Ten Games That Should of Been in the NES Classic Edition Mini
"More cult classics and nostalgia trips the tiny Nintendo missed out on"
Friday's release of the NES Classic Edition Mini is arguably Nintendo's biggest product to buy this holiday season. There's also the new Pokemon games but for Nintendo fans, this $59.99 trip down memory lane has them really excited. The 30 games included in this tiny Nintendo are indeed some of the system's greatest hits. It's the best lineup Nintendo can get especially the impressive third party lineup that made it to the console. However, some cult classics are indeed missing. Sure, most of the games I'll mention here aren't possible due to licensing issues, but they provided as much memorable moments as the 30 games that made it. With that in mind, here are ten games that Nintendo should of included in the NES Classic Edition.
1) Tetris
Yes, I'll start off with a showstopper. Nintendo's
Tetris games have been some of the games of the series and the NES version they developed is no exception. Most fans remember the Game Boy version than the NES one because it was the pack-in with the handheld. It's a shame this version never got a Virtual Console release because of the license being hot potatoed. At least
Dr. Mario is in the NES Classic Edition to fill in the puzzle game void.
2) Bionic Commando
Capcom's classic was a game changer back in the day. It's still crazy you can't actually jump in
Bionic Commando and have to swing around instead. The infamous moments in this game are likely still why it didn't make the cut to keep the console rating kid friendly. Despite that,
Bionic Commando is a timeless game that gotten a remake and even a reboot last console generation.
3) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
One of the hardest games of the NES era, the first Konami Turtles game was mostly known for the water level pictured above. It was hard to control and full of obstacles that can kill a turtle instantly. Besides that, some areas would be full of enemies overwhelming the screen. Also, Donatello was the turtle to use obviously because of his reach in these early games. The other turtles were primarily used to take damage and conserve health for Donny boy. Activision currently has the
TMNT license now for games, but it would of been nice if Nintendo reached to them on a deal to get this game on the NES Classic Edition.
4) Mega Man
If Nintendo had to choose one
Mega Man game to make the 30, they chose right with
Mega Man 2. Yeah
Mega Man 2 is the superior one, but the original is still worthy to make the cut because of it's nostalgic moments. From the boss lineup, the infamous Yellow Devil fight and more, the first
Mega Man should of been in this console for history's sake. There's the
Legacy Collection for that if you really wanna play this one and the five other NES
Mega Man games.
5) Ducktales
We got another Capcom joint on the list, but this time it features a Disney property.
DuckTales for the NES was a short yet great cult classic. It was great times pogo jumping as Scrooge McDuck especially to the amazing soundtrack. The fans still remember the Moon stage primarily for it's music. Good thing there's that nice looking remastered version on Wii U and last-gen consoles if you want to revisit this game. Considering Disney's handling of this IP and current status on their state in the gaming industry, it's a long shot NES
DuckTales can be included in this tiny Nintendo.
6) Blaster Master
Arguably the most underappreciated cult hit of this list, Sunsoft's
Blaster Master was a pretty cool game. Cmon, you play as a tank that can jump and hover shooting foes. There's also on-foot segments to mix things up as well defeating bosses.
Blaster Master was also a tough to beat, so I can see why Nintendo wouldn't jump to crazy hoops to score this for the console. It was not a popular game at it's time, but the fans that loved it really do love it.
7) Contra
Just like
Tetris, the first
Contra should of a given to be inside the NES Classic Edition Mini. Nintendo instead went with the sequel
Super C. Fans fondly remember this game more than the sequel for how challenging it was and using the infamous Konami code. It still remains one of the biggest mysteries in years why the NES version of
Contra never gotten a re-release either on Virtual Console or other platforms. We seen the better looking arcade version on Xbox Live Arcade and more recently on PlayStation 4's Arcade Archives. Is it on Konami's end or the rating? Who knows, but
Contra is one of the biggest omissions on the upcoming tiny console.
8) River City Ransom
Double Dragon II is the only beat-em-up on the NES Classic Edition Mini. However, I would of preferred
River City Ransom. Personally, fans had more memorable moments with this game than other NES beat-em-ups. There was a certain charm to this beat-em-up that others in the genre didn't replicate that much. The franchise has been back on PC recently, so it's possible Nintendo can wheel and deal to make it happen. Then again, they never tried that much with getting it on Virtual Console for years, so I'm not surprised the mini NES didn't get this game.
9) Dragon Warrior
It's awesome that
Final Fantasy and
StarTropics made the cut, but Enix's
Dragon Warrior needs some love too.
Dragon Warrior went on to become the
Dragon Quest series. Square-Enix has a good partnership with Nintendo for the franchise on the 3DS, but I'm surprised
Dragon Warrior wasn't included in the mini NES. Yes, casual RPG fans remember
Final Fantasy more because of the name, but many argue that the former was the better game.
Dragon Warrior would of been a good taste newcomers can get into to see what the fuss is about with the series.
10) Duck Hunt
After missing out on the Wii Virtual Console, NES
Duck Hunt finally got a re-release on the Wii U's. The Wiimote's pointer was the primary controller to use and easier to aim at the ducks than the original NES Zapper. It would be cool if Nintendo put out a mini Zapper to make
Duck Hunt possible on the NES Classic Edition. I'm not surprised they didn't do it however. Another accessory to buy for this thing besides an extra controller or any the 3rd party ones would of been overkill. Plus only using it for one game out of 30 or more just doesn't make sense. That being said,
Duck Hunt is indeed the biggest first party game missing on the NES Classic Edition Mini.
That is it for our list of games that should of been on the NES Classic Edition. The 30 games that made the cut are the best Nintendo can come up with and we'll look at the console itself next week to see how it holds up. Early word from the streets today say this might be hard to find on Friday. Certain retailers aren't getting as many in stock compared to others. Camping out early in the morning might be your best bet at getting one. Once again, Nintendo strikes again with a lack of supply for a hot item's launch that fans want. We'll see though if word of mouf is right concerning the mini NES's supply this weekend.