Nintendo Announces the NES Classic Edition

Okay, so straight up: As a Mega Man fan, this bit of news may not hold any interest to you, because you’ve undoubtedly had more than ample opportunity to get the part of this which is relevant to this site. That said, if you consider yourself an all-around fan of the Nintendo Entertainment System, then read on.

Nintendo has announced today that they will be releasing a new plug ‘n play “collector’s replica” version of the NES. Officially known as the “Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition,” this version of the console which revived the home video game market in North America all the way back in 1985 will connect to your television via an included HDMI cable and allow you to play 30 titles from the system’s venerable library, including Mega Man 2, hailed by many as the best game of the original series (sorry, Mega Man 3 fans).

The rest of the games are as follows:

• Balloon Fight
• Bubble Bobble
• Castlevania
• Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
• Donkey Kong
• Donkey Kong Jr.
• Double Dragon II: The Revenge
• Dr. Mario
• Excitebike
• Final Fantasy
• Galaga
• Ghosts’n Goblins
• Gradius
• Ice Climber
• Kid Icarus
• Kirby’s Adventure
• Mario Bros.
• Metroid
• Ninja Gaiden
• Pac-Man
• Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
• StarTropics
• Super C
• Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Bros. 2
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• Tecmo Bowl
• The Legend of Zelda
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

The system comes with one NES Classic Controller, which is compatible with the Wii Remote to play NES games on the Wii and Wii U Virtual Consoles; similarly, the Wii Classic Controller and Wii Classic Controller Pro are compatible with this console as well. What’s more, the modern amenity of suspend points is included, with each game containing multiple points.

The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition goes on sale November 11th, 2016 for $59.99 USD/$79.99 CAD. Given that the combined games on Virtual Console would run you $150 before including taxes or the price of the console itself, that’s a pretty good deal. Additional NES Classic Controllers can be had for $9.99 USD/$12.99 CAD.

(To the folks in Europe: You’re getting it, too, but no price has been announced as of this writing.)

So while this might not be of interest to anyone reading this purely from a Mega Man standpoint (unless for some reason you’re determined to own literally everything Mega Man-related; if so, godspeed), this may still appeal to you for other reasons, such as portability (though not in the “play anywhere” sense, obviously).

Or it could make a great gift for that friend or family member who has a fondness for the classics, but doesn’t own a modern console (with the benefit of one particular title you get to show off on).

Thanks go out to David Minter and Tsukumo for their news tips!

LBD "Nytetrayn"

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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