LJN. A gaming company that is often associated with “bad games.” Well, long-time readers of Ghetto Gamer might remember my unpopular opinion, that not all LJN games are terrible. That said, I’m back with another good LJN game… Jaws for the NES. Even though the game is called Jaws, it’s mostly tied to the 4th ..read more

Hey, fam! I just wanted to make a quick post to get the word out. Recent orders have put a big dent in our NES inventory. There’s still plenty of classics in stock, including Final Fantasy, Contra, Zelda II and more, but the market for NES has been a bit slow. We’re slowly but surely ..read more

It’s hard to explain to young people just how much of a phenomenon The Simpsons was back in the 80s. These days, (newfangled) adult cartoons are everywhere (consarn it)! Naughty cartoons like Southpark, Archer, Family Guy and Rick and Morty are all rife with adult references and raunchy humor. But back in 1988, cartoons were ..read more

When it was originally released to arcades in 1986, developer Taito wanted to create a co-op game with the pacing and quarter-munchability of games like Galaga and Xevious. They succeeded at that, but they also managed to make it pretty darn cute. Bubble Bobble enjoyed great initial success in arcades, and was a subsequently ported ..read more

Are you a certified old head and/or super into retro gaming?  Well, I’m old and into retro gaming, which makes me pretty qualified to throw down a list of the top 10 must-have NES games for every collector. These games were literally everywhere back in the day, so you’re bound to get a nod of ..read more

These days, developers have pretty much perfected the metroidvania. It’s completely insania. But I can’t complnainia.  I’ve quite enjoyed the genre since its earliest iterations on the NES—talking about the original Metroid and Simon’s Quest—even though they were rough around the edges. There are a handful of other proto-vania games on the NES, too. I’d say they deserve their own listicle in the future. But for now, let’s focus on just this one: (whistles) What a work of art!My second-favorite “BM” I’ve loved this game since the first moment I popped it into my spoiled cousin’s NES. (He h ..read more

I’ve played, reviewed, and documented my thoughts about every single game that was released in North America during the 16-bit era. Crazy, right? That’s 716 Super Nintendo, 704 Sega Genesis, and 95 TurboGrafx-16 games, for a grand total of 1,515 fourth-generation titles. Obviously, this begs two questions: Why would anyone undertake such a time-consuming and fruitless project, and What did you learn, you NERD?! Why would you do such a thing? My goal in playing all these games was to create an ordinally ranked, best-to-worst list of every 16-bit game. I also wanted to answer age-old questions ..read more

In 1985, Excitebike was released in the US as a “black label” launch title. It didn’t *look* all that impressive, but it was technologically notable as well as being generally well-received as fun and easy for all ages to pick up and play. The game’s simple mechanics let you accelerate, brake, boost, and reorient your racer to maximize your speed. Balance that with preventing your bike from overheating and avoiding obstacles. You’ll crash a lot, but once you get the hang of Excitebike, it feels extremely satisfying. Excitebike was the creation of Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto. According to ..read more

Originally created by the now-defunct developer, ICOM Simulations, Shadowgate is one of the most iconic adventure games of all time. This brutally tough point-and-click title was initially released in 1987 for Apple Mac computers, but its legacy was cemented in 1989 when it was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System. Grim, immersive, and unabashedly challenging, Shadowgate is a fantasy adventure that demands experimentation from the player, and punishment is often severe and swift. However, the unforgiving difficulty leads to true moments of triumph, making success all the sweeter. Even n ..read more

Nearly 40 years after its release, the NES is still one of the most popular gaming consoles in the world! Much of that is due to nostalgia–which is a legitimate aspect to retro gaming–but few can deny the charming simplicity of the NES. Two buttons, four directions. What else do you really need? And while it’s true that graphics and gameplay have come a long way since the ’80s, the NES nailed all the core principles of game design. Who even has time for ray tracing when hordes of skeletons are tossing their bones at you!? Like any console, the NES had its share of clunkers. Plenty of ugly game ..read more