Must Have Games for the NES?

Reserved for classic gaming discussions.
JustLikeHeaven1
Posts: 2971
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Must Have Games for the NES?

Postby JustLikeHeaven1 » November 5th, 2014, 10:19 am

Here is a short list of 20-30 games that I've currently got my eye on.


Totally Rad

Rockin Kats

Clash at Demonhead

Shadowgate

Uninvited 

Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu

Vice Project Doom

Legacy of the Wizard

Guardian Legend

1943

Batman

Popeye

Adventure Island II & III

Baseball Stars I & II

Dusty Diamond's Softball

Magic of Scheherazade

Dig Dug II

Journey to Silius

Shatterhand

Legend of Kage

Pirates

Rygar

Blaster Master

Shadow of the Ninja

Sky Kid

TMNT - The Manhattan Project

Double Dragon II

Dragon Warrior 1-3


This is the list I'm looking to add to.  Also, thanks very much for everyone that's already responded.  I really appreciate it!


Hey Oltobaz - How would you explain Faxanadu?  I've always had my eye on that one and it seems to be cheaply acquired.


Oltobaz1
Posts: 1605
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Must Have Games for the NES?

Postby Oltobaz1 » November 5th, 2014, 2:30 pm

It's a great game, similar to Zelda 2, with more traditionnal RPG aspects.
I love how your guy looks different depending on your equipment, pretty
cool for a NES game, graphics and musics are fine, I think they designed the
box art and the golden like sticker on the cart to make it look like the next Zelda
like adventure, which could have been a disaster, but the game turned out ok.
Thing is though, I wish they has implemented a save battery, the password system
is hard to stomach. Other than that, I can't think of anything wrong with this one.
You should try it if you get the chance. And, while I'm at it, I'll throw in Isolated Warrior,
and Robowarrior, some of my favorite NES games as well.

JustLikeHeaven1
Posts: 2971
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Must Have Games for the NES?

Postby JustLikeHeaven1 » November 5th, 2014, 4:37 pm

[QUOTE=Oltobaz]It's a great game, similar to Zelda 2, with more traditionnal RPG aspects. I love how your guy looks different depending on your equipment, pretty cool for a NES game, graphics and musics are fine, I think they designed the box art and the golden like sticker on the cart to make it look like the next Zelda like adventure, which could have been a disaster, but the game turned out ok. Thing is though, I wish they has implemented a save battery, the password system is hard to stomach. Other than that, I can't think of anything wrong with this one. You should try it if you get the chance. And, while I'm at it, I'll throw in Isolated Warrior, and Robowarrior, some of my favorite NES games as well.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like something I would really like!  Sold!

I also already have RoboWarrior which I think is highly under rated.  One of those cryptic games that makes much more sense when you have an instruction manual.  I own Isolated Warrior but I've never really played it that much.  The Critic wrote a glowing review (which prompted me to buy it)...but I didn't like my short time with it.  I prob need to revisit that one.

snakeboy1
Posts: 1446
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Must Have Games for the NES?

Postby snakeboy1 » November 5th, 2014, 11:51 pm

I would say that all of these are must-have games for NES owners:

1943
Adventure Island series
Adventures of Lolo
Baseball Stars
Batman
Blaster Master
Bucky O'Hare (I think you might really like this one - sort of Konami's version of Mega Man)
Double Dragon II
Duck Tales
G.I. Joe (This game is really great - might be the #1 underrated gem in the NES library)
Ghosts 'N Goblins
Ice Hockey
Kid Icarus
Marble Madness
Popeye
RC Pro-Am
Rygar
TMNT III

[QUOTE=JustLikeHeaven]MC Kids - Not all that interested...but should I be?[/QUOTE]
Yes...but in my opinion it's not a must-have.  It's basically a Mario 3 clone, but I do think it's a hidden gem - certainly better than a McDonald's licensed game should be.

velcrozombie1
Posts: 400
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Must Have Games for the NES?

Postby velcrozombie1 » November 6th, 2014, 9:07 am

[QUOTE=scotland17]I like your style. Archon is a once heralded game. Its on mobile and java these days.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. Archon was a blast to play with my cousins back in the day.

I had a couple more games to recommend: Guerrilla War and Little Samson (which will cost a pretty penny). Also, I'm assuming that no one brought up Battletoads because, despite it's extreme difficulty, it is most certainly a classic.

I had Battle of Olympus as a kid and I eventually beat it without a guide, although not until I was in high school. Figuring out where to go is a little confusing, but it's not any worse than Crystalis or Startropics in that regard. The only reason I can see for it being forgotten to the extent that it has is that it is such an OBVIOUS Zelda II clone, a game that already gets a somewhat mixed reception. It's definitely worth a playthrough, though.

I rented Faxanudu a couple of times as a kid. I never got more than 1/3 of the way through the game, but even back then I found the look of the game quite striking. The world has a very organic design, with weathered, decayed textures and a very earthy, muddy color palette. There are also some legitimately creepy monster designs, a few of which have an almost H.R.Giger quality. It's a game I will probably revisit one day.

Tron1
Posts: 401
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Must Have Games for the NES?

Postby Tron1 » November 6th, 2014, 7:46 pm

Baseball stars 1 & 2 along with dusty diamonds are the best NES baseball games, but little league is right up there with them too.

Here's some more:
Solomon's key
Burger time
Rush n attack
Monopoly

Greisha1
Posts: 707
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Must Have Games for the NES?

Postby Greisha1 » November 6th, 2014, 9:43 pm

How about Zanac???

nesfan1
Posts: 995
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Must Have Games for the NES?

Postby nesfan1 » November 7th, 2014, 1:25 am

[QUOTE=JustLikeHeaven]The Little Mermaid - Think I need Duck Tales before this lol[/QUOTE] Absolutely get Duck Tales. It's a great game. But don't count out the Little Mermaid. It was obviously made for and marketed for young kids, as evidenced by the very easy difficulty and it being based on the Little Mermaid movie of all things. Despite that, it is an incredibly fun game. But really, when it comes to Disney games by Capcom for NES, you can't go wrong. They're all fun. Although, I think I'm the only person in the world that likes Mickey Mousecapade.
[QOUTE=JustLikeHeaven]MC Kids - Not all that interested...but should I be?[/QUOTE] It's pretty fun. It's a Mario 3 clone but don't expect it to be anywhere near as good. When I wrote up that list, I wanted to suggest good games but also give some variety (despite my suggesting 3 shooters in a row...) and suggest some of the more obscure titles that probably wouldn't get very much attention otherwise. I think MC Kids qualifies as a hidden gem. You wouldn't expect much from it but it does some cool things with the old platformer formula. Sometimes you gotta go upside down to beat a level. Sometimes in order to get to that higher platform, you need to be holding something to make you heavier so you bounce higher off of the bouncy platforms. It makes you think more than the average platformer would. But if you're not interested in it, I wouldn't recommend it over the games you are interested in. 
[QUOTE=JustLikeHeaven]As you can see I've got quite a few of these.  I'll certainly add the rest to my short list though.[/QUOTE]Since I suggested a bunch of games you already have, I'll add a few more to the list to compensate.

Baseball Simulator 1.000 - One of the best baseball games that I'm aware of for the system.
The Krion Conquest - It's pretty much Mega Man but you get all your weapons and items right from the start, instead of having to take them from bosses.
Destiny of an Emperor - If you like old school RPGs and the historical/fantasy setting of games like Dynasty Warriors, then this is the game for you.
Conquest of the Crystal Palace - This is a game I just found out about today, actually. It looks like a lot of fun.
Kickle Cubicle - It's a cutesy puzzle game set in an icy world with a fun, arcade-like quality.
And I guess I'll mention some more of those Disney/Capcom games that haven't been brought up yet: Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers 1 and 2, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck.

strat1
Posts: 23
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Must Have Games for the NES?

Postby strat1 » November 8th, 2014, 11:26 am

Here's a few Famicom-only games that are really good.

Magical Doropie - Localized as Krion Conquest, which someone already mentioned.  But the localized release had most of the cutscenes eliminated.  There's an English patch for the Famicom original.

Moon Crystal - Sort of like Prince of Persia meets Castlevania.  I can't get past the third level of this game, but it's still impressive for the Famicom.  Also has an English patch.

Moai Kun - A single-screen, sideview puzzle platformer where you rescue other little moai heads by breaking some rocks and pushing others to the right spot.  The last two rooms are some real headache-inducing brain teasers.  You can get stuck and forced to press select (the suicide button), but beating each room earns an extra life.

Recca - Insanely fast vertical shmup with lots of cool wavy graphical effects.

Gimmick - Not strictly Famicom-only as it had a European release, but not in North America.  It's a really strange platformer that earns the name with lots of cool, random stuff and some of the best graphic design on Famicom/NES.  I'm not a big fan of the controls, but still worth a try.

Uforia/Hebreke - Also released in Europe but not NA.  If you get past the questionable design choice of forcing the character to press down while jumping on an enemy, it's a really fun adventure platforming game.  On Virtual Console.

Adventure Island IV - Yep, Famicom only.  And a lot better designed than II and III.

And of course a bunch of RPGs which have English patches released or in the works.

eraserhead1
Posts: 14
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Must Have Games for the NES?

Postby eraserhead1 » January 5th, 2015, 4:11 pm

Klax.  The only puzzle besides Tetris that I genuinely like. Strategic and frantic, this early match-3+ ruined me for any other examples of that genre as soon as I heard the voice synthesis, and awesome music which is customizable to a degree rarely seen on NES.

Kabuki Quantum Fighter.  More top-notch music, this is cyberpunk platforming at its best. Tight controls, unusual hero (main weapon is headbang your long locks), and techno-horror styled enemies.


Return to “Classic Gaming”