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.

449games judged so far

32%worth playing145 of 449

10%Essential43 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: 61% of its 23 games are worth playing, including 7 Essentials. Publishers need 4 judged games to be ranked.

Best track record

61% 7/7/9

60% 3/3/4

55% 6/5/9

55% 2/4/5

50% 2/0/2

50% 1/4/5

50% 1/3/4

50% 1/3/4

Roughest track record

0% 0/0/12

0% 0/0/10

0% 0/0/4

0% 0/0/4

6% 0/1/17

7% 0/1/14

11% 0/2/16

15% 0/2/11

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

68% 7/6/6

67% 3/3/3

60% 2/4/4

60% 1/2/2

60% 0/3/2

Nintendo Research & Development 2

60% 0/3/2

Vic Tokai

60% 0/3/2

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

65% 3/8/6

64% 0/7/4

47% 10/12/25

42% 3/2/7

38% 11/7/29

33% 0/3/6

32% 1/17/38

30% 1/2/7

27% 6/12/48

27% 1/2/8

26% 3/6/25

22% 2/16/64

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 48% of the time. Everyone else: 30%.

Nintendo (first-party)

48% 12/20/34

Everyone else (third-party)

30% 31/82/270

Golden years

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

35%

1985n=17

37%

1986n=19

28%

1987n=53

31%

1988n=65

28%

1989n=96

36%

1990n=170

28%

1991n=29

Does the release month matter?

Pooling every year together, games released in July score best (40%). Small samples, so treat it as a fun fact.

28%

Jann=36

39%

Febn=31

32%

Marn=34

29%

Aprn=28

38%

Mayn=8

31%

Junn=48

40%

Juln=30

35%

Augn=26

25%

Sepn=65

30%

Octn=57

34%

Novn=35

40%

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

75 min avg of 43

Play it

52 min avg of 102

Skip it

44 min avg of 304

Streaks and droughts

9Skips in a rowEpisodes 226 to 234

7worth-playing games in a rowEpisodes 275 to 281

28episodes without an EssentialBetween 135 and 164

Who votes Essential?

19 games were voted Essential unanimously. Another 44 earned votes from some of us but not all. Joe has gone to bat alone 9 times, voting a game Essential when nobody else did.

Joe

31 named votes

Sean

25 named votes

Mike

18 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.