The NES Classic Edition releases on November 11th. And while some might say the SNES deserved this treatment more, or who cares because many people have these games either legally or illegally in many different forms, it’s still a momentous occasion for Nintendo. For years people have lamented their seeming aversion to money, as shown by their thin library of classics on both the Wii U, 3DS, and their predecessors. I’m sure you have heard people groan: “Nintendo, why won’t you take my money?” With their recent entrance into the mobile market, and the excitement surrounding the Switch, Nintendo appears to have maybe, just maybe, turned a new leaf.
And that brings us to the palm-sized Nintendo Classic Edition. For $60 you can relive your childhood or, better, introduce new generations to an assortment of 30 games that undeniably shaped the industry. Perhaps the best part of the NES Mini is that it does emulation right. It’s more consistent with the aesthetic and feel than the Virtual Console has been, and most certainly better than that of ROMs.
Because of the authenticity of the experience, attempting to master these games again (or for the first time) may be in the cards for some devoted gamers.
Let’s take a look at the world records (fastest speedruns) for nine of the most iconic games that you can relive with the NES Classic.
Castlevania
Speedrun (Any %, Normal Mode): 11m 37s by kmac
Watch live video from on www.twitch.tv
100% Completion: 25m 16s by Mahlasarvi
Watch live video from on www.twitch.tv
Kirby’s Adventure
Speedrun (Any %, No Major Glitches): 44m 50s by race_out
100% Completion: 49m 19s by race_out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AnasepxwnI
The Legend of Zelda
Speedrun: 28m 50s by lackattack24
Mega Man 2
Speedrun (No Glitches): 29m 28s by Seth Glass
Metroid
Speedrun: 15m 36s by Chris “cak” Knight (Note this video shows a previous world record run from Knight)
Ninja Gaiden
Speedrun: 11m 44.471s by Arcus
Watch live video from on www.twitch.tv
Super Mario Bros.
Speedrun: 4m 56.878s by darbian
Super Mario Bros. 2
Speedrun: 8m 26s by IluvMario (very fitting, indeed)
Watch live video from on www.twitch.tv
Super Mario Bros. 3
Speedrun: 3m 8.52s by Mitchflowerpower
Watch live video from on www.twitch.tv