Hey now everybody, hope you're having a great day, and welcome to my list of the Top 5 NES Games! The original Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, helped videogames become relevant again back in the early 80's, and with it's success came a plethora of fantastic games. I can remember playing so many of these titles as a kid, some of them very well known and still around today, some of them more obscure and not as well known anymore. Trying to choose my five favorites was not an easy task simply because there are so many great games that deserve recognition, but I was able to create a solid list of my personal best selections. I'm not including any Mario or Zelda games on this list as it's too obvious, and those titles are everyone's favorites so that's not very exciting. Keeping that in mind, let's get started.
#5 - DUCKTALES
Ducktales for the NES is one of the finest action platformers ever made. Originally released in 1989 the game was a big success and went on to be considered a classic of it's genre. You play as Scrooge McDuck as he travels around the world with the help of Launchpad and the four younger ducklings. You use Scrooge's cane to attack enemies and while jumping it can be used as a pogo stick, allowing him to bounce around the environment. While bouncing on his cane Scrooge can go over spikes and other hazardous areas without getting hurt, and it's useful for reaching high out of reach places that might contain secrets.
There are five levels to complete, The Amazon, The African Mines, The Himalaya's, Transylvania, and The Moon. You can select any stage right from the beginning and they can be finished in any order you like, but two of them have secrets that require a second playthrough to find everything. This game holds up great and is still a ton of fun to play today. It was remastered with new graphics back in 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. But more recently the original version was ported over to modern consoles in the Disney Afternoon Collection. This is such a great title that definitely deserves to be on the list, and if you haven't played it go check it out.
#4 - CONTRA
Contra is Konami's famous run and gun action game that became incredibly popular and spawned a bunch of sequels to follow the original. The first one is still my favorite and I often enjoy playing it today. Everything about it holds up very well, and even after all these years it manages to remain challenging. You can play it single player or have someone join in as the second commando as you blast your way through it's difficult levels trying to reach the end with only a handful of lives. You get a nice selection of different guns to use that you can find throughout the levels, and if you play well enough you can earn extra lives.
The game uses two methods of playing perspectives, the main one being the side-scrolling format, and the other is sort of a 3D view where you run up away from the screen. At the end of each level there's always some kind of huge alien boss to take down, and as a kid I loved seeing these strange creatures. This game also gained notoriety by having a secret code that you can input at the title screen that gives you 30 lives. I still remember it today, up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start. Without the code Contra can be tough, but it's still one of the classics and definitely one of my personal favorites.
#3 - MEGA MAN 2
The Mega Man franchise is beloved by so many people, and there have been over a dozen great games in the series over the years. My personal favorite one for the NES is Mega Man 2, and a lot of people consider this one to be the best one overall. Developed by Capcom and released in 1988 this game took the formula from the original and fine tuned it to make it even more excellent. This is a side-scrolling action platform game where you must choose from one of eight stages, complete the stage, and defeat the boss waiting for you at the end. Each of the eight bosses has a theme such as, Metal Man, Wood Man, Air Man, and Heat Man. The bosses are very difficult and will require you to memorize their patterns in order to defeat each one.
At the very start of the game you only possess one weapon, the basic arm blaster, which just shoots one small pellet at a time. When you manage to kill one of the bosses you acquire his unique weapon to add to your arm blaster. These different weapons can make certain levels and bosses much easier to get through, so knowing what order to complete the levels in will make the game a lot more enjoyable. You still need to have very good timing and reflexes to make it to the bosses and there's no doubt about it, this is a very difficult game to finish. Capcom has released two collections of Mega Man games that include all of the main numbered titles, so if you haven't tried this one out please give it a go.
#2 - NINJA GAIDEN
Ninja Gaiden was a game that I played all the time growing up, but I'm not sure if I ever beat it. The difficulty spikes up at a certain point requiring you to have lightning fast reflexes and a massive amount of patience, but it's still an incredible title that is loads of fun. Released by developer Techmo in 1989 Ninja Gaiden is a side-scrolling action platformer. You play as Ryu Hayabusa who's out to get revenge for the death of his Father, but soon ends up entangled in a plot to stop an evil entity from taking over the world.
You play through a series of levels taking you to various new locations with the enemies progressively becoming harder and harder. You need to use your sword and other items like throwing stars and fire balls to clear a path to the levels boss. The bosses are always a challenge and can easily take you down if you're not careful. While making your way through each level you need to time your jumps correctly and use your items wisely to overcome this extremely difficult game. Once you get near the end it really tests your skills and many people have probably never actually beat this, but it's one of the all time classics and definitely deserves it's place as number 2.
#1 - CASTLEVANIA 3 DRACULA'S CURSE
I have always loved the Castlevania series ever since I played the original as a kid, but part 3 took everything that was great about the first one and expanded upon it making it even better. Everything about this game just pulls me in and makes me want to keep going to see what happens next. The creepy atmosphere, the spooky locations, the undead enemies, and especially the soundtrack all blend together to create my favorite game for the NES. Released by Konami in 1990, Dracula's Curse is actually a prequel to the first game set a few hundred years in the past. It returns to the series platforming roots and gets rid of the role-playing elements from the second game.
You get the standard whip for your weapon and are able to find items that can be used as secondary weapons just like in the original, but unlike the original however, Castlevania 3 is not a linear game. There are multiple points throughout your journey where you are to choose from one of two paths. Depending on which path you take it can change the outcome of the ending. You can also choose from one of three companions to take with you and can actually switch over to control them by pressing select. Each companion has their own unique abilities that can be very useful for certain situations. These added elements give the game a lot of replay value, and it makes this one so special to me. I'm happy to put Castlevania 3 at my number one spot, and if you haven't played this one before definitely give it a try.
Thank you for checking out my Top 5 NES Games List, I hope you enjoyed it!
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nice post.thanks for shearing.nice game.
Thank you!