Mario and Luigi are back as Nintendo goes for tiny 8-bit nostalgia

Mario and Luigi are back. So is Link and The Legend of Zelda. Tecmo Bowl and Metroid, too.

Nintendo is in the nostalgia business — and it’s bringing back many of its classic games just in time for a holiday spending spree. The NES Classic Edition goes on sale Friday for $59.99.

For gamers of a certain age and those who haven’t touched a controller in years, it’s like taking a step back in time.

The Classic Edition is a tiny version of the 1985 classic 8-bit console and it comes preloaded with 30 games, including Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Tecmo Bowl, Metroid and Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (and not Mike Tyson).

A good portion of some childhoods were spent trying to save the princess or beat Tyson with Little Mac. The new console means no more blowing on the back of the game cartridges, no more trying to place the cartridge in just so, all the time hoping that it’ll load.

The mini console made an appearance at Comic-Con in July. And now the reviews are starting to pour in. It received an 8.1 overall rating (out of 10) from CNET, which pointed out a few of the negatives of the console — it only comes with one controller, the cords are short and you can’t get any new games.

TechCrunch.com reviewed all 30 games and reached a pretty basic conclusion: “If you love NES games, buy this thing.” DigitalTrends.com, like many of the reviews, notes the relatively tiny price and value: “The small emulator box offers a high-quality experience for a very low price.”

For anyone who has downloaded old NES games on the Nintendo Wii, you’ll know the old 8-bit gameplay feels like a century ago. But that’s part of the charm, right?

This story was originally published November 7, 2016 at 10:03 PM with the headline "Mario and Luigi are back as Nintendo goes for tiny 8-bit nostalgia."