The NES library has north of 700 games on it. That’s a lot, but in terms of successful consoles, it’s kind of in the mid-range. It still makes it difficult to choose any number of the best games. That’s probably why no one has been brave enough to make a Top X NES games list. I’m not saying I’m the bravest person in the world, but I am saying I have no shame.
One thing to note is that while I’ve played a staggeringly wide range of theNES library, I haven’t played everything. For example, I haven’t playedBases Loaded 3, and I’m open to the possibility that it’s the apogee of the NES library. This also isn’t about which games were most popular or influential. That’s another topic. These ones are the best for a myriad of other reasons.
I’m also not including Famicom exclusives, though I’d love to. If I was, just know thatMetal Maxwould be stomping all over these games. That andKunio-Kun. But, alas, here are the top 18 NTSC NES games.
18. Super Mario Bros. (1985)
I mentioned that this is not a list of the most influential games on the console because, if it was,Super Mario Bros.would top it each time. The NES is essentially a console built on the back ofSuper Mario Bros., and it’s impossible to overstate its impact on console games.
Also, it’s still an extremely fun game. While its vintage ensures that the gameplay remains rather basic with little variety in enemies and obstacles, it makes up for it with sheer creativity in its level design. From World 1 to World 8, it stretches its mechanics in new and interesting ways. Improvements in the technology within NES cartridges would enable its predecessors to push new boundaries, the original holds its own through sheer craftsmanship.
17. Maniac Mansion (1990)
NES ports of home computer games were often rather lackluster due to differences in capabilities. However, it feels like no compromise has been made with the NES port of Lucasarts’ seminal point-and-click adventure,Maniac Mansion.
What makesManiac Mansionsuch a unique and exciting game among point-and-click titles is the more freeform nature of solving its puzzles. You select three characters and your path to the finish line changes depending on the combination you put together. The time it takes to get from start to finish in this game is extremely short, but it’s unlikely you’ll reach it on your first attempt.Maniac Mansionis a game that you’ll play over and over, and surprisingly for a point-and-click adventure, it remains fun each time.
16. Mega Man 6 (1993)
You’re probably expecting to see at least one or twoMega Mangames on this list. If multiple mega men are listed, you are probably expecting twospecifictitles to be here. I’m not going to spoil it, butMega Man 6is my choice for the second-best in the series. To be fair, all six titles are pretty much just one game repeated, but each brings its own wrinkles that either add to or detract from the series.
WhatMega Man 6adds it the ability to couple the blue bomber with his dog in a number of transformations that remain unique to the series. What it detracts is essentially any challenge. It has some great levels with branching pathways enabled by the Rush transformations. However, it also has no teeth. It’s up to you whether or not diminished challenge bothers you, but for me, it’s not all that much.
15. Duck Tales (1989)
While we have some big-named licensed games these days, most games based on movies or cartoons during the8-bit yearsweren’t very good. Some of them were extraordinarily terrible. Capcom, on the other hand, had a good track record for making some terrific games based on Disney licenses. One of their early endeavors wasDuck Tales.
There were a lot of directions you could go with a game based onDuck Tales, since it wasn’t purely an action show. Capcom chose to do hop-and-bop with a twist. You play as Scrooge McDuck who can somehow use his cane as a pogo stick, allowing him to eliminate enemies. The platforming was fine, but the real treasure was, er, searching for treasure. Not only were you rewarded with gems for messing with the environments, but there were also secret treasures located in each stage.
14. Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988)
Originally released in 1987 on the Famicom Disk System asYume Kōjō: Dokidoki Panic, Nintendo tweaked and rebranded it as aMariogame for North America because the realSuper Mario Bros. 2iskind of butt. It’s difficult, but in a really unfair and cruel way.
TheSuper Mario Bros. 2that we got is a whimsical game about throwing dudes into other dudes. It doesn’t have much in common with the original game, but if you didn’t know about the Japanese release, you probably wouldn’t guess. It’s a challenging platformer with a jaunty soundtrack. It is, in my opinion, better than even the first game and miles better than theSuper Mario Bros. 2Japan received.
13. Kirby’s Adventure (1993)
I often say that I enjoy theideaof theKirby, but don’t necessarily love the games.Kirby’s Adventureis an exception to that. It was a late release in 1993, and it kind of shows. Beyond having a lot of technical trickery, Kirby was given the ability to consume his enemies and adopt their powers. It’s not a terribly difficult game but it manages to be entertaining the whole way through.
12. Metroid (1986)
I totally get that some people don’t dig the originalMetroid. The floaty controls, annoying enemies, and unforgiving life system can really be abrasive when you first approach the game and don’t get me started on themassive passwordsyou use to save your progress.
However, if you get acclimated to the enormous frictionMetroidputs up front, there’s a lot to like underneath. It’s a challenging game with a great progression. It was also very influential, with the impact of its gated exploration formula being immediately felt on the console. It can be hard to get into today, but it’s still worthwhile.
11. Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse (1989)
Not far off from the original isCastlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse. Some would probably rank this one above the original, but I feel it has some areas where it’s not nearly astightly designed. Difficulty is one such area, as changes were made in the North American version that aren’t in the Japanese version,Akumajou Densetsu. In particular, the damage the player takes is more of a linear increase and is less fair.
Nonetheless,Castlevania 3contains a lot of the original’s terrific sense of style and control. It adds branching routes to the end, multiple characters to recruit and partner with, and a better variety of obstacles and challenges. All in all, it’s a great follow-up.
10. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
This is going to be the top pick fora lot of people, and it’s here because I do loveSuper Mario Bros. 3; it just doesn’t get my thighs grinding. There’s a lot to love about it, though. For one thing, it plays like something that belongs to another console generation, effortlessly pulling off 4-way scrolling and fast movement. The level of variety on hand is insane, the level design is practically in a class of its own, and there’s a tonne of extras and secrets tucked away. Decades later, it still stands as one of the plumber’s best house calls. The fact that there’s such a night and day difference betweenSuper Mario Bros. 3and the firstSuper Mario Bros.while them both belonging to the same console is impressive.
9. Dragon Warrior (1986)
You can feel free to substitute yourpersonal favoriteDragon Warrior(orDragon Quest) game, but the original still feels the best to me. I prefer its simplicity and open design.Final Fantasyand the three subsequent games in theDragon Warriorseries take the formula in interesting directions, but if this list tells you anything, it’s that I value focus and polish over scale.
I love the twistsDragon Warriorthrows at you, and I’m happy it can be completed in, like, ten hours. Its cheerful design makes it a bit more inviting than CRPGs at the time, and its simplicity makes it a great fit for consoles. Really, I love the complete NES run ofDragon Warriorgames, but if I had to pick just one, it’s the original.
8. Contra (1988)
In arcades,Contrawas amerciless quarter-muncher. It was difficult to see even a fraction of it without giving up most of your allowance. In its home 8-bit form, it’s still extremely brutal, but at least it took all your money upfront.Contraon the NES is the seminal run-and-gun shooter, and it made a home for the series on console. It’s smooth, easily readable, varied, and nicely polished. Plus, its soundtrack is pretty kicking on top of it.
Contrawould be followed up bySuper C, which is fine but not quite as excellent as the first. This would lead to console-exclusive titles in the series, likeContra 3: The Alien WarsandContra: Hard Corps. None of those are as good asMetal Slug, but we had to start somewhere.
7. Batman (1989)
Batman: The Video Gamehas very little to do withBatmanthe 1989 movie. It has more to do withNinja GaidenandCastlevania, but you play as purple Batman and spend most of your time in sewersfighting robots.
The thing aboutBatmanis that it’s likeNinja Gaidenif it was better designed. There’s wall jumping and gadget throwing, but it never resorts to simply spamming enemies at you and completely changing the rules just to screw you over. It’s one of the most difficult games I’ve completed, but I feel like I earned it. Learning to time those jumps in the clock tower, mastering everything on the utility belt, and somehow toppling Joker made for a satisfying conquest.
6. Mega Man 2 (1988)
The firstMega Mantitle sold in North America about as well as a box of live wasps. Thankfully, Capcom reluctantly green-lit a sequel, and even more thankfully, they tried it again over here. With an easier difficulty and uglier box art. Look,Mega Man 2is already one of the breezier of the original 8-bit titles, but if you’re playing on “Normal” difficulty, it’s stripped of all challenge. The inappropriately named “difficult” is the way theGods of Thumbsintended, and I’m not just saying that as a flex. It’s actually equivalent to the Famicom version’s setup.
When you’re onthe proper difficulty,Mega Man 2has it all. Great soundtrack, solid level design, and memorable boss battles. A lot of people preferMega Man 3to this title, but I think that’s bupkiss.Mega Man 3is too long, and I find it has the visual flavor of wallpaper paste. Awesome opening song, though.
5. Punch-Out!! (1987)
I respectPunch-Out!!because I feel it’s a solid idea perfectly executed. Technically, it’s a port of a game that was released in arcades years earlier, but the mere fact that it was refocused to not just being a quarter-munching monster makes it a lot more enjoyable on console. As long as you’re on a setup withouthorrendous input lag, the visual cues and timing all make for a perfect challenge. Well, until you get into the top tier of boxers. I still can’t actually topple Mike Tyson, because when my attention span faces off against consistently getting my ass kicked, my attention span never makes it three rounds.
4. The Legend of Zelda (1986)
I often associate the originalLegend of Zeldaas the game that got me into gaming. I was extremely young at the time, but watching my father play through it gripped my mind. However, there are a lot of formative games from my youth that I rarely return to, andLegend of Zeldaisn’t one of them. For whatever reason, I’ve developed a habit of returning to it almost annually for another playthrough.
Zeldahad amassive impacton the direction of game development, but, as I’ve stated, this list isn’t about influence. Stripped of that,The Legend of Zeldais an open game that respects your abilities as an inquisitive human. Maybe a bit too much, but somehow I was able to figure out which bushes to burn, and that’s my mind isn’t letting that go.
3. River City Ransom (1989)
With the severe graphical memory limitations of the NES, beat-’em-ups were a tricky genre to pull off. However, we did get a few gems, including some of the most ubiquitous ports of theDouble DragonandTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesgames. Those are fine, but I think Technos’ weird experiment in theKunio-Kunseries stands as the best.
Upgrading your character through food and items,River City Ransomhas as much to do with shopping as it does with fighting. When fists go up, it becomes a ridiculous brawl, taking full advantage of its expressive art style. It’s one of the few games I can name that allows you to use the second player as a weapon.
I would include moreNekketsu/Kunio-Kungames on this list if theyweren’t Famicom exclusive. Check out theDouble Dragon & Kunio-Kun: Retro Brawler Bundleif you’d like a taste of what we missed in the west.
2. Gun*Nac (1990)
The NES had some great shoot-’em-ups in its library, though many of them were ports of arcade titles, and many more didn’t even make the journey toour front-loaders.Gun*Nacis amajor exception, and it’s easily the best on the console.
Featuring amazingly fast scrolling and near-flicker-free graphics, it’s a technical masterpiece. To add to that is an unending variety of enemies and a slew of weapons and bombs to clear the screen.Gun*Nacis unbelievably robust, especially considering its 8-bit trappings. If you haven’t tried it or even heard of it, you’re missing out.
1. Castlevania (1986)
There’s no question in my mind thatCastlevaniais the best game on the NES. From both an aesthetic and design standpoint, it’s flawless. Featuring tightly refined controls, perfect enemy placement and behavior, a stiff but fair challenge, and a surprising amount of variety, I still consider it to be the best in the series and on the system. Considering theCastlevaniaseries already has enough banger titles to fill its ownhighly subjectivetop 18 list, I think that says it all.
Don’t think this is an off-the-cuff decision, either. When my NES library explorations finally reachedCastlevania, I knew I had reached the peak. Now that I’ve dug even further, I’m even more certain of it.Castlevaniais what8-bit perfectionlooks like.
Related: View thiscomplete list of all NES gameson Listium and below. Save your favorites, mark your wishlist items, and more.
