The top 18 greatest NES games ever made, ordered

18. 1985's Super Mario Bros.

I said before that this is not a list of the console's most influential games since, if it were, Super Mario Bros. would always come in first. It is hard to overestimate the influence of the NES on console gaming, since it was basically a console built on the foundation of Super Mario Bros..

It's still a very entertaining game, too. Even while the gameplay is still rather simple with little variation in monsters and obstacles due to its antiquity, the level design more than makes up for it. It explores novel and captivating methods to extend its mechanics from World 1 to World 8. Although NES cartridge technological advancements would have allowed its successors to surpass previous standards, the original stands alone due to its exceptional workmanship.

17. 1990's Maniac Mansion

Because of these disparities in power, home computer games' NES conversions were often rather mediocre. Nevertheless, the NES version of Lucasarts' iconic point-and-click adventure, Maniac Mansion, seems to have made no concessions.

The more open-ended problem solving in Maniac Mansion sets it apart from other point-and-click games and adds a lot of excitement. Your route to the finish line varies according on the combinations you make with your three chosen characters. This game can be finished in a very short amount of time, but it's doubtful that you'll succeed on your first try. You'll play Maniac Mansion a lot, and amazingly, for a point-and-click adventure, it's still entertaining every time.

16. 1993's Mega Man 6

Most likely, you were hoping to find one or two Mega Man games on this list. You presumably expected two specific titles to appear here if numerous mega men are named. Without giving anything away, Mega Man 6 is, in my opinion, the second-best installment in the series. To be honest, all six games are essentially the same one played over, but they each have unique features that either improve or worsen the series.

The capability to combine the blue bomber with his dog in many transformations that are unique to the series is something that Mega Man 6 adds. Basically, it subtracts any obstacle. With branching passageways made possible by the Rush transformations, it has some excellent levels. But it is toothless as well. You may or may not find lessened difficulty to be bothersome, but I personally don't mind it too much.

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15. 1989's Duck Tales

14. 1988's Super Mario Bros. 2

13. The 1993 film Kirby's AdventureI frequently state that although I don't always love the games, I do like the idea behind the Kirby series. Kirby's Adventure is an anomaly in that regard. In 1993, it was released belatedly, and it kind of shows. In addition to possessing a wealth of technological cunning, Kirby was endowed with the capacity to devour his adversaries and absorb their abilities. Even though the game isn't really hard, it manages to be enjoyable the whole time.

12. 1986's Metroid

I understand completely why some people didn't like the first Metroid. When you first start playing the game, the floaty controls, obnoxious monsters, and harsh life system may be very harsh. And let's not even talk about the enormous passwords you have to enter in order to keep your progress saved.There's a lot to appreciate below, too, if you can get used to the massive friction Metroid puts up front. It's a difficult game with a fantastic storyline. It also had a great deal of influence; the console was instantly affected by its restricted exploring formula. Even if it might be challenging to enter nowadays, it's still valuable.

11.

Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse (1989)Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse is not too distant from the first. While some may consider this one to be better than the original, I believe there are certain places where it isn't quite as tightly designed. One such area is difficulty, as the North American edition of the book has alterations that the Japanese version, \i>Akumajou Densetsu, does not. Specifically, the player's damage is less equitable and increases more linearly.Still, Castlevania 3 retains a great deal of the amazing feeling of flair and control from the original. It has more individuals to recruit and form partnerships with, branching paths to the finish, and a wider range of obstacles and difficulties. Overall, this is a very good follow-up.

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10. 1988's Super Mario Bros. 3

For many people, this will be the game of choice. The reason it's here is because, while I like Super Mario Bros. 3, I can't get my thighs to grind. But there are many of things to like about it. To start with, it functions like a device from a different console generation, smoothly executing four-way scrolling and rapid movement. There is an incredible amount of diversity available, the level design is nearly unique, and there are plenty of hidden bonuses and mysteries. It remains one of the plumber's greatest home visits even after many decades. It's amazing how drastically different Super Mario Bros. 3 is from the first Super Mario Bros. , even though they are both on the same machine.Screenshot provided by Ontario Online Casino

9. 1986's Dragon Warrior

Although you are welcome to replace it with your personal favorite Dragon Warrior (or Dragon Quest) game, I still think the original is the greatest. Its open style and simplicity appeal to me. Although the Dragon Warrior series and Final Fantasy take the concept in exciting new places, if this list reveals anything, it's that I prefer refinement and concentration over scope.I'm glad that Dragon Warrior can be finished in around ten hours, and I like the surprises it throws at you. Compared to CRPGs at the time, its bright style made it seem a little more welcoming, and its simplicity made it a perfect match for consoles. Although I really like every Dragon Warrior game released for the NES, my first choice would be the original.

8. (1988) ContraContra was a ruthless quarter-muncher in arcades. It was hard to view even a little portion of it without having to forfeit the majority of your allowance. Even in its 8-bit home version, it's still rather violent, but at least you had to pay the whole amount up advance. The first run-and-gun shooter, Contra for the NES, served as the inspiration for the console franchise. It's polished, diversified, easy to read, and fluid. On top of that, the music is very amazing.After Contra , there would be Super C, which is passable but not as good as the first. This would result in the series having names like Contra 3: The Alien Wars and Contra: Hard Corps that are only available on consoles. All of them fall short of \i>Metal Slug, but it's a start.Screenshot provided by Ontario Online Casino

7. 1989's Batman

There is really little connection between Batman the 1989 film and \i>Batman: The Video Game. More so than Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden, you play as purple Batman and spend much of your time battling robots in sewers.The issue with Batman is that, if it had better design, it would be similar to Ninja Gaiden. Wall-jumping and gadget-throwing are allowed, but it never comes down to just spamming foes at you and rewriting the whole rules to frustrate you. Even though it's one of the hardest games I've ever finished, I think I deserve it. A gratifying accomplishment was when you figured out how to timing those leaps in the clock tower, mastered everything on the utility belt, and somehow managed to topple Joker.Created by Ontario Online Casino; screenshot

6. 1988's Mega Man 2Around the same time as a package of live wasps, the first Mega Man title was sold in North America. Fortunately, Capcom grudgingly approved a sequel, and even more fortunately, they gave it another go over here. with a less appealing box cover and a simpler difficulty. Yes, Mega Man 2 is already among the easier of the original 8-bit games, but it lacks any challenge if you play it on "Normal" mode. The Gods of Thumbs meant the incorrectly labeled "difficult," and I'm not just stating it to be flexiant. Actually, it's the same configuration as the Famicom version.At the right difficulty, Mega Man 2 contains everything you could possibly need. Superb boss fights, a strong level design, and an excellent soundtrack. Many people say that Mega Man 3 is a better title than this one, but I disagree. Mega Man 3 is very drawn out, and it reminds me visually of wallpaper paste. Fantastic first track, however.Ontario Online Casino captured the screen shot.

5. Punch-Out! (1987)

I pay homage to Punch-Out! since I think it's a well-thought-out, well-executed notion. Although it's really a port of a game that was first launched in arcades years ago, the console version of the game is much more entertaining simply because it was refocused to be more than just a monster that eats quarters. With a configuration free of abysmal input lag, the timing and visual signals combine to provide an ideal challenge. Until you reach the elite division of boxers, that is. I still can't really knock Mike Tyson out because my attention span never lasts three rounds when it comes up to having my ass kicked.Screenshot provided by Ontario Online Casino

4. 1986's The Legend of Zelda

I often think of the first Legend of Zelda as the game that introduced me to video games. Even though I was very little at the time, I couldn't help but see my father go through it. Legend of Zelda isn't one of the many influential games from my childhood that I don't often play again. I find myself going back to it nearly yearly to give it another go for some reason.Zelda has a huge impact on the path of game development, but as I've said, influence isn't the focus of this list. Without it, The Legend of Zelda is an accessible game that values your curiosity as a person. Perhaps a little too much, but my mind won't let go of the fact that I managed to determine which shrubs to fire.

3. 1989's River City Ransom

Beat-'em-ups were a difficult genre to master because to the severe graphics memory restrictions of the NES. We did, however, manage to get a few jewels, which included some of the most widely used versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and \i>Double Dragon games. Those are good, but the most memorable, in my opinion, has to be Technos' bizarre experiment from the Kunio-Kun series.River City Ransom is a game about upgrading your character with food and stuff, and it involves shopping just as much as combat. Fists up turns it into a ludicrous fight that fully utilizes its emotive visual style. I can think of very few games where you can use the other player as a weapon, but this one can.If additional Nekketsu/Kunio-Kun games weren't Famicom exclusives, I would add them to the list. If you want a taste of what we missed in the west, check out the Double Dragon & Kunio-Kun: Retro Brawler Bundle.

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2.

Gun*Nac (1990)While several of the NES's excellent shoot-'em-up games were ports of arcade originals, many more were never even released on our front-loaders. One significant exception is \i>Gun*Nac; it's unquestionably the greatest on the console.It's a technological marvel with lightning-fast scrolling and almost flicker-free images. A never-ending assortment of adversaries and a barrage of guns and explosions to clear the screen are added bonuses. Amazingly resilient, particularly given its 8-bit trappings, is \i>Gun*Nac. You're missing out if you haven't given it a try or even heard of it.

1. 1986's Castlevania

Without a doubt, Castlevania is the greatest NES game ever made. It's perfect in terms of both design and aesthetics. Still my favorite game in the series and on the system, it has perfectly balanced controls, flawless opponent placement and behavior, a challenging but fair challenge, and a surprising amount of variation. That, in my opinion, says it all, especially because the Castlevania series already has enough hit games to cover a very subjective top 18 list.Additionally, don't assume that this was decided on the spot. I knew I had peaked when my NES library investigations eventually led me to \i>Castlevania. I'm even more certain now that I've done more research. The appearance of 8-bit perfection is \i>Castlevania.