Can the NES/SNES be pared down to 50 games each?

[Nintegageo | 582]

Hey guys,

I would not ask you to do so, but reasonably do you think it is do-able without missing on any must-play style games.

Been debating removing a shelving unit and buying a second arcade cabinet, but I do not want to be a guy who has his collection in boxes.

No actual plans to do so, just wondering.

Cheers

[Gloves | 11,776]

Oh yeah, absolutely. 

[phart010 | 1,707]

Absolutely you can. The NES and SNES classic already represent the the big hitters and then you can add 20-30 additional titles that were missing

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

I'd find pretty much any other Nintendo console easier to pare down to 50. N64 with Nintendo/Rare games. GC, Wii, Wii U with basically the big exclusive Nintendo games. Switch with all the games that aren't ports. Nintendo's never had better, exclusive third party support than NES/SNES.

I can think of too many "B-tier" games like Shadowgate or Bart vs. the Space Muants or Simon's Quest or Duck Hunt that wouldn't make the cut for the top 50 NES but I'd consider core parts of the NES library.

Edited November 18, 2019 by DefaultGen

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

Idk there’s at least 100 good games on nes. I slimed my collection once and still had 250+ nes games. Not all were good but I didn’t keep many crap titles. 

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

3 hours ago, phart010 said:

Absolutely you can. The NES and SNES classic already represent the the big hitters and then you can add 20-30 additional titles that were missing

If space is an issue, the NES and SNES Classic consoles are a great option. It's beyond my technical ability, but there are YouTube videos on how to mod them to add additional games.

[Nintegageo | 582]

Nah, I tend to be an original hardware sorta guy (TG mini being the main exception to this). Just a trying-to-sleep-thought with some deserved consideration. I am with the people saying 50 games does not cover all the games you'd want to play though. Both consoles are amazing.

[jonebone | 1,307]

For sure, x2 on the NES / SNES classics comment.  50 is a lot for each.

[Nintegageo | 582]

NES series'..
Mario, Zelda, Mega Man, Disney Capcom games, Castlevania, Ninja Turtles, Ninja Gaiden, Black Box games?, Bubble Bobble, Power Blade, Lolo, Dragon Warrior, StarTropics, Batman, Contra, etc etc.. I dunno, 50 seems like nothing when you really dive into the library and just look at what is worth playing. These are just series' that came to mind as well - certainly not that much thought put into this.

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

I've got 16 games I couldn't imagine not being on an NES list, the "NES Classic" type games:

1. Super Mario Bros.
2. Super Mario Bros. 2
3. Super Mario Bros. 3
4. The Legend of Zelda
5. Zelda II
6. Contra
7. Kirby's Adventure
8. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
9. Tetris
10. Ninja Gaiden
11. Final Fantasy
12. DuckTales
13. Mega Man 2
14. Metroid
15. Castlevania
16. Dragon Warrior

These are a chunk games I'd consider classics. Not 100% great games, but when I think NES, I still think crap like Top Gun, top selling B-listers like Rad Racer, and some of the games that have held up over time best. I didn't even include some of the less renowned black box games, some people might call all of the black box games classic. They'd be wrong, but you could.

1. Adventures of Lolo
2. Balloon Fight
3. Bart vs. the Space Mutants
4. Baseball Stars
5. Bases Loaded
6. Batman
7. Battle of Olympus
8. Battletoads
9. Bionic Commando
10. Blades of Steel
11. Blaster Master
12. Bubble Bobble
13. Castlevania II
14. Castlevania III
15. Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
16. Crystalis
17. Double Dragon
18. Dr. Mario
19. Dragon Warrior IV
20. Duck Hunt
21. Excitebike
22. Ghosts 'n Goblins
23. Guerrilla War
24. Ice Hockey
25. Ikari Warriors
26. Jackal
27. Kid Icarus
28. Kung Fu
29. Legacy of the Wizard
30. Life Force
31. Little Nemo: The Dream Master
32. Marble Madness
33. Mega Man
34. Mega Man 3
35. Ninja Gaiden II
36. RC Pro-am
37. Rad Racer
38. River City Ransom
39. Rygar
40. Shadowgate
41. Solomon's Key
42. Startropics
43. Super C
44. Tecmo Super Bowl
45. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
46. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II
47. Tengen Tetris
48. Top Gun
49. Wizards & Warriors

There's the enthusiast fan-favorites. Someone will get mad at you for snubbing one of these to include Bubble Bobble or whatever instead. Sorry if I forgot your favorite here.

1. Battle Kid 2
2. Bucky o Hare
3. Gimmick
4. Gun Nac
5. Gun.Smoke
6. Journey to Silius
7. Kabuki Quantum Fighter
8. Kickmaster
9. Little Samson
10. Metal Storm
11. Power Blade
12. Shatterhand
13. The Guardian Legend
14. Vice: Project Doom
15. Zanac

Then there's a bunch of ports where the NES version isn't the definitive version, but still might be a popular game. Do you drop Donkey Kong because it's missing a level or Maniac Mansion because you don't have a mouse?

1. Donkey Kong
2. Donkey Kong 3 (Actually, we can probably all agree to cut this)
3. Donkey Kong Jr
4. Gradius
5. Maniac Mansion
6. Mario Bros
7. Metal Gear
8. Paperboy
9. Pool of Radiance
10. Popeye
11. Ultima: Exodus
12. Ultima: Quest of the Avatar

Then there's a list of mostly-renowned games in the same franchise as games above that will probably not make the cut because it feels like "We've already got one of those". Or do you include all 6 Mega Mans and that takes up 12% of your entire collection?

1. Adventure Island II
2. Adventure Island III
3. Batman: Return of the Joker
4. Bubble Bobble Part 2
5. Darkwing Duck (Mega Man)
6. Deja Vu (Shadowgate)
7. Double Dragon II
8. Dragon Warrior II
9. Dragon Warrior III
10. DuckTales 2
11. Fire 'n Ice
12. Mega Man 4
13. Mega Man 5
14. Mega Man 6
15. Ninja Gaiden III
16. Tecmo Bowl
17. The Uninvited (Shadowgate)
18. Zoda's Revenge

Then there's games like Koei strategy games, computer-style RPGs, and puzzle games that always get snubbed from top lists because they're less popular genres. And crap, Action 52? Bible Adventures? You bet your ass I want that crap in my collection just because it's silly.

You could piece together a list a list that focuses on the historical classics or the best representatives from each genre/series or the most modern-day playable favorites but I don't think you can fit the whole of NES into 50 games.

Edited November 18, 2019 by DefaultGen

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

Depends on what you like, and what your thresholds for enjoyment are.  Magic Sword may be the 180th (give or take) best SNES game, but it's still damn fun.

[ThePhleo | 2,184]

SNES for RPGs alone would really kill the list.

Couple the fact that there really are timeless masterpieces on the system and you’ve got a system they can not be easily reduced to a top 50.

[arch_8ngel | 1,597]

15 minutes ago, DefaultGen said:

I've got 16 games I couldn't imagine not being on an NES list, the "NES Classic" type games:

1. Kirby's Adventure

These are a chunk games I'd consider classics. Not 100% great games, but when I think NES, I still think crap like Top Gun, top selling B-listers like Rad Racer, and some of the games that have held up over time best. I didn't even include some of the less renowned black box games, some people might call all of the black box games classic. They'd be wrong, but you could.

1. Bart vs. the Space Mutants
2. Baseball Stars
3. Bases Loaded
4. Blades of Steel
5. Ice Hockey
6. Ikari Warriors

Then there's a bunch of ports where the NES version isn't the definitive version, but still might be a popular game. Do you drop Donkey Kong because it's missing a level or Maniac Mansion because you don't have a mouse?

1. Donkey Kong
2. Donkey Kong 3 (Actually, we can probably all agree to cut this)
3.  
4. Metal Gear
5.  
6. Pool of Radiance

Then there's a list of mostly-renowned games in the same franchise as games above that will probably not make the cut because it feels like "We've already got one of those". Or do you include all 6 Mega Mans and that takes up 12% of your entire collection?

1.  
2. Mega Man 4
3. Mega Man 5
4. Mega Man 6
5.  
6. Zoda's Revenge

You could piece together a list a list that focuses on the historical classics or the best representatives from each genre/series or the most modern-day playable favorites but I don't think you can fit the whole of NES into 50 games.

As a counterpoint - 

I think you can comfortably drop Kirby's Adventure, because it isn't necessarily the best game in its series, and it is a genre covered well enough by other games on the NES that it is in no way a "definitive" NES game, IMO.

 

The Bart games are pretty miss-able, IMO.

And as a non-sports-fan, my list of 50 gets easier because I don't think most of the NES sports games have compelling implementations to where I would spend time playing them (exceptions being Punch Out and racing games)

 

The next clump -- Metal Gear really doesn't deserve a place on anyone's top 50 for the NES.  When it comes to military-themed games, you have greats like Bionic Commando to fill that space.

Pool of Radiance -- personally I'd dump any AD&D implementation from the consoles, when the PC versions are WORLDS better.

 

 MM 4/5/6 can be completely dumped in favor of the first 3.

And Zoda's Revenge is spitting in the face of people that love the original StarTropics, IMO

[Deadeye | 1,596]

Yes.

Dragon Warrior and 49 more copies of Dragon Warrior.

[Splain | 2,561]

41 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Magic Sword may be the 180th (give or take) best SNES game, but it's still damn fun.

Is this a spoiler?

 

It would be neat to all vote on it, and compile lists of the top 10% of each system. NES/SNES would each be close to 70 games. Game Boy, 50 games. N64, 30 games. Virtual Boy? One game, two if you round up.

Or 7%. 50 games from NES/SNES is about 7% of the library for each.

[ThePhleo | 2,184]

80/20 Rule is common in statistics, it says that 80% of the effect is because of 20% of the cause.

So using that rule, you can solidly cover 80% of what’s enjoyable with only 20% of the library.

The remaining 20% are your hidden gems.

[ThePhleo | 2,184]

Here's my attempt:

Absolutely Essential - TOP 10

The following should be considered a rite of passage into gaming. Every gamer should have at least played these games once or twice in their lives. These games go beyond just the NES library, but extend themselves onto gaming history.

• Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• Legend of Zelda
• Tetris
• Contra
• Castlevania
• Mega Man 2
• Ninja Gaiden
• Metroid
• Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

Essential NES - 11-25

The following are games that are essential to anybody who says they enjoy NES games. These games should not be skipped or ignored.

• Super Mario Bros. 2
• Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
• Double Dragon
• Super C
• Battletoads
• DuckTales
• Blaster Master
• Final Fantasy
• Dragon Warrior
• Kid Icarus
• Gradius
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
• River City Ransom
• Kirby's Adventure
• Tecmo Super Bowl

Great NES - 26-45

The following are games that are just straight up good NES games that still belong in any NES collectors and gamers "portfolio"

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game
• Batman: The Video Game
• Crystalis
• Balloon Fight
• Excitebike
• Kung Fu
• Wizards & Warriors
• Bomberman
• Rad Racer
• Ice Climber
• Wrecking Crew
• Dr. Mario
• Bubble Bobble
• Super Spike V'Ball / Nintendo World Cup
• Blades of Steel
• Bionic Commando
• Star Tropics
• Goonies II
• Strider
• Journey to Silius

High Rollers Club - 46-50

If you HAD to have an expensive NES game, these are the ones you need.

• Dragon Warrior IV
• Mighty Final Fight
• Metal Storm
• Bucky O'Hare
• Gun+Nac

 

There. That's the best I can do...it still feels so empty without Mega Man 1 & 3-6, or TMNT 1 or III, Castlevania II, Wizards & Warriors II & 3, Lolo 1-3, Adventure Island 1-3, Duck Tales 2, Chip n Dale 1 & 2, Battletoads / Double Dragon, Donkey Kong Classics, Gremlins 2, Abadox, Marble Madness, Paperboy, Little Nemo, Crash n the Boys, Solar Jetman, Totally Rad, Krion Conquest, Smash TV, Kickmaster, Little Samson, and dozens upon dozens of other great games.......

But I think that list above is pretty representative of the NES library......still needs room for Tengen Tetris, Micro Machines, and Krazy Kreatures.

[arch_8ngel | 1,597]

1 hour ago, ThePhleo said:

80/20 Rule is common in statistics, it says that 80% of the effect is because of 20% of the cause.

So using that rule, you can solidly cover 80% of what’s enjoyable with only 20% of the library.

The remaining 20% are your hidden gems.

You can cover 90%+ of what is great on these systems with less than 10% of the library.

Probably closer to 95% covered by 5%...

[ThePhleo | 2,184]

7 minutes ago, arch_8ngel said:

You can cover 90%+ of what is great on these systems with less than 10% of the library.

Probably closer to 95% covered by 5%...

5% of the Licensed library (with PAL exclusives) is 35-36 titles.

Maybe I love the NES a little bit much, but that seems REALLY low to me.

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

I think at 50 you would lose a couple good titles but could easily get away with an overall great set. Once you get towards 80-100 titles you're definitely getting out of the 'must have' category and are getting into games that are still good/fun but typically have a better counterpart. After 150-200, maybe even less, the majority of those games aren't even worth playing. I would say about 10% of the library (60-80 games) is a good cut off for great titles to games you could live without.

Edited November 18, 2019 by Andy_Bogomil

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

Everything you had to cut and you found room for Strider somehow. 

[ThePhleo | 2,184]

41 minutes ago, DefaultGen said:

Everything you had to cut and you found room for Strider somehow. 

I love it tho....then again I love Festers Quest and Kings Knight.

Edit: Also, I think I meant to put stinger in there. I’d much rather play Kings Knight than strider .

Edited November 19, 2019 by ThePhleo

[BortLicensePlate | 652]

Have you considered choosing 49 games and then having a flash cart? 

I do feel you could build a collection of 50 or so games and have a ton of stuff to enjoy. The "must haves" will vary from person to person. I grew up with spiderman and xmen arcades revenge, so I'd need that one, but I wouldn't expect anyone else to need it. Like wise, theres lots of popular stuff that just doesn't do much for me. Castlevania 4 for example, just dont care for it. Most people would probably say it's essential. So yeah, if you want to pair down, have a look a what you got and think about it, what have you played recently, what havent you touched in a while? Also, dont forget you can always get something again if you regret selling it. Personally I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff and am perfectly happy with it.

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

I know less about SNES but here's some games I'd say "matter":

SNES Classic must have type stuff:

1. Chrono Trigger
2. Contra III
3. Donkey Kong Country
4. Donkey Kong Country 2
5. F-Zero
6. Final Fantasy III
7. Mega Man X
8. Secret of Mana
9. SimCity
10. Star Fox
11. Street Fighter II (Turbo)
12. Super Caslevania IV
13. Super Mario Kart
14. Super Mario RPG
15. Super Mario World
16. Super Mario World 2
17. Super Metroid
18. Super Punch-Out!!
19. TMNT: Turtles in Time
20. Zelda ALTTP

Other big Nintendo Stuff

1. Donkey Kong Country 3
2. Kirby Super Star
3. Kirby's Dream Course
4. Kirby's Dream Land 3
5. Mario Paint
6. Pilotwings
7. Super Game Boy
8. Super Mario All-Stars
9. Tetris Attack

RPGs. They're timeless so it's illegal to discount any of them.

1. Breath of Fire
2. Breath of Fire II
3. Earthbound
4. FF Mystic Quest
5. Final Fantasy II
6. Illusion of Gaia
7. Lufia
8. Lufia II
9. Ogre Battle
10. Secret of Evermore
11. Shadowrun
12. Soul Blazer
13. Star Ocean

Some big third party stuff

1. ActRaiser
2. Aladdin
3. Axelay
4. Buster Busts Loose
5. Castlevania Dracula X
6. Demon's Crest
7. EVO
8. Earthworm Jim
9. Earthworm Jim 2
10. Gradius III
11. Harvest Moon
12. Killer Instinct
13. Legend of the Mystical Ninja
14. Lost Vikings
15. Maximum Carnage
16. Mega Man X2
17. Metal Warriors
18. Mortal Kombat II
19. NBA Jam
20. Pocky and Rocky
21. Pocky and Rocky 2
22. R-Type III
23. Rock N' Roll Racing
24. Sparkster
25. Street Fighter Alpha II
26. Sunset Riders
27. Super Bomberman
28. Super Bomberman 2
29. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
30. Super Smash TV
31. Super Star Wars
32. Super Star Wars ROTJ
33. Super Star Wars TESB
34. The Lion King
35. Top Gear
36. UN Squadron
37. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
38. Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Are these any good/classic enough to make the list? I dunno:

1. Death and Return of Superman
2. Desert Strike
3. Fatal Fury 2
4. Final Fight
5. Final Fight 2
6. Final Fight 3
7. Final Fight Guy
8. Flashback
9. Goof Troop
10. Joe & Mac 2
11. Jungle Strike
12. Jurassic Park
13. Mega Man X3
14. Mortal Kombat
15. Out of this World
16. Populous
17. Stunt Race FX
18. Top Gear 2
19. Top Gear 3000
20. X-Men Mutant Apocalypse

Sports games that are only going to get token representation because they're sports games:

1. International Superstar Soccer
2. Tecmo Super Bowl
3. Super Tennis
4. NHL 94
5. Madden 94 (Is this the "NHL 94" of Maddens?)
6. NBA Live 95 (Again, is this the "NHL 94" of NBA games?)
7. KGJ Winning Run?
8. KGJ Presents MLB? I honestly don't know which people prefer
9. Are any of the wrestling games really classics? Saturday Night Slam Masters?

Just poking at making a list of top titles. I'd personally have an easier time cutting this down to 50 because I've played way less of them than the NES list, so it's harder for me to judge.

Edited November 19, 2019 by DefaultGen

[Rooster | 124]

Would SFC count towards an SNES list?  Because with SNES only, I could maaaaybe get a list down to 50.  With SFC included I absolutely could not.