What Gamers were Playing on NES Back in 1986

[@JohnRiggs]

Best Arcade games of 1983 kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpmlZYdqqcqMj5Y

[@JCtechwizard]

1996 or 1986?

[@Haywood-Jablomie]

@@JCtechwizard 1996 with a 10 year discount... I saw that screw up as well. lol

[@gamingquarterly6353]

i got beaten to it. Still great video!

[@CommodoreFan64]

You might want to fix your video's title, as there is a big difference in 86 to 96 🤦‍♂

[@Haywood-Jablomie]

@@CommodoreFan64 In 1996 i was playing Screamer 2, Duke 3D, Warcraft 2, MechWarrior 2 and Red Alert !!! Happy times !!!

[@JGKingCrusher]

I babysat 6 kids (yes, six... it was a big family) for a weekend so I could get my NES. Zero regret! When I got it, I stayed up for 24 hours straight playing Super Mario Bros. Ahhh, the memories!

[@miamimagicians]

Fun times

[@RichRetr0]

December 1986, I was 3 years old and we got an NES for Xmas. Thus began my lifelong love of video games!

[@BlackMoore82]

Said this several times over the years that Balloon Fight remains my favorite NES game, thank you Mr. Iwata 🌹

[@patchgatsby9138]

I love the channel John! I went to Toys R Us with my Dad to get an Atari 7800 after years of begging. The guy who was working the games department did me a massive solid and sold my Dad on this new system, the NES. We got the the included Mario Bros. and ExciteBike. My brother and I would be devoted over the next several years. Very proud to have finished 1942.

[@TheSanctus17]

Wow, your intro hit home. I was in the Army in Germany at the time, not too far from Chernobyl. I also could not give blood until a few months ago because of the possibility of me having Mad Cow Disease from eating beef in Germany. Of course, I'll never forget the Space Shuttle crash. I was watching TV at that moment and they cut to the explosion, it was bad. We actually played Jeopardy tournaments a lot in the barracks on the NES at that time. Lots of good memories there. Thanks.

[@rayrosini8907]

John do you remember the old book that came out in late 86 early 1987 called The NES Players Guide? It had hints and tricks plus a preview section of games coming soon. That was a very fun book to read. Keep up the great work.

[@MikhelBL]

I had the spanish version of it that was published in México like in 88-89, I bought it by mere chance in 1992 while browsing through old magazines in one of the few magazine shops we had in Ensenada (in Baja California), we basically bought magazines in newspaper kiosks which seem destined to be extint because now exist like 3 or 4 in the whole city. The magazine shops usually keep old stock displayed because that's stuff they buy with their money to sell, newspaper kiosks did it but they also could trade their old stock for new stock.

[@thatwasprettyneat]

I remember it. It was my favorite book for quite some time. I wanted every game in it.

[@projectpat006]

Yup. Had Metroid, Zelda & Kid Icarus & Goonies II completely mapped out. That was way before Nintendo Power

[@DigitalxxxFr34k]

I have a copy of this, minty, and has stickers, im so glad i snagged one before it became desired by the masses

[@toddburgess5056]

I don't remember that. Where was it purchased?

[@PeterParker-vq2cz]

"It's my list, I'm making up the rules"

[@Boosted0ne]

In 1986 I was knees deep gaming on my Commodore 64. In 1986 NES was a kids toy with a robot being displayed in Target in the toy department. That's how us gamers looked at it back then early on because that's how it was being sold as. A kids toy with a robot. haha :)

[@Boosted0ne]

I remember BITD I had these 2 friends one had a NES and the other had a SEGA Master system and they started fighting and the dude with the SEGA Master system told the NES guy to go home put his dress on and play with his robot. lmaooo that is funny still to this day. :D

[@toddburgess5056]

@@Boosted0ne 😆😆😆

[@isd8894]

I didn't know that Popeye came out on the NES! I remember absolutely loving the Commodore 64 version of that game back in the mid 80s, before I got an NES. Will have to pick it up...

[@TiltingT]

Ghosts and Goblins is still one of my favorites today.. I STILL have never beaten it !

[@johnedington1632]

Great idea for a video. I was born in 1983 and SMB3 is my all time favorite video game. Great work Mr. Riggs!

[@supercamborg4218]

I love your channel, it’s great to find people talking about retro games like the ones I bought on the eshop growing up since they had lower prices, and it’s equally nice to learn about games I haven’t tried yet. Also, the original Gradius is still one of my favorite shoot ‘em ups, it’s just a classic.

[@MdeGreat]

We were in London 1996 in Summer for the first Time me and my best Friend. We were 16 years old. It was awesome... good Times.Oh sorry 1986....Atari as long as i remember my NES came in 1990 ,I think. Merry Christmas and a happy new Year from Germany John

[@trav7424]

I really like this series! So many memories. I think it was 1986 when I played Nintendo for the first time and fell in love! The first time I saw Super Mario Bros I saw it on my cousins humongous big screen tv and I thought it was a dream. And then there was….. Contra. I can’t remember what year that game came out but I remember I learned the konomi code and my dad and I played that game every single day after school until we beat it. And then we’d play it until we beat it again everyday just because. Just awesome.

[@jdd3786]

I was 9 years old in '86 and I loved Donkey Kong Jr. I played it on a black and white TV with a 7" screen that I had in my room.

[@Ravenwing888]

Mr. Riggs, I can say with all certainty, you're not the only fan of Urban Champion. Probably even one of my favourites on the NES honestly

[@erockbrox8484]

Yeah sometimes its easy to forget that Super Mario Bros 3 wasn't on the system right away. The coolest thing about the NES is that people believed in it so much that they made it into the awesome console that it is today.

[@Not-Great-at-Gaming]

Super Mario Bros 3 was very late in the systems life, like The Last of Us for PS3. In fact, I didn't play SMB3 much, because Super Mario World was out shortly after (well on my friend's SNES anyway, I had a Genesis by then.)

[@TheUnkow]

As kids we played urban champ between each other and it was great. Pure example of how a simple game can bring you tons of fun.

[@TheMultiGunMan]

I was a Sega guy growing up. I recently started collecting for the NES. Videos like this are very helpful.

[@jescis]

Unless you had a Sega master system, you didn't have any games as per the console of the time in this video! Genesis didn't come out until August 14, 1989!

[@TheMultiGunMan]

@@jescis Dhurka derrrr

[@MotherKojiro]

Chubby Cherub is legit one of the strangest games I've ever played; the big mouth, the naked angel baby, the shooting hearts at dogs, and everything else just adds up to weirder than Katamari. Karate Champ, I agree had trouble with the controls and hit detection, but I played it a lot, because I loved how detailed and beautiful the backgrounds were.

[@MCastleberry1980]

Definitely remember going to a friend's house after school in Kindergarten, so would have been late '86 or so and playing a lot of SMB, Duck Hunt and Ghosts N Goblins. Still not any good at Ghosts N Goblins as a 41 year old lol

[@thomascaddy4529]

Many of these games I didn’t play in the 80s. As a teenager back then, NES games weren’t cheap when you were only making $4 an hour.

[@cwc8979]

Atari, Sega Genesis, NES Nintendo we had back in 1980s and early 90s

[@dhroc80]

Seeing as the current title of the video is "What Gamers were Playing on NES Back in 1996" which really caught my attention, I'll say that I was playing StarTropics and Dragon Warrior which I got when Toys 'R' Us were liquidating their NES stock in preperation for N64 to come out.

[@azolivas]

I was ten years old in 1986 and it feels like yesterday I was playing these games growing up in Tempe Arizona!

[@branscombe_]

my mom beat super ghouls and ghosts! no one believes me but she did!!

[@MasterRoshi8974]

That's awesome, I believe you. I miss the days of watching my mom play games

[@matthewlane518]

I believe you, mom's can be gamers too

[@ni4ni775]

My mom jokes in 3... 2.... 1.....

[@JohnRiggs]

Your mom is a rockstar

[@shenloken2]

I take it you mean NES Ghosts n Goblins The word Super almost suggests the SNES game Super Ghouls N Ghosts. (Which is also a major accomplishment.)

[@JustinSevenTwo]

Interestingly, NES/Famicom Gradius was also released as a Nintendo Vs cabinet, even though there was also the dedicated Konami original. I actually seemed to find the Vs version a more often. And of course you'd find it in the Playchoice machines as well

[@jessicajujubean5004]

The store by my house had Vs Gradius on a double sided machine that had Vs Goonies on the other side

[@kevinmeyers162]

I was thrilled when I finally beat Ghosts n Goblins! I never completed it though. Never felt the need to play through twice!

[@Marzimus]

Same (although Super). Got almost to the end a second time and lost the bracelet. Just did the level select and called it complete. Ahh to be young again.. 🥲

[@Christophersanchez1326]

1986 I was 5 years old.☺️

[@MarMaxGaming]

Nice, I was -5 years old.

[@BlackMoore82]

A good time for anime & cartoons too... Defenders of the Earth, Dragon Ball, The Real Ghostbusters, Hokuto no Ken, Mobile Suit Gundam Double Zeta, Seinto Seiya, SilverHawks, and The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers all came out in '86.

[@OG-SherlockHolmes]

Ninja Turtles in '87. Ahh, to go back

[@BlackMoore82]

@@OG-SherlockHolmes Bionic Six, DuckTales, Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series, Mashin Robo: Butchigiri Batoruhakkāzu, Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, Saber Rider & the Star Sheriffs, Toransufōmā: Za Heddomasutāzu, and Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light all in '87 too. Yeah if only we could.

[@Musicradio77Network]

And don’t forget “My Little Pony”.

[@thatwasprettyneat]

I'd love it if you did 1987. That was the year that the NES broke out in the US, as far as I'm concerned. I also like that you elucidated the year differential between the US and Japan. It drives me nuts when people say "THE MEGA DRIVE! 40 YEARS OLD TODAY!" and it's based on the year it came out in Japan, only because whoever's reading those posts is almost certainly American or European and is probably confused because they remember it coming out a year or two later.

[@TheFLOMAN76]

Man, I miss the 80's... I will never forget getting my original NES for Christmas in 88 I believe? Damn... How time flies.

[@beercules8608]

Xmas 88 I believe was the year I got Fortress Maximus and maybe dino riders. It was the only Xmas I remember having a home movie of. I wish I could wakeup back in that year and do it all again.

[@Not-Great-at-Gaming]

I was playing NES baseball, Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt... and Karate Champ.

[@timtoongamer]

I discovered a lot of these games on the Arcade Archives series on Nintendo Switch Online when I got my Nintendo Switch Lite almost 2 yrs ago. I enjoy playing them so much, that and Neo Geo collection as well. Great vid

[@TheMaskedheel]

I grew up in the 80s and rented a lot of those games. Imagine my joy as a grown up in 1999 when I discovered roms.

[@ZakkHung]

I rented almost all of these back in the day. This was a great video for me. Thanks!!

[@El_Superhombre_Blanco]

I got my NES for christmas 1985.. it was a special big box bundle, came with Duck Hunt, the robot and Gyromite. The big box bundle was relaased early in the U.S.

[@Wheels8504]

Thank you. Merry Christmas.

[@davidmreyes77]

I remember thinking the NES was amazing in 86 but it’s crazy to think how much better and bigger the game library got in 87/88/89.

[@ゼローワイリー]

And how much nintendo systems have advanced from the nes.

[@juliohernandez3323]

I'd say that those three years were arguably the peak of the NES. Really fun times.

[@Islandswamp]

I remember thinking that the Sega master system was a knockoff Nintendo with inferior everything, because I was a kid and didn't know better.

[@juliohernandez3323]

@@Islandswamp It was inferior in some respects, like the quality in most games, but I have always praised Sega for the faithfulness when doing most of the arcade ports.

[@Rinavani]

Your channel brings up so many memories. Watching this video as I turn 40 today

[@zachmcclintock7431]

Great video John always enjoy, seen it said 1986 and then 1996, I know I was still playing these then as well

[@sithcritic8906]

Back in 1986 my friend drew me a map to beat Raiders of the Los Ark on Atari 2600. That’s what I was playing at home. In the arcade it was mostly Karate Champ, with a dash of Commando.

[@mrdreloaded4049]

Good line-up, but I didn't see the mention of two very small releases: The Legend of Zelda and Metroid - both debuting in 1986

[@Phoenixwizard77]

I was born in 86. By the time I was old enough to game the SNES was out but we had an NES already and Mario 1 through 3 were my first games ever.

[@ElGatoLoco698]

I thought the NES was the greatest thing ever invented because it was the first time that you could play real arcade games at home. They had the same graphics and sounds as the real arcade games and it was amazing to me. I completed all the levels on 1942.

[@aliasisudonomo]

I do find ignoring Donkey Kong interesting because the entire basis of the Famicom design was "make something that can do an acceptable home Donkey Kong".

[@hjames78]

Hands across America. I remember that because I lived on the Blvd in philly and they were holding hands literally in front of my house lol

[@MarMaxGaming]

Trying to beat ghosts n goblins on our NES bike (playing ghosts n goblins while running 🏃 at the same time) was one of the worst and most severe challenges ever. It was cold out too. Managed to get through Ninja Gaiden and Contra while running though… and to the last level on battletoads. Balloon fight is awesome, I spent a lot of time with it on animal crossing… its music is so charming and great!

[@Musicradio77Network]

It was one of the early Capcom titles for NES. The original arcade version was also hard, and it gets really difficult. The developer for “Ghosts ‘N Goblins” was not Capcom, it was none other than Micronics. They made “1942”, “Athena”, “Ikari Warriors” and other NES games developed by Micronics and published by third party publishers. You can blame Micronics for developing horrendous ports of classic arcade games to the NES.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@Musicradio77Network ohh that’s good to know, and hilarious to hear about the other titles bc they’re all notoriously hard lol.. yes I played the arcade on the virtual console and wow it’s almost freaking impossible, took so many tries on level 6 round 2. Awful

[@BlakeGJ]

I remember going to the dept stores on release day to see what games were new. We got $10 on release week of new games. Clu Clu Land, 1942 and Section Z got heavy play time from me.

[@charliehustle2591]

Great time for nostalgia. Happy Holidays John.

[@michaelsegal3558]

Some of the dogs in Chubby Cherub like the one at 5:48 look a lot like the dog in Duck Hunt

[@JaredLowry]

I don’t think I had an nes until 1987 or 1988 I’m not sure cause I was 4. But I do remember playing it for the first time and just being mindblown over everything.

[@volvoguy804]

Always thought Commando was pretty popular around this time. Everyone I knew had it.

[@unknowndude7977]

@@jeffu.8053 Bet your mom's name is Karen

[@JohnRiggs]

Great game, too! I didn't include EVERY game but that could have made the list, too.

[@Musicradio77Network]

1986 was the year “My Little Pony: The Movie” came out in theaters, and Nintendo was riding high with plenty of great NES games in the “Black Box” series of titles that Nintendo was doing pretty well at the time. All of the “Black Box” NES titles were instant and bonafide classics.

[@moser.john.d]

I know people think this title has a typo in it.. but cmon, weren't we all still playing this stuff 10 years later because its fantastic?

[@poleythepolarbear9706]

Very much agree.

[@jaredhammonds8255]

Still playing in 2021 bro!

[@MetalJody1990]

I love me some Balloon Fight. Never knew about it until I played WarioWare Inc. on GBA. It was one of the microgames. Joust is a favorite of mine, so of course I'd like this game a lot.

[@matthewpordes3224]

Great idea John! Always coming up with more 👍

[@ElGatoLoco698]

I went to Toys R Us and wanted to buy games for my brand new NES. At that time, they didn't even carry games. I had to buy games from my local grocery store of all places. But I was playing SMB and Wild Gunman on my NES. Not long after that I played Punch Out and Zelda. And I can say that Zelda was probably the most fun gift I ever got. I had the whole setup with the Nintendo Power Zelda map taped to a piece of cardboard on my lap. My principal in junior high pulled me out of class to ask me about where to find stuff in the game. I never like him before that. Eventually my go to game was RC Pro Am before moving on to the Sega Genesis and SNES. I played those a little bit in college and lost interest in video gaming until the early 2000's when I bought an xbox for the sole purpose of playing Tiger Woods golf. I lost interest again in video games but have recently had a hankering for more golf. So, as of yesterday (Christmas) I am the proud owner of a Nintendo Switch and I plan on playing PGA 2K21. I can't believe I spent almost $400 to play one video game.

[@TheMaskedheel]

Christmas 87 I got Zelda and Pro Wrestling. It took months to beat Zelda used no magazine and internet wasn’t available.

[@gamingquarterly6353]

1986 was a great year for games. The NES was still taking off and we were still experiencing what the NES could bring to the gaming landscape. 1996 was great too. The PS1 was still taking off and we were still experiencing what the PS1 could bring to the gaming landscape.

[@davidbliss3220]

Got the nes for Christmas with the ROB with gyromite, and duck hunt like 86 or 87 I can’t remember. Still have and play the nes to this day!

[@jdmaines2682]

May want to fix the typo in the title

[@AyaC]

The Japanese Version of Chubby Cherub is called Obake no Q Taro and is the same creator of Doraemon, Fujiko F. Fujio. Q-Taro is a ghost who loves to eat and is afraid of dogs.

[@davraa1]

Still enjoy playing gradius schmup and remembering those days.

[@Toastymarshmallow80]

Got an NES when I was about 5 or 6 and it came Super Mario/Duck hunt with the gun that came with it. Good times.

[@TheMaskedheel]

Gradius. That was a game that used a similar contra code. My mind was blown to see the Easter Island heads in outer space. That wasn’t a known conspiracy back in the day was truly a wth moment.

[@Musicradio77Network]

“Gradius” was a fun game and the beginning of the franchise. “Life Force” was the sequel which was a lot of fun. I love the sound when you lose a life which is the sound that a character disappears and re-appears in every “MTN Gang” episode where it get teleported. I used that death sound effect from “Gradius” where it can be used for teleporting.

[@TBoneTony]

Interesting retrospective of the NES back in 1986, Super Mario Bros came out in late 86 in the US and 87 in Europe and Australia. It is always a gamble to spend loads of money on a entertainment system without knowing about the games that are on it much less during the age before the internet.

[@Fresjr66]

I was not lucky enough to play a lot of titles on the NES, But I would have to say my favorite game I remember playing very fondly was Univited. The cool artwork on the game cover and the spooky music while playing always had me hooked.

[@ultramaximusreviews]

I had Donkey Kong, Ghosts and Goblins, Gradius, and 1942. I'd say Ghost and Goblins and Gradius were my tops for that year.

[@zombiecrusher1100]

A good blast from the past. I wish I could go back.

[@kyledavis5634]

games i was playing in 86 pro wrestling , super mario brothers , castlevania , ghostbusters , the legend of kage , track and field and duck hunt

[@littleterr0r]

These are all the stone cold classics that I played on my friend's NES before I got one myself the following year.

[@liammartens-ruel6881]

I love this style of video! Please do one about NES games from 1988 (my favourite video game year), thanks!

[@cwc8979]

Legends of Zelda was a Great game on NES Nintendo

[@P90XBowler]

Got to share my story and I think John will dig this, when I got my NES back in 86 it came with Hogan's Alley, that was it. I live in Canada and my mom parents purchased it at K-Mart. So I had no idea what SMB was, as a kid, I used to go to the bowling alley and watch my dad bowl, I would play Karate Kid over there. So when my mom brought me to K-Mart and told me I can only buy one game, I picked Karate Kid cause it's the only one I knew. The clerk tried to convince me to buy SMB but I was like, nah don't know that game. FF a month later, I was at a friends house and he showed me SMB, well I knew I had made the wrong choice, Karate Kid is awful. haha Also when i opened my NES, and saw the controllers I was like. uh I can't use these to play Hogan's Alley, what the heck are they for? I was an Atari kid back in the day so of course didn't quite understand these controllers :)

[@Gamma00Ray]

I was hoping that this would have actually been about 1996 :D I was still playing lots of NES in 1996.

[@jaredhammonds8255]

Still going strong in 2021! Some of these games are just timeless!

[@Ambertony6968]

Was just checking whether someone mentioned this. 😂

[@JohnRiggs]

at that time you could play them all!

[@Gamevet]

Way of the Exploding Fist was on the C64 back in 1985. I believe it may have been one of the earliest 1 vs 1 fighting games.

[@chrisyoung9550]

I loved Ghosts 'N Goblins. Man, I'm so glad I was an 80s kid. Such a special time.

[@toddburgess5056]

I remember when Karate Champ was in every arcade. Spent a lot of quarters on that game back then.

[@johneygd]

Those 5 arcade games at the beginning are definitely must haves.

[@Musicradio77Network]

Those were the NES ports of original arcade games that were previously ported onto the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Colecovision, Intellivision, and other systems. So they took these sprites from the original arcade games, and turned into NES ports, and it worked.

[@davidbermudez7704]

I still remember playing so many NES games

[@jeffandsamanthaleonard6154]

My favorite game on the NES was California games

[@chuckbailey6835]

I still have my nes from when I was a kid I just recently found it at my hunting cabin moving some furniture now that my father's 70 he decided he was going sell his house, semi retire and live there so I brought it home with me and to my surprise my 7yr old son was like " whoa this is cool I want to play it"

[@greenmonstah8753]

I loved me some 1986. Had excitebike, kung fu, super Mario, gumshoe, balloon fight, urban champion, karate champ....the best of times... If we were smart we would have kept all those black boxes they came in...or better yet bought an extra copy to keep sealed. Ya, no one knew how collectible things from the 80s would be...

[@DiruMede]

7:47 Man, look at that hair animation in Ninja KId

[@cbonez2909]

bro I had all these games!! loved your list!! I remember those days!! I was only 7

[@maverick7291]

Great vid. Love your t-shirt btw, where did you get it?

[@jeremydavidspeaks]

Remember when it was 1996? That was cool.

[@NESADDICT]

Some people say I am addict to nes games. Thanks for the fix!

[@Metal-Maniac-Forever]

Gradius Amazing Game 👏 Excellent Mention.

[@orderofmagnitude-TPATP]

2:42 - i love how konami encorperated this style of boss on rocketknight adventures on the megasis/genedrive - its always cool when game companies like capcom or konami does little nods to there past.

[@ShuAum]

Clearly in Karate Champ you play as a disciple of Master Ken: "always restomp the groin".

[@JohnRiggs]

IN THE GROIN!

[@adamrivers9886]

My cat's breath smells like cat food

[@toddburgess5056]

Im still playing gradius 3 and 4 on Sony Playstation 2. I love that game!

[@soylentgreenb]

They initially planned to send big bird, like the actual guy in full costume, on the Challenger shuttle. Then they realized how big he was with his hand held inside the head of the puppet above his head.

[@DylansPen]

I remember many of these games and how they seemed, at the time, how advanced with the graphics. Now we have things like Far Cry 5 and 6 open world where the graphics and gameplay are ludicrously good. I even remember Tomb Raider 1996 and it seemed so advanced. I guess 20 years from now games today will seem like relics.

[@mikuneverdies6288]

I thought that was funny when the Po-po drive by ..Dooo Dooo Dooo nuthing here XD

[@jasonvoorhees895]

Wow, I've played most of these games, but had forgotten because back then, it wasn't uncommon to rent (yup, from a video store full of VHS tapes) games for a night or two and never play them again. After you mentioned it, I had to watch a Yie Ar Kung Fu playthrough for nostalgia. Great game! That same year, Shanghai Kid also came out, which I wanted to love, but it never quite worked out. Also that year, Ring King, and we slapped that thing to death, it was so much fun! 👍

[@supergeoff]

What a minute I was born in 1986

[@shanelamereux9878]

1942!! i always thought this was one of the greatest games for years to come. also will always love balloon fight, the most hours logged between friends.

[@snbks4ever]

I am so confused but love this video regardless but yes makes more sense what was the NES like in 1986 but hell in 1996 I was still playing it and my SNES, great times