The Late Period (1990-1994)

By the start of this period, Nintendo had shown North America that video games were here to stay. Other companies arose to directly compete with the NES in hopes of taking a piece of the market that Nintendo rebuilt. Nintendo originally had plans to support only the NES for the foreseeable future, but with their competitors finding a foothold with games with a higher graphical fidelity, Nintendo realized they had to respond with a console that went beyond the NES. Enter the Super Nintendo.

With the launch of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the North American market in 1991, Nintendo began to put its efforts into producing content for their new console experience. Nintendo’s production of first-party titles slowed down during this period, but the third-party developers only increased their bounty of classic NES hits.

Even with Nintendo focusing more on the Super Nintendo’s development, they still managed to release classics like Dr. Mario, Kirby’s Adventure, StarTropics 1 & 2, and one of the most beloved NES titles of all time, Super Mario Bros. 3.

The production of NES titles began to slow down in 1992, with several titles being released cross-platform for both the NES and SNES. In 1994, the NES saw its final licensed release in the form of Wario’s Woods, a cross-platform puzzle title that featured Mario’s rival, Wario.

The Nintendo Entertainment System reached the official end of its life in North America on August 14, 1995, but would continue to be produced for nearly a decade more in Japan—all the way into 2003!

Super Mario Bros. 3

February 1990

“New, different worlds!

New, exciting levels!

New challenges galore!

Fight monsters and mini-bosses, avoid ghosts and the burning sun. Make your way through water and quick sand. Dodge cannon balls and bullets and rescue the King’s wand!

In Super Mario Bros. 3 there are more warps, more chances at extra lives, and new special suits! The raccoon suit lets you fly and knock out blocks. The frog suit helps you out-swim deadly fish. There are suits for every occasion!

Store up flowers and mushrooms to use later on. Play game-show-type bonus rounds! Go back to that last screen and get a mushroom! Pause to take a break, then continue where you left off!

Super Mario Bros. 3 is fun to play alone, or team up with a buddy to prolong the adventure!”

Super Spike V’Ball

February 1990

“Bump, Set, Spike, Kabooom!!

Warm up with a few exercise games, then face contenders in the American Circuit. For the ultimate challenge, play against the best in the World Cup.

Jump and block opponents’ spikes, dive to dig a cross court spike, or set up for a smash that only the best player can return. Kabooom!! Your Super Spike blasts your opponent off his feet! “X” marks the spot so you can track the ball.

Pick players with speed, strong defense, or killer offense. Your quick reflexes and competitive spirit complete the team.

Play against the computer, by yourself, or challenge a friend. With the NES Satellite or the NES Four Score, any combination of one to four can play—even two vs. two!

Now you can play on sand courts from Daytona to Los Angeles. Face off international teams in Hawaii, or challenge the hot Navy team aboard an aircraft carrier.

Watch the sand fly! Hear the applause! Soak up the rays! It’s Super Spike V’Ball for World Class fun!”

Pin*Bot

April 1990

“Dares you to survive.

If you think arcade pinball is fun, wait ’til you try video Pin Bot. The outerworld sound effects and fast-as-light action will blow you away.

Live-action flippers move with lightning speed. Bumpers and chutes jet your ball across the galaxy. Pin Bot himself growls out messages of doom, daring you into battle, flashing light and color in a menacing attempt to stun you into confusion.

And just when you think you have it down, here comes another ball—a chance to earn bonus points, sure, but an extra challenge, too! Master that, and Pin Bot tosses another evil shock—an unpredictable, ball-gobbling monster that wants to end your turn NOW.

It’s the best of pinball action! It’s Pin Bot! Live action pinball for one to four players.

It’s live-action pinball with video excitement!”

Snake Rattle ’n’ Roll

July 1990

“Brilliant 3-D graphics and a colorful new duo—Rattle and Roll!

It’s a race to the moon! But first you must travel through 11 levels of adventure. Hurtling anvils, exploding Nibbley Pibbleys, flying carpets, ferocious 3-D terrain, plus BIGFOOT and more!

The action is non-stop. The challenge is terrific. Help Rattle and Roll, the two snakes, make their way up the perilous mountain.

Gobble up Nibbley Pibbleys to gain enough weight to advance to the next level. Defeat enemies while you gather points, food, and extra lives along the way.

Play alone or with a friend, and get ready to Snake Rattle N Roll.”

Barker Bill’s Trick Shooting

August 1990

“Barker Bill is your host. Join him and assistant Tricksie for arcade-style Trick Shooting!

Get out your Zapper video gun. Blast floating balloons before they drift away. But don’t hit the friendly dog—he’ll get mad!

Rack up points by shooting spinning plates tossed by Barker Bill and Tricksie. They are happy when you make a shot, but scold you when you miss!

Shoot around window panes to knock falling targets out of the picture!

Take aim at tomatoes, eggs, and watermelons before they land on poor Tricksie’s head!

So, set your sights for a day at the carnival with Tricksie and Barker Bill!”

NES Play Action Football

September 1990

“Real pro action in the NES Power Bowl.

Choose from eight powerful teams packed with real pro players. Pick your play or defense, then knuckle down for head-banging action. Miss a key block and risk a sack. Pick the right play for a big gain.

But watch out for that tightening defense. Zone coverage can eliminate the long ball.

It’s realistic, hard-core football, and you make the decisions. Your backfield is tired. Do you substitute?

That last pass was complete, and they’re measuring it. It’s fourth and inches, with seconds to go! Do you go for it?

It’s a fourth down showdown at the NES Power Bowl.”

StarTropics

December 1990

“Tropical adventure of epic dimensions!

A teenager’s dream vacation on a tranquil south sea island… A shooting star!? It’s an omen of disaster! Mike’s archaeologist uncle has been kidnapped. Mike alone can rescue him. Thus begins the test of island courage.

Happy villagers eagerly assist, but endless enemies threaten every step. Mike’s search leads him through the lush wilderness of the StarTropics. As he travels on foot, or by submarine through this sunny land of dark secrets and deadly peril, Mike is a tireless fighter.

Using common sense, an island yo-yo, magic potions, and mysterious new weapons and skills, Mike must defend himself. Restore his strength with coconut milk. Help him defeat strange creatures, sea monsters, and hidden attackers.

Join Mike in his adventure. Journey to the StarTropics.

Modern-day adventure in an island paradise!”

Dr. Mario

October 1990

“Dr. Mario—the prescription is fun.

It’s Dr. Mario for an intense new challenge! Mario throws multi-colored vitamin capsules into a bottle that contains an ugly variety of nasty viruses. You can move, shift, or spin capsules as they fall. Arrange them to align with other capsules on top of the virus. If you can get four or more of the same color in a row, POOF! They disappear! Destroy all of the viruses in the bottle and you progress to the next round where things get even more difficult.

Play alone or enjoy simultaneous two-player action.

Dr. Mario, with germs that are fun to catch.”

Super Mario Bros. & Duck Hunt & World Class Track Meet

December 1990

“Super Mario Bros.

You’ll have to think fast and move even faster to complete this quest! The Mushroom Princess is being held captive by the evil Koopa tribe of turtles. It’s up to you to rescue her from the clutches of the Koopa King before time runs out. But it won’t be easy. To get to the Princess, you’ll have to climb mountains, cross seas, avoid bottomless pits, fight off turtle soldiers and a host of black magic traps that only a Koopa King can devise. It’s another non-stop adventure from the SUPER MARIO BROS.!

Duck Hunt

Your trusty hunting dog wades into the marshes to flush out your prey. Your fingers tighten around your Zapper light gun. Suddenly, there’s a duck, and if you miss, even your dog laughs at you! But become a sharp-shooter and you’ll progress to the next round where two ducks fly up at the same time. And then you’re on to the ultimate challenge: Clay Shooting, where you’ll compete in a wild clay-pigeon shooting contest! Play DUCK HUNT and discover you can have lots of laughs and be challenged at the same time.

World Class Track Meet

This action-packed game turns your home into an exciting stadium! With the performance of the Power Pad, this will dare you to increase your physical ability and surpass your athletic goals. Compete in four different events against a computer or friends for an ultimate challenge that could reward you the gold!”

Yoshi

June 1992

“An airborne puzzle invasion!

It’s raining Goombas, Bloopers, and Boo Buddies! You have to help Mario cope with the airborne invasion! As the critters fall, catch them on trays. Switch and shuffle to save the day! Stack two of a kind and they both disappear. Or, capture the whole bunch in-between egg shells. When the egg shells match, out hatches Yoshi and up goes your score!

The action heats up as the characters fall faster and faster. If your piles get too high, the game is over. Choose your difficulty level and play for a high score, or challenge a friend in a head-to-head hatch-off!

If you like Dr. Mario, but you’re ready for a whole new kind of challenge, you’ll love this quick-shuffle action puzzle game!”

NES Open Tournament Golf

September 1991

“How can sand traps and water be this much fun?

Whether you’re an aspiring amateur or a professional-class golfer, NES Open Tournament Golf puts you right in the thick of a world-class golf tournament. Select your club, check the wind and the lay of the turf, and then drive your ball toward winnings worth over one million dollars!

Pick from three tough courses: one in the US, one in Japan, and one in the UK. Practice your strokes, then compete against a friend. For the ultimate challenge, tee off against 36 computerized golfers and compete for top ranking. It’s all here in NES Open Tournament Golf!

So warm up on 18 holes and move up to tournament play. The better the golf, the bigger the prize. Give it your best shot and go for the big money!”

Yoshi’s Cookie

April 1993

“Cookie chaos for Mario and Yoshi!

Mario and Yoshi are filling in at the Cookie Factory, and they need your help! Fresh baked cookies roll out of the ovens. It’s up to Mario to sort and stack ’em before they pile too high!

Line up a row of the same kind of cookies either vertically or horizontally, and they vanish! Clear the screen to move on to a new level of cookie chaos. Yoshi appears from time to time to stir things up. Play for a high score, or head-to-head against a friend. The mouth-watering madness doesn’t let up!

And be sure to keep some cookies close by, ’cause you’ll get the munchies during this lip-smacking good time!”

Kirby’s Adventure

May 1993

“Kirby’s back in power-puffing action!

What would Dream Land be without dreams? A Nightmare! The Dream Spring, source of all dreams, has dried up, taking with it all the blissful dreams of Dream Land. It’s up to Kirby, the bombastic blimp, to return happy naps to the inhabitants of Dream Land!

Kirby’s appetite for adventure is big as ever as he eats his way through a feast of all new enemies! In this adventure, he can also steal the abilities of the bad guys he scarfs down! With this new power, Kirby can perform 20 new tricks that will help him make his way through the nightmare-infested Dream Land!

Kirby’s Adventure features brand new worlds to explore with the same fun, action-packed feel that made Kirby’s Dream Land for Game Boy a hit!”

Zoda’s Revenge: StarTropics II

March 1994

“Stop Zoda’s revenge and break the code!

Intrepid adventurer Mike Jones, just back from the South Pacific, is off on a new journey through time and space. Mike’s mission: to save the seven mystic Tetrads while he faces the avengers of his foiled foe, the evil Zoda! Now three alien clones are hot on his trail through time!

Unfold nine new chapters of adventures to decipher codes, solve mysteries, and battle dragons with heroes of days gone by. Mike won’t stop until the Tetrads are found and the Zodas are history!

Wind your way through more than a dozen action-packed stages in eight settings!

Save your progress and continue your time travels with the battery-backed memory!”

Tetris 2

October 1993

“Be a puzzle prodigy!

The mesmerizing fun of Tetris returns—and the challenge escalates to new heights! Test your dexterity, tease your brain, and rack up points with Tetris 2. Your split-second decisions lead you to a new dimension in puzzle-solving action!

Play alone or challenge a friend in simultaneous, split-screen action.

Line up three blocks of the same color and vroosh!—they explode.

Get rid of special Flash Blocks and wipe out matching color pieces in one move.

A tougher Tetris with more shapes, more components, 30 levels—and unlimited solutions!

If you loved the international game sensation Tetris, you’ll be wild for the newest dimension in puzzle fun: Tetris 2!”

Wario’s Woods

December 1994

“It’s up to Toad to keep the woods safe in this new puzzle action game!

Toad is back in his very own big adventure in this game with the challenge of Tetris. It’s up to you and Toad to keep peace in the Mushroom Kingdom—and that means outfoxing the wicked Wario!

Monsters, goblins, and bombs fall from the sky faster and faster as Wario fires them into the woods. Toad must scramble to catch and line up the falling puzzle pieces to eliminate Wario’s evil hold. If you love Tetris, this puzzle action game is for you!

Choose one- or two-player action!

Run the field to line up puzzle pieces and bombs!

Many levels, from challenging to gut-busting!”