NES Works Volume III: 1987

by Jeremy Parish

NES Works 1987 examines the Nintendo Entertainment System during 1987, the most pivotal period of its ascent to the top of the charts (and our hearts!). This volume presents the system’s history through the lens of what made it great: Not its marketing or advertising, but rather its games. More than 50 games shipped for NES throughout 1987, doubling the console’s library to that point. The best of these games—classics like The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Double Dribble, and Metroid—redefined the very concept of what a video game could be. With the 1987 NES lineup, Nintendo and its development partners cemented the future of gaming, laying down the concepts, characters, and franchises that continue to thrive more than three decades later.

Adapted from the YouTube series NES Works, this book includes all-new photography of each game’s packaging, direct feed screenshots, extensive retrospective examinations, and new sidebars and supplemental features that explore the context and impact of this medium-changing software in both the U.S. and Japan. The NES would rule at retail and in the living room well into the 1990s, and the design and technical innovations introduced by these 50-plus games played a critical role in its popularity.

This hardcover edition contains nearly 60 pages of bonus material not included in the basic paperback version, covering such topics as the alternate versions Konami created of the original Castlevania, the Famicom Disk System platform that gave life to so many of 1987’s NES hits, and more!

Genres: Games

420 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first Metroidvania released on the NES was neither Castlevania (not a Metroidvania) or Metroid (released later) but Rygar, which was totally reimagined from its arcade release. If you find facts like this about old video games interesting, you’ll enjoy this book. Jeremy Parish is a prolific historian, and he always has interesting things to say about games from the great (lots of good stuff here about Zelda) to the awful (his takes on Super Pitfall) are spot on. May not be of much interest to those who didn’t grow up with these games, but if you know the difference in jump physics between Super Mario Brothers and Castlevania (Mario can change direction in mid air while Simon cannot), I feel like this will be right up your alley.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never realized how many of my favorite NES games were released in 1987. I went into NES WORKS VOLUME III looking forward to reading about The Legend of Zelda and Metroid, and got to read about dozens more games—some that weren’t so great, but others that pushed the gaming medium forward in ways I’d never known. Every chapter tells a story replete with development history, a mini review of the game at hand, and trivia. I can’t wait for NES WORKS 1988.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic entry. Man, what a year: Zelda and Metroid shipping within weeks of each other!?

Highly recommended!