Best Original Nintendo (NES) Games

My picks for best NES games...It was a tough list to make, but here it is....
The Top Ten
1 Super Mario Bros 3

Even for an 8 bit system, there is a reason that the NES revitalized the gaming industry pretty much single-handedly. While I was born after the SNES had already been released, the NES is where I learned about video games from due to both my grandparents owning them. While I fondly remember the games of my youth like megaman, tetris, dr. mario, and duck hunt, there is one game the was the definitive game of my NES experience. Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda were close seconds, but neither of them managed to do what Super Mario Bros 3 did. This game pushed the system to the limits and took what the original did and multiplied it by 10. Everything felt so polished and complete that even by today's standards, this is still a great game and has stood the test of time very well. While games were still made for the system until 1994, I still consider this the game that showed the world what nintendo was capable of even back in 1990 and sent gamers across the world into the next generation with the SNES with high expectations.

2 The Legend of Zelda

Zelda is one of the best games I HAVE ever played and should be on number one in my opinion. Its sandbox element is truly awesome. Honestly I think its sandbox element is better than Grand Theft Auto and that's very impressive for being one of the first sandbox game.

It isn't so much this game, than the fact that it spawned a series full of masterpieces. Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword are all MASTERPIECES. The fact that this game started it all is a good enough reason to vote for it.

3 Super Mario Bros.

I'm a big mario fan, but I really didn't play many classic games until the nes classic edition released. When I was not playing endless amounts of kirby and startropics I played the OG known as mario. I loved super mario bros 1 & 3 (I liked smb 2 but or will never be as great) they're some of my favorite classic games.

I vote this as the best Nintendo game. Kids today can thank this very game for a lot of the games that are out today. Atari started the video game craze when I was a youngster, but Nintendo made it take off like a rocket.

4 Mega Man 2

This is the most well known Mega Man game and with good reason. It's a bit easier than its frustrating predecessor and its success paved the way for a new game almost every year or so. One of the greatest video game sequels ever made.

Great platforming, smooth controls, fantastic music, amazing level design, simple (but appealing) graphics, and the right amount of challenge that gave you a decent challenge, yet unlike the other NES Mega Man games, a sane person could beat.

Best music on any NES, and had great gameplay plus a variety of bosses with weaknesses to keep it interesting. Plus, it continued into 2 series, Mega Man X and Mega Man. Why is this not top 5?

5 Metroid

Not only was the gameplay and plot outstanding for it's time, but the music (BRINSTAR! ) was extremely well composed. Years ahead of it's time.

Yet another legendary game franchise that to this day, still inspires millions of gamers with its numerous sequels. And to find out Samus was a GIRL!? haha

Everything in this game is 10. Play it and find out yourself.

6 Mike Tyson's Punch Out

Granted, this game was borne out of the original arcade version (Upper cut! Right hook! ), at the time this game came out, Mike Tyson WAS THE MAN and this game was just a TON of fun to play.

This is probably the first, and last GREAT game that was based around a celebrity. The soundtrack is super great, the characters are funny (but hard) and so on.

I've wasted countless hours on the final boss. P.S who else thinks sandman is tougher than super macho man?

7 Castlevania

Awesome music, great graphic and really smart game design. This game is one of those Jewels that took the basics of platformers and make it their own, shaping it on an entire experience, al based on design. It is really hard to create such a horror/action/adventure ambiance within the limitations of the Nes, but Castlevania nailed it. The whole experience indeed made you feel this brave warrior that got challenged again and again by relentless army of evil but you want to keep going at it one more time. An all time classic!

8 Tetris

Both the official Nintendo version AND the rare Tengen version easily wasted countless number of hours of my life, and I loved every second of it. I can still school my kids at this game, despite their best efforts to beat their Dad.

Best puzzle game in my opinion. And them the hillarious fact of the unofficial version being the better 10/10 thinking of the time it was made in and if it was released today 9/10. If it was released today that meant: no puzzle games. AMAZING!

The classic. I hated the goofy sequel, but still spend hours trying to get as far as I can before the blocks start falling too fast to set right.

9 Contra

Fun game. Really good, hard and a little bit short but so much fun. Great music, nice graphics, very good controls and gameplay, the sounds are also very good. The cooperative two player mode is just make it even better, it's great, when you play it with a friend.

Excellent NES game released in 1988. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone (Bill & Lance). They fight monsters in a clear spin-off of the films Aliens and Predator. Great game, I recommend to any gamer and/or fan of the 80's action superstars!

10 Final Fantasy

Though Dragonwarrior 3 probably wins overall in pure game comparison, Final Fantasy was an awesome game with a great fold out map with monster list on the back and I probably played it more than any other game. Especially since it allowed access to high level monster grinding fairly early in the game.

I think there is about 125 Final Fantasy games now but the original is the best, in my opinion. I remember going to Hollywood video or blockbuster to rent VHS movies before the digital age killed all the brick and mortar video stores. aaah the good old days...

The Contenders
11 Kirby's Adventure

This should at least be in the top ten.. I loved this game so much when I was a kid, I beat it over and over and its still better than most games today. The graphics were amazing for the console and movements were so smooth. I LOVE THIS GAME!

Yip! This games made me play it over and over again trying to use every power up I could use to beat a level. The animation is so lively, and let's face it, the graphics pushed the engine to the max. Simply love it!

Sorry, but 26 is unacceptable. This game is awesome. The gameplay and soundtrack are still phenomenal and don't get me started on the remake. But as far as NES games are concerned, this is one of the greats.

12 Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

Castlevania III went back to the roots of the series with classic platforming action game but it also included more adventure elements to make the game more interesting, so now you could gain allies (that you had to defeat/save first)and choose alternate paths through the cursed land of Transylvania.
Just like the original, the game is shaped entirely by clever game design, but the whole experience is more than ever shaped like you are part of the story in a movie, starting by the genius opening sequence.That was not something we were used to back then, it blew my mind when I was a kid. Of course the music was even better than in the original, so were the graphics and overall graphic design, all this transported you into this gritty, dark, horror setting were every challange is just wont let you catch a breath, so the new allies' help is most welcomed. The story was also given much more depth and significance, also not something that was a common fact at the time.
This game was the crowning Jewel of Castlevania in the Nes, if not the entire series.

13 Super Mario Bros 2

The first game I ever beat. I'll never forget the disappointment of it all being a dream...Yet somehow Shyguys, Birdo, Bob-ombs and other enemies Mario only dreamed of in this game somehow came to menace him again in real life.

Probably the most experimental game that changed the story mode to the super Mario series. The graphics are good with unique level designs and characters with different traits

Sure it's not a true Mario game but that doesn't mean it;s not fun. It's so much fun. Thebest on the NES.

14 Mega Man 3

I haven't played NES in ages but when I did play as a kid, Mega Man 3 was my favorite game... I wasn't a big fan of the revisited stages, but once you had completed them, Dr Wiley's castle seemed easy. Also, the music was outstanding!

Best one of the ENTIRE SERIES so why is everyone playing mega man 2 this one is better so play this one. 91% of the people in the world are playing this even I am so play mega man 3 please come on everyone listen

My favorite of all the Mega Man games.

15 Ninja Gaiden

I used to hate this game, until I realized how cool it is. Sure jumps can be difficult to time, and enemies will more often than not re-spawn. But I'm happy that they give you unlimited continues, and there are great graphics and music throughout he entire game.

Seriously, this game is a masterpiece. It was the first to include cut scenes, its music is highly memorable and the smoothness of its gameplay, as well as its high level of difficulty, should be really revisited by today's gamemakers.

This game is incredible and should be higher on the list.

16 Duck Hunt

Great game with super Mario brothers on one cartridge. It's fun that you can use a gun and kill ducks. The game was good for it's time. It's good now if you have a new T.V. and a rerelease NES and rerelease duck hunt gun.

Not a bad game, but not really one of the best NES games. It's fun though.

Really good but I hate the dog. Although then again who doesn't.

17 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

As a kid, it took me forever to find Bagu and to figure out that you had to use Thunder in order to defeat Gannon near the end, but for reasons such as these, I loved the game, it was definitely one of my favorites, should be ranked higher!

Other than SMB, SMB3 and the original LoZ I would have to say this is my next favorite NES game. Never beat that last castle though, haha.

I like this game a lot but it gets too hard near the end I think. not the best one but still really good

18 Dr. Mario

This one still keeps me up late at night trying to see how long I can last until that idiot starts giving me too many of the wrong colors.

19 Donkey Kong

Great port of the arcade game to the NES. Only missing one level though. Kinda hard to find too, $30 or over on eBay during 2015 or longer.

Donkey Kong Country is my favorite video game of all time.
It is hard but fun.

20 Tecmo Super Bowl

The best sports game ever. A timeless classic that plays as well today as the day it came out. One of the FEW NES games that can say that.

21 Ghosts 'n Goblins

Usually not a fan of games that are designed to piss you off on purpose but this game in my opinion was outstanding! The hardest game even today cause even when you beat the game you have to do the whole thing again to get the ending! Try it its almost impossible!

The only bad thing about this game other than the difficulty is the fact that you have to beat the game twice just to get a very cheap ending. It still has its charm, I don't consider it one of the best, but it's good to say the very least.

Pretty good game, I don't think I'd rank it this high, but still pretty good. The only real bad quality in this game is the fact that you have to beat the game twice, and the ending has horrible grammar.

22 Metal Gear

The first of the series and still the best. The game is epic and is truly one of the greatest games of all time.

Metal Gear Solid for PS1 and GameCube are better. This is still a good game, but very HARD.

Epic game, great music. Solid Snake on full action!

23 Excitebike

One of the original cartridges that was available when the system came out in 1985, this game was not only fun for it's various courses, but especially fun because it was the first game I can recall that allowed you to design your own levels... VERY cool!

24 Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II
25 Mother

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this game is that good. I thought this game would be low on the list/relatively obscure.

This game is my second favorite game of all time! (Mother 2 is my favorite! ) It's a hard game but it's still extremely fun!

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