Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Nostalgia #1

I'm going to throw out a little something different here, and perhaps we'll do this again from time to time.

I'm going to give you two random screenshots from old Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games.

In the comments, guess the name of the games and share your fondest memory of each game as well.

Let's see who can get them right!

Game #1: I'm tossing you a softball here. If you spent any time playing the NES in the 80s, you had to have come in contact with this game at least once. Hint: You picked up weapons and car upgrades off of the track as you raced.


Game #2: A little harder. Hint: This was an SNK title, and one of the cool parts about it was when you picked up the machine gun. You could shoot your enemies or punish them with a vicious physical blow from the blunt side of the gun!

Reliving my childhood: Super Mario Brothers 3 released for the Wii Virtual Console

Finally it's here on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. The game I loved to death as a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) fanatic, and still my favorite installment of the Super Mario Brothers series: Super Mario Brothers 3. Nintendo released the title for the Wii Virtual Console today.

I remember when the game came out there was such anticipation for it in the metro Detroit area that you could literally call every major retailer in a 20 mile radius and nobody would have it in stock.

All I wanted for my 12th birthday was Super Mario Brothers 3. I'd been reading up on it in Nintendo Power, and seeing previews and commercials on TV. Forget Reebok Pumps, I had to have Mario!

My mom gave me the phone book and let me call every store I could think of. I dialed the phone for two hours straight and I was striking out all over the place. Then I decided to take a shot in the dark and call Kohl's Department Store. I didn't think they even sold video games, let alone have Super Mario Brothers 3. To my surprise they did, and they just received 20 copies in stock. I asked them to place one on hold but because they were so hot, they refused. The race was on.

Mom, little brother Randy and little sister Wendy hopped in the Beckmobile and shot off down M-59 at 60 miles per hour. Would they have any left when I got there? What do I do if they don't? My mind was racing faster than my mom was driving.

We pulled up to the front of Summit Place Mall and the Kohl's entrance. My mom let me out of the car to race inside and get my hands on a copy while she parked and got the little ones out.

Adrenaline kicked in and I felt like the Flash running to the door, complete with blurred tunnel vision. I ran past the registers and began to scout out the electronics or toy department. Where in the world is my game?

And there, to my left, in a glass counter display case was that unmistakeable yellow box with a giant raccoon Mario on the front. They still had Super Mario Brothers 3 in stock. I trotted up to the counter and waited until the clerk helped someone else complete their purchase of the same glorious game I was about to get my hands on.

"Can I help you, son?" asked the clerk.
"Yeah, can I get a copy of Mario 3?" I replied in the same manner as Ralphie from "A Christmas Story" telling Santa he wanted an "Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!"
"No problem," said the clerk as he unlocked the case with his key-on-a-coil and took a copy out.

By then my mother came walking in with little kids in tow and we bought the game.

Once out in the car I pulled the game out of the plastic Kohl's bag and sat there in a moment of silence as I ran my fingers along the shrink wrapped seam, taking in the newness and crispness of this bold yellow box. Then I ripped off the plastic and started thumbing through the illustrated instruction manual, imagining myself bashing bricks and shooting fireballs once again.

After enduring 12 miles of anticipation and "you know you have to wait until your birthday on Friday to play that" jokes, we were finally home.

I don't remember if my feet ever touched grass or carpet on my way to the television and the Nintendo. All I remember is pushing the cartridge in, having it turn on without having to blow into the cartridge for once and then the curtain lifted to one of my favorite games of all time.

Super Mario Brothers 3 shaped the way I looked at video games to come. It seemed like no matter how many times you beat the game, you always came back for another round since there were so many paths you could take. It was a challenge to find all of the secrets, and to see how many different suits and special items you could collect.

Now that Super Mario Brothers 3 has come out for the Wii Virtual Console I'm sure I'll be investing many more hours rediscovering why I thought this game was so great. Ever since I first got my hands on a Nintendo Wii there are 4 games I have been waiting for on Virtual Console: Super Mario Brothers 3, Baseball All-Stars, Guerilla War, and Super Mario Kart.

One down, three to go.