Oh Duck Hunt. The game that showed what home video game consoles could do. A gun you could point at your TV that shoots? Well it must not work very well. WRONG. It worked flawlessly on the old CRT TV's You better be a good aim, cause this game is hard. And if you mess up that smug dog will mock you relentlessly. This game suffers without a lot of replayability. Only 2 modes to play, and you can only shoot ducks so many times before it gets old. But it's one of those games you'd pop in your NES every couple of months and be glad you did.
Purchase Duck Hunt Here
One of the best sports games on the NES. Ice Hockey is an arcade style hockey game that is fun, fast, and addictive. Most sports games on the NES felt clunky, but Ice Hockey is buttery smooth. Controlling the goalie is also done really well and better than if they had an AI control it. One of the best features in this game is customizing your roster. You have 3 players to choose from:
Fat Dude: Powerful but Slow.
Skinny Guy: Fast but Weak.
Average Joe: Medium Speed and Medium Power.
It also has hilarious animations like the Zamboni; and the best part of hockey - fist fights!!!
Purchase Ice Hockey Here
It wasn't until the SNES that Kirby really hit his (her?) stride, but Kirby's Adventure was a good beginning. Made more for little kids, this platformer is simple to play and easy to beat. Sucking up enemies and getting power-ups was truly innovative and fun. In a time where every game was designed to steal your quarters at an arcade and be impossible to beat, it was refreshing to play a game like Kirby. It was a lot more colorful and silly; a lot easier and more play at your own pace kind of game. Kirby might 'suck', but the game does anything but suck.
Purchase Kirby's Adventure Here
The one that started it all. Super Mario Bros. is a classic for a reason. Play as Mario or Luigi and travel through exotic levels, fighting Goombas, Hammer Bros, and Koopa Troopas. You'll be running on land, swimming underwater, exploring underground pipes, and traversing lava filled castles as you try to stop Bowser and save Princess Peach.
While this game is still pretty fun and is not bad by any stretch of the imagination, it's not held up as well as some of the other games on this list. A limited amount of continues and some brutal levels make this game tough to beat and can cause frustration. But overall, this is still a timeless classic and can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike even 40 years later.
Purchase Super Mario Bros. Here
You thought Mario was the king of platforming? Bah. Scrooge McDuck would like a word. Back when a movie or television licenses didn't guarantee a game would suck, Duck Tales was a refreshing take on the Mario Bros. formula. While many games tried to copy the success of Mario, they just felt like rip-offs. DuckTales was able to carve its own niche. Scrooge's cane which allows him to bounce on enemies really adds another dimension. Years later, Shovel Knight borrowed this mechanic to great success. This game also has one of the all time greatest musical pieces: Moon Theme.
Purchase DuckTales Here
The first great open world game. The Legend Of Zelda was a top down choose your own adventure style game. Back before computers and the internet, players had to figure this game out with no help. This harkens back to a time when you'd have to purchase a game guide, or draw your own maps and notes on pieces of paper. This game pushed the limits of early video games, and its formula was so good, that over 30 years later Nintendo finally went back to open world Zelda games with Breath of the Wild.
Purchase The Legend Of Zelda Here
The definitive sports game on the NES. Bo Jackson was completely broken in this game. As seen in the GIF above, you could literally run around in circles and score 100 yard touchdowns. Or you could play as defensive phenom Lawrence Taylor, and block every poor soul who attempted a field goal on you. The fact this game had individual player stats for each NFL player is mind blowing. Tecmo Bowl is the grand daddy of them all when it comes to retro sports simulators.
Purchase Tecmo Bowl Here
I don't consider Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! to be a sports game. No, this is a puzzle game disguised as a boxing game. Each boxer has patterns and a smart player will notice when their openings are and exploit them. In this game you play as Little Mac, a tiny fighter who is about half the size of his opponents. You'll fight a colorful cast of characters as you climb your way to the top. With legends such as Glass Joe, King Hippo, Soda Popinski, Mr. Sandman, and the dreaded Mike Tyson himself. One of the tougher video games and maybe the best final boss battle of all time; Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! is a legendary game and a heavyweight in video game classics.
Purchase Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! Here
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start. Everybody knows the Konami Code. And the best game to use it on is Contra! Known for its run and gun action. Contra is a bonafide classic. I beat this game countless times with my Dad growing up. Fun levels, epic boss fights, and some of the most famous power-ups in video game history. Who doesn't love the Spread Gun? 3 Shots at once. Contra is one of the most fun game on the NES. Period.
Purchase Contra Here
Honorable Mentions:
Super Mario Bros. 3 is a 2D masterpiece, scratch that, Super Mario Bros. 3 is just a masterpiece. By many to be considered the greatest 2D platformer of all time, SMB3 took the first Super Mario Bros. and improved it tenfold in every way. Better graphics, better controls, more imaginative and colorful levels, a maneuverable overworld, better boss fights, and more epic power-ups. The tanooki suit is still beloved by fans to this day, the frog suit was goofy and fun, and the boot was downright hilarious and awesome. And the cherry on top, this game still holds up as good today as the day it was released!
Purchase Super Mario Bros 3. Here
Comments