Retro Redux: NES Quest – You don’t just beat NES games…or do you?

095-Retro Redux_NES Quest Games

I know it’s been a while since the last update on NES Quest and even longer since the last report card, so this post is long overdue! First, a (very) brief update: I never did get around to playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II with a friend again, so that’s why I’ve been holding off on a report card. But I have had the time to play StarTropics, which is, of course, single player. It’s really great, but that’s all I’m going to say for now.

Today’s topic is summarized in this post’s title. I’ve heard this from at least a couple of people; you don’t just beat NES games! …Or do you? Most games are meant to be completed in some fashion, whether it’s getting 100% or just finishing the story and watching the credits roll. Many NES games are the same.

These thoughts have been rolling around in my head for a while now. I once tried to beat the original Legend of Zelda using a detailed walkthrough. The guide got me through at least 4 or 5 dungeons, but what it couldn’t do was fight my battles: I got hung up in a room with 3 Darknuts. The challenge was just too great. Unless you want me to spend all of my free time playing just 1 game, I’m not sure I’ll ever beat The Legend of Zelda.

Old games are hard. And I’ve noticed that, as adults, we have more of a drive to win than we did as kids. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t beat Super Mario Bros. growing up. It was just fun to play.

So I just want to pose some questions for you: first, how crucial do you think it is for me to “beat” the NES games I play for this project? It might be a question of how many games I tackle: would you rather have me play and experience, but not finish, a wide variety of games or should I play a smaller quantity, but work at them until I beat them? Second, how many NES games have you beaten? And which ones? This, I’m actually very curious about. It would be really nice to have some standard by which to judge my own “performance.”

Speaking of all this, I went back to DuckTales and won it! Just thought I’d throw that out there. It’s the second NES game I’ve ever beaten, behind Super Mario Bros.

In addition to being a girl gamer, Holly prides herself on being a red-head. Consequently, the blue shell in the Mario Kart series is her natural enemy. Don't worry, though: she still loves Mario Kart and is very good, despite the occasional blue shell-sabotaged race. Like any Nintendo fan, Holly also loves Zelda, Pokemon, Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Kirby...you name it. But she'll try just about anything (besides horror games) and has a soft spot for unique, little-known rhythm games like Rhythm Heaven and Samba de Amigo. NNID: Aeroweth