• Tag Archives retrogaming

  • Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/158701264546/super-mario-bros-3-nes

    Super Mario Bros. 3 is widely regarded as one of the best video games ever. It is THE 2D platformer. SMB 3 introduced a number of elements that have been used in a variety of Super Mario Bros. games since including the overworld map, the ability to fly and the super leaf item, Bowser’s red hair, the Koopalings, the Chain Chomps, and more.

    SMB 3 took a rather large team and a long time to develop compared to most other games at the time. The team consisted of more than ten people and the game took two years to develop. However, Nintendo was well rewarded for their efforts. They game sold over 17 million copies worldwide and generated half a billion dollars in revenue in the U.S. alone. Adjusted for inflation, it has grossed 1.7 billion dollars. SMB 3 has also had a number of re-releases and remakes including in Super Mario All-Stars for the Super NES 1993 and Wii in 2010, the confusingly named Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Game Boy Advance, a Wii Virtual Console version in 2007 and virtual console versions for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U in 2014.

    This game was actually released in Japan in 1988, a few weeks after SMB 2 was released in the U.S. However, Super Mario Bros. 3 would not be released in the U.S. for nearly another two years. The big reason for this was because of the ROM chip shortage at the time. One of the results of this was that the movie The Wizard was released a couple of months before the game. The Wizard served as a huge advertising vehicle for SMB 3 because of its role in the movie.




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  • NARC (NES)

    Posted on by Azrael 1 Comment

    Narc was first a 1988 arcade game and was the first to be released by Williams after being acquired by Midway. Several ports were made to various home systems in 1990 including to the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, and NES. The home computer versions were all done by Ocean software while the NES port was done by Rare and published by Acclaim.

    Most of the home ports were pretty average. I think the reason NARC is remembered today is because it was a controversial game at the time. It was one of the first games with this level of violence. The goal of the game is to arrest or kill various junkies, drug dealers and king pins culminating with Mr. Big. In the manual for the NES version of the game it was described as the first video game with a strong anti-drug message. Ironically, all references to drugs were removed from the NES version.

    Nintendo has always had seemingly odd censorship rules. In this particular game, references to drugs were removed but most or all of the violence was retained. However, the splash of blood on the cover was changed to be yellow so it didn’t look like blood.

    Midway Arcade Treasures 2 released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube had an emulated version of the arcade version of the game (with a few glitches) and in 2005 there was a remake of the game (also controversial) for the PS2, Xbox and PC.

    The ad and screenshots above are all from the NES version.

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/158615816812/tarpittales-bust-mr-big





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  • Nintendo Fun Club News (Fall 1987)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Nintendo Fun Club News was the predecessor to Nintendo Power. Much of the type of content found in Nintendo Power started in Nintendo Fun Club News which was only available to subscribers (though subscriptions were free at the time for NES owners). Initially, Nintendo Fun Club News I believe was only published quarterly. The Fall 1987 issue includes:

    • Prez Sez – A look at what is in this issue and some of the changes in this, the third issue of Nintendo Fun Club News.
    • Metroid Feature Review – This issue is full of reviews and previews of iconic Nintendo games starting with this review of Metroid.
    • Kid Icarus Feature Review – The other review in this issue is for another iconic Nintendo game, Kid Icarus.
    • Get Ganon – A 1-800 number to call if you have beaten Ganon twice. I think this was some sort of contest but it is kind of vague.
    • Pro’s Corner – Hints for The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Super Mario Bros., and more.
    • Members’ Tips – Reader submitted tips for Super Mario Bros., 10-Yard Fight, and Kung Fu.
    • Punch-Out! Sneak Peek – A preview of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!…which would later be renamed to just Punch-Out!
    • Rad Racer Sneak Peek – A classic and simple but fun racer for the NES.

    • The Legend of Zelda Maps, Tips, Tactics – A strategy guide for Zelda.
    • Pro-Am Racing Sneak Peek – A preview of R.C. Pro-Am, probably my favorite racing game on the NES.
    • The Adventure of Link Sneak Peek – A preview of the second game in the Zelda series.
    • Scores of Fun – Reader submitted high scores for various games. You had to submit the provided form as well as a picture of the TV with your score if you wanted to submit your own.
    • MailBag – Letters from readers asking for tips, subscription info, and providing suggestions for future issues.
    • Local Club Update – Information for starting your own local Nintendo Fun Club, including a kit that could be ordered.
    • Game Counselor Profiles – A brief look at Nintendo’s game counselors.
    • Video Ho-Ho-Ho – Who is in Mario’s doghouse? I’ll leave it to you to find the answer…
    • Stuff ‘N Things – Order T-shirts, sweatshirts, a Super Mario Bros. Strategy Guide, official scorepads, and other items straight from Nintendo Fun Club.
    • NES Advantage – A look at the NES Advantage which is a large console style joystick. It also had turbo and slow motion features.
    • Activities – A word search, video game character costume contest and a call for game reviewers.

    …and more!


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