VirtualNES.com - Play Classic Nintendo Games Online Without an Emulator

I went through an addictive Nintendo phase as a child, as most boys did when the console was still relatively new on the scene. I hadn't played any video games since then until I discovered a website called Virtualnes.com. Virtualnes (herein referred to as "vNES") contains over 800 Nintendo games that you can play without an emulator. The games are Java-enabled, so you don't need anything fancy. More importantly, you don't need to download anything. I almost wish that my friend Adam hadn't of introduced me to vNES. Over the past few weeks, I've wasted all sorts of time reliving my youth with this site. VNES is the single reason why I put off writing this article for days. I CAN'T STOP!

VNES may not be anything new to hardcore gamers. However, the simplistic functionality of the site is very appealing to those of us who aren't hardcore gamers. What's amazing about vNES is the sheer amount of games that you can play. There are even over 200 Japanese games. There are also unlicensed games, but the main draw is the domestic offering of official games. All of the classics are here: Super Mario Brothers (sequels and spinoffs included), Tecmo Bowl, Double Dribble, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong (sequels and spinoffs included), Mega Man (sequels included), Ikari Warriors (sequels included), Friday the 13^th...you get the picture.

My worst obsession has been Zelda. I've played too much of it lately. As every gamer knows, the Zelda series is notorious for the epic nature of each game. It would take at least 7-8 hours to beat the original game in one sitting. This brings me to a minor problem I have with vNES. It's not necessarily the site's fault, but you can't save the progress you've made in whatever game you're playing. If you're playing The Legend of Zelda, you have to start from the very beginning each time you play, which makes it nearly impossible to complete your epic adventure. But not everyone who visits vNES will develop a rapacious Zelda addiction like I have.

There are scads of moronic games on vNES, but that's part of the charm of Nintendo, isn't it? Take Lethal Weapon, for instance. In this game, you can take down a helicopter by PUNCHING it! In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you can...walk around until you get struck by lightning. In Tecmo Soccer, you can play soccer by reading what the players around you are doing. Yeah, reading. It's deliriously fun playing random games to see how cool/terrible/weird they are. With so many games to choose from, you can explore for hours. My favorite stupid game is Devil World, a Christian version of Pac-Man (!) where you dodge demons while collecting crosses (which are completely useless).

A trifling pitfall is the fact that the sound quality is substandard. It comes out heavily distorted on my computer, although it sounds crystal clear on my friend's computer. I'm not sure who to blame, but Super Mario Brothers just doesn't feel right without that theme music. I should wrap this up. I'm getting emotional.