The Top 10 Greatest NES (Nintendo) Games 

I get why Zelda 2 is so polarizing, but we wouldn't have the world building we see in other Zelda games without it IMO.

As a child, I'm mad at you. As an adult, I appreciate and understand your views and opinion. great list. Love your videos!

i love how NES had so many amazing games that one persons top ten can be completely different from anothers yet both filled with games that are absolutely in any discussion for it. for me- my #1 is always River City Ransom- i just have so many great memories of playing it as a kid that it is eternally #1 - and its not even on the list yet i think your list is great!

Delighted to see Destiny of an Emporer listed.

Great list, loved seeing Crystalis up there so high. Too many top NES list gloss over Crystalis but this is by far one of the most influential games on the NES from an ARPG standpoint.

Man, the world-building in Zelda 2 really captivated me back in the day and I really wished they had explored some more in that direction. Also Crystalis' music is gonna be stuck in my head all day now and I ain't even mad 😂

A friend down the street had Zelda 2. Blew me away how good it was. And also crazy how many people either never played it or didnt like it. I think it had something to do with it being a difficult game and lots of very young kids not liking it.

Oh my god The Guardian Legend music.. that alone makes it list worthy!!

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I’m RIGHT THERE with you on your #1 pick. LOVED that game, and I was actually shocked that someone else feels the same way haha

Totally agree with you on Zelda 2. I wish they would do a remake of it, or at least an updated version with newer graphics.

Yes! Zelda 2 is my favorite NES game. Glad to see others give it the love it deserves.

I honestly started this video thinking, "No one EVER mentions Destiny of an Emperor, but it would be on my list.' Thank you! Such an overlooked game.

Zelda 2 came out very late in 1988... Due to the so called chip shortage of the time, I searched high and low for a copy. Fast forward to around spring 1989, I found two copies at my local wally-world and scooped one up!!! To this day, I have very fond memories of playing this game... So yes, Zelda 2 gets a #1 rating from me!!! Thank you for taking me down nostalgia blvd.!!!

As I watched your video, I kept thinking: "If he didn't put that for number 1, what will be number 1?" In the back of my mind, I kept thinking, "it could be Zelda 2.... no... he wouldn't do that." I've got to admit that I was genuinely surprised that you put Zelda 2 at number 1... but I was very glad to see it there. While I don't know that I would put it at number 1, I do think it would definitely be in my top 10. I believe it is criminally underrated. While it does have a few flaws, I think most people don't like it because 1 - it was very hard and 2 - it is not what they were expecting. As a child, I had both Zelda games. I always had great respect for the gold colored cartridge. Zelda 1 was very good, but Zelda 2 always had something about it that intrigued me. It had a difficulty that demanded respect (which people are now coming to appreciate). It was a bit darker than usual. The various towns gave the game a much more fleshed out world. But I've got to say that the music was absolutely amazing... probably my favorite soundtrack on the NES. I still sometimes wonder how the NES was even capable of music like that! I would love to see a remake of Zelda two in a similar way to how Nintendo remade Link's awakening. Anyways, that is a great list! The only one that I felt out of place was the Chinese style game... I'm sure that it was probably also pretty good. I would also consider the following as runner ups - Mario 2, Willow, Kirby's Adventure, something from mega man series, Goonies 2, Faxanadu, Star Tropics series, and Mike Tyson's Punch Out.

I love when it is clear someone has a passion for older games and played them growing up. As someone from there and a fan of your videos you nailed this one. It could not have been easy to make.

A top NES game list with Zelda 2 at #1!? Dang thought I was the only one

Mad respect for Zelda II at #1. I absolutely love that game and have tons of great memories playing it at my best friend's house for hours growing up.

I’m so stoked to see someone that loves Zelda II as much as I do. I never understood the flak it caught. Easily my favorite NES game!

Destiny of an Emperor was one of the games that truly hooked me early on. What Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy started, this one finished. It was damn near impossible to find to buy, so I had to rent it for the weekend whenever I could, and it was worth the wait each time.

My number 1 NES game is Ninja Gaiden 2. The game was awesome, the music rocked, it had cinematics/story and was hard as hell. Played the game so much that I was able to beat it without using continues

Favorites Dragon Warrior 2, Castlevania 2 and Tecmo Bowl. Best Zelda I, Dragon Warrior 3, Crystals, Dragon Warrior 4, Zelda 2, Kirbys Adventure, River City Ransom, Castlevania 3

I've not even played some of these, but I like your list. Zelda II was & is still AMAZING! I used to get strep throat a lot as a kid & just got to stay home & play this to distract me. It worked lol. On top of that, eating some Legend of Zelda cereal while playing the game was the cherry on top! Miss the oldies for sure!!

I must agree with the no 1 choice. During the NES era The Adventure of Link was so much more engrossing than other games to me and made me a lifelong LOZ fan. Your comments on the music is spot on. I absolutely love the music in this game and it's darker tones.

I too agree with your #1 pick. Zelda 2 was awesome, especially for it's time. And like many here, I would love to see a remake of that game with say "Vigil: The Longest Night" graphics. Even "Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest" deserves a remake with modern-day graphics and of course, modern day quality of life perks. Now I know, there are mods and fan remakes out there. Played some of them as well. I highly recommend "Zelda II Enhanced PC Edition by HoverBat". It is the best Zelda 2 fan remake ever.

Fully agreed with that list . Would have add Ultima 4 Quest of the Avatar in the honorable mentions but not sure if it count as an original NES game sins it appears as a PC game first .

Love the list, and ABSOLUTELY love your number 1. When I played Zelda 2 the first time, it was a total breath of fresh air. I loved the whole game, and loved how it felt much more rpgish.

Your number 1 surprised the hell out of me! I was NOT expecting Zelda 2! No way! That's my absolute favorite NES game too! It's literally the most important game of my life! It was my 1st Zelda, and it awakened my love of fantasy and RPGs. Zelda 2 was the formative game that made me! Your 6 thru 2 had already won my heart, then you dropped Zelda 2 at 1 like a bombshell!

I think Zelda 2 was just ahead of it's time, and I like that it's not just about finding the right items, you have to level up and balance your stats

Zelda 2 at #1 is a bold take. Bravo! The NES *was* certainly the king of action-adventure games. Three that you didn't mention were Battle for Olympus, Castlevania 2 Simon's Quest and Willow. Would be interested in how you compare those three!

Great video, has to be my favorite since your Final Fantasy 1,6, and 7. The gannon laugh in Zelda 2 always reminded me of Sandman after you got knocked out in Punch out.

Not even a mention of DuckTales? Love this list. Top 10 SNES next with Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, FF6, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Zelda ALTTP?

Destiny of an Emperor is a real stand out.

Couldn't help but to subscribe to you sir! Excellent video and I appreciate the time and effort that was put into this. I may not agree personally on the rankings, but that is what made the NES era so incredible. Every game meant something different to everyone! You definitely have great taste. Thank you and I look forward to many more videos from you!

I think this list offers a great value, I like your choices. It was very well explained within your personal history for each game.

Zelda 2 number 1??? Gotta agree with that and like your video, it's a really great game and sequel 👍👍👍

I may not 100% agree with Zelda II being great but it does have an amazing final boss. You think you have won and then you have to face yourself (Dark Link). That's a quality twist if I have ever seen one.

Unsubscribe? No way! Badass choice for #1! When I saw the original Zelda on the list I figured Zelda 2 didn't make it. I also love that game. Loved the list as a whole!

Holy cow! I had no idea there was a 3 Kingdoms game on the NES. Also bonus points to you for getting the pronunciations right! Not many people can say their names right!

The jump from Mario 2 to 3 was so drastic. I def agree with you on that choice. Still watching but great choices so far

not a bad list. I wouldn't put zelda 2 as the best of all time, but it definitely deserves far more love than it gets.

A commendable top 10, xygor! I wasn't expecting to see The Adventure of Link at the top, but it is also one of my all-time favorite NES games! It is one of the most infuriating games to play, as well! I have only beaten it once in my entire life, and it was quite a journey! I was nearly 30 years old when I finally beat it for the first time, after picking it up in high school when the video store sold their NES games. I got as far as the caves just before the Great Palace, but could never get through them to get to the palace. When I picked the game up many years later to replay it again, I meticulously drew out maps for all the villages, dungeons, overworld, caves, and other places. The map of the Great Palace blew my mind, and was quite a labyrinth! I also agree with you that the soundtrack is better than the original, and also more diverse.

So nice to see DoaE get a mention -- a criminally underrated masterpiece 👏

Zelda 2 is a game with a lot of cool ideas for its time. I wouldn't mind seeing Nintendo take another crack at a Zelda entry in that style using what it has learned over the decades.

I 100% agree on Zelda 2. It gets way too much hate. Some of the most fun I’ve had playing a video game. Great take!

Whenever Zelda 2 is the subject I remember how badly that game pissed me off. Having to start over from the very beginning over and over again. I remember talking to a guy in the town who just says “I am error”. I remember staring at my screen blankly in disbelief, turning the game off and then returning it the next day

Metroid was such an amazing game at the time. I remember games before it like Pitfall 2 and Montezumas Revenge. Metroid made those games look ancient. It was even at a whole other level than other NES games at the time and made me wonder about the possibilities for the future.

You opened your self up to all of us wanting on snes and PlayStation to 10!!!

I hear you on liking Zelda 2. I am a big fan of the ladder three Megaman games. People seem to utterly dislike Megaman 4 and I love it. When it comes to favorites, go with your gut.

Z2 is amazing. I feel if more people would push through til they get the hammer, they'd find that the game isn't nearly as hard as it's opening segments make it seem.

Yes, I LOVED Crystalis! Thank you so much for putting it in your list! AND Maniac Mansion? You rock!

I feel shortchanged. If I could send a message back to my childhood self regarding game choices I would select ones from this list. I can't believe I only played Zelda 1 & 2 and Super Mario 3 from this list as a kid. I'd have loved Destiny of an Emperor, Crystalis, Final Fantasy & Dragon Warrior III. Sad thing is i don't think those good games were released in the UK. I still remember going to a Rumbelows store one Christmas and selecting games from a list for the sales guys to pick out from the backroom. I remember the excitement coursing through my veins as I was tasked with choosing from a comparable huge selection. I kept dreaming we'd be doing this for every birthday and xmas but alas it was a once off and they closed down. I remember being wowed by the list and I had no idea what to choose for me and my brother. Unfortunately I chose Bart vs the Space Mutants as I thought it would be like the 4 player arcade game. I got Double Dragon II for my brother which was epic at the time.

So happy to see you giving Crystalis some love.

Zelda 2 is my number one too!

Zelda II has aged very well. It's design can be seen in masterpieces like Hollow Knight.

11:27 An unforgettable gem in my opinion.

Wow on FF III. Will have to play that one, wow

I can't be mad at a guy who uses the Matoya's Cave theme for the intro.

I love your intro bro!!

What a great list. I’d be hard pressed to change your top 10, although Star Tropics and Duck Tales would probably be on there.

zelda 2 is one of the best games on the nes and one of my favorite games that i go back and play - it is hard as balls but a ton of fun and i've never beat the shadow link boss fight legit, if i can ever get there with a few extra lives, i'll try but..... :P

Destiny of an Emperor? Never heard of it. I'll have to check it out, thanks Xygor.

Omg you recognized Destiny of an Emperor too! We are now bonded lolol! It was so kitsch and unique. I learned of The three Kingdoms novel from it and read the books years later. Pre internet stuff ya know. That was epic for me ✌🏾😎❤️

I friggin LOVE your list!!! So many of these would actually be on my top 10 as well and I love the obscure picks like Crystalis and Zelda 2!! Zelda 2 would absolutely be in my top 5 fav games of all time. It was just so new and so diff than anything else for its time. I just think it was handled so well, it looked cool, the music was great, Link controlled really well imo, the upward/downward thrust thing was awesome and just felt so fluid and easy to use. The cool blending of action and RPG elements. Everything about the game was so cool and fun and just had such a cool overall feel. My fav game of all time is actually Super Mario Bros 2 so I totes having sincere love for these games that for some reasons generations later people started saying were bad.

Loved 'Destiny of an Emperor!' I loved the soundtrack too! I wish more video game music mixers did more with the soundtrack. The cave one was my favorite. That nice mid part of the theme was great!

zelda 2 is way up there for me too. i was clinically obsessed with it when it came out. i blow through it at least twice a year.

Yes! Adventure of Link is still my favorite LoZ to this day!

really nice to see zelda 2 that high, I like it more than the original too

I WHole heartedly agree with your list. EVen the placement of Zelda 2

If you like being able to freely customize your party, you might like a lot of home computer RPGs of the era. Home computers had lots of RAM compared to the NES ... for example the Amiga 1000 had a base RAM of 256K - two orders of magnitude more than the later NES (only 2K of RAM). Even the older (but very popular) Commodore 64 had 32 times as much RAM as the NES. Along with the floppy disc medium for game saves, this meant the high customizability and complex character stats/equipment was just the way home computer RPGs were here in the USA. Things were not so good in Europe, though, where most home computer owners for some time would only have tape drives. This meant that European software developers rarely even tried to develop the sort of complex expansive RPGs that were standard in the USA since 1979. To make a game state fit in 2K, a lot of CRPG corners would need to be cut, as well as clever (but annoying to develop) tricks. In contrast, you could be pretty sloppy on an Apple ][ (48K) or Atari 800 (48K) or C64 (64K) ... many classic RPGs were even programmed in BASIC early on. This meant somewhat sluggish plodding gameplay, though.

I was looking for this list 😀

Hell yes! Zelda 2 is a hidden gem! It is a fantastic NES action RPG. I pine for the day that we see another sidescroller Zelda game. Or even just to see this game recreated with high res 2D graphics (Gunman Clive with color) and some quality of life updates like better translations and a modernized leveling system.

Me watching this video: “for me number one is Zelda 2. Am I crazy? Nah. He wouldn’t have the same opinion… YESSSSSSSS”

Nice to see Destiny of an Emporer getring some attention. Grossly underated game if you ask me. Rarely see it on any list. I managed to get Lu Bu. I think you had to do something special, but I could be mistaken. Give him a sword or a horse? Good list. Keep up the good work.

It's rare to see a fellow Zelda 2 fan out in the wild. You're not alone! Though...we are probably mostly alone on this one.

What was the game that played like zelda II? You read mantras, within the game, to heal...or something like that. It was like, Fax...something

Zelda 2 is the number one frustration without argument. God death mountain made me cry as a child and drink as an adult. Do I really need this fricken hammer?!

Planet Naju was a scary place to be in TGL

Love the comment at the end, “Let me know how right I am” hahaha. Usually everyone is like “relax, it’s just an opinion” and trying to calm everyone down 😂

I hated Zelda 2 as a kid because it was so different from the first one which was my favorite game of all-time (and still is), however I have really really enjoyed Zelda 2 now as an adult. I find myself going back to it quite frequently and appreciate more and more each time. The difficulty spike at the end of the game is still very frustrating, but overall this game does deserve more love in this legendary game franchise.

Good vid just supported you

Nice picks just started collecting for nes so I'll definitely give Zelda 2 a real Go

Interesting list. I'm old enough to remember when Zelda 2 came out. It was very popular upon release. It didn't start getting a bad wrap until years later. Picking 10 would be difficult. I don't know what order I'd put these in but my list would be: Legend of Zelda Super Mario 3 Mike Tyson's Punch Out Ninja Gaiden Batman Castlevania 2 Tetris (I was so addicted to that game when it came out it's not even funny) Maniac Mansion Rygar TMNT 3 I do like the RPGs like Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy, and they blew my mind when they were new, but they are tough to go back to. Honestly the only 8-bit RPG I can go back to is Phantasy Star on the Master System. Other than that it's Genesis/SNES era onward for me in that regard.

Welp, it's nice to know what NES games you enjoyed. Never heard of Destiny of an Emperor, so that's something to check out. I am however a bit shocked that you didn't include Mega Man 2 or 3... But your list.

While I, like everyone else would obviously would have a different top 10, this is a solid list. The fact that Crystalis is on there was extremely unexpected, that was my favorite game of all time when I was a kid. Also, Zelda 2 gets way too much hate, I'm actually more likely play that one more than the first these days. It provides more of a challenge.

Crazy that Dynasty Warriors series would eventually embody the game that started as Destiny of an Emperor

It’s funny how many great and overlooked RPGs there were for the NES. I really didn’t play RPG’s in my teen years of the NES. I got more into them on the PC in my 20’s with Baldurs Gate, Morrowind, etc. I got a Japanese Famicom mini instead of the NES Classic because it had better games and even the superior floppy disk versions. Final Fantasy 3 is on the Japanese version instead of the first game. It’s really good and has surprising depth. Thanks for the Dragon Warrior 3 review. I will need to check it out.

Our lists are so similar. Zelda 2 and castlevania 2 are my favorite and most influential games. Final fantasy and dragon quest/warrior games are at the top of what I play most.

Good list. I agree with crystalis and destiny of emperor. Btw part 2vis out for pc and English patch and 3 switchable stories, shu wu wei. But saying that, I think your list left out a one of a kind classic that no game has offered a similar experience. The guardian legend..... nice shoot them up mixed with a zelda type rpg.

Nice to see some respect for Destiny of an Emperor

Nice stuff here. :) Have you tried Famicom RPGs like Mother, Chaos World, Lagrange Point, Metal Max, Shinsenden or Ninjara Hoi? Those are pretty good.

Zelda II is really an acquired taste, is hard as nails, but it is really really good

I’m 40 years old. Zelda 2 and super Mario two are my most replay game ever

I would have put dragon warrior 4 at the top spot but other than that, great vid.

I'm currently replaying NES Crystalis

Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt: "Am I a joke to you?"

14:07 that was Bald Bull’s laugh😂

My top 10: 10. Clu Clu Land 9. Mega Man 5 8. Legend of Ghost Lion 7. Mario Bros. 6. T&C Surf Design: Thrilla's Safari 5. Mario Paint 4. Chippendale Rescue Rangers 3. Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa 2. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest 1. Rockman 5

Ayy, we have the same game at #1 =). I find the combination of action/adventure with RPG are amongst my favorite type of games (I also have Crystalis in my top 10). This game even combines platforming in there which is another genre I like.

If I'm not mistaken the Gannon laugh when you die in Zelda 2 is the same sound (or really close) to the one when you die against the Wizard in level 4 of Kung Fu on NES.