This is a capture of me playing through all of Super Mario Bros. on the NES without using any Warp Zones. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge. Here is Super Mario Bros. running at 60 fps on the original hardware. Not only is this a no-death run, but it's also a no-hit run. My mother bought our family an NES Action Set (gray Zapper version) back around 1988 or 1989, so the NES was my first console and Super Mario Bros. was probably the first game I played. I remember playing this game with my mother quite a bit (she loved all the Super Mario Bros. games on the NES). Super Mario Bros. is a wonderful game and one of the ultimate classics. I could sometimes get to World 8 as a kid (using Warp Zones), but I couldn't beat the game until I was around 12 years old. During that time I started acquiring the skills to beat NES games aside from the Zelda titles, so I had a lot of fun going back and beating games that I couldn't finish before, including this one. This is certainly one of the easier no-death runs that I've done, but even so, this game is still quite challenging, especially when you're trying not to get hit even once. Enjoy the new footage. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

This is a capture of me playing through all of Super Mario Bros. 2 on the NES without using any Warp Zones. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros. 2 cartridge. To go along with my other 60 fps uploads, here's my new Super Mario Bros. 2 playthrough in 60 fps. This is once again a no-death run. I also obtained all the mushrooms in each stage, except for the final level where you have to backtrack in order to collect both. My mother probably purchased this game around 1989 shortly after she bought our NES Action Set. I remember playing it all the time with her when I was around 5 years old. We loved this game. It was so imaginative. Picking up enemies and hurling them at each other was just awesome, not to mention being able to use different characters with different stats. And there were so many memorable levels. World 5 in particular was probably my favorite portion of the game. I could never forget jumping across those fish with the waterfall in the background and night time theme. This is definitely one of my favorite NES games and a wonderful follow-up to the first Super Mario Bros. I hung onto our copy of Super Mario Bros. 2 (as well as our NES) growing up, so this playthrough was done using the very same cartridge from my childhood. I hope you enjoy the new footage. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

This is part 1 of my capture of me and a friend playing through all of Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES without using any Warp Zones. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge. I'm player one (Mario) and Michael is player two (Luigi). Some of you have asked for it, so here it is: Super Mario Bros. 3 in 60 fps. In this playthrough I once again completed every single level in the game with the help of a friend. Since the original Super Mario Bros. 3 doesn't have a save feature, this had to be done in a single sitting, which is quite an undertaking. A huge thanks goes out to Michael for helping me with this. Even though I grew up with the NES and owned Super Mario Bros. 1 and 2, I did not own the third game as a kid. Instead, all of my friends and outside family members did, so I would just play their copies when I was visiting. I would typically use a warp whistle no later than World 4, so I wasn't very familiar with Worlds 5, 6 and 7 back then. I definitely remember trying World 8, but it was too difficult for me to complete. When I was in junior high school in the mid '90s, I continued to have a strong interest in the NES and Super Mario Bros. especially, so I asked another friend, Drew, to do a game trade with an old friend that I no longer talked to. I gave Drew my copy of Jaws on the NES (I never really liked it) and Drew asked my old friend if he would trade it for his copy of Super Mario Bros. 3. Surprisingly, my old friend agreed to the trade, and I wound up with a free copy of the best game on the NES. Right after that I also acquired the official Strategy Guide for this game from Nintendo Power (it's technically Volume 13. An entire issue of Nintendo Power was dedicated to Super Mario Bros. 3 alone.). So at a time when other people were moving on to the PlayStation, Saturn and Nintendo 64, I jumped into an old game and went exploring like crazy. There were so many things I didn't know about the game, and the Strategy Guide explained it all. It was an incredible experience - probably as good as what others experienced back in 1990 when the game was released. Super Mario Bros. 3 is without a doubt my favorite Super Mario game. As far as I'm concerned, nothing beats it. And even though the Super Mario All-Stars version is excellent because of the save feature especially, I'm not a big fan of the altered music and graphics. I love the original in all its 8-bit glory, so that's the only version I play. For this playthrough Michael and I once again relied on the same Nintendo Power Strategy Guide to find as many secrets as possible. That's also how we managed to match the cards in the mini-game each time - the guide told us the combinations (there are eight variations of the card patterns). Lastly, none of the deaths were edited out of this playthrough. I think we managed to minimize the deaths fairly well, so they shouldn't drag the playthrough down. Enjoy the new footage. In this first part Michael and I completed all of World 1: Grass Land. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. We're using standard NES controllers.

This is part 2 of my capture of me and a friend playing through all of Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES without using any Warp Zones. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge. I'm player one (Mario) and Michael is player two (Luigi). In this second part Michael and I completed all of World 2: Desert Land. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. We're using standard NES controllers.

This is part 3 of my capture of me and a friend playing through all of Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES without using any Warp Zones. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge. I'm player one (Mario) and Michael is player two (Luigi). In this third part Michael and I completed all of World 3: Water Land. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. We're using standard NES controllers.

This is part 4 of my capture of me and a friend playing through all of Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES without using any Warp Zones. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge. I'm player one (Mario) and Michael is player two (Luigi). In this fourth part Michael and I completed all of World 4: Giant Land. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. We're using standard NES controllers.

This is part 6 of my capture of me and a friend playing through all of Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES without using any Warp Zones. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge. I'm player one (Mario) and Michael is player two (Luigi). In this sixth part Michael and I completed all of World 6: Ice Land. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. We're using standard NES controllers.

This is part 7 of my capture of me and a friend playing through all of Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES without using any Warp Zones. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge. I'm player one (Mario) and Michael is player two (Luigi). In this seventh part Michael and I completed all of World 7: Pipe Land. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. We're using standard NES controllers.

This is part 8 of my capture of me and a friend playing through all of Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES without using any Warp Zones. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge. I'm player one (Mario) and Michael is player two (Luigi). In this final part Michael and I completed all of World 8: Dark Land. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. We're using standard NES controllers.

This is a capture of me playing through Donkey Kong on the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Donkey Kong Classics cartridge. Donkey Kong Classics was one of the earliest games I remember owning for my NES. My mother was probably a fan of Donkey Kong and decided to pick up this cartridge so we could play the game(s) at home. That's the best I can surmise at least. I was simply too young at the time to remember exactly how we got this game (I may have around 4 years old). But I'm betting that it at least came from a family member. This cartridge is pretty cool because it contains two games in one: Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. Donkey Kong itself is a short game, but it's still fun, and it's definitely a classic. I remember playing this game a lot as a kid. I never played it in the arcades until years later, but I knew about the game back in the late '80s thanks to this cartridge. I later found out that the NES port of Donkey Kong was missing one of the levels from the arcade game. Even so, it was still a great deal, and when you consider that there was a black-box Donkey Kong-only cartridge that was released before this one, you can see why it was worth picking up back then. In this video I completed one cycle of the game on Mode B, which is the hard mode. Like the arcade version, this version repeats endlessly, so there's no way to beat the game. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage Joystick.

This is a capture of me playing through Donkey Kong Jr. on the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Donkey Kong Classics cartridge. Donkey Kong Classics was one of the earliest games I remember owning for my NES. My mother was probably a fan of Donkey Kong and decided to pick up this cartridge so we could play the game(s) at home. That's the best I can surmise at least. I was simply too young at the time to remember exactly how we got this game (I may have around 4 years old). But I'm betting that it at least came from a family member. This cartridge is pretty cool because it contains two games in one: Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. I always liked Donkey Kong Jr. a tad more than Donkey Kong. The level design just seemed neater, and there were additional mechanics such as climbing that were more complex than Donkey Kong. I especially liked the electrical level as a kid. And the music was catchy too. In this video I completed one cycle of the game on Mode B, which is the hard mode. Like the arcade version, this version repeats endlessly, so there's no way to beat the game. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage Joystick.

This is a capture of me playing Dr. Mario for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Dr. Mario cartridge. Back in the early '90s Nintendo began publishing a bunch of puzzle games following the incredible success of Tetris. These titles included Dr. Mario, Tetris 2, Yoshi, Yoshi's Cookie and Wario's Woods. My mother was a puzzle game fanatic back during this time, so she picked up all of these games except for Wario's Woods. I can't remember when exactly, but my mother may have picked up Dr. Mario around 1991. It was definitely one of her favorite NES games. Dr. Mario isn't my favorite NES game, but it's still excellent, as is the music. I didn't play this game too much by myself as a kid, but I did enjoy playing the battle mode against my mother. Also, I still remember the whacky witch doctor commercials that Nintendo aired for this game. It was definitely one of the more popular NES games. For this video I completed Level 20 on a medium speed setting. I'm by no means a puzzle game expert, so that's why I'm not playing a high speed setting. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube on December 30, 2016.] This is a capture of me and another person playing Dr. Mario for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Dr. Mario cartridge. I'm player one and Shelly is player two. If you've seen my prior puzzle game uploads you probably already know that my mother was really into these games back during the NES and SNES eras. We played Tetris, Tetris 2, Dr. Mario, Yoshi and Yoshi's Cookie a bunch back in the day, as well as Tetris Attack on the SNES. We especially enjoyed Dr. Mario and Yoshi's Cookie battles when I was a kid. Well, over the holidays I was able to record multiplayer footage with none other than my own mother, so I hope you enjoy watching the family battle. Doing this sure brought back some old memories. And just in case you're wondering, no, I didn't go easy on her! Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. We're using standard NES controllers.

This is a capture of me playing Yoshi for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Yoshi cartridge. Back in the early '90s Nintendo began publishing a bunch of puzzle games following the incredible success of Tetris. These titles included Dr. Mario, Tetris 2, Yoshi, Yoshi's Cookie and Wario's Woods. My mother was a puzzle game fanatic back during this time, so she picked up all of these games except for Wario's Woods. As I recall, my mother picked up both Yoshi and Yoshi's Cookie at the same time for our NES, so probably around 1993. Yoshi is an OK game, but it's probably the weakest of the NES puzzle games. It's a simple stacking game where you wipe out typical Super Mario Bros. enemies while hatching Yoshis by piecing together top and bottom egg sections. Unfortunately, this game lacks the fast, frenetic gameplay of Tetris, Dr. Mario or even Yoshi's Cookie. I remember my mother not really caring for it that much (she preferred Yoshi's Cookie by far). I played it occasionally, but wasn't really into it. This game was given to early 3DS owners as part of the Ambassador program, so I have it on my 3DS as well. However, I prefer to play it on the NES. I don't care for the first two music tracks in this game, but track three (the one labeled as a Star) is decent, so I always use that track. For this video I set the game on Level 5 and Mode B and proceeded to make it all the way to Level 8 before getting a game over. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in September of 2021.] This is a capture of me and a friend playing the 2-Player mode of Yoshi for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console, or Switch Online. This footage was recorded directly from Keet’s front-loading NES using a real Yoshi cartridge. I’m player one (Mario) and Keet is player two (Luigi). While I was visiting Keet in Florida, we also managed to record the competitive multiplayer modes from a couple NES puzzle games that I brought with me: Yoshi and Yoshi’s Cookie. To my knowledge, Keet had not played Yoshi before, so it was nice to show him this puzzle game while I was there. Keet’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiMG... I actually grew up with this game in the early ’90s because my mother was a puzzle game fanatic at the time. She bought Dr. Mario, Tetris 2, Yoshi and Yoshi's Cookie for our NES, and we had tons of two-player battles along with my brother. My brother and I also had the original Tetris on our Game Boys, and our neighbor (my mom’s friend) owned Tetris on the NES, as I recall. I always found Yoshi to be incredibly simple and not nearly as interesting as Yoshi’s Cookie. In the two-player mode, you compete to see who can earn points the fastest. You can also get knocked out by stacking enemies above the top bar, similar to Dr. Mario. I actually could not figure out how the points system works in this game because even though I won the first round by earning more than 975 points, I won the second round with far fewer points. Perhaps it’s related to how many Yoshis you make with your eggs. Keet did his best here but for whatever reason, unlike with Yoshi’s Cookie, he just wasn’t able to keep up with me. Also, since Keet’s HDTV couldn’t display the NES at all, we played on an old rear-projection big screen that he still had in his house. However, the green and blue cathode ray tubes must have burnt out on the TV because it only displayed everything in red, making us feel like we were playing on a giant Virtual Boy. But since Yoshi is a simple game, it didn’t really affect us. Dr. Mario, however, probably would have been impossible without any color separation. Also, this was my first time using the HD PVR 2 with the NES, and I have to say, my prior HD PVR + DVD recorder method makes for a cleaner recording (compare this video with my single-player Yoshi footage). Even though the HD PVR 2 can record 240p signals directly, it causes the pixels to wiggle way more, and the top part of the screen angles to the left for some odd reason. But it was certainly easier to use the HD PVR 2 instead of bringing a massive DVD recorder all the way to Florida, and it still recorded the NES in 60 fps. Anyway, enjoy. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR 2 and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. We’re using standard NES controllers.

This is a capture of me playing Yoshi's Cookie for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii Virtual Console. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Yoshi's Cookie cartridge. Back in the early '90s Nintendo began publishing a bunch of puzzle games following the incredible success of Tetris. These titles included Dr. Mario, Tetris 2, Yoshi, Yoshi's Cookie and Wario's Woods. My mother was a puzzle game fanatic back during this time, so she picked up all of these games except for Wario's Woods. As I recall, my mother picked up both Yoshi and Yoshi's Cookie at the same time for our NES, probably around 1993. Yoshi's Cookie was really fun and may have even been the puzzle game I played the most. My mother, brother and I would battle each other quite a bit in round robin sessions. I also recall us specifically renting the SNES version of the game, although I'm not entirely sure why. We may have rented the SNES version before we got our copy of the game on the NES, or we may have simply rented it afterward due to its puzzle mode and more fully featured battle mode. In this video I started on Round 10 and played through all 10 stages in that round. Once you complete Round 10, Stage 10 you've beaten the game and you get to see the credits. I tried my best not to lose, but I had to use a continue on the final stage. For some reason, when you go on a streak, the game really cranks up the difficulty and just starts punishing you. But as soon as you use a continue the difficulty seems to drop. It's really strange. Anyway, enjoy the footage. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in September of 2021.] This is a capture of me and a friend playing the two-player VS mode of Yoshi’s Cookie for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console, or Switch Online. This footage was recorded directly from Keet’s front-loading NES using a real Yoshi’s Cookie cartridge. I’m player one and Keet is player two. While I was visiting Keet in Florida, we also managed to record the competitive multiplayer modes from a couple NES puzzle games that I brought with me: Yoshi and Yoshi’s Cookie. To my knowledge, Keet had not played Yoshi’s Cookie before, so it was nice to show him this puzzle game while I was there. Keet’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiMG... You can watch our goofy commentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=silts... I actually grew up with this game in the early ’90s because my mother was a puzzle game fanatic at the time. She bought Dr. Mario, Tetris 2, Yoshi and Yoshi's Cookie for our NES, and we had tons of two-player battles along with my brother. My brother and I also had the original Tetris on our Game Boys, and our neighbor (my mom’s friend) owned Tetris on the NES, as I recall. Yoshi’s Cookie was one of my mother’s favorite games, and I have to admit, I enjoyed it quite a bit as well. In fact, despite us already owning the NES game, I have some memory of my mother renting the SNES version because it had an additional mode and better graphics. It’s an addicting game when you have someone to play against. Not surprisingly, Keet quickly took a liking to this game and the battle between us got pretty intense. We did three full games and things got really close at the end. However, we weren’t paying attention to the special Yoshi-face cookie effects displayed below the timer bars, so we didn’t even bother to time our Yoshi lines for strategic benefits. We were just matching cookies as fast as possible. I think I completely forgot about the trigger for the special effects while we were playing. Also, since Keet’s HDTV couldn’t display the NES at all, we played on an old rear-projection big screen that he still had in his house. However, the green and blue cathode ray tubes must have burnt out on the TV because it only displayed everything in red, making us feel like we were playing on a giant Virtual Boy. This caused me a little bit of a problem at first because of the lack of color separation. I actually ran out the timer once or twice because I was unable to find five cookies to line up. However, I eventually got used to the red display and started picking up speed. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR 2 and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. We’re using standard NES controllers.

This is a capture of me playing Tetris 2 for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Tetris 2 cartridge. Back in the early '90s Nintendo began publishing a bunch of puzzle games following the incredible success of Tetris. These titles included Dr. Mario, Tetris 2, Yoshi, Yoshi's Cookie and Wario's Woods. My mother was a puzzle game fanatic back during this time, so she picked up all of these games except for Wario's Woods. Tetris 2 might have been the last NES puzzle game that my family picked up. We probably got our copy around 1994. Tetris 2 basically feels like a combination between Tetris and Dr. Mario, and overall, I think it's fairly enjoyable. You can pull off some really crazy chains in this game, and half of the time they're completely unexpected. I didn't play this game too much by myself as a kid, but I would play the battle mode against my mother whenever I got the chance, which was a lot of fun. Also, the old TV commercial for this game is really funny, so if you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and look it up. For this video I completed Level 30 on a medium speed setting, then failed on Level 31. I'm by no means a puzzle game expert, so that's why I'm not playing a high speed setting. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

This is part 1 of my capture of me playing through the Legend of Zelda for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of The Legend of Zelda. The original Zelda might not have been the first Zelda game that I played as kid (as far as I can remember), but I know that I did at least play it shortly after my brother picked up Zelda II around 1989. Since we didn't own the first Zelda game growing up, my brother and I would have to borrow it from other people. We borrowed that game several times and played the hell out of it. It's a classic, and I really wish we had our own copy when we were growing up, but I can't complain since I had the chance to borrow it and beat it several times. The weird thing though, is that I can't remember how I learned to beat it. I've just known most of the secrets for as long as I can remember. I think it was just common knowledge back in the late '80s. Anyway, sometime around 1994 or so I was walking around Toys R Us when I spotted a stack of the Classic Series re-release of this game on a low shelf in the video game section. They were only $7 each. Even though a lot of people had moved on from the NES by this point in time, I hadn't. That was simply too good of a deal to pass up, and even my mother couldn't argue with that. So I finally got my very own copy of the game after borrowing it for several years. However, I was shocked when I opened the box and found a gray cartridge inside, not the gold cartridge that I was used to. But luckily, it was the same game that I had grown up with, and it worked great since the connectors were perfectly clean. In early 2012, however, I decided that I needed a gold cartridge, so I sold my pristine gray cartridge on eBay for about $50 and picked a complete copy of the original gold cartridge version for only $20 more. This footage was captured from that gold cartridge. One of the things I love about the first game is the focus on combat and the large, dangerous overworld. I think this game has the best overworld of any Zelda game, and I love that you can take dungeons out of order or just go around finding all sorts of secrets and items before you ever set foot in a dungeon. I also love the final level, which is the only final level that can rival the Great Palace from Zelda II. It's a massive, maze-like gauntlet that dwarfs all of the prior dungeons. It even features its own enemies and music. That's the way a final dungeon is supposed to be done. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new footage. In this first part I completed Level 1, bought a Blue Candle, collected two Heart Containers, picked up the note from the old man, grabbed the White Sword, and then beat Level 2. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage joystick.

This is part 2 of my capture of me playing through the Legend of Zelda for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of The Legend of Zelda. In this second part I obtained another Heart Container, purchased the Magical Shield and Blue Ring, and then completed Levels 3 and 4. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage joystick.

This is part 3 of my capture of me playing through the Legend of Zelda for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of The Legend of Zelda. In this third part I purchased Arrows, obtained the Power Bracelet, collected two more Heart Containers, acquired the Magical Sword, and then completed Levels 5 and 6. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage joystick.

This is part 4 of my capture of me playing through the Legend of Zelda for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of The Legend of Zelda. In this fourth part I completed Levels 7 and 8. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage joystick.

This is part 5 of my capture of me playing through the Legend of Zelda for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of The Legend of Zelda. In this fifth part I completed Level 9 and beat the game. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage joystick.

This is part 1 of my capture of me playing through Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of Zelda II. Following up on my redone Zelda 1 playthrough, here's a new 60 fps playthrough of Zelda II. This is once again a no-death run. Zelda II was the first Zelda game that I ever played or owned. When I was about 5 (around 1989) my brother bought the game for himself (probably because he saw our neighbors playing it shortly after it came out), but like with all of our other games, we ended up sharing. Ironically, I played the game far more than my brother and beat it countless times whereas I don't know if my brother beat it even once. Since I was so young at the time, I don't recall exactly how I learned to beat Zelda II (I didn't get Nintendo Power until 1993), but as best as I can remember, my brother asked the neighbors what to do and then passed the information on to me. I can at least recall watching the neighbors playing their copy once or twice. I think I still have some memory of my brother watching me beat the Great Palace for the first time. It was so exciting and rewarding. After that, I kept replaying the game with the same save file (which allows you retain your magic and stats, but you still have to complete the Palaces and pick up heart and magic containers). On special occasions I would start a new save file and go through the game from scratch. Zelda II is probably my favorite Zelda game, and it has always been that way. It is the most challenging, imaginative and epic Zelda game out there. This was back when the final level had its own enemies, music and styling, and the game didn't hold your hand or interrupt you to tell you about some crap you didn't need to hear. Even the journey to the final level was treacherous and could make or break you. You walked on lava just to get there. Needless to say, the Great Palace is my favorite part of the game. Although I have most of the game memorized, I used Nintendo Power's NES Game Atlas to help me get through the Palaces more efficiently. In this first part I learned Shield, obtained the first Heart Container and Magic Container, and completed the first level, Parapa Palace. After that I collected the trophy from the cave and took it to the town of Ruto, where I learned Jump. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is part 2 of my capture of me playing through Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of Zelda II. In this second part I learned Life and obtained the Hammer and second Magic Container from Death Mountain. After that I collected the second Heart Container and the Water of Life, then I headed to Mido where I learned Fairy and Downthrust. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is part 3 of my capture of me playing through Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of Zelda II. In this third part I completed the second and third levels: Midoro Palace and the Island Palace. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is part 4 of my capture of me playing through Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of Zelda II. In this fourth part I visited Nabooru and learned Fire. After that I rescued the boy from Maze Island and collected the third Magic Container, then I headed to Darunia where I learned Reflect and Upthrust. I then completed the fourth level, Maze Palace. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is part 5 of my capture of me playing through Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of Zelda II. In this fifth part I obtained the third Heart Container and completed the fifth level, the Palace on the Sea. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is part 6 of my capture of me playing through Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of Zelda II. In this sixth part I headed to the Hidden Town of Kasuto (New Kasuto) where I obtained the final Magic Container, learned Spell and picked up the Magical Key. I then headed to Old Kasuto where I learned Thunder. After that I completed the sixth level, Three-Eye Rock Palace. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is part 7 of my capture of me playing through Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real gold cartridge version of Zelda II. In this final part I completed the Great Palace and beat the game. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is part 1 of my 100% playthrough of Metroid on the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Metroid cartridge. I played a little bit of the original Metroid as a kid but never really got into it. My family never owned the game but my brother always said good things about it. I only played it a few times at other people's houses, but I remember the huge vertical tunnels more than anything. I think the game was just too large and confusing for me to get into as a kid, so I never went out of my way to rent it or anything. Anyway, around the time the GameCube was being shown off Nintendo announced Metroid Prime, and I decided to give the series a real shot since Prime looked cool. However, right before Prime came out, I picked up the original Metroid and played through it to give myself a better understanding of the series. It was amazing. It had excellent music, power-ups and bosses, and it was a great challenge too. I got hooked pretty quickly. One thing I like about the original game is that unlike Super Metroid, you can access areas in any order you want (except for Tourian). So it's actually more of an open-world game than Super Metroid. It's also far more challenging. About every year or so I grab Volume 29 of Nintendo Power and hook up the NES to play through this game. It's still tons of fun after all these years. For this playthrough I used Issue 29 once again. In that issue Nintendo Power printed a full map of this game to celebrate the upcoming release of Metroid II: Return of Samus. That's how I keep track of where I am and what I need to do. Nintendo Power recommends going through Ridley's Lair before Kraid's Lair, so that's my strategy. In each video I'll be keeping track of the items I've collected, so you can treat this playthrough as a walkthrough if you like. I collected all 255 missiles in this playthrough and all of the energy tanks as well (although energy tanks eventually become duplicative since you can only carry six and there are more than six in the game). In this first part I collected the Morph Ball, missiles, the Long Beam, Morph Ball Bombs, three energy tanks and the Ice Beam. The Ice Beam is located in two places: Brinstar and Norfair. You can access the Brinstar location as soon as you have Morph Ball bombs and missiles, but you're not supposed to be able to escape that area without the High Jump Boots. However, if you jump right as the floor reappears, you'll be able to escape without the High Jump Boots. The Ice Beam allows you to grab the Energy Tank hidden in the ceiling near the starting area (you have to freeze an enemy and use it as a platform). Items collected: Morph Ball - 0:21 Missile Expansion # 1 - 2:48 Long Beam - 4:16 Energy Tank # 1 - 6:17 Morph Ball Bombs - 7:17 Ice Beam (Brinstar Location) - 10:25 Missile Expansion # 2 - 13:40 Energy Tank # 2 - 13:49 Energy Tank # 3 - 17:07 Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

This is part 2 of my 100% playthrough of Metroid on the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Metroid cartridge. In this second part I headed into Norfair and collected the High Jump Boots and a few Missile Expansions before heading back to Brinstar and obtaining the Varia Suit. You'll want to get the Varia Suit as soon as possible in this game. Items collected: Missile Expansion # 3 - 0:38 Missile Expansion # 4 - 1:32 High Jump Boots - 4:09 Missile Expansion # 5 - 5:33 Missile Expansion # 6 - 5:48 Missile Expansion # 7 - 6:00 Missile Expansion # 8 - 6:44 Missile Expansion # 9 - 6:55 Varia Suit - 11:32 Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

This is part 3 of my 100% playthrough of Metroid on the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Metroid cartridge. In this third part I returned to Norfair and collected the remaining power-ups in the area including the Screw Attack and Wave Beam. Items collected: Missile Expansion # 10 - 2:13 Missile Expansion # 11 - 2:24 Screw Attack - 5:19 Missile Expansion # 12 - 7:23 Missile Expansion # 13 - 7:32 Wave Beam - 9:01 Missile Expansion # 14 - 10:33 Energy Tank # 4 - 15:12 Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

This is part 4 of my 100% playthrough of Metroid on the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Metroid cartridge. In this fourth part I completed Ridley's Lair. If you're having trouble making the jump at 3:10, try jumping flush against the left side of the hanging wall (like I did in the video), but make sure you land straight down from against the wall's side. From there run right and make the jump. It just seems to work for some reason. The Ridley boss fight is at 4:34. Items collected: Missile Expansion # 15 - 0:55 Energy Tank # 5 - 2:25 Missile Expansion # 16 - 3:33 Energy Tank # 6 - 5:27 Missile Expansion # 17 - 8:00 Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

This is part 5 of my 100% playthrough of Metroid on the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Metroid cartridge. In this fifth part I completed Kraid's Lair. The Kraid boss fight is at 9:57. Items collected: Missile Expansion # 18 - 4:27 Missile Expansion # 19 - 5:07 Missile Expansion # 20 - 6:02 Missile Expansion # 21 - 9:07 Energy Tank # 7 - 10:28 Energy Tank # 8 - 14:08 Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

This is part 6 of my 100% playthrough of Metroid on the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Metroid cartridge. In this final part I swapped out my Wave Beam for the Ice Beam, then I headed into Tourian, defeated Mother Brain and beat the game. I got the second-best ending for finishing the game in just over one hour. The Mother Brain boss fight is at 9:05. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

This is a capture of me playing through Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! cartridge. Here's a new 60 fps Punch-Out!! playthrough. Like before, I didn't lose any fights and didn't get knocked down once. I have to say that after playing this game with the Power Glove, a standard controller feels ridiculously easy by comparison. When I was a kid my uncle owned this game, and as far as I can remember, I played it at his house before getting my own copy. Somewhere around 1989 my father took me to Radio Shack and bought me the game, possibly for my birthday. I then played through it like crazy. As a kid I could beat all of the fighters, including Super Macho Man (my favorite), but I couldn't beat Tyson. When I was around 12 years old I finally developed the skills to beat Tyson, but I didn't try to beat him again until I was in my 20s. This game is certainly challenging, but it's a test of reflexes more than anything. Once you have the reflexes, you can beat it every time. This was played using the very same cartridge I received back in 1989. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in January of 2015.] This is a capture of me playing the 1 Duck mode (Game A) in Duck Hunt for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge and the NES Zapper. Nintendo recently released this game on the Wii U Virtual Console to coincide with the Duck Hunt dog's inclusion in Super Smash Bros., so I figured it was a good time to post new 60 fps footage of the game running on the original hardware. My mother bought our family an NES Action Set (gray Zapper version) back around 1988 or 1989, so the NES was my first console and the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge was probably the first game I played. I remember playing this game in between bouts of Super Mario Bros. and a bunch of other games that we later purchased. Duck Hunt was a fun little game to play in between the larger games like Mario or Zelda. At the very least, if you had an NES Action Set but no additional games, you could play two different titles right out of the box (Nintendo gave you a lot of bang for your buck during the NES era). The 1 Duck mode is fairly simple but gets challenging by Round 20 when you can't miss any ducks. I made it to Round 21 then intentionally got a game over to show the Game Over screen. The rounds just keep repeating after level 20, so I didn't feel like playing past that point. I've heard that the game glitches after Round 99, but I've never made it that far. The Zapper won't work with an HDTV, so I used my old Philips Magnavox CRT TV to play the game. Since the Hauppauge only outputs through component cables (a format not supported by my old TV), I used a distribution amplifier to split the NES's audio/video signal and send one set of cables to the CRT TV while sending another set of cables to a DVD Recorder, which was then connected to the Hauppauge. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in January of 2015.] This is a capture of me playing the 2 Ducks mode (Game B) in Duck Hunt for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge and the NES Zapper. Nintendo recently released this game on the Wii U Virtual Console to coincide with the Duck Hunt dog's inclusion in Super Smash Bros., so I figured it was a good time to post new 60 fps footage of the game running on the original hardware. My mother bought our family an NES Action Set (gray Zapper version) back around 1988 or 1989, so the NES was my first console and the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge was probably the first game I played. I remember playing this game in between bouts of Super Mario Bros. and a bunch of other games that we later purchased. Duck Hunt was a fun little game to play in between the larger games like Mario or Zelda. At the very least, if you had an NES Action Set but no additional games, you could play two different titles right out of the box (Nintendo gave you a lot of bang for your buck during the NES era). I find the 2 Ducks mode to be much better than the 1 Duck mode. It's more challenging and the rounds go by faster. Once again, I made it to Round 21 then intentionally got a game over to show the Game Over screen. The rounds just keep repeating after level 20, so I didn't feel like playing past that point. I've heard that the game glitches after Round 99, but I've never made it that far. The Zapper won't work with an HDTV, so I used my old Philips Magnavox CRT TV to play the game. Since the Hauppauge only outputs through component cables (a format not supported by my old TV), I used a distribution amplifier to split the NES's audio/video signal and send one set of cables to the CRT TV while sending another set of cables to a DVD Recorder, which was then connected to the Hauppauge. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in January of 2015.] This is a capture of me playing the Clay Shooting mode (Game C) in Duck Hunt for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge and the NES Zapper. Nintendo recently released this game on the Wii U Virtual Console to coincide with the Duck Hunt dog's inclusion in Super Smash Bros., so I figured it was a good time to post new 60 fps footage of the game running on the original hardware. My mother bought our family an NES Action Set (gray Zapper version) back around 1988 or 1989, so the NES was my first console and the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge was probably the first game I played. I remember playing this game in between bouts of Super Mario Bros. and a bunch of other games that we later purchased. Duck Hunt was a fun little game to play in between the larger games like Mario or Zelda. At the very least, if you had an NES Action Set but no additional games, you could play two different titles right out of the box (Nintendo gave you a lot of bang for your buck during the NES era). Clay Shooting is an excellent mode and gives this game some variety. In some ways it's easier than the 2 Ducks mode since the clay pigeons don't zig zag, but it's still quite challenging. Once again, I made it to Round 21 then intentionally got a game over to show the Game Over screen. The rounds just keep repeating after level 20, so I didn't feel like playing past that point. I've heard that the game glitches after Round 99, but I've never made it that far. The Zapper won't work with an HDTV, so I used my old Philips Magnavox CRT TV to play the game. Since the Hauppauge only outputs through component cables (a format not supported by my old TV), I used a distribution amplifier to split the NES's audio/video signal and send one set of cables to the CRT TV while sending another set of cables to a DVD Recorder, which was then connected to the Hauppauge. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in January of 2015.] This is a capture of me playing the Hogan's Alley A mode (Game A) in Hogan's Alley for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Hogan's Alley cartridge and the NES Zapper. Here's even more 60 fps light gun footage. The new Smash Bros. title features cameos from this game as well (the Duck Hunt dog summons the cardboard cutouts during his final smash), so people might recognize the characters even if they've never played this game. This game is also likely to hit the Wii U Virtual Console some time soon since Duck Hunt was already released. I didn't play many Zapper games as a kid, but I do recall playing Hogan's Alley once or twice at someone's house in the late '80s. I believe it was either a friend or some distant relative of my father. As I recall, it was late at night and this guy (whoever he was) was playing the game with his son. The game looked really fun, so years later (around the late '90s) I picked up my own copy from Funcoland. Hogan's Alley is definitely one of my favorite Zapper games. Game A itself is a decent mode and helps you train your reflexes, but it doesn't really hold a candle to the depth of Game B. I made it to Round 66 in this video before getting a game over. It seems that the timer never drops below 0.6 seconds for any single round, but sometimes you have to shoot two characters in that short time frame. It's quite difficult. The Zapper won't work with an HDTV, so I used my old Philips Magnavox CRT TV to play the game. Since the Hauppauge only outputs through component cables (a format not supported by my old TV), I used a distribution amplifier to split the NES's audio/video signal and send one set of cables to the CRT TV while sending another set of cables to a DVD Recorder, which was then connected to the Hauppauge. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in January of 2015.] This is a capture of me playing the Hogan's Alley B mode (Game B) in Hogan's Alley for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Hogan's Alley cartridge and the NES Zapper. Here's even more 60 fps light gun footage. The new Smash Bros. title features cameos from this game as well (the Duck Hunt dog summons the cardboard cutouts during his final smash), so people might recognize the characters even if they've never played this game. This game is also likely to hit the Wii U Virtual Console some time soon since Duck Hunt was already released. I didn't play many Zapper games as a kid, but I do recall playing Hogan's Alley once or twice at someone's house in the late '80s. I believe it was either a friend or some distant relative of my father. As I recall, it was late at night and this guy (whoever he was) was playing the game with his son. The game looked really fun, so years later (around the late '90s) I picked up my own copy from Funcoland. Hogan's Alley is definitely one of my favorite Zapper games. Game B is the best mode in the game. The screen scrolls through an urban setting and you have to shoot the gangster cutouts while avoiding the civilians. It's quite challenging. I made it to Round 9 before getting a Gamer Over. The background color changes every two rounds, and I think the color scheme reverts back to the start at Round 11, so this footage should be showing all the different background palettes. The Zapper won't work with an HDTV, so I used my old Philips Magnavox CRT TV to play the game. Since the Hauppauge only outputs through component cables (a format not supported by my old TV), I used a distribution amplifier to split the NES's audio/video signal and send one set of cables to the CRT TV while sending another set of cables to a DVD Recorder, which was then connected to the Hauppauge. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in January of 2015.] This is a capture of me playing the Trick Shot mode (Game C) in Hogan's Alley for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Hogan's Alley cartridge and the NES Zapper. Here's even more 60 fps light gun footage. The new Smash Bros. title features cameos from this game as well (the Duck Hunt dog tosses the cans from this mode, which then explode). The can juggling was also featured in the Shooting Range mode in Wii Play. This game is also likely to hit the Wii U Virtual Console some time soon since Duck Hunt was already released. I didn't play many Zapper games as a kid, but I do recall playing Hogan's Alley once or twice at someone's house in the late '80s. I believe it was either a friend or some distant relative of my father. As I recall, it was late at night and this guy (whoever he was) was playing the game with his son. The game looked really fun, so years later (around the late '90s) I picked up my own copy from Funcoland. The Trick Shot mode is decent, but overall, I find it to be less entertaining than Modes A and B. You have to juggle empty cans across the screen (like those old scenes in western movies and cartoons where they shoot empty cans several times in midair), and the cans start falling faster as the rounds progress. I made it to Round 29 and then got a game over. The Zapper won't work with an HDTV, so I used my old Philips Magnavox CRT TV to play the game. Since the Hauppauge only outputs through component cables (a format not supported by my old TV), I used a distribution amplifier to split the NES's audio/video signal and send one set of cables to the CRT TV while sending another set of cables to a DVD Recorder, which was then connected to the Hauppauge. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in January of 2015.] This is a capture of me playing the 1 Outlaw mode (Game A) in Wild Gunman for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Wild Gunman cartridge and the NES Zapper. Here's some more 60 fps light gun footage. The outlaws in this game are actually featured in the new Smash Bros. game (the Duck Hunt dog summons them for one of his attacks), so people might recognize the characters even if they've never played this game before. This game is likely to hit the Wii U Virtual Console very soon since Duck Hunt was already released. I never played this game as a kid, but when I started buying old NES games from Funcoland in the late '90s, I decided to pick this one up along with Hogan's Alley so I'd have some Zapper games to play. Wild Gunman is a decent game, but the 1 Outlaw mode is nothing special. It's more of a test of reflexes than a test of your aim. The 2 Outlaws mode is much more challenging and entertaining. I've actually beaten all 99 waves before (on the 2 Outlaws mode, if I remember correctly), and I can say for certain that the timer never drops below 0.40 seconds. So if you can shoot faster than that, you can beat this game. Also, unlike Duck Hunt, this game doesn't glitch if you beat all 99 waves. It just resets to Wave 1. I made it to Wave 20 in this video then intentionally got a Game Over to show that screen. Interestingly, a modified version of this game was featured in Back to the Future Part 2. It's the scene where Marty McFly is in the '80s cafe playing an arcade game and the kids watching him call it a baby's toy because you have to use your hands. The Zapper won't work with an HDTV, so I used my old Philips Magnavox CRT TV to play the game. Since the Hauppauge only outputs through component cables (a format not supported by my old TV), I used a distribution amplifier to split the NES's audio/video signal and send one set of cables to the CRT TV while sending another set of cables to a DVD Recorder, which was then connected to the Hauppauge. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in January of 2015.] This is a capture of me playing the 2 Outlaws mode (Game B) in Wild Gunman for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Wild Gunman cartridge and the NES Zapper. Here's some more 60 fps light gun footage. The outlaws in this game are actually featured in the new Smash Bros. game (the Duck Hunt dog summons them for one of his attacks), so people might recognize the characters even if they've never played this game before. This game is likely to hit the Wii U Virtual Console very soon since Duck Hunt was already released. I never played this game as a kid, but when I started buying old NES games from Funcoland in the late '90s, I decided to pick this game up along with Hogan's Alley so I'd have some Zapper games to play. The 2 Outlaws mode is fairly entertaining and can even surprise you at times since occasionally one of the outlaws won't fire at you (you're not allowed to shoot him unless he draws his gun on you). Overall though, it's not that difficult. I've actually beaten all 99 waves before (on this mode, if I remember correctly), and I can say for certain that the timer never drops below 0.40 seconds. So if you can shoot faster than that, you can beat this game. Also, unlike Duck Hunt, this game doesn't glitch if you beat all 99 waves. It just resets to Wave 1. I made it to Wave 20 in this video then stopped shooting so I could show the Game Over screen. Interestingly, a modified version of this game was featured in Back to the Future Part 2. It's the scene where Marty McFly is in the '80s cafe playing an arcade game and the kids watching him call it a baby's toy because you have to use your hands. The Zapper won't work with an HDTV, so I used my old Philips Magnavox CRT TV to play the game. Since the Hauppauge only outputs through component cables (a format not supported by my old TV), I used a distribution amplifier to split the NES's audio/video signal and send one set of cables to the CRT TV while sending another set of cables to a DVD Recorder, which was then connected to the Hauppauge. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in January of 2015.] This is a capture of me playing the Gang mode (Game C) in Wild Gunman for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Wild Gunman cartridge and the NES Zapper. Here's some more 60 fps light gun footage. The outlaws in this game are actually featured in the new Smash Bros. game (the Duck Hunt dog summons them for one of his attacks), so people might recognize the characters even if they've never played this game before. This game is likely to hit the Wii U Virtual Console very soon since Duck Hunt was already released. I never played this game as a kid, but when I started buying old NES games from Funcoland in the late '90s, I decided to pick this game up along with Hogan's Alley so I'd have some Zapper games to play. The Gang mode is probably the best mode in the game. It's somewhat similar to Hogan's Alley (minus the scrolling). A bunch of gunmen pop out of various windows and you have shoot them before they shoot you. It's fast, challenging and exciting. I made it to Wave 23 before I got a Game Over. It wasn't intentional either. This mode really is that difficult. Apparently, once you beat Wave 20, the game will start calling you "master" every time you beat a new wave. Interestingly, a modified version of this game was featured in Back to the Future Part 2. It's the scene where Marty McFly is in the '80s cafe playing an arcade game and the kids watching him call it a baby's toy because you have to use your hands. The Zapper won't work with an HDTV, so I used my old Philips Magnavox CRT TV to play the game. Since the Hauppauge only outputs through component cables (a format not supported by my old TV), I used a distribution amplifier to split the NES's audio/video signal and send one set of cables to the CRT TV while sending another set of cables to a DVD Recorder, which was then connected to the Hauppauge. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

This is a capture of me playing Kung Fu for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Kung Fu cartridge. Kung Fu is one of the earliest games that I can remember owning for my NES back in the late '80s. The game is said to have started the beat 'em up genre, which includes games such as Double Dragon, Final Fight and Streets of Rage. The NES version was actually a port of an arcade game, Kung Fu Master. But back during the NES era, I didn't know that. I just thought it was a cool fighting game, and I played it a lot. I liked how each floor was different and had a distinct boss. I later learned that this was taken from one of Bruce Lee's films. In this video I played through the game on Mode B, which is the hard mode. Unlike Donkey Kong's Mode B, Kung Fu's Mode B is brutally difficult. Some enemies can take away half your life bar with a single hit, and the game swarms you with multiple enemies at a time, including multiple knife throwers. You can see an example of this on the fifth floor. I completed one cycle (five floors) and then stopped because the game keeps repeating, similar to Donkey Kong. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage joystick.

This is a capture of me playing through Double Dragon for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Double Dragon cartridge. I think I received this game from a family member (perhaps an aunt or an uncle) back during Christmas of 1989, so this was one of the earlier NES games that I owned. I had not heard of Double Dragon before then (I was only 5), but someone must have seen the artwork on the box and thought it would be a good game for me. The NES port of Double Dragon was loosely based on the hit arcade game, but it sorely lacked the two-player cooperative mode from the arcade. It also featured a new heart system where you had to earn new moves through experience points. However, I didn't know about the arcade game back then, so I didn't have any expectations about the NES version. I played this game a bunch as a kid, but for the longest time I couldn't make it past Mission 3. I didn't know to use the backwards elbow (odds are that I rarely even made it to six hearts), and I had no idea about the jump spinning kick, which unlocks at seven hearts. This game was certainly good, but I favored Double Dragon II and III, which I used to rent and play with my brother. When I was around 12 years old I started getting much better at video games and finally managed to beat this game through sheer trial and effort. I started to enjoy Double Dragon even more and began playing the game about every year or so (sometimes more). It's an excellent game thanks to the diverse level design, the plentiful weapons and the memorable enemies. And who can forget that wonderful music? In this playthrough I used my typical strategy that I developed in the mid '90s. I like to use punches as much as possible in the beginning to earn experience points faster, then I begin using stronger attacks and weapons to get through enemies faster. I also favor the backwards elbow on Abobo. This is another no-death run, but achieving a no-death run in this game is partially about luck since you have avoid the annoying stones in Mission 4, and I don't know of any guaranteed way to do that (waiting to go after the second stone from the top pops out only seems to work some of the time). This playthrough was done using the very same Double Dragon cartridge that I received way back in 1989. I've kept it all these years. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is a capture of me and a friend playing Double Dragon II: The Revenge for the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was captured directly from my NES using an actual Double Dragon II cartridge. I'm player one (Billy) and Drew is player two (Jimmy). We're playing on Supreme Master difficulty. As I've said in my other videos, I grew up owning the first Double Dragon game on NES and I loved renting Double Dragon III from my nearby video store. On a few occasions I managed to rent Double Dragon II as well (probably when Double Dragon III wasn't available). Although I favored Double Dragon III at the time, I still felt that Double Dragon II was an excellent game. I loved the two-player mode and all the crazy aerial attacks (especially the Cyclone Kick), not to mention the crazy bosses and excellent level design. There were some really memorable parts such as the helicopter stage where enemies get sucked out the door and fall to their deaths, as well as the spiked ceiling stage where you can't jump and have to fight on the ground. But overall, I just loved how Billy and Jimmy felt so much powerful than they did in the first game. Later on when I was in high school I managed to pick up my own copy of the game from Funcoland (now GameStop) and I beat it for the first time. The game was so good that I kept playing through it over and over again every day for weeks on end, and I even got my friends to join me a few times. The game never got old. The NES version of Double Dragon II is one of the best games in the series, and arguably one of the best two-player games on the NES. It's definitely more forgiving than Double Dragon III, but the platforming portions can be really difficult. So while Drew controlled Jimmy for most of this playthrough, I had to take control of his character to get us through the platforming sections in Missions 6 and 7. Drew and I died a couple times, but overall, I think we did well. The NES Max works really well with this game since it will pull of the Hyper Knee attack most of the time if you simply hold down the turbo buttons, so I recommend that controller if you have this game on the original hardware. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller and Drew is using a standard NES controller.

This is a capture of me and a friend playing through Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones on the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using an actual Double Dragon III cartridge. I’m player one and Drew is player two. This here is one of my favorite and most-rented NES games from my childhood (along with Simon's Quest). I received the original Double Dragon for my NES around Christmas of 1989 or so, and overall I thought it was an enjoyable game. But when I rented the two sequels in the early '90s I was completely blown away. The two-player simultaneous action, the new moves, the different characters, the environments... I loved nearly everything about the games (except those annoying platforms in the beginning of Egypt). Double Dragon III is without a doubt a hard game, but that's exactly what I loved about it. I loved the fact that you earned new characters by making it past certain levels and the fact that they had different stats and abilities from Billy and Jimmy. I also loved how the characters had their own special weapons and how Billy and Jimmy could do double attacks such as the double cyclone kick. My brother and I would rent this game and then typically make it to Italy or Egypt before we got a game over. But I had fun every time. I later picked up my own copy in high school (the late '90s) and beat it for the first time. This game provides a compelling reason to own a turbo pad since it becomes a lot easier with one. My brother would always use our NES Max and I would use my NES Advantage. The NES Max is the better of the two for this game since its turbo buttons almost always pull off the cyclone kick and hair toss without fail. The NES Advantage’s turbo, on the other hand, is more likely to mess up cyclone kicks and less likely to do hair throws (when you see me doing hair throws here I'm disabling the turbo and doing the button combinations manually). But the NES Advantage still helps for sure. In this playthrough we used my typical strategy that I developed in the early '90s and honed several years later. I save weapons for bosses and cycle through characters when they're low to avoid deaths. I also discovered that jump kicks work wonderfully on the mummies in Egypt. While this wasn’t a no-death run this time, we only lost a single character at the end. Enjoy this footage of one of my favorite childhood games. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage joystick and Drew is using an NES Max turbo controller.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube on October 31, 2014.] This is a capture of me playing through Castlevania on the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using an actual Castlevania cartridge. I typically upload a bunch of Castlevania videos each October to celebrate Halloween, but this time I wasn't able to do that due to my vacation and the fact that I was waiting on Youtube's 60 fps upgrade (you'd be surprised how many games run at 60 fps). However, I at least managed to record new footage of the original NES Castlevania, and this time, the video is playing at 60 frames per second (the game's native frame rate). My gameplay is also arguably a little better since I completed the game a couple minutes faster than before. This is once again a no death run. Like I said before, I used to rent this game as a kid, although at the time I preferred Simon's Quest. I later purchased all three NES Castlevania games from a guy selling his NES games to Funcoland in the late '90s, which rekindled my interest in the Castlevania games. I then sold those cartridges and replaced them with complete, boxed copies from Ebay. Enjoy the newer, higher quality footage. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is a capture of me playing through Castlevania II: Simon's Quest on the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Castlevania II cartridge. Simon's Quest was the game that got me into the Castlevania series. It was also one of my favorite games to rent as a kid (along with Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones). I used to rent it from a video store that was across the street from my house in the early '90s. However, since I didn't have Nintendo Power, I could never get very far in the game. Usually I would just find the Morning Star and maybe one or two mansions. But even so, I still loved the exploration and RPG elements and the overall mysterious tone that the game had. I would always come back for more, wondering what I'd find each time. In the late '90s I finally bought all three NES Castlevania games from a guy who was selling his used copies to Funcoland (now known as GameStop). By that time I was able to simply look up guides on the internet, so I finally managed to beat this game. The ending was disappointing, but the game was still enjoyable overall. I hope Konami returns to this game's style some day. I've included time marks below if you would like to use this video as a guide. I got the best ending since I beat the game quickly. Town of Jova: White Crystal - 0:37 Holy Water - 5:53 Thorn Whip - 6:28 Berkeley Mansion - 8:20 Town of Veros: Dagger - 13:16 Sacred Flame - 15:55 Town of Aljiba: Laurels - 17:50 Blue Crystal - 19:08 Garlic - 20:40 Silver Knife - 21:35 Rover Mansion - 23:41 Town of Veros: Chain Whip - 32:07 Diamond - 36:56 Brahm's Mansion - 38:09 Golden Knife - 42:10 Town of Alba: Laurels - 48:49 Red Crystal - 49:12 Silk Bag - 50:57 Town of Ondol: Morning Star - 55:09 Laurels - 56:56 Bodley Mansion - 58:32 Flame Whip - 1:04:10 Laruba Mansion - 1:06:14 Magic Cross - 1:08:41 Ruins of Castlevania - 1:18:15 Dracula - 1:19:21 Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is a capture of me playing through Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse on the NES. This is not an emulator and was not played on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Castlevania III cartridge. Here's my new 60 fps playthrough of this game. This is once again a no-death run. Just like before, I used Grant as my spirit helper but I took the upper route, which allows you to pick up Syfa. I actually don't have much history with this game. When I was a kid I rented the first two Castlevania games from the nearby rental store, but I never played Castlevania III. Instead, I heard about it from my brother, and he told me that you could change characters. I had no idea if he was telling the truth or not back then, but it turned out he was. Around the late '90s I picked up all three NES Castlevania games from some guy who was selling his copies to Funcoland. So that was the first time I played this game. It was definitely fun and had some great music too. However, Castlevania III is notoriously difficult to say the least. I don't know if it's the most difficult game in the series, but it's likely a contender. There are several cheap areas and the final fight against Dracula is just brutal. Pulling off a no-death run in this game really pushes me to the limit. Enjoy the new footage. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is a capture of me playing through Shatterhand on the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using an actual Shatterhand cartridge. Shatterhand was another game that I grew up with in the early '90s. For some reason, one of my uncles out in New York sent me and my brother a copy of this game when we were kids (perhaps around '92 or '93). It wasn't a new copy either. It was just the cartridge by itself (which was really odd since gifts tend to be new). In any event, the game was excellent. My brother and I played this game a bunch but I wasn't able to beat it until I was around 12 years old (that was when I started developing the skill to beat NES games aside from Zelda I and II). It was always fun creating different satellite robots and seeing what they could do. Shatterhand is one of those excellent, straightforward action games on the NES, similar to Batman or Power Blade. The level design is amazing, and it has some of the best music on the system. It's also fairly well balanced due to the satellite robots and the abundance of health and power-up stations. What's neat about this game is that if you forge two of the same satellite robots in a level without your first one dying, you'll obtain cybernetic armor that will let you destroy anything in sight for 15 seconds (although getting hit decreases the timer). And the stages are typically designed so that you can obtain the armor right before a boss. So if you map out your plan beforehand, you can clear most of the bosses with this amazing power-up. After you clear the first stage you can choose to complete the remaining stages in any order you want (except the last one), just like Mega Man. It doesn't matter what order you choose, but for this playthrough I decided to knock out the hardest stage first: Area F. I've found that it's best to rely on either Laserbot (ɑɑβ combination) or Yoyobot (βɑβ combination) on that stage in order to take out the robot below the platform in the vertical scrolling section. The remaining stages aren't that difficult, except for the last one. More than anything, this video shows how I like to complete the game and how I like to use the cybernetic armor to my advantage. Maybe it'll give you some ideas if you haven't played this game before. This is once again a no-death run. I used a turbo pad for this, so you'll see some neat tricks you can pull off with that. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube in January of 2015.] This is a capture of me playing through Power Blade on the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my front-loading NES using a real Power Blade cartridge. I'm playing on expert difficulty. Here's another action platformer that NES gamers may be familiar with. Back in the early '90s I owned an action game for the NES called Shatterhand, and I played it quite a bit. Then one day at my local rental store I spotted a game called "Power Blade," which looked similar to Shatterhand (even the artwork looked similar). I decided to rent Power Blade for a weekend, and although I didn't beat it, the game stuck out in my mind because of how similar it played compared to Shatterhand. It turns out the similarities weren't coincidental. Both games were actually developed by the same company: Natsume. Natsume pumped out a bunch of action platformers for the NES in the early '90s, and they were excellent games. I enjoyed Power Blade despite my limited time with the game, so when I saw the game mentioned in another video recently, I finally decided to add it to my collection. I managed to snag a sealed copy off eBay, which was nice. Since this game was featured in Nintendo Power volume 23 (it actually made the cover), I decided to pull out my old issue and take a look at the maps. Nintendo Power did a great job covering the game and I was able to rely on the magazine alone to complete the game without dying once. Power Blade plays similar to Shatterhand in that it's an action platformer with a special attack ability. Instead of metal fists, however, you use a boomerang, giving your attacks a much longer range. Just like in Shatterhand, you can choose the order in which you complete most of the levels, and there's even a special armor you can acquire, except this time it isn't on a timer. The armor actually lasts until you get hit three times, and as long you as you wear it, your attacks will go through walls. One unique thing about this game, however, is that you to have to talk to a specific person in each level in order to acquire a key card that lets you enter the boss room. The game is definitely challenging, and there is some really tricky platforming where you have to jump from the absolute edge of a platform, similar to Castlevania III. However, once you get used to the mechanics, you can pretty much sail through the game using your overpowered abilities. There are two difficulty levels to choose from. Normal gives you 999 seconds to complete each level and doesn't have knockbacks. Expert gives you only 300 seconds and has some knockbacks. I completed the game on expert difficulty without too much trouble. As you can see, the armor is really overpowered if you can manage to hang onto it. Oh, and the music rocks in this game. Enjoy! Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a standard NES controller.

This is a capture of me playing Gotcha! The Sport! for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Gotcha! cartridge and the NES Zapper. Gotcha! is one of the few Zapper games that I grew up with during the NES era (alongside Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley). One of my friends in elementary school had this game and I used to play it as his house in between other games like Top Gun, Mega Man 4, Bart vs. The Space Mutants and Super Mario Bros. 3 (he lived just around the block from me, so I'd often ride my bike over to his house). Even though LJN is notorious for their often poor quality NES games, Gotcha! stands out as a decent, if not good Zapper game. It's essentially a capture the flag game, except with paintball guns. What makes this game stick out is the fact that you need to use an NES controller in conjunction with the Zapper. You have to use the D-pad to move your screen right and left while shooting with the Zapper. This game is often referred to as a two-player game because one person can man the Zapper while the other person moves the screen with the controller. That's actually how I used to play the game with my old friend. While it's not very exciting for the person using the controller, we'd just take turns whenever we felt like shooting. And these types of games were typically played in short bursts anyway. Like other Zapper games, this one just repeats the same levels until you get a game over. There are three different stages: Forest, Bronx and Winter. Once you beat all three the game repeats the stages in the same order. You can also select the difficulty level in the beginning. I think the game officially ends once you max out the score with all 9s, but I've never gotten that far. I played through the game on advanced and managed to clear all three stages without getting hit, but I once I got to round 4 I intentionally lost to show the game over screen, and to show just how fast the enemies shoot on advanced. The AI can actually be brutal on this difficulty level. This game is notorious for one glaring flaw: the enemy hitboxes are smaller than the enemies themselves. So even though you can technically be firing right at a person, the game won't register a hit because the white box is smaller than the person on screen. I find that you can counteract this problem by simply aiming a little lower each time you fire. The Zapper won't work with an HDTV, so I used my old Philips Magnavox CRT TV to play the game. Since the Hauppauge only outputs through component cables (a format not supported by my old TV), I used a distribution amplifier to split the NES's audio/video signal and send one set of cables to the CRT TV while sending another set of cables to a DVD Recorder, which was then connected to the Hauppauge. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

This is a capture of me playing through Super Glove Ball for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real Super Glove Ball cartridge and a Power Glove controller. Since I grew up with the NES in the late '80s and early '90s, I was quite aware of the Power Glove as a kid, and I specifically remember seeing the commercials airing on TV. Although I thought the concept looked cool, I sadly never had the opportunity to try the Power Glove for myself. However, even back then I had heard that the controller didn't work very well. In 2013 I finally decided to purchase a Power Glove and see what all the fuss was about. I picked up a brand new Glove from a seller on Amazon for only $85. While the box had been opened, the contents were unused and still in their original plastic wrap. The Glove was also a size large, so it fit perfectly. It was quite a deal. I also picked up a brand new copy of Super Glove Ball at the same time for about $40. Despite all the Lucas Barton and Angry Video Game Nerd jokes, I was surprised to find that the controller worked quite well with Super Glove Ball. As you can see in this video, the Power Glove works just like a Wii Remote when you're playing Super Glove Ball (since the game was designed for the Glove). The Glove tracks 3D movement and it also detects when certain fingers are being bent. So Super Glove Ball actually feels like a Wii game. That's quite remarkable considering that this game was released in 1990. Super Glove Ball itself plays like a 3D Arkanoid, Breakout or Alleyway. You control a glove on screen to shoot a ball around in 3D space and break bricks on five different walls. You can grab the ball and then release it in a specific spot or simply bounce it off your glove. You can also point your index finger at the screen to shoot enemies and bricks (I think that part is really cool). To beat this game, you have to break through specific walls and navigate an extremely confusing 3D maze to reach the final boss. To do this, I used Adam Lamontagne's guide on GameFaqs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/587663-su...). A huge thanks goes out to Adam because I could not have beaten this game without his guide. If you're going to try beating this game, I recommend that you hit as many question marks as possible (unless they're hiding warp points you don't want to go through) because they'll give you tons of useful bonuses including extra balls, lives, power, and ammo. One of the best bonuses is the "ROW" one which allows you to knock out an entire row of bricks with a single hit. That one is invaluable. In general, I've found it's best to hold onto the ball and take your time getting into position to knock out specific blocks. If you throw the ball around wildly, you'll just waste time and lives. Also, don't forget that you can knock out bricks by shooting them with your index finger. That can be really helpful. You also have to remember which enemies can kill you in one hit. You'll definitely want to avoid them. This game is quite difficult, so I used a cheat code on the title screen to start with 13 lives instead of 7 (press 042158 on the Power Glove to enter the cheat). I don't know if there's a cheat available when you use a standard controller, but even with the additional lives, it's still incredibly difficult to beat this game because certain enemies can kill you in one hit, and you can accidentally warp to other rooms, which can really mess you up (good luck finding your way through the maze at that point). Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using a Power Glove controller.

This is a capture of me playing through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real TMNT cartridge. I was born in the mid '80s, so I naturally grew up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, movies and merchandise. I spent a lot of time watching the cartoon series as a kid (I even had some VHS tapes that were given out by Burger King back in the day), and I had a few of the action figures as well. I even recall wearing a Ninja Turtles costume to school for Halloween around first grade. The first Ninja Turtles game came out for the NES in 1989 and my brother and I probably received the game during that year's Christmas, or the following year. My brother and I played this game quite a bit but we never could beat it due to its high difficulty level. It was certainly an iconic part of my childhood, but the first TMNT game had a ton of flaws that were appropriately (and hilariously) lambasted by the Angry Video Game Nerd, such as clunky controls, terrible enemy spawns, suicidal designs and confusing stage layouts. I was actually a much bigger fan of TMNT II: The Arcade Game, which I used to rent occasionally. Despite my love of the NES and my childhood experience with this game, I have never beaten it until now. This game wasn't that fun for me and I was just never motivated to beat until I started my Youtube channel. I've already posted footage of TMNT II, III and IV, so this is the remaining Konami/Ultra Turtles game that I need to upload. I'm actually using the very same cartridge from my childhood. For this playthrough I stocked up on 40 scrolls before rescuing Splinter since they're really useful for the Technodrome. I actually got lucky in finding the Technodrome on my first attempt, so that made this playthrough much easier. Also, this was a no-death run, although I came really close to dying at the end. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is a capture of me and a friend playing through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game on the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real TMNT II cartridge. I'm player one (Michelangelo) and Drew is player two (Donatello). This is another one of my favorite NES games from my childhood. I just love side-scrolling beat-'em-ups, and the Ninja Turtles arcade game certainly tops my list. I used to rent TMNT II as a kid, and the rental store near my house even had the actual arcade machine for a while. So I'm certain I played the actual arcade game before I ever played the NES port. When I was around 7 my parents took me to Toys R Us for one of my annual birthday trips, and I was allowed to pick out one item from the store. I remember that my decision ultimately boiled down to either the NES Advantage joystick or this game. It was a tough decision since I wanted both (which would give me the ultimate arcade experience at home), but I went with the NES Advantage. Not a bad decision, I suppose, but in the back of my mind I always questioned whether I should have gotten this amazing game instead. About 10 years later when I was in high school I picked up a complete copy of this game for dirt cheap off eBay. The game was still as fun as I had remembered, but it was incredibly difficult. I don't think I can beat this game with two people using the default lives and continues, so I entered a cheat code in the beginning which gave Drew and me 9 lives to start with (B, A, B, A, Up, Down, B, A, Left, Right, B, A, Select, Start for a two-player game). Sometimes built-in cheat codes can be really handy. I hope you enjoy the new footage. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage joystick and Drew is using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is a capture of me and a friend playing through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project on the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real TMNT III cartridge. I'm player one (Raphael) and Drew is player two (Donatello). I've already posted two-player playthroughs of TMNT II and IV, so here's the remaining multiplayer Turtles game I needed to post. Even though I had played both Ninja Turtles arcade games in the arcades and on Nintendo systems as a kid, I never got to play this game until I purchased my own copy a few years ago off Ebay. This is actually the first time I've beaten it. TMNT III was a late NES release, coming out in early 1992 only a few months before TMNT IV for the SNES. As a result, it has really impressive graphics for an NES game and features a ridiculous number of enemies on screen at once. I wish I had played this game as a kid because it is a ton of fun and arguably even better than TMNT II. TMNT III is very similar to TMNT II on the NES, but it's not based on any arcade game. Instead, it's an original game which utilizes the same basic game engine and mechanics from TMNT II. The game features a new scooping move which tosses enemies over you (Down + B), and has a modified version of the special attack from TMNT II (A + B) which takes away a single health bar each time you use it. However, if you're already down to a single remaining health bar, the special move won't kill you, so it's best to just spam that attack once you're low on health. I don't think we can beat this game using the default lives and continues, so I entered a cheat code in the beginning which gave Drew and me 7 lives to start with (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, A, B, Start). Drew then ran out of lives on Stage 7, so I kept going by myself until I died on Stage 8 while facing Krang. I was hoping the game would let us continue directly from the Krang fight, but we had to redo all of Stage 8 instead. We only had to use one continue, so this game actually wasn't as difficult as I was expecting. I actually think it's a bit easier and more balanced than TMNT II. Enjoy the footage. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage joystick and Drew is using an NES Max turbo controller.

This is a capture of me and three friends playing Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my NES using an actual Super Off Road cartridge and an NES Four Score accessory. I'm player one (red truck), Luke is player two (yellow truck), Michael is player three (blue truck), and John is player four (green truck). Around the beginning of the Nintendo 64 era I started becoming really interested in four-player gaming on my retro systems (NES, SNES and Game Boy). I started looking into old four-player games that I never played before and began acquiring specific titles that I thought looked fun (as well as the requisite multitaps for each system). Somewhere around 1999 I ordered a Four Score multitap for my NES from Funcoland (now known as GameStop), as well as Super Off Road, which was a notable four-player game. Ironically, the SNES version of the game doesn't support more than two players, so the NES version is the way to go for multiplayer. I'm not sure if I played Super Off Road in the arcade before I played the NES version, but I at least played a similar title: Super Sprint. So I was familiar with the gameplay. I always liked off road racing, so Super Off Road seemed like a good pick for a four-player NES game. It certainly was. The racing is fast, simple and fun, and there's an upgrade system as well so you can increase your truck's handling and top speed. I actually managed to utilize the four-player mode with my friends back during my high school years (around 2000). It was a lot of fun, but unfortunately, the fun doesn't last too long because eventually people will start to get disqualified and get a game over. The CPU will take over that person's truck at that point and race ridiculously fast. The same thing happened here. We raced for a decent amount of time and then Luke got disqualified. Eventually, Michael and John got disqualified as well and I was left by myself. I made it past Race 50 and then just gave up. Odds are that I would have gotten a game over soon after that. I think the game goes until Race 99, then it gives you a ranking screen. However, I've never made it that far. It would probably take two hours to do that. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage joystick, Luke is using an NES Max turbo controller, and Michael and John are using standard NES controllers. We used a Four Score accessory to enable four controller ports.

This is a capture of me and three friends playing through RC Pro Am II for the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my NES using an actual RC Pro Am II cartridge and an NES Four Score accessory. I'm player one (red car), Luke is player two (blue car), Michael is player three (green car), and John is player four (yellow car). Around the beginning of the Nintendo 64 era I started becoming really interested in four-player gaming on my retro systems (NES, SNES and Game Boy). I started looking into old four-player games that I never played before and began acquiring specific titles that I thought looked fun (as well as the requisite multitaps for each system). Somewhere around 1999 I ordered a Four Score multitap for my NES from Funcoland (now known as GameStop), as well as Super Off Road, which was a notable four-player game. I looked into other four-player games for the NES and spotted RC Pro Am II. I owned the first RC Pro Am during the NES era but lost the cartridge sometime after that. So I was interested in revisiting the series. However, I didn't manage to pick up the sequel until 2012, and by then a complete copy cost me nearly $100. Anyway, I think the sequel is better than the first game due to the shop system and simultaneous multiplayer. Unlike Super Off Road, the screen scrolls as you're racing, so everyone has to share a single screen. When someone falls behind, the game makes that person automatically catch up. The game is really challenging if you play by yourself, but multiplayer actually makes the game easier since everyone can keep playing as long as they trade off losing rounds. Although Luke got disqualified partway through this, the rest of us managed to beat the entire game. This was my first time doing that, and it was a lot of fun. Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal. I'm using an NES Advantage joystick, Luke is using an NES Max turbo controller, and Michael and John are using standard NES controllers. We used a Four Score accessory to enable four controller ports.