Last year Nintendo brought back the original Fire Emblem on their NES online service for Switch. It wasn’t a remake, but it was officially translated into English for the first time, breaking a thirty-year-old record. This year they are outdoing themselves by bringing back their Famicom Detective Club games in a dual remake collection on Switch.
This also marks a big gap between the original launch in Japan and the first Western release. That said NES games have been getting remakes for a long time now so let’s go through some other big ones. The dates listed are for the North American releases unless otherwise noted.
10 Fire Emblem Gaiden
Fire Emblem Gaiden originally released for the NES in 1992 in Japan only. It was later released as Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia for the 3DS in 2017. This then was obviously the first time the West got to play it. As the name Gaiden might imply, which correlated to a spinoff usually in Japan, it was a different approach at the time for the series which saw players diving into dungeons. Going against monsters or soldiers then would prompt strategy battles much like how a turn-based battle would begin in something like Final Fantasy.
9 The Legend Of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda originally released for the NES in 1987. It was later released as BS The Legend of Zelda for the SNES in 1995. In Japan, the SNES, or Super Famicom, got an attachment called the Satellaview. This allowed gamers to download games and or play them live like this remake. The main character wasn’t Link either but instead either a boy or girl sprite that were tied to the Satellaview promotion.
8 Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. originally released for the NES in 1985. It was later released as part of Super Mario All-Stars for the SNES in 1993 which packaged the first three games together. It also included The Lost Levels which was really the second game in Japan which never released in the West until this collection. The games all play the same for the most part but they now had boosted 16-bit graphics.
7 Mega Man
Mega Man originally released for the NES in 1988. It was later released as part of Mega Man: The Wily Wars for the Sega Genesis in 1994. This was a 16-bit upgrade for the first three games, which was a first in general for Sega. This meant that the music had to be altered as well. It released in North America digitally via the Sega Channel, but a physical release did launch in both Europe and Japan. The first game got a more in-depth remake via Mega Man Powered Up on the PSP in 2006.
6 Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy III originally released for the NES in 1990 in Japan only. It was later released for the DS in 2006 which was the first time the West got it after sixteen years. The original has still never released in the West, but that’s not a huge loss as there is a fan translation of it. Plus the NES version is a bit archaic by today’s standards. Besides the DS, this version also got ported to PC and mobile devices so it is still very accessible.
5 Dragon Quest III
Dragon Quest III originally released for the NES in 1988 in Japan, and North America in 1992. Since the difference was so big it was thought to be noted. It was later released for the SNES in 1996 in Japan only.
However, it would eventually hit North America via the Switch in 2019, which is more a port of the mobile version which in itself is more or less this SNES remake. On a lesser note, it also got remade for the Game Boy Color in 2001 in North America which was also based on the SNES remake, but demade to fit the handheld which feels like an odd thing to write.
4 DuckTales
DuckTales originally released for the NES in 1989. It was later released as DuckTales: Remastered for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013. Despite the name, this is still considered a remake. The 8-bit pixels were redone to look like sprites taken from the cartoon and on that note WayForward, the developers, were able to wrangle up the original cast to voice their characters as well.
3 Metroid
Metroid originally released for the NES in 1987. It was later released as Metroid Zero Mission for the Game Boy Advance in 2004. Many believe that Super Metroid is the best in the series while others think this is the pinnacle of the 2D games at least. It kept the original premise of the NES game and sort of fused mechanics and ideas from Super Metroid into it. The remake also added a new final mission that got Samus out of her suit.
2 Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei originally released for the NES in 1987 in Japan only. It was later released as Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei for the SNES in 1995 also in Japan only.
It collected the original along with its sequel into one package, also redoing the graphics and tweaking the mechanics. These first two games in the series have yet to be released in the West in any form but there is an English fan patch for this collection at least.
1 Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando originally released for the NES in 1988. It was later released as Bionic Commando Rearmed for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2009. Not only did the original get a 2D remake, it was successful enough for Capcom to green light a sequel in the same art style. The PS3 and Xbox 360 reboot, which launched alongside this game, could also be seen as a remake of sorts but the less said about that game the better.