Nintendo Announces The Mini-NES, Will Play 30 Classic Games

[RYNO]

This is nothing but a big win for Nintendo. 30 great games, great price and portable... Sure many of us already have this games on Virtual console, in my case multiple times for myself and the kids via the Wii, Wii-U, three DS's, and so forth, but still, I'm going be all over this, and I can assume several other parents in the core age will be too. I find my kids having a hard time sometimes understanding and getting into the newest games due to the complex control scheme, and giving them the chance to learn the classics is smart. Not for them to see this like hotcakes, do a couple of more game versions, and then give us the SNES version we all are craving. lol

[RetroDefense]

Nintendo has a new features trailer up, showing off the selection menu, screen filters, and save system.

 

[RetroDefense]

Oh, and this is happening in Japan.  

 

[RetroDefense]

Some hands-on videos:

• GameXplain
• GameSpot

[kitsunebi]

Wow, the Japanese commercial is actually informative.  They even tell you what games you're getting.  I guess they figure Americans don't really care about that sort of detail or would rather research it themselves.

Here's the list of games on the Famicom mini for anyone not wanting to sit through the video:

• Donkey Kong
• Pac-Man
• Excitebike
• Balloon Fight
• Ice Climber
• Galaga
• Yie Ar Kung-Fu
• Super Mario Bros.
• The Legend of Zelda
• Atlantis no Nazo
• Gradius
• Makai Village (Ghosts n' Goblins in the US)
• Solomon's Key
• Metroid
• Castlevania
• Adventure of Link
• Bumping Sumo
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• Ninja Gaiden
• Mega Man 2
• River City Ransom
• Double Dragon Ⅱ The Revenge
• Super Tamashito Luo (Super C in the US)
• Final Fantasy Ⅲ
• Dr. Mario
• Downtown Nekketsu March Soreyuke
• Mario Open Golf
• Super Mario USA (Super Mario Bros. 2 in the US)
• Kirby's Adventure

I'm sort of shocked and amazed to see the only RPG is Final Fantasy III since a typical top-10 NES games of all time list in Japan is usually around 70% RPGs.  I guess Dragon Quest 1-4 are too valuable to include here, since they can probably make far more money selling them on other platforms.

[RetroDefense]

Wow, the Japanese commercial is actually informative.  They even tell you what games you're getting.  I guess they figure Americans don't really care about that sort of detail or would rather research it themselves.

 

The Famicom trailer is nearly five minutes long.  Americans don't have that kind of attention span.  

[te72]

 

 

Really hoping they do this with the Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 next....maybe the Virtual Boy

At first, I was gonna say, "surely you jest, VB?" and then I got to thinking... we have VR headsets now. Why not?

 

Planning on picking one of these mini NES's up for my birthday. Already have means of playing all these games and more, but I like the idea enough to support it. Have been saying for a few years now that they need to reproduce the original hardware, in semi-limited quantities, sell them for $50-100 a pop, just in time for the holidays. We all know they would sell every last one they made, provided they don't go completely overboard with production.

 

This, on the other hand... will likely sell even better than my desire to see original hardware remade. So, good luck Nintendo!

 

My fiancee also wants to pick up one of the mini- Famicoms, as she likes the color scheme and that the controllers have a nice little place to sit, as with the original. I wanna know, can you blow onto the Famicom's controllers?

[kitsunebi]

At first, I was gonna say, "surely you jest, VB?" and then I got to thinking... we have VR headsets now. Why not?

 

Well, it's a bit less impressive when you've only got 14 games instead of 30 (since there were only 14 ever released to begin with), and most of them are crap instead of all of them being classics.

About the only appealing thing the Virtual Boy has going for it is its obscurity.  Take that away, and it becomes just as unappealing as it was back when it was on store shelves and everyone ignored it.

[twiztor]

Well, it's a bit less impressive when you've only got 14 games instead of 30 (since there were only 14 ever released to begin with), and most of them are crap instead of all of them being classics.

About the only appealing thing the Virtual Boy has going for it is its obscurity.  Take that away, and it becomes just as unappealing as it was back when it was on store shelves and everyone ignored it.

i've mentioned a number of times, thru a number of communication avenues, that Nintendo really should release a 3ds cartridge with all/most of the Virtual Boy library.

some of the games are actually pretty good (Wario Land, Jack Bros) and some are a cool novelty (Teleroboxer, Mario Clash). Sure, some are garbage (Waterworld) but why not?

[giorgaras]

I'm really digging this product, ESPECIALLY the controllers. While the Classic Controller is great, I can't wait to use them on my Wii to play my NES games on there. My prediction? The controllers will be harder to find than the systems!

I agree that thing will probably become scarce.

[consumer]

Nintendo should have done this a long time ago. Hopefully the to this with other Consoles would love to see an Snes with Super Ghouls and Ghosts, SimCity, Final Fantasy II, III, ChronoTrigger, Link to the Past, Mario-All Starts + Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Super Contra, and Super Castlevania 4. Tons of other great titles to add to the list, but that seems like enough.

[Alex1]

Nintendo should have done this a long time ago. Hopefully the to this with other Consoles would love to see an Snes with Super Ghouls and Ghosts, SimCity, Final Fantasy II, III, ChronoTrigger, Link to the Past, Mario-All Starts + Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Super Contra, and Super Castlevania 4. Tons of other great titles to add to the list, but that seems like enough.

 

I like the list. Probably too many 3rd party games. But who knows?

[tedart]

I like this idea. I can't help but think that unless they are going to do more with it, they could have put twice as many games on it? In these modern times?

[tedart]

Nintendo should have done this a long time ago. Hopefully the to this with other Consoles would love to see an Snes with Super Ghouls and Ghosts, SimCity, Final Fantasy II, III, ChronoTrigger, Link to the Past, Mario-All Starts + Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Super Contra, and Super Castlevania 4. Tons of other great titles to add to the list, but that seems like enough.

I like your list. I would just like to add Secret of Mana, Soul Blazer, Actraiser, Blackthorne, Turtles In Time, and Gradius III, but those are all 3rd parties and I know that won't happen.

[consumer]

No doubt more could have, and should have, been done--and sooner too.  Regardless, at least something was done and the mini-nes is a very nice step.  At least Nintendo is supplying a legitimate controller with a tight list of quality first party and 3rd party games that includes very little fluff.  It is true that if they were a little more interested in catering to their "base," (as the politicians say) then they may have considered almost doubling that games list, including ne'er English released Japanese titles (translated, of course) and making the library expandable.  Oh well.  I will probably buy one anyways to indulge when I visit my girlfriend on weekends and she has to work.  I don't tell her what I do during those hours of course.  She doesn't need to know about me and the NES, so try to keep it on the DL .  Thanks!

[te72]

If Nintendo releases an SNES version with Yoshi's Island on it, they will sell at the very least, one, to us.

 

As for not having the ability to expand the library, it's most likely for piracy reasons. I know plenty of us have played roms on various systems, for various reasons, but it's a smart move on the big N's part to keep the system locked down. NEO GEO X anyone? Even look at the DS... both had extremely easy to pirate setups, and it likely worked to the detriment of the manufacturers.

[mmacl]

I'm really looking forward to this. 30 8-bit classics (some of rhe best), in HD, with save state, using original NES controllers? YES PLEASE!! The "playing with power" book looks like a great sidekick for this also!

[fousekis]

It has been Sold out in my country.Online Sites sell it as high as 1100€ :/

[lepkeleh]

It has been Sold out in my country.Online Sites sell it as high as 1100€ :/

Try amazon online and elsewhere, in Europe they will ship at prices of maybe 150 max. Or get the famicom mini instead, much better

[kitsunebi]

Or get the famicom mini instead, much better

 

That sort of misses the point though.  This isn't really about the games.  Most people around here already own  most of those, and they can all be easily emulated on a number of platforms.

It's mainly about the hardware itself and the nostalgic feels that come from seeing the system you grew up with in bite-size form.  It's cute, it's cool, it makes people happy just looking at it.  But unless you grew up with the Famicom, getting the Famicom Mini just isn't going to have that same sense of nostalgic appeal.  Though I could see a collector wanting to get both.

[lepkeleh]

That sort of misses the point though.  This isn't really about the games.  Most people around here already own  most of those, and they can all be easily emulated on a number of platforms.

It's mainly about the hardware itself and the nostalgic feels that come from seeing the system you grew up with in bite-size form.  It's cute, it's cool, it makes people happy just looking at it.  But unless you grew up with the Famicom, getting the Famicom Mini just isn't going to have that same sense of nostalgic appeal.  Though I could see a collector wanting to get both.

Of course I get it and I agree with you but I don't know if the guy was nostalgic or one of many who buy one to play it for the first time and perhaps didn't even know it existed, personally Famicom was my first machine though and it is also more readily available currently. But right now checking amazon.co.uk they sell them as low as 120 the American mini NES and they do ship everywhere so I hope he got one.

On a side note I call it American NES because Nintendo JP Europe really dropped the ball on us here. Not one European title and then it has games like tecmo bowl, I personally found that to be a big let down and a real shame for us European fans.

[kitsunebi]

Well, the original NES was pretty much a failure in the UK (not sure about the rest of Europe), so maybe they figured there wasn't a significant enough nostalgia base to cater to that market. Out of curiosity, what European titles would you have liked to have been included?

[lepkeleh]

Well, the original NES was pretty much a failure in the UK (not sure about the rest of Europe), so maybe they figured there wasn't a significant enough nostalgia base to cater to that market. Out of curiosity, what European titles would you have liked to have been included?

I didn't know that about the UK In other parts of EU it was the biggest success of all while Sega and the competition was but a footnote and what was popular besides Nintendo was PC and Amiga.

As for other games, well first things first we have zero interest in an American football game for obvious reasons and we did have plenty of popular sports titles from football/soccer, F1 and World Cup to Ice Hockey. So if picking a sports game go with that perhaps something from Konami. You also had some European developed titles like Lion King or ports only released here like Devil World and versions of games that were different on European release like contra then more popular titles over here such as Faxanadu, Little Nemo, mega man 3, Turtles 2 Arcade.

And let us not forget New Ghostbusters 2, that didn't get released in America.

Bottom line, 3 main regions versions and audiences and only 2 mini editions was a bummer, and judging by sales of the thing in Europe (sold out everywhere from retail with a year waiting period currently,) I suspect they dropped the ball on that and if collecting it would have been real cool to have it.

[te72]

Makes me wonder how long Nintendo intends to keep making these. I mean, sure, they could have made 10x as many as they did, but then who would buy one next year? Perhaps this is a strategy to keep demand high... albeit a silly one, because they won't see any of the secondary market sales.

[twiztor]

Out of curiosity, what European titles would you have liked to have been included?

 

one of the best non-US released games for the system is reportedly "Mr. Gimmick". i haven't played it myself, but it gets nothing but praise so it should at least get some attention.

+1 for the mention of the non-US Contra, aka Probotector.

+2 for the Devil World reference. not a great game, but it WAS made by Nintendo, so i guess there's that....