1985
LAUNCH
1393 GAMES
OFFICIALLY RELEASED
62 MILLION
UNITS SOLD WORLDWIDE
NES
1985
The Nintendo Entertainment System was Nintendo's introduction to the home console market and was inarguably the best decision they ever made. The NES launched as the Famicom in Japan on July 15, 1983 and later released in North America as the Nintendo Entertainment System on October 18, 1985.
Instantly the NES was a success and created a frenzy and demand unlike anything at that time, basically selling out the second they hit any shelve. Many credit the NES for being the console that saved gaming because just a few years earlier in 1983 the video game crash happened and the general public had lost faith in the gaming space.
Legends Born
The NES introduced the whole world to Super Mario which is inarguably the most recognizable video game character in all of history. If this wasn't enough the NES also spoiled us with Zelda. These two franchises alone are one of the reasons Nintendo has stayed untouchable to this day.
It is fair to say that Mario is the equivalent of Mickey Mouse in the video game world and Link from Zelda a close runner up. Super Mario Bros alone sold over 58 million copies and remains one of the top 10 best selling video games of all time. Talk about a legendary legacy that to this day resonates within gamers of all ages.
Legacy
The NES is forever cemented in pop culture for introducing Mario, Zelda, and few other icons to the video game world. Let's not forget where the whole blowing of the cartridge comes from (that you shouldn't have done because it rusts your pin connections) or the good old zappers for Duck Hunt, or the spicy console war between Sega and Nintendo which provided gamers with an entertaining back and forth marketing one up's between the two gaming titans. Anywhere you look for the NES there's something worth talking about.
Check out our curated list of our top games on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
TOP GAMES
