It's time to wrap up my all time favorite NES Classics List. It's been awhile since I posted Part 2 of my list, and ever since then, I have been deep in thought as to which games I should include onto this list, for there are so many NES games out there, I can't even count them. But I have finally narrowed it down to 10 games, games that aren't as good as the 20 games we had a look at before, but still classics that not only I enjoy, but many other people as well. The Nintendo Entertainment System is one of the greatest video game consoles ever made, so let's dive right in to the last part of my NES Classics List!
Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest
Yeh, sure, a lot of us think this game is vermin, especially the angriest of video game nerds (check out the Angry Video Game's review of this game), but Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest is still a great game, filled with prominent factors that would become more powerful in later Castlevania titles. The dark atmosphere, the haunting creatures and scenery,the blood pumping music, it's all there, and in my opinion, this game is just as challenging and tedious as both it's predecessor and it's successor. It was the first of the Castlevania franchise to have towns to visit and stores to buys valuable goods from, goods that would become useful in your hunt to once again defeat the Duke of Darkness, Dracula, who in this game, has a striking resemblance to the Grim Reaper, who is much more toned down and easier than his much harder counterpart in the first game. From my perspective, this is more or less The Legend of Zelda of the Castlevania game series and though it has very few bosses, for it requires a lot of problem solving and high skilled wizardry to progress from one level to the next. I still think it's a superb game, but it is far from the masterpieces of Castlevania 1 and 3 and is E.T. for the Atari 2600 compared to Super Castlevania IV.
Kirby's Adventure
I am going to tell you right now, I am not the biggest lunatic over the bubble gum what that is Kirby. Heck, I was very surprised when I began using him quite often in Super Smash Bros (gotta love when he stirs opponents in a pot). But Kirby's NES debut in Kirby's Adventure is just as humorous as it is fun. Kirby has abilities like no other video game character, abilities that would send Mario running for his money. He can fly, suck enemies into his mouth with his lengthy tongue, and spew flames of terror from his mouth, sending enemies flying into the deleterious depths of the unknown. I'd like to see Link or Mega Man try and pull that off! And who can forget that iconic opening animation of Kirby! HAL Laboratory really knows how to make this Jigglypuff of terror stand out! I also consider this game to be one of the most colorful and glamorous games for the NES with fully detailed backgrounds and characters with a variety of different characteristics. Overall, I consider this game to be where the Kirby series really took off. Sure, he made his debut in the Game Boy game, Kirby's Dream Land, but it was this NES pot of gold that really made the pink critter shine!
Batman: The Video Game
The 1989 Batman film still remains one of my all time favorite Tim Burton films, and with a great movie, comes a great game to take on the film's dark persona. This game is perhaps one of the best video games ever to capture the essence and esteem of a movie with it's dark and contemporary cut scenes and exotic layout, differentiating it from other video games based off movies, even games based off the Batman franchise. The controls are good and Batman has an uncanny punch to knock enemies into dust. He can jump from wall to wall, throw batarangs into the faces of sword wielding assassins and even take out men with flamethrowers. GOTTA LOVE GUYS WITH FLAMETHROWERS! I also think this game, like Ghosts N Goblins and Ninja Gaiden, is one of those games that will send one flying through the roof. It is a relentlessly difficult game that doesn't take crap and poor Batman can only take several hits until he bites the dust. But other than that, this is hands down the greatest adaption of a blockbuster movie on the NES. It's difficult, but difficult in a way where you want to continue playing to the very end. JOKER, PREPARE TO TASTE THE WRATH OF BATMAN'S FISTS!
Metal Gear
Call of Duty can go eat pie, this is where the pinnacle of military video games is at! Playing as the slick military officer Solid Snake, the player must get past several levels, eventually gaining excess to an onslaught of different weapons and guns. Like Contra, the player can use a gun to wipe out adversaries that stand in your way, and even though you are nearly invincible with your library of diverse devices, this game is still tricky tricky. Some parts of the game have you going around in circles and have you do a little puzzle solving, but other than that, it will make you want to come back for more. With a variety of attacks and tactics, you can easily progress and work your way to the next location, getting better and better at it each time. This is the game that is said to have started the whole military, army game genre and with many sequels, the Metal Gear series would expand prominently, Solid Snake even becoming an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros Brawl! But the original Metal Gear is a great game, and truly recommended to gamers who love shooters and warfare.
Adventure Island
Hudson Soft has hit a game out of the ballpark with this masterpiece that is Adventure Island. Traveling to the mysterious adventure island to save your girlfriend like in every other video game classic, the player takes control of Master Higgins as he uses the power of hammer throwing to knock out ghastly enemies like snails, birds, and snakes. When you crack several eggs, you can get a variety of power ups like invincibility fairies, skateboards, and a shooting abilities to blow enemies to smithereens. Although this game is quite self explanatory, Master Higgins is still quite vulnerable to falling upon enemies and falling to his miserable death at the bottom of pits. In several Indiana Jones like scenes, Higgins makes daring jumps over incoming boulders and even camp fires, because even the power of s'mores can bring Higgins to his knees. But along your journey, Higgins is required to retrieve a tree full of fruits and vegetables like apples, bananas and carrots. What a great game! Not only does it keep your child entertained for hours, but also motivates them to eat healthy foods! Just keep them away from Super Cookie Monster's Cookie Hunt 3-D! But Adventure Island is a great addition to your NES collection, and would set the bones for more sequels to come in the near future, like my personal favorite, Super Adventure Island for the SNES!
Battletoads
You take Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and blend them in with the essence of Michigan J. Frog and you got yourself power hungry amphibians that take out enemies in ways never thought of in video games. Battletoads is once again an extremely difficult game that you probably will add to your collection of shattered NES game cartridges, but if you think about it, it was a very unique game for it's time. The Battletoads, Rash, Zits and Pimple were capable of so many things, from growing horns and headbutting enemies into the next century, growing large fists to knock enemies through the floor, to putting on a supersized boot and giving enemies your main course of super kicks with a side of super kicks! Battletoads is also famous for it's glitches. In some levels of the game, the second player is caught in limbo and unable to move, and you only have 3 opportunities to continue after being defeated. Nevertheless, Battletoads is still challenging and innovative and a well rounded two player game for it's time. It has exciting levels with detailed backgrounds and challenge and characters with unforgettable traits and moves, further distinguishing them from other video game icons at the time. Heck, they even got their own action figure line and short lived TV show! And how awesome would if be if these guys actually did go up against the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! It would surely be the fight of the century!
Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight
HADOUKEN! Nah, just kidding, in fact this game has nothing to due with the Capcom fighters we are all familiar with. Although the character's name is Ken, the game strays far from the action packed game series that defined the fighting game genre, taking place in the future as the character of Ken has enhanced his body with robotic implants, allowing his to shoot blasts and jump from platform to platform. Instead of enemies like M.Bison and Sagat, we go up against enemies called Targets, villainous creatures like giant winged scorpions and giant cyborgs. But Street Fighter 2010 is still as entertaining as a clown, and in my opinion is very underrated, underrated to the point that it isn't even referred to by many Street Fighter or Final Fight fanatics. The controls are quite fluent, and Ken can easily get from one obstacle to another, easily able to shoot blasts vertically and horizontally. Although several obstacles can drive one brutally mad, it has a charm that no other video game was capable of. It had a very complex story for a video game and it was one of the very first games, along with Metroid to tackle the future and science fiction in an 8-bit cartridge. If you are a Street Fighter fan, I say check it out if you are interested, but don't expect to be throwing tiger uppercuts at your enemies, but just imagine how awesome that would be, or if you could even use Blanka's electro attack to burn enemies to a pulp! That would be amazing!
Double Dragon
What we have here my friends is the pivotal masterpiece in video game beat em ups. Based upon the arcade game of the same name, the NES classic differs greatly from it's arcade counterpart, the two player option alternated substantially and the character of Jimmy Lee made the antagonist of the game. Still, Double Dragon is still a sweet treat, and a must play for all those who are into other beat em up classics like Final Fight and Streets of Rage. Like most of those games, Double Dragon allows you to use a variety of different marital arts techniques to beat the living tar out of enemies, and like most platforming games at the time, you are often required to do a bit of leaping from platform to platform and avoiding traps. However, this is one of those games where you get better and better overtime as you gain experience points and achieve seven skill levels throughout the game. I really enjoy this game, although the arcade game is probably far superior, but it is by far the best game out of the NES series and much better than the dull, underwhelming sequel that would come after. BIMMY AND JIMMY! huh
Mike Tyson's Punch Out
Rocky, eat your heart out, because Mike Tyson's Punch Out is by far one of the greatest video games ever to tackle the sport of boxing. Based upon the 1984 arcade game by Nintendo, Mike Tyson's Punch Out puts the player in the shoes of a teeny weeny shrimpy named Little Mac, who is on the verge to becoming a skilled boxer, leading to his final confrontation with Mike Tyson himself, the then world heavyweight champion. It's a wonderful game of it's time with many great boxers for Mac to go up against, such as Bald Bull Don Flamenco, Glass Joe, and a weird boxer named King Hippo. Even Miyamoto's greatest creation, Mario makes an appearance as the game's referee. But Punch Out stands out for it's control. With many uncanny punching abilities, Little Mac can get more and more powerful each time, knocking out opponent after opponent and finally taking out the big man himself, Mike Tyson. The game would follow in many sequels, from Super Punch Out to Punch Out for the Wii Virtual Console, Punch Out has even been to outer space, Little Mac going against the Borg. Resistance is Futile! But no matter, Punch Out is a great game for any die-hard NES gamer and collector. It surely is one of my favorites, though I'm not at all fond of sports games.
And the next best NES Classic is.....
Duck Hunt
How could I exclude this game! Honestly. The ducks, the dog, the music, this is my all time favorite first person shooter game ever! As I would not hunt animals in real life, I could do it in a virtual world where no real ducks would be harmed in the process, and my fellow dog buddy, who ignorantly chuckles at me when I miss shooting a duck, would retrieve the fallen ducks for me. Duck Hunt was one of the many great NES launch titles, and was even released as a free game with the NES console along with Super Mario Bros. And who doesn't love two games in one, huh? But what makes Duck Hunt stick out like a sore thumb for me the most is just how simple and linear it really is. Everything looks the same throughout the entire game and none of the music really changes, but that makes it all the more abstract and charming. It's simplicity really makes it stand out. I enjoy playing this game, although I certainly don't consider myself a hunter and would certainly not harm a duck or any animal in real life, but if you are in the mood for shooting some pixelated ducks, look no further than Duck Hunt, for it is surely one of the many games that got the NES to it's prominent status today. Now if only you got to feast on some virtual peking duck!
These video games are certainly extraordinary and if you are a true gamer, you will not hesitate one bit in trying these games out. They will keep you entertained for hours as they did to me, not just these games, but all 30 games in general. The remain to this day some of my all time favorite video games, and I would certainly take these games over some of the games that are out there today. They are primitive and edgy, but still loads of fun, and the 8-bit retro appeal just adds to the whole experience.
Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest
Yeh, sure, a lot of us think this game is vermin, especially the angriest of video game nerds (check out the Angry Video Game's review of this game), but Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest is still a great game, filled with prominent factors that would become more powerful in later Castlevania titles. The dark atmosphere, the haunting creatures and scenery,the blood pumping music, it's all there, and in my opinion, this game is just as challenging and tedious as both it's predecessor and it's successor. It was the first of the Castlevania franchise to have towns to visit and stores to buys valuable goods from, goods that would become useful in your hunt to once again defeat the Duke of Darkness, Dracula, who in this game, has a striking resemblance to the Grim Reaper, who is much more toned down and easier than his much harder counterpart in the first game. From my perspective, this is more or less The Legend of Zelda of the Castlevania game series and though it has very few bosses, for it requires a lot of problem solving and high skilled wizardry to progress from one level to the next. I still think it's a superb game, but it is far from the masterpieces of Castlevania 1 and 3 and is E.T. for the Atari 2600 compared to Super Castlevania IV.
Kirby's Adventure
I am going to tell you right now, I am not the biggest lunatic over the bubble gum what that is Kirby. Heck, I was very surprised when I began using him quite often in Super Smash Bros (gotta love when he stirs opponents in a pot). But Kirby's NES debut in Kirby's Adventure is just as humorous as it is fun. Kirby has abilities like no other video game character, abilities that would send Mario running for his money. He can fly, suck enemies into his mouth with his lengthy tongue, and spew flames of terror from his mouth, sending enemies flying into the deleterious depths of the unknown. I'd like to see Link or Mega Man try and pull that off! And who can forget that iconic opening animation of Kirby! HAL Laboratory really knows how to make this Jigglypuff of terror stand out! I also consider this game to be one of the most colorful and glamorous games for the NES with fully detailed backgrounds and characters with a variety of different characteristics. Overall, I consider this game to be where the Kirby series really took off. Sure, he made his debut in the Game Boy game, Kirby's Dream Land, but it was this NES pot of gold that really made the pink critter shine!
Batman: The Video Game
The 1989 Batman film still remains one of my all time favorite Tim Burton films, and with a great movie, comes a great game to take on the film's dark persona. This game is perhaps one of the best video games ever to capture the essence and esteem of a movie with it's dark and contemporary cut scenes and exotic layout, differentiating it from other video games based off movies, even games based off the Batman franchise. The controls are good and Batman has an uncanny punch to knock enemies into dust. He can jump from wall to wall, throw batarangs into the faces of sword wielding assassins and even take out men with flamethrowers. GOTTA LOVE GUYS WITH FLAMETHROWERS! I also think this game, like Ghosts N Goblins and Ninja Gaiden, is one of those games that will send one flying through the roof. It is a relentlessly difficult game that doesn't take crap and poor Batman can only take several hits until he bites the dust. But other than that, this is hands down the greatest adaption of a blockbuster movie on the NES. It's difficult, but difficult in a way where you want to continue playing to the very end. JOKER, PREPARE TO TASTE THE WRATH OF BATMAN'S FISTS!
Metal Gear
Call of Duty can go eat pie, this is where the pinnacle of military video games is at! Playing as the slick military officer Solid Snake, the player must get past several levels, eventually gaining excess to an onslaught of different weapons and guns. Like Contra, the player can use a gun to wipe out adversaries that stand in your way, and even though you are nearly invincible with your library of diverse devices, this game is still tricky tricky. Some parts of the game have you going around in circles and have you do a little puzzle solving, but other than that, it will make you want to come back for more. With a variety of attacks and tactics, you can easily progress and work your way to the next location, getting better and better at it each time. This is the game that is said to have started the whole military, army game genre and with many sequels, the Metal Gear series would expand prominently, Solid Snake even becoming an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros Brawl! But the original Metal Gear is a great game, and truly recommended to gamers who love shooters and warfare.
Adventure Island
Hudson Soft has hit a game out of the ballpark with this masterpiece that is Adventure Island. Traveling to the mysterious adventure island to save your girlfriend like in every other video game classic, the player takes control of Master Higgins as he uses the power of hammer throwing to knock out ghastly enemies like snails, birds, and snakes. When you crack several eggs, you can get a variety of power ups like invincibility fairies, skateboards, and a shooting abilities to blow enemies to smithereens. Although this game is quite self explanatory, Master Higgins is still quite vulnerable to falling upon enemies and falling to his miserable death at the bottom of pits. In several Indiana Jones like scenes, Higgins makes daring jumps over incoming boulders and even camp fires, because even the power of s'mores can bring Higgins to his knees. But along your journey, Higgins is required to retrieve a tree full of fruits and vegetables like apples, bananas and carrots. What a great game! Not only does it keep your child entertained for hours, but also motivates them to eat healthy foods! Just keep them away from Super Cookie Monster's Cookie Hunt 3-D! But Adventure Island is a great addition to your NES collection, and would set the bones for more sequels to come in the near future, like my personal favorite, Super Adventure Island for the SNES!
Battletoads
You take Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and blend them in with the essence of Michigan J. Frog and you got yourself power hungry amphibians that take out enemies in ways never thought of in video games. Battletoads is once again an extremely difficult game that you probably will add to your collection of shattered NES game cartridges, but if you think about it, it was a very unique game for it's time. The Battletoads, Rash, Zits and Pimple were capable of so many things, from growing horns and headbutting enemies into the next century, growing large fists to knock enemies through the floor, to putting on a supersized boot and giving enemies your main course of super kicks with a side of super kicks! Battletoads is also famous for it's glitches. In some levels of the game, the second player is caught in limbo and unable to move, and you only have 3 opportunities to continue after being defeated. Nevertheless, Battletoads is still challenging and innovative and a well rounded two player game for it's time. It has exciting levels with detailed backgrounds and challenge and characters with unforgettable traits and moves, further distinguishing them from other video game icons at the time. Heck, they even got their own action figure line and short lived TV show! And how awesome would if be if these guys actually did go up against the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! It would surely be the fight of the century!
Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight
HADOUKEN! Nah, just kidding, in fact this game has nothing to due with the Capcom fighters we are all familiar with. Although the character's name is Ken, the game strays far from the action packed game series that defined the fighting game genre, taking place in the future as the character of Ken has enhanced his body with robotic implants, allowing his to shoot blasts and jump from platform to platform. Instead of enemies like M.Bison and Sagat, we go up against enemies called Targets, villainous creatures like giant winged scorpions and giant cyborgs. But Street Fighter 2010 is still as entertaining as a clown, and in my opinion is very underrated, underrated to the point that it isn't even referred to by many Street Fighter or Final Fight fanatics. The controls are quite fluent, and Ken can easily get from one obstacle to another, easily able to shoot blasts vertically and horizontally. Although several obstacles can drive one brutally mad, it has a charm that no other video game was capable of. It had a very complex story for a video game and it was one of the very first games, along with Metroid to tackle the future and science fiction in an 8-bit cartridge. If you are a Street Fighter fan, I say check it out if you are interested, but don't expect to be throwing tiger uppercuts at your enemies, but just imagine how awesome that would be, or if you could even use Blanka's electro attack to burn enemies to a pulp! That would be amazing!
Double Dragon
What we have here my friends is the pivotal masterpiece in video game beat em ups. Based upon the arcade game of the same name, the NES classic differs greatly from it's arcade counterpart, the two player option alternated substantially and the character of Jimmy Lee made the antagonist of the game. Still, Double Dragon is still a sweet treat, and a must play for all those who are into other beat em up classics like Final Fight and Streets of Rage. Like most of those games, Double Dragon allows you to use a variety of different marital arts techniques to beat the living tar out of enemies, and like most platforming games at the time, you are often required to do a bit of leaping from platform to platform and avoiding traps. However, this is one of those games where you get better and better overtime as you gain experience points and achieve seven skill levels throughout the game. I really enjoy this game, although the arcade game is probably far superior, but it is by far the best game out of the NES series and much better than the dull, underwhelming sequel that would come after. BIMMY AND JIMMY! huh
Mike Tyson's Punch Out
Rocky, eat your heart out, because Mike Tyson's Punch Out is by far one of the greatest video games ever to tackle the sport of boxing. Based upon the 1984 arcade game by Nintendo, Mike Tyson's Punch Out puts the player in the shoes of a teeny weeny shrimpy named Little Mac, who is on the verge to becoming a skilled boxer, leading to his final confrontation with Mike Tyson himself, the then world heavyweight champion. It's a wonderful game of it's time with many great boxers for Mac to go up against, such as Bald Bull Don Flamenco, Glass Joe, and a weird boxer named King Hippo. Even Miyamoto's greatest creation, Mario makes an appearance as the game's referee. But Punch Out stands out for it's control. With many uncanny punching abilities, Little Mac can get more and more powerful each time, knocking out opponent after opponent and finally taking out the big man himself, Mike Tyson. The game would follow in many sequels, from Super Punch Out to Punch Out for the Wii Virtual Console, Punch Out has even been to outer space, Little Mac going against the Borg. Resistance is Futile! But no matter, Punch Out is a great game for any die-hard NES gamer and collector. It surely is one of my favorites, though I'm not at all fond of sports games.
And the next best NES Classic is.....
Duck Hunt
How could I exclude this game! Honestly. The ducks, the dog, the music, this is my all time favorite first person shooter game ever! As I would not hunt animals in real life, I could do it in a virtual world where no real ducks would be harmed in the process, and my fellow dog buddy, who ignorantly chuckles at me when I miss shooting a duck, would retrieve the fallen ducks for me. Duck Hunt was one of the many great NES launch titles, and was even released as a free game with the NES console along with Super Mario Bros. And who doesn't love two games in one, huh? But what makes Duck Hunt stick out like a sore thumb for me the most is just how simple and linear it really is. Everything looks the same throughout the entire game and none of the music really changes, but that makes it all the more abstract and charming. It's simplicity really makes it stand out. I enjoy playing this game, although I certainly don't consider myself a hunter and would certainly not harm a duck or any animal in real life, but if you are in the mood for shooting some pixelated ducks, look no further than Duck Hunt, for it is surely one of the many games that got the NES to it's prominent status today. Now if only you got to feast on some virtual peking duck!
These video games are certainly extraordinary and if you are a true gamer, you will not hesitate one bit in trying these games out. They will keep you entertained for hours as they did to me, not just these games, but all 30 games in general. The remain to this day some of my all time favorite video games, and I would certainly take these games over some of the games that are out there today. They are primitive and edgy, but still loads of fun, and the 8-bit retro appeal just adds to the whole experience.
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