The Wii U and 3DS Virtual Consoles are homes to some of the greatest classic video games to have ever graced Nintendo’s numerous storied consoles. Some of these titles redefined the industry, or were so pioneering and forward-thinking that they continue to be inspirations to designers of today. The thing about a lot of those classics, though, is that they’re tough. Super tough. So much so, that things like save states have been introduced in order to give players an advantage when taking on their ridiculously steep challenges.
What some modern players might be forgetting or not even be aware of is that a lot of the developers of these older titles were actually very self-aware of how difficult their games could be. Their solution for easing some of the frustration seemed to come straight out of old spy films, as many developers incorporated secret passwords into their games to bestow extra lives, continues, and more to help players in need. So for those who would like to take a more traditional shot at getting through some golden oldies, we here at Nintendojo cracked open our trusty copy of Nintendo Player’s Guide: Top Secret Passwords and sought out the codes that go with the NES games currently on offer! Read on for the information that would have made you the coolest kid on the playground in 1992.
Nintendo already made the mistake of including save states on vc, so why in the world would you need these?
What do save states have to do with the following?
1. A sound test mode in Castlevania III.
2. Jumping straight to Macho Man without having to slog through the other 12 fights in Tyson’s Punchout.
3. Beginning Metroid without Samus’s armor.
Nobody NEEDS these codes, but like many things gaming related, they can provide some FUN.
I’m fully aware of the debate surrounding the merits of “save states”, but not all passcodes are strictly for overcoming challenges.