By Tony Best

Old school ‘80s gamers can clearly remember when the Nintendo Entertainment System dominated the console market. Following the demise of the Atari 2600 and predating the emergence of the Sega Genesis, the “little console that could” reached its commercial peak in 1987, just two years after a rather low-key North American market launch. Who can forget classics from that year such as "Castlevania," "Super Mario Bros.," "Duck Hunt" and of course, "Double Dribble" (though beating the computer opponent by a 100 point margin got to be boring after a while).

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of its golden year of 1987, we take a look back at a few of the iconic – albeit corny – television spots that helped the NES rise to the top, if only for a little while.


Kid Icarus (Nintendo)
This commercial from Nintendo’s homeland exemplifies Japan’s penchant for surreal TV advertising. But it proves a well-known fact: most gamers like to get stoned.

 The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo)
What’s worse? The obvious mistake of a grey Zelda cartridge (it’s supposed to be gold!) or the suburbanite rap?

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (Nintendo)
A reworking of the arcade masterpiece Punch-Out!!, Nintendo executed a strong marketing push for its first celebrity-endorsed title. Plans for a sequel, Don King’s Rip-Off!!, never got off the drawing board.

Metroid & Rad Racer (Nintendo)
Notice the look of ecstasy on the players’ faces, who obviously hadn't reached the end of the game yet. That was when most pre-teen boys were crushed to learn that Metroid was a girl.