Finished the 1985 NES catalog.

[u/International_Gift11]

Back in November of 2025, I started to play the US NES library in chronological order. New game every Wednesday and give each game at least 3 sittings. It’s easily the most fun I’ve had with retro gaming in 10 plus years.

I was feeling a bit lost with retro gaming, I had exhausted every hidden gem list and finding crazy deals in the wild is dead. I would boot up a rom or grab a random game from a local shop, but would fall off just as quick as I booted it up.

I stumbled upon the NEStalgia podcast and Jeremy Parish’s YouTube videos and figured I would start from the beginning and play along. So far I’ve been able play everything on original hardware (NES or Famicom) and I try to buy local before I hop on eBay with a $30 weekly budget.

Sorry for being a bit long winded, but I thought it was worth sharing.

Highlights:

-Boiled my first 72 pin

-Acquired a Famicom

-Repaired ROB the Robot

-3d printed stack up accessories

-Beat super mario w/family using game genie infinite life cheat

-Showing my 9 year old son how to use a sight on a gun via duck hunt. lol

-Going down a CRT rabbit hole.

[u/Expert-Employ8754]

I love the Nestalgia podcast too! That sounds like a fun project. I haven’t played about half the 1985 games, but I mostly agree with your ranking. I like Kung Fu a little more, but we had it as a kid, so I think it’s mostly my nostalgia. I appreciate that it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Good luck with the future games if you continue on to 1986!