Classic NES Series

Overview

The Famicom, short for Family Computer, debuted in Japan in 1983 as Nintendo’s first cartridge-based home console. It was later redesigned and released in North America in 1985 and Europe in 1986 as the Nintendo Entertainment System. To mark the combined 20th anniversary of these launches, Nintendo created the Classic NES Series. Prices were set at specific amounts in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. These games run on emulation and remain mostly true to the originals, though a few include minor tweaks—The Legend of Zelda got an updated translation, and Xevious gained an autofire feature. Because the Game Boy Advance screen has a lower resolution, the games are not shown in their original aspect ratio but are adjusted to fill the display. A sleep mode lets players pause and resume play later. The cartridges also support saving data like high scores and progress, a feature many original Famicom and NES games lacked. Multiplayer titles work with one cartridge using the Game Link Cable or the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter.

In Japan, the Famicom Mini line was aimed at collectors. Each game had a number and came in clear packaging with a cardboard sleeve that looked like a tiny version of the original Famicom box art. The first two volumes used red and white cartridges to match the Famicom console, while the third volume, called the Disk System Selection, used yellow cartridges to match the Famicom Disk System disks. Availability was limited, with each volume’s games pulled from shelves after three months. Japanese Club Nintendo members could register the serial numbers from all ten games in a volume to get a free storage box. In Western markets, the games used standard GBA packaging styled after the original NES box art and came on light gray cartridges, echoing the default color of NES cartridges.

Reception

When the Famicom Mini line first hit Japan, it sold a million copies in just over a week. The Super Mario Bros. reissue alone eventually became the 13th highest-selling Game Boy Advance title, moving more than 2.2 million units. Critical reaction to the Classic NES Series was mixed. Reviewers generally agreed the old games were still fun, but the price tag drew heavy fire. Many pointed out that buying a single game cost more than buying a compilation disc that packed several titles from the same era. IGN's Craig Harris noted that several of the games were already available on the GBA through cheaper means, like e-Reader cards or as unlockable content in Animal Crossing. He singled out the Famicom Mini version of Mario Bros. as especially frustrating, since it had already been re-released on the GBA seven times. GameSpot's Bob Colayco called Metroid's inclusion redundant because it was already an unlockable extra in its own GBA remake, Metroid: Zero Mission. Both GameSpot and IGN mentioned that Nintendo had recently given away The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for free on the Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition bonus disc for GameCube, though they admitted the Classic NES Series versions were portable. Reviewers felt that while Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Castlevania might be worth the money, games like Ice Climber, Donkey Kong, and Dr. Mario didn't offer enough to justify the high cartridge cost. Some critics were annoyed by the altered screen ratio, which created odd visual glitches. Others noted that because the games were based on the NES releases, they lacked features found in other versions. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot said of Bomberman that "a Bomberman game without multiplayer is hardly a Bomberman game at all." Reviewers also pointed out that Donkey Kong was missing a level that had been in the original arcade version but cut from the NES port. Harris added that the new autofire function in Xevious made the game far too easy.