Angry Video Game Nerd
Episode 13
A Nightmare on Elm Street

Release date:
October 31, 2006

Earlier titles:

Angry Nintendo Nerd: A Nightmare on Elm Street

Platforms covered:

  • Nintendo Entertainment System

    • Games covered:

  • A Nightmare on Elm Street

    • YouTube:

    YouTube "review archive" version:

    Higher quality reupload:

    ScrewAttack version:

    Mike's notes:

    – For episode 13, the Nerd reviews A Nightmare on Elm Street (NES)

    – This review was featured on disc two of Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

    – James and I did a commentary on this episode. You can view that here.

    – James plays Freddy Kruger in this Episode except in shots where there are two people.

    – James wife did the shots with Freddy’s glove. Read more about that in her blog post.

    YouTube description:

    It’s Halloween, and the Nerd isn’t really that scared when he reviews the NES game based on the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street. This is Angry Video Game Nerd Episode 13.

    Following in LJN’s infamous footsteps, A Nightmare On Elm Street was next in line to be crapped out onto the NES. Beginning in 1984, the original Nightmare film remains an iconic stature in many moviefans minds young & old. Robert Englund, who would portray Fred Krueger, or “Freddy” as he grew fame for…would reprise this character up until 2003 for the long - awaited Freddy Vs. Jason! As for this NES game, both Robert & Wes Craven strayed far away from this mess.

    The opening title screen gives a really poor presentation of who Freddy was at the time this was released. In the image, his claws are coming directly out of his hand. This didn’t take until much later in the series of sequels (funny Freddy). The color scheme for his red & green sweater takes a butchering as well. As for the game itself, I feel like it took WAY too much focus away from Freddy, & became a game about collecting bones to destroy evil a.k.a. Simons Quest. It supplements many enemies we’ve NEVER seen in any of the films, & instead aims to be a generic Halloween monster mash. The Frankenstein monster, ghosts, skeletons, snakes, spiders & bats all share time in both the dream/real world portions of the game. Freddy does eventually come out of hiding when you fall asleep, & at the end of each section.

    Various Freddy forms become rather ridiculous ( a hand attached to a chain of balls, ripping right from battletoads/double dragon), & a flying ghost sheet with Freddy’s indentations are a couple of examples to deal with. Music seems to loop from a past game of LJN’S ( Roger Rabbit), and the only factor they managed to catch from the series are the dream powers. Ninja warrior, wizard, and athlete are among the power-ups you can gain. .IN THE DREAM WORLD!!! A real upset, get some sleep instead of giving LJN your precious gaming time.

    Title card(s):