Comparing the 3 eras of the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System)
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- Опубликовано: 1 июл 2024
- PATREON ► / bigolewords
STREAMS ► Every Thursday 9pm EST here on RUclips
3 ERAS OF THE NES ►It's my turn to play @GamingHistorian with a breakdown of the Nintendo Entertainment System and how it's games can be separated into three time periods. Ittttt kinda took me forever to make, including completely losing all the footage 6 months ago, so I hope you enjoy it. YOU BETTER!
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CONTENTS OF THIS VIDEO
0:00 - Intro
0:31 - How Do We Compare NES Titles?
2:56 - The Early Era (1985 - 1987)
4:19 - The Middle Era (1988 - 1990)
6:22 - The Late Era (1991 - 1994)
8:09 - Comparing the Games of the 3 Eras
9:10 - Outro
Intro drawing by Ashley Anderson: pressstarttobegin.net/
After years of focusing on the best games for the NES, I decided to change gears and focus on lesser known cartridges that have, for one reason or another, generally escaped the public discussion and general nostalgia. This series highlights many of the relatively unknown, obscure, and unloved titles in the Nintendo Entertainment System's library. Some of these games are at best mediocre. Many are painfully bad, some of the worst NES games around. Most are hilarious for all the wrong reasons! Occasionally, OCCASIONALLY, a handful of them are actually good, borderline hidden gems.
While you won't find any of these on the NES Classic, some of these titles have managed to make their way onto the Nintendo Switch, so if you don't have an original Nintendo console or ROMs escape you ethically or technologically, there are several ways to play them.
Want more? Me too! Until then, lots of other articles where the pictures don't move and words have to be read can be found on my website(s):
top100nesgames.com
/ awinnerisyou
/ bigolewords
nes, nintendo, retro gaming, retro games, gaming, video games,
nes games, 8-bit, old school, nintendo entertainment system, famicom, family computer, 8-bit games, nintendo games, Nintendo gamer, 8-bit gaming, 8 bit, 8-bit gamer, 8-bit music, chiptune, chiptunes, retro gamer, 80s, 90s, 80s video games, 90s video games, game collecting, game collection, retro game collecting, retro game collection, game room tour, gaming tour, NES Hidden Gems, Bad NES Games, Funny NES Games, Nintendo Hidden gems, metroid, mario bros, legend of zelda, punch out, castlevania, mega man, battletoads, kirby, duck tales, metal gear, little samson, kickmaster 
Игры
My family didn't get an NES until 1993. Great thing was buying all the games secondhand and very cheap.
Y’all were doing it the right way!
That's how I've treated almost every system as an adult. For example, I didn't get a PS4 until a few months ago practically for free lol
It was great! We got a NES in 1994, and I remember renting games for $5 (AUD) weekly, and being able to play so many games.
I also remember in 1996, my dad bought a lot of NES games for just 10 bucks each, as they were by this point somewhat obsolete, so the perfect time to buy them very cheap. Now all those games are worth full price again, haha.
@@Andres33AU Amen. I'm Australian too BTW. Will always remember picking up Ufouria from Cash Converters for $5 because I had rented it and liked it. Wish I knew what I did now though, so many bargains would have passed me by.
@@goatbone Oh wow, Ufouria is such an awesome game, and 5 bucks! I too rented it back in the mid 90s, and loved it, but unfortunately never bought it until recently. Apparently it's rare, so the cartridge alone goes for 80 bucks! I managed to get it for 50, but I wish I bought more games back when they were going for really cheap.
It's a shame that the greatest NES games that pushed the systems' limits all came out when people stopped caring. They could've had the ultimate NES experience.
For sure. I often wonder what the best games would be if they’d all been released simultaneously.
i mean isn't that all consoles? developers learn the hardware, and for cartridges more advanced versions of stuff was on it, like the fx chips on the super Nintendo. I've been playing through heavenly sword recently and comapring that to the last of us on the ps3 shows how different games were on a mdoern disk based console.
@@gamagama69 nope, Halo 2 pushed the limits of the Xbox hardware and that came out mid lifespan
@@gamagama69 That's true. I just meant people stopped caring about the system during this time and most of these games became forgotten. With the super Nintendo and PS3, most people were aware of Last of Us and the FX chip games. Nowadays, people often flock back to the previous generation console to see what's in store, so at least games won't go under the radar like Little Samson did.
We really don't know how much more would have happened with all the hardware advances in mapper technology. The MMC5 mapper chip was a few notches below what a SNES could have done, but only a few games used it and most of those were released on the SNES. In Japan, Konami's VRC7 chip was almost a Sega Genesis game in power and sound, the NES probably could have kept going on the hardware mappers if they hadn't have needed to replace it with the SNES. Cartridge hardware caused games to be more expensive to buy, eventually it would have been cheaper to buy Genesis games over NES games, again justifying a switch over to the SNES (Nintendo did the same thing with cartridge hardware on that system).
OMG I'm so glad someone made a video about this. I often talk about this with people and they really don't get it, thinking I'm way overanalyzing everything when it comes to the NES.
But those three eras are SO noticeable. And the first era makes even more sense when you take the original Famicom release years in consideration.
Haha glad someone else is a member of the NES over-analysis club ;)
I think people are less all "what eras?" because the differences are indeed glaring and more "so what? The NES could clearly ALWAYS do those things" when it actually couldn't because some of the necessary hardware was on the cartridges themselves. They were likely thinking old cartridges only ever contained the game programs and couldn't plug in expansion hardware at the same time, possibly influenced in part by the facts that emulators often incorporate said expansion hardware themselves and emulator game files are called ROMs despite containing more info than that.
I honestly do think that third area is indeed a very curious one. It's amazing how much staying power the NES had when the Sega Genesis and the SNES were really successful and competitive against each other and the PS1 and Sega Saturn were just around the corner by the time the NES stopped having releases
For sure. All my friends had the Genesis and they definitely weren't down to play NES once they went 16bit, but I still enjoyed it!
@@BigOleWords for me I didn't get to play NES that much because I was born in 1988 and I was just a little baby so I couldn't really play the video games at the time so by the time I was old enough to really have any idea how to play a game or even comprehend them I was playing SNES and Sega genesis. I'm not even sure what happened to our original NES. At some point down the line the mid-90s brother got the top loader NES which I got to say at the time I was kind of attracted to that because it had those classic games although I still preferred my SNES for sure, but the fact that they had the bone shape controllers that were like the SNES controllers and it was a top loader was kind of neat.
But yeah for me my fondest memories growing up were playing the SNES but I did enjoy playing some NES as well. And yes my family did have both the Sega Genesis and the SNES and we later had both the PS1 and the N64.
A lot of the NES games I got familiar with actually were thanks to the Wii virtual console much later and then the eShop on the 2DS and Wii U and then of course the NES online service on the switch
I only really started appreciating this concept when watching Jeremy Parish's NES Works series here on RUclips, where he goes through the NES library chronologically. You really get a better sense of the context each game was released in, and how some games were the best of their genre in their time, only to be surpassed a couple of years (or months!) later.
You absolutely nailed it. The three eras makes perfect sense. I do wish more top lists included games from 1991-1994, because you’re right, from a technical standpoint, there is NO comparison, especially with the black box era games
Yeah Super Mario 1 especially is the toughest one. Like it’s a great game on its own, but isolated from its place in history would it rank in the top 50?
That’s a great way to look at it. I spent a lot of time with the 2nd and 3rd era games during that time until I got a Sega in late ‘94. Yet, I never got rid of those NES games. It’s kind of a strange bond, really.
Right? I’m not sure I’d be as gung ho today if not for my late era experiences.
I’m in a similar boat. I joined in Christmas 1988 and I remember renting some of the black box art games of the 1st era, but I also remember early 2nd era games like Goonies 2, Mickey Mousecapade and Top Gun were already on store shelves. Nintendo Power magazine was just getting started. Those days are really good memories.
Same here. Kirby’s Adventure and TMNT III got a ton of playtime on my NES.
As someone born in 1979, I think what a lot of younger people don't get is how incredibly magic it was to be able to control what was on your television set. In the mid 1980s, when I first had a vague idea that some of my friends had video games, that was the entire appeal: the incredible absurdity of being able to move objects around on a tv screen! So I think for the first two or three years, the games depended mostly on that. It was only after the novelty of that faded that the games had to start building immersive worlds, and that is what most players today remember the NES being about.
Great point! It really blew my mind the first time I saw Mario run to the right and keep going!
There was a little more going on under the hood as to why the later games were better, and that was memory mapping chips and cheaper storage for complete games. We went from 48kb to 4mbit (that's small b and bit) games by the end of the system's life, which meant that instead of having to cram an entire 16 level's worth of graphics into a small space, that small space could be rewritten even in the same level to create more diverse images and thus more details could be drawn. It's sort of like thinking about the difference between a TV sitcom with it's couple of stationary cameras vs. an action film made for theaters with a huge budget that includes special effects, stunt work, etc. Of course it's going to be a step up in terms of presentation. :) It doesn't necessarily mean those big budget movies will be more enjoyable than the tv show...you still have to have a solid concept with great execution.
As someone born in 1987 and in Europe, games usually took their sweet time to get here, if they ever did at all AND if your parents bought them for you. I consider myself lucky to have generous enough parents to get me and my siblings an NES and SNES, but we were often late to the party... yet even so, I also learned to read by the age of 3, so I very early got into video game magazines and developed an intense longing for the late era NES games I could never get mom and dad to buy, until that wonderful time when I turned nine or so, discovered the internet, and got myself started down the road of emulation- no more barriers, every era of NES, SNES and MD was now in my hands. But that is a story for another time...
The early games were lots of fun, especially Jou- Balloon Fight, DK3, and Clu Clu Land. It hit it's stride in 87 with longer and more complex games like Holy Nintendo Trinity of Metroid, Kid Icarus, and Zelda. It wasn't like Atari's "play 5 or 6 different games in an hour". It was more like "play one single game for 5-6 hours."
That's an interesting idea that feels like the beginning of a bigger project, like the introductory paragraph of a paper that is going to get into a deep dive. I don't know if that means identifying the touchstone games that defined their times, comparing them to lesser-known titles that may be technically superior, or maybe checking out how each era helped define what games would define the 16 bit consoles that followed... or maybe something else entirely, like how each era reflected the culture of the time.
There are a lot of ways you could go from here, and whatever it is, this was a good start.
Thanks dude! Definitely many ways to go with it that I hadn’t really thought about :)
@@BigOleWords I liked the premise a lot because it was more of a thoughtful look at how game design evolved instead of some revisionist history "what if" video that means nothing in the end. It's a line of thought that can be followed and used to draw conclusions that can be tested against history.
I'd say 1986/1987 was the true start of the second wave, as more sophisticated mapper chips started coming in, which meant bigger games with all the visual upgrades you saw above.
I was born in 1985 and we got our NES in 1990. I remember my dad bought it without my mom's permission and had it set up for us to play after school. I got home before my brothers and when I asked if I should wait for them, my dad said, then they won't let you have turn so try it before they get home.
Anyway, that console was all I had, except a few random, old pcs, until 1998 when we finally got a playstation. My brother went in the army and bought one first pay period after boot camp. He brought it home over christmas and my parents were so impressed they finally bought a new console for us.
That's awesome. I too only had the NES until the Playstation came out which is a big part of my collecting spirit and my reverence for that late era of titles because I was still playing them in 1994!
There’s also a few other things to note;
* The first third-party developer on NES was Irem, and their games are considered black-box games distributed by Nintendo themselves and not considered different from 1st party games.
* There were also two years before 1985 where the system was only in Japan.
All the reason I would say the 1st era of the NES really was the original hardware. It wasn't until R&D3 somehow took the cartridge technology in Pitfall 2 (Atari 2600) and adapted the technology for the NES cartridges without breaking the patents that the games most people played in the NES became possible.
I would have done the three periods as the original hardware, the MMC1 era and the MMC3/MMC5 era. The original hardware was done after Super Mario Bros. Nintendo knew their hardware was done and out of date and planned to release the Famicom Disk System shortly after the NES came out. However, cartridge mapper technology extended the hardware by all those years, and Nintendo kept improving the cartridge hardware and the cartridge technology kept improving. Once the Mega Drive/Genesis came out, Nintendo had no choice but to release a new console.
I myself call them the Arcade Era, the Discovery Era and the Diehard Era. The first label for focusing on arcade ports and arcadelike experiences, the second for finding focus as a console with its own games, and the third for hanging in there in spite of competition both from other companies like NEC and Sega and from Nintendo itself. And, of course, each of these eras came earlier for Nintendo's native Japan than for the West.
In Japan the first era of the Famicom began with the launch titles Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and Popeye in 1983, the second era began with the release of the Famicom Disk System in 1986, and the third era began in 1990 when the Famicom Disk System was discontinued and the Super Famicom was released.
For North America, I would define the first era of the NES as 1985-1986, when the black box games designed for the original Famicom hardware were released. I would choose 1987 as the beginning of the second era of the NES, when games originally designed for the Famicom Disk System, such as Castlevania, Kid Icarus, Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda, were released in North America. The third era began in 1991 when the SNES was released in North America.
@@ginormousaurus8394 that's around the years I used when I described the hardware. The Famicom Disk System games typically used an MMC1, but not always. The MMC3 came out in Japan in 1988, but it wasn't commonly used until 1990 in the US, and that's also when the MMC5 came out, but it rarely got used (too expensive. Only Koei regularly used it).
I've never heard the NES's history put this way before! I had no idea it even got games years after the SNES. Very interesting.
Hey thanks!
The Late Era includes Mr. Gimmick which is a great game with awesome graphics and impressive sound. It was released only in Japan (1992) and Scandinavia (1993). I wish it had been released in other parts of Europe and North America too.
Sure did! I'll get to it at some point.
In the late era, the famicom had some cool exclusives like Mitsume ga Toru, Time Zone, Cocoron, Yume Penguin Monogatari, and Pizza Pop just to name some. Definitely recommend checking those out.
Nice! Pizza Pop is one I’ve been curious about for a while.
Great observation, the 3 epochs of the NES
Wish I could go back sometimes. Glad I could experience it
As much as I love the NES, I really only had three solid years when I was really into it. I got the NES (with Super Mario packed in) when I was 10 in spring 1987. By fall 1989, I was 13 and my interests had moved to sports, girls, and whispers of Sega Genesis and Turbo Grafx 16. I asked my parents for either a Genesis or Turbo Grafx for Christmas that year. And got neither.
Just Jordan vs Bird for the NES.
It took another year and half for me to get that Genesis and my poor NES sat by itself, mostly collecting dust, except for the oddball rental every now and then.
Games I wish I had bought during this time: Castlevania 3, Metal Gear, Mario 3, Super C, Duck Tales
You’re my sisters age and at 13 yeah she couldn’t be be bothered with the NES anymore. Sounds like you missed a lot of the great late 80’s jams!
I appreciate you. It’s nice to be amongst fellow nerds. Absolutely zero hate in these comments, just a love for old technology and good memories of our favorite games:) Love your content. Thank you
Haha thanks so much, I appreciate the pure positivity :)
Please make more NES content related to this subject. Love it! Only complaint is that this video was only 10 minutes!
See, I’m like you: I was 3 when the original NES came out, so I didn’t get into it until the “2nd” era of games were hitting shelves. My first system was the package that came with the zapper & power pad, and older games like Kid Icarus & Gyromite were almost a foreign language to me. So please, more of this, and more obscure, yet great game recommendations, please!
You got it! And definitely check out my other videos of you haven’t already, they’re chock full of obscure NES reviews :)
I remember seeing a copy of Little Samson at a grocery store in my hometown. I remember thinking, "Are you kidding? Didn't they learn their lesson with the unlicensed Bible games?"
Ohhh, how I regret not even looking at the box more closely now that I know how rare that gem became.
Haha reverse false advertising right there.
"Who was playing Bucky O'Hare?"
*slowly raises hand*
I should still have the cart somewhere...I wonder if I could beat it now, never could as a kid.
Then you were a lucky child!
Great video! I was there for all 3 eras and at the end I felt like I was the last man standing. When I took my new model NES 101 and Mega Man 6 (and 100 other games) to college I got a lot of weird looks. I didn’t even bother showing them my TurboGrafx-16 or Atari after that.
Damn props to you but that is a ton of games to bring to a dorm! Freshman year was my first experience with roms and for a long time that was my collecting experience.
@@BigOleWords I’m 100% emu these days but of course back then it didn’t exist. I’m sure someone will say it did but I had no idea. There was however a mom and pop used video store a few minutes away that was a good source of new-old things.
I actually think the very early era with mostly arcade style, non-scrolling/single screen games should be it's own thing. There's also a difference of course between the early Famicom that came out on 83 and the early NES.
Those would be the nROM games. The ones that ran with no extra chips in the carts at all.
Yeah, here in Brazil we don't see a difference between the "NES" and "Famicom".. ignoring the 83-85 games that were released for the Famicom felt really weird to me. Those were even simplier games, though some of those "blackbox" games for the USA market were actually from that era.
I think it's also important to consider what the trends during these eras were and why game y was made as a response to game x and how we perceive it now compared to how it was perceived then. A good example of this (while not NES related, it's the best example of the phenomenon I can think of at the moment,) is how there were hundreds of 2D fighting games released in the 90s, and by the end of the decade, consumers were extremely tired of them. Now, we look back on all of those games and mostly LOVE that there are so many of them to explore, now that they took their time out of the limelight and gave us room to remember that era in gaming, so fondly. Very interesting stuff, imo. Great video, as always!
Good point! The surplus of 2D fighters definitely burnt out a generation on them, but for sure it’s super fun to play all the weird and obscure ones today.
In the Eastern Europe (Former USSR and Eastern Bloc countries, plus Yugoslavia) games from the third era (1991-1994) were very popular due to being released for Famiclones. Many of them were based on movies and TV series and a lot of them had Mario's head placed over a game protagonist (Grand Dad and Mario 13)
I’ve heard that a bit with games like Power Blade 2 being widely played there when it was virtually unknown in North America. Very interesting!
Glad to have found this channel! Never touched a NES in my life, but I love NES history channels like Jeremy Parrish. Something about the smooth narration and 8-bit ambience low in the mix is very calming. Great for listening to before going to sleep! :)
Hahaha awesome, glad you like it!
Great video! I was born in 87, and got my NES in a package deal boxed with Super Mario Bros. 3 when it launched. This whole era of gaming was so magical for me, and I'll never forget some of the memories from that time. Trading games with friends who had stuff I didn't, buying those huge books filled with cheat codes, game genie, renting a game for the weekend to find out it totally sucked and was unplayable (This happened to me with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), or finding an absolute classic just to never be able to find it again. It felt like there were endless possibilities, and I put sooo much thought into these rather simple games it was remarkable. When Genesis came out, I got one, but continued to play my NES for years to come, still buying newer games like Kirby's Adventure, which turned out to be some alltime favorites.
Man your vibe is wonderful, I'm loving this channel after being recced this video today. Too young to have owned an NES myself but the Era and games are so fascinating, you do an amazing job of providing that context. That video intro screen/song combo is sick 😎
Hey thanks so much for saying that!
Great video. I like how you broke it down into three distinct eras. Never thought of it like that before but it makes sense. Subscribed.
Thanks for covering some of the best video games that will ever exist !!!
Best times, ever! The mid/late 80s NES craze! I mean other than having to go to school, and still doing things outside with friends, the NES was IT. The sleepovers, the all-nighters, renting games, trading/borrowing games, talking about games at school..... I mean it was the best of times. I got my NES in late '86 after me and my parents frantically searching for one (they were out of them at K-Mart), but finally found one elsewhere. I still have it, it works fine, plus a Top-loader too! Unfortunately i got rid of most of my games in 2010 (including Mega Man 1-6, and Panic Restaurant, which I got cheap on Ebay), but still have some complete in box worth some $$$. I didn't get a SNES until Xmas Day 1995 (which is also my birthday). I was in 11th grade!
In my 40s now, I've been re-finding some great classics (Ninja Gaiden II, Legend of Zelda, Tecmo Super Bowl) and Donkey Kong Country, Mario Kart, TMNT IV, and the Mario World/All-Stars cart for Snes. The 2nd era of NES is obviously the best and my favorite one, obviously. Liked and subbed, thanks!
Wonderful video as always! Your channel (and NES Friends) is keeping my NES-passion alive these days :) Thank you!
Hey, good company there!
I love this video, it helped me organize the fuzzy memories of my early childhood and the games I played.
Haha awesome I love it!
The early '90s were the era when Nintendo and Sega had to decide HOW they were going to deal with new generations of their own consoles. Sega went the cold turkey route, practically forgetting that the Master System had even existed (much like the rest of us 😏), and leaning hard into producing games for the Genesis. Nintendo, meanwhile, decided to continue building on the popularity of the NES and Game Boy, while gradually developing the SNES's library as consumer demand caught up with it.
Argue all you want about which strategy worked better.
The Master System played the long game though, riding out it's golden years in Brazil!
@@BigOleWords yep, got one in the mid 90's as my first system, the one with the built in alex kidd.
The last Master System game released in Japan was Bomber Raid in 1989. The last Master System game released in North America was Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991. The Master System sold well in Europe and Australia, however, and Sega continued to release new Master System games for PAL region long after the Mega Drive/Genesis came out. The last Master System game published by Sega in Europe was Cheese Cat-strophe Starring Speedy Gonzales in 1995, while the last Master System game released in Europe was Infogrames' The Smurfs Travel the World in 1996. Sega also released the Power Base Converter that allowed Master System games to be played on the Genesis.
Great video! This is a perspective I've never seen talked about and that's really helpful and informative. Cheers!
Hey thanks so much!
Love this video and your presentation style. Very professional. I feel like this channel is going to climb up the scales. Only thing I would work on is that Intro theme. Lol
This was absolutely amazing! Very interesting way of breaking down the systems life and I highly suggest you make more videos of this same fashion. Great work homie 👍
Hey thanks so much!
I love it! I do this with music some times. Just start categorizing stuff. Thanks for this!
This analysis fits very well with the North American perspective and experience with the NES and Nintendo of America at the time. However, I would liked to have seen the Japanese origins of most of these games discussed, especially since the original Famicom versions of these games were often released months or years before being localized for the North American NES. I'm curious if how much of a difference, if any, it would make in your break-down of NES eras if you take into account the original Famicom release dates and the localization process Nintendo of America put these games through.
I hear ya but I think bringing the Famicom into this specific conversation is a bit too much. The larger conversation about the back and forth exchange between Japan and the US (and the rest of the world) and even how different the consoles themselves are is probably best saved for a different video. Or two. Or three.
I really appreciate this video. I watch a boatloads of these videos and it's becoming increasingly harder for me to come across new info or a different presentation of information. I haven't looked yet, but I sure you have made or have plans to make series like this for all the classic platforms (in my eyes, the 3-5 generation of home consoles).
Hey thanks so much, glad you liked it! As far as other consoles…probably not. I definitely think the topic could be applied to other systems and it would be very interesting, but unfortunately the NES is my only real knowledge base for video games. I’d love to assist someone who knows their consoles better than I though!
Great perspective, it’s true.. things changed so much and there were a few distinct chapters.
Speaking of battletoads, if you want to see me playing it while running at the same time…
That’s pretty crazy!
This video has great content worthy of discussion. I’ve always seen the NES’s lifespan in three parts as well, only differently. There’s the early “black box” years, then what I call the “cryptic years” (more on that), and finally, the “boundary pushing” years.
The first and last eras are pretty self-explanatory, but the cryptic years (the middle) are what I find the most interesting. This was the era that invented what gamers call “NES hard.” You had games like the first TMNT game, Metal Gear, Simon’s Quest, and Clash at Demonhead to name a few. Objectives in these types of games weren’t always clear. Items were hidden in obscure places, and there were jumps that required precise timing.
I think SMB3 ushered in the final era where companies making NES games knew what it took to make content gamers wanted.
Dude background music = PURE AWESOME
Some of my favorites for sure!
it's great to see vids like this! one thing i'm surprised you didn't mention was that a big part of the advances in the games also had a lot to do with special NES chips in the cartridges.
A lot of people have mentioned that! Maybe I’ll do a follow up about the hardware advances :)
Even though I had one until the early 90s, I played it at friends' and cousins' houses. The games I enjoyed the most on NES are the ones after 1989 (the third era) when I use to rent them. Most of them were technically amazing. Kirby's Adventure was very close to a SNES game when it comes to graphics.
Nice! Yeah I rented Kirby as a kid and was blown away.
Born 82 here so yeah my experience with the Nes was The late 80s early 90s and for me it's the best times
I enjoyed this. i would definitely like to see you go into these three eras more in depth. I started playing NES games a few weeks ago and it's all I've really been doing. There's a plethora of titles and I've been doing some minor digging as I go. Good video! Looking forward to the next
Hey thanks so much, glad you liked it :)
The algorithm just recommended me your vids, but I'm really enjoying your channel so far. Really liked this video and the Zelda clones video in particular.
Hey thanks so much!
really enjoyed this; your candor & cadence are top notch
Hey that’s a sweet thing to say, thanks!
Subscribed. Your content is quality my friend! Love your sense of humor and the effort you put into your videos. Can’t wait to see more
Hey thanks so much, glad you’re digging it :)
Loved this video. My favorite you’ve done yet!
Hey thanks! I think it might be my favorite as well!
A highly successful console tends to have a few years of bleed into the next generation as games that were already in development when its successor gets released still get finished and released, next gen games get down ports to try and make some extra sales, etc. It's actually a bad sign for a console if releases immediately dry up upon the release of the next one since that means nobody was really working on anything for it anymore and nobody was still interested in targeting its install base (which is almost certainly going to be larger than a console that just launched).
Really like this video, you talk about a real perspective, not a fanboy, and this is amazing, thanks for your time and efford.
Hey thanks for the kind words!
I will never forget the second NES era. I will always remember the smell of fresh plastic and new carpet, while playing Ninja Gaiden on a small TV.
Era 4: The afterlife; homebrew titles still being developed, and even put on physical carts!
I’m glad I found this video. I just bought an RG 353V handheld emulator console and downloaded a preselected pack of NES games. I couldn’t understand how some games looked almost modern-retro while other games just looked old. Very interesting to see how games were developed
Haha yeah that’s the thing about viewing the library all at once, you definitely miss the subtlety of the technological advancements over the life of the system.
Enjoyed the video and analysis. I liked your use of abundant examples to contextualize your claims.
Hey thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)
Loved seeing this, I’ve also grouped NES games by era like you did! The only difference being I still lump 1991 in as the middle period for a few reasons… 1- yes, some of the rich kids had the genesis or turbografix16 already, but the majority of kids I knew were still playing NES, particularly SMB3.. 2- Nintendo power did that promo late 1990 bundling Dragon Warrior in with your 1991 subscription, a lot of kids suddenly had a subscription in 91 and were yappin in the schoolyard about the latest NES games as a result.. 3- SNES wasn’t really showing up in households until late in the year, and even then it was only select homes rocking SMW and F-Zero.. fun video, Sorry, I got excited that someone else looks at the NES library by era too!
I think you make a solid argument there and can definitely see how 1992 works just as well as a jumó off :)
I am glad that someone mentioned Kick Master🙂. I mean I have nostalgia glasses for that game but I think that graphic and visual style are top tier for NES.👌
Hell yeah, one of my all time favorites, I talk about it all the time :)
@@BigOleWords Well then you are my friend 😁🤣🦾
This is a pretty good video, though I think it kind of fails to properly contextualize these eras fully. It is interesting to see someone properly break it up into eras while clearly seeming to not know about the mapper chips that these cartridges used, because while not 1:1 the eras are pretty consistent with the advent of memory mappers.
To start, the NES might have started in the US in 1985, but it's hardware from 1983. The Famicom was specifically designed to play a nearly arcade perfect game of Donkey Kong (Only nearly rather than flawlessly due to memory costs and the restraints of consumer-grade televisions being restricted toa 4:3 aspect ratio as opposed to the vertical orientation of the arcade display), and Super Mario Bros was designed to put that hardware to the limits. The difference is, it is still using that same hardware. A lot of tricks were used such as reusing levels with the code having minor checks to turn certain things off if you were on the right level, but it was using the same hardware.
The reason why you might look at Mega Man 6 and Super Mario Bros and think 'These are practically on different hardware' is because technically speaking, they were. The base famicom hardware didn't have support for Multi-Directional scrolling (It could scroll vertically and horizontally, but never both), memory bank switching, or save game ram. All of which later memory chips added. Megaman 6 ran under the MMC3, which allowed for all of that, as well as an IRQ timer, as well as selectable character and program from banks which allow for easy sprite and tile data swapping. If that sounds complicated, it's because the MMC3 basically made the NES all new hardware. You might have heard about how the Famicom Disk System wasn't a super long lived peripheral in terms of major support, and that's because it was made to compensate for the shortcomings of cartridges, which mapper chips quickly not only made up for but exceeded them exponentially.
Many games differed between Famicom and NES because of these hardware issues. Nintendo wouldn't let third-parties manufacture their own chips in the US, while in Japan, they had freedom to manufacture, and this was by design. Companies making their own cartridges hurt the famicom's reputation almost irreparably in Japan for a few years, so they locked them out of being able to do so in America, leading to the 'Seal of Quality.' Of course some companies like Tengen still manufactured their own, but Nintendo's stronghold over the industry in America allowed them to strongarm retailers into not selling them. This led to games like Castlevania 3 being altered in the US, not because the NES couldn't handle it, but because they had to rework the game to run under the MMC5 (The most advanced mapper chip Nintendo offered, allowing three more sound channels and much more), which didn't have the same capabilities as their homegrown VRC6 chip.
Coders definitely got more experienced with the hardware to be sure, but you mention that they'd done so in only 2 years by 1987, but in reality, it was double that (As the majority of games were Japanese developed), even not accounting for the actual evolving hardware. So to what you said at the end, the stuff at the beginning of the console's life was pretty damn close to the graphical peak of the console, it was the fact the hardware was purposely made modular (They knew that a console made to play a near arcade-perfect of a 1981 arcade game wouldn't be competitive in the long run) that allowed the console to show such growth in terms of graphics and gameplay. Not to discredit the programmers, they're just as if not more important than the hardware, but it's not accurate to say that Megaman 4 could have come out in 1985 and been the same game, obviously ignoring the fact that the game design principles and ethos of a game like MM4 were still growing at the time.
None of this is to discredit the video, I do think it's a good starting point for discussion, but... I'm hoping this will also keep you up at 4AM like it does me, so you can continue theorizing and overanalyzing but with better knowledge!
Very interesting, thanks for this info!
some guy in the comment area mentioned chips like mmc1 and etc.
I am still impressed by the fact that the first Ninja Gaiden and Blaster Master is using those early board chips
Loved the video, it would be awesome if there were more era analysis videos for more game consoles, this is super entertaining to watch and think about.
If I knew the other consoles as well as I do the NES I would do it for sure!
Very well done on this coverage!
Thanks bud!
Just remember that some of the games of the period you called the first era were developed and released 2 years befor the nes, for the famicom.
Also when the memory prices went cheaper, the memory mappers allowed games with better graphics (Around the time you called the second era)
Nice video
Interesting insights, some games that look very cool that I didn't know about, and good production value. Thanks random RUclips recommendation!
Hey thanks!
Mapper chips also expanded that capability of the system. Looking at a Nintendo game from 1991 vs 1985, they look like they are from a different generation.
Really loved how you divided the eras. Makes perfect sense! I hope you make more videos about what didn’t make it from Japan and also the famiclones around the world
Hey thanks! My next video touches on the non-North American stuff including Famicom and bootlegs, so keep an eye out for that either next week or the week after :)
I was actually going to do something like this for a podcast I was working on a few years ago. Never got to it. I think each era deserves its own overview. It's a lot of ground to cover. The third era is so interesting and yet it remains untapped. It's like this frontier of gaming that nobody's explored despite being right under everyone's noses all this time.
You still should, there’s plenty more to say I’m sure’
Cool video! I jumped on board during Christmas 1988.
awesome video man. i just clicked this because it came up in my recommended and i'm glad i did. new subscriber here.
Hey thanks so much!
Super happy maniac mansion got a shout.
You hit the nail on the head here great vid. Not sure if you were including Dragon Spirit as a hidden gem in the mixed bag era, but definitely one of my all time favorites from the NES and the soundtrack is phenomenal.
-Cast
I got my NES when I was 3 for Christmas in 1989. Most of my library is 90s games. They are great!
Wild that most of the NES library is from the 90's but gets way less attention.
The only times I would play the 80s games were when my cousins/friends would bring over the games or I'd go there. Funny though, i wound up inheriting those games years later lol
Fantastic video! The later years of the NES don't get nearly enough attention. Of course, it makes sense for the reasons you outlined - but I'd love to see more content around that era of the system.
Thanks! Most of the games I’ve reviewed are from the 3rd era. Not because they’re necessarily great, but they do feel more fresh since they were neglected for so long :)
I just happened to stumble on your channel but I recognize your name/thumbnail from a great series of posts on r/nes (looking at lesser known titles by letter). Great video and I look forward to more!
Hey! That's awesome you read those! The "NES Games No One Played" series on my channel is basically beefed up video versions of those reviews.
Thank you for making this episode!
Thank you for watching!
Hey, another really well put together, well thought out concept! Context matters, who knew?! 😉 Awesome job, thanks yet again, for another great video!
Thanks mane!
I love Joe & Mac on NES, even though I played the superior on snes first as a kid.. and the nes one was so challenging and hard by comparison.. but when you can beat it, the whole thing doesn’t even take 15 minutes.
Really cool way to look at the NES library. I also was 3 in 1985, but my GRANDMA got a NES and one for both sets of grandkids. So I started early. I remember popeye with the most random family members on summer vacation. I got a Snes when it came out but held on to the toaster and toploader. At one point in college and beyond, I had close to 350 of the 700+. Wish I had never split up the band from there, though i still have plenty of goodies. Your vids hit home 100% for me, homie. I can't wrap my brain around thursday nights, but if I remember, I'm there dude. Love me some 2nd era NES. 3rd is the weird zone but a lot of great games in there, 1st IS classic tho. Tons of love for Contra, can beat in 13 minutes, jammin to Herbie Hancock chameleon....gotta beat the sax solo. Keep up the good work
One of the best parts of my Tuesdays
Damn you had the top loader and everything? Nice!
Old man got a 2nd job at Caldor and had the hook up for all the crap they were tryin to get rid of....I had a 32x hahahaha
I was in the same boat. I didn't have a Super Nintendo until about '96
This video needs more love! It's informative, well written, and slickly edited! Not too fast, but also not weighed down by a lot of fluff. Wanted to comment so the algorithm might push this even farther :)
Glad you liked it :)
Nice vid, well done. Started playing on Ataari VCS on a b&w console television. When I got my NES for Xmas I wept as a child.
Managed a copy of Might Final Fight back then, lucky. Subbed.
Man that’s a good one to have from back in the day! My deep cut that I’ve owned since 93 was Zen the Intergalactic Ninja.
As a kid growing up during the 2nd and 3rd era, it was really frustrating seeing all these great looking games in Nintendo Power that were never available for rental due to how limited stock 3rd era NES games were. I didn't get to play Panic Restaurant for years and years after it released, and even then, I had to emulate it.
That’s a really interesting point. Even if you were still playing the NES in 1993-1994 most of the games got really small releases.
Neat video, thanks for sharing these insights!
Hey thanks!
Really liked this video; added lots of context about the NES library.
Hey thanks so much!
I was an NES and Gameboy only player until 1998/99 long after when everyone else moved on but I never stopped enjoying those games. There are still some classic NES games in my “need to beat backlog” that I hope to get around to some day.
Guilty. As soon as I got my Super Famicom and SF2 I stopped paying attention to NES releases. I still hooked it up and replayed my favs like Zelda, Metroid, MM2 and Ninja Gaiden from time to time. But I had no idea cool games were still coming out for that system. Thanks for this video I'll be sure to check out some of those later titles I missed.
Innovative topic. Hard to find with nes content. Good job 👍
Hey thanks so much!
This is my NES childhood in one video, it captures the essence of what i played at the time.
From big hitters like Super Mario Bros 1, 2 & 3, The Turtles, Contra etc, through to lesser known gems like Maniac Mansion and Gun Nac, this is a blast from the past that's well worth revisiting.
Cheers 👍
Nice, love it!
New to your channel, sir. Have to say, easily the most articulate and grammatically correct video essay I've seen in a while - personal pet peeve that tends to lessen my enjoyment of video game, er, videos on YT. Good stuff. I can relate a lot to this view of the NES library's history.
My English professors will be so glad to hear that! ;)
Great analysis! Thanks for briefly showing the guardian legend, it’s one of my favorite hidden gems.
It’s a great game!
I can always tell when I’m looking at a late-stage NES game by the use of heavy black outlines around the sprites and environments.
Huh good point! Even in my thumbnail I really noticed it.
The RUclips algorithm did something right, for once!
It recommended me this video, and now I'm glad to subscribe and catch up on the old videos.
Hey that’s awesome, love it!
Love the Link 2 music in the background ❤️❤️❤️
Snuck in 3D Worldrunner in there too ;)
Being born in 1979, I grew up with Atari and upgraded to NES almost at its inception on the American market. I was a big NES and GameBoy kid. However, my family skipped the SNES and I got to enjoy the last years of NES with you and the like. I remember reading about all the late games in Nintendo Power, but eventually, the NES games stopped coming and my subscription ended. Eventually, we moved on to the Playstation and there wasn't another Nintendo product in the family until my mom picked up a Wii. The Wii was great. I wish Nintendo kept going with their focus on motion control. I would have loved to see a Katamari game using the Wii Fit board, but that's a whole other tangent. Anyway. Thanks for the nostalgia. Keep 'em comin'. Love that intro.
Same, I went from the NES straight to the PlayStation!