Double Dribble Video
Jump Into Some NES Classics
Lab Work – Double Dribble Video
Starting with what might be one of my favorite basketball games on the NES console, Double Dribble, see more…
Let’s start with the greatest games: NBA Jam, Jordan vs Bird, Bulls vs Blazers, and Double Dribble… While all of these titles are great games, Double Dribble to me is where it all began for me. It was the undercover Jordan vs Bird basketball game. I assume Chicago Ox, New York Eagles, Los Angeles Breakers and Boston Frogs were meant to represent the Bulls, Knicks, Lakers and Celtics, respectively, but naming rights were likely an issue. That’s just my assumption.
My go to teams were Boston and Chicago for obvious reasons, as they represented the classic Bird vs Jordan era. So, for those of in your 40s and older, you should know the lore behind a Bulls Celtic game. That’s Double Dribble in a nutshell.
Perhaps I should include Double Dribble on the All Time Greats list for basketball. Watch this video and others like it on YouTube or check out our other videos found under the video category on our website. You decide!
Rad Racer Video
Rad Racer Video
Rad Racer, NES Classics
Lab Work – Rad Racer Video – The Classics With @NintendoComplete
Adding to the list of old Nintendo and Sony console games, we tossed in Rad Racer for good measure. See more…
I can’t do much without the video from @NintendoComplete. Let’s assume you remember Rad Racer or perhaps you read another one of our game articles or watched a video. Welcome! Let’s get into it!
Rad Racer, is on my Top 10 list, probably as the number 2 racing game, behind Mario Kart. Although from different era’s of gaming and presenting different challenges etc. Rad Racer was one of the first games I was able to conquer, learning the puzzles and strategies to beat the game. I think Zelda and Rad Racer… were my first two overall game wins.
Music selection, snow scenes and a Ferrari 328 looking car (the closest I’ve been to an F-1 race car) are all features of this game. The F-1 Lotus race car also remainds me of another video game, F-1 Race. It’s a different game, but very similar in graphics, color palette, sound, and SFX (sound effects). I loved this game as a kid, and it’s still the same after all these years. Nowadays, it’s all about YouTube content creators doing races and speed runs until we purchase that Nintendo Switch. The ending is cool, funny, and simple, just like many early NES games.
Watch this video and others like it on YouTube or check out our other videos found under the video category on our website. Enjoy!
Excitebike Video
Dirt Bike Racing and More
Find @nintendoComplete Online, Starting With Excitebike
Lab Work – Excitebike Video
I am a huge Excitebike fan. I love creating custom stages with maximum jumps; it is definitely a great game ahead of its time see more…
It feels like I start each review with, I’m a huge fan, well, Excitebike is no different… I could be just era I grow up in, these games took RGPs and boardgames to a new level. Mario, Excitebike, and Duck Hunt – if I recall correctly, these three games were the first games we owned. Not in that order, I can’t remember which games might have come with the console. I don’t know that the order matters, but Excitebike was epic. The hurdles, the big jumps, the step-ups and customizer…
The customizer might have been the most epic part, having the ability to create my own mega ramp race course. That was truly a game changer for me. I especially liked the ‘bluish’ and ‘neon green’ courses. The only real hang up I had with this game was the engine temperature or overheating… Like Top Gun, and the landing bit, the game is awesome, also my achilles heal. Overheating and landing, not so much. I was not the ‘landing’ type, never really got the hang of it. Where temperature was much easier to control in Excitebike. So, the customizer and temperature awareness… take aways. Jumps were fantastic, courses were worth the ride and game play was worth the hours upon hours of play.
Thanks @nintendoComplete. Watch this video and others like it on YouTube or check out our other videos found under the video category on our website.
Pro Wrestling Video
It’s Pro Wrestling Time
@nintendoComplete Pro Wrestling
Lab Work – Pro Wrestling Video, Who You Choosing? I’m Going With The Amazonian
Pro Wrestling is a fantastic game! See more…
Check out @nintendoComplete’s play-through of this great two-player game.
You got to love Pro Wrestling, this game was fantastic. If I remember correctly, it was early on in my gaming career some 30 years ago. By gaming career, I simply mean the time to play a game at an early age (tongue in cheek reference to having all the time in the world as a child).
I recall how cool the Amazon was… King Slender and Starman were. For some reason, I’m not sure why, but I essentially wanted to play this game nonstop. It’s probably been since middle school that I last played it.
It’s definitely on my “to buy” list if I ever get around to purchasing that Nintendo Switch I’ve been talking about. Not that this game was any more special or difficult than other NES console games. I think its simplicity was its feature, along with characters and famous wrestling moves.
Future self, remember to get back in the ring… That is one takeaway from this article that I do want to share… Ring time was essential; early on, it was an easy win if I made my way out of the ring through force or on my own accord.
Watch this video and others like it on YouTube or check out our other videos found under the video category on our website.
NES Ice Climber
A Mighty Climb To The Top
Climb’n Ice
Lab Work – Play Ice Climber Now
NES – Ice Climber, Famous Titles and more. Let’s cover NES titles, walk-throughs, play-throughs and even a little 80’s NES Lore
Do you remember Kong Fan? Rampage? Gyromite? How about Ice Climber? Play Ice Climber online now! I remember the pain of never being good at the game. The games were epic for ’85/’86 and I recall it like it was yesterday. My childhood friend owned the game console with a few games, including Ice Climber. We had the NES console, which it was epic. I think we had the following game cartridges, Super Mario, Baseball, Excitebike, and Duck Hunt. The Legend of Zelda was a secondary purchase that I remember vividly, the golden cartridge was top-notch marketing.
NES Titles, Walk-throughs and Play-Throughs
If you want to watch more NES content, play-throughs and/or walk-throughs, my goto content creators for archived video content are @worldoflongplay, @lordkayoss, and @nintendoComplete. The point here is that content, video ‘gaming’ in my childhood was spars. the neighborhoods kid had very few games, which means time on the console/game was limited. This meant the main focus was single player or limited two player games, most of the time with extremely lopsided outcomes when it came to head-to-head competition or gaming.
Imagine passing controllers passed back-and-forth for another try. I don’t think it would have made a difference anyway. The key was to rent, borrow, or purchase the game of choice and earn your stripes. I was terrible at the game, but it was awesome, reminiscent of those games above, the Donkey Kong or Rampage, with bottom-up racing games. Races included ice, stone obstacles, bears, birds, and other creatures. Awesome!
Other NES Titles
Let’s continue with more NES titles, including both favorites and rarities. Ice Climber and Gyromite were part of the original series of around 17 games released on the US Nintendo Entertainment System. Don’t quote me on the total number of games released in the original US lineup, but here is what I’ve gathered – Duck Hunt*, Gyromite, 10-Yard Fight(a football, game I’ve never played), Baseball**, Clu CLu Land, Donkey Kong Jr., Excitebike**, Golf*, Hogan’s Alley, Ice Climber**, Kung Fu**, Mach Rider, Pinball, Stack Up, Tennis, Wild Gunman and Wrecking Crew. Some of my favorites are marked with an (*) or double asterisk (**) based on my total playtime, enjoyment, and overall player experience.
Again, take this as it is. It’s been along time (30 years or more) since this article was written and the original gameplay. Many of the games I don’t remember or only played for a few hours. The games are simply included in the original Nintendo US offering. To answer your question, Ice Climber was awesome, Excitebike and Kung Fu were also great.
Gyromite and ROB (Robot Operting Buddy)
Moreover, Gyromite was a fun but incredibly challenging for an adolescent. Gyromite is a side-view puzzle game, featuring a quirky old professor/scienctist who jumps around while avoiding pipes and critters. It’s worth noting that Gyromite also involved the R.O.B., a unique accessory for the NES. The US NES Console was released with Gyromite and R.O.B., an automated player accessory for cooperative play. This was an innovative move by Nintendo, although R.O.B. was short-lived as an accessory.
For context, there was the NES Blaster/Zapper, Powerpad, Powerglove, and game-specific controllers like the laser scope and Max pad. For more information on those accessories, Gaming History101 does a much better job covering them. Kudos to them, as I was only familiar with about 60% of the items listed – U-Force, Laser-Scope and R.O.B. being the most notable. Returning to Gyromite/R.O.B., the game was linear, morning right-to-left and up-and-down, with a cool robot accessory called R.O.B. that could help open pipes in the case of Gyromite.
The Wrap Up
Duck Hunt was unique. It came with a blaster, officially called the Zapper (I remember it being grey), which was a cool idea. Clu Clu Land was tough from what I remember, similar to Alex The Kidd (a Sega Console game, if I recall correctly. If not, please look it up for context).
Anyhow, getting back on track, let’s conclude the article with Ice Climber. Ice Climber was a fantastic game, one of the original titles on the NES console. Players control characters who jump, climb, and use a mallet to make their way to the top of vertical boards. They must fight off bears, bee-like bugs, Yeti (bigfoot-like creatures), birds, and more. In my opinion, out of the 17 original games on the NES console, Ice Climber was one of the best, offering 2-player fun and a challenging difficulty level, especially for young players in 1985-86. In future posts, I will discuss Nintendo controllers and accessories such as the Power Glove, Power Mat, Game Genie, R.O.B, NES Light Gun and more. Cheers.
Tecmo Bowl Video
NES Football Classic
NES Classic – Tecmo Bowl
Lab Work – Tecmo Bowl Video
Tecmo Bowl – Epic Cut Scenes, Great Football-like Plays, Easy-to-Play, Play As The Most Famous Players of the Time. See more…
Tecmo Bowl… a classic NES football game… in my opinion, the first and best. Like racing games, there are only a few football games that stand out to me: Tecmo Bowl, the Madden Football Series, NFL Quarterback Club, John Elway’s Quarterback Football, College Football and NCAA College Football.
Maybe be there are more than I originally counted but that’s okay. The point is still relevant. Elway’s, Tecmo and Madden 2024… are on the Top 5, not necessarily in that order, but they represent over 38 plus years of football gaming. My only complaint is “that there is to much”, I prefer the simplicity of the earlier games, excluding Madden 2024. Sometimes that cut scenes and watered-down story lines get old quickly. Therefore, I find Tecmo Bowl and Elway’s more enjoyable these days(again, in my opinion you all might like prefer generational games like NCAA Football 2024, or Madden’24/’25).
Check out @nintendoComplete for Tecmo Bowl coverage, it’s peak coverage. Watch this video and others like it on YouTube or check out our other videos found under the video category on our website.
Top Gun Video
Top Gun Video
NES – Top Gun Play-through @nintendoComplete
Lab Work – Top Gun Video, NES Games And Play-Throughs
@nintendoComplete is coming through for us with a little bit of 80’s movie and video game nostalgia, see more…
This movie was epic, the game was epic… NES Top Gun was my first exposure to dog fighting… This game was so difficult. I can’t count how many hundreds of times I completed the first mission and failed to land on the aircraft carrier, which is key to game progression. Top Gun for NES, came out in ’86 or ’87, just after Top Gun the Movie ’86? Somewhere around that time. Honestly, this has nostalgia written all of it, both sides of the coin (referencing both the movie and the game).
It’s only fair to share a few pain points: landing and fuel… Gotta get better. The flight was fairly easy, not much to do. Guns and missiles – use missiles wisely… Avoid enemy danger at all costs, including SAM’s (surface to air missiles), fighters, mobile missile launchers, attack helo’s and the stray missile… Shoot those down if you can.
Ending is pretty epic… and I leave it at that!
Check out the NES Top Gun play-through by @nintendocomplete. Like and subscribe. Cheers
Track N Field 2 Video
Olympic Mode Video
@NintendoComplete does TNF II
Lab Work – Track N Field 2 Video play-through by @nintendoComplete
Track N Field 2 Video is considered one of the best games ever on the NES console. See more…
Swimming, shooting, diving, triple jump and hammer throw are all part of a day’s work in Olympic Mode – Track N’ Field 2. There are more events, like canoeing, pole vaulting, fencing, taekwondo, hang gliding, archery, hurdles and the horizontal bar.
I believe those are all the events in Olympic Mode, and each one can progressively get harder as the games progress. Don’t worry, there are passwords and ways to save your progress if you need to take a break. These games are not to difficult; as a child, maybe, but nowadays, with a few hours of practice and some internet research, you should be able to compete and complete events with better times or scores. It may vary, depending on your accuracy and knowledge of the puzzle or strategy required for the selected event. Hang Gliding is an example for this.
No matter what you’re favorite events are, there are plenty to choose from, which means there are enough events that could act as a spoiler or stumbling block when playing with others. Just keep at it, and you’ll get the hang of it!
Watch along as @NintendoComplete completes the 100% play-through. Thank you, @nintendoComplete, watch this video and others like it on YouTube. Or find our other videos under the video category on our website.
Kung Fu NES Video
Kung Fu NES Video
Kick & Punch, Beat ‘Em Up
Video – Kung Fu NES Video
Shout out to @NintendoComplete, for the great play-through. See more…
Best Beat’em Up… games include Kung Fu, TMNT Arcade, Final Fight, and the Double Dragon Series… I don’t know about this one. Kung Fu was the first karate or martial arts game I played, so, maybe a broader category like beat’em up, action RPG, combat, fighting, boxing etc. would be a better pitch. In that case, the game tiles broaden to include the Street Fighter series, Mike Tysons Punch-Out! Batman, Castlevania (while I’m writing this, watching Rondo Of Blood for Turbo Grafx), Shinobi, Ninja Gaiden, God of War, Black Myth Wukong (a buy, so, a soon-to-buy) current the Elden Ring Samurai build, and Rise of Ronin (purchased, but not yet played).
Should I also include Rise, Rampage, Golden Axe, and Altered Beast on this list as well? I didn’t get into the UFC or WWF games as much, but Pro Wrestling yes. When considering all marital arts games, there are only a few: Kung Fu, Street Fighter, Virtual Fighter, Soul Caliber and now Elden Ring.
Returning to Beat’em Ups, martial arts, or whatever it may be and NES Kung Fu. I think Kung Fu is still one of the best games out there, even for a late 1985 release. Horizontal scrolling, punch, kick, and jump kick… a definitive “buy” today if I had a way to play the game. Nintendo Switch* I never understood the bee enemies or the fireball, bee throwing, dragon appearing enemy seems unfair or the final battle, guessing Mr. X. Silva saved. *Is there a Nintendo Switch in my future? We will find out!