100 Best NES Games Ever: Forumer Comments

On September 30, 2006, The 100 Best NES Games Ever was posted. Three and a quarter years later, forumer jprime created this page as a counterweight to the pre-existing comments page for the SNES list.

Abadox: The Deadly Inner War

joshwoodzell

I saw this advertised on the back page of an Archie comic when I was a wee lad and it looked disgusting. Naturally, I had to have it and was only slightly disappointed in it's gameplay. I still play it every couple years or so.

Ermac

Weird choice for 100, but i'm sure this is off the list once a revision is in place.

Micro Machines

Ermac

I prefer R.C. Pro-Am by a longshot, but 99 isn't a horrible spot for it.

Batman

Ermac

Wow, WTF, while I never drank the Kool-Aid on this game, it is still a top 50.

Spy Hunter

Ermac

Better on the PC, but I will accept it here, even though I can think of a few games that deserve this spot that were left off the list.

Battle Chess

Ermac

Much better on the PC and definitely not top 100.

The Magic of Scheherazade

Ermac

Yeah, it was good, you either loved it or hated it, though. I'd move this one up about 20 spots.

Kiwi Kraze

Ermac

Kiddish game that appeals to a certain audience that could probably be a little higher.

Tecmo Bowl

Ermac

Some assholes would put this in their top 20 simply because of the word "Tecmo", but not me. Most sports games on the NES sucked.

Hogan's Alley

Ermac

Would have loved this game as a pack-in instead of Duck Hunt.

The Three Stooges

Ermac

This game sucks, but since its The Three Stooges, I will let it pass at 90.

Wrath of the Black Manta

Ermac

Should be higher in some people's books.

Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode

Ermac

I like these type of games, not kiddish at all and I wish I could have known about it as a kid.

Casino Kid

Ermac

My brother played this game, it's probably in his top 20.

Tombs & Treasure

jprime

Worst. Ending. Ever.

Ermac

Looks like something I would have enjoyed as a kid, I haven't played it, but i'm sure it deserves a higher spot than some of the shitty games in the 70's and 80's.

Rampage

Ermac

Its really fun at first, then slowly starts to suck in a big way.

The Arcade version is the best.

Mappy-Land

Ermac

Wasn't there a game like this on the Sega Master System, too? I think I played this, but the person had better games lying around.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Ermac

This game sucks, disappointing piece of shit when it comes down to it, despite what others say.

Double Dribble

Ermac

Still a sucky basketball game, but at least it didn't hurt your eyes as much as some sports games.

Adventures of Lolo

Ermac

The Lolo games should be all put together at like, 29.

North & South

Ermac

I love simulation games, but even I couldn't get into this, just too primitive.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

JRA

This game should not be here. Certainly not over its super-sequel, The Manhattan Project. It does have sort of a historical importance for being the first Ninja Turtles game, but there are so many things wrong with it. It's like the inverse of the Super Mario Bros. movie- good original TV license, awful game. I suppose we should be thankful that it sold enough to warrant the green-lighting of the sequel, but in the immortal words of James Rolfe, "This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick."

jprime

I have a system for beating this game: I let all four turtles beat two bosses each. Leo gets both of Meca Turtle's forms, Raph gets Bebop and Rocksteady, Mike gets the Bombs and the Technodrome Guardian and Don gets Big Mouser and Shredder. As for the rest of the game, I concede that it's not the best use of the license, but it's not unplayable. Still, it really burns me that this game beat Mega Man 2 for Overall at the '89 Nesters.

Mega Man

jprime

As good as SMB3 is, for me, this was the beginning of a six-way tie for the NES' best.

Metroid

jprime

Seriously, this LOST to Secret of Mana?!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game

JRA

You ever notice that, by the end of the first season of the cartoon show, they flat-out stopped using their weapons on the bad guys? Thankfully, there were games like this that not only provided the real Ninja Turtle experience, but proved that licenses can translate to video games perfectly when handled with care.

I remember the first time I made it to the snow level. I was pissed at first because a) it wasn't in the arcade version and b) it was fucking hard, especially that polar bear boss. Who the hell was that guy, anyway? I don't remember seeing any action figures of him in the TMNT line. But looking back now, this level and it's challenge made reaching the parking garage level where you kick the shit out of Baxter (again, in fly form) and take April O Neil back to the van for some turtle love all the sweeter.

Oh, and I didn't care about the inferior graphics and sound. I was too amped that I could finally play this game at home.

jprime

If you choose to jump-kick your way through this game, you might as well be controlling a weaponless, maskless freak of science. I prefer to rely on the Turtles' weapons to get the job done and use the kick as a means to get on the other side of my opponent before they can retaliate from that first hit, unless I'm fighting a boss, though I still try to strike the final blow with the weapon. This way, the illusion of difference is maintained and I feel like I have a reason for going through the game as all four Turtles.

Super Mario Bros.

JRA

You know you have a good list when the game that objectively changed the universe as far as video games are concerned barely makes the top 10. The fact that this game still holds up, despite being completely primitive, is a testament to its power. Before the VC, I would constantly have dreams about playing this game more than any other video game out there. Especially the castle levels.

Mega Man 2

JRA

Greatest. Soundtrack. Ever. "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and all the Disney collections in the world don't have shit on the sublime, yet simple sonic sensations on this masterpiece. But, the game. Many people nostalgic for the NES era remember this game as the moment where Inafune, and subsequently Capcom, and also subsequently the entire shoot-em-up genre hit its stride, and they're correct to think so. The flaws that held back the original game are gone, the enemies became slightly more inventive, and the weapons—oh, fuck yes, the weapons. The weapon everyone knows and loves from this game is the Metal Blade, but IMO the Crash Bomber would have completely usurped it if it didn't have ridiculously low ammunition. You are probably thinking that by giving it more ammunition, the game would have been broken—any more broken than it already is with the Metal Blade, guys? I don't think so.

Nonetheless, I can't call this the greatest Mega Man game. For while this game took many steps forward, it took a step backward as well. For instance, the ingenious rock-paper-scissors system Inafune designed in the first game was completely shattered here, which I thought was incredibly stupid. People say that allowed for a more freedom-based sandbox approach. Really? Is that why you morons just went for Metal Man first, and then just ran around like a chicken with your head cut off, using the Metal Blade against everyone with no rhyme, reason or strategy to it? That's like the makers of Link To The Past dropping the Bombos Medallion in the East Palace!

jprime

Let me just point out that I've never Metal Bladed my way through this game. For the most part, I always go through a selectable level as if I picked it first. If you really can't depend on your main weapon for the majority of each of these games, you're a pussy.

Mega Man 3

JRA

It needs to be said. The Doc robots suck. Not only are they a fucking pain in the ass to kill (especially Quick Man) but what was the point to them? I understand Capcom was trying to give us more bang for our buck by adding four extra levels, but they were also trying to tell a story, what with Proto Man and Gamma. But nothing about the Doc Robots are ever explained, not in the instruction booklet, not in the game nothing. They just appear the fuck out of nowhere to irritate you. And were people really that nostalgic for the Mega Man 2 bosses by the time this game came out? It would have made more sense to have the Mega Man 1 bosses, especially since they profile them during the credits.

But at the end of the day, this is the better Mega Man game, and I'm glad it outranked 2.

The Legend of Zelda

JRA

I hated the fact that you had to spend a rupee to fire an arrow. If you were a particularly conservative player, that basically meant you would take painstaking care not to use the arrows except for bosses. And what fun is it if you can't use a new weapon without seriously inconveniencing yourself? Also, I miss the magic rod. Damn, that thing kicked ass.

Oh, and fuck the second quest.

Final Fantasy

JRA

Square's "swan song" may have invented modern RPGs, but it hasn't aged very well. It's saving grace has always been the customizable party. There are some flaws in here that are just so stupid by today's standards that anyone who still clings to it are the stagnant anti-progress fools holding this planet back. Targeting dead enemies is one of these unforgivable sins. Also, having to take your dead allies to a clinic in order to bring them back to life, and even then, they only have one HP? Fuck that noise. I'm a little less critical of each spell only being able to be cast a certain number of times. Interesting idea, but at the end of the day, MP ended up being the better idea.

Oh, and L O FUCKING L at this game being the last word in difficulty on the NES. The Castlevania games are way harder than this. Sure, you have to level grind for a long time between Pravoka and the Earth Cave, and said Earth Cave and the Ice Cavern proved to be challenges, but after that, I didn't need to grind once. Maybe its just because in dungeons, I fight whatever comes my way (doesn't everybody?), but for the most part, that was all the grinding I needed to do. Perhaps this game wasn't as hard as I'd heard it was because I used a strategy guide, but most NES games are un-fucking-playable without one, especially one as buggy as this. If you have an obsessive compulsion for all things 8-bit like me, then by all means, play the NES version, but if you just want to experience "the game," pick up the GBA version.

jprime

It's funny...I've beaten this game several times with both the Default and Standard parties, and every time I take control of one, I find myself wondering how I ever got along with the other. Then I take control of the other and the cycle repeats itself.

Also, as of this writing, I maintain an undefeated record against Warmech.

Super Mario Bros. 3

JRA

For the longest time, this was the golden standard by which future Mario games (and to a lesser extent, platformers) were judged. I think New Super Mario Brothers Wii eclipsed that standard, but that's a completely different discussion.

If there is any one flaw in this game, it's that you can't save your progress. And while that sounds like a complaint from an inexperienced younger generation, a) I grew up with this game, and b) plenty of other games were made around the same time, if not before then, which had just as much, if not more gameplay than SMB3 which did have saving or password systems. So unless you are going to dedicate an entire Saturday to playing the game, the only way you can beat it in a small chunk of time is by using warps. Plus, I couldn't have been the only person who always thought the music box was kinda pointless. Also, the more I play this game, the more I realize the Hammer Bros. suit sucks. True, you can use it to deflect fire, but the hammers themselves are so clunky to use. The only thing that its good for is to hear a World King go, "Hey you, how much for the clothes? No dice? What a drag."

But yeah, greatest NES game ever? It certainly comes the closest. I've tried to think of many counterexamples over the years just to spark debate, but the greatness of other games just don't quite eclipse this one. Nintendo Power tried to claim that Legend of Zelda was better. That argument would hold water if the Second Quest wasn't unplayable.