Good NES Games?

[laurenhiya21]

Today I won a NES in a raffle (plus a few games, both NES and non-NES) and honestly, I don't know too much about the NES, especially when it comes to the games...
(I wasn't planning on getting a NES anytime soon, so I haven't put much research into it XD)
While I probably won't be able to get too many games right away, I would like to know what to keep my eyes out for in the future

So, any recommendations? I tend to like RPGs the most, but honestly I'm not very picky with games XD (not a big fan of sports games though...)
Just tell me what you think is good! XD
Currently I have 3 games:
- Jaws (lol)
- Excitebike
- Shadowgate

Thanks in advance :>

[WolfAlmighty]

A loaded question.  With over 650 licensed titles there are a TON of awesome games.  For RPGs, go with Final Fantasy, and the Dragon Warrior series. Crystalis is also good.  If you like shmups, get Life Force and Gradius.  For action-platformers, go with Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden.  For straight platformers, the Mario series is always a good choice.  Puzzle games, try Tetris, Wario's Woods, and Hatris.  Lolo series is also good for puzzles.  Contra and Super C are must-haves as well.  If you like beat-em-ups, get the Double Dragon games (#2 is the best IMO).  And then of course there's always Zelda, which every NES owner should have on-hand.

That should give you a good starting library which won't cost you an arm and a leg and hits on the most popular titles.  I could really spend a half hour going through all the worthwhile titles on the system, some rare (and expensive), others just not as well-known, but the above should give you a good start.  Have fun, and enjoy your NES!

[palmer6strings]

A loaded question.  With over 650 licensed titles there are a TON of awesome games.  For RPGs, go with Final Fantasy, and the Dragon Warrior series. Crystalis is also good.  If you like shmups, get Life Force and Gradius.  For action-platformers, go with Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden.  For straight platformers, the Mario series is always a good choice.  Puzzle games, try Tetris, Wario's Woods, and Hatris.  Lolo series is also good for puzzles.  Contra and Super C are must-haves as well.  If you like beat-em-ups, get the Double Dragon games (#2 is the best IMO).  And then of course there's always Zelda, which every NES owner should have on-hand.

That should give you a good starting library which won't cost you an arm and a leg and hits on the most popular titles.  I could really spend a half hour going through all the worthwhile titles on the system, some rare (and expensive), others just not as well-known, but the above should give you a good start.  Have fun, and enjoy your NES!

This!----^

Wolf hit the nail on the head.
I also have Contra and The legend of Zelda for sale! That is if your interested.
I would also add Mega Man, River City Ransom (a beat em up with rpg elements) and maniac mansion. All great games to me.

[lcvolt]

you can never miss a megaman game and punch out. also, on the beat em ups, the teenage mutant ninja turtles 2 and 3 were really good.

if you want a game that combines everything and yu like CHALLENGE, play battletoads (you will need a perfectly responsive controller for this one). its a great game, but really really hard.

[JDavis]

I'm just going to link you to SatoshiMatrix's Top 100 NES/Famicom games list, because he's done the subject more justice than any of us can in a single post.

Start here (#100-#90) and continue through by the links at the top of each page.

[laurenhiya21]

Thanks everybody for the suggestions!
I honestly didn't know there were so many games on the NES haha (and I mean so many good games XD)
I'll make sure to check them out :>

[Moviefan2k4]

I'd also recommend the original "Metroid", but here's a warning: its extremely mind-bending. There's no save capability or map, and lots of rooms look alike. Your weapons and health status are retained with passwords that appear after each game is over, so be sure to write them down.

Another difficult yet popular title is "Zelda II - The Adventure of Link". Its much more of a side-scroller, compared to the original, but the challenge level is definitely there.

Like others have said, the "Mega Man" games are great, but the difficulty varies. Capcom made six of them for the NES, and the second one is probably easiest from the start.

"Dr. Mario" is often cited as a "Tetris" knockoff, but the puzzle system is based on color-matching, instead of completing lines.

[scarmullet]

Ultima IV on the NES was great, a pretty nice improvement over the Apple II version and even the DOS version.

Of course there are the Marios and the Zeldas, those are a given. If you like RPGs, I would generally steer clear of the NES RPGs due to the fact they are very clunky, Final Fantasy I is better played on the PS1 and PSP, IMO, and Dragon Quest I-IV are better on the SFC/SNES. I know I mentioned Ultima IV being good and that is an RPG, but it is the exception to the rule.

What I would sugest (and I'll get flamed for this), get an NES PowerPak, its a CF cartridge for the NES which lets you run ROMs on the original hardware. Play some NES games, and buy what you like.

[satoshi_matrix]

Well you're in luck. Last year, I spend several months addressing the NES library and came up with the best, most definitive top 100 list on the whole internet. I've seen other lists and nothing even comes close to what I did.

So without further ado, check out my top 100 NES and Famicom games that still matter list.

RetroWare's summery is a great launch pad for all the articles.

http://retrowaretv.com/satoshi-matrixs-top-100-nesfamicom-games/

[kylethestyle]

If you're just starting out your collection, go for the cheap ones that have established credibility. Some examples would be: the Super Mario series and Tetris. For now, I would suggest not spending over $5 for a game.

[laurenhiya21]

Thanks for even more suggestions I'm glad that there seems to be a lot of good games to choose from :>

What I would sugest (and I'll get flamed for this), get an NES PowerPak, its a CF cartridge for the NES which lets you run ROMs on the original hardware. Play some NES games, and buy what you like.

Haha I would think about it if it wasn't so expensive DX Just don't think it's worth it if I can buy a ton of games for the same price ><;
There's a Play and Trade near where I live and they let you try out any of the games before you buy them Plus it seems that retro video stores tend to be cheaper than ebay? I'm not sure yet, but I'll check it out ><; (and then there's always reviews)

Well you're in luck. Last year, I spend several months addressing the NES library and came up with the best, most definitive top 100 list on the whole internet. I've seen other lists and nothing even comes close to what I did.

So without further ado, check out my top 100 NES and Famicom games that still matter list.

RetroWare's summery is a great launch pad for all the articles.

http://retrowaretv.com/satoshi-matrixs-top-100-nesfamicom-games/

I didn't know that the person who wrote it was on here XD I've already taken a little bit of a look at it, but it's very well written :> (I mean it even has estimated prices...)
So thanks for writing such a great article

If you're just starting out your collection, go for the cheap ones that have established credibility. Some examples would be: the Super Mario series and Tetris. For now, I would suggest not spending over $5 for a game.

Hmmm ok... I would assume getting them from someplace other than ebay? I'm just asking because it seems that even the Duck Hunt/Mario combo goes for more than $5 w/ shipping... and from what I can tell, that's the most common one... (and I don't quite know where a good place to look for nes games would be...)

[satoshi_matrix]

definitely check out my guide. I go over every genre, give price guides of what you should expect to pay on average, and most importantly, tell you why each game is worth your time. I'm a huge NES and Famicom fan and tell you that the best way of appriciating the NES is to sample a lot of games for it.

[dhennick99]

No nes owner should be without BATMAN!

[kylethestyle]

Hmmm ok... I would assume getting them from someplace other than ebay? I'm just asking because it seems that even the Duck Hunt/Mario combo goes for more than $5 w/ shipping... and from what I can tell, that's the most common one... (and I don't quite know where a good place to look for nes games would be...)

Yeah. Try to buy from classic game stores in your area. Mario/Duck Hunt is under $5 at all of mine. Thrift stores and Goodwill are also places to look. Don't forget garage sales and craigslist! You gotta hunt for the good deals!

[satoshi_matrix]

Oh yeah, perfect place to post this. Before I posted my #1, I recapped the previous 99 games. The full article is of course on my site, but if you want a highly abridged version without any of the details, here's a visual representation of the best games for the NES. Depending on your web browser, this might end up huge. Sorry in advance.