10 Games I loved For My NES
First off I want to introduce you to the series of features I am about to start upon and that would be the "10 Games I Loved" series, and they will be a collection of games that defined the console for me personally and may not be the ones considered by many as the best games on that system but will be remembered by me as games that I got a lot out of and personally would probably still play again today.
I will have to admit straight away that my actual experience with the NES was far shorter than most in my very early days of my gaming and probably limited my choice of games I did play because in Europe at the time even though the NES was popular Sega had much more success mainly due to the higher price of NES games over Master System ones so I was a late adopter to the system although I did have the pleasure of playing some games though friends and was hook from the minute I played my first Mario game.
10. Isolated Warrior
This may be the oddest entry out of any you are likely to see in this whole series of features, but it was a game I had purchased for me and one I strangely loved playing. A game that is best described as an isometric scrolling shooter with platform elements its actually a unique combination that holds up pretty well for me. While the game is not the best looking around it does have a dark art style that seems to help it out and some of the enemies are very vivid and certainly easy to make out what they are, which is helped by the isometric view, there are also some very large en of level bosses which take up the majority of the screen.
While the game was never great it offered me many hours of shooting action, and really introduced me to the scrolling shooter genre on a whole.
While the game was never great it offered me many hours of shooting action, and really introduced me to the scrolling shooter genre on a whole.
9. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
One thing that Nintendo is now known for is usually at least one or two games in one of their biggest game series' often don't follow the way the series started or later evolve and continue the same formula through out. Zelda II is that one for the series and while not perfect it does offer a different take on the series and mixes action adventure from a side scrolling perspective mixed with a more tradition RPG level up system. Many NES games liked to try something new and Zelda II is no different and sticking with it adds far more depth than the original had as it includes far more story than was possible in the first.
The game is probably one of the toughest in the series but that is also down to the combat system not being as good as other games in the series.
The game is probably one of the toughest in the series but that is also down to the combat system not being as good as other games in the series.
8. Wario's Woods
It was the last Nintendo game released for the NES and was a damn good one two and much like any good puzzle game it is simple and addictive, but at the same time can get very challenging when the speed of things picks up.
Much like any good puzzle game it was simple to just pick up and play, and that's what made it so good, because once you get sucked in hour can go by and they certainly did for me.
Much like any good puzzle game it was simple to just pick up and play, and that's what made it so good, because once you get sucked in hour can go by and they certainly did for me.
7. Castlevania
Every one loves vampires right? Well if you say you don't you are lying.
Everyone loves battle through darkly lit castles against skeletons and bats right? Well clearly or else how would we learn to survive such things?
Everyone loves using whips right? Well on second thought keep that answer to yourself.....
Everyone loves being frustrated to death by games right? Well some times but CastleVania will have anyone frustrated and fast with how hard it is to do the simplest of jumps some times.
Despite any thing you can say bad about Castlevania it was that frustration that kept me coming back because when you finally did something it felt great, well only to be killed a few seconds latter by something equally as frustrating.
Everyone loves battle through darkly lit castles against skeletons and bats right? Well clearly or else how would we learn to survive such things?
Everyone loves using whips right? Well on second thought keep that answer to yourself.....
Everyone loves being frustrated to death by games right? Well some times but CastleVania will have anyone frustrated and fast with how hard it is to do the simplest of jumps some times.
Despite any thing you can say bad about Castlevania it was that frustration that kept me coming back because when you finally did something it felt great, well only to be killed a few seconds latter by something equally as frustrating.
6. Super Mario Bros. 2
Many people consider Super Mario Bros. 2 to be the worst Mario platform game in the series, i would say it's close between that and Super Mario Land on the Gameboy, but just because it's the worst in the series doesn't mean it's a bad game just the standards are high through out the series, you could also debate it's not really a Mario game blah blah blah blah blah.
What it does better that most platform games of the time is have a better sense of exploration rather than just go from left to right all the time, and that exploration is part of what kept me coming back to try and find more and more each time.
What it does better that most platform games of the time is have a better sense of exploration rather than just go from left to right all the time, and that exploration is part of what kept me coming back to try and find more and more each time.
5. Metroid
Much like Castlevania the first Metroid was very difficult and at times frustrating at places but not due to difficult or poor design, more because much like the first Zelda and Mario games from Nintendo it is very unrefined but you can easily see where the series has it's roots.
Much in a similar way to The Legend of Zelda, Metroid had a very open ended and large world to explore which gave the game a really great sense of scale and size, and that exploring kept me really coming back for more, and the fact that you had to get more powerful upgrades to be able to access later parts of the game meant each one you got meant going back and exploring the places you have been so it made me want to explore every part I could.
Much in a similar way to The Legend of Zelda, Metroid had a very open ended and large world to explore which gave the game a really great sense of scale and size, and that exploring kept me really coming back for more, and the fact that you had to get more powerful upgrades to be able to access later parts of the game meant each one you got meant going back and exploring the places you have been so it made me want to explore every part I could.
4. Super Mario Bros.
Much like the vast majority of people my age the was one game that really helped my fall in love with all things Nintendo and that was of course Super Mario Bros. and with out this game my love of Nintendo may not exist today. From the moment I played it I was hooked and the way the game played both simple to control with a good challenged got me coming back for more even after I had beat the game.
I can't say much more than that really I loved it because it was my first glimpse into my future love affair with Nintendo that still goes on to this day.
I can't say much more than that really I loved it because it was my first glimpse into my future love affair with Nintendo that still goes on to this day.
3. The Legend of Zelda
While Super Mario Bros. made me fall in love with all things Nintendo The Legend of Zelda made me fall in love with big style adventure games with plenty to see and explore, and with the Zelda series in general as the ground work for all future games started here.
Unlike any other game of the time there was no actual set path and you were free to explore the game as you wished and make your own path through the game that free roaming mixed with the huge amount of secrets there were to find in the game, made playing it a joy and playing it again to try and find every last secret more of a joy.
It may have no real story but the adventure itself is more than a story on its own and is different for each person who plays it due to being so non linear, and this game really does lay the groundwork for every Zelda game that really followed.
Unlike any other game of the time there was no actual set path and you were free to explore the game as you wished and make your own path through the game that free roaming mixed with the huge amount of secrets there were to find in the game, made playing it a joy and playing it again to try and find every last secret more of a joy.
It may have no real story but the adventure itself is more than a story on its own and is different for each person who plays it due to being so non linear, and this game really does lay the groundwork for every Zelda game that really followed.
2. Mega Man 2
This was the first NES game that I ever played that never had Mario in it and to be honest it is also considered to be one of the best NES games ever and I can't say I can disagree at all, great graphics, great level design, great music, great well just pretty much great everything showing that it wasn't just Nintendo that could making amazing games for the NES.
Part of the challenge of this game was working out the best way to beat each level, and in what order as certain levels became easier once you got the end of level bosses powers to use in the rest of the levels.
One of the main reason I guess I loved it so much was how diverse some of the levels and enemies were and just how different it was to the Mario game while having a similar high quality.
Part of the challenge of this game was working out the best way to beat each level, and in what order as certain levels became easier once you got the end of level bosses powers to use in the rest of the levels.
One of the main reason I guess I loved it so much was how diverse some of the levels and enemies were and just how different it was to the Mario game while having a similar high quality.
1. Super Mario Bros. 3
Well what can be really said about this one as it ranks pretty much as everyone's number one NES game, and rightfully so as it take everything that makes the original just so great and makes it better in every last way possible.
One of the things that made the whole game so magical to me was just how good it looked and well it played and that no matter how many times I went back it never got old, and really to this days is the perfect example of how to make a great game that doesn't age too quickly.
I really can't say how much I loved this game and the time and still do, you will be hard pushed to find a better game on any 8-bit system.
One of the things that made the whole game so magical to me was just how good it looked and well it played and that no matter how many times I went back it never got old, and really to this days is the perfect example of how to make a great game that doesn't age too quickly.
I really can't say how much I loved this game and the time and still do, you will be hard pushed to find a better game on any 8-bit system.
Well there you have it ten of the games that really sucked up most of my time on the NES and yes I know there are many games that are not on that list that are considered great, but I was young and was very late getting a NES so really my overall choice and taste was limited, but those I did play I had a blast and since then I have also started playing more NES games though Nintendo's Virtual Console on the Wii and I can really appreciate the ground work that was laid for many of my favourite game series over the years, and not just from Nintendo but the like of Capcom, Konami and Squaresoft.
I hope you can see this for what it is and that is my personal love for all these consoles and games, much like the website itself and not what i consider to be the top ten games for this system which it does not represent that.
I hope you can see this for what it is and that is my personal love for all these consoles and games, much like the website itself and not what i consider to be the top ten games for this system which it does not represent that.