The Classic NES Series, known as the series in Japan The Classic NES Series was developed to celebrate the collective 20th anniversary of these systems' launches. Each game was priced at in Japan, in the United States, and in the United Kingdom.
The Classic NES Series games run through emulation and are largely unchanged from their original releases, though some games have received minor modifications, such as an updated translation in The Legend of Zelda and a new autofire function in Xevious. Due to having to fit the GBA's lower screen resolution, the games are not displayed in their original aspect ratio, and have been modified to fill the screen. Games with multiplayer functionality support single-cartridge multiplayer using the Game Link Cable or the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter.
In Japan, the Famicom Mini series was targeted at collectors. The Famicom Mini games' availability was limited, with each volume's games being discontinued after three months. In the West, the games used standard GBA packaging designed after their original NES box art, and were released on light gray cartridges based on the default color of NES cartridges. A Game Boy Micro variant designed to resemble the Famicom controller was also available when the system launched in September 2005, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Super Mario franchise; a reissue of Famicom Mini: Super Mario Bros. was released alongside it.
List of games
A total of 32 games were released, only 12 of which saw distribution outside of Japan.
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%;"
|+
|-
! scope=col | Title
! scope=col | Famicom<br>Mini no.
! scope=col | JP release<br>
! scope=col | NA release<br>
! scope=col | PAL release<br>
! scope=col class="unsortable"| Note
|-
! scope=row | Super Mario Bros.
| style="text-align:center" | 1
| February 14, 2004
| June 7, 2004
| July 9, 2004
|
|-
! scope=row | Donkey Kong
| style="text-align:center" | 2
| February 14, 2004
| June 7, 2004
| July 9, 2004
| Also available on GBA via Animal Crossing download play and Nintendo e-Reader cards.
|-
! scope=row | Ice Climber
| style="text-align:center" | 3
| February 14, 2004
| June 7, 2004
| July 9, 2004
| Also available on GBA via Animal Crossing download play and Nintendo e-Reader cards.
|-
! scope=row | Excitebike
| style="text-align:center" | 4
| February 14, 2004
| June 7, 2004
| July 9, 2004
| Also available on GBA via Animal Crossing download play and Nintendo e-Reader cards.
|-
! scope=row |
| style="text-align:center" | 5
| February 14, 2004
| June 7, 2004
| July 9, 2004
|
|-
! scope=row | Pac-Man
| style="text-align:center" | 6
| February 14, 2004
| June 7, 2004
| July 9, 2004
| Licensed by Namco. Also available on GBA via Pac-Man Collection and Namco Museum 50th Anniversary.
|-
! scope=row | Xevious
| style="text-align:center" | 7
| February 14, 2004
| June 7, 2004
| July 9, 2004
| Licensed by Namco.
|-
! scope=row | Mappy
| style="text-align:center" | 8
| February 14, 2004
|
|
| Licensed by Namco.
|-
! scope=row | Bomberman
| style="text-align:center" | 9
| February 14, 2004
| June 7, 2004
| July 9, 2004
| Licensed by Hudson Soft. Also available on GBA via Hudson Best Collection Vol 1: Bomberman Collection.
|-
! scope=row | Star Soldier
| style="text-align:center" | 10
| February 14, 2004
|
|
| Licensed by Hudson Soft. Also available on GBA via Hudson Best Collection Vol 5: Shooting Collection.
|-
! scope=row | Clu Clu Land
| style="text-align:center" | 12
| May 21, 2004
|
|
| Also available on GBA via Animal Crossing download play and Nintendo e-Reader cards.
|-
! scope=row | Balloon Fight
| style="text-align:center" | 13
| May 21, 2004
|
|
| Also available on GBA via Animal Crossing download play and Nintendo e-Reader cards.
|-
! scope=row | Wrecking Crew
| style="text-align:center" | 14
| May 21, 2004
|
|
|
|-
! scope=row | Dr. Mario
| style="text-align:center" | 15
| May 21, 2004
| October 25, 2004
| January 7, 2005
| Also available on GBA via Nintendo Puzzle Collection download play.
|-
! scope=row | Dig Dug
| style="text-align:center" | 16
| May 21, 2004
|
|
| Licensed by Namco. Also available on GBA via Namco Museum and Namco Museum 50th Anniversary.
|-
! scope=row | Takahashi Meijin no Bōken Jima
| style="text-align:center" | 17
| May 21, 2004
|
|
| Licensed by Hudson Soft. Also available on GBA via Hudson Best Collection Vol 6: Bōken Jima Collection.
|-
! scope=row | Dai-2-Ji Super Robot Taisen
|
| December 16, 2004
|
|
| Licensed by Banpresto. Only 2000 copies were printed as raffle prizes for purchasers of Super Robot Wars GC.
|}
Reception
Upon launch of the Famicom Mini series in Japan, one million units were sold within eight days. The re-release of Super Mario Bros. went on to become the 13th best selling Game Boy Advance game, selling over 2.2 million copies.
The Classic NES Series garnered mixed critical reception. While most reviewers found that the games were still enjoyable to play, the cost was a common point of criticism. Many believed that the price for a single game compared unfavorably to that of contemporary video game compilations, which often featured multiple games from the same era. Craig Harris of IGN noted that several of the available games were already playable on the Game Boy Advance in less expensive formats, such as via cards for the Nintendo e-Reader and as unlockables in Animal Crossing. Both GameSpot and IGN noted that Nintendo had recently given away The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for free in the Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition bonus disc for GameCube, although they conceded that the Classic NES Series versions were portable. Reviewers generally believed that while some games like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Castlevania were potentially worth their asking price, others like Ice Climber, Donkey Kong, and Dr. Mario did not offer enough gameplay to justify the high cost of the cartridge.
Some critics were annoyed by the games' altered screen ratio, which caused odd graphical artifacts. Reviewers additionally noted that because the games were based on their NES releases, some games were missing features present in other versions. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot said of Bomberman that "a Bomberman game without multiplayer is hardly a Bomberman game at all." Similarly, reviewers lamented a missing level in Donkey Kong, which was present in its original arcade version but removed from the NES release. Harris also felt that the new autofire function in Xevious removed much of the game's challenge.