1985 vs 1987

Ulti's Analysis
1987 winning in a blowout was no surprise, since anyone that's paid any attention knows Zelda SFFs Mario into the ground in these contests and this match was effectively Mario 1 vs Zelda 1.

I wanted 1987 to win, but '85 has a really special place in my heart. I still remember being given a Nintendo for Christmas as a kid, and my entire family playing the heck out of Mario 1. I used to love watching my aunt do speed runs of that game, and to this day I can't beat Mario 1 faster than she can. We do a cool little thing for Christmas each year where we have dueling Nintendos and see who can beat the game quicker, and she always wins. The fastest I've ever been able to do it was 10 seconds behind her, and one day maybe I'll get there. Shout out to Duck Hunt and Oregon Trail, too. Who hasn't sat in class in elementary school playing Oregon Trail and shooting buffalo and squirrels all day?

That said, getting a Nintendo is much different than playing arguably the best game ever made on it. The Legend of Zelda for me is the pinnacle of video game design, even today. I wouldn't rank it super high on a personal list or anything, but it might objectively be the best video game ever made. Not to review plug too much, but I'm really proud of this one: https://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563433-the-legend-of-zelda/reviews/163923

Zelda 1 is another game my family and I would play together a lot, and it was just different finding every secret back before things like internets and strategy guides existed. The instruction manual told you where the first 4 levels were, and past that you were on your own. It was an incredible game experience, and I'm told my love for Zelda 1 means I'll love Breath of the Wild. We'll see, but I'm looking forward to trying it out!

Zelda 1 isn't alone that year, either. I played Metroid 1 not too long ago, and enjoyed it even though it was totally archaic. A Metroid where you could only shoot straight? The fuck? Punch-Out, the first Mega Man, and the first Castlevania are also all incredible games that I have fond memories of for one reason or another. I love Mega Man enough to have written a guide for it, and I've loved Castlevania since day one. Apparently so do the guys that made Bloodborne, since Logarius is basically a Death fight. Made tons of friends playing Punch-Out as a kid, and I wasn't actually able to beat the game until I was an adult. It's one of those games that's super simple on the surface, but man is it actually hard to play.