Top NES Games

If the name "Willow" isn't immediately familiar to you, we suppose you can be forgiven – but you really should get to know it. Essentially the '80s answer to The Lord of The Rings films, it was a fantasy film written by Star Wars' own George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard – it starred Warwick Davis as a hobbit-esque Nelwyn and none other than Val Kilmer as his brash human companion Madmartigan. A pretty solid movie, really. Willow on the NES, then, was notable for having the likeness to both actors, as well as many of the supporting cast from the film – it was a movie tie-in adventure developed by Capcom, and was in many ways that company's take on Nintendo's Legend of Zelda formula. Willow begins simply, buts grows in strength and power as he explores dungeons, gains new items and learns powerful magic spells. It was a solid companion for the early Zelda games, and perhaps a factor in why Capcom was later approached to develop some portable entries in the Zelda series for Nintendo.

Our Fondest Memories

I said it then and I'll say it now. The NES Willow game is better than George Lucas' movie. In fact, I liked Willow so much that I'd put it up there on my top list of NES RPG favorites with games like Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy and Crystalis. Don't let the title or the source material fool you – this game will grab you right from the start and won't let go (just like it did me more than 20 years ago).

- Jeremy Dunham, IGN Games Editorial Manager

Featuring a half-and-half game design that blends two distinct types of gameplay into one excellent whole, The Guardian Legend is one of the most influential games in the history of the gaming industry. You play as The Guardian, a female cyborg warrior tasked with preventing Earth's impending destruction via a collision with a rogue alien world, Naju. The Guardian must thwart the planet's demise by setting off Naju's self-destruct sequence before it reaches Earth. Gameplay is balanced between controlling The Guardian in humanoid form during overhead exploration and shooting sequences and faster-paced forced-scrolling shooter sequences where she transforms into a fighter jet and blasts, and among other things, gigantic robotic alien crustacean creatures. The Guardian Legend's developers went on to craft several more classic shooters on platforms beyond the NES, and modern game makers like the creators of Sigma Star Saga at WayForward Technologies continue to laud the game for its innovations in genre-blending.

Our Fondest Memories

Miryia's ability to transform into a spaceship and back put Samus Aran to shame. Aside from scoring so many points to break the game, my brother and I enjoy the appearance of Blue Lander – a spaceborne precursor to Kirby and Starfy with his own special jingle.

- Stephen Ng, IGN Game Help Editor

Although "licensed software" is a term that causes the blood of today's game reviewers to run cold, in the late 1980s, Disney and Capcom formed a union that inexplicably resulted in a steady series of excellent titles for the NES based on Disney trademarks. Mickey Mousecapade was the first of these, and although it was published by Capcom in the US, it was developed by Hudson and has a different, more primitive feel than the great Disney platformers that succeeded it. Although you control Mickey, Minnie accompanies you throughout the Mousecapade, which plays out as sort of a puzzle-solving platformer. Navigating your way through the colorful set pieces proves a bit more harrowing than the colorful, kiddie graphics let on, making it the perfect title to impress girls with… if you're nine, that is.

Our Fondest Memories

I didn't care that it was ugly (and it was), the platforming goodness of Mickey Mousecapade was surprisingly addictive. Though I thought the Genesis release of Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse was ultimately a better game, I found myself going back to play this one more because of how easy it was to get into and how satisfying it was to play.

- Jeremy Dunham, IGN Games Editorial Manager

By the time Mega Man 5 was released, many imagined this would be the Blue Bomber's last foray in the 8-bit world. Capcom listened to clamoring gamers' wants and introduced Mega Man's brother Protoman as a character of consequence. Just like Mega Man 4 pulled a bait-and-switch with Dr. Cossack, Protoman served the same function in Mega Man 5. Clouding Dr. Wily's actual involvement in the nefarious deeds coursing through the game's loose story, a Faux Protoman leads Mega Man on for most of the game until – surprise! It appears Dr. Wily is behind the madness yet again. Mega Man 5 continues the tradition of tight action-platforming which made the series incredibly prolific by the time of its release. As usual, the game introduced eight new Robot Masters to defeat in any order the gamer desired, inheriting defeated boss' weapons to use on other less-fortunate foes. When the eight stage select-bound stages were defeated, players entered a more linear part of the game, where both Protoman's and Dr. Wily's multi-stage castles had to be completed for the gamer to see any light at the end of the tunnel.

Our Fondest Memories

I lived in Maine when Mega Man 5 came out, which was an SNES-dominated era in my life. I only bought this game several years later, but in the meantime, I got a Mega Man 5 sticker in a box of Apple Jacks, and stuck it to a shelf in my room. When I visit my mom today, that sticker is still there, reminding me of a time when I couldn't play every game I wanted to.

- Colin Moriarty, IGN Guides Associate Editor

The first Double Dragon for the NES was a capable and compelling coin-op conversion, but this sequel was superior to that original in many ways, primarily because it kept a core feature of the franchise, co-op play, intact on the home system. Brawling brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee were once again playable in both single-player mode, but for the first time on the 8-bit Nintendo you and a friend could team up to punch, kick and hair-pull your foes to death simultaneously through an all-new set of side-scrolling beat-'em-up stages. The game also offered the sibling heroes an upgrade to their fighting repertoires, with several impressive new skills like the unforgettable Cyclone Spin Kick, and some iconic new set pieces in which to do battle, like a stage that took place aboard a helicopter in-flight thousands of feet above the ocean. There really is nothing quite like punching a guy in the gut, jump-kicking him in the face and watching him fall backwards out of a chopper's open side-door, then imagining his terror as he plummets to a watery death in the waves below. Bye-bye, Abobo.

Our Fondest Memories

What stuck out most for me about Double Dragon II was how varied the game was. It was much harder than the first game, which I liked, and even though I played through it a couple of times, it didn't leave me with a "been there, done that" feeling that so many other games did. Oh, and they advertised this sucker like crazy in comic books at the time (no, really).

- Jeremy Dunham, IGN Games Editorial Manager

Out of all of the games on the list, Journey to Silius might have one of the most interesting histories. Created by Sunsoft, which was at the top of its game in the late 1980s with classic release after classic release, Journey to Silius was originally supposed to be a licensed Terminator game. Evidence of this is all over the place, from the enemies to some of the music. But when Sunsoft had the license stripped at the last minute, it made due with what it had, and with limited editing, Journey to Silius was released. Thankfully, Sunsoft didn't throw this game into the dumpster after losing the Terminator license, because Journey to Silius is one of those seldom-played but everyone-should-play-it NES gems. Its fast-paced 2D action style made it a game preferred by those with quick reflexes, and its arsenal of weaponry, which can be chosen from a Mega Man-like menu, gave the gameplay variety, with certain weapons working best against certain enemies and bosses. Journey to Silius wasn't experienced by many gamers in its time, but it has more than earned its place on our Top 100 for its smooth gameplay alone.

Our Fondest Memories

Fond memories for this one really only go a year or so back. I never got into Journey to Silius as a kid (my brother may have rented it once?) but this Sunsoft sidescroller, which originally was supposed to be a licensed Terminator game, holds up well enough to make this list with absolutely no nostalgia from yours truly. The care gameplay is right on, the visuals aren't bad at all, and it stinks of Mega Man inspired robot blasting. Nothing wrong with another action/platformer in my book. Sweet game.

- Mark Bozon, IGN Nintendo Editor

Demon Sword is a ninja action game that plays out at a break-neck speed compared to some of its contemporaries (cough – Kung-Fu – cough). Demon Sword's ninja is surprisingly agile, with the ability to hop to tree tops in matter of seconds. While not nearly as deep or polished as Ninja Gaiden, as you progress you can amass new skills, weapons and powers befitting of a ninja. Although prominently featuring traditional Japanese settings and mythology, Demon Sword seems to have suffered from a poor North American localization, as evidenced by the goofy box art featuring a naked blonde guy glaring at his sword. But all the bare-chested barbarians in the world couldn't hide the fact that, in the game, our hero is sporting a flamboyant red kimono. Yeah, it looks like a dress, but it really frees up his arm for easy decapitations.

Our Fondest Memories

I was one of those poor saps that actually enjoyed a similar and ultimately less impressive game, Legend of Kage, so I took to this game immediately. To this day I still vividly remember the cutscenes that showed my sword becoming more powerful. Awesome!

- Jeremy Dunham, IGN Games Editorial Manager

While it's undeniable that Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! is the most well-remembered boxing design from Nintendo's NES, Ring King was a capable competitor thanks to its more accurate simulation of the sport. This game allowed two players to face off against one another in the squared circle, move freely around the ring, throw a variety of punches and even get into grapples, all things you wouldn't find in Little Mac's game. Some of Ring King's lasting popularity is for reasons a bit more dubious, though, in that it's one of the most laughed-at games on the 8-bit Nintendo because of some unintentionally suggestive visuals. The grappling animation between the two fighters makes it look like they're just hugging each other, and the boxers' interaction with their cornermen between rounds is even more, well, provocative. The inability of the NES to more accurately render detailed animations continues to be one of the system's greatest charms, though, so it's no real negative against the game, just a chuckle-worthy aside that might leave you just a bit embarrassed today.

Our Fondest Memories

My best memories of Ring King are the epic fights I had on the higher difficulty levels. I'm a lifelong boxing fan, so being able to "sim" matches this early was something of a breakthrough for me. These days, though, I can't help but chuckle at the highly suggestive between-round power-ups. Go find a movie of it if you don't believe me – it's amazing.

- Jeremy Dunham, IGN Games Editorial Manager

What Top 100 NES Games list would be complete without Duck Hunt? A game no one bought, but everyone had. Duck Hunt is the game that immortalized forever Nintendo's light gun called the Zapper, and was certainly the game that used the underused peripheral more than any other. But it was this release combined with Super Mario Bros. (and sometimes World Class Track Meet or Gyromite) as a bundled-in offering with the NES made it one of the most proliferated games on the console. Sure, Duck Hunt's gameplay was as simple as pointing-and-shooting, and one could easily cheat by standing an inch from the television. Unfortunately, virtually all televisions today render the game unplayable, so a new generation of gamer has yet to be exposed to the wonder of duck hunting and skeet shooting. Perhaps the most interesting tidbit of all about Duck Hunt, however, was the stand-alone product's incredibly small size. The entire game fit on an infinitesimally small cartridge sized at 192 kilobits.

Our Fondest Memories

Even as a young'un, I felt some injustice every time a guest brought the Zapper up against the television's bubble screen. You can't do that! Though the dog, mocking me with laughter, encouraged delinquency. I'll show you, dog...

- Mark Ryan Sallee, IGN Game Help Editor-in-Chief

Konami's The Goonies II followed on the heels of a little-known Goonies game for Nintendo's PlayChoice-10 arcade machines. While the first game was an arcade platformer directly inspired by the movie, The Goonies II did its own thing. Hampered somewhat by obtuse point-and-click adventure elements reminiscent of Shadowgate that threw many people off, The Goonies II still offered a sprawling mansion and its subterranean environs to explore via traditional platforming. With the 8-bit rendition of the Cyndi Lauper theme from the movie blaring, lead Goony Mikey sets out to rescue the remaining kids, and, for some reason, a Mermaid, from the Fratelli family. It's all a bit confusing, but with little perseverance and a lot of hitting walls with your hammer you'll discover a unique hybrid adventure game worthy of the Goonies license. We're still eagerly awaiting a Goonies III. Goonies never say die!

Our Fondest Memories

In the late 1980s Goonies mania was in full swing, which helps explain the countless after school sessions I spent with this perplexing Konami cash-in. It wasn't until a decade or two later that I finally understood that a poor localization was responsible for the game's extreme weirdness. Who knew The Goonies were big in Japan?

- Sam Claiborn, IGN Game Help Associate Editor

After releasing several games for the Atari 2600 and other computer-based consoles, famed Pitfall! programmer and designer David Crane abandoned his traditional Activision backing, formed Absolute Entertainment, and went on to create what has become known as one of the NES catalog's quirkiest games, A Boy and His Blob: Trouble in Blobolonia. What at first appeared to be an awkward platformer quickly revealed itself to be a true test of gaming mettle. The nameless Boy and his pet Blob would overcome obstacles, defeat enemies and progress through the game by way of using special Jellybeans that would allow the Blob to become different objects and perform different feats. Feeding the Blob flavored jellybeans from apple to vanilla caused the Blob to transform into everything from a car jack to an umbrella. The Boy was virtually helpless without his Blob and his stash of flavored Jellybeans, making this title an interesting mix of action-adventure and puzzle gameplay.

Our Fondest Memories

Because I was the kind of nerd that kept track of developer names, when I saw that the creator of Pitfall was behind Boy and His Blob, I was sold. Feeding jellybeans to Blobert to transform it into different items and it was fun just to experiment with, such as making a blow torch with a cinnamon bean and a rocket with a root beer bean.

- Levi Buchanan, IGN Wireless & Retro Editor

An arcade-inspired action run and gun starring sweaty shirtless men charging through tropical jungles and blasting everything in sight with an overhead, birds-eye perspective, Ikari Warriors was the definitive videogaming outlet for bottled-up aggression. This game was macho, manly destructive fun with its simultaneous two-player action, but also ended up playing an important historic role in the industry – it put SNK on the map. The company got its start with Ikari as its first major hit, and the success of this game fueled the studio to go on and ultimately create classic fighting franchises such as Fatal Fury and King of Fighters on the Neo-Geo, as well as the timeless Metal Slug series. The heroes of Ikari Warriors, Ralf and Clark, even went on to cameo in several of those later games, you can play as them in several King of Fighters sequels, as well as the most recent Metal Slug installments. Not too bad for a couple of sweaty, shirtless Rambo clones.

Our Fondest Memories

This was a defining day for my brother and I, though I'm sure neither of us knew it then. When Ikari Warriors came out I went berserk for it, and having no income of my own I had to beg my brother Matt (12 years older than me) to go out and rent it, which he denied time and time again. We'd head to Mr. Movies in Minnesota, I'd see the box art, freak out, and he'd pick up something else. Finally we rented it, played co-op, and dominated the game, even leaving the NES on overnight during the dreaded "Everyone looks like player 1 and 2" level. I was totally paranoid that I'd come back from school (or day care or whatever) and the game would be turned off. Fast forward another 15 years or so and I spend my nights playing Call of Duty 4 while he frequents games like BlazBlue. I guess some things never change, eh Ikari Warriors?

- Mark Bozon, IGN Nintendo Editor

Following the success of DuckTales, the iconic Disney chipmunks Chip 'n Dale received an action-packed, after school cartoon series in the late '80s. And, like DuckTales, this led to a high quality NES platformer from Capcom. Unlike DuckTales, however, Rescue Rangers is basically linear. With little emphasis on the scaled-up world of the titular chipmunks, many of the things lying around the inflated settings could be picked up and used as projectiles on exploration. Rescue Rangers also ratcheted the difficulty down quite a bit, making it a good experience to share with a less-skilled partner. Despite their popularity, cooperative games were rarity on the NES and hey, when was the last time you got to spend some quality time with your little sister?

Our Fondest Memories

Above all else, what surprised me most about Rescue Rangers is that it was so fun to play. I couldn't stand the cartoon (I was a DuckTales sort of guy), but to my surprise the game was an addictive platforming masterpiece. Discovering each new level was a joy.

- Jeremy Dunham, IGN Games Editorial Manager

"A winner is you!" Oh, wait – wrong wrestling game. The NES had a handful of memorable wrestling sims, including Nintendo's own Pro Wrestling and WWF WrestleMania, the first wrestling game to ever license the use of real world performers, but from a gameplay standpoint, none of them ever trumped Tecmo World Wrestling. This grappler was unmatched in its diversity of moves and over-the-top personality, and remains today a favorite of thousands of fans across the world. Tecmo World Wrestling's main gameplay screen split the action, with the core wrestling taking place on the top half on the screen while the television's lower portion was dominated by the text bubbles of an overly enthusiastic ringside announcer calling all the play-by-play. You worked your opponent into submission, going for the pin, and victory gave you the chance to take on tougher challengers, but not before training your chosen warrior to be stronger with interstitial mini-games. It's still a blast to this day and Tecmo should bring it back.

Our Fondest Memories

How could I forget the cutscenes? Watching elaborate slams and suplexes in the glorious 8-bit cinematics captured my imagination immediately. I also loved the take-offs of popular wrestlers that Tecmo had going on here. Try to spot the Hulk Hogan and Big Van Vader rips!

- Jeremy Dunham, IGN Games Editorial Manager

By 1990, Capcom was churning out quality 2D platformers at frightening rate, making it entirely possible for the gamers of yesteryear to have missed this strangely licensed gem. Little Nemo, an American comic strip, had received the anime treatment in Japan at the time and thus the game was created, but the license was no doubt long forgotten by American audiences when Nemo came stateside. In the game, our pajama clad mascot navigates the often psychedelic Slumberland with the help of wild animals. Gorillas, lizards, frogs and other feral friends can be temporarily tamed when Nemo feeds them candy (do not try this at home), at which points he saddles them up Yoshi-style, allowing him to reach new areas. But Slumberland is an unexpectedly dangerous place, and the game's advanced difficulty level no doubt took some unsuspecting youngsters by surprise.

Our Fondest Memories

Little Nemo's cover art of a tyke in his pajamas most likely resulted in it finding its way into the hands of many a NES gamer's little sister, which is where probably where I first chanced upon it (I had a strict "no girly games" policy when I was 10). This kiddie Capcom platformer gave Mega Man a run for his money, though, and while I'm still not sure who this Nemo dude is, I had a great time pelting animals with candy all the same.

- Sam Claiborn, IGN Game Help Associate Editor

Though the company's probably best known for its stint as a Nintendo second-party developer in the SNES and N64 eras when it produced the Donkey Kong Country series, Killer Instinct, Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's Bad Fur Day, there was an earlier age when Rare was making the kinds of games that made Nintendo take notice to begin with, with games like Cobra Triangle. This boat-based action/racing design was based on the engine the studio had developed for the classic R.C. Pro-Am, and cast players as the captains of a high-speed, heavily-armored attack ship cutting through tropical waters to take on sharks, rival watercrafts and giant sea serpents. The Cobra Triangle gunship was a versatile vessel, and the power-ups it could obtain were what made this one a blast to play. You could upgrade its engine, increase the rate of fire of its bullets, increase the number of its bullets, give it the power to fire secondary missiles and even wrap it in a force field. It's like someone took the Gradius series' Vic Viper and transformed it from a spaceship into a jet ski. Totally killer!

Our Fondest Memories

There's nothing wrong with combining RC Pro-AM with boats, guns, and dragons. I played this game for the first time on a vacation to Wisconsin (that was back when most kids had three NES games total, and liked it), and dug the game so much I had to own it. In fact, I'm not sure I ever bought it, so if anyone ever sees Andy Folkers can you tell him I still have his copy of one of the best NES games of all time? Crap… I should really get this awesome gem of a game back to him.

- Mark Bozon, IGN Nintendo Editor

Although it's actually the second entry in the predominately Japanese TwinBee series, the re-branded Stinger was the only entry that saw release on the North American NES. A uniquely saccharine shooter, Stinger pits two quite capable, but very pastel space cruisers against some deceptively cute enemy forces. An irate watermelon spits seed at you at the end of one level, while a very angry water faucet lurks at the conclusion of another. Things just get weirder from there, with household appliances eventually standing between you and whatever your adorable goal may be. You can collect power-ups by "juggling" bells on heart-shaped beams of pure love, thus altering their colors and endowing you with different abilities. The entire game can be played with a wingman, but make sure whoever it is can appreciate a heaping dollop of cuteness, served Japanese-style (with extra "cute" on the side).

Our Fondest Memories

Vague memories of a strange, somewhat girly shooter plagued me as I restocked my NES collection a few years back. I happily rediscovered Stinger despite its unfortunate title and packaging (A space ship with boxing gloves? Whatever!). As I played it for the first time in two decades, I recalled many afternoons spent with the cutesy Twinbee fighters. Now if I could only figure out what that tank game with huge bosses was…

- Sam Claiborn, IGN Game Help Associate Editor

One of the last handfuls of great games to be released for the NES in America, Gargoyle's Quest II had the misfortune of showing up around a year after the 16-bit SNES had gone on sale. Early adopters who made the next-gen leap without looking back missed an incredible game design. Gargoyle's Quest II was the sequel to the Game Boy original Gargoyle's Quest, a game that was itself a spin-off of Capcom's Ghosts 'n Goblins starring that series' infamous flying red demon as its hero. This NES follow-up refined and focused what started on the portable platform, offering a polished action experience married with overhead map and town exploration ripped right out of the best RPGs of the age. You could jump, cling to walls, spew fireballs and hover with your demon wings in action stages and then chat it up with the denizens of the Demon Realm, earn upgrades and items and more. A great, overlooked game that deserves more recognition today than it got back in 1992.

Our Fondest Memories

What an unsung classic this, and the Game Boy version, is. Half RPG, half Ghosts & Goblins-inspired gameplay Gargoyle's Quest is another hard to beat, yet totally memorable experience. This is another one that really paved the way for others too. Demon's Crest, perhaps one of the biggest under-selling games of all time compared to its quality, wouldn't have been possible without cutting its teeth on the NES and classic Game Boy. Amazingly enough, this game still holds up too.

- Mark Bozon, IGN Nintendo Editor

Kung Fu is an enigma. A dumbed-down port of a superior arcade title by Irem, Kung Fu holds accolades simply for being one of the first third-party games released on the NES. Aside from its special place in history, however, Kung Fu is also a rewarding example of early "beat-'em-up" videogames in all of its 2D glory. Made up of only five stages and a few types of enemies, a skilled gamer can get through Kung Fu in its entirety in less than ten minutes. What makes the game so special, then? Apart from its fun gameplay and difficult boss battles, Kung Fu had inherent replay value simply because the game started over once you beat it with a higher difficulty level. This made it a prime game for high score hunting, with certain parts of the experience that were of the make and break variety. Could you get past the bee-throwing enemy on stage four without losing a life? It was integral if you wanted a high score. And who could forget Mr. X's maniacal laughter each time he defeated Thomas, keeping his kidnapped girlfriend for his own.

Our Fondest Memories

Who ever thought I could be addicted to such a simple, repetitive game? We could only afford a new game every few months growing up, and when we were stuck with a game like Kung Fu, you might think we were disappointed. It wasn't so. Kung Fu proved how good even the most simple games can be, and it's still a title I go back and play often to this day.

- Colin Moriarty, IGN Guides Associate Editor

Super C, the somewhat unfortunately-titled sequel to Contra, features the same co-op shooter action of the first without toying with the formula too much. If you are wondering, that formula is one part Aliens, two parts First Blood, and perhaps a dash of Predator to keep things exotic. A port of a graphically superior arcade version, Konami gave Super C lots of love to help it make a successful transition, including the addition of several unique levels. The pseudo-3D levels that broke up the side-scrolling action in Contra are replaced with vertical-scrolling levels, but the graphical style, gameplay and even the guns all remain identical to the original. Super C, like Contra, is a nearly perfect cooperative experience, and is best enjoyed with a buddy to high five as the iconic level finish tune plays. A different Konami Code can be used to get 10 lives in Super C, making it only 1/3 as awesome as the original Konami Code.

Our Fondest Memories

All I remember is the Konami Code only worked once on this game and it gave players 10 lives instead of 30 (per continue) and – worse of all – it only worked once. With Contra III on the Super NES, this game didn't get the attention it deserved.

- Stephen Ng, IGN Game Help Editor

A complete reworking of an inferior arcade brawler of the same name, Rygar for the NES tells the heroic story of a man and his deadly yo-yo shield. Unlike its source, the NES version is an exploration-focused game with both side-scrolling platforming levels connected by a top down overworld-like area. Having more in common with Metroid or The Legend of Zelda than NES era brawlers, Rygar must find equipment upgrades – a grappling hook, pulley, crossbow etc. – to aid him in reaching new areas. Rygar's action/adventure gameplay elements have helped it attain a sort of "cult classic" status. Strangely, though epic in scale, Rygar doesn't feature a way to save or even a password system, so make sure your NES is hooked up to a good power source before embarking on your quest.

Our Fondest Memories

One of the few games I remembered beating without the Game Genie (but done on an NES Advantage for sake of the turbo function). Kratos' Blades of Athena are simply an upgrade of Rygar's one (and only) Diskarmor!

- Stephen Ng, IGN Game Help Editor

One of the NES's premier racing games may have a peculiar title, but we pose this question: would a racer by any other name be quite as rad? Admittedly, the exhilaration of burning past the beach-going VW beetles in your red Ferrari 328 (the F1 was significantly less radical) is indeed worthy of such high self praise. Rad Racer doesn't disguise its arcade origins; in fact, it unabashedly rips off SEGA's arcade contemporary, Out Run. Nonetheless, the game remains an iconic entry in the NES catalog due to its simple race-or-die gameplay. And if racing in two dimensions isn't your cup of tea, grab your Power Glove, pop on a pair of 3D glasses, and experience Rad Racer in red and blue stereoscopic bliss. Note: the Power Glove will not enhance gameplay, but you'll look pretty darn rad, we promise.

Our Fondest Memories

I can remember looking at the Rad Racer flap at Toys R Us (remember the old system of flaps and slips?) and seeing that the game was in 3-D. That was enough for me. Thankfully, Rad Racer turned out to be a great racing game that was my second-favorite racer of the generation, right after OutRun on the Master System.

- Levi Buchanan, IGN Wireless & Retro Editor

Wizards & Warriors is the debut title of a classic, if depressingly anti-climatic NES trilogy. In it, our metal-clad protagonist, Kuros, sets out on a quest to save not one, but several distressed damsels (and we're not talking about some ugly dude in mushroom regalia). Along the way you'll explore – via many, many knightly leaps – lofty treetops, labyrinthine caverns and an unexpectedly tall castle tower. In a cool adventure gaming twist, you'll need to meet a certain booty (diamonds, not damsels) quota before being able to exit each area, but don't expect a sign reading "Here Be Treasure." Wizards & Warriors is about probing every corner with your trusty blade for treasure chest, precious gems and the like. Along the way you'll score various weapon upgrades, although Kuros's trademark duds never change. This makes it all the more mysterious that he appears as a strapping naked dude on the cover, but hey, those were different times.

Taking a chance on a game with a title like "Wizards & Warriors" in the video game section of my local rental store was a risky venture in an era of a crappy Dungeons & Dragons-inspired RPGs. Happily, this fine action platformer broke with the stereotypical dungeon crawlers, allowing you to hop around, bashing enemies with your Wand of Whatever without a single roll of multisided dice, virtual or otherwise.

- Sam Claiborn, IGN Game Help Associate Editor

Near the end of the NES' lifecycle, puzzle games were THE craze. To capitalize on the puzzle trend, Nintendo threw its first-party hat into the ring and released Dr. Mario on the console just in time for the 1990 holiday season. An interesting take on the Tetris formula, Dr. Mario presented gamers with a new puzzle-based quandary – how will you use the multi-colored pills thrown into play by a white coat-wearing Mario to eliminate the viruses plaguing your screen? The answer was simple – line up the appropriate colors of pills matching the viruses, and voila, they disappear. Sound easy? Well it wasn't. As was the case with Tetris, Dr. Mario got fast and furious the further into the game you got. Before you knew it, your screen was full of viruses with scant a place for your pills to go. Thankfully, unlike Nintendo's release of Tetris, Dr. Mario reveled in its two-player glory, and Nintendo's new hit proved not only to be a favorite among puzzle fans, but a game consumed by multi-player purists as well.

Our Fondest Memories

I was so bored with Tetris. It wasn't even that compelling. But when one of my favorite childhood icons, Mario, appeared in his own variety of puzzle game, I was hooked. The Tetris cartridge was circulated amongst us and our various neighbors forever after collected dust. After all, Dr. Mario had a two player mode.

- Colin Moriarty, IGN Guides Associate Editor

Unforgiving, head-scratchingly perplexing, deep, dangerous and unlike anything else on the system in theme and feel. Shadowgate, originally made for Mac systems, was a point-and-click adventure game seen from a first-person perspective, wherein you ventured deep into a complicated dungeon filled with traps, monsters, riddles and hidden treasures around every corner. A key eye for subtle detail was needed for success, as your exploration could often come to a sudden and gruesome end if you missed even a single key weapon or item early in the labyrinth. You were fighting the clock, too, and if you ever ran out of torches then it was Game Over for you. Shadowgate's unique spin on the point-and-click concept spawned several spiritual successors like Deja Vu and The Uninvited on the NES, as well as its own direct sequel years later on the Nintendo 64. But the original is still the best, which is probably why it was singled out for a Game Boy Color release ten years after its Nintendo console debut in 1999.

Our Fondest Memories

As a kid, Shadowgate was straight spooky. Haunting music and the constant fear of running out of torches usually kept me from playing more than a half hour at a time, but I kept going back to it. And never got anywhere. Friggin' troll, I've got only a copper coin!

- Mark Ryan Sallee, IGN Game Help Editor-in-Chief

The drama surrounding Tetris is one of the most storied sagas in the history of the NES. Tengen, an ambitious Atari-associated game developer, began releasing official NES games in 1988. Meanwhile, the company worked rapidly behind the scenes to override Nintendo's infamous lockout device that kept unofficial cartridges from being played on its console. When Tengen released its first unofficial games using its new technology, Nintendo quickly sued. This was just the beginning of the Tengen/Nintendo feud. Ignoring Nintendo's claim to the Tetris name in the US a year later, Tengen released its own version of the world's most famous puzzle game on an unlocked, unofficial cartridge. Tengen's tetris was pulled from shelves almost immediately when it was revealed that Nintendo's hold on the Tetris name stateside was legitimate. Unfortunately, almost everyone agrees that Tengen's version of the game was far superior to Nintendo's, even including a two-player mode which Nintendo's version sorely lacked. Today, the game known as Tengen Tetris is a rare title to have in your collection, but it's a worthwhile play. After all, Tetris is one of the classic games not only on the NES, but of all-time.

Our Fondest Memories

Although Nintendo's licensed, "official" version of Tetris was ubiquitous, happening upon this strange, black cartridge in the cobwebby recesses of a used game joint proved an eye-opening experience for this young NES collector-to-be. The Game Pak is truly worth tracking down for its multiplayer selection, including a wacky cooperative mode. Game Boy-shmameboy!

- Sam Claiborn, IGN Game Help Associate Editor

Not one, not two, but three games in one. VICE: Project Doom is one of the most overlooked and underappreciated third-party game designs to ever hit the NES, even after claiming a cover of Nintendo Power in 1991. That's a shame, because its blend of three different types of gameplay set it apart from the crowd and made it a classic. You had driving levels, featuring an overhead viewpoint straight out of Spy Hunter. You had sniper shooter levels, like those you might remember from The Adventures of Bayou Billy. And you had side-scrolling stages, the core of the game, in which your character ran, jumped and attacked the invading alien hordes with a laser-whip. Take that, Zero Suit Samus in Super Smash Bros. Brawl – developer Aicom had you beat to the punch nearly two decades ago. Our own Mark Bozon has been working diligently to bring this title back to life, perhaps by way of the Virtual Console. But even if we never see it again, it's earned its spot on this countdown.

Our Fondest Memories

VPD may in fact be in my top 10 NES games of all time personally, and I didn't discover it until back in 2002 when a few of the WayForward guys all got into retro gaming together. Someone brought a copy in, I played it, and instantly fell in love with it, playing over and over until I got my speed run down to around 14 mins on a real cart. Not too shabby. This game mixes amazing platforming with some quirky gun and driving missions; almost like Bayu Billy, if that game didn't suck and instead played like Ninja Gaiden. I'm still working on getting this game to Virtual Console, though Sammy (now SEGA) has no idea they even own it. I might just pretend I have the rights. That isn't illegal, right?

- Mark Bozon, IGN Nintendo Editor

If one company was known for its amazing licensed NES games, it's Sunsoft. With classic titles ranging from Batman to Journey to Silius (which was originally supposed to be a licensed Terminator game), Sunsoft had the skills necessary to take even the most unusual licenses and make them into compelling adventures. Cue Fester's Quest, a 1989 offering from Sunsoft that put gamers in the role of Uncle Fester, a character from the 1960s sitcom The Addams Family. Turned off? Don't be. Fester's Quest was an amazing game that was both deep in its delivery and excruciatingly difficult in its execution. Fester's Quest also takes its cues from a hodgepodge of genres, which will appeal to many kinds of gamers. Its top-down view makes it a bit of an action-shooter, while its emphasis on collecting items and upgrading weapons lends it more to the RPG and adventure crowd. Either way, there's a lot to see and like about Fester's Quest. But if you venture into this territory, be ready for unforgiving difficulty, one of the game's hallmarks.

Our Fondest Memories

Growing up, my neighbors seemed to have all of the great games, when we could only afford one here and there. Fester's Quest was a title my brother and I would borrow from them over and over again. It was so complicated for me as a six or seven year old that I had to let my brother take the reins, and when I finally got around to playing it when I was older, I realized what all of the fuss was about.

- Colin Moriarty, IGN Guides Associate Editor

In a sort of desperate-sounding effort to distinguish itself from other puzzle games that may happen to feature falling colored blocks, Klax's title screen boldly proclaims that "It is the nineties, and there is time for Klax." Although, in hindsight, going up against the Tetris juggernaut probably wasn't the best strategy, but still, some lucky NES players found time for both. In Klax, a conveyor belt feeds tiles that can be stacked in columns. When colors are matched – you guessed it – they disappear. But Klax is more than just the sum of its '90s neon parts. A small contingent of NES gamers actually prefer Klax to its main competitors – the simple, but accessible, Dr. Mario and even to the great Tetris, which does seem a little stuffy when stacked against the Day-Glo extravaganza that is Klax. It's flashy, it's clever, and it's one of the few puzzle games worth revisiting on the NES. After all, it is 2009, and there's been a lot of time for Tetris and Dr. Mario.

Our Fondest Memories

Match three games were starting to gain in popularity when Klax came out. The arcade version hooked me first, but the NES edition kept my addiction going. I think Tetris is the better game, but Klax is very creative and the NES version was surprisingly well developed and accurate to the original.

- Craig Harris, IGN Nintendo Executive Editor

One of the unsung heroes of the action/RPG genre from the NES era, Crystalis was such an intriguing and unique adventure in its first release in 1990 that Nintendo itself actually went back, got the rights to it, and re-released it ten years later as a first-party Game Boy Color port. No other NES game ever earned that honor, but it's easy to see why Crystalis did – this post-apocalyptic tale of thermonuclear aftermath skillfully blended fantasy and science-fiction into one dynamic story. The hero begins the game by awakening from cryogenic sleep, and then goes on to collect a set of four elemental swords to save the world. Each blade offered a different ability, like the Sword of Wind that shot small tornadoes and the Sword of Water that could create bridges of ice. Once all four had been collected, the legendary titular sword "Crystalis" could be created. Use that sword and you'll understand why this one has certainly earned its classic status.

Our Fondest Memories

I was blown away by how complete an experience Crystalis was. It looked extremely impressive for its time and I loved the soundtrack. Plus, being able to build an "ultimate weapon" out of blades I already had was a great touch. It's one of the earliest games that convinced me that RPGs were my favorite.

- Jeremy Dunham, IGN Games Editorial Manager

To this day, this is still the only game that's ever shipped with a coupon for five bucks off an order at Pizza Hut printed on the back of its instruction manual. Greatest cross-promotion ever? The Ninja Turtles do love their pizza. TMNT II: The Arcade Game for the NES was an incredibly impressive 8-bit conversion of one of the most popular coin-op cabinets ever created – the original side-scrolling Turtles brawler from the early '90s arcade scene. The visuals weren't as vibrant and the animations weren't as fluid, but the gameplay was spot-on. It was so much fun to play that we didn't know many people who cared that it didn't look quite as good as its source material. Konami even tossed in two new, NES-exclusive extra levels, making it even more "in-demand" when it hit store shelves. And if that five dollar coupon on the manual wasn't enough, Pizza Hut ads even made it into the game itself – one of the earliest examples of that kind of advertising in gaming history. Seriously, those Turtles love eating pizza.

Our Fondest Memories

I first played this in arcades with relatives manning all four joysticks–calling dibs on pizza for health was futile as everyone else was older (and bigger) than me. On the NES, the game is responsible for teaching me the Konami code, though it wasn't until years later that I even knew the significance of UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT...

- Mark Ryan Sallee, IGN Game Help Editor-in-Chief

In the realm of 8-bit graphics and extremely limited storage space, Nintendo RPGs (and other RPGs of the time) had a difficult time telling expansive, immersive stories. Dragon Warrior IV, released in the US in 1992, tried to buck this trend with a unique approach to unraveling the game's overarching narrative. Instead of focusing on just one character or one group of characters, Dragon Warrior IV tells its fragmented story in chapters, which the gamer takes on one at a time. When all's said and done, the chapters' events and characters culminate in an amazing endgame. Even though Dragon Warrior IV approached the act of storytelling in a unique way, most of Dragon Warrior's gameplay conventions remained unchanged. It's a good thing, too, since this was the last Dragon Warrior game to appear in the United States for nearly a decade. American gamers weren't privy to subsequent releases until Dragon Warrior VII hit the PlayStation in 2001.

Our Fondest Memories

Even though I was completely taken with the new 16-bit game systems by the time this came out, Dragon Warrior IV was still one of my most anticipated games at the time. Enix had added a ton of new features to the game, and the build up to going out and getting it was up there with getting Final Fantasy II for my SNES.

- Jeremy Dunham, IGN Games Editorial Manager

Life Force, the NES port of the arcade game Salamander, and a spin-off of Gradius, is one of the best shooters the system has to offer, period. The levels are similarly themed but diverse; from pulsing, organic biomasses to blistering fire fields to gleaming space stations, Life Force keeps things interesting for the duration of the admittedly short flight. Life Force's moderate difficulty sets it apart from its peers in a genre generally geared towards the masochistic. The key to not being obliterated is, of course, power-ups. Once you beef up your defenses, you're free to start amassing a sprawling arsenal, making aiming your shots somewhat irrelevant. Or you can just skip the work and enter the Konami Code to get fully powered up in a matter of seconds. Finally, you can also blast through Life Force with a buddy – just don't expect the game's strained, overworked engine to keep up!

Our Fondest Memories

The Konami code let me finish this co-op version of Gradius. If you were a space nerd who loved Stewart Cowley's Spaceships 2000 to 2100 AD, you too, would write up fictional technical specifications for the Vic Viper and the RoadBritish spacecraft.

- Stephen Ng, IGN Game Help Editor

"Daggers and wingboots, mantras and monsters await you." That was the cryptic fantasy tagline offered up on the box of Faxanadu, one of the best and least-known Nintendo-published adventures to hit the NES throughout the 8-bit systems lifespan. Though Nintendo didn't develop Faxanadu in-house, it's easy to see why the company decided to grab publishing rights for it in America – it was a unique side-scrolling action/platformer with RPG elements reminiscent of the company's own Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. You took on the role of a nameless hero setting off to save a village of Elves who are slowly being poisoned by the magic of the malevolent Evil One. He's hidden himself inside the enormous, Tower of Babylon-esque World Tree – a massive, multi-leveled living structure that holds the entire game's worth of town, fortresses and enemy lairs within its roots, trunk and branches. It would be great to see Nintendo revive the Faxanadu concept someday. But, for now, it stands as a hidden gem that only the hardcore faithful got to experience 20 years ago.

Our Fondest Memories

I had a password that started players at (or near) the final town, but with all the ultimate weapons and armor still unequipped. This was so I could put on different weapons and gloat (because once you don the final tier of weapons and armor, you can't remove them).

- Stephen Ng, IGN Game Help Editor

A spiritual sister series to Nintendo's Legend of Zelda, StarTropics was an overhead dungeon-exploration action/adventure that, unfortunately, never made it past the NES. This original and its sequel, Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II, are still fondly remembered by faithful Nintendo fans to this day for their unique and light-hearted twist on genre conventions. Your character's primary weapon is a common yo-yo, and his secondary items are equally ordinary – baseballs, baseball bats and spiked cleats are all notable entries into your arsenal. The hero, Mike Jones, is just an average kid from Seattle who's looking for a lost archaeologist in the tropical archipelago of Caribbean-esque islands. Stiff control, demanding jumping and misdirecting puzzles all gave StarTropics' many dungeon sequences a considerable challenge factor. Overworld puzzle-solving was equally as important – there was even a riddle that you couldn't solve unless you opened up the physical game box and read a piece of paper packaged with the game. An early attempt by Nintendo at copy protection? Perhaps. But totally memorable, no matter what the motivation.

Our Fondest Memories

Even before the used market took off, Nintendo made some moves to make sure that purchasers of a fresh version got a better experience than someone who borrowed a pre-played one. I remember the one clue you had to solve by soaking an included piece of paper in water to reveal it the answer. Good luck finding a copy now that doesn't have a warped parchment…

- Craig Harris, IGN Nintendo Executive Editor

Since the beginning of console gaming, movie licensed titles have held the stigma of being awful. Atari 2600 titles like ET set the stage for what is still known today as a group of games best avoided. But not all licensed titles are bad. Some of them are good. Really, really good. Sunsoft's Batman, released Stateside in 1989, bucked convention, both old and new, and provided gamers with what proved to be an awesome action-oriented experience full of deep gameplay and immense difficulty. But while action games on the NES are a dime a dozen, it's this very fact that made Batman stand out amongst the competition. Batman didn't try to do anything unique, but rather took a cue from a few already-established NES staples to make Batman a fun, worthwhile experience. Borrowing ideas from Mega Man and Ninja Gaiden, Batman was able to toggle through a vast arsenal of weaponry and grapple to walls to assist in the platforming mayhem. Next time you think all movie licensed games are garbage, dust off this old classic and surprise yourself all over again.

Our Fondest Memories

Batman taught me the meaning of "envy;" I went to a neighbor's house and played it all day, mastering the diabolical wall jump platforming challenges, and I wanted the game for myself. I came back the next day to challenge Joker, but I don't think we ever beat him.

- Mark Ryan Sallee, IGN Game Help Editor-in-Chief

Another of Rare's excellent pre-second-party efforts on the NES, Snake Rattle 'n' Roll was an isometric action/adventure with a curious goal, and more curious controls. Seen from a three-quarters viewpoint that placed every environment on an angle relative to the player, you were tasked to take command of a snake that, initially, had no body. Getting him to grow a body was the goal of each stage, and that was accomplished by consuming the dot/pellet/balls of semi-sentient foodstuff known as Nibbley Pibbleys. If you nibble enough of the Nibbleys, your snake's body would grow, his tail extending longer and longer behind his comical head and forked tongue. Then, with enough mass amassed, you could jump onto the level-ending weight scale to trigger the opening of the stage-clearing door – make it through there, and you're on to the next world. The ridiculousness of the premise was only matched by the difficulty of the game's control scheme, and the superb 8-bit soundtrack that accompanied all the hungry, hungry action.

Our Fondest Memories

My greatest memory of this game is trying to convince a dozen IGN editors why this game was so awesome nearly 20 years ago. This is a Rare sleeper and one of the most creative games those guys made. It's like Marble Madness turned into a platformer…and it worked!

- Craig Harris, IGN Nintendo Executive Editor

When Mega Man finally hit American shores in the late '80s, Capcom couldn't have realized the gaming force it unleashed. Dozens and dozens of games have spawned from this very title, the first of six Mega Man games released on the NES, and for good reason. Mega Man is one of the best examples of great graphics, amazing music and near-perfect gameplay rolled into one cartridge. Mega Man's unique approach is what initially made it so interesting to gamers. During a time in gaming where linearity reigned supreme, it allowed gamers to choose from one of six stages to start, but at the end of each Mega Man would fight a Robot Master that would sacrifice his weapon upon defeat for use in another level. Gamers could then figure out which boss was weak to that weapon and attempt to use it against him. The permutations through Mega Man were many, giving the game great replay value. The original Mega Man is perhaps best-known, however, for its staggering difficulty level. It's not only the hardest in the franchise, but one of the hardest NES games period.

Our Fondest Memories

As a kid, I'd go to my grandparents' house for a big Italian dinner every Sunday. Their next door neighbors' kids ended up being me and my siblings' friends as time passed, and they had a basement dedicated to NES gaming. My initial exposure to what would become a gaming obsession in my life happened down there, when I played Mega Man for the first time.

- Colin Moriarty, IGN Guides Associate Editor

Adventure Island II took the original Adventure Island's somewhat tedious straightforward platforming and fleshed it out, becoming the foundation for a solid series. Years before Yoshi first crammed a fat plumber on his back, Adventure Island II offered some of the coolest dinosaur wrangling in the business. The game's protagonist, Master Higgins, a yachting playboy with a knack for taming giant lizards, sets out on his adventure with little more than a ball cap and a grass skirt. Throughout the game's island world, which include tropical jungles, tepid swamps and cool caverns, our man Higgins happens upon various implements of stone-age destruction, like axes and, uh... skateboards. Some of the islands' giant eggs pack ferocious – but adorable – dinos who will let you hitch a ride until they take damage. Treat them well and you'll be riding through the eight islands in style.

Our Fondest Memories

As a major Wonder Boy fan, I naturally thought Adventure Island was some kind of rip-off. But after the Wonder Boy series went in the direction of RPG-lite, I was happy to have Master Higgins keeping the flame alive on his trusty skateboard. Only later did I learn the convoluted history of who made what, so Hudson, I owe you an apology for my playground rants about your integrity.

- Levi Buchanan, IGN Wireless & Retro Editor

Nintendo's little pink powerpuff got his start on the Game Boy with Kirby's Dream Land, but it wasn't until this late-generation NES sequel arrived that he gained his trademark trait – absorbing enemies' abilities as his own. Kirby's Adventure was an epic, beautifully colorful swansong for the NES that focused on that new power for its vacuum-suction hero, as Kirby sucked up his foes, swallowed them, and then found that he could wield their signature weapons and powers himself. From the blade-throwing Cutter to the hard-pounding Stone, the prickly-bodied Needle to the electrifying Spark nearly all of Kirby's classic transformations owe their origin to this late 1992 NES release. Because it came out on the NES after the SNES had already arrived, you may have missed out even if you were around and gaming on Nintendo systems 17 years ago, but Kirby's Adventure is one that can't be missed. Go back and grab it, either on cartridge or through the Wii's Virtual Console, and experience for yourself the defining console debut for one of the Big N's biggest mascots.

Our Fondest Memories

While friends moved on to Super NES, I made do with Kirby. The variety in power ups kept me endlessly entertained and I cherished every moment with the blaring microphone attack.

- Mark Ryan Sallee, IGN Game Help Editor-in-Chief

More than any other past gaming console, the NES was the birthplace of long-lived mascot characters. From Link and Samus Aran to Mega Man and Bowser, Nintendo's 8-bit machine was the debut platform for countless classic heroes and villains that are still active in the industry today. Maybe most surprising of all, though, is that the NES was also the first place Americans ever met Solid Snake. The NES's original adventure with Konami's cigarette-smoking, tough-as-nails commando, and the stealth action now most associated with PlayStation platforms was just as intense in the '80s as it is today. Snake parachuted into the jungle fortress of Outer Heaven with nothing but his courage and a pack of smokes, and skillfully avoided detection while sneaking through the enemy encampment to find and destroy the titular weapon of mass destruction – or, if sneaking didn't work, he beat the snot out of the soldiers in his way. Metal Gear created the stealth genre, paving the way for Metal Gear Solid to later revolutionize and refine it. It's an undeniable classic.

Our Fondest Memories

Completely unlike anything else at the time. I remember dying repeatedly, and an early example of blatant Engrish: "I feel asleep!!" In retrospect, it's nowhere near as good as the MSX original, but back then I didn't know better.

- Mark Ryan Sallee, IGN Game Help Editor-in-Chief

"Blades of Steel!" You have to go back and read that title again, a couple of times, and imagine it being spoken by a scratchy, synthesized 8-bit voice clip. Konami's classic NES hockey sim started out with exactly that, which was incredibly impressive for the time. Blades is notable for much more than being an early advancer of recorded voice-work in gaming, though, as its take on professional hockey was brutally realistic (in that it realistically presented the most brutal unofficial aspect of the game – fistfights). If you rammed into a player often enough in a round of Blades, he'd lose it, throw down his gloves and start pummeling the snot out of you right on the spot. When that happened, the gameplay actually switched away from the hockey design and into a one-on-one versus fighter while the two mad men slugged it out. Plus, the guy who lost the fight was the one sent to the penalty box, whether he started the brawl or not. You can't beat that.

Our Fondest Memories

I grew up in a hockey town, so I didn't know a single person who owned a NES system that didn't have a copy of this awesome sports game. My favorite design was the fighting system: the loser of the fight heads to the penalty box. Now why couldn't real NHL be like that?

- Craig Harris, IGN Nintendo Executive Editor

Taito's iconic dragon duo's first outing is also their best. The ever-flatulent Bub and Bob enter the Cave of Monsters in a blaze of bubble-blowing glory, trapping all manner of beasts in their sticky, spherical emissions. There are over a hundred single-screen levels to conquer in Bubble Bobble, clear all the enemies before you timer is up and you are safe to move on. While the first dozen or so screens will seem like a walk in the park, as you make your way deeper into the cave you'll encounter some puzzling situations. Using your own bubbles to bounce your way up to out of reach platforms takes some serious platforming skills. Bubble Bobble actually encourages you to bring a friend along on your journey – only with the cooperation of two talented players can you access the game's extra stages and alternate ending.

Our Fondest Memories

My earliest forays into the Cave of Monsters were rarely solo. Unlike other popular cooperative games like Contra, crowding the screen with blue and green bubbles was just as enjoyable with an experienced player as it was with a total novice – I believe we called them "posers" back in those pre-n00b times.

- Sam Claiborn, IGN Game Help Associate Editor

Several classic NES series seem to follow identical paths. Super Mario Bros. was a smash hit, and its American sequel was a completely different type of game. Konami's Castlevania was followed up by Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, a game that strayed entirely from its origins. And then there was Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, the follow-up to the smash hit The Legend of Zelda. Released in 1988, Zelda II proved to be an entirely different experience from the first and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Instead of a game that relied on epic, blind exploration and top-down dungeon-crawling action, Zelda II introduced a completely new idea for the series, and one that hasn't been revisited since. Link mainly navigated around an RPG-like world map, with action occurring sporadically in side-scrolling sequences. These sequences were parlayed into the game's labyrinthine dungeons as well. Zelda II's entire system suggested it was trying to be more of an RPG, and in many ways, it was a huge success. Debate ensues to this day surrounding Zelda II's place in The Legend of Zelda franchise as a whole, but most everyone agrees that Zelda II is a stellar standalone title.

Our Fondest Memories

Who's Link? I haven't been playing as Zelda all this time? I was too ADD / illiterate as a kid to ever get that Zelda was the princess in the first game. Something about Adventures of Link scared me–maybe the dark backgrounds in the forest stages, or the increased detail in the enemy designs. Or maybe it was just that I died so much. The game is brutal.

- Mark Ryan Sallee, IGN Game Help Editor-in-Chief

Built side-by-side with Metroid on the same engine and released at identical times, Kid Icarus is often the brother that's overshadowed. After all, with the exception of Pit's inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the last Kid Icarus game was released on Game Boy nearly two decades ago. Fusing action with platforming, and even some RPG elements, Kid Icarus is one of those key first party NES games that often finds itself ignored. In Kid Icarus, gamers take the role of Pit. Pit is a fledgling winged angel who is tasked with working his way out of the Underworld and to the Sky, where the evil Medusa has taken control. All the while, Pit must work his way through four unique worlds, each with multiple unique stages and an end fortress where Pit must navigate through a labyrinthine set of screens to reach the boss. Kid Icarus' extreme difficulty has turned off many a gamer in the past twenty years, but there's a lot to love as soon as you turn on the game. Just be careful writing down those passwords! One uppercase letter mistaken for a lowercase one, and your experience is over.

Our Fondest Memories

"Games are too easy now." I hear it all the time when talking to fellow gamers. More of them should go play Kid Icarus, one of the hardest games of the 8-bit generation. I bet 75-percent of them stop whining about regenerative health after getting their arrows taken away by an Eggplant Wizard for the eightieth time.

- Levi Buchanan, IGN Wireless & Retro Editor

Yes, Super Mario Bros. 2 is a repurposing of a non-Mario Japanese Famicom game called Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, but why hold that against it? The North American sequel to everyone's favorite game does not disappoint. SMB2 added the ability to pick up and toss enemies and objects, a move that became part of Mario's permanent repertoire. Other elements of Super Mario Bros. 2 have been assimilated into the greater Mario universe as well – Shy Guys, Birdo, Bob-ombs, POW blocks – making the game seem less like the oddball of the series it's been pegged as. No longer bound by primitive side-scrolling constraints, the levels of SMB2 can be freely explored, with secret areas, warps and more to discover. And this time Mario doesn't steal the spotlight. Toad, the Princess, and Luigi all offer unique qualities that make them viable protagonists. If you can stomach the Princess in all her pinkness, her levitation ability will get you over the game's widest gaps. Alternately, you can put Toad's speed to use in plucking coins for the game of chance at each level's end. SMB2 offers greater diversity in graphics and gameplay than the original, making it a great bridge game between the other NES Mario titles.

Our Fondest Memories

I played Super Mario Bros. 2 for the first time while in the hospital following open-heart surgery, so I have very personal feelings about the game. Setting those aside, though, SMB2 is a wonderful platformer that is wrongfully considered the black sheep of the canon. So what if it wasn't originally a Mario game? Have you played the Lost Levels? This game is infinitely more inventive than that.

- Levi Buchanan, IGN Wireless & Retro Editor

Tecmo's long dead and more recently revived series Ninja Gaiden got its start on the NES in 1989 with what's considered one of the best, most difficult action platformers ever. Main character Ryu Hayabusa wielded a katana with deadly precision, and he had a grouping of special weapons to use as well. In fact, Tecmo took a page from the book of another successful action-platformer of the day, Konami's Castlevania, and mimicked its special weapon system almost to a tee. What resulted was a crisp experience in NES gameplay that still stands up today. The current-day Ninja Gaidens have a reputation for being overly-difficult, but it was this NES original that initially set the trend. In addition to exceptionally hard feats of platforming, Ninja Gaiden's fast and furious action was made all the more difficult by its vast army of wily enemies. And talk about difficult – if you were unlucky enough to lose all of your lives in the game's final stages (which gamers did over and over and over again), you'd have quite the trek in front of you to get back to where you were to try all over again.

Our Fondest Memories

The classic Tecmo-created action game remains etched in my mind for a couple reasons. It featured actual cut-scenes in an era when such things were considered extraordinary. Everyone remembers the simple, but effective cinematic in which series hero Ryu Hayabusa stands atop a mountaintop and stares off into the distant landscape. Primitive by today's standards, sure, but I remember being blown away when I first set eyes on it. And then, of course, the difficulty – starts off easy enough, but advance through half a dozen areas and you find yourself in a fight for your very life. Funny that both of these defining characteristics have carried over through the years into modern day Gaiden sequels.

- Matt Casamassina, IGN Nintendo Editor-in-Chief

River City Ransom's excellent amalgamation of action, adventure, beat-em-up and RPG game elements has won it many vocal supporters, yet it seems destined to remain in the shadow of big name brawlers like Double Dragon. River City offered a city to explore filled with rival gangs more than happy to smash things over your head if you happen into their territory. Between territories are neutral zones, filled with shops that carry life-giving junk food and high-priced moves that become absolutely necessary as you progress. It's these adventure game elements that make River City Ransom the thinking man's beat-em-up. Of course, you don't have to hit the mean streets of River City alone. With a friend you can tag-team your opponents. As a bonus, your stunned partner can double as a bludgeoning tool.

Our Fondest Memories

For a time, I remembered an entire 33-character password for a maxxed out character in this game. It was like memorizing pi but the password was completely useless beyond this game.

- Stephen Ng, IGN Game Help Editor

If you've played and enjoyed ExciteTruck or ExciteBots: Trick Racing on your Wii, this is the original you have to thank for them. Excitebike was one of the 18 launch titles for the NES here in America, and distanced itself from the pack by offering truly addictive motocross gameplay. You sped through a scrolling track, weaving up and down into and out of four parallel lanes filled with obstacles, traps and humongous hills. You'd leap off the peaks in your path and go flying through the air, and have to adjust the angle of your descent in order to maintain your momentum and keep from crashing – and you'd also have to keep an eye on your engine's temperature gauge all the while, as overheating would cause lengthy cool-down delays that would likely keep you from claiming first place. Excitebike was also the first game to offer a user-created content feature, through its track editor – for a game that hit on October 18, 1985, that was way ahead of its time.

Our Fondest Memories

I can't tell you how many hours I left my NES on simply because I wanted to show off my created course to a bunch of my friends. For whatever reason, Nintendo didn't include a battery in the cartridge for the customizable track option, so if you turned off the system…poof! All that work, gone. What were they thinking?

- Craig Harris, IGN Nintendo Executive Editor

Perhaps the best example of the NES's capability at adapting and even improving on arcade games of its era, Contra offers the best shooting action on the NES and is also the console's definitive multiplayer experience. Contra deftly captures the spirit of the testosterone-fueled '80s summer blockbusters, with obvious nods to the Alien and Rambo series. Alternating both horizontal and vertical scrolling levels with cool 3D-imitating third-person view stages, Contra was designed with short attention spans in mind. Although the game offers a fairly decent challenge, the experience of kicking serious alien ass can be had by less talented players, thanks to the legendary Konami Code, which, in its most famous implementation, gives you 30 lives to burn through as you please. And if you somehow run out of those, you can always steal one from your unsuspecting partner. Any discussion of Contra wouldn't be complete without a nod to its iconic 8-bit soundtrack. After a few minutes with Contra's militant anthems you'll want to put your controller down and headbang along.

Our Fondest Memories

I'd always have the 30 man code active in the beginning, but eventually stopped using it as I got better over the years. Still, dying needlessly was satisfying. If you have 120 lives, killing yourself was fun.

- Stephen Ng, IGN Game Help Editor

One of the most successful RPGs on the NES, the first Final Fantasy improves on many aspects of Dragon Warrior, a game it very clearly attempts emulate. While not entirely innovative, Final Fantasy did make some interesting iterations on the RPG formula. Before even embarking on your quest you must choose your team of four characters. Each can be one of six diverse character classes, which dictates their role on the frontlines. A balanced team, for instance, may include two Fighters, a Black Mage to deal damage and a White Mage to heal. To make things interesting, at one point in your quest, your original classes undergo a change, making it advantageous to lug around a useless Thief just so you'll end up with a badass Ninja. Final Fantasy also offered new ways to navigate its sprawling overworld. While a clipper ship and canoe allow you to access new areas of the map, it's the airship that's worth holding out for. Cruising the skies unhampered by the copious random battles of surface travel is truly exhilarating.

Our Fondest Memories

I never was satisfied with the party I formed; so half way through the game, I'd start a new game with a completely different party. Eventually I did finish it – five years after the game was released.

- Stephen Ng, IGN Game Help Editor

It may strike some as strange that one of the NES's very greatest platformers dispenses with jumping – that essential component of Mario's repertoire – entirely. But Bionic Commando's Rad Spencer gets by just fine with the help of his bionic appendage. At first, Bionic Commando's emphasis on swinging seems counterintuitive and limiting, but at some point the smooth grappling action just clicks, you find yourself zipping around the stages in a blur of red and green pixels. Taking cues from open-ended adventure games like Metroid, you'll need to find certain weapons and equipment to progress in Bionic Commando, and that sometimes means returning to area you've previously visited to take care of unfinished business. A thinly-veiled plot about the resurrection of Adolf Hitler and an epic soundtrack go a long way towards making Bionic Commando a totally unique experience on the NES.

Our Fondest Memories

Every self-respecting gamer has fond memories of Bionic Commando, and most of the time those memories are of the first 12 minutes of the game or so. Over the years though Bionic Commando is a game I keep going back to, and it wasn't until I really realized the RPG-lite experience in there (trucks lead to 1Ups, kills equal strength and RPG-like leveling) that I was able to really dominate the game. Wow… 15+ years later and I can still find fun in this game? Add it to the list!

- Mark Bozon, IGN Nintendo Editor

Before Final Fantasy, there was Dragon Warrior. Known as Dragon Quest in Japan, Dragon Warrior was one of the NES's early smash hits that didn't come from Nintendo itself, even though it was released nearly three years after it saw the light of day on its native Japanese Famicom. RPGs were still an extremely niche genre at the time and Dragon Warrior was no guaranteed hit. However, word of mouth combined with a Nintendo Power promotion that sent copies of the game around the country allowed it to blow up. Dragon Warrior is an old-school grinding RPG that necessitated acute attention to leveling up, equipment management and smart planning. No sooner would an unprepared adventurer leave a town and cross a bridge into a new area than he would find himself smashed by an enemy much stronger than he. Because of that, there was no rushing around; Dragon Warrior was for patient gamers only. And woe is the gamer who forgot to hold down the Reset button when turning off his NES. The catastrophic data loss that resulted ruined many a gamers' month.

Our Fondest Memories

Watching my neighbors play the series endlessly as a child, my first independent go-around with Dragon Warrior was when I was in the 8th grade in 1997. I bought my own cart off of eBay and experienced the wonders of this influential grinding J-RPG without the help of my peers. And yes, it was awesome.

- Colin Moriarty, IGN Guides Associate Editor

Another epically popular franchise to this day, Nintendo's Metroid came to the United States in 1987 and immediately floored gamers not only with its slick presentation, interesting protagonist and open world, but from the fact that it was non-linear in nature. Developed on the same engine as Kid Icarus, and released around the same time, Metroid toned down the action-platforming found in Icarus and focused on exploration. And explore you did. Metroid proved to be one of the biggest and most daunting games early in the NES' lifecycle. Metroid was unique for so many reasons, among them the ability to explore at your own pace. All of the terrain was interconnected into one big map, an idea later expanded upon and matured by the SNES's Super Metroid. In fact, ideas in Metroid have been replicated time and time again, and its collection-based themes and upgrade-encouraged RPG motif can be found in a vast range of games since, from the PlayStation's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night to the more recent Xbox Live title, Shadow Complex.

Our Fondest Memories

I once spent three hours rolled into morphball while dropping meticulously timed bombs so that I might progress upward through a small crevice in the original Metroid. I had hoped there might be some special secret, which there wasn't. I obsessed over Metroid for months, explored every nook and cranny of the game world, bested Mother Brain in battle dozens of times and still couldn't get enough. I guess it's no wonder that Super Metroid and Metroid Prime remain my two favorite games of all time. I'm a lifelong Samus Aran groupie.

- Matt Casamassina, IGN Nintendo Editor-in-Chief

The unique Castlevania II was a popular game, but when it came time for Konami to begin working on Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, the developers felt it was best for the series to return to its action-platforming roots; a decision that proved to be the right one the day the game was released in the fall of 1990. Extending the gameplay to many times the length and difficulty of the original, Castlevania III allowed gamers to take the role of Trevor Belmont, Simon Belmont's ancestor, as well as the roles of three other playable characters that Trevor may meet during his quest. May meet, because Castlevania III allowed gamers multiple paths as they progressed through the game. Grant, Sypha and Alucard all made their first appearances in Dracula's Curse, but you might not ever necessarily meet them all. The paths you choose to take during the game will bring you to stages and events you might otherwise miss entirely. In this way, Castlevania III was like the original game on a considerable amount of steroids, with plenty of replay value to boot.

Our Fondest Memories

I remember getting this game like it was yesterday. My mom and one of my sisters were out all day, and when they came home, my mom had an NES box in her hand. Viewing it from afar, I was disappointed, thinking she bought Track and Field. When I got the box in my hand, however, it was Castlevania III. Thank god.

- Colin Moriarty, IGN Guides Associate Editor

Not only is it one of the very best and most iconic videogames ever conceived, but having shipped with the majority of NES consoles, Super Mario Bros. quickly became synonymous with the NES itself. For many, the NES was the machine that played Mario. The quintessential platformer, it's hard to imagine a video game industry today without Super Mario Bros. The sights and sounds of the mustachioed plumber busting through the brick and pipe-filled Mushroom kingdom are probably more recognizable than the American flag to several generations of US gamers. Although the game itself takes a good amount of skill to master, Super Mario Bros has a mysterious quality that makes it appealing to even the most inexperienced players. The game has been enjoyed by more players over the years than any other game on the NES, and its greatness can be experienced by anyone who picks up a control pad today.

Our Fondest Memories

I was playing the amazing Super Mario Bros. in a 7-eleven game room months before the NES was even announced in the US. So when I saw the commercials for the system air with footage from Super Mario Bros, I couldn't believe that it looked identical. Little did I know that Nintendo put the NES hardware in the arcade cabinet. Worked like a charm, I got arcade perfection at home!

- Craig Harris, IGN Nintendo Executive Editor

Few franchises in Nintendo's storied history are as famous as The Legend of Zelda. And back in 1987, the franchise started off with a bang with one of the most ambitious replica-gold-plated cartridges to ever grace the NES. What's funny about The Legend of Zelda's title was that the gamer played as a character named Link, who was in turn trying to save the famed princess named Zelda. But that didn't matter. Zelda was one of the biggest console games of the time, and that got gamers excited. Confusion aside, the game left players confounded with its intricate, wide-open design. Zelda was an action-adventure game with RPG elements, and in an age without the Internet, people were on their own about how to get through the game in one piece. Some people made maps. Others called Nintendo's own hotline for help or consulted a magazine. And some were fortunate enough to have friends who knew answers. But for the most part, early Zelda gamers had nothing but their own ingenuity to rely on. And rely on it they did, making The Legend of Zelda one of the NES' most famous games, part of a franchise that thrives to this day.

Our Fondest Memories

The NES classic is surrounded by so many standout features and moments that it's hard to decide on just one, from the collectable gold cart to its battery-powered save function. But I will always look upon Zelda fondly for sucking me into a gaming universe that sprawled in every direction in a seemingly non-linear fashion. I could whip through Super Mario Bros. in 10 minutes without losing a life, but progressing Link toward his final battle was an epic undertaking and one filled with surprises and satisfying rewards throughout.

- Matt Casamassina, IGN Nintendo Editor-in-Chief