Today’s the 25th anniversary of the US launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System! This was the first console my generation usually had and was the system to pull the industry out of the video game crash. I sure loved mine!

 
I think my fondest memories are of playing Super Mario Bros. I never beat it until years later on the SNES. I always got stuck in World 8. Duck Hunt and Hogan’s Alley were also games I really enjoyed. Not enough people played Hogan’s Alley!
Another one of my favorites was and still is Contra. I used to dream about this game! Contra introduced many gamers to co-op play, something I still enjoy. It was challenging, fun, and incredibly action-packed! I’ll never forget that first boss -the building with the red orb for a weak point!
There were many other games I enjoyed as well. Castelian was great even though I never got very far. Years later I tried to find it but kept failing. It wasn’t that the game was rare; rather, it was because I couldn’t remember the name! I thought of it as “that game in which you go around a tower.” Eventually I found a copy on Game Boy, which allowed me to go find it on NES because I then knew the name!
Solar Jet Man is another title that I really loved but never progressed in much. I’d still like to play it more! And Rygar! I know both my dad and I liked Rygar a lot! It’s too bad that series fell apart. Then there were the two great puzzle games – Tetris and Dr. Mario! Both are fantastic titles. While I don’t play the NES versions now, I still play both of these games!
Lastly there’s my favorite NES game. I didn’t actually play it until college, but it’s excellent! I’m talking about River City Ransom, the best beat ’em up ever created! It had fun mechanics, humor in story and dialogue, hidden things to find, and character progression. And of course, co-op!
There were many more great NES games, and I’m sure I’m missing some of my favorites here. Regardless, I think I’ve talked abou it enough.
Thanks, NES!