Hi, my name is Matt. My goal is to make the ultimate "Best Games on the NES" list; a list that takes into account every NES game ever (officially released in North America), no matter how obscure or unpopular. Before I can rank every game, I have to evaluate each one individually. That means for every game, I play it to completion, then review it and score it. I currently post reviews three days a week (M-W-F) on this website. The rules and rating system can be found here.
What will this list look like?
The end product will be a ten minute YouTube video featuring a rapid-fire count-down of 674 games with gameplay footage and an (approximately) two-sentence synopsis of each game.
You spelled "review" wrong!
re·vue
rəˈvyo͞o/
noun
- a light theatrical entertainment consisting of a series of short sketches, songs, and dances, typically dealing satirically with topical issues.
Why do you only post three days a week?
Posting three days a week allows me to build up a backlog of reviews. That way, if playing an overly long game, such as a JRPG, puts me behind schedule, I can play a couple of excessively short games, such as educational or board games, and get back on track without fans ever noticing the difference.
Why do you complete every game before reviewing it?
I want to make sure I've given every game a fair chance. Some games have a first five minutes that are very misleading as to what the rest of the game is like (e.g. Clash at Demonhead, Vice: Project Doom"), some games have a very sudden difficulty spike halfway through (e.g. Snake Rattle and Roll), and some games have plots that take a sudden left turn in the last act of the game (e.g. countless fantasy RPGs with a sci-fi twist at the end).
What order are you playing them in?
Officially, no specific order. I'll get to a game when I get to it. Unofficially, I'm taking length into account. Any game I can beat very quickly, weather it be a short game (e.g. Mickey's Adventures in Numberland), an easy game (e.g. Kirby's Adventure), a game that repeats endlessly and thus has no end (e.g. Duck Hunt, Donkey Kong), or a game I've beat countless times in the past (e.g. Mega Man 2, The Legend of Zelda), are more likely to be reviewed early. Games I know will take me a very long time, weather it be an excessively long game (e.g. Final Fantasy, Might & Magic), or an excessively difficult game (e.g. Battletoads, Silver Surfer) are more likely to be reviewed last.
Are you playing them on the actual console or an emulator?
Most games will be played on emulator. This allows me to focus on playing and reviewing games rather then tracking down every NES ever released. However, games that require a specialized peripheral (NES Zapper, Rob the Robot) I will be playing on a console so I can give an accurate review of the game experience.
Playing games on an emulator isn't the same thing!
That's true - it's cheaper, easier, and I don't have to spend a third of my time doing maintenance (cleaning cartridges, blowing on them, etc). The only real "problem" I have with emulators is when people use them to cheat at games (save states, etc) and then act as though they've beaten the game legitimately. To me, using save states is like using cheat codes, and will be handled accordingly.
Playing console games with a keyboard isn't the same thing!
Believe me, I one hundred percent agree! Fortunately, NES controllers with USB plugs are not only readily available but also relatively inexpensive.
Do you use cheat codes, exploits, or save states?
Only as a last resort for near-unbeatable games (I'm looking at you, Silver Surfer). When this happens, the manner in which I cheated will be clearly marked on the review.
My goal is to review every game that was officially licensed for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. That's over 670 games, and I would like to eventually finish.
Can I request you review a specific game?
Sure, you can try! Is it an NES game that was officially licensed and released in North America? Because if it is, I'll get to it eventually, and if it's not, then I won't be reviewing it.
No. I've already got over 670 games to review. If I start reviewing every homebrew and hacked NES game past, presently, and in the future released, I will literally never be finished.
You should review the Japanese version of [game] because it's way different/better!
The problem with that is, if I review the Japanese version of one game, I have to complete and review the Japanese version of every game, just to make sure I'm being fair. That would effectively double the amount of games I have to review.
Will you review [game I have strong opinions about] next?
The rule of thumb is I'll get to it when I get to it! Remember, I'm always working on multiple games at once, so even if I did add your request to the top of my queue, it still wouldn't show up for a couple weeks.
You keep saying 647 games but according to Wikipedia, there's a lot more then that.
First, the list on Wikipedia also includes Europe-exclusive titles. Second, I'm excluding multi-cart releases of games that were also released separately, like Donkey Kong Classics, Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt, or Nintendo World Championship. Lastly, I'm excluding Miracle Piano Teacher, because you can't emulate it and I'm not spending hundreds of dollars tracking a copy down on eBay just so I can write a review like "huh, it's not really a video game, it just teaches you piano".
Do you review peripherals?
Optional peripherals not required to play any particular game - the NES Advantage, NES Max, etc - are outside the scope of this blog and will not be covered here. Peripherals that are required to play a particular game will not be given their own review, but it's pretty hard to discuss Stack-Up without also talking about Rob the Robot.
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