Not only was the Nintendo Entertainment System the console that resurrected video games after the industry crash of '83, but the system's top titles set the gameplay standard by which modern platforming, RPG, action, adventure and narrative are designed today. These are the most influential and trend setting titles from the NES.
1. Super Mario Bros.
Packshot © NintendoNintendo knew that Shigeru Miyamoto's latest Mario brilliance was something special, so instead of selling it as a launch title they packaged it with the NES. Word of mouth spread and soon folks were buying the NES just to get the chance to play Mario and Luigi's first console adventure. The brilliant multi-level platform design was like nothing seen before and spawned one of the greatest gaming franchises of all time.
Super Mario Bros. was the best selling title for the NES, followed by its sequel, Super Mario Bros. 3 as the number two best seller and Super Mario Bros. 2 in the third spot for the system.
2. The Legend of Zelda
Packshot © NintendoAnother Miyamoto classic, developed by the same team at the same time as
Super Mario Bros. Zelda was an incredibly innovative game, and just like
SMB, introduced the world to several video game firsts.
Zelda set the standard for what we now consider RPG-Light gameplay, mixing roll-playing with adventure, action and puzzles. Zelda also introduced the world to non-linear gameplay, were players were encouraged to explore the environments, allowing them to play the game in any order they wish.
Due to Zelda's complex RPG elements and lengthy gameplay, a save sysem was necessairy, so the game ended up being the very first console cartridge to have a built in battery-powered RAM memory.
3. Final Fantasy
The original
Final Fantasy stands as the most influential RPG title of all time, setting the standard for all RPGs to come. Although originally criticized for its slow pace and numerous random encounters with enemies, the game has proven itself to have been far ahead of its time, with most modern RPGs still using the same conventions and systems.
The game features three continents for players to explore, allowing them to move across the land via a map system in parties of four characters, each with a unique skill set. Unlike most adventure games, the player has limited control of their characters, making them wait their turn in combat and assigning specific tasks for the character to perform instead of directly controlling them.
4. Mega Man
With over 100 sequels and spin offs, Mega Man is undoubtedly one of Capcom's most solid franchises and it all started with this little game featuring some of the worst (and misleading) pack-art of all time. Regardless of how bad the box art was, word of mouth spread on how good the game itself was.
Referred to as Rocketman in Japan, but changed to Mega Man in the US due to trademark issues, MM follows an Astro Boy inspired adventure of a robot assistant reprogrammed to become a super hero so he can battle the evil robots created by the mad scientist Dr. Willy. Each time Mega Man defeats a level boss he absorbs their special abilities, adding it to his arsenal and skills.
5. Metroid
Packshot © Nintendo Creator of the Game Boy, Gumpei Yokoi, set out to produce a game that took the best elements of the Mario and Zelda series and mixed them with non-stop action. In this side-scrolling platformer, exploration and power ups are key as you infiltrate a Space Pirate's World to stop them from using the biological weapon known as the Metroid Creatures, to take over the universe.
Metroid was the first action game to feature a female protagonist, Samus Aran, a bounty hunter whose protective suit takes on special abilities depending on the different power-ups she snags.
6. Metal Gear
Not only is Metal Gear the first game in the monumentally successful Konami franchise, but it is the first ever "stealth game", creating an entirely new genre of video game. Although originally released in Japan for the MSX2 computer system, the NES iteration of Metal Gear was the only version of the game to release in the United States at the time. Although the games creator, Hideo Kojima, viciously hated the NES port, it ended up being responsible for making the game one of the most popular titles ever.
7. Castlevania
Considered to be one of the top platforming titles of all time, Konami took a genre normally reserved for cutesy kiddy fare and added a dark and sinister horror tone, focusing on vampire slayer Simon Belmont's journey to destroy the resurrected Dracula. The combination of solid controls, smooth gameplay, high quality music and serious tone lifted
Castelvania into video game history as its sequels are often compared to the original as a mark of quality.
8. Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!
Later renamed to simply Punch Out!! with the bad boy of Boxing's name and image removed, the original Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! is considered one of the most popular and influential home console boxing games of all time. Based on the Punch Out!! arcade game, the NES version is more of a reimagining of the arcade title rather than a port, as it features dramatically different visuals, style and gameplay. This is one of the few cases where the console version surpasses the original arcade game in popularity.
Instead of having the player take the roll of Tyson, you play as a generic boxer nicknamed Little Mac by fans, a name which eventually stuck for the sequels. Tyson here is the final boxer you must defeat to win the game.
9. Kirby's Adventure
Winner of Best NES Game of 1993 by
Electronic Gaming Monthly,
Kirby's Adventure is actually the second Kirby game, the first being
Kirby's Dreamland for the Game Boy classic. The basic design of the game is extremely close to the original
Super Mario Bros. with traditional platforming gameplay. What made Kirby unique is that he could suck up enemies into his mouth and spit them out to cause damage, or swallow them to temporarily absorb their power. This same technique was used for Yoshi the dinosaur in the Super Nintendo title
Super Mario World.
10. Ninja Gaiden
This dark and brooding action tale of revenge has made it's protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa, into the most famous Ninja in gamedome. Although the idea of a more mature style of platforming game was not completely original after the release of
Castelvania,
Ninja Gaiden's use of cut-scenes and cinematics to tell the story of a Ninja bent on revenge for the murder of his father, was completely innovative. Since it's initial release, using rich and elaborate cinematics to push the narrative of a game has become a standard in Japanese action and adventure titles. The gameplay itself is nothing to sneeze at either as the smooth balance and combat are some of the best the NES has to offer.
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