I'd like to introduce a new feature here on Console Glory, it's called 3-2-1 Launch! In this feature I'm going to revisit all of the launch titles from various consoles of the past. I'll offer up my own personal thoughts and I'll weave in some trivia, videos, and other fun stuff. I'll also tell you how well I did on my playthrough in case you want to see how well you stack up against me! So without any further ado, here are my thoughts on the NES launch titles.
Baseball
Of the four sports titles released for the NES at launch, Baseball is probably my favorite. Even by today's standards this is still a fun, basic little baseball sim that has enough going on with it to keep you engaged for a game or two. In fact, were it not for a couple of fatal flaws I could see myself PAYING to download this from the 3DS eShop. The two main problems with this game are: A) aside from where they throw the ball, you have no control of your fielders when playing defense, and B) the base running controls are horrible when you are batting. Despite these flaws the game is still playable, and the simple fun of the pitching and batting kept me engaged throughout my playthrough. In fact, the game I played came down to the wire and I ended up losing to the computer by a score of 6-5 in a battle that saw me pitching out of a bases loaded, no out situation and jacking a three run homer to bring me within one. If the controls had been a bit tighter I might have made up that run with some savvy base running, but alas!
Is it worth playing again? Yeah, once or twice. It might be a little more fun to play against a friend as at least you'll both have the disadvantage of the crappy fielding and running controls.
Ice Climber
While it may seem fun initially, this game is actually pretty bad. It's not a horrible concept (a platformer where you climb a mountain while collecting goodies and avoiding bad guys) but the execution is just shoddy. The main problem I have with it is the controls, specifically the jumping. Because of the game's strange physics and collision detection, it is VERY difficult to time and land your jumps. I'll stop short of calling the game broken, but it's made way more difficult because of its nebulous controls. I made it to level 6 during my playthrough and I consider it a miracle that I made it that far.
Is it worth playing again? Meh, I can't see any reason to recommend it.
So yeah, this is a fairly solid early golf game. There's not a whole lot here to experience but I was impressed by the number of things in this game that you still see in the golf games of today. It uses a three click swing mechanic and a "power/accuracy" meter that will remind you of Hot Shots Golf or some of the earlier Tiger Woods titles. In fact, according to Wikipedia this is the first golf video game to include those now standard features! Sadly though, there's only one 18-hole course to be played in this game and no tournament, match, or skins play. It's playable alright, but the lack of features makes it tough to recommend. I ended up shooting +17 for the round which is not so bad considering the fact that I haven't touched this game in around 20 years. Hell, if I played that well in real life I'd be out on the course right now working on my swing!
Is it worth playing again? Not really. There's just not enough here. Try the superior pseudo-sequel NES Open Tournament Golf for a more fleshed out and enjoyable NES golf experience.
Kung Fu
This game is actually pretty crazy because it holds the distinction of being an arcade port that's BETTER on the NES! There are very few NES arcade ports that you can say that about regardless of when they were released, but it's especially impressive to see this kind of quality in a launch title. The graphics are not as good as its arcade counterpart of course, but the controls are WAY tighter and the game is far more playable as a result. I managed to make it all the way through the game once on my first playthrough, but I was defeated by the boomerang boss when I faced him the second time.
Is it worth playing again? Totally. This is a great game for score players, and speaking of scores, mine was 185,410.
UPDATE: In further researching this game I came to find out that it is actually based on a movie starring the one and only Jackie Chan. Known in Japan as Spartan X and in the US as Wheels on Meals (yeah, you read that right), the plot of the game and movie are remarkably similar. Who knew? Another interesting fact: the lead designer of this game, one Takashi Nishiyama, also created the arcade classic Moon Patrol and the original Street Fighter before moving on to SNK where he created the popular Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting franchises.
Tennis
I actually dig this tennis game. Like the other sports titles it's rather spartan when it comes to graphics and features, but the mechanics behind it are solid enough. There's a singles mode designed for single player games and a doubles mode that allows you and a friend to play together against computer opponents. That is to say, there's no option to play head-to-head against another player. That's fairly lame, but the good news is that, unlike in 10-Yard Fight, the computer opponent actually presents a challenge. When I played singles mode on skill level 3 (of 5) the computer beat me handily in straight sets. At least, I think that's the proper way to say that I got the crap kicked out of me! Still, the game plays well and I had fun with it despite my crushing defeat.
Is it worth playing again? Sure! It's pretty fun as a single player experience, but I can't vouch for the doubles mode. Seems like it would be a little chaotic and not worth the effort.
Clu Clu Land
I've never really played much of this offbeat, action oriented puzzler. I tried it a few times back in the 80's but it didn't really grab me. The concept behind it is not terribly difficult to grasp but it has a unique control scheme that I never quite got the hang of . You play as a fish named Bubbles who must "swim" through grid-like stages uncovering gold ingots while fending off evil sea urchins. As it turns out, the real challenge of the game isn't the enemies, it's the tricky way that Bubbles swims about. Once you get going, the only way to change direction is to grab a post and swing around it. The timing needed to grab the correct posts and let them go so that you end up going in the direction you want is challenge enough, but when you throw in enemies and obstacles this shit gets pretty hard! I ended up playing a few times, and even though I wasn't able to make it past the fourth stage I still enjoyed it more than I ever have. It's challenging, sure, but I'm intrigued now that I understand the flow of the game. I might actually have to play it a bit more.
Is it worth playing again? Absolutely. It's control scheme might not feel intuitive at first, but give it a shot, it might grow on you. If you're a puzzle fan and you have an opportunity to play this, don't pass it up.
Gyromite
I love this game. Always have. Designed to be played with the R.O.B. robot peripheral, it ended up being one of only two games made to work with that bizarre contraption. I actually owned the R.O.B. accessory and I think that I set it up to play this game exactly ONCE. The whole thing was basically a Rube Goldberg-style gizmo that ...wait for it... PUSHED THE BUTTONS ON THE SECOND CONTROLLER!! Oh and it sucked batteries, too. Yes, R.O.B. was a Trojan Horse designed to lure U.S. gamers out of the doldrums that caused the video game crash of 1983, but the ploy worked beautifully and the fact is that this puzzle/platformer is well made and it's STILL incredibly fun to play. Hell, it even has cool music! But Nick...how can I play this game if I don't have a NES with a Robotic Operating Buddy? Simple. Hold those two rectangular NES controllers together (like one long controller) and you can easily do R.O.B.'s job better than he ever could! Seriously, this is a great game and I had a blast playing it again. During my playthrough I managed to make it to level 22 which isn't too shabby considering it's been at least a decade since I last played this.
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| Booyah! |
Is it worth playing again? Absolutely. In fact, Gyromite is probably my favorite of the NES launch titles.
10-Yard Fight
Ah.. American football, the sport of drug addicts, murderers, and dog killers! I remember owning this game back in the day and it's just as unimpressive now as it was back then. It works alright as a rudimentary football simulator, but there's really nothing here beyond the basics. No real teams, no play calling, no league or tournament play... hell, there's barely any MUSIC to be heard in this game. There's a two-player mode that lets you go head to head against a friend, and that's good because the computer doesn't put up much of a defensive effort. All you have to do to win is hike the ball, dump it off to the side of the field that has the least coverage, and head for the sideline. You'll rack up the TDs and chew up the clock. Easy as pie! For my playthrough I chose to start off at the "professional" difficulty. I'll admit that the computer was able to score on its opening drive, but after I got my bearings I was able to completely dominate the proceedings. After winning my "professional" match I was next pitted against a "playoff" level team, and after handily winning that one I was in the Super Bowl! Two wins and straight to the big show! The Super Bowl was no more challenging than the other two games and I ended up winning by a score of 21-0. I was hoping for some kind of fanfare, like maybe a pixelated image of a trophy, but all I got was the same message I had received after my previous two games: "YOUR ARE ON THE WAY TO THE SUPER BOWL!!" Excuse me? I thought I just won the Super Bowl?! As it turns out, the world of 10-Yard Fight hits a time loop once you win the big game. You can keep replaying it as many times as you want but it never gets any more challenging and the game never acknowledges your amazing string of consecutive Super Bowl victories. Bullshit!
It is worth playing again? NO! If you want football on the NES you gotta go with Tecmo Bowl.
Mach Rider
This was kind of an ambitious game for a launch title, and as such I give it a modicum of credit for attempting to blend multiple genres and for offering the player something of a customizable experience. When we set these good intentions aside however, we're left with a pretty crappy game. Mach Rider is similar to Roadblasters or Spy Hunter in that it is a combination driving sim/shooter. Set in the distant future of 2112, you take control of a souped up combat motorcycle and hit the highways in an effort to thwart an alien invasion. I can't figure out exactly why aliens would choose to infest the interstate or why they would drive ATVs as they did so, but such is the dystopian future world of Mach Rider. This game is seriously tough. I made it past the first stage easily enough, but after that things get exponentially more difficult. The alien ATVs become more and more aggressive and the road becomes littered with boulders and oil slicks. Honestly, why would you send someone on a motorcycle into such a harsh environment? You'd be much better off with some kind of armored all-terrain vehicle. Anyway, this game has horrible, flickery graphics, the controls are atrocious, and it's just way more difficult and unpleasant as a result. But hey, the title song is kind of cool.
Is it worth playing again? Hell no. This game sucks ass.
Donkey Kong Jr. Math
I can't believe that there weren't more games in the NES "Education Series" what with this SUPER SHITTY title leading the charge. Good GOD this game is bad! It's slower than Hell and I couldn't even really tell what I was supposed to be doing. Stay away!
Pinball
I tend to enjoy video pinball games. In fact, it's probably accurate to say that this was the very game that piqued my interest in the genre. It's a rudimentary affair by today's standards, but it's entertaining nonetheless. Two screens, bonus games, decent retro sound effects...I can dig it. I had a horrible first game, losing all my chances within the first three minutes, but during my second playthrough I got to 100,000 points on my first ball and the flippers disappeared! My final score was 145,520.
Is it worth playing again? Absolutely. It's not the most sophisticated video pinball simulation, but it still holds up reasonably well.
Wrecking Crew
I remember being rather disappointed by this game when I first played it back in the day. It's a platform puzzler starring Mario that casts him in the role of a demolition expert. Each vertically scrolling stage is a building which you must clear by using a hammer to knock down walls while avoiding anthropomorphic wrenches and eggplants(?!) Mario's limited moveset (he can't jump!) makes it so that one must determine the optimal order in which to destroy objects. For example, if you destroy a ladder too quickly you may render a section of the stage unreachable and thus be unable to finish the level. When I was a kid, I think that my beef with it was the puzzle elements. Back then I simply had no taste for games like this. These days I rather enjoy puzzlers, and as such I had a great time playing this again.
Is it worth playing again? Yes. Well made puzzle games never truly go out of style! There's not much variety in the gameplay, graphics, or music, but it's a solid concept that has held up well.
Excitebike
I have a vivid memory of playing this game for the first time with my father at a burger joint near where I grew up. It was right around the time that the NES was launching in the US and I remember telling him that I really wanted this game for Christmas. He told me that he'd gladly buy the game for me if that's what I wanted.
"There's only one problem," I said, "I don't have the system it plays on yet."
"Well," he said, "I think we'll be able to figure something out."
I was over the moon at that because I knew then that I would be getting a NES for Christmas that year!
Anyway, the NES version of Excitebike is fairly similar to the arcade version except that with the NES version your could design your own tracks. Other NES launch games allowed you to design custom stages, but unlike the level editors in Wrecking Crew and Mach Rider, I actually got some use out of this one. Sadly, there was no way to save your tracks and they would be lost as soon as you turned off the power, but it was actually pretty fun to design courses a pass the controller back and forth with your friends.
During this playthrough I managed to make it to track 4 before I missed the cut. I'll tel you one thing, I was MUCH better at this game back in the day! This is't the kind of game that you can dominate right out of the gate. It takes practice to perfect the timing and rhythm needed to swiftly make your way across the finish line.
Is it worth playing again? Yeah, this is still a nice little game. It's rather spartan when it comes to features and modes, and the learning curve can be a bit steep, but I think that this game could appeal to a new generation of gamers raised on bite sized iPhone racing games.
Super Mario Bros.
I decided to do a speedrun through this game just to see how far I could make it going as fast as I could without collecting 1UPs or warping. It's sad to say, but I only made it to world 4-1. I probably would have made it much further back in the day. Anyway, this is still a good game, but I definitely don't have the same love and reverence for it that I once had and that many still do.
Is it worth playing again? I guess. It's fairly played out for me at this point, but it is a total classic.
Duck Hunt/Hogan's Alley/Wild Gunman
Well, the truth is that even though I have a NES Zapper light gun, I not longer have a CRT television set. The Zapper won't work with an HDTV so I couldn't play these games. Instead, I'll hit you with some trivia about each game:
- You CAN shoot that annoying laughing dog from Duck Hunt, but only in a bonus round in the arcade version of the game. Here's a short video with proof!
- Hogan's Alley is named for a real place. The original Hogan's Alley was part of a special marksmanship training school in Ohio that was active during the years between WWI and WWII. The Hogan's Alley of today is located at the FBI training facility in Quantico, Virginia. It consists of a street with a bank, a post office, a laundromat, a hotel, a barber shop, a pool hall, homes, shops, and more.
- The original version of Wild Gunman was an arcade title from 1974 that featured full motion video of a wild west gunslinger. In 1978, filmmaker named Craig Baldwin made an experimental film using footage from the original game. Here is a clip from that film that gives you a pretty good idea of how the game was played.
So there we have it! The NES was a great system that actually had a fair number of solid launch titles here in the US. I'll say that I've never enjoyed Pinball or Wrecking Crew more in my life than I did while playing them again for this article, but my top game of the bunch has to be Gyromite with Kung Fu coming in a close second. I know it sounds crazy, but I just really enjoyed the solid puzzle platforming, the bouncy music, and the well balanced challenge that it offers. See you next time when I tackle the launch titles of the Sega Master System!
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