Nintendo Archives

Few gaming developers will leave a legacy behind them as rich as Nintendo’s. Founded
in 1889, the Japanese giant started off selling all sorts of diff erent things, including
Hanafuda playing cards and even a taxi service before it moved into videogames in
the mid Seventies, where it found great success with the release of Donkey Kong in
1981. Nintendo really hit it big with the release of its Famicom, or NES as it was known
outside of Japan, and great games such as Metroid, Super Mario Bros. and The Legend
Of Zelda quickly followed, becoming massive franchises in their own right.
The NES turned Nintendo into one of gaming’s biggest publishers, and as the likes of
Atari fell by the wayside, Nintendo grew ever more powerful. The company continued
to make waves by releasing innovative consoles like the Game Boy, the DS and the Wii,
all of which were worldwide success stories.
We’ve hand-picked the content of this book to refl ect the best that Nintendo has had
to off er over the years, concentrating on its numerous home consoles and handhelds
and the greatest games that were released for them. If Nintendo’s games have ever
brought you joy, then you’ll fi nd this tome to be an essential read.