My Top 10 Favorite NES Games 

In case you are wondering, there will be more Top 10s, but only for systems I know very well. I have not played enough SNES, so there won't be one for that anytime soon. EDIT, maybe I'll catch up on SNES, but I won't have time for RPGs.

Super Mario 2 was my favorite among the original Super Mario trilogy. Some people don't like it because it's different from the other 2 games, but I like it for what it is. I also liked the lack of a time limit. It takes the pressure off, and gives you all the time you want to explore.

I can’t help it. When I watch your videos describing games you love, I hear Jesse talking car specs from The Fast and the Furious.

Great picks! Zelda and Megaman not being on there was very suprising. Being a kid in the 80s and 90s was awesome. So many great memories with my NES. Cheers!

I liked your comment about Metroid giving you a loney feeling. I think that sense of isolation deep inside an abandoned alien planet is core to why those games are so enchanting. That Metroid music always gives me goosebumps and I think thats why. It could amost take place on the ocean floor in a weird way.

My local mini mart had a bubble bobble arcade machine when I was a kid and the melody always stuck with me when I would go in to buy snacks. Never played the NES version as a kid but playing it now it’s very faithful to the arcade.

Almost ashamed to admit this but one of my faves is Godzilla. I can put that in and play to the end ever year or so. Brings back a lot of memories. I know it sucks for a Godzilla game but as a kid that is all there was and I loved it.

One of my favorite NES games is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project, which I noticed you had playing in the background. I also really like Batman: Return of the Joker, which was definitely 16-bit esque eye-candy.

Just like your genesis video where i said we'd be friends as kids I say it here again. we have almost the exact same taste.

My Top 10 in no particular order - Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda, Double Dragon, The Guardian Legend, Contra, Mike Tyson's Punch Out, Tengen Tetris, Shatterhand, and Gun.Smoke. Honorable mentions go to Ice Climber, City Connection, and Rad Racer, as well as The Goonies and Road Fighter (only on Famicom).

Man I love the originality of this list and the way you deliver it. Very authentic and can tell it comes from the heart!

Totally agree about Mario 2 and 3. Of course in the 80s we had no idea Mario 2 was a re-skin of another game. We loved that it was different. It was the one of the few games my entire family enjoyed playing. Star Tropics is probably my favourite atmospheric game for the NES. I also played endless hours of Punch Out. I even got to the point that I was able to TKO Tyson in the 1st Round (yes, it is possible). Picking it up thirty years later on my NES Classic, I get utterly mauled once I get past the Minor Circuit (lol). And with my love for adventure / fantasy RPGs, I'm still a huge fan of Ultima: Quest of the Avatar. As far as what has the best mix of nostalgia, as well as something I can still pick up today, my all-time favourite on the NES has to be Faxanadu; a game that was mostly overlooked back in the day, but is now getting a lot of love from retro fans.

Definitely appreciate your list. Wide variety of genres and some titles ive never heard of. Nice byproduct of the 90s is getting to discover how others experienced it since there was so much

Wish I could find a video of people standing in line for Mario 3 in the 80's. I heard it was the longest in history, and it was going down parking lots in the U.S. and several blocks in Japan.

SM3 gave us the best childhood memories. I had to save my money to buy the game. Kids in school talked about it all about it and when we would read about it in magazines we got excited. Can't forget about The Wizard. Mario brought us all together. Good times.

Love these videos. I can’t imagine you will run out of content with all those consoles. 😂 Aside from that, I love how you explain things, your humor, and your editing style. I also really appreciate your sign off. Keep up the awesome work. It’s only a matter of time before your channel blows up.

Great list, thank you for sharing and the memories. Life Force and Bubble Bobble were two faves my brother and I played daily for years along with Blades of Steel and RBI Baseball. Others I loved were Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, Lolo, TMNT, Maniac Mansion, and Double Dragon 2. I was a big fan of the arcade Spy Hunter game as well and was pleased when we got a decent make of it on NES. Still playing many NES classics yearly on emulator.

Wait a moment and hear me out on Mario 2. What we got in the West is the actual real Mario 2. Most people won't even realise it due to the obfuscated ways the actual background story gets flipped around ever since. When in Japan they had this Dream Land Theme Park Event, they asked Miyamoto to develope a game that goes along their them park event. But at that time they already worked on Mario 2, which then was planned to be a rather vertical oriented game. So they had many elements ready for Mario 2 and did the Doki Doki Panic flip when they used the existing Mario 2 assets for Doki Doki Panic instead. You may also recognise how rushed some things in Doki doki Panic are like the waterfall animation as an example. So we in the West did get Mario 2 as it was mostly intended. But due to rather harshly scheduled release dates, Miyamoto did not fully go on with the vertical game experience but let the mix of vertical and horizontal level sections play out as it did with Doki Doki Panic. But in Mario 2 you can see the rather finished animation sequences (again the waterfall animation is to be mentioned). So we got Mario 2, which in Japan got turned into Doki Doki Panic and being rushed at that. But Japan on the other hand was still lacking a second Mario title. So they did another rather rushed decision and it looks like it ever since, the game we in the West came to know as "The Lost Levels". It feels and looks like a hacked Mario Bros 1. And it kinda is. They had to be fast and just re-edited Mario 1 to give Japan its well deserved Mario 2. That's why there are two different Mario 2 games ever since. And as weird as that seems to be to accept the western Mario 2 as the real deal (which in fact it is), it is not that weird at all. Consider how many franchises had their second game being different from the fist outing. Zelda II, Castlevanis II, just to name drop two well known franchises were different from their prequel. And also more adventurous on top of that. Mario 2 (the western game) makes a lot of sense. The actual weird excuse to think MArio 2 Japan was the real game but was not released on the West because of its difficulty is false. Think about how many games have been made tougher for the Western audience. Streets of Rage 3 which has longer life meters for the bosses and sometimes where there was only one boss enemy in the original game we got two instead. Devil May Cry comes to mind as well, where on normal mode you only deal 90% of the damage you do in the Japanese game. So don't let anyone fool you to believe the difficulty excuse talk. But no matter what you believe and believe to know about Mario 2, in the end when Super Mario All-Stars was released we got to play four Mario games in a nice package. Aren't we all happy about that?

This is my fourth comment. LOL. I guess I have alot to say about the NES. One of my favorite retro systems along with SNES. Some of my favorite games are Mario 1, 2, 3, Gyruss, Gunnac, Jackel, Trojan, Willow and Popeye.

great video and list! i recently pocked up bubble bobble, looking forward to playing it.

I played Bubble Bobble so much as a kid. It's a fun 2 player co-op. We made it to the final boss, but I don't think we beat it.

Like your setup in the background, reminded m e of my dad's old ham radio room..love the ol school?

Nice list! One of my favorites is on the screen behind you, Dragon Spirit: The New Legend.

I'm really happy to see you mention Gyruss. I really feel like it's underappreciated. It's easy to get started but tough to master. Especially later stages when you get tons of extra enemies and everything gets super fast. Plus one of the Nintendo made turbo controller (I think it was the Max) was perfect for it.

Thank you for mentioning Life Force! The best in the Gradius series! Still think the closing cylinder maze escape sequence was a tiiiiiny bit unfair in spots, but that's what we had the Konami code for! what a game!

6:08 The ROM hack titled "Metroid + Saving" includes a scrollable map appearing when the game is paused. It also replaces Metroid’s password system with a saving system, offering three save files. The file selection menu shows the player’s equipment, and as an added bonus, the player’s health is now saved (no need to grind for health every time you resume your game).

Love your channel and your dedication. Keep it up

Not sure I could do a Top 10 for NES, but SMB3 is probably my fave. A few of my other faves are Dejavu, Astyanax, Solomon’s Key, Excitebike, and Metal Storm. Metal Storm is stupidly expensive nowadays, and I have no idea how I ended up with a copy of it but I’ve had it since I was a kid.

Hey man, I really like your videos, very good content, I'm a subscriber, always like to see your lists!

Blaster Master was a favorite for me as a kid. Such nostalgia for it I had to buy a cib copy. Cheers!

Great video and great selection! My top ten at the moment in order of them coming to mind: Ninja Gaiden 3, SMB1, SMB3, Metroid, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Star Force, Kickle Cubicle, Tetris, Arkista's Ring.

we agree on top3. It amazes me that there are no other games like bubble bobble

I really like how you specifically state things you like about the gameplay of each game. Like the jump in blaster master and how it feels. It gives this list a unique feel compared to the infinite other ones I've seen. Really enjoyed the whole video and I agree that Pinbot rips!

Love the list, especially the love for Bubble Bobble.

Fantastic list man! Every game is a must-play

My favorites are River City Ransom, Contra, Dragon Warrior III, Ice Hockey, Metroid, Mike Tysons Punch Out, Street Fighter 2010, and Castlevania II Simon's Quest, even though Castlevania III is the better game.

Will definitely use this to help build my NES collection since I only have 3 games for it Mario+Duck Hunt, Mario 3, and Startropics

nice list. i love gyruss.

I played a lot of Bubble Bobble...on a tiny 12 inch black and white tv. Trying to disambiguate players is a challenge, though not as hard as Dr. Mario on the same tv. Unfortunately, the real ending requires both players to survive the final boss. I could reach and beat the boss by myself, but never got my sister to survive. I never did see the true ending. I also liked Rainbow Islands, sometimes called Bubble Bobble 2. It's a similar "gimmick puzzle" have with wacky levels and enemies.

really nice picks!

I remember beating Mario 2 and taking a picture of Mario sleeping at the end with my 110 camera, such a great feeling.

Awesome to see Pin Bot. I played that game a lot as a kid with my dad. Underrated. I still have it CIB.

that's a great list of games that include some of my favourites. other games i come back to are: double dragon 2, faxanadu, snake rattle 'n' roll and battletoads just to name a few.

Ah great list. My favorites in your list are Castlevania and Life Force. I enjoy your channel and thanks for your efforts.

Yes you should absolutely do a playthrough vid of Blaster Master; such a gem with large intricate stages and awesome graphics and game mechanics. I'd watch it for sure.

I remember the very first game my dad brought home from the video rental store was Bubble Bobble. What a trip down memory lane!

Great video, I definitely need to check out blaster master at some point 👍

Great list! I got excited because I thought Dragon Spirit may have been on there because it was on the screen behind you. But it wasn't, it's on mine though! It's on mine buddy.

Nice list! I expected to see something like Battle Toads or Bucky O'Hare though :)

My NES top ten: 1. Blaster master 2. Ninja Gaiden 2 (the whole series really) 3.castlevania 2 4.castlevania 3 ,5.super c. 6. Bionic commando 7. Metal gear 8,Doble dragon 2(1 ans 3 too 9.jackal 10.mega man 2

This is a good list, a couple of my favorites are Rygar, the original Legend of Zelda and any of the Dragon Warriors are great, as well as any of the Mega Mans for the NES, but probably the 3rd Mega Man is my favorite. Kid Niki and Kid Icarus are also great. SMB3 is a good one and one of my favorites, not sure it would be my #1. Rygar doesn't get enough love, but I don't think a lot of people know how great it is, they also made a Rygar game for the PS2, and that game is one of my favorite games to play on any system.

Most NES games was so hard. My Top 3: - Kirbys Adventure - Mega Man 4 - Turtles 2

I like games that combine 2 or more genre's. Blaster Master combines platforming and shooting.

im liking all your videos. you deserve more credit

Loved the list but I would def put RC pro am and Bionic Commando on their as well good stuff man!

My top 10, in no particular order: Battletoads Mega Man (any of them, but 6 is still my favorite) Super Mario 3 Silver Surfer Kirby's Adventure TMNT 3: Manhattan Project Dr. Mario Adventure Island 2 Gun-Nac Bucky O'Hare And on top of all that, there are still a TON of great games to go through. Gargoyle's Quest 2, Castlevania, Zelda, Joe and Mac, Crystalis, Double Dragon, Journey to Silius, Ninja Gaiden, Mighty Final Fight, etc, etc, etc. I still think it's my favorite console of all time, though I do love the SNES as well; I've just played more NES in my life, I suppose.

Mario 2 is one of my top 5. Loved everything about it. And the nostalgia is off the hooks for me! I was in the 6th grade when I traded this game.

all those games are bangers, I think I had all of them as well. A lot of the game plays gave me PTSD. I think early on, excite bike was one of my favorites because I played it in the arcade at a convenience store and making maps was awesome. Pro Westling, Rygar, Karnov, Adventure Island, Bionic Commando, RC Pro AM, Dr Mario, Tetris.. and for some reason I liked Mighty Bomber Jack.

Super Mario 3 is my #1 as well.

You know what I really appreciate about your videos, you don't waste anytime with fancy introductions and go right into the main subject.

I was just telling my 10-year-old that it was hard to imagine the hype behind Mario 3 at the time, and how much it delivered. I told him it was without a doubt the best video game of all time when it came out.

Agree, Pinbot is an excellent choice. Most channels don't even have Pinbot as a hidden gem, let alone a favorite. It's a game i always come back to play.

My top 10: 1.-Castlevania 2.-Super Mario Bros. 3 3.-Double Dragon 2: The Revenge 4.-Contra 5.-Final Fantasy 6.-Megaman 2 7.-Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos 8.-Bionic Commando 9.-Faxanadu 10.-Wizards & Warriors 2: Iron Sword

My favorite nes game was bionic commando.very tough to play through and has a really good and memorable ending

You have some classic picks and have really good taste, you should also try The Guardian Legend as I think it would be right up your alley given that its a blend of different genres so its a lot like blaster master.

Awesome video!

My top NES games: 1. Super Mario Bros 3 2. Rad Racer 3. Super Mario Bros 4. Excikebike 5. OG Legend of Zelda 6. Mega Man 2 7. Tetris 8. Donkey Kong 9. Wild Gunman 10. Kirby's Adventure

Great list! Would have to have Startropics in my top list. Also played Duckhunt with my bro all the time.

interesting list you have , we have some of the same games for our own Top 10. Here is mine 10. California Games 9. Tetris 8. R.C. Pro-Am 7. Gyruss 6. Spy Hunter 5.Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! 4.Gun Smoke 3.Super Mario Bros. 2 2.Kung Fu 1.Ghosts'n Goblins

Just found this channel. Love the Gyruss call out, and I'm in the same boat of having a wife who loves Bubble Bobble while not really being a gamer

I used to play bubble bobble in the arcades and loved it on the commodore 64.

So happy to see Pinbot and Life Force on this video, a wave of nostalgia washed over me!

have you solved the wabbit problem yet?

I like that you note that your list is a personal favourites top 10 list and there is this idea that everyone must like the same 10 games (when growing up not everyone had the same 10 games) the first game I saw on the Genesis I think might have been altered beast, and I was impressed by it's graphics when I saw it, and I thought the gameplay looked good. some people probably had a great time playing frogger in times past, and might even rank it their favourite game of all time some people probably liked the atari donkey kong game, and it could be their favourite game of all time some people might have had a great time playing cards, and have better memories playing cards than playing video games

bionic commando, guardian legend, mega man 2, final fantasy 1, ninja gaiden 2...so many good games...

Great list. My top 10: 10. Mega Man 2 9: Super Mario Bros 3 8: Castlevania 2 7: Faxanadu 6: River City Ransom 5: The Legend Of Zelda 4: Super Mario Bros 2 3: Startropics 2: Crystalis 1: Legacy Of The Wizard

Good list! So many good games

Awesome list!

Great video and top 10! Love these videos keep them coming please 🙏! SMB3 is also my #1 NES game and in fact it's my #1 favorite video game of all time! It's a Masterpiece and I enjoy playing the SNES upgraded Allstars version as a change of pace once in awhile even though I still prefer the original. I was surprised Zelda wasn't on your list are you not a fan?

You Like Lifeforce, Gradius and Contra You should definitely play the only released for the Famicom (Japan) Gradius II the experience of playing that one feels like all three of the aforementioned games rolled into one You should definitely check it out.

I grew up with the NES but didn’t discover Bubble Bobble until 2002. I was member of a photo studio, where you developed black and white photo film and made darkroom prints. This was before anyone had a digital camera. I just remember having this small tv in there, a 2 seat sofa and bubble bobble was the only game so was basically like an arcade machine. Such good memories playing with Johanna who looked like a super hot pop star. Wow I felt amazing

I enjoyed this video -- Thank you!

My top 10: 10. Astynax 9. Dragon Warrior 8. Pro Wrestling 7. Maniac Mansion 6. Shadowgate 5. Tombs and Treasure 4. Magic of Scheherezade 3. Battle of Olympus 2. Legend of Zelda 1. Wizards and Warriors

I did a deathless run of Blaster Master a few years ago and it felt amazing. I am shocked the orginal Final Fantasy or any of the Dragon Warrior games did not make the list. Dragon Warrior 4 I believe was considered one of the greatest games ever released on the NES.

Just what RU-vid needed, another top 10 NES games.

My top 10 would be: Life Force Contra Solomon's Key Genghis Khan Final Fantasy Dragon Warrior Metroid Super Mario Bros 2 Arkanoid Double Dragon They are not in a particular order, though Life Force would be first. Honorable mention would be Balloon Fight, City Connection, and Rygar. I know there are other great games that I love, but these are ones I still go back to and play more than the others.

NIce picks! glad you put some no so common ones in with a few more typical ones. Here's mine! Gonna be some odd ones in there but I don't care for the more common mainstream games: Clash At Demonhead Battle Of Olympus Guardian Legend Deadly Towers Krion Conquest RC Pro Am 2 Ninja Crusaders Balloon Trip Solstice Xexyz

1: Tetris 2: fire n ice 3: mario 2 4: dragon spirit 5: dig dug 2 6: xevirous 7: krustys fun house 8: little mermaid 9: donkey kong jnr 10: nightshade

Great list 👌

Hell yeah! Castlevania or 3 is a must. Ghost and goblins is brutal I remember actually beating it going through the whole game twice but that was the super Nintendo version, my favorite one 💫🏆🎮

What a fabulous list!! This could change but ... 1) Ghost & Goblins it's tough, but I got used to it and just don't find it frustrating anymore, I've done 2 loops once and 1 loop multiple times -play it all the time. 2) OG Castlevania - it's just the one I enjoy playing most. 3) Donkey Kong - decent port and I always come back to it to play for score. 4) OG Super Mario - so iconic still holds up for me and was the game that started me on the NES in the days when I could only get a few games each year. 5) Ninja Gaiden - yet to beat it, but still played it lots, love the flow of the game. 6) Batman - love Batman and this is a good take. 7) A Nightmare on Elm - Yes LJN make my top 10! 8) Flintstones- I find it quite charming to play, fun game. 9) Gremlins - it gets a bit silly tough, but I love the film and upto a point it's really cool. 10) Gradius - the NES was not the first version I played, but it's a really good take. Honorable mentions ... Kung Fu, Popeye, Power blade, Friday 13th. I will check out Pinbot and Gyruss. t always wondered if Gyruss would be tricky to play on the pad like Tempest? Thanks for the show. 🙋‍♂️

Oh wow, pin*bot was my first pinball love. I love all the Mario games but besides them if I had a top 10 in no order, MegaMan 2, Castlevania 2, Mike Tyson Punch-Out, Batman, TMNT2arcade, DuckTales, Gyruss, Blades of Steel, Jackal, and Rambo.

We're playing through Lolo 3, it's fantastic. Would be cool to hear your thoughts on homebrew NES games - Alwa's Awakening was awesome, loved it

I don't think I've ever seen "River City Ransom" in anyone's top 10 lists. One of my top 5 for sure!

one thing i loved about metroid was the music. you really do feel alone in space. might be time i pick it up again, cheers!!!

Never got into Contra or Blaster Master, but they are fun to try. My favorites are: Mike Tyson's Punch Out, RC Pro-Am, Stinger, Legend of Zelda, Section Z, Legened of Zelda 2, Dragon Warior, Super Pitfall, Super Mario Bros. (all 3). And Wrecking Crew.

My top 10 would probably be all Konami, they were in rare form during the 8 bit days, even their lesser known games are amazing, yie ar kung fu, pooyan, circus charlie, the list just goes on.

I love Lifeforce. It doesn't get enough love IMO.

Before watching your video, I just wanted to say i loved your thumbnail haha.

1) Contra 2) Castlevania 3 3) The Goonies 2 4) Cowboy Kid 5) Super Mario Bros. 3 6) The Lone Ranger 7) Gunsmoke 8) TMNT: The Arcade Game 9) Metroid 10) Castlevania 2