I played a knock-off flash game called "Balloon Duel" as a kid. It was pretty fun, so I just decided to buy Balloon Fight to try it out. Thanks for the recommendation!
How's the pinball one? Is it literally just called pinball? I've definitely played an old pinball game before but can't remember the name or system but I love me some retro pinball lol
This one is just called Pinball, it is a first-party Nintendo game.
I love NES pinball. I do not like pinball games with realistic physics (too fast and too difficult). This one feels more like a game instead of a real pinball machine. Also, this one has a bonus stage with Mario in it.
I also like how clear and bright the visuals are. Too many newer pinball games are cluttered and flashy.
Space Cadet and NES pinball are my favourite video pinball games of all time.
I played this on an emulator decades later and it was my all time favorite NES game. I ended up beating all 3 multiple times.
So many NES games require perfect timing under strong time pressure. This one being a puzzle game also requires some timing but you can plan your trip and try again if you mess up.
I actually helped develop levels for a copycat game some rando I met online made, it was fun!
I mostly played Blades of Steel (an ice hockey game that turned into a fighting game every few seconds), TMNT and Top Gun. I think I landed on that goddamn carrier like 3 times combined, but it was still a blast!
We also had a completely legal cartridge with 250 games on it, so I'm definitely forgetting something.
I may need to get a CRT and try if my NES still works.
I enjoyed Blades of Steel too. But I like Ice Hockey better overall, mainly because they added weight/power to different player types. That might be the first sports game having such system.
So many memorable childhood games. Much bonding over Jackal and fighting (or trying to start a fight) in Ice Hockey. Nice solo gaming with awesome music on Gun.smoke and Balloon Fight.
I'm glad emulators exist and work out of the box, so I could keep playing these games without any hassle on my computer even if the hardware has become hard to find.
Was Nekketsu Kouha Kunio Kun released as "Renegade" in the US? That screenshot looks a lot like the second stage. The characters' clothes look different from what I remember though.