Perfectly capturing the impact that the NES has on the likes of veteran Nintendo fanatics, “Nintendo Quest†proves that retro gaming will always be relevant in video game culture.
This nostalgic documentary follows a man named Jay Bartlett, who lives and breathes Nintendo. Bartlett is challenged by his longtime friend and director, Robert McCallum, to collect all 678 NES games within a month. He’s not allowed to receive any help from friends, family, or the internet and has to collect all the games on his own. In order to this, Bartlett has to reach out to local collectors and eventually leave his hometown in order to increase his collection.
With the intent of bringing the arcade to the living room, Nintendo released the NES in North America during 1985.
At the beginning of the trip, going to the first few stores was like the moments of a kid entering a candy store. Wanting to purchase most of the games he encountered, Bartlett had to take into consideration that he had a limited budget and negotiating prices was crucial to get fair deals. As he accumulated more games, Bartlett grew more annoyed at the fact that he already had most of the games being sold and couldn’t find specific cartridges. However, Bartlett’s decisions towards the climax of the film makes his eagerness to complete the challenge a bit questionable.
In between the journey, Robert McCallum cleverly drops in facts about the history of the NES and its importance throughout its lifetime. This includes facts about the simplicity of the games but the lasting appeal it still leaves on gamers. He also mentions how memorable the music is hence the limited capacity required to develop a game on the NES cartridge. McCallum seamlessly backs up his claims with the help of the people he interviews along the trip.
Like any documentary, facts and interviews are important to prove the relevance of the subject area. The switch between the trip to the facts and the interviews were flawless. However this formula made the documentary feel bland at times.
Most of the films suspense came from the trip, otherwise, everything was expected in the most part. But, the narration during the trip helped guide the viewers to understand what was going on and Bartlett ‘s thought process.
Nintendo’s remarkable innovation changed the entire gaming industry. The NES brought the arcade to the living room and almost everyone owned a console. The NES was released generations ago, but is still widely regarded as amazing by many gamers. The same might by said for the documentary in a few years.
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