This is a list of games that are part of the Classic NES Series in North America, Famicom Mini (ファミコンミニ, Famikon Mini) in Japan, and NES Classics in Europe and Australia. The series consists of emulated Nintendo Entertainment System, Family Computer, and Family Computer Disk System games for the Game Boy Advance.
A special edition Game Boy Advance SP that has a similar color pattern to an NES controller (along with a Famicom counterpart in Japan), was released to go along with these games. In Japan, the color of the cartridges often matches the color of their original Famicom cartridges, but in North America, all the games in this series were released in a light gray cartridges made to resemble the default color of NES cartridges.
List
editAll of the games were published by Nintendo.
Nintendo
editA total of 18 first-party games were released in the series. Of these, six were previously released by alternative means on the Game Boy Advance:
- Animal Crossing for the GameCube featured an Advance Play mode, allowing NES games to be played on a Game Boy Advance by using a GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable. Two other games feature a yellow check mark, as they do not support Advance Play.
- The e-Reader accessory featured a NES emulator for the Game Boy Advance, allowing NES games to be played after scanning the corresponding cards.
| Title | JP release | NA release | PAL release | Other availability | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Crossing | e-Reader | ||||
| Donkey Kong | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | 
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| Excitebike | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 |
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| Ice Climber | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 |
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| The Legend of Zelda | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | 
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| Super Mario Bros. | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 |
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| Dr. Mario | May 21, 2004 | October 25, 2004 | January 7, 2005 |
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| Balloon Fight | May 21, 2004 | - | - |
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| Clu Clu Land | May 21, 2004 | - | - |
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| Mario Bros. | May 21, 2004 | - | - |
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| Wrecking Crew | May 21, 2004 | - | - |
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| Metroid | August 10, 2004 | October 25, 2004 | January 7, 2005 |
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| Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | August 10, 2004 | October 25, 2004 | January 7, 2005 |
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| Famicom Tantei Club: Kieta Kōkeisha | August 10, 2004 | - | - |
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| Famicom Tantei Club Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shōjo | August 10, 2004 | - | - |
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| Kid Icarus | August 10, 2004 | - | - |
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| Nazo no Murasame Jō | August 10, 2004 | - | - |
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| Shin Onigashima | August 10, 2004 | - | - |
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| Super Mario Bros. 2 | August 10, 2004 | - | - |
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Third party
edit| Title | Licensor | JP release | NA release | PAL release | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bomberman | Hudson Soft | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | - |
| Pac-Man | Namco | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | - |
| Xevious | Namco | February 14, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | July 9, 2004 | - |
| Mappy | Namco | February 14, 2004 | - | - | - |
| Star Soldier | Hudson Soft | February 14, 2004 | - | - | - |
| Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Hot Scramble | Bandai | March 18, 2004 | - | - | Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Hot Scramble was the first release in the Famicom Mini Extra Series. It was a raffle prize for people who purchased Kidō Senshi Gundam: Senshitachi No Kiseki on the Gamecube in Japan. Only 2000 copies were printed.[1] |
| Dig Dug | Namco | May 21, 2004 | - | - | - |
| Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Dōchū | Konami | May 21, 2004 | - | - | - |
| Ghosts 'n Goblins | Capcom | May 21, 2004 | - | - | - |
| Adventure Island | Hudson Soft | May 21, 2004 | - | - | - |
| TwinBee | Konami | May 21, 2004 | - | - | - |
| Castlevania | Konami | August 10, 2004 | October 25, 2004 | January 7, 2005 | - |
| SD Gundam World: Gachapon Senshi Scramble Wars | Bandai | August 10, 2004 | - | - | - |
| Dai-2-Ji Super Robot Taisen | Banpresto | December 16, 2004 | - | - | Dai-2-Ji Super Robot Taisen was the second release in the Famicom Mini Extra Series. It was a raffle prize for people who purchased Super Robot Wars GC on the Gamecube in Japan. Only 2000 copies were printed.[2]
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Reception
editUpon launch of the series in Japan, 1 million units were sold within eight days.[3]
The series of reissues had a mixed reception. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot complained that a Bomberman without multiplayer is "hardly a Bomberman at all".[4] Metroid's inclusion in the series was considered redundant by Bob Colayco of GameSpot, since it was already included as an unlockable extra in the remake Metroid: Zero Mission as well as in Metroid Prime.[5]
Some reviewers were annoyed that the Classic NES Series versions of some games differed slightly from the originals. For example, Craig Harris of IGN complained that the Classic NES Series version of Xevious had an automatic firing setting that made it less difficult than the original.[6] Reviewers also complained about the lack of the pie/cement level in Donkey Kong.[7][8] In Super Mario Bros., the screen ratio aspect was altered, causing odd graphical artifacts.[9][10]
The prices of the Classic NES Series and previous rereleases were also criticized. Many reviewers noted that $20 was a high price for one game.[8][11] Both GameSpot and IGN noted that Nintendo had given away The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for free in the Collector's Edition bonus disc, although they conceded that the Classic NES Series version was portable.[12][13] However, reviewers consistently hailed Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Dr. Mario as being worth the cost of the cartridge.[12][13][14]
References
edit- ^ "Kidō Senshi Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble (機動戦士Ζガンダム・ホットスクランブル) - Famicom, Game Boy Advance (1986)". HardcoreGaming101. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ^ "Super Robot Taisen Gets Super Bonus". IGN. October 13, 2004. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ "The Revenge of Pac-Man". Lakeland Ledger. June 6, 2004. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff. GameSpot: Bomberman review. June 8, 2004
- ^ Colayco, Bob. GameSpot: Metroid review Archived October 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. November 3, 2004
- ^ Harris, Craig. IGN: Xevious (Classic NES Series) Review. June 4, 2004.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff. "Classic NES Series: Donkey Kong for the Game Boy Advance review. June 4, 2004.
- ^ a b Dr. Chapstick. "Review: Classic NES Series: Donkey Kong for Game Boy Advance. Gamepro.com. June 4, 2004.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff. GameSpot: Super Mario Bros. review Archived October 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. GameSpot. June 8, 2004
- ^ Harris, Craig. "Super Mario Bros." review. IGN. June 4, 2004.
- ^ Harris, Craig. IGN: Donkey Kong (Classic NES Series) Review". IGN. June 4, 2004.
- ^ a b Gerstmann, Jeff. "Classic NES Series: The Legend of Zelda for Game Boy Advance Review" Archived October 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. GameSpot. June 8, 2004.
- ^ a b Harris, Craig. "IGN: The Legend of Zelda (Classic NES Series) Review. IGN. June 4, 2004.
- ^ "The Legend of Zelda (NES Classic)" Archived July 1, 2012, at archive.today. 1Up.com. Retrieved February 4, 2007.