Yoshi, Wrecking Crew, Ice Climber, Balloon Fight and Donkey Kong Jr.
In SMB, I reached the 8th world through secret pipe warps but died from a bottomless pit. I played Zelda for a while, got a sword and bomb but couldn't find anything else of interest. Zelda II is actually really interesting but I couldn't find a candle to progress into the dark caves. Metroid is playable but has aged badly, the fact that the arm cannon only shoots about 6 feet in front of Samus is a real pain in the ass.
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| North American gaming was reborn with the NES |
NES Open Tournament Golf actually held my attention for a while. It's obvious that it's a newer game. It looks miles better than stuff like Metroid and Zelda. It also plays quite nicely for an old as fuck golf game. Wrecking Crew is absolutely awful and is not fun. Yoshi is pretty good as a simple puzzle game. I seem to remember playing a LOT of this game at some point. I think it may have been in Animal Crossing on Gamecube where you could win NES games for your little man's house.
Ice Climber and Balloon Fight feel like arcade games and both of them still hold up pretty well. My girlfriend loves Ice Climber for some reason. Balloon Fight controls well and has a simple concept. I can see myself booting this one up when I have a few extra minutes. Lastly, DK Jr. seems like complete and utter garbage but I have to try it again.
I'm glad Nintendo gave us these free games. While some of them suck, there are enough good games here to make it worthwhile. Now, when are we going to get our GBA games?
