Introduction Nintendo released Dr. Mario on the NES and Game Boy on the same day in 1990, casting Mario as a doctor fighting an outbreak of red, yellow and blue viruses inside a medicine bottle. Two-coloured megavitamin capsules fall into the bottle, and the player rotates and positions them so that four or more of…
Introduction Konami released Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest for the Famicom Disk System in Japan in 1987 and on NES cartridge in North America in 1988. Seven years after defeating Dracula, Simon Belmont discovers he carries a deadly curse, and the only way to lift it is to find the five scattered parts of Dracula’s body…
Introduction Battletoads & Double Dragon was developed by Rare and published by Tradewest in 1993, a crossover that brought together two of the best-known beat ’em up names on the NES. The Dark Queen has teamed up with the Shadow Boss, leader of the Shadow Warriors, and their giant spaceship, the Colossus, is threatening Earth….
Introduction Konami released Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse in Japan in December 1989 and in North America the following year. It is a prequel set centuries before the first game, starring Trevor Belmont, an ancestor of Simon, who is called upon to stop Dracula when the count’s forces overrun Wallachia. Where Castlevania II had experimented with…
Introduction Snow Bros. was created by Toaplan as a 1990 arcade game and brought to the NES in 1991, with Capcom handling publishing duties for the home release. Players control Nick and Tom, two snowmen on a mission to rescue a pair of princesses from a demon king, and the core idea is simple but…
Introduction Baseball Stars was developed and published by SNK, released for the NES in 1989 as a home console entry in the same series behind the arcade original and its Baseball Stars 2 sequel, bringing SNK’s team-building take on baseball to a wider console audience. Players can create and customize a team, allocating stat points…
Introduction 8 Eyes was developed by Thinking Rabbit and published by Taxan, released for the NES in 1990 as an action-platformer following a knight named Orin traveling to eight castles across Europe to recover jeweled orbs stolen by a corrupt duke, accompanied by a trained falcon that assists in combat. Players wield a sword for…
Introduction Adventures of Lolo 2 was developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo, released for the NES in 1990 as a sequel to the original Adventures of Lolo, continuing its single-screen puzzle format where Lolo must collect all heart framers on a stage while avoiding or manipulating monsters to open a path to the…
Introduction Arkanoid II: Revenge of DOH was developed and published by Taito, released for the NES in 1988 as a direct sequel to the original Arkanoid, continuing the Vaus spacecraft’s brick-breaking mission against the resurgent alien force DOH. It expands on the original’s formula with new stage layouts, additional power-up capsules, and boss encounters against…
Introduction A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia was developed by Absolute Entertainment and published by Konami’s overseas arm INTV, released for the NES in 1989 as a puzzle-platformer built around a unique companion mechanic rather than combat. Players control a young boy who can feed different flavored jellybeans to his shapeshifting alien companion,…
Introduction A Nightmare on Elm Street was published by LJN and developed by Rare, released for the NES in 1990 as a licensed adaptation of Wes Craven’s horror franchise, tasking players with controlling a group of Elm Street teenagers who must find and destroy Freddy Krueger’s bones before he can kill them in their dreams….
Introduction Donkey Kong Classics was developed and published by Nintendo, released for the NES in 1988 as a two-in-one compilation bundling faithful home ports of the original 1981 arcade Donkey Kong alongside its 1982 sequel Donkey Kong Jr. Rather than adding new content, the compilation’s value was in preserving both arcade classics accurately on a…