NES Games that Stood the Test of Time

[avatar! | 1,820]

Which NES games are still fun to play today AND WHY?

I'll start - I recently played this

It's actually more fun than I remember! First off, nice graphics! great sound, simple play-control. The puzzles can be quite the challenge, and even though at the time (1989) this was marketed for kids, basically like all NES games, it most definitely is not for young kids. I would say it really is appropriate for "young adults" since again, the puzzles can be very frustrating for young kids. Having not played this for a long time, I can honestly say this is a game that has aged perfectly. Truly makes you feel like you're back in the golden age of NES games!

[RH | 4,924]

Being objective I think the best games to stand the general test of time are going to either be puzzles or solid arcade ports of really classic games.  Games like Tetris, Pac-Man and Galahad come to mind.

I still need to get a copy of Arkanoid and a VOSS controller but I’m pretty sure that one holds up well with a paddle too.

 

[CMR | 521]

Honestly I can't think of a NES game that I used to like that I no longer like.  If anything, it's the opposite.  I'm finding more and more games that I do like and/or enjoy more as I get older.  For example I was really digging Defender II today.

[avatar! | 1,820]

I was going to say, another game which is easily as fun today as when you first played it is

I never played the Tengen version - is that any good? As @RH noted, puzzle games tend to hold-up well. There are of course numerous other non-puzzle games that are still super. Another game I think has held up well is

Play control is quite solid. Random encounters are a pain - this is one negative, but it's got a unique level-up system. Graphics are of course top-notch, and the music is phenomenal. It has much more guidance than the original Zelda, and I think that's one reason it's still very fun. The original Zelda is one of the most important games of all time, but along with Metroid, it has not held up all that well. I recently played the original Zelda, and it's fun for a little bit - especially nostalgia wise, but it gets old. Puzzles are simplistic and repeat themselves. All you really do is go around burning bushes, getting money, randomly search for a dungeon, and repeat. Zelda II on the other hand really felt like a much more vast and developed RPG with people to interact, magic to learn, secrets to find, and unique and challenging bosses.  

[Tulpa | 3,519]

13 minutes ago, avatar! said:

I never played the Tengen version - is that any good?

It's all right. Advantages are the two player co-op and head to head modes, and the mystique around it being the first Tetris on NES and the whole Tengen/Nintendo spat over it. As a Tetris game, it's one of the more mediocre ones.

There's a skill ceiling to it that's far below the Nintendo published one, where top players can easily make it child's play. If you don't play much Tetris, though, it's still a fair challenge.

The graphics and music on this aren't as iconic IMO, but some might like them. The tetrominos gray out when they set on the bottom, and I don't like that.

[Tulpa | 3,519]

My choice. Batman.

Pros:

1. It's Batman

2. You play as Batman, going around punching things as Batman.

Cons:

THERE ARE NO CONS, IT'S MOTHERFUCKING BATMAN!

[Sumez | 2,969]

Might as well ask what are the best NES games

[Gulag Joe | 584]

Tecmo Super Bowl is the best football game ever made and I still play modified versions to this very day

[RH | 4,924]

14 hours ago, Tulpa said:

My choice. Batman.

Pros:

1. It's Batman

2. You play as Batman, going around punching things as Batman.

Cons:

THERE ARE NO CONS, IT'S MOTHERFUCKING BATMAN!

Um, YESSSSS!

[a3quit4s | 4,107]

I’m not sure why but when I read this High Speed came to mind. I think it’s better than Pin-Bot and in the absence of a real pinball machine it’s fun to play. 
 

[avatar! | 1,820]

13 hours ago, Sumez said:

Might as well ask what are the best NES games

Yeah, there's certainly lots of overlap

But, not quite the same thing. I think we can all agree the original Zelda is one of the best NES games and one of the most important video games of all time. Still, I do not think it held up very well, whereas Zelda II has.

[avatar! | 1,820]

58 minutes ago, a3quit4s said:

I’m not sure why but when I read this High Speed came to mind. I think it’s better than Pin-Bot and in the absence of a real pinball machine it’s fun to play. 
 

Cool! I never played that. I will give Pinball Quest a good play at some point and will see how that held up.

[Tanooki | 4,940]

I barely can tolerate High Speed and Pinbot on NES because of the really dumb choice of adding moving around table monsters that don't exist on the real hardware.   It ruins the flow of the game and puts in some garbage that causes more issues than fun.  I'd go with the other pinball sims/rpgs on the system unless that really wont' bother you.

[Tulpa | 3,519]

In terms of NES pinball, I really like Rock 'N Ball. Lots of different options to keep it interesting.

[Sumez | 2,969]

8 hours ago, avatar! said:

But, not quite the same thing. I think we can all agree the original Zelda is one of the best NES games and one of the most important video games of all time. Still, I do not think it held up very well, whereas Zelda II has.

I actually have a hard time understanding this, but I'd love to hear the reasoning behind it
If you think a game is one of the best games on the platform, wouldn't that mean it's hold up exceptionally well, unless you think the platform as a whole didn't?

I personally don't think Zelda 1 holds up that well either. It's a fun game, but I also don't think it's near the top NES games

Edited May 9, 2022 by Sumez

[avatar! | 1,820]

12 hours ago, Sumez said:

I actually have a hard time understanding this, but I'd love to hear the reasoning behind it
If you think a game is one of the best games on the platform, wouldn't that mean it's hold up exceptionally well, unless you think the platform as a whole didn't?

I personally don't think Zelda 1 holds up that well either. It's a fun game, but I also don't think it's near the top NES games

Games, like say TV shows, are a product of their time. The original Zelda was unique and ground-breaking. However, today it really shows its age and it's just not that fun to play. Zelda II still holds up incredibly well. While it too is a product of its time, it has enough going for it that even with today's sensibilities it's very enjoyable.

[fox | 1,668]

3 hours ago, avatar! said:

While it too is a product of its time, it has enough going for it that even with today's sensibilities it's very enjoyable.

TikTok says Z2 is the Dark Souls of the franchise!

[Tanooki | 4,940]

Yeah I don't really see where Zelda II holds up better, it's as fox said, kind of a dark souls of the era, but even more creaky, cheap, and unforgiving with long aggravating stretches if (hah...when) you die.  Zelda may be a bit more confusing, but it's not obtuse and infuriating, nor is the difficulty up there with the worst of the worst.  Yes a couple dungeons are pure BS to find without a magazine or the internet, but around that the exploration isn't that hard nor is the map all that big either.

[DarkTone | 986]

On 5/8/2022 at 9:41 PM, avatar! said:

Yeah, there's certainly lots of overlap

But, not quite the same thing. I think we can all agree the original Zelda is one of the best NES games and one of the most important video games of all time. Still, I do not think it held up very well, whereas Zelda II has.

I've never played zelda II. What makes it still fun to play? 

[avatar! | 1,820]

On 5/10/2022 at 2:17 AM, DarkTone said:

I've never played zelda II. What makes it still fun to play? 

The music is wonderful, and for me, music is more important than visuals. That said, for an NES game, the visuals are gorgeous! Play control is surprisingly tight. It has a great epic feel, where you can explore around but you never get lost. The level-up system is unique and interesting, and it's fun to use various magics. I read that some people absolutely hate the last dungeon (Great Palace) but even as a kid, I remember how epic it felt. Also, the last two bosses in Zelda II are unique - I won't say more than that

[portabello | 99]

Really subjective…
In general…Zelda/Tetris/SMB

Personally…Baseball Stars/Sqoon/Kirby

[avatar! | 1,820]

7 hours ago, portabello said:

Really subjective…
In general…Zelda/Tetris/SMB

Personally…Baseball Stars/Sqoon/Kirby

Of course it's subjective, but it's fun to discuss   Also, please do NOT just list games as you did, please explain WHY you think the games are still fun to play.

[portabello | 99]

On 5/29/2022 at 6:13 PM, avatar! said:

Of course it's subjective, but it's fun to discuss   Also, please do NOT just list games as you did, please explain WHY you think the games are still fun to play.

Well if you must know… Bball stars is still a silly fun 2 player, Sqoon is cute but challenging and Kirby will always hold up, it’s Kirby! 

[AirVillain | 490]

Double Dragon II. Contra. SMB 3. Battletoads. Might Final Fight. Shatterhand. Etc. 

They're difficult (excl. SMB3), yet fun. Fast paced, great music, neat upgrades/moves. 

Each is great in it's own way... but apparently I had to give reasoning.... so there you are. 

[phart010 | 1,708]

I think most all of what we consider as good NES games have stood the test of time. NES was never about good graphics. Instead they acknowledged the color/sprite limitations and did the best they can to make art within those limits. It is a unique type of art style. 

Since they had limited visuals, the developers often compensated for it by focusing on the gameplay. This is in contrast to more modern games that may focus more on visuals and less on gameplay.

Also, the limitations on sound is what made the NES sound so good. Since they only had 4 sound channels to work with and very specific types of noises, they had to focus on making captivating melodies. Todays game music often seems lazy, it can just be ambient sounds or background noise, but is certainly not music