The Stats

Every game gets a verdict: Essential, Play it or Skip it. Here is how the NES library actually holds up, according to a few friends with strong opinions.

446games judged so far

31%worth playing138 of 446

9%Essential42 games

EssentialPlay itSkip itPercent = worth playing (Essential + Play it). Numbers are Essential / Play it / Skip it.

Publishers

Capcom has the best record of any publisher with 4+ games: 65% of its 23 games are worth playing, including 7 Essentials. Publishers need 4 judged games to be ranked.

Best track record

65% 7/8/8

60% 3/3/4

55% 6/5/9

55% 2/4/5

50% 1/4/5

50% 1/3/4

50% 1/3/4

50% 1/2/3

Roughest track record

0% 0/0/11

0% 0/0/10

0% 0/0/4

0% 0/0/4

Acclaim Entertainment

5% 1/0/20

Data East

6% 0/1/17

LJN

7% 0/1/14

FCI

9% 0/1/10

Developers

Among developers with 4+ games, Nintendo Research & Development 4 leads at 100% (4 Essential, 1 Play it, 0 Skip it).

Best track record

Nintendo Research & Development 4

100% 4/1/0

74% 7/7/5

67% 3/3/3

60% 2/4/4

60% 0/3/2

60% 0/3/2

56% 3/2/4

56% 1/4/4

Roughest track record

0% 0/0/18

0% 0/0/8

0% 0/0/4

0% 0/0/4

0% 0/0/4

7% 0/1/14

9% 0/1/10

14% 0/1/6

Genres

Puzzle is the genre that treats us best (67% worth playing). Game Show is the one that doesn't: 12 of 12 were Skips.

67% 2/8/5

55% 0/6/5

50% 3/5/8

49% 10/12/23

42% 3/2/7

38% 10/7/28

33% 0/3/6

33% 1/17/37

30% 1/2/7

27% 6/12/48

27% 1/2/8

24% 3/5/26

21% 2/14/61

0% 0/0/12

0% 0/0/6

0% 0/0/6

0% 0/0/6

Nintendo vs. everybody

Nintendo's own games are worth playing 46% of the time. Everyone else: 28%.

Nintendo (first-party)

46% 12/18/35

Everyone else (third-party)

28% 30/78/273

Golden years

Share of games worth playing, by release year. The best year for games (10+ judged) was 1986.

29%

1985n=17

37%

1986n=19

28%

1987n=53

31%

1988n=65

28%

1989n=96

34%

1990n=169

22%

1991n=27

Does the release month matter?

Pooling every year together, games released in December score best (38%). Small samples, so treat it as a fun fact.

28%

Jann=36

32%

Febn=31

34%

Marn=32

30%

Aprn=27

38%

Mayn=8

31%

Junn=48

37%

Juln=30

27%

Augn=26

26%

Sepn=65

28%

Octn=57

31%

Novn=35

38%

Decn=50

Great games make us talk longer

Episodes about Essential games run 32 minutes longer than episodes about games we Skip. Turns out we have more to say about the good ones.

Essential

76 min avg of 42

Play it

52 min avg of 96

Skip it

44 min avg of 308

Streaks and droughts

11Skips in a rowEpisodes 346 to 356

7worth-playing games in a rowEpisodes 275 to 281

28episodes without an EssentialBetween 135 and 164

Who votes Essential?

20 games were voted Essential unanimously. Another 42 earned votes from some of us but not all. Joe has gone to bat alone 8 times, voting a game Essential when nobody else did.

Joe

28 named votes

Sean

25 named votes

Mike

16 named votes

Sam

7 named votes

Counts names written in the spreadsheet's vote comments for split votes. Unanimous votes are counted separately, and hosts who were not on an episode are not counted.

All of this comes from our episode spreadsheet and updates itself. See any game's verdict on its episode page.