Review: NES Classic Edition

Posted on by Jennifer McMurray

Nintendo didn’t start the idea of the mini-console revival of classic systems. Atari and AtGames has been releasing their own mini-consoles for years.  Nintendo did manage to turn the practice around, as these were once seen as niche novelties, but they are now big business, with Sony entering the trend.

We’ll look at each of the mini-consoles available from Nintendo and Sony, but first we’ll look at Nintendo’s first Classic Edition offering, the miniaturized version of its classic 80s console, the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The system run on an Allwinner R16 “system on a chip”. It has a 1.2 gigahertz quad-core Cortex-A7 central processing unit, a 500 megahertz dual-core Mali-400 ARM graphics processing unit, 256 megabytes of random access memory, and 512 megabytes of Flash storage.

This is obviously more powerful than the 1.79 MHz CPU on the original NES, so the games, powered by an emulator created in-house by Nintendo European Research & Development, run silky smooth. They are also much more crisp than the original, as they are output at full high definition, but there is a cathode ray tube filter available in the options for purists.

The menu is easy to navigate, and looks clean and professional, as expected with a Nintendo product. Unlike the later Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition, the NES Classic Edition only includes one controller, a faithful remake of the original blocky NES controller. The controller has a Nintendo Classic Controller port, so this controller can also be used with a SNES Classic Edition, or a Wii or Wii U. The controller cable included is also really short, but extension cables and additional controllers are also available to purchase.

The 30 built-in games include a great variety of genres and include classics spanning the entirety of the original lifespan of the NES. The games include Balloon Fight,  Bubble Bobble, Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, Donkey Kong (strangely the 1983 original that lacked the factory level instead of the 2012 release, “Donkey Kong: Original Edition”, which included this level as well as the animation of Donkey Kong carrying Pauline between stages), Donkey Kong Jr., Double Dragon II: The Revenge, Dr. Mario, Excitebike, Final Fantasy, Galaga, Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Gradius, Ice Climber, Kid Icarus, Kirby’s Adventure, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., Mega Man 2, Metroid, Ninja Gaiden, Pac-Man, Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream, StarTropics, Solomon’s Key, Super C, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Tecmo Bowl, and Zelda II: The Adventures of Link.

We’ll be looking at each game in upcoming posts, which will be available to view by clicking the respective game link above. But, suffice it to say, for the current retail price of $60 it’s well worth spending if you or someone you love is a fan of retro games. The NES Classic Edition will cease production in 2019, so grab it now while you still can.

Final Verdict:
5 out of 5