|
"The
New NES"
by: ? |
|
| (Nintendo
Power; October 1993 (Issue #53) |
|
| Why Mess With
Perfection?
|
| Having sold over 30
million units since it's introduction in 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment
System (NES) is the most popular video game system in history. So you
might wonder why Nintendo decided to redesign it. Nintendo wanted to
create an 8-bit configuration for first-time video gamers that would also
have an entry-level cost. Another reason was to make it easy for players
to make use of the vast library of NES titles. At present, there are more
than 700 NES games. You may find it surprising, but not everyone has
played many of the classics like Super Mario
Bros., Metroid, Mega
Man, Castlevania, Double
Dragon, Dragon Warrior, and dozens of other games that
are just as challenging and fun as many 16-bit games. The new suggested
retail price of $49.95 should make it easy for players to experience the
classic NES.
|
| A New Look
|
| The old, box-shaped NES
was designed in 1984 by Lance Barr, Nintendo of America's design engineer.
At that time, the mission was to create a simple, clean-lined Control
Deck. This time around, Lance began fooling around with a number of ideas
including one Control Deck that looked like Mario's head. The final
design, though, was sleek and sophisticated like a sports car. The most
obvious change is that the Game Pak manually loads into the top. The new
Controller makes use of angled buttons like the Super NES Controller and a
rounded, easy-to-grip shape. The new look and narrow profile of the NES
makes it an attractive companion to the Super NES.
|
| Internal Changes
|
|
The insides of the new
NES also changed. A more consolidated circuit board makes the unit simpler
to assemble and repair. Gone are the A/V outputs and a number of
components that have been combined into a single, custom chip. The Central
Processing Unit and Picture Processing Unit - the real brains and brawn of
the NES - remain unchanged. Another noticeable change is the absence of a
port in the bottom of the unit.
Lance Barr, the Nintendo
designer who created the new look for the NES as well as the original
NES,
wanted to simplify the system in many less obvious ways. One of those
changes is in the way you load the Game Pak. In the original NES Control
Deck, the spring-loaded mechanism that popped down to lock-in the Game Pak
was expensive and could wear out with extended use or misuse. The new
push-in/pull-out format eliminates those problems.
|
| Benefits of Change
|
| For less than the cost
of most Super NES games, you can enter the worlds of Zelda or Mario or the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Although the lion's share of game
development these days is for the Super NES, many licensees continue to
support new NES titles. Check out the list of upcoming NES games for the
rest of 1993. Even more important to new video gamers is the number of
games already available for the NES. This unmatched library contains
action, adventure, sports, puzzle, RPG, and edutainment titles.
|
| Classic NES Titles:
|
|
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
The Legend of Zelda
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Battletoads
Battletoads & Double Dragon
Metroid
Mega Man (I through V)
Castlevania (I through III)
Ninja Gaiden (I through III)
TMNT (I through III)
Dragon Warrior (I through IV)
Tecmo Super Bowl
Blades of Steel
Bases Loaded (1 through 4)
Tecmo NBA Basketball
R.C. Pro-Am
R.C. Pro-Am II
Kirby's Adventure
Tetris
Top Gun
Solar Jetman
Maniac Mansion
Super C
Contra
Final Fantasy
Nobunaga's Ambition
The Chessmaster
Crystalis
Donkey Kong
Blaster Master
Bionic Commando
Batman Returns
And hundreds more...
|
|
Related
Content:
