Contra exemplifies the classic run-and-gun genre of video games. The NES port is generally considered to be an improvement upon Konami's 1986 arcade game. It usually appears near the top of "best of NES" lists. I may be one of the few people who, despite owning an NES, never played Contra or either of its two sequels . I discovered Contra only after playing these sequels on the NES and SNES Classic. Truth be told, run-and-gun isn't my favorite genre, in part because I don't often play with a second player. Where Contra shines is in its simultaneous two-player action. Even Ikari Warriors , the NES version of which is bad, received plaudits merely for offering simultaneous two-player at a time when that was rare on home consoles. Contra blows that game out of the proverbial water. In Contra you control Bill (and Lance, if a second player joins). In the arcade and Famicom versions, the setting is an alien planet in the 27th century, but the NES port was rebranded su

Mario Kart Super Circuit takes elements from Mario Kart 64 and combines them with the 2D racing of the original Super Mario Kart . The result is a great handheld version of Nintendo's best-selling racing-combat franchise! Mario Kart games are intuitive and require little explanation. If you've played any Mario Kart game, you know how to play all of them. But for the uninitiated, let me explain: you race a go-kart against seven other racers. You select one of three speeds at which to compete: 50 CC, 100 CC, or 150 CC. The A button accelerates and the B button brakes. The latter is rarely done, though a well timed tap of the brakes can prevent you from spinning out after hitting an obstacle such as a banana peel. The R button lets your kart do a tiny hop, though this also isn't often needed. Tracks are littered with yellow coins. The more you collect, the faster your top speed becomes (and unlike in other Mario Kart games, it's not capped at ten). If you have no coins, b

Pilotwings 64 was the N64's only launch title other than Super Mario 64 . As a flight simulator, it was perfect for Nintendo's first 3D-capable system. It easily surpassed the original Pilotwings . Pilotwings 64 boasts seven vehicles in total. The rocket belt and hang glider return from the original, though surprisingly there's no plane! It's been replaced with a new vehicle: the gyrocopter, which is like a primitive helicopter. All of the vehicles are controlled with the control stick. You can switch between first- and third-person perspectives with the R button and pan the camera by holding a C button. The A button speeds up the gyrocopter, while the B button slows it down. The hang glider can't be sped up except by diving. Instead, pushing A or B causes you to "flare," which slows you down. To land the hang glider, you have to hold down A, which neither the game nor manual explains. I repeatedly crashed because I thought I was supposed to tap the button

Rival Turf, stylized on the cover and manual with an exclamation point (like Jeb Bush's failed 2016 presidential campaign), is an early SNES beat-'em-up created by Jaleco. Games published by Jaleco were generally sub-standard, and Rival Turf is no exception. It was a bald attempt to capitalize on the success of Capcom's arcade hit Final Fight . The photo art on the box and manual is infamous. Rival Turf is inferior to Final Fight (FF) in every way except one. Unlike FF, Rival Turf supports two players at the same time. FF was a popular arcade game, but (as I noted in my review ) the home version disappointed many fans because it omitted one of the three character options and, crucially, was single-player only. What made FF so popular in arcades was the ability for two players to play together. Rival Turf's sole achievement is including this feature. The two character choices are carbon copies of Cody and Haggar from FF. One is beefy (Oozie Nelson), the other slight (Jac

Like some other NES classics, the sequel to the groundbreaking  Legend of Zelda goes in a different direction from its predecessor. It's still an action-adventure game, but the overhead perspective has been exchanged for side-scrolling platforming. Zelda II has the reputation of being the series' "black sheep." However, it holds up well against most other NES games. Featuring a world map with random encounters, experience points, and a menu of magic spells, Zelda II is the closest the series has ever come to being an RPG. The choice to use side-scrolling makes sense when you consider that other successful action-adventure games of the time, such as Rygar and Metroid , were side-scrolling platformers. Zelda II doesn't feature much platforming by comparison. There are a few lava pits to navigate, but no platforms suspended in the air. Jumping is more important in the sword-based combat system that is central to gameplay. Link can slash his sword at eye level or

The second entry in the Metroid series arrived on the Game Boy at the end of 1991. It offers a more linear experience than the original , as Samus moves deeper and deeper into the cavernous SR-388 hunting Metroids. Although not as compelling as the original (let alone  Super Metroid ), Metroid II is a strong entry for the Game Boy. The plot of Metroid II is that Samus has been tasked with exterminating every last Metroid on their home planet of SR-388. A tracker at the bottom of the screen displays how many remain, beginning at 39. Periodically, after she has slain a certain quota, the screen rumbles as if there were an earthquake. Each time this happens a new downward path opens where there used to be lava. There are ten underground areas, plus the planet's surface where Samus's ship has landed.  The basic Metroids, called Alphas, are easy to destroy with missiles. These are not the same Metroids from the original. Apparently the classic Metroid is a larval form! Metroids meta