Top 25 NES games

[NickThorpe]

Hi all - it's time to gather data for a future top 25, and as we know that our forum users unanimously love Nintendo ( ), we're doing the top 25 NES games.

List your five favourites, with your first choice at the top. If you explain why you like the games too, your comments might just make it into the feature.

Go!

[RodimusPrime]

1 TMNT. the game that made me want a NES. I remember recording the ad for the turtles box set on to a VCR tape and watching it every day. one of the best days I ever had was getting the turtles nes set for Christmas.

2. Robocop + 3. Track and field 2 - also got these at christmas, and I still get a huge blast of nostalgia whenever I see the boxes or see a screenshot of either of these games.

4. Double Dragon 2. Such a superb game, I must have completed this in 2 player wait at least 20+ people and never ever got bored.

5. Super mario 3. well it had to be on there.

What a hard time I had putting this together, Zelda, RC-Proam, Probotector etc. while I probably think there are games that may play better than some of the top 5, those are the games that I immediatley think of, and have great memories of.

[Liamh1982]

1 - Super Mario Bros 3
If it weren't for the NES's limited colour palette you'd find it impossible to believe a game with such imagination and scope was coming from this grey shoebox-looking thing. In my opinion only Super Mario World has surpassed it as a 2D platformer - scratch that, platformer FULL STOP.

2 - Kirby's Adventure
Yes, it's sickeningly cute and ridiculously easy (especially compared to the many infamously difficult games on said console) but it's just... so... HAPPY!
Perfect chillout game - leave your worries behind, plough through the levels at your own pace, maybe stick some whale noises on or something...

3 - Tetris
I know it's not the best version - heck, it's not even the best on the NES! - but I can't afford the Tengen cart and y'know... it's TETRIS! Pure and unspoilt by needless gimmicks Tetris.

4 - Rad Racer
Best 8-bit racing ever. It just is. If you don't think so, you're wrong. Wrongly wrongington wrong.

5 - DuckTales
You know you want to... come on, don't be shy...

WOOHOO!

[William S]

1.Super Mario Bros 2
2.Super Mario Bros 3
3.Little Nemo - The Dream Master
4.Chip 'n Dale - Rescue Rangers
5.Super Mario Bros 1

[The Laird]

1. Double Dragon 2 - The only NES game that is actually better than the arcade game.
2. Ice Climber - A brilliant two-player platformer that will please fans of Bubble Bobble.
3. Bionic Commando - I don't often like the changes made to NES games but this one hits the spot.
4. Track & Field 2 - The huge sprites are very impressive, not something you see on the NES often.
5. Rad Racer - Without doubt the best racing game on the machine.

[thompson9980]

If I ever get the cart connector working I'll let you know. I think there'e some white bread stuck in there or something...

[ALK]

1. MegaMan 2- a great combo of design, challenge, and a step up from the first game. By far my fav MM game and probably my fav NES game thus far.
2. Super Mario Bros 3- Took everything about the first one and upped it up to eleven.
3. Legend of Zelda- even though I was an OOT kid, it was still fascinating to see how the series grew from this and still be great to play.
4. Punch Out- best boxing game ever, nuff said. Maybe upped by its Wii brother but still great.
5. Kid Icarus- Great challenge and once you get used to it, a great platformer. No wonder we begged for a sequel for 25 years...

I probably need to play more NES games not by Nintendo. XD

[ArchaicKoala]

1) Mega Man 2 - Nigh on perfect controls, great weaponry and a very fair difficulty make this the stand out title for the NES oh and of course Metal Blade
2) Duck Tales - A typical awesome Capcom platform game, I was a huge Ducktales fan as a kid and seeing this for the first time made me think it looked exactly like the TV show
3) Batman - A very short but sweet title. Perfect controls that when you screw up it is always your fault not the games, the wall jumping just feels so right and the title is only bettered by the Arkham series
4) Super Mario Bros. 3 - It set the template for all future 2d Mario titles, even the likes of the New Mario series are essentially just a modern update of Mario 3
5) Double Dragon 2 - Great music, great graphics and (arguably) fantastic fighting controls. I've never finished this on the hardest difficulty thus seeing the true ending but I've gotten close!

Notable mention goes to:
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles 2 The Arcade Game - This one title alone made me jealous of my NES owning friend back in primary school, It looked exactly like the cartoon!!!

[SpockIOM]

1) Zelda 2 - I love the challenge and the huge world to explore in this game. I know people think it's the black sheep of the Zelda series, but it should be given a chance cos it's a great game.

2) SMB3 - No real surprises to find this in a top 5 cos it's simply a masterpiece.

3) Faxanadu - Another great adventure that people overlook all the time. It plays like a cross between Zelda 2 and Wonder Boy 2/3 and I really wish people would give it a chance.

4) Punch Out - so simple in it's design, quirky humour and tremendous fun! I lost so many hours of my childhood to this game! And I still hate Bald Bull laughing at me with Ganon's laugh!!

5) Legend of Zelda - again, no surprises. A masterclass of gaming in 2 epic quests that started the ball rolling!


Honourable mentions: Metroid, Mega Man 2, Bubbble Bobble, Castlevania, Solar Jetman, Kickle Cubicle, Ultimate Air Combat

[TheDude18]

Snake Rattle 'n' Roll
An absolute gem of a game, sadly put off a few players due to its difficulty curve.

Super Mario Bros. 3
One of the most polished platformers around. Still ranks as one of the best.

Kirby's Adventure
It's Kirby! It's a platformer! It's great!

Battletoads
Tough as old boots, but as close as you could get for authentic beat 'em up in the home at the time.

Duck Hunt
Iconic. Lots of memories.

[Misery]

Okay I know my presence here might seem odd, but my loathing of Nintendo has been starting to crumble recently (argh I bought BOTH of their blasted systems now, and for good reason).

Though I always, always liked the NES regardless.

So.... my list, or at least what I can remember of it anyway, it shifts a bit randomly based on that:


1. Super Mario Bros, the first one. If there's any game that embodies what the original NES was all about, it's this one. I doubt I even need to say more than that, really...

2. Zelda 2. Bloody excellent game... despite its reputation... which I think is absolutely undeserved... I think it's downright brilliant. It has maybe ONE section, and only one section, that I dont like, and that's it. And for a game to have only one of anything that I dont like is very.... rare.

3. Metroid. I've played this one to death, and no matter how many times I go through it, it's time well spent. Just... wonderful. If I hadnt already been into gaming before this, Metroid would have been the one that sealed the deal.

4. The Guardian Legend. Might have a different name elsewhere. It is best described as the original Zelda combined with a vertical scrolling shmup. You had the "labyrinth" areas, which were the Zelda bit and which connected all of the "shmup" areas, which you had to find in each section of the labyrinth, and which contained the bosses that you needed to beat, and many of the items you had to find. And this was a LONG game. Like, really long. SO freaking good. Anyone that's never seen it should go have a look.

5. Clu Clu Land. An odd choice maybe, but I always find myself coming back to this one, and it gets alot more playtime than many other games I own on there. A very creative and very strange game.

[SpockIOM]

2. Zelda 2. ... It has maybe ONE section, and only one section, that I dont like, and that's it.

Would that be Death Mountain or the Valley of Death? Either section's a complete arse if you're not powered up enough!

[Misery]

2. Zelda 2. ... It has maybe ONE section, and only one section, that I dont like, and that's it.

Would that be Death Mountain or the Valley of Death? Either section's a complete arse if you're not powered up enough!

Definitely the valley. Ugh. I hate that place.

Death Mountain never gave me too much trouble.... but if I'm going to fall into stupid holes, I'm going to do so in the valley. Argh.

Typically by the time I get there I"m pretty much fully powered up, but all the stats and magic in the world wont save Link from a bottomless pit, annoyingly. Despite the "could turn into fairy and fly back up" bit.

[TwoHeadedBoy]

01-Pin Ball - I love pinball games, and the only one better than this one is Devil Crash, which is saying a lot.

02-Ufouria: The Saga - Similarly, I like Metroid-ish games, and this one lets you play, simultaneously, as a snowman, a dinosaur, a ghost and a frogman.

03-Balloon Fight - Like Joust but with balloons, can't get enough of this one.

04-Pooyan - More or less identical to the arcade version, which is nice.

05-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - It stops being fun after the first level, but it's one of those games where just playing it brings back memories of the smell of my neighbour's house, where we played it a fair amount in the past.

ALSO GOOD: McDonaldland, Spelunker, Lunar Pool, Bucky O'Hare, Monster In My Pocket, The Legend of Kage, Castlevania, Nintendo World Cup, NEW Ghostbusters II, Mega Man...

[playzooki]

1. Super mario bros 1 - Love this game, simple and addictive
2. Castlevania 1 - Another great platformer, very hard to beat.
3. Super Off Road - Fantastic racing game, very fun in multiplayer
4. Excitebike - I love how this one plays, very fun
5. Mega Man 2 - Very challenging game, but i liked how you could pick from 8 stages at the start