This is a list of games that are part of the Classic NES Series in North America, Famicom Mini (ファミコンミニ, Famikon Mini) in Japan, and NES Classics in Europe and Australia. The series consists of emulated Nintendo Entertainment System, Family Computer, and Family Computer Disk System games for the Game Boy Advance.
A special edition Game Boy Advance SP that has a similar color pattern to an NES controller (along with a Famicom counterpart in Japan), was released to go along with these games. In Japan, the color of the cartridges often matches the color of their original Famicom cartridges, but in North America, all the games in this series were released in a light gray cartridges made to resemble the default color of NES cartridges.
All of the games were published by Nintendo.
A total of 18 first-party games were released in the series. Of these, six were previously released by alternative means on the Game Boy Advance:
Title | JP release | NA release | PAL release | Other availability | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Animal Crossing | e-Reader | ||||
Donkey Kong | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | ||
Excitebike | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | ||
Ice Climber | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | ||
The Legend of Zelda | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | ||
Super Mario Bros. | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | ||
Dr. Mario | May 21, 2004 | October 25, 2004 | January 7, 2005 | ||
Balloon Fight | May 21, 2004 | - | - | ||
Clu Clu Land | May 21, 2004 | - | - | ||
Mario Bros. | May 21, 2004 | - | - | ||
Wrecking Crew | May 21, 2004 | - | - | ||
Metroid | August 10, 2004 | October 25, 2004 | January 7, 2005 | ||
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | August 10, 2004 | October 25, 2004 | January 7, 2005 | ||
Famicom Tantei Club: Kieta Kōkeisha | August 10, 2004 | - | - | ||
Famicom Tantei Club Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shōjo | August 10, 2004 | - | - | ||
Kid Icarus | August 10, 2004 | - | - | ||
Nazo no Murasame Jō | August 10, 2004 | - | - | ||
Shin Onigashima | August 10, 2004 | - | - | ||
Super Mario Bros. 2 | August 10, 2004 | - | - |
Title | Licensor | JP release | NA release | PAL release | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bomberman | Hudson Soft | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | - |
Pac-Man | Namco | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | - |
Xevious | Namco | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | - |
Mappy | Namco | February 14, 2004 | - | - | - |
Star Soldier | Hudson Soft | February 14, 2004 | - | - | - |
Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Hot Scramble | Bandai | March 18, 2004 | - | - | Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Hot Scramble was the first release in the Famicom Mini Extra Series. It was a raffle prize for people who purchased Kidō Senshi Gundam: Senshitachi No Kiseki on the Gamecube in Japan. Only 2000 copies were printed. [1] |
Dig Dug | Namco | May 21, 2004 | - | - | - |
Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Dōchū | Konami | May 21, 2004 | - | - | - |
Ghosts 'n Goblins | Capcom | May 21, 2004 | - | - | - |
Adventure Island | Hudson Soft | May 21, 2004 | - | - | - |
TwinBee | Konami | May 21, 2004 | - | - | - |
Castlevania | Konami | August 10, 2004 | October 25, 2004 | January 7, 2005 | - |
SD Gundam World: Gachapon Senshi Scramble Wars | Bandai | August 10, 2004 | - | - | - |
Dai-2-Ji Super Robot Taisen | Banpresto | December 16, 2004 | - | - | Dai-2-Ji Super Robot Taisen was the second release in the Famicom Mini Extra Series. It was a raffle prize for people who purchased Super Robot Wars GC on the Gamecube in Japan. Only 2000 copies were printed. [2] |
Upon launch of the series in Japan, 1 million units were sold within eight days. [3]
The series of reissues had a mixed reception. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot complained that a Bomberman without multiplayer is "hardly a Bomberman at all". [4] Metroid 's inclusion in the series was considered redundant by Bob Colayco of GameSpot, since it was already included as an unlockable extra in the remake Metroid: Zero Mission as well as in Metroid Prime . [5]
Some reviewers were annoyed that the Classic NES Series versions of some games differed slightly from the originals. For example, Craig Harris of IGN complained that the Classic NES Series version of Xevious had an automatic firing setting that made it less difficult than the original. [6] Reviewers also complained about the lack of the pie/cement level in Donkey Kong . [7] [8] In Super Mario Bros. , the screen ratio aspect was altered, causing odd graphical artifacts. [9] [10]
The prices of the Classic NES Series and previous rereleases were also criticized. Many reviewers noted that $20 was a high price for one game. [8] [11] Both GameSpot and IGN noted that Nintendo had given away The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for free in the Collector's Edition bonus disc, although they conceded that the Classic NES Series version was portable. [12] [13] However, reviewers consistently hailed Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Dr. Mario as being worth the cost of the cartridge. [12] [13] [14]
Dr. Mario is a 1990 puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom, and Game Boy. It was produced by Gunpei Yokoi and designed by Takahiro Harada. The soundtrack was composed by Hirokazu Tanaka.
Mario Bros. is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo as an arcade video game in 1983. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo's chief engineer. Italian twin brother plumbers Mario and Luigi exterminate creatures, like turtles (Koopas) and crabs emerging from the sewers by knocking them upside-down and kicking them away. The Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System version is the first game produced by Intelligent Systems. It is part of the Mario franchise, but originally began as a spin-off from the Donkey Kong series.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is a 1995 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The player controls Yoshi, a friendly dinosaur, on a quest to reunite baby Mario with his brother Luigi, who has been kidnapped by Kamek. Yoshi runs and jumps to reach the end of the level while solving puzzles and collecting items with Mario's help.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is a 1986 platform game developed by Nintendo R&D4 and published by Nintendo. A sequel to Super Mario Bros. (1985), the game was originally released in Japan for the Family Computer Disk System as Super Mario Bros. 2 on June 3, 1986. Nintendo of America deemed it too difficult for its North American audience and instead released an alternative sequel, also titled Super Mario Bros. 2, in 1988. The game was renamed The Lost Levels and first released internationally in the 1993 Super Nintendo Entertainment System compilation Super Mario All-Stars. The game has since been ported to the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, along with being re-released through emulation for the Wii, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch.
The Legend of Zelda, originally released in Japan as The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu, is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo. The first game of The Legend of Zelda series, it is set in the fantasy land of Hyrule and centers on an elf-like boy named Link, who aims to collect the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom in order to rescue Princess Zelda from Ganon. The player controls Link from a top-down perspective and navigates throughout the overworld and dungeons, collecting weapons, defeating enemies and uncovering secrets along the way.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third game in The Legend of Zelda series and was released in 1991 in Japan and 1992 in North America and Europe.
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Excitebike is a motocross racing video game developed and published by Nintendo. In Japan, it was released for the Famicom in 1984 and then ported to arcades as VS. Excitebike for the Nintendo VS. System later that year. In North America, it was initially released for arcades in 1985 and then as a launch game for the Nintendo Entertainment System later that year, becoming one of the best-selling games on the console. It is the first game in the Excite series.
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Super Mario Bros. is a platform game developed and published in 1985 by Nintendo for the Famicom in Japan and for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America. It is the successor to the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros. and the first game in the Super Mario series. Following a US test market release for the NES, it was converted to international arcades on the Nintendo VS. System in early 1986. The NES version received a wide release in North America that year and in PAL regions in 1987.