Image via Wikipedia1. They had Super Mario Brothers 3: Whether it was warp whistles or the tanooki suit, this video game was one of the best video games ever made. It just had a fun, easy, laid back style of play that you just don't see in most of the games today (except for the latter games in the Mario series on the Wii).
2. It was the only show in town: Today, people have all kinds of options available to them for entertainment. Back when the NES was in full swing, the options for entertainment were a lot more limited. Sure, the NES can't compete with the X-Box, but imagine how fun the console was when your only other options were local TV (cable if you were lucky) and -- the horror -- going outside. That alone was enough to propel the NES into the realm of instant nostalgia.
3. The games were more diverse/creative: The trend in video games over the past 10 years or so has been to make releases increasingly like a Hollywood production: big budget, lots of special effects, and a formula that producers more or less know will work. With the NES games back in the day, you had games all over the place: questing games with Zelda, fighting games with Mike Tyson Boxing and Double Dragon, and running and jumping games with The Simpsons vs. The Aliens and the Mario series. It was kind of like the Sundance festival of gaming.
4. The NES was a pioneer: Arguably Atari and the game Space Invaders deserve this honor. But, at the same time, Atari really didn't forge the whole home video gaming industry in the same way that NES did. Prior to NES, having a game console was something like having a ham radio or a bug collection -- cool but still rare. After NES, having a video game console became a lot more like having a TV.
5. Because I said so: Look, it's my article, and I can declare it the best game console of all time if I want. If you disagree, leave me a comment telling me why.
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