Classic NES Series
[GBA]

Hello, gamers. Halbred here. For the Video Game Nation's next installment, we'll be reviewing the newly released NES Classic series. These games are straight ports to the new NES SP GBA system and sadly, two or three members of VGN could not review these gems because they had not yet played them. Hopefully this review will be formatted a little nicer than our Viewtiful Joe review. Cross your fingers and enjoy...

P.S. I have edited some of these reviews to the unexpected chagrin of my fellow reviews. Sorry guys. In the effort of saving space, I've had to axe some things.

ViewtifulGamer takes on Pac-Man:

Pac-Man: Does it still hold up today?

Simple premise. The yellow circle eats dots, and if he plays his cards right, he can turn on those nasty ghosts. So regular, so mundane and boring by today's standards. Or, at least it seems that way at first look. Believe it or not, Pac-Man was an international phenomenon upon its release in the '80s. Riding the arcade train of fame of the era, the yellow circle has since become an icon of gaming. And sure, there have been 3-D next-gen games released, but they just haven't caught on with the sheer intensity their ancestor did. So, without further adieu, let's get it started. The gameplay of this arcade classic is simple, but horribly addicting. You'll find yourself playing for hours just trying to outrun the ghosts, although you may find yourself ambushed, as it can sometimes seem as if those ghosts are strategizing against you. You move up and down a 2-D maze, collecting small dots, which count for points, and larger dots, which allow you to eat the ghosts, earning you more points. Once all of the ghosts are gone and you've collected all of the points you can, you get to the next level.

The controls are simple. The D-Pad moves you, which is all you really need. The graphics, while outdated, hold up to this day. "How?" you may ask. Well, with a premise so simple, CGI cutscenes aren't really necessary. So as far as I'm concerned, they're just fine. Overall, Pac-Man is a great arcade classic that anyone who owns a GBA should buy. I'll score it a 10. It's good for short gaming intervals, as well as hours on end. To put it simply, it's perfect. I really don't see a single thing wrong. By the way, if you need a sample before you buy the game, you can find a PC version of Pac-Man here: Pac-Man

Joachim gives his opinion of DK:

Donkey Kong is just one of the classics (hence it being in the classic series). I can play this game for hours, even though it's the same thing. Run up a hill, jump over barrels and fear Giant Gorillas. Grab a hammar, smack stuff, have fun. I don't exactly know how to tackle this as far as sound and graphics go, so I'll skip it. I'm sure everyone has seen Donkey Kong, so you all know the graphics. The controls are basic. Left, Right, Jump. Also, you can climb ladders. Uh...this is probably the hardest review thing I've done. The gameplay for Donkey Kong is also basic. I pretty much already described it in the contols area. You need to rescue the Princess from the "evil" Donkey Kong, who you will later go on to face on the race track. I hadn't been able to play this game since I found it in Animal Crossing. It is a great game, and being able to play it wherever is fun.

Bigredrockeater brings us back to our childhood nostalgia with Super Mario Bros:

Nintendo has been feeling nostalgic lately and has been releasing some of their older hit titles. There’s been Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Excitebike, and even the famous original The Legend Of Zelda, but none measure up to the greatness of the past that is Super Mario Brothers. Well, from what I’ve played, I can tell you that this is a complete straight-up port. To the three of you who haven’t played a Mario game, all you have to do is run to the right, and jump on the occasional enemy or two. Sounds simple? Think again. Along the way you’ll encounter a gap that requires a running leap, so if you’re not running, then you have to backtrack and then start running. There are also various enemies that you can’t get by just jumping on their heads, but by either shooting them with one of three power-ups (Mushroom- makes you bigger and you can take an extra hit, Flower- able to take two hits before death and allows Mario to shoot fireballs, and the Star which makes you invulnerable for a short time). It’s this fast and frenetic gameplay that makes SMB so addictive. Although I can beat it in about 30 minutes, you’ll come back for the amazing level-design, the spot-on controls, and the princess in the other castle (that reminds me... Toad, next time I see you, I’m going to kick you in the nuts). Sadly, since this is a straight-up port, the graphics suck hard. Everything is rendered so poorly that your eyes will hurt after awhile. Don’t look at it. Trust me. Also, the sound, while annoying, yet oddly addictive, can also get annoying on the last level or two. The plot (stupid wench is "smart" enough to trust a giant lizard who breathes fire and gets kidnapped, and depends on an old, overweight plumber to save her) isn’t exactly Newberry-Award-Winning material. But you didn’t play Mario for the plot, did you? You play it for the gameplay, and in this game, that’s exactly what you get, through and through.

SMB is a great addition to any gamer’s library. Anyone who hasn’t played this old-school masterpiece should definitely check this one out. And for the straight-up gangster price of 20$, you really can’t go wrong.

And finally, Halbred takes on the best of the best, The Legend of Zelda:

I'll say this for LoZ: I'd gladly pay full price. Of the entire NES Classic series, it's the only one that's probably worth the full $20 and maybe more. Sure, the graphics are horrible by today's standards. The environments look cookie-cut and boring, and finding Heart Containers becomes a real chore because all the environments look the same (hey, that bush looks suspicious...wait, no it doesn't). The quest is the same as always. Collect the Triforce pieces and rescue Zelda from the King of Evil, Ganon. You'll find many items in their original forms, and some of them only have one use (like the Raft) which is disappointing. The dungeons are creepy and dungeon-esque with a great soundtrack, and many take real skill as a gamer to get through. Have you beaten the whole game without dying once? I have. It's one of my proudest moments. If you're not one to go for free exploration games (this one even more than later entries), you're not going to like Zelda. Movement also takes some getting used to, as Link cannot move diagonally. Also, the "hints" in the game are meaningless and lead you nowhere. "Master using this and you can have it" in no way, shape, or form means "go get 6 heart containers and you can have this sword." GameFAQs helps when you're looking for items. Otherwise, you can't go wrong with Zelda. It'll certainly keep you busy. Go forth and save Hyrule.

That's it. That's VGN's review of the Classic NES series. Sure, there are more games like Excitebike and Ice Climbers, but they're unimportant in comparison to the games above.