Best nes games ever made

Contra practically invented addictively frustrating, no matter how much punishment you took it was hard not to go back for more, which is the genius of the game. It did not do a whole lot revolutionary as there had been other entrants into the genre prior, but it was hard to put down, hard to play and tense as hell.

With projectiles and enemies coming from everywhere constantly trying to kill you, if you looked away for even a second you were a goner. It took nearly every loveable fantastic element of Dream Land and amplified it. It was creative, fresh, joyful, fun, and whimsical and nearly anyone who picked up a controller smiled while playing it. In many ways it made computer generated characters beloved by all ages before Pixar and Toy Story nailed a couple of years later.

Never played it? Do yourself a favor, sit back, relax and enjoy a little adventure with the lovable flying puffball Kirby. Crystalis threw around the idea that the 1st October, was going to be the end of civilisation. How does humanity fall? Nintendo, did you take the idea of my favourite Zelda game from Crystalis?! Use weapons and equip different armour as you prepare to uncover the mysterious of the mysterious watchtower.

Learn magical skills from wise people and gather magical swords to pull off extraordinary attacks. Like every other RPG ever made, the player must improve their stats through points garnered from battles.

While I was never much of a huge RPG gamer myself the roots of this storied series started with this title and for good reason. Metroid cements itself on this list because it was able to so harmoniously dovetail multiple styles of games into something fresh and new. As a platformer alone it would have been fun.

As an adventure game where you gain new powers as you go along it would have been great. But as a non-linear, suspenseful, sci-fi, platformer, adventure game, that executes on all aspects, that etches its place in history.

Metroid and Castlevania are historically always tied to one another for their many similarities, in structure and gameplay but Metroid lands higher on this list for me because of how smoothly it plays.

Crawling through caves and noticing details only to discover you were on to something but need to gain an ability later, will pique your curiosity and sense of exploration. This game is worth your time. It was such a breath of fresh air because it foreshadowed games to come from the Super Nintendo in the mid life cycle of the best NES games.

Many say this is the strongest Mario title on the system but I would argue, because you cannot have Super Mario Bros. THE puzzle game period. Tetris remains one of the purest puzzle games of all time and is undoubtedly aone of the best NES games of all time. It reached a legendary status matched only by game giants that transcend the video game world and have lasted for hundreds of years. The game is so ubiquitous it can be found in some form on nearly any type of computing device and is recognized worldwide.

The story of how Tetris got where it is and with Nintendo is utter madness and yet still it pales in comparison to the game itself. Tetris tournaments like the Classic Tetris World Championships are still going strong and new riffs on the game are alive and relevant to this day. I would be shocked if you have never played Tetris because of the ubiquity of the Gameboy version, but many have never played it on the NES, do yourself a favor and check it out.

What can be said of The Legend of Zelda that has not been said before. You must have expected this one in our best NES games list1. The Legend of Zelda, a close second to my number one pick, set a level of excellence for an emerging genre and launched a storied franchise. With The Legend of Zelda, again Nintendo took something that had been done before and polished it to a mirror sheen. While titles like Final Fantasy were exceptional, many see The Legend of Zelda as a formative title bringing adventure RPGs from the computer world and into the living room for the masses.

Another title among several on this list touched by the brilliant mind of Shigeru Miyamoto, it introduced new ideas to the genre, was challenging, looked great and sounded unforgettable. If you are looking to get into adventure style RPG games, this top down style game is where you should start. We are currently waiting for a new Zelda game to play too! Super Mario Bros.

It was as crisp and pure as the corners of the pixels it pushed. The game was tough but not punishing and you could play it at your own pace, albeit blistering, snail or anywhere in between as long as you nailed the jump. In this iteration Mario grew into the Mickey Mouse of video games and there has been no going back. Almost everyone is familiar with him and likely played or seen someone play Super Mario Bros. Maniac Mansion Games showed their hands early on during the s, but Blaster Master is one of those rare titles which managed to surprise players with an extra slice of perspective action.

Whether you were engaged in some classic side-scrolling and platforming fun or tearing through enemies with a top-down perspective, Blaster Master's non-linear gameplay was a treat across all eight levels on offer as it combined two vastly different experiences into a cohesive whole. The first but definitely not the best , Castlevania is still essential gaming content for anyone looking to see the origin point of one of the best franchises in the industry today.

Classic Castlevania is a brutally difficult odyssey through Dracula's infamous castle, but it's still a game that's delightfully cheesy, has a soundtrack that never grows old, and runs wild with its concept of a whip-equipped monster hunter carving a bloody path on his way towards the greatest villain in horror. The first Castlevania sequel may have had some ambitious and interesting ideas, but Simon's Quest dropped the ball when it first arrived.

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse on the other hand, managed to grab said ball with a deft flick of the whip and run wild. Striking a perfect balance between Castlevania 2's more ingenious ideas and the original game's action-focused gameplay, Dracula's Curse increased the size of its roster, enhanced the visual quality, and delivered a soundtrack that would leave you tapping a foot-shaped dent into your floor. The best use of the Konami code of all time mixed with character art that looked suspiciously similar to Hollywood blockbuster film posters, Contra is the stuff of legend.

Run-and-gun action across several levels and dozens of lives if you knew the right inputs, the original game is a classic showcase of gung-ho attitude and innovative ideas for its time.

Addictive and packed with memorable level boss fights, Contra's a blast from the past, especially if you manage to get that overpowered spread gun. The final Dragon Warrior to be released in the West for many many years after it arrived in , Chunsoft's sprawling fantasy epic was going out with a bang in that region.

Spread across five chapters that put a unique character in the spotlight, this specific sequel was peak Dragon Quest--yes, it's the same seires--with its epic storyline, enjoyable gameplay mechanics, and a legacy that saw it get its own spin-off game. Years later, a PlayStation remake would arrive and spruce up the visuals while adding several new gameplay features.

A few more years passed and another remake arrived, this time on the Nintendo DS. After that, a version based on the DS remake would be released on Android and iOS in , proving that Dragon Warrior IV had an enduring appeal that lasted for several generations. Mario may have started his career as a plumber on a mission, but in the Nintendo mascot swapped his blue overalls for a white labcoat as he ventured into territory that was dominated by Tetris at the time.

Mario's prescription for breaking a Russian stranglehold on puzzle-based video games was color-matching pills, providing easily accessible digital healthcare that could keep you occupied for hours at a time.

Also known as Mother, Nintendo's RPG is a strange mix of contemporary themes and battling formerly-inanimate objects that have suddenly developed homicidal urges. From its menu-based first-person perspective battle system to its overall USA aesthetic as viewed through the lens of s Japan, Earthbound Beginnings became a cult classic after launch. It's still as brutally challenging as ever before and it may have taken its sweet time to arrive in the West as a new offering on the Wii U Virtual Console in , but this charming little adventure is worth experiencing at least once in your life.

Provided that you could tear yourself away from the screen and its catchy theme tune, Excitebike was motocross action that lived up to its name. Every track was a combination of high jumps, neck-to-neck competition, and watching out for hazards while you maintained expert control of your engine on every lap. That tight balance between speed, precision, and control made for an addictive combination, and decades later the formula holds up better than ever for some quick and dirty motorcycle mayhem.

Everything that you associate with Final Fantasy began here, as Square's original game combined overworld maps, dungeons, and an intriguing plot with magic, a stellar soundtrack, and enough crystals to attract a horde of homeopaths to your home.

The template that would become one of the biggest game franchises in the world, Final Fantasy's original game still has enough magic in the tank to cast a spell of enchantment on anyone who gives it a whirl. Kid Icarus may feel like a forgotten part of NES history these days, but the original game is still a quirky and delightful adventure that's worth talking fondly about. It may be a flawed diamond with several peculiar gameplay decisions really standing out, but as a fun reminder of the past, the nostalgia still runs deep with Pit's debut game.

If you still have a Nintendo 3DS console, it's well worth checking out that smoother incarnation of the game which offers tighter controls and more eye-pleasing graphics. The blueprint to everything that would follow in its footsteps over the decades, it's amazing to see just how much of this high fantasy game's DNA has survived this far into the 21st century. Like the original, Mega Man 2 gives the player the option to choose between a group of different stages, each capped off by a boss battle.

Mega Man 2 improved on its predecessor by giving players new items to use such as energy capsules, expanding the number of levels to complete, and just looking better aesthetically. If you want a modernized take on the franchise, check out the surprisingly adept fan-made Mega-Man 2. No best-of list would be complete without the title that single-handedly revitalized the gaming industry and solidified Nintendo as its flagship titan.

Players donned the role of the affable Mario, accompanying the plumber on his journey through the Mushroom Kingdom and his quest to save Princess Peach from the maniacal Bowser. It was littered with mushroom power-ups, gold coins, and goombas, and essentially pioneered the side-scroller as we know it while setting the template for countless games that followed. To this day, its impact should go without saying.

Out of curiosity, have you seen Super Mario Bros. A case of the Commies flexing their muscles at the West, trying to confuse and intimidate us with their mind games?

An example of international geopolitics trumped by cooperation in the gaming industry? Who cares! Tetris was and still is a ludicrously simple and instantly addictive game, and the NES version remains one of the best ways to play it. Aside from being a sterling port of a popular PC puzzle game, Lode Runner is also one of the rare NES games to feature a level editor, allowing players to find endless enjoyment through designing new and more difficult levels.

The gameplay tasks the player with collecting gold in various levels of increasing difficulty, trying to avoid guards along the way. Players can dig holes to trap guards, and observing the patrol patterns of guards is critical to success in the harder levels.

In many ways, Lode Runner is a forerunner to puzzle-platformers of today such as Spelunky , with the focus on avoiding enemies and using ambushes or trickery to deal with them. Along with the ability to create your own levels, Lode Runner is a surprisingly forward-thinking platformer for the era.

Pro-Am is the granddaddy of racing games, especially Mario Kart. Those turbo strips on the track that give your car a speed boost? Started with R. The ability to attack your opponents with missiles, bombs, and oil slicks? Pro-Am solidified that feeling. You can also play it on Rare Replay for Xbox One. As one of merely 18 launch titles available for the NES, the aptly titled Excitebike was nothing short of exciting.

Furthermore, the game allowed players to create their own racetrack, which was damn near revolutionary for the time. Nintendo has been in the games business longer than most, and some of their most beloved franchises span decades.

While Mario may be the face of the company, The Legend of Zelda is in many ways the flagship Nintendo franchise: The announcement of a new Mario game is routine, a new Zelda game an event. And the best part of all? It still holds up. While some NES franchises are alive and well today, many others are not. The gameplay involved careful planning and studious maintenance of upgrades and equipment, focusing on a character charged with saving the kingdom of Alefgard from the antagonistic Dragonlord.

Featuring turn-based combat and a robust leveling system, the elongated gameplay required a good deal more patience than most players could muster, albeit even if it was offered as a free gift to Nintendo Power subscribers.

Regardless, the sheer amount of narrative depth set a precedent for all future RPGs to follow. Seeped with humor and iconic animation, it became an instant cult classic. The title was essentially a side-story branching from the second installment of Dragon Slayer , a Falcom-developed RPG series. Well, after the phenomenal success of The Legend of Zelda , the developers decided to do exactly that for the sequel.

It remains the only true sequel in the Zelda saga and introduced hallmark elements that would later be incorporated into other games in the series i. No, not that Final Fantasy II. The first notable change from the first Final Fantasy is the increased prominence of plot and character development.

Gone are the mute ciphers of the first game; the party members in II all have distinct personalities and character arcs. While the player still navigates combat through a series of menus, II jettisoned the experience-based leveling system of Final Fantasy , replacing it with a system in which characters improve based on what they do in battle.

A character hits an enemy with a sword, and their strength increases. If a character takes a lot of hits, their maximum health will increase. And so on. The system proved to be very exploitable, and Square did away with it for future installments. However, it was a singular concept in those days, and an ancestor to the types of skill-based leveling that games such as the Elder Scrolls franchise would come to experiment with. Today, Final Fantasy II may be more valuable as an intellectual curiosity than as a game one would actually want to play.

There have been many great rivalries in video game history. American audiences may be far more familiar with the former, but Dragon Quest is an industry unto itself in Japan. Demand for the third installment was so high that nearly school kids were arrested for truancy as they cut class to wait in line for its release.

And what a game it is! Aside from the main quest, there are hundreds of secrets to find and side plots to explore. Players with a lot of time on their hands will find plenty to sink their teeth into. Early in the game, the player can choose characters from a variety of classes such as fighters and mages.

These classes have distinct roles and abilities in combat, giving the player a great deal of flexibility in how they play the game. The Dragon Quest franchise remains a juggernaut, with new titles coming out every few years. Created by a famous Japanese copywriter, the series broke with many of the RPG traditions of the time, eschewing a fantasy setting for the 20th Century United States, and magic for psychic powers and aliens.

Despite this, only the second game, EarthBound , has ever been officially released outside of Japan. It all began with Mother. Released in , the gameplay was inspired by the Dragon Quest series, which had become one of the most successful video game franchises in Japan.

Like in the latter, players explore an overworld map as they progress through the story, encountering random battles as they walk around. Combat takes place in its own screen, where the player views the action in the first person, selecting spells and abilities from a menu. Despite the similarities in gameplay, Mother is radically different in setting and tone. Instead of the traditional heroic narrative of the Dragon Quest games, Mother tells a somewhat humorous fantasy parody in which schoolchildren travel between dimension, honing their psychic powers and thwarting an alien invasion.

Mother remains one of the most creative RPGs ever made, and any fan of the genre should at least give it a glance. The original Final Fantasy improved and expanded upon mechanics first featured in games like the aforementioned Dragon Warrior — such as random battles and the overworld map — while developing a girth of new genre staples such as character classes and multi-character parties.

The flagship title spurred an enormous media franchise, one encompassing more than a dozen video games, a swath of anime tie-ins, and a CGI movie in