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[John Caboose]

I've never owned a single Nintendo system before but spurred by the imminent release of the mini NES I've finally decided to dig into Nintendo's catalogue of games. There is really no other place to begin this quest than with Super Mario Bros.

While growing up I've obviously dabbled with SMB at other people's houses but I've only played maybe a couple of levels in it before this point. I first tried playing it regularly without any save-states but I quickly realized that the archaic mechanic of starting the entire game over after a couple of deaths wasn't for me. I ended up saving at the start of each level letting me play through the game with a lessened level of frustration.

Now that I've finished it I feel that playing it now it is not a very interesting game. It was good but it feels very repetitive. The differences between the worlds are more color-swaps and a couple of new enemies more than anything. There's some genuinely good stuff there, like how it gradually teaches you some of its mechanics but also some absolutely terrible stuff like the castle "mazes" that just feel dumb.

I'm not completely sure how I'm going to proceed with my dive into the Nintendo game catalogue so this is where I would appreciate your input. I've decided to play the games one system at a time only moving on to SNES once I'm done with the NES. But should I go from SMB to SMB2 or should I play the games in release order or something? Here are the NES games I'm at least looking to try, maybe finishing around 5-6 of them or so. Let me know if there are some total gems I've missed and should play as well.

Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Legend of Zelda
Zelda 2 The Adventure of Link
Donkey Kong
Punch Out!!
Dr Mario
Metroid

Update:
If you're new to the thread I/we have moved on from SMB to different Nintendo games. Check the last few posts in the thread so you don't just do a "there's the A+Start trick to restart from the current world" drive-by post. Thanks!

 

[joecanada]

Faxanadu.

 

[KojiKnight]

Release order is probably going to be best if you want the difficulty/fun curve to ramp up naturally (getting the 'lesser' games out of the way first).


NES was still pretty pioneering days for video games, and the quality of games from the beginning to the end of the era exhibit a HUGE variance.

As for Super Mario Bros 1 itself, it's slightly more archaic in how the controls and power ups are so limited. Super Mario 2 (USA) and Super Mario 3 give you far greater control in the air and play much more like modern Mario games because of it.

 

[dextran]

I feel like you should just stop

 

[moggio]

I feel like you should just stop

Yeah. This is good advice.

 

[univariate]

edit: They're really great games. I'm sorry you couldn't enjoy them.

 

[DonShula]

Now that I've finished it I feel that playing it now it is not a very interesting game. It was good but it feels very repetitive. The differences between the worlds are more color-swaps and a couple of new enemies more than anything.

You might hate that mini NES.

 

[JimiNutz]

I tried something similar, having never really played Nintendo games and I gave up after SMB.

I intend to try again once NX is out.

 

[KojiKnight]

edit: They're really great games. I'm sorry you couldn't enjoy them.

Nice edit... but they only played one game, and were asking for advice on playing the others.

Yeah. This is good advice.

I feel like you should just stop

What the heck? What kind of terrible suggestions are these?

You might hate that mini NES.

Having grown up on the NES and SNES, I'm inclined to agree with him... The game is legendary for sure, but every game in the last 30 years has built so much on top of it, it's hard to go back to the original. Especially compared to even the sequels on the same system.

 

[bobawesome]

Are you people even READING the OP's post?

Keep playing the Mario games. They definitely get better than the original (aside from Lost Levels, skip that).

 

[L Thammy]

You can hold the B button to run and hold the A button to jump higher
Some people struggle with those


But the original Mario was made just before the Famicom Disk System, if I recall; it was the most they could do with the technology they had. The later games were able to include far more variety.

 

[Neiteio]

Hey OP, I'd recommend SMB3 next. It feels much more creative, with a ton of world and enemy variety, lots of cool power-ups, and just superior presentation overall. It really feels light-years ahead of SMB1. It's simply massive.

And yeah, I know this is common knowledge for Nintendo fans, but like L Thammy said, you can hold one button to run, which will affect your jump. Also, you jump higher or shorter depending on how long you hold the jump button.

Mario games offer an amazing amount of control. That's why they feel so good to play.

 

[jwj442]

SMB1 is highly regarded mainly for its innovation and historical importance. There had been nothing like it before at the time; it changed video games and kind of rescued them economically. It's still fun and well-designed but does have some limitations due to its age, and many later Marios (and other platformers) have surpassed it. A lot of NES games are dated now, not just graphically. Punch-out, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Kirby's Adventure are a few first-party ones that still hold up. Mega Man 2 (or 3) is a good third-party one.

The Japanese SMB2 is mostly just a super-hard level pack for the original. The American one is a Mario-ified reskin of a Japanese game. It's very different from the rest of the series and actually pretty good, but SMB3 is better. It really is a massive improvement over the original - lots more enemies, diverse worlds, more creative levels, and more.

I highly recommend you start with the SNES incarnations on Metroid and Zelda. The original Metroid is clunky and tedious nowadays while Super Metroid is an all-time classic. The original Zelda is better than Metroid, but Link to the Past is still a much better starting point.

 

[DAREALGUMMY]

I feel like save states only make you enjoy the game less. It makes it so much easier and less fun when you can just keep going without that risk of having to start over. The game isn't very long either.

 

[KojiKnight]

Also OP, when you play the first Zelda game... get a walkthrough, no one is going to look down on you for it and it'll make it a much more enjoyable experience.

 

[LegendofLex]

The problem with approaching SMB (and, really, most NES games) today is that most games today are designed to be experienced once, and maybe replayed later. So most people coming to NES for the first time are coming at it with that expectation in mind.

SMB - and especially the first SMB - is a game that's best when you play it over and over again until you master it. It's not a "one and done" game; it's not an interactive storytelling experience that immerses you in a world. It's best to think of it as a really ambitious arcade platformer, because that's exactly what it is.

 

[Nickle]

I'd skip doing too many NES games, most of them suck. SNES is where you'll get a ton of great games that still hold up to today's standards.

 

[Neiteio]

Also OP, when you play the first Zelda game... get a walkthrough, no one is going to look down on you for it and it'll make it a much more enjoyable experience.

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend starting with Zelda 1. I'd recommend picking up a 3DS or 2DS and starting with Ocarina of Time 3D. The 3DS remake is so good. :-O

And like others have said, it's really the SNES and onwards where many Nintendo titles become truly timeless. NES games were amazing at the time but were basically prototypes for grander experiences to come.

 

[Yoshi]

Don't let yourself get frustrated with Zelda 1 & 2 or Metroid on NES to the point of not playing the successors. Zelda ALttP on SNES and Super Metroid on SNES are really the games that got those series truly on track. The rather archaic starting points of the series are probably not the best way to introduce people new to the series nowadays. There's still fun to be had, definitely, but the SNES games are far more developed. This is not even limiting to the technology used as evident by the fact that Link's Awakening beats even ALttP in many ways with hardware comparable to the NES, but just due to the fact that these games were still experimenting and about coming up with the ideas for the series and genres.

 

[georly]

I feel like you should just stop

Yeah. This is good advice.

?????

Just let OP explore and experience these games in peace.

Enjoy OP. Some of the stuff hasn't aged well, but it's always interesting to learn about the roots of modern game design.

Within each IP, play in release order. Absolutely fascinating to see the devs push the hardware further and further with each release (by adding extra hardware to the carts themselves).

Don't forget to add mega man to the mix. It's ok to start with 2, but 1 is great also.

 

[Servbot24]

If you decide to move beyond NES:

Play the Mario games in this order:

SMB3 - World - 64 - Galaxy

Play the Zelda games in this order:

LttP - OoT - MM - WW

Play the Metroid games in this order:

Super - Prime

Play the Donkey Kong games in this order:

DKC - DKC2 - DKCTF

Other games:

Star Fox SNES, Pikmin 2, F-Zero GX, Advance Wars DS, Kirby Canvas Curse, Fire Emblem Awakening

That will get you started, feel free to switch between series as needed. Each of those series has other great games as well, but mainly just if you decide you are a fan of the series.

 

[MouldyK]

If you decide to move beyond NES:

Play the Mario games in this order:

SMB3 - World - 64 - Galaxy

3D World also!

Also, while we are at it, Capitan Todd too!

 

[Neiteio]

If I were introducing someone to Nintendo games, I'd probably recommend the following for each franchise (and forgive me if I forget a franchise):


Super Mario Bros (2D):

- Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) or Super Mario World (SNES)

Super Mario (3D):

- Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) or Super Mario 3D World (WiiU)

The Legend of Zelda (2D):

- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)

The Legend of Zelda (3D):

- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)

Donkey Kong Country

- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (WiiU) or Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)

Metroid (2D)

- Metroid Zero Mission (GBA)

Metroid (3D)

- Metroid Prime (GCN, Wii)

Kirby:

- Kirby Planet Robobot (3DS)

Star Fox:

- Star Fox 64 3D (3DS)

Pikmin:

- Pikmin 3 (WiiU)

Punch-Out:

Punch-Out!! (Wii)

Pokemon:

- Pokemon Sun and Moon (3DS)

Animal Crossing:

- Animal Crossing New Leaf (3DS)

Fire Emblem:

- Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS)

F-Zero:

- F-Zero (SNES) or F-Zero GX (GCN)

Smash Bros:

- Super Smash Bros. for WiiU (WiiU)

Mario Kart:

- Mario Kart 8 (WiiU)


That's not every franchise, of course (not by a long shot), but those are the big ones! The 3DS is a wonderful lil' system for people new to Nintendo. And if you get the New 3DS, with its extra processing power, you can also download SNES games like the original F-Zero and DKC2, which are perfect ports.

 

[L Thammy]

I'd skip doing too many NES games, most of them suck. SNES is where you'll get a ton of great games that still hold up to today's standards.

That's painfully reductive. The early games were more along the lines of classic arcade titles, simple and repetitive, probably not something everyone would like returning to now. But they started developing a lot of beloved genres after SMB, and towards the end of the NES' life, they had developed the same familiarity with the genres that led to those SNES games being classics.

Going to put together a quick list of stuff that (I think) is worth playing:

Castlevania 3
Zelda
Zelda 2
Mario 2
Mario 3
Grado
Crystalis
Dragon Quest IV
DuckTales
Double Dragon 2
Gargoyle's Quest 2
Ghosts N Goblins
Gradius 2
Kirby's Adventure
Life Force / Salamander
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Punch Out
Mighty Final Fight
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden 2
River City Ransom
Shadowgate
Contra
Villgust
Battletoads
Final Fantasy 3
Ys II

This isn't an exhaustive list or anything, either. I have little nostalgia for the NES and I'd never call it one of my favourite systems, but there's certainly a lot of things still worth playing there.

 

[Nanashrew]

I'm biased and will say to skip Mario 2 USA for Mario 3 because Mario 3 is one of my all time favorites. There's a lot of level types, enemies, and overall just a lot of experimentation to level design. Also slopes!

 

[Yoshi]

F-Zero over F-Zero X? I think F-Zero X dwarfs F-Zero on all accounts, not even a contest, I really don't get why anyone should get F-Zero over X. And if it is to have a 2D F-Zero, I'd recommend Climax over F-Zero every day.

 

[Bulzeeb]

Play Mario 3 after wards, you can skip 2. Also, if you are willing to give a chance to some third party NES games, you can check the Castlevania and Megaman games, finally, dont forget to try some Kirby games.

 

[timetokill]

If you play Mario 3 next you're going to have your mind blown with how much of an improvement it was. It's great to play Mario 1 to see what was basically the rebirth of console gaming, but Mario 3 is awesome even today.

 

[Neff]

I first tried playing it regularly without any save-states but I quickly realized that the archaic mechanic of starting the entire game over after a couple of deaths wasn't for me.

That's not going to work. SMB isn't an 'entertain me' game. It's a challenge. You need to feel good about rising to it and overcoming setbacks, and having to restart -even going back to the beginning of the game- is part of that. Otherwise, your progress isn't something you can measure and relish. And that's when it becomes entertaining, because you're slowly but palpably and assuredly getting good at something which previously knocked you on your ass.

Save states kill a lot of the appeal of these old, short, hard games. They had rules like any other game and they're rules for a reason.

 

[Neiteio]

F-Zero over F-Zero X? I think F-Zero X dwarfs F-Zero on all accounts, not even a contest, I really don't get why anyone should get F-Zero over X. And if it is to have a 2D F-Zero, I'd recommend Climax over F-Zero every day.

I love F-Zero X, but I just felt like including one 2D and one 3D, and for 2D I recommended the SNES original for its purity. Playing it on the N3DS (and realizing I should ease off the accelerator when taking corners!) opened my eyes to the 2D games.

 

[Ace Harding]

I'm not completely sure how I'm going to proceed with my dive into the Nintendo game catalogue so this is where I would appreciate your input. I've decided to play the games one system at a time only moving on to SNES once I'm done with the NES. But should I go from SMB to SMB2 or should I play the games in release order or something? Here are the NES games I'm at least looking to try, maybe finishing around 5-6 of them or so. Let me know if there are some total gems I've missed and should play as well.

Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Legend of Zelda
Zelda 2 The Adventure of Link
Donkey Kong
Punch Out!!
Dr Mario
Metroid

That's honestly a pretty good list for NES, although I might get rid of Dr Mario (not a bad game, just not as "important") and Donkey Kong (kind of a regression relative to the rest of the list).

Have you played any NES action platformers? You could add:

Castlevania III
Mega Man 2
Duck Tales

I also have a special fondness in my heart for:

RC Pro Am
Ninja Gaiden
Kirby's Adventure
Contra
River City Ransom
StarTropics
A Boy and His Blob

After that, honestly I can't think of one game I have an interest in going back to. Maybe the first Dragon Warrior (Quest) which I never played.

 

[MouldyK]

The Legend of Zelda (3D):

- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)

Why this and now WWHD or TPHD? I think both of them would be worthy substitutes.


Also, everyone should play Captain Toad. EVERYONE.

And Pikmin 3!

 

[petran79]

You prefer dying 1000 deaths in Super Meat Boy?

SMB1 is tough but fair. But it is highly regarded also because it was one of the best games to build your platform level skills. Kinda like the SF2 of platformers. Not too hard like most arcade or computer platformers of that era.
I owe to that game a lot. If you are already proficient in platformers, you might not find it as interesting.

I playef from first to last world all 3 NES Marios in one sitting as a kid. Took me 6 hours per game. Mario 1 was the most satisfying experience

 

[Charlouie Jonesman]

It's a bit too late now, but if you hold A and then press Start after a Game Over, you start at the beginning of the current world and not the entire game. Unlike save states it's not really cheating either, as this hint was explicitly mentioned in the manual. Can't really blame anyone for not knowing that though, and it is pretty dumb for continues to work that way.

The game is the definition of simple but fun. And if you compare it to other jump & run games of it's time, it actually offers way more maneuverability than anything else, which is why it became huge in it's day.

SMB2 US and SMB3 are both great, SMB2 JP is fun but aims more to outright troll the player. If you really want to proceed I'd just do SMB2 US next, it's different enough that you won't get bored. (Originally it wasn't a Mario game.)

SMB3 takes everything SMB1 did well and makes it even greater. Then it adds some other great new stuff on top.

 

[MrBadger]

I would say it doesn't matter which one you play next out of Mario 2 and 3. Both are good, but 3 expands on 1's mechanics, while 2 is more its own thing.

I feel like you should just stop

Why? OP's opinion is perfectly valid.

 

[Nanashrew]

I also highly, highly recommend Punch-out!!, Super Punch-out!!, and Punch-out!! Wii.

I still want a new Punch-out!! game.

 

[Neiteio]

Why this and now WWHD or TPHD? I think both of them would be worthy substitutes.


Also, everyone should play Captain Toad. EVERYONE.

And Pikmin 3!

Ocarina of Time 3D has perfect pacing, bested only by Resident Evil 4. Its dungeons are superior to Wind Waker. It has no tedious elements.

Wind Waker does have more impressive presentation, superior combat and a stronger sense of exploration, though.

As for Twilight Princess... Eh, I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone. Glad if you like it, though.

My favorite 3D Zelda is actually Majora's Mask 3D, but I'd never recommend it before Ocarina of Time, being a sequel and all.

 

[Stopdoor]

It's a bit too late now, but if you hold A and then press Start after a Game Over, you start at the beginning of the current world and not the entire game. Unlike save states it's not really cheating either, as this hint was explicitly mentioned in the manual. Can't really blame anyone for not knowing that though, and it is pretty dumb for continues to work that way.

Was waiting for someone to mention this, it's unfortunate how many people don't know about this. Actually makes it more reasonable to try to beat regularly.

 

[L Thammy]

Also, the correct way to play the original Super Mario Bros is to run through the stage as fast as possible while trying to dodge enemies and make precise jumps.

 

[Neiteio]

It's a bit too late now, but if you hold A and then press Start after a Game Over, you start at the beginning of the current world and not the entire game. Unlike save states it's not really cheating either, as this hint was explicitly mentioned in the manual. Can't really blame anyone for not knowing that though, and it is pretty dumb for continues to work that way.

I legit did not know this. :-O

 

[Lothar]

You're not going to get much out of it if you play them with save states. The goal of them is not to see different environments or story. The goal of them is to be challenged. They were like actual games. That being the case, it's ok if you don't actually beat them.

Must play games:
Contra, Mega Man 2, Mega Man 3, Castlevania, Double Dragon, Double Dragon 2 (with a friend), Zelda, Zelda 2, Super Mario Bros 1-3, Metroid

Try Battletoads and Blaster Master. You won't be able to beat them. It's ok that you won't be able to beat them. On NES, you're not expected to beat every game.

Absolutely don't use a guide on Zelda. Exploration and freedom to go wherever you wanted and discover things in your own was always the best part about it. A guide defeats the point of playing it.

 

[Storm Kyleis]

Try the first Zelda without a guide for as long as you can. It's an interesting experience, there are zero tutorials or indications.

Super Mario Bros. 3, on the other hand, is much closer to a modern platformer.

 

[Voysa Reezun]

It's so hard for me to understand what someone playing this game for the first time in 2016 feels like because when I first played it as a very young child (about four years old) in 1986, Pitfall was maybe the only other platformer that I had ever played in my life. This game was like a revelation, just so beyond what I had previously played that I was pretty obsessed with it. SMB will always be incredibly interesting to me in terms of design, variety of impediments and enemies within the courses, and art direction.

I get objectively how someone would see a shallow, sort of uninteresting game in 2016, but I just can't subjectively at all connect with that viewpoint.

 

[xevis]

Now that I've finished it I feel that playing it now it is not a very interesting game. It was good but it feels very repetitive. The differences between the worlds are more color-swaps and a couple of new enemies more than anything. There's some genuinely good stuff there, like how it gradually teaches you some of its mechanics but also some absolutely terrible stuff like the castle "mazes" that just feel dumb.

What am I reading?

The worlds in SMB aren't about fighting new themed enemies but about new themed platforming challenges. The day levels are open and playful; they have easier enemies, bouncy music and let you practice running and performing big jumps over small gaps. They cave levels are the exact opposite; dark and claustrophobic, they focus on precision movement and exploration. The night levels are also open but with tricky jumps and trickier enemies, like the hammer bros. The we have the water levels and mushroom-tops for extra variety.

Did we talk about the end-of-world levels yet? No? They're super-fucking-sweet. The music and the design both take a turn for the ominous. Fire-sticks, vertical fireballs, perilous jumps and usually only a single power-up. Even the mazes are cool; where other games would just have you blindly figure out the right path through trial and repetition, SMB asks you to pay attention to small details by using a little chime to tell you if you're going the right way or not.

Honestly, I just don't understand how you can say this shit is repetitive. SMB is fucking peerless in terms of its creativity and design. It's the mother-fucking Muhammad Ali of the video game world. Floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee. It is the greatest.

 

[Neiteio]

I totally get the OP regarding the dull feeling of SMB from a creative standpoint, i.e. the look and atmosphere of each level. But the feel of the gameplay — of running and jumping with pinpoint precision, never slowing, never stopping, weaving between obstacles and vaulting off of enemies to glide over more obstacles — is simply timeless. It's a game I can pick up for 5-10 minutes when I need a quick gaming fix. Just pure gaming goodness.

 

[Voysa Reezun]

I also think that it's pretty amazing that a platformer made in 1985 had levels that essentially scrolled right by forcing continuous movement (e.g. the Lakitu/spiny levels), that were underwater and forced precise swimming controls, that were heavily based on timing jumps, that were heavily based on smart platforming combat (as with the World 5 levels full of Hammer Bros. and Bullet Bills), and so forth.

I remember vividly playing it for the first time, beating 1-4, and being shocked that I had more to go. I also remember finally getting to 4-1 and being like FUUUUUUUCK at the first Lakitu level, which is a level that still gives me that feeling today even though it's easy to beat for me now, obviously.

I also remember the first night level, finding my first warp zone on accident by just trying different stuff out in 1-2, and finally beating the game through trial-and-error (and thinking that the pixel-perfect jump in 8-3 right before the flag was the toughest thing ever).

I had to get good at a whole lot of skills to beat SMB. It's just so varied that it's pretty much the standard template for making a varied platformer even in 2016.

 

[Poimandres]

People saying "skip the NES" make me shake my head. I actually prefer a lot of 8 bit games to their 16 bit successors.

 

[Lothar]

I remember beating stage 1-1 and being shocked that there was more game. Not just more game, but 1-2 looked completely different! After 1-4 and the game was still going on, and there were even swimming stages, it felt endless.

 

[bounchfx]

it really is kind of incredible how much better mario 3 is. I mean the original is great for nostalgia, but besides that yeah it's kind of a slog, nostalgia or not. 3 absolutely still holds up today imo, as do the rest.

you can ignore 2 but it's kind of fun to see just how different it is. I like it.

 

[marmoka]

Super Mario Bros was really impressive those days, but as you say, right now the mechanics are very archaic. Same happens with many NES games, like Zelda, Metroid, and many more.

You could try Super Mario Bros 3, which has aged really well, and even nowadays has awesome mechanics. You will notice the huge improvement between the first Mario and this Mario.

Super Mario Bros 2 is nice as well, but it's a totally different Mario. Not everyone likes it, and most of the mechanics there have never be used again in Mario games. You could give it a try, and after beating it, check Wikipedia to know why does this game exist.

Kirby's Adventure is also a great game, which has really good mechanics too. It's very impressive for a NES game. You can even save your progress.

With these 4 games, I think you have enough NES. You could try SNES, most of the games there have aged really well. You could try Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 1/2/3, Zelda: A Link To The Past, Super Metroid, Earthbound,...