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Joe: I don't play games so much right now, but I was really into World of Warcraft. Like, I'd say I was borderline addicted.That's good, that's contemporary. Whereas these games definitely aren't. Had you ever had a go on one of these before?
I've never played a NES game before. I wasn't very good at Mega Man 2. I wasn't getting anywhere at all. There's just four buttons on the pad, and I still couldn't figure out how to use it.To be fair, the Mega Man games are cruel bastards. Do you feel like you're playing a little history here? Can you see anything you know about today's games in these old NES titles?
Well, The Legend of Zelda has a link (genuinely no pun intended) to World of Warcraft in terms of the movement, the four-way direction keys. And there's the fantasy aspect. But beyond that, maybe not.
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I can imagine there being a resurgence of this stuff as a cool, retrophile, sort of hipster movement, but that's it. I imagine a lot of people still walk around with Game Boys. Well, you get those Game Boy iPhone covers. I don't know if that means those people actually know anything about Game Boy games.You won't be playing any more games from before you were born, then?
Umm, no, sorry.Article continues after the video below
Tanwen: I still have a Game Boy. I really like these older games. I'm not really one for playing newer games, I find them too complicated and quite stressful, but playing these NES games was nice.Was the simplified button layout a factor?
There's not very much to it—you could mindlessly play these things for ages.As people did, trust me. Did you have a very instant connection with the games, because of their simplicity?
Yeah, I like how they were stripped down and exclusively about having fun, rather than making you think your way through reams of other stuff.
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I think so, and I like these kind of retro visuals anyway. I suppose they're sort of in fashion again, right now. I find them quite attractive. But yeah, I think when games are too realistic, they lose some of their appeal, for me. I don't know why you'd want to go and play Grand Theft Auto where it really graphically shows people getting beaten up. That doesn't seem all that much fun to me. Better to bash in oversized heads with cartoon trash cans (as in River City Ransom).What was your favorite game, of the three you just played?
The second one, Double Dragon. That was good. Mario wasn't bad, but I'm not that good at it. I couldn't get through the first level.Is it weird to play games that are from before you were born?
I can vaguely remember games that were sort of similar. We had a Nintendo 64 when I was little. So perhaps these NES games are reconnecting me with my childhood.What do you think the appeal is of a new system that exclusively plays old, original games? Joe said he thought it was a hipster thing.
It probably is a bit hipster-y, but it's fun so I don't care.
I sit my son, born in 2011, down in front of Super Mario Bros. 3. He's familiar with Super Mario Maker. Loves it. Spends literally minutes stacking up goombas and then running the powerless-to-stop-him plumber into his immediate death, before his attention switches to Cbeebies or asking for a biscuit. The first of Mario 3's rather less-soft-looking goombas comes stomping towards him. Press A to jump, I tell him. He does. Over and over. The goomba kills him. Second life: a dash this time, and death by piranha plant fireball. And so it goes until the question's asked: "Can we just play Super Mario Maker instead?"New on Motherboard: Inside London's Underground Mosquito Lab
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The Analogue Nt makes NES games look phenomenal. Seriously. Like, mouth-open, jaw-on-the-floor, tongue-everywhere remarkable. Its makers' website is here, where you can find loads more information and, if you're feeling loaded to the tune of $500 , you can order one for yourself. Yes, that's a lot of money, but what else are you going to spend it on, food and heat? Once again, this is not advertorial—it's just that the product is really quite something, so forgive the gushing positivity. It's nice to get excited sometimes, isn't it? In the interest of disclosure, it's worth me adding that the games we played were in the same package as the Nt, so mega thanks to Chris and the Analogue Interactive team for this awesome trip down memory lane.Thanks to our brave interns for giving up some of their lunch breaks.Follow Mike on Twitter.