Play old Nintendo games for free, right on your web browser

Posted on May 23rd, 2011. Written by Rico.

Miss old Family Computer and SNES games like The Legend of Kage and Super Mario World? Here’s a way to play old Nintendo games right on your web browser, without the need for any download.

Play Nintendo (playnintendo.org) is an online SNES and NES (Family Computer) emulator. It’s still under “beta”, but its catalog already features hundreds of classic old games. You can browse through the selection in alphabetical order and genre, or see the highest-rated games according to the Play Nintendo community.

Each game loads on a virtual TV right on your web browser. On the lower-right of the TV is an image of the SNES or Family Computer. Mouse over the controller to see what to press on the keyboard to control the game. You can also press Escape at any time to pull up a menu that lets you reset the emulator, toggle sound, or even apply a Game Genie code.

I’ve spent the last hour trying to get past the second level of The Legend of Kage. 21 years after I first played the old Family Computer game, I still can’t reach level 3.