7 NES games that turn 30 in 2024

The NES arrived in the United States in 1985, which means that it was practically a “grandfather console” in 1994. However, even nine years after its launch, he even received major titles to end his journey on a high note.

No total, 12 games were officially released for Nintendo’s late 8-bit console in 1994, seven of which are worth highlighting. And it is exactly some of these “thirties” that we will talk about next.

Check out the best NES games turning 30 in 2024!

7. Wario’s Woods

Wario Woods brought a different flavor to colored stone games.Source: Wizard Dojo/Reproduction

Anyone who thinks that Wario is a character who only gained prominence with the series is mistaken. WarioWare. In the past, he has starred in some titles, such as Wario’s Woods.

The main premise in Wario’s Woods It’s very similar to games like Tetris. However, instead of simply gathering stones of the same color, the idea here is to leave monsters close to bombs of the same color to free up space on the screen.

An interesting fact: despite the game being named after Wario, the person who must move all the stones in the game is Toad. Another important point: Wario’s Woods It has multiplayer, further expanding the fun factor.

6. Mario Time’s Machine

Mario Time’s Machine is another game from the Mushroom Kingdom gang with educational purposes.Source: YouTube/Oppaiman100/Reproduction

Mario’s Time Machine It’s not one of the mustachioed man’s most remembered games. Unlike many other titles, the game has a more educational feelwhich certainly made it worthy of a Nintendo version.

As the name suggests, the plumber in red robes embarks on a new journey to teach history to players. In this way, you have to travel through different historical periods to return artifacts stolen by Bowser in a game style similar to classic point and click.

Despite the good proposal, at its launch he ended up being quite compared to Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego. In fact, competition with this title, which was already very popular, meant that it ended up being left aside by many people.

5. Mickey’s Adventure in Numberland

Adventure in Numberland is another educational game starring Mickey.Source: Refuge Tokyo/Reproduction

And it gives you another educational game released at the end of the life of our classic 8-bit console. 30 years ago, the NES received its latest game starring the most famous mouse in the world: Mickey’s Adventure in Numberland.

If there is a number in the title, you can see that the proposal here involves mathematics. Because of this, Mickey must travel through five different stages to collect numbers from 1 to 10. In possession of them, it is necessary to solve accounts to advance and prevent Pete from stealing everything in the land of numbers.

As it is an educational game, the idea is to offer an easy environment for progression. However, Mickey can die in higher difficulty stages, but nothing that will waste a lot of time and divert his learning.

4. Bonk’s Adventure

Bonk’s Adventure is one of Nintendo’s most expensive games.Source: Indie Gamer Chick/Reproduction

Okay, many here may not even have an idea who Bonk is. In fact, we don’t blame him for that, since the character’s life in the gaming world wasn’t the longest. However, it lasted long enough for the NES to also get its version of the game.

Bonk’s Adventure is a platform game ported from the (perhaps) lesser known TurboGrafx-16. Like other games involving prehistoric men like Joe & Mac, you have to progress sideways by destroying enemies. The difference here is the character’s weapon: his large head.

In fact, an important detail: as it came out at the end of the console’s life cycle and sold little, Bonk’s Adventure It became a very expensive game. To give you an idea, a loose copy of the game (i.e. without box and manual) is offered for around US$645, or R$3,194 in direct conversion.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters

TMNT Tournament Fighters was one of the few fighting games to officially arrive on Nintendo.Source: TAS Videos/Reproduction

Truth be told: anyone who lived through the golden age of the NES certainly remembers that it received several fighting games illegally, from Street Fighter a Fatal Fury. Because of this, many believed that this title followed the same line, but it was officially released by Konami for the console.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters It takes a ride on the game that was released for the SNES in 1993, but with limitations. The number of characters was smaller, with seven in total (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello, Casey Jones, Hothead and Shredder) and few special moves for each one.

For a limited game, this version of Tournament Fighters It even fulfills its proposal well. However, the launch period meant that few people bought the original game, making it yet another rare game today: US$1,400 (or almost R$6,900) if you have a complete copy.

2. Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers 2

Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers 2 is a quality game from Capcom’s golden period with Disney.Source: YouTube/darkmurkrow/Reproduction

Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers It is among Nintendo’s best platform games and a work worthy of the “Capcom DNA” in the 1990s. A sequel was released for the console in its final stretch, but unfortunately it did not achieve the same success as the original.

In fact, let’s be very clear: this has nothing to do with the quality of the game. Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers 2 it has evolved a lot compared to its predecessor both in terms of graphics and challenge, in addition to bringing something new: in cooperative mode, it is possible to throw the other squirrel at enemies as a weapon.

And just so we don’t let it go, we’re talking about another game that currently costs a small fortune. If you are only interested in copying the game, it usually sells for around US$280 (approximately R$1,386).

1. Mega Man 6

Mega Man 6 was the little blue robot’s last game to arrive on Nintendo.Source: King of Grabs/Reproduction

Finally, the icing on the cake in this list of NES games that turn 30 in 2024: Mega Man 6.

The blue robot’s latest title for the console brought a lot of what had already appeared in previous games. The game mechanics follow the logic of defeating enemies in a specific order to use your weapons against other opponents, in addition to bringing some news.

In addition to the addition of the Beat bird as an aid on the journey, Mega Man also has new battle features. Among them, we can highlight Power Mega Man, who is capable of breaking blocks, and Jet Mega Man, who can fly to reach remote points on the stage.