List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (North America)
Available titles -- Nintendo Entertainment System
Table:
Title

Publisher[2]

Developer(s)[2]

Release Date

ESRB

Super Mario Bros.[a]

Nintendo

Nintendo EAD

February 16, 2012

E

Metroid[a]

Nintendo

Nintendo R&D1

March 1, 2012

E

Punch-Out!!

Nintendo

Nintendo R&D3

March 8, 2012

E

Donkey Kong Jr.[a]

Nintendo

Nintendo R&D1, Nintendo R&D2

June 14, 2012

E

The Legend of Zelda[a]

Nintendo

Nintendo EAD

July 5, 2012

E

NES Open Tournament Golf[a]

Nintendo

Nintendo R&D2

July 5, 2012

E

Gradius

Konami

Konami

October 18, 2012

E

Ghosts 'n Goblins

Capcom

Micronics

October 25, 2012

E

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link[a]

Nintendo

Nintendo

November 22, 2012

E

Pac-Man

Bandai Namco

Bandai Namco

November 29, 2012

E

Mighty Bomb Jack

Koei Tecmo

Koei Tecmo

December 6, 2012

E

Ninja Gaiden

Koei Tecmo

Koei Tecmo

December 13, 2012

E

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[b]

Nintendo

Nintendo EAD

December 27, 2012

E

Mega Man

Capcom

Capcom

December 27, 2012

E

Super C

Konami

Konami

January 24, 2013

E

Ice Climber[a]

Nintendo

Nintendo

January 31, 2013

E

Mega Man 2

Capcom

Capcom

February 7, 2013

E

Dig Dug

Bandai Namco

Bandai Namco

February 14, 2013

E

Yoshi[a]

Nintendo

Game Freak

February 21, 2013

E

Wrecking Crew[a]

Nintendo

Nintendo

March 7, 2013

E

Using the table and the background passages listed.

State the answer to the question: For the games that were both published by Koei Tecmo , which one is a follow-up of a previous similar game ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Avoid adding external knowledge.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board ( ESRB ) is an American self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings to consumer video games . The ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association ( ESA , formerly the Interactive Digital Software Association ( IDSA ) ) , in response to criticism of controversial video games with excessively violent or sexual content , particularly after the 1993 congressional hearings following the releases of Mortal Kombat and Night Trap for home consoles . The industry , pressured with potential government oversight of video game ratings from these hearings , established both the IDSA and the ESRB within it to create a voluntary ratings system based on the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system with additional considerations for video game interactivity . The board assigns ratings to games based on their content , using judgment similar to the motion picture rating systems used in many countries , using a combination of six age-based levels intended to aid consumers in determining a game 's content and suitability , along with a system of content descriptors which detail specific types of content present in a particular game . More recently , the ratings also include descriptors for games with online interactivity or in-game monetization . The ratings are determined by a combination of material provided by the game 's publisher in both questionnaires and video footage of the game , and a review of this material by a panel of reviewers who assign it a rating . The ratings are designed towards parents so they can make informed decisions about purchasing games for their children . Once a game is rated , the ESRB maintains a code of ethics for the advertising and promotion of video games - ensuring that marketing materials for games are targeted to appropriate audiences . The ESRB ratings system is enforced via the voluntary leverage of the North American video game and retail industries for physical releases ; most stores require customers to present photo identification when purchasing games carrying the ESRB 's highest age ratings , and do not stock games which have not been rated . Additionally , major console manufacturers will not license games for their systems unless they carry ESRB ratings , while console manufacturers and most stores will refuse to stock games that the ESRB has rated as being appropriate for adults only . More recently , the ESRB began offering a system to automatically assign ratings for digitally-distributed games and mobile apps , which utilizes a survey answered by the product 's publisher as opposed to a manual assessment by ESRB staff , allowing online storefronts to filter and restrict titles based on the ESRB . Through the International Age Rating Coalition ( IARC ) , this method can generate equivalent ratings for other territories .
Super Mario Bros. [ b ] is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo . The successor to the 1983 arcade game , Mario Bros. , it was released in Japan in 1985 for the Famicom , and in North America and Europe for the Nintendo Entertainment System ( NES ) in 1985 and 1987 respectively . Players control Mario , or his brother Luigi in the multiplayer mode , as they travel the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Toadstool from Bowser . They must traverse side-scrolling stages while avoiding hazards such as enemies and pits with the aid of power-ups such as the Super Mushroom , Fire Flower , and Starman . The game was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka as a grand culmination of the Famicom team 's three years of game mechanics and programming . The design of the first level , World 1-1 , serves as a tutorial for first-time video gamers on the basic mechanics of platform gameplay . The aggressively size-optimized profile was intended as a farewell to the Famicom 's cartridge medium in favor of the forthcoming Famicom Disk System , whose floppy disks temporarily became the dominant distribution medium for a few years . Super Mario Bros. is frequently cited as one of the greatest video games of all time , with praise on its precise controls . It is one of the bestselling games of all time , with more than 40 million physical copies . It is credited alongside the NES as one of the key factors in reviving the video game industry after the 1983 crash , and helped popularize the side-scrolling platform game genre . Koji Kondo 's soundtrack is one of the earliest and most popular in video games , making music into a centerpiece of game design . The game inspired an expansive franchise including a long-running game series , an animated television series , and a feature film .
Nintendo Co. , Ltd. [ a ] is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics and video game company headquartered in Kyoto . Nintendo is one of the world 's largest video game companies by market capitalization , creating some of the best-known and top-selling video game franchises of all-time , such as Mario , The Legend of Zelda , Animal Crossing , and Pokémon . Nintendo was founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade hanafuda playing cards . By 1963 , the company had tried several small niche businesses , such as cab services and love hotels , without major success . Abandoning previous ventures in favor of toys in the 1960s , Nintendo developed into a video game company in the 1970s . Supplemented since the 1980s by its major divisions Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe , it ultimately became one of the most influential in the video game industry and one of Japan 's most-valuable companies with a market value of over $ 37 billion in 2018 .
Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development Division [ e ] , commonly abbreviated as Nintendo EAD , formerly Nintendo Research & Development 4 Department , [ f ] was formerly the largest software development division inside of Nintendo . It was preceded by the Creative Department , a team of designers with backgrounds in art responsible for many different tasks , to which Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka originally belonged . Both served as managers of the EAD studios and were credited in every game developed by the division , with varying degrees of involvement . Nintendo EAD was best known for its work on games in the Donkey Kong , Mario , The Legend of Zelda , F-Zero , Star Fox , Animal Crossing , Pikmin and Wii series . Following a large company restructure following the death of company president Satoru Iwata , the division merged with Nintendo 's Software Planning & Development division in September 2015 , becoming Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development .
Metroid [ a ] is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo . The first installment in the Metroid series , it was originally released in Japan for the Family Computer Disk System peripheral in August 1986 . North America received a release in August 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System in a ROM cartridge format , with the European release following in January 1988 . Set on the planet Zebes , the story follows Samus Aran as she attempts to retrieve the parasitic Metroid organisms that were stolen by Space Pirates , who plan to replicate the Metroids by exposing them to beta rays and then use them as biological weapons to destroy Samus and all who oppose them . Metroid was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 ( Nintendo R & D1 ) and Intelligent Systems . It was produced by Gunpei Yokoi , directed by Satoru Okada and Masao Yamamoto , and scored by Hirokazu Tanaka . The game 's style , focusing on exploration and the search for power-ups that are used to reach previously inaccessible areas , influenced other video games . Its varied endings for fast completion times made it a popular game for speedrunning . It was lauded for being one of the first video games to feature a female protagonist , though the player must complete the game in under five hours for this to be revealed , with the game 's English-language instruction manual even using he to refer to the protagonist . Nintendo Power ranked Metroid 11th on their list of the best games for a Nintendo console . On Top 100 Games lists , it was ranked 7th by Game Informer and 69th by Electronic Gaming Monthly . The game was re-released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004 as part of the Classic NES Series .
Nintendo Research & Development No . 1 Department , [ a ] commonly abbreviated as Nintendo R & D1 , was Nintendo 's oldest video game development team . It was known as Nintendo Research & Development Department [ b ] before splitting in 1978 . Its creation coincided with Nintendo 's entry into the video game industry , and the original R & D1 was headed by Gunpei Yokoi . The developer has created several notable Nintendo series such as Metroid , Mario Bros. , and Donkey Kong . R & D1 developed the hugely successful Game Boy line , which was released in 1989 . They developed some of the line 's most popular games , such as Super Mario Land , and created the character of Wario . Team Shikamaru was a small club within Nintendo R & D1 that was composed of Makoto Kano , Yoshio Sakamoto , and Toru Osawa . The group was responsible for designing characters and coming up with scripts for several games including Metroid , Kid Icarus , Famicom Tantei Club : Kieta Kōkeisha , Trade & Battle : Card Hero , and several others . After Yokoi 's resignation in 1997 , the group was led by Takehiro Izushi . In 2005 , Satoru Iwata restructured the Nintendo R & D1 team . Many of the staff members were later reassigned to the Nintendo SPD team , which in turn merged with Nintendo EAD in 2015 to form Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development .
Punch-Out ! ! , [ a ] originally titled Mike Tyson 's Punch-Out ! ! , is a boxing sports fighting video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System ( NES ) developed and published by Nintendo in 1987 . Years later , worldwide releases of the game were rebranded as Punch-Out ! ! Part of the Punch-Out ! ! series , it is a port of both the Punch-Out ! ! and Super Punch-Out ! ! arcade games with some variations .
Nintendo Integrated Research & Development Division , [ a ] commonly abbreviated as Nintendo IRD , handled everything related to producing Nintendo 's console hardware and associated peripherals . Originally established in the 1970s with engineer Genyo Takeda acting as manager , Nintendo Research & Development No . 3 Department [ b ] and part of the Manufacturing Division , the department was responsible for various hardware technologies and even developed several arcade and console titles . In 2000 , as technology evolved into the 3D era , Takeda 's group spun-off and established itself as a division into Integrated Research & Development Division , and began spending longer periods of time researching and testing the various and rapidly evolving hardware that would power Nintendo 's next generation of consoles . The Nintendo IRD Division was broken up into two departments : the Integrated Research & Development Department ( or IRD ) , which focused on the development of Nintendo home video game console hardware and associated peripherals , and the Research & Engineering Development Department ( or RED ) , which focused on the development of Nintendo handheld video game console hardware and associated peripherals . Both departments were split into several sub-groups . Unlike the software departments , the hardware groups generally worked together on most projects . On February 16 , 2013 , Nintendo announced that the Nintendo Research & Engineering Department ( or RED ) , the former hardware group specialized in all engineering and technological aspects of Nintendo 's handheld development , was absorbed into Nintendo IRD Division . On September 16 , 2015 , IRD merged with the Nintendo System Development division , becoming the Nintendo Platform Technology Development .
Donkey Kong II : Donkey Kong Jr. [ a ] is a 1982 platform game that was released by Nintendo . It is the sequel to Donkey Kong , which featured Mario as the hero and Donkey Kong Junior 's father as the villain ; the roles are reversed here . It first appeared in arcades , and , over the course of the 1980s , was released for a variety of home platforms . The game 's title is written out as Donkey Kong Junior in the North American arcade version and various ports to non-Nintendo systems . The game was principally designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and one of his coworkers . Miyamoto also created the graphics for the title along with Yoshio Sakamoto . As with its predecessor , the music for the game was composed by Yukio Kaneoka .
Nintendo Research & Development No . 2 Department , [ a ] commonly abbreviated as Nintendo R & D2 , was a team within Nintendo that developed software and peripherals . While usually occupied in system operating software and technical support , the team would come back to early development in the 1990s where several new designers got their start at game development , the most famous being Eiji Aonuma who developed Marvelous : Another Treasure Island . R & D2 was originally led by Masayuki Uemura , who previously worked for Sharp Corporation , using an idea of Sharp 's solar technology Uemura 's department went on to develop the popular Nintendo beam gun games , selling over 1 million units . Kazuhiko Taniguchi took Uemura 's position in 2004 . Nintendo R & D2 was later merged into Nintendo SPD .
The Legend of Zelda [ b ] is a 1986 action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka . Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule , the plot centers on a boy named Link , the playable protagonist , who aims to collect the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom in order to rescue Princess Zelda from the antagonist , Ganon . During the course of the game , the player ( seeing Link from a top-down perspective ) navigates throughout the overworld and several dungeons , defeating enemies and uncovering secrets along the way . The first game of The Legend of Zelda series , it was originally released in Japan as a launch game for the Family Computer Disk System peripheral in 1986 . More than a year later , North America and Europe received releases on the Nintendo Entertainment System in cartridge format , being the first home console game to include an internal battery for saving data . This version was later released in Japan in 1994 under the title The Hyrule Fantasy : The Legend of Zelda 1 . [ c ] The game was ported to the GameCube and Game Boy Advance , and is available via the Virtual Console on the Wii , Nintendo 3DS and Wii U . It was also as one of 30 games included within the NES Classic system , and is featured debuting among NES Switch Onlines library of games . The Legend of Zelda was a bestseller for Nintendo , selling over 6.5 million copies . It is often featured in lists of the greatest video games of all time or most influential . A much different sequel for the same system , Zelda II : The Adventure of Link , was first released in Japan less than a year after its predecessor . Eventually spawning many more successors and a number of spin-offs in over 30 years , the series has been established as among Nintendo 's most popular and beloved .
NES Open Tournament Golf , known in Japan as Mario Open Golf [ a ] , is a 1991 sports game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System . NES Open Tournament Golf is the second Nintendo published golf-based video game released for the NES , the first game being Golf . In addition to the Famicom version of Golf , there were two other Nintendo published golf-based video games released in Japan . These games were released in disk format on the Family Computer Disk System in 1987 . These two games were Family Computer Golf : Japan Course and Family Computer Golf : U.S . Course . Like most Mario games released around the time , the first player played as Mario , and the second player played as Luigi . At certain points during gameplay , the Mario Bros. are offered advice by their caddies , Princess Toadstool ( Peach ) and Princess Daisy . Another non-playable character was Mario 's old nemesis Donkey Kong , who now works as an accountant securing the prize money for Mario and Luigi . NES Open Tournament Golf is often thought to be nearly identical to the Famicom version Mario Open Golf based on the fact that they both feature identical graphics and gameplay . However , there are many differences between the two games . For starters , Mario Open Golf featured five playable courses whereas NES Open Tournament Golf only featured three .
Gradius [ a ] is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Konami . The first game in the Gradius series , it was originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1985 . The player maneuvers a spacecraft known as the Vic Viper that must defend itself from the various alien enemies . The game uses a power-up system called the power meter , based upon collecting capsules to purchase additional weapons . The arcade version of Gradius was released internationally outside Japan under the title of Nemesis , although subsequent home releases have the original title . Home versions were released for various platforms , such as the NES , the MSX home computer , and the PC Engine .
Konami Holdings Corporation [ nb 1 ] [ nb 2 ] is a Japanese entertainment and gambling conglomerate . It operates as a product distributor ( which produces and distributes trading cards , anime , tokusatsu , slot machines , pachinko machines and arcade cabinets ) , video game developer and publisher company . Konami has casinos around the world and operates health and physical fitness clubs across Japan . Konami 's video game franchisee include Metal Gear , Silent Hill , Castlevania , Contra , Frogger , Gradius , Yu-Gi-Oh ! , Suikoden and Pro Evolution Soccer . Additionally , Konami owns Bemani , known for Dance Dance Revolution and Beatmania , as well as the assets of former game developer Hudson Soft , known for Bomberman , Adventure Island , Bonk , Bloody Roar and Star Soldier . Konami is the twentieth-largest game company in the world by revenue . The company originated in 1969 as a jukebox rental and repair business in Toyonaka , Osaka , Japan , by Kagemasa Kōzuki , who remains the company 's chairman . The name Konami is a portmanteau of the names Kagemasa Kozuki , Yoshinobu Nakama , and Tatsuo Miyasako . Konami is headquartered in Tokyo . In the United States , Konami manages its video game business from offices in El Segundo , California and its casino gaming business from offices in Paradise , Nevada . Its Australian gaming operations are located in Sydney . As of March 2019 , it owns 22 consolidated subsidiaries around the world .
Ghosts ' n Goblins ( Japanese : 魔界村 , Hepburn : Makaimura , lit . Demon World Village ) is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Capcom and released in arcades in 1985 . It has since been ported to numerous home platforms . It is the first game in the Ghosts ' n Goblins franchise . It was directed by Tokuro Fujiwara .
Capcom Co. , Ltd. ( Japanese : 株式会社カプコン , Hepburn : Kabushiki-gaisha Kapukon ) is a Japanese video game developer and publisher known for creating numerous multi-million selling game franchises , including Mega Man , Street Fighter , Resident Evil , Devil May Cry , Onimusha , Dino Crisis , Dead Rising , Sengoku Basara , Ghosts ' n Goblins , Monster Hunter , Breath of Fire , and Ace Attorney as well as games based on Disney animated properties . Established in 1979 , it has become an international enterprise with subsidiaries in North America , Europe , and Japan .
Micronics ( マイクロニクス Maikuronikusu ) was a Japanese video game developer in 1980s and 1990s . It mostly ported arcade games to the Nintendo Entertainment System . Like many video game developers , Micronics did n't credit itself in its games , displaying instead only the name of the video game publisher . While the company is not well known in the game industry , it has produced some obscure titles like 89 Dennou Kyusei Uranai . Kazuo ( Kazzo ) Yagi was the main programmer for the games during the NES era . The company hired professional musicians to compose music for its games such as Tsugutoshi Goto , Kimio Nomura , and Joe Hisaishi . The company started to develop SNES games , again uncredited . However , some of its games credited Khaos in the ROM , which is believed to have been Micronics 's name while developing SNES games .
Zelda II : The Adventure of Link [ a ] is an action role-playing video game with platforming elements . The second installment in The Legend of Zelda series , it was developed and published by Nintendo for the Family Computer Disk System on January 14 , 1987 , less than a year after the original The Legend of Zelda was released and seven months before North America saw the release of the first Zelda title . The game was released in North America and the PAL region for the Nintendo Entertainment System in late 1988 , almost two years after its initial release in Japan . The Adventure of Link is a direct sequel to the original The Legend of Zelda , again involving the protagonist , Link , on a quest to save Princess Zelda , who has fallen under a sleeping spell . The Adventure of Link 's emphasis on side-scrolling and role-playing elements was a significant departure from its predecessor . For much of the series ' three decade history , the game served as the only technical sequel to the original title , as all other entries in the series were either prequels or occurred in an alternative reality , according to the official Zelda timeline . This eventually changed with the release of The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild in 2017 , which serves as the latest chapter in the overall continuity . The game was a critical and financial success , and introduced elements such as Link 's magic meter and the Dark Link character that would become commonplace in future Zelda games , although the role-playing elements , such as experience points , and the platform-style side-scrolling and limited lives have not been used since in canonical games . The Adventure of Link was followed by The Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992 .
Pac-Man [ a ] is a maze arcade game developed and released by Namco in 1980 . The original Japanese title of Puck Man was changed to Pac-Man for international releases as a preventative measure against defacement of the arcade machines . Outside Japan , the game was published by Midway Games as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America . The player controls Pac-Man , who must eat all the dots inside an enclosed maze while avoiding four colored ghosts . Eating large flashing dots called power pellets causes the ghosts to turn blue , allowing Pac-Man to eat them for bonus points . The development of the game began in early 1979 , directed by Toru Iwatani with a nine-man team . Iwatani wanted to create a game that could appeal to women as well as men , because most video games of the time have themes of war or sports . Although the inspiration for the Pac-Man character was , reportedly , the image of a pizza with a slice removed , Iwatani has said he also rounded out the Japanese symbol kuchi , meaning mouth . The in-game characters were made to be cute and colorful to appeal to younger players . The original Japanese title of Puckman was derived from the titular character 's hockey-puck shape . Pac-Man was a widespread critical and commercial success , and has an enduring commercial and cultural legacy . The game is important and influential , and it is commonly listed as one of the greatest video games of all time .
Bandai Namco Entertainment , Inc. [ a ] is a Japanese multinational video game developer and publisher , headquartered in Minato-ku , Tokyo . Its international branches , Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe , are respectively headquartered in Santa Clara , California and Lyon , France . It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings . Bandai Namco Entertainment was formed on March 31 , 2006 , following a corporate merge between Namco and Bandai on September 29 of the previous year . Originally known as Namco Bandai Games , they merged both Bandai Games and Namco Networks in January to create a North America division , Namco Bandai Games America . Namco Bandai Games absorbed Banpresto 's video game division in 2008 , and dissolving Bandai Networks in 2009 . Development operations were spun-off into a new company in 2012 , Namco Bandai Studios , to help create faster development time and tighter cohesion between development teams . The company was renamed to Bandai Namco Games in 2014 and Bandai Namco Entertainment , their current name , in 2015 . Bandai Namco Entertainment produces several multi-million-selling video game franchises , including Pac-Man , Galaxian , Gundam , Tales , Tekken , Soulcalibur , Ace Combat and Taiko no Tatsujin , and is the third largest video game publisher in Japan by revenue and the seventh in the world . The company also owns the licenses to several Japanese media franchises such as Dragon Ball , One Piece and Naruto . It is the core development area of the Bandai Namco Group 's Content Strategic Business Unit ( Content SBU ) , and the main video game branch of Bandai Namco Holdings .
Mighty Bomb Jack ( マイティボンジャック , Maiti Bon Jakku ) is a 1986 Nintendo Entertainment System ( NES ) game released by Tecmo , which was later ported to the Amiga , Atari ST and Commodore 64 . Within PAL-A regions , the NES version was only released in Australia . The NES version was released on the Virtual Console on May 7 , 2007 for the Wii , on December 6 , 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS and on January 23 , 2014 for the Wii U . It is also available to play on Nintendo Switch Online as of November 14 , 2018 , while an updated High Game Deviation Value ! version was released on July 17 , 2019 . Mighty Bomb Jack is a sequel to the 1984 game Bomb Jack .
Koei Tecmo Holdings Co. , Ltd. ( 株式会社コーエーテクモホールディングス , Kabushikigaisha Kōē Tekumo Hōrudingusu ) , is a Japanese video game holding company created in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo . Koei Tecmo Holdings owns several companies , the biggest one of those being its flagship game developer and publisher Koei Tecmo Games that was founded in 1978 as Koei . Koei Europe was the first subsidiary to change its name to Tecmo Koei Europe , Ltd and to release video games under the new moniker . In January 2010 , Tecmo , Inc. and Koei Corporation followed suit by merging to form Tecmo Koei America Corporation . In April 1 , 2010 , Tecmo was declared disbanded in Japan . Its sister company Koei survived but was renamed Tecmo Koei Games ( today Koei Tecmo Games ) and is now the main publishing arm of the group in Japan . The former development divisions of Tecmo and Koei were briefly spun-off as separate companies in March 2010 , but folded into Tecmo Koei Games in April 2011 . In addition to its primary trademark , Koei Tecmo Games occasionally used until 2016 the Tecmo and Koei brand names on new video games for marketing purposes .
Ninja Gaiden [ a ] , released in Japan as Ninja Ryūkenden ( Japanese : 忍者龍剣伝 , literally Legend of the Ninja Dragon Sword ) and as Shadow Warriors in Europe , is a side-scrolling cinematic action-platforming video game . Tecmo developed and published it for the Nintendo Entertainment System ( NES ) ; its development and release coincided with the beat 'em up arcade version of the same name . It was released in December 1988 in Japan , in March 1989 in North America , and in August 1991 in Europe . It has been ported to several other platforms , including the PC Engine , the Super NES , and mobile phones . The story follows a ninja named Ryu Hayabusa as he journeys to America to avenge his murdered father . There , he learns that a person named the Jaquio plans to take control of the world by unleashing an ancient demon through the power contained in two statues . Featuring platforming gameplay similar to Castlevania , players control Ryu through six Acts that comprise 20 levels ; they encounter enemies that must be dispatched with Ryu 's katana and other secondary weapons . Ninja Gaiden is renowned for its elaborate story and usage of anime-like cinematic cutscenes . It received extensive coverage and won several awards from video gaming magazines , while criticism focused on its high and unforgiving difficulty , particularly in the later levels . More than fifteen years after its release , the game continued to receive acclaim from print and online publications , being cited as one of the greatest video games of all time . It was novelized as part of the Worlds of Power game adaptations written by Seth Godin and Peter Lerangis , and it spawned a soundtrack CD .
Super Mario Bros. : The Lost Levels is a 1986 side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Nintendo as the first sequel to their 1985 bestseller Super Mario Bros . The games are similar in style and gameplay , apart from a steep increase in difficulty . Like the original , Mario or Luigi venture to rescue the Princess from Bowser . Unlike the original , the game has no two-player option and Luigi is differentiated from his twin plumber brother with reduced ground friction and increased jump height . The Lost Levels also introduces setbacks such as poison mushroom power-ups , counterproductive level warps , and mid-air wind gusts . The game has 32 levels across eight worlds , and five bonus worlds , each of which also has four levels . The Lost Levels was first released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System as Super Mario Bros. 2 [ a ] on June 3 , 1986 , following the success of its predecessor . It was developed by Nintendo R & D4 - the team led by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto - and designed for players who had mastered the original . Nintendo of America deemed the title too difficult for its North American audience and instead chose another game as the region 's Super Mario Bros. 2 : a retrofitted version of the Japanese Doki Doki Panic . North America first experienced The Lost Levels , as the Japanese sequel became known , in the 1993 Super Nintendo Entertainment System compilation Super Mario All-Stars . It was later ported to the Game Boy Color , Game Boy Advance , Virtual Console ( Wii , Nintendo 3DS , and Wii U ) , and Nintendo Switch . The title is known for its intense difficulty , which contributes to its reputation as a black sheep in the franchise .
Mega Man , known as Rockman ( ロックマン , Rokkuman ) in Japan , is a 1987 action-platform video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System ( NES ) . It was directed by Akira Kitamura , with Nobuyuki Matsushima as lead programmer , and is the first game of the Mega Man franchise and the original video game series . Mega Man was produced by a small team specifically for the home console market , a first for Capcom , who previously focused on arcade titles . The game begins the struggle of the humanoid robot and player-character Mega Man against the mad scientist Dr. Wily and the six Robot Masters under his control . Mega Man 's nonlinear gameplay lets the player choose the order in which to complete its initial six stages . Each culminates in a Robot Master boss battle that awards the player-character a unique weapon . Part of the strategy of the game consists of choosing the order to tackle the stages in order to earn the weapons that will be most useful for future stages . Critics praised Mega Man for its overall design , though the game was not a commercial success . Mega Man established many of the gameplay , story , and graphical conventions that define the ensuing sequels , subseries , and spin-offs . The game has since been included in game compilations and rereleased on mobile phones , console emulation services . It received a full 3D remake titled Mega Man Powered Up in 2006 .
Super Contra , known as Super Contra : The Alien Strikes Back [ a ] in Japan , is a run and gun video game by Konami originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1988 . It was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System under the shortened title of Super C in North America and as Probotector II : Return of the Evil Forces in PAL region . It is the sequel to the original Contra and part of the Contra series . The game stars Bill Rizer and Lance Bean , as they are sent to thwart another alien invasion . Both the arcade version and the NES version have been re-released in various other platforms since their original releases .
Ice Climber [ a ] is a vertical platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985 . In Ice Climber , the characters Popo and Nana , ( Also known as Pepe and Nana in the German version ) collectively known as the Ice Climbers , venture up 32 ice-covered mountains to recover stolen vegetables from a giant condor . In some European countries , the NES console was sold bundled with the game , increasing Ice Climber 's familiarity outside Japan . An alternate version was released in the arcades as part of the Vs. series , known as Vs. Ice Climber . [ b ] It includes gameplay features not found in the home console release , such as an animated title screen , a stage select menu which appears at the start of the game and after completing each level , 16 additional mountains , occasional blizzard and wind effects , more enemy characters , and bonus multiplier items . The inclusion of Nana and Popo as playable characters in the 2001 GameCube title Super Smash Bros. Melee brought the game renewed attention . Nintendo released a version of the game for the Nintendo e-Reader in 2002 .
Mega Man 2 [ b ] ( stylized as Mega Man II ) is an action game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It was released in Japan in 1988 and in North America and PAL regions the following years . Mega Man 2 continues Mega Man 's battle against the evil Dr. Wily and his rogue robots . It introduced graphical and gameplay changes , many of which became series staples . Although sales for the original Mega Man were unimpressive , Capcom allowed the team to create a sequel . They worked concurrently on other Capcom projects , using their free time to develop the game , using unused content from the first game . Takashi Tateishi composed the soundtrack , with Yoshihiro Sakaguchi serving as a sound programmer . Mega Man 2 is the bestselling Mega Man game , with more than 1.5 million copies sold . Critics praised its audio , visuals and gameplay as an improvement over the first game . Many publications rank Mega Man 2 as the best game in the series and one of the greatest video games of all time . It has also been rereleased on several other consoles and made available on mobile phones .
Dig Dug [ a ] is a 1982 maze arcade game developed and published by Namco . It was distributed by Atari , Inc. in North America and Europe . Controlling the titular character , the player is tasked with defeating all of the enemies in each stage , done by either inflating them with air with a pump until they pop or crushing them underneath large rocks . It ran on the Namco Galaga arcade board . Dig Dug was programmed by Shouichi Fukatani , who worked on many of Namco 's earlier arcade titles , and designed by junior colleagues of Galaga creator Shigeru Yokoyama . Music was composed by Yuriko Keino , becoming the first game she worked on for Namco - the short jingle made when the character moved was made when executives wanted a walking sound in the game . It was described as a strategic digging game by Namco for its large amount of strategy used to defeat enemies , which was heavily used in the game 's marketing . Upon release , Dig Dug was well-received by critics for its addictive gameplay , cute characters and strategy , and was a popular title during the golden age of arcade video games . It was met with a long series of sequels and spin-offs for several platforms , alongside ports for home consoles and digital storefronts . Dig Dug is also included in many Namco video game compilations for a number of systems . Characters from the game appear throughout the Mr. Driller series , itself based on the Dig Dug gameplay .
Yoshi , known as Mario & Yoshi in PAL regions , and as Yoshi 's Egg ( ヨッシーのたまご , Yosshī no Tamago ) in Japan , is a puzzle video game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo . The game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy consoles . Both versions were first released simultaneously in Japan on December 14 , 1991 , and released in all other regions the following year . In Yoshi , the player is tasked with clearing monsters from the on-screen playing field . The monsters fall in from the top of the screen to build vertical stacks ; the player must prevent a stack from growing too high such that it exits the play field . In order to do so , the player swaps and moves the stacks about such that falling monsters collide with identical monsters stationed atop the stacks , causing them to be removed from play . Yoshi offers both a scoring-focused single-player mode and a competitive two-player mode .
Game Freak Inc. ( Japanese : 株式会社ゲームフリーク , Hepburn : Kabushiki gaisha Gēmu Furīku ) is a Japanese video game developer , best known as the primary developer of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games published by Nintendo .
Wrecking Crew [ a ] is a 1985 action game developed and published by Nintendo . It was designed by Yoshio Sakamoto and released as a launch title for the Nintendo Entertainment System .