November 10, 2016

The Best Speedruns of the Most Iconic NES Games Ever

Steven Petite / Features / NES, Nintendo, Retro, Speedruns /

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.