Nintendo Generations: Joel’s Top 5 NES Games

When the NES was released in Australia I was 4 years old. I received a Super Nintendo for my 11th Christmas right after it came out. One day when I was 12 my Mother “loaned” me the money to buy my first Game Boy (I’ve still not paid her back). As a 14 year old I saved up and the Nintendo 64 became the first gaming console I bought for myself. I’ve purchased every Nintendo console and portable since then on launch day and I doubt I will ever break that particular habit.

Now while I do enjoy leaning back on my porch wearing my rose tinted sunnies, I can’t imagine these lists are useful for anything other than stoking the flames of nostalgia in the hearts of ageing geeks like myself. I can’t imagine they hold any value to anyone who is looking to learn something new. I want this list to be like a guide to other Nintendo fans who didn’t spend their 12th birthday playing Super Mario Kart on the SNES.

Many of these fans were simply born too late to have played during the NES or SNES eras and therefore never played much prior to the N64, others jumped on the Nintendo wagon thanks to the Wii, and some simply never really cared much for gaming until they found themselves playing a 3DS a year or so ago. Let’s also not forget the numerous Sega refugees who, after years of being on the losing side of school lunch based console war debates, had to finally swallow their pride and migrate across to Nintendo fandom after the sad demise of the Dreamcast.

This list is for them.

This is my list of the best 5 games from each previous console that I think everyone should play, that aren’t than the obvious ones.

These aren’t all obscure games; in fact most of these were hugely successful and critically acclaimed. Anyone who played Nintendo consoles regularly while growing has probably played at least a few of these, but they are games that sometimes get left out when talking about which games made their consoles great. Let’s dig in.

Mega Man 2

There are many people who will argue that Mega Man 2 is the the best game on the NES and they might be right. Mega Man 2 is a precise and challenging game about robots killing robots that never manages to feel too unfair or unbeatable due to its tight controls and inventive level design that never throws a challenge at you that it hasn’t prepared you for.

Mega Man is also notable for being the only game on my NES list that doesn’t allow for 2 players to play together. While the other games mentioned below really need a ‘player 2’ to get the most out of them, I can only imagine playing Mega Man 2 multiplayer would ruin the experience.

Also worth mentioning is the soundtrack, which is arguably the finest 8-bit soundtrack to grace the NES.

Rampage

It’s George the Ape vs Lizzie the Lizard as they tear up a city in a completely original franchise not based on any pre-existing film properties at all. While the NES version was a step down from the arcade original, it was still an enjoyable if simple game with a fun “co-op but not really” angle that meant you spent just as much time fighting with your friends over the remains of a ruined city as you did wrecking it together. As you progressed from city to city the National Guard would increase its efforts bringing in more troops and tanks to shoot you off the side of buildings and in turn you would increase your efforts to crush them beneath your giant monster feet.

Death in Rampage was doubly upsetting as when your health was depleted you would revert back into a human. This left you wide open for your opponent to wander over and devour you like any other human meatbag, a fate more humiliating and frustrating than being teabagged by even the most obnoxious opponent in a Halo match.

River City Ransom

Double Dragon may be the most well known entry in the ‘you and a friend walk right and punch people’ genre of games, but for those in the know, River City Ransom is where it’s at. Scrolling beat em up action was combined with RPG like progression, the ability to learn new moves and a richly detailed world that encouraged exploration. River City Ransom was well ahead of its time and has aged quite well due in part to its simple and clear cartoonish art style.

Also of note is that River City Ransom was a big inspiration for the Scott Pilgrim comics, movie, and the wonderful video-game. So there’s that.

Contra

Contra is Rambo, Commando, Predator, and Aliens all wrapped up in one glorious action game that embodies the best of 80’s action movie style machismo. It is spectacular, hilarious, and exactly the kind of game that couldn’t be made today without a tongue pressed firmly into one’s cheek.

Punishingly difficult, Contra is often incorrectly credited as the game that invented the Konami code (that was Gradius) due to the code being all but a necessity for most of us to get close to beating the game. Bullets flew fast and thick in Contra and you and your player 2 had your work cut out for you if you ever wished to see the later levels in this wonderful game.

Bubble Bobble

The adorable dragons Bub and Bob are probably better remembered these days as the stars of the bust-a-move/Puzzle Bobble series, but their true origin lies in this simple arcade-style 2 player bubble blowing game.

Puzzle Bobble is a true old school arcade title reminiscent of Pacman and Donkey Kong. Gameplay consists of a simple but addictive loop. 1. Capturing enemy in bubbles with your bubbly dragon breath. 2. Jump on enemy bubble to pop it. 3. Discover that your enemy has magically turned into fruit while encased in your bubble. 4. Eat fruit and wonder if this is creepy or cute. 5. Repeat.
While mildly disturbing, this pattern never grows old, likely due to the colourful setting, varied enemies, and adorable main characters.