Get your own Free Home PageDuring the era in which the NES was in power many accessories were made for the system. This is rather amazing when you think about it, because in this 32- and 64-bit system age we are in, and even in the days of the Super NES, there is an absence of accessories. Sure, the SNES had the Super Scope, the SNES Mouse, and the Super Gameboy; but there was no real innovation (except for the SNES Mouse). The NES had several original and fun accessories, and some not-so-good ones. Here we go:
This was the first arcade-feel controller for a home console system, and it also featured Turbo and Slow-Motion controls. The big buttons made it easy for little kids to use; however, it's a pain for people with large hands (such as myself). Some games recommended for use with the Advantage are: Gradius, Lifeforce, and the Mega Man series.
The Power Pad is one of the very original and well thought-out concepts from Nintendo. The main idea is for the player to run in place on this approxiately 4'x4' plastic surface, creating a "virtual-running" experience. The only games I am aware of that are compatible with this device are World Track Class Meet (available on a triple-cart that was packaged with the system and the Power Pad), World Class Track Meet II, and Dance Aerobics.
This is another great idea from the once-honorable folks at Nintendo. This gun could be used to shoot at the screen allowing you to feel like you were in the action. I have seen two color combinations used on the gun, a dark-gray, light-gray combo; and a newer orange, light gray style. The games that work with the Light Gun are: Bayou Billy, Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, Operation Wolf, and Trick Shooting.
This was not only a big step in Nintendo's history, but also in the history of Virtual Reality. This glove was pretty neat-looking, it had a futuristic look to it and it had a large control pad on the forearm for use in practically any game. However, the glove itself could be used for various games using finger movements. The only game which the glove played a vital role in was Mike Tyson's Punch Out, but Super Mario Bros. 3 and Double Dragon II are the only games I can recall using the finger movement option. As I said before, the control pad allowed the Power Glove to be used with any game (not counting Light Gun- and Power Pad-only games smart ass!)
This is probably the best NES accessory ever made. Not only did he look cool, he did all sorts of crazy antics (i.e. stacking blocks) in his games. Unfortunately, ROB had only two games: Stack-Up and Gyromite; which is really too bad, because I have to admit he's my favorite NES accessory.
Both of these were used to allow 4-player simultaneous playing, clearing the way for the Multi-Tap for the SNES and eventually the 4 controller-inputs on the Nintendo 64. These 2 NES accessories were great, however I fail to see the point in releasing 2 of them. The Four Score apparently had Turbo and Slow-Motion options, while the Satellite only provided 4 controller ports. None the less, this project by Nintendo was a success, and most likely was the influence on all 4-player adaptors/systems. So next time you scoff at the sight of an old NES Satellite, just try to imagine such awesome multi-player games as Super Bomberman 2, Mario Kart 64, and Goldeneye:007 without their 4-player options! Some games which took advantage of the 4-player adaptors were: Cool Spot, Gauntlet, NES Play Action Football, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Super Spike Volleyball.
The Game Genie, introduced by Galoob, was certainly a revolutionary video game accessory. Using codes provided in an instruction manual, players could alter games to their advantage or disadvantage, and plain and simple- screw them up. Effects such as increasing lives and energy, super jumps, player handicaps, warps, and so forth made old games seem new again; hard games were made easier, simple games were made more of a challenge, 2-player simultaneous games were actually fair when playing against an older sibling.
But of course, good things can't last forever. Nintendo didn't like this idea, and attempted to sue Galoob for this. However, the courts decided there was no harm done, and if someone didn't like the effects of the Game Genie, they could just remove the device. Nintendo still had an ace up their sleeve though, and put a chip in the newer models of the NES which disabled the Genie. I have been told an adaptor can be obtained for free from Galoob by calling their number (I have no idea what this is) which will let the Genie do it's work on the new NES.
This interesting controller came along with the game Arkanoid. That's about all I know. I have no idea if this works with any other games, so if you know please notify me.
I don't know what the hell this thing is, all I remember is it being quite the big thing for about 3 months, and then it died. All I know is it is a controller which seems to involve an ultraviolet light-screen on the actual device, and your hand movements control the on-screen actions. I believe the main game used to push this one was Super Glove Ball.
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