We’re wishing a belated happy birthday to one of gamings greats today. It’s hard to believe that the Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES) turned 30 on the 15th of July. While it’s been 20 years since it was a must have device - even that was pushing it with the SNES and the Genesis/Megadrive being on the scene - there is no doubting that this little console pushed the boundaries of home gaming and introduced us to characters still rendered today, albeit in HD.
Our friends over at Ars Technica have put together a fitting tribute to the latest console to enter the 30’s club, and while it makes for a good read, we at Neowin want to know your experiences with the console, the highs and lows, the gaming wins (and losses), and what games shaped, not only your gaming experience, but helped you through your childhood, and possibly even your now adult lives.
For me, I’ve got a soft spot for this console, and the games that graced it. I remember saving all my Christmas money to get the NES when I was 9 (in 1989). I bought it with the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles bundle and I think it cost me £90, which is a lot of money for a 9 year old to spend, even by gaming standards today! Oh how I loved and hated that game (see Angry Video Game Nerd on YouTube for an accurate representation of my emotions, more so now with the heavy swearing). But I soon bought The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest, Tetris, Bubble Bobble, Super Mario Bros 3 and Megaman 2.
The games and console shaped my young life and my perception of what gaming was. To this day, I still play The Legend of Zelda and Megaman 2 when I want a proper thrill – I’m more than getting my money back on replay value alone. Although that flashing grey screen is more problematic now than 20 years ago!
Source: Ars Technica | Images courtesy of Ars Technica and Nintendo Life