Our guide to the greatest games on the NES.
The NES’ staggered launch began 40 years ago in the US, on 18th October 1985, following the Famicom’s release two years earlier in Japan. On this historic anniversary, we’re republishing this list of the best games on the system. Enjoy!
The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES (ness? nezz? enn-eee-ess?), is the archetypal home video game console.
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Celebrate four decades of play, design and memory.
8BitDo has announced a brand new ‘NES40 Collection’ of products which incorporates an Ultimate 2 Bluetooth controller, 68-key Retro Keyboard, and a rather fetching Retro Cube 2 speaker.
The new range, which is now available to pre-order over at 8BitDo’s official website, certainly looks stunning, and it manages to add a few nice little touches to a line-up that stick to the look and feel of previous “Retro” offerings from the company.
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Words of wisdom from Nintendo’s legendary CEO.
If you never got around to reading Ask Iwata or just want an excuse to revisit it, VIZ Media has announced it’s releasing an English paperback version in Summer 2026.
This book, edited by Hobonichi, compiles the former Nintendo president and CEO’s famous interviews into a “motivational collection”. Iwata touches on a range of diverse subjects, such as how success breeds resistance to change and why programmers should never say no.
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An evolution on Switch 1, but not a Mega one.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A on Switch is ‘fine’. For a lot of people, that’ll be enough. And certainly, even I’m surprised it’s as stable as it is after Legends: Arceus and Scarlet & Violet had more than their fair share of performance woes — the latter of which is almost a completely different game with the free Switch 2 patch.
But, this should go without saying, If you have the newer console and you want Legends: Z-A, get it on there. You can read my general thoughts on the entire game in my review, but performance-wise, 60fps, sharper image quality, and better stability means it’s a stronger experience overall by a wide margin on the Switch 2.
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Now that be some Mario magic.
Nintendo has apparently requested its global suppliers to pump out as many as 25 million Switch 2 console units by the end of March 2026, Bloomberg reports (paywalled).
If the Big N can manage this, it would set the company up for meeting the demands of what’s set to be a record-breaking first year of sales for the new console.
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You and meme.
Ah, the humble Metroidvania. We’ve seen more additions to this genre than we can count in recent years and now — with all other bases covered, presumably — even memes are being adapted into the format of non-linear exploration.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, This is Fine: Maximum Cope takes KC Green’s iconic dog meme and bends it into a metroidvania complete with perilous platforming, challenging bosses, nasty enemies and unlockable abilities. Oh yes, and it all takes place in the anxiety-riddled mind of the central character, Question Hound.
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Update: It’s the ‘Mad Dog’ from Yakuza and Like A Dragon.
In case you missed it, SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is getting Sega Villains Stage DLC next year, which will see Joe Musashi face off against classic bad guys from past releases.
In August, we found out Sonic’s Dr. Eggman would be first up, and now Sega and Lizardcube have lifted the lid on the second character. It’s Death Adder – the fearsome giant from the Golden Axe series. Here’s a teaser:
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Update: Now available for Nintendo platforms.
: Following last month’s release, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is now getting updated to Version 1.05 on the Switch and Switch 2.
Perhaps, most notably, the Switch 2 update will add “image quality and performance settings”. Additionally, there is also a first-person perspective mode. Here’s the translation from the official Falcom website (via Gematsu):
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“This item can’t be obtained through normal gameplay”.
In case you missed it, the first season of Pokémon Legends: Z-A Ranked Battles is already underway. It will run from now until 4th November 2025, and gives trainers who reach ‘Rank K’ a special reward of Greninjite. This item can be used to Mega Evolve Greninja into Mega Greninja, and “can’t be obtained through normal gameplay”.
The official Pokémon website further explains the three types of rewards for Ranked Battles. You’ll get rewards at the end of the battle (regardless of your performance), and promotion rewards are gained when you advance to the next rank (this includes items for training such as Mega Shards). The last type of reward is a seasonal reward, which is based on your ranking at the end of a season.
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A Mario Kart Live anniversary blowout.
We may only be a few months into a shiny, new Mario Kart game with lush open worlds and challenges aplenty, but as I scrap it out in yet another Knockout Tour or pootle about for P Switches and Peach Coins, I can’t help but yearn for something a little more familiar.
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