Included Content

First of all, here are the individual stats:

Analysis

As you can see, both have their highs and lows. While the NES may have less games than the Mega Drive, half of the 80 games included on the Mega Drive are low quality throwaway games (falsely listed as "Sega Arcade") that were added just to pad out the fluff. The Mega Drive does make up for this with the ability to play cartridges and it comes with two controllers instead of one, but the NES can use its controllers with the NES titles on the Wii's and Wii U's Virtual Console service. Plus if you don't want to buy a second controller, that's fine too as it can also work with the Wii Classic Controllers. The real deciding factor though is tough to determine. As I have stated many times in the past, I grew up with Nintendo games, so I'm a bit biased toward the NES Classic. Yes, it does have less games than the Mega Drive, but they are of objectively superior quality. It's just a shame that it can't be played on an old CRT TV set; retro games somehow look better on those older TV's.

Final Verdict

Even if I wasn't as Nintendo biased as I am, I'm going to have to give the upper hand to the NES Classic Edition. Considering the fact that not everyone owns a CRT TV anymore and most modern HD TV's no longer have support for composite cables, I don't think the Mega Drive Classic Console will be able to thrive in this new plug-n-play "console war" as much as I would want it to. So if you like retro games, get the NES Classic Edition when it is released on November 11th of this year; don't even bother with the Mega Drive unless you were a fan of those games in the past and still own cartridges that it can use, and/or if you own a CRT TV. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

Now while the NESmaker is technically already finished, it is only optimized to create adventure games much like what Mystic Searches is. So what Joe wants to do is refine it and add modules that will allow for more genres that can be designed with little to no effort, and have a built-in music making tool so one wouldn't have to rely on external programs like Famitracker. He answers many questions regarding the NESmaker in the video below.

The project only needs $32,000USD for the minimum goal, but if this program is going to be at its best, it needs a grand total of $256,000USD for all modules, the music maker, the Troll Burner demo, and the memory mapper to be developed for it. If you wish, you can pledge any amount you wish here. This software looks quite promising and I honestly would be extremely disappointed if it couldn't reach all of its stretch goals. Please pledge as much as you feel comfortable with, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

DISCLAIMER:

I have not been paid for this article, but I have pledged some of my own money to the original Kickstarter.

The NES Classic Edition is a miniature replica of the Nintendo Entertainment System that was released in the mid 1980's. While it can't play any of the cartridges that were released for the console, it does have 30 games selected and pre-loaded onto it which are listed below:

1. Balloon Fight
2. Bubble Bobble
3. Castlevania
4. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
5. Donkey Kong
6. Donkey Kong Jr.
7. Double Dragon II: The Revenge
8. Dr. Mario
9. Excitebike
10. Final Fantasy
11. Galaga
12. Ghosts 'n Goblins
13. Gradius
14. Ice Climber
15. Kid Icarus
16. Kirby's Adventure
17. The Legend of Zelda

    

18. Mario Bros.
19. Mega Man 2
20. Metroid
21. Ninja Gaiden
22. Pac-Man
23. Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
24. StarTropics
25. Super Contra
26. Super Mario Bros.
27. Super Mario Bros. 2
28. Super Mario Bros. 3
29. Tecmo Bowl
30. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Not a bad list if I do say so myself. In addition to that, every game has 4 save states that can be saved at any time when you press reset on the system. Very helpful for some of those games that use a password system.

The pricing isn't too bad; at $59.99USD it could be much worse, but when you consider the fact that the second controller is sold separately for an additional $9.99USD, that can make or break a deal in some cases.

The emulation is top notch; the colors are nice and crisp and the audio is just as I remember it, plus I love that it has the option for a scan-line screen filter, but then again what would you expect from an emulator that was made by Nintendo themselves?

As far as originality goes, plug-n-play systems are nothing new, however the execution is what sells it. High quality games though HDMI output, nice and sturdy hardware and fantastic emulation that rivals the original console from which it is based. If you're a parent that wants your kids to experience your childhood with you, or are even just an enthusiast like me who lacks self control, this is a great gift that won't break the bank. Plus if you're a more daring individual the system can be easily modded so you can add more games, but you won't get any of that knowledge from me. Just be careful when shopping for one online; bootlegs of the console do exist and look just like the real thing at first glance. Be sure to do your research and buy from a trusted seller.

AUDIO

CHALLENGE

CONTROL

VISUALS

ORIGINALITY

EXECUTION

PROS:

• Good game variety
• Sturdy construction
• Not too expensive
• Easy to mod
• Controllers are compatible with Wii/Wii U Virtual Console

CONS:

• Second controller sold separately
• Low availability
• Can't play the original NES cartridges