NES "Personal Best" game suggestions

[Flam]

So, I really like platformers, but after you finish the games the replay value diminishes until you "rediscover' the game a while later. An example would be Mega Man 2, while a fun game, after you beat it it's not like you're going to pick it back up the next month. I really seem to like the games in which achieving point scores is the end goal (i.e. Tetris, Donkey Kong, Pac Man, etc.). These games have continuous replay value as you are always competing against yourself, trying to beat a personal best score. I have Tetris, Donkey Kong Classics, and Burger Time and was considering getting Popeye. Let me know if you can suggest any other games for the NES along these lines.

[treismac]

Balloon Fight
Mappy (Famicom)
Ms. Pac-Man
Clu Clu Land
Galaga
Q-Bert
Mario Bros. (For the Famicom Disk System or on emulation, the Kaettekita Mario Bros. version is the BEST version of the game by far)
Kung Fu

As far as puzzle games go, I think Pipe Dreams is definitely fun.

[ButtonMasher123]

The game I always had the most fun playing for score is bubble bobble. Between the scores you get for comboing a lot of enemies at once, the rush to get food items at the end of the stage before time runs out, and all the random item drops there seems to be a million ways to score points so there is always something you can improve on for next time to get a better score. Whats great about Bubble Bobble too is it is also a platformer so you get more freedom than most scoring based games.

[Flam]

Last night I was debating on whether I should get an Atari 2600. Aren't these sorts of games more prevelant on that system? The 2600 was my very first system, but the NES is the system that I have the most affinity for since it was the system I played the most in my childhood and has the most nostalgic value to me; and honestly I hardly have that much time to play my NES let alone getting another system.

[Drixxel]

As far as puzzle games go, I think Pipe Dreams is definitely fun.

Absolutely! That was the first game to pop in my head when reading through Flam's post. Pipe Dream also features an awesome cooperative mode, get two experienced Pipe Dreamers together and you can weave some wicked feats of plumbing that push the personal best.

Another that springs to mind is Seicross. I've always thought of it like a futuristic, combat-ready Excite Bike, although that's more to do with the perspective and the fact that you're on a jet bike rather than there being any racing component (which there is none, although there is a fuel supply you need to worry about). Lots of fun, a good challenge, diverse enemies and obstacles. The game loops after the first six stages or so, making it ideal for when you're in the mood for an endless challenge.

About the 2600, the library is almost entirely games of this endless nature. If you're looking for shooters, maze games and simple platformers, that's a great console to familiarize yourself with.

[Rickstilwell1]

Other endless high score oriented games not mentioned yet:

Defender II (it exists but the controls aren't that great for the NES version)
Millipede
Dr. Mario
Tetris 2
Yoshi
Yoshi's Cookie
R.C. Pro-Am
Galaxian (Famicom cart or NES reproduction)
Donkey Kong 3

Wario's Woods might be. Nobody really knows what happens after level 100 do they?

[Ro-J]

If you're thinking of getting a 2600 and looking for games to achieve a personal best high score....I highly recommend picking up the Activision titles and attempt to earn the patches. I tried this over the summer and discovered just how awesome it made Dragster and Barnstorming (2 games I had previously written off). For added fun, buy each patch off of Ebay after you've earned it....although that can get expensive quick.

As far as the NES, if you like games like Burgetime and Popeye, definitely check out Dig Dug II and Bump n' Jump.

[treismac]

As far as the NES, if you like games like Burgetime and Popeye, definitely check out Dig Dug II and Bump n' Jump.

Yes, Yes!!! I second these. I didn't include them because I am unable to finish them and loop back around. Dig Dug is a nifty sequel to an outstanding classic and Bump n' Jump is simply magic.

[retroman]

I always liked Road Runner on the NES.

[Jehusephat]

Dr. Mario is my go-to game when I'm trying to challenge myself. I've been playing the game casually since it was released, and every year I get a little better at it--just enough to keep me hooked. Somewhere around 2001 I decided I was going to set the game on the highest level and speed and play until I cleared the stage, as opposed to starting from the beginning and working my way up. At first it took me more than an hour to beat level 20 one time, but I gradually improved to where I could play through level 21 about 1/4 of the time. In 2006 I stopped the level counter for the first time (it won't display numbers higher than 24), and about a month ago I reached what would have been level 29 before losing. Every time I reach my personal best I put the game away for a while, but I always seem to come back to it.

Other score/skill based games I've been hooked on:
Nethack
Robotron: 2084
Spelunky
Puyo Puyo
Gyruss

Side note: I don't know what it is about Mega Man 2, but it's one of the few games with a definite ending I actually can play over and over again. It was the only Mega Man game I owned until I bought Mega Man X, and I must have played through it once a week for years.

[Flam]

Side note: I don't know what it is about Mega Man 2, but it's one of the few games with a definite ending I actually can play over and over again. It was the only Mega Man game I owned until I bought Mega Man X, and I must have played through it once a week for years.

I hear ya on Mega Man II, it was a bad example, one that just popped into my head.

[dgdgagdae]

Dr. Mario is my go-to game when I'm trying to challenge myself. I've been playing the game casually since it was released, and every year I get a little better at it--just enough to keep me hooked. Somewhere around 2001 I decided I was going to set the game on the highest level and speed and play until I cleared the stage, as opposed to starting from the beginning and working my way up. At first it took me more than an hour to beat level 20 one time, but I gradually improved to where I could play through level 21 about 1/4 of the time. In 2006 I stopped the level counter for the first time (it won't display numbers higher than 24), and about a month ago I reached what would have been level 29 before losing. Every time I reach my personal best I put the game away for a while, but I always seem to come back to it.

Try playing Drinking Dr. Mario. Take a drink after you beat each level. It really ups the challenge, because you're drinking pretty quickly at first.

[jb143]

Surprised no one's said Klax yet.

[jammajup]

I think there are some obvious games people have already mentioned the but one of the best platformers i played on the NES was Gimmick! (Mr Gimmick!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8iRqMT9YI8 not sure it is exactly what you are looking for.
I think if you are leaning towards score and setting a target then you cannot go wrong with arcade conversions like Ghost`n Goblins and Marble Madness .

[FoxNtd]

All right this is my kind of thread. I like a well-designed game for the purpose of pushing skill to the extreme, usually by high scores.

I have Tetris, Donkey Kong Classics, and Burger Time and was considering getting Popeye. Let me know if you can suggest any other games for the NES along these lines.

Burgertime is an awesome choice. I haven't played it in many years; I'll have to get a Famicom copy at some point. I remember it being rather hard so playing for score would be impressive.

Balloon Fight
Mappy (Famicom)
Ms. Pac-Man
Clu Clu Land
Galaga
Q-Bert
Mario Bros. (For the Famicom Disk System or on emulation, the Kaettekita Mario Bros. version is the BEST version of the game by far)
Kung Fu

FDS Mario Bros. kicks my ass haha, glad to have found a copy of that. I should play it more and get used to the difficulty, would be nice to nail a million on that game. I've reached the 3rd loop on Spartan X (Kung Fu on FC) -- that game becomes rather evil. Having only 1UP is almost insulting but on loop 3 the knives fly faster... Also the magician on floor 4 can go fuck himself. He's even worse than the final boss. It's ridiculous to fight him on later loops when the regular enemies don't stop coming argh..

I see Gyruss was mentioned, all right, that is great too. The difficulty goes up after loop 1 but doesn't increase after that. I played to loop 6 I think and got a nice score.

A lot of the Konami games are set up for endurance play. Akumajou Densetsu, Contra, Gyruss of course, Falsion might be good if it loops, but I don't know if it does. Oh I've looped Arumana no Kiseki a few times though I gotta say it does feel a bit dull to play so many iterations. That one has no difficulty increases it seems. Contra is harsh, it gradually gets harder, maxing out around loop 5. It was a bitch to counterstop ha. Luckily Akumajou Densetsu only has 6 digits so it's not too bad to counterstop but the game plays slowly so it takes literally a few hours until it maxes out. I heard there exists a technique to farm points incredibly quickly but that's lame and eliminates a lot of the skill required to survive long enough otherwise.

Sadly Raf World has no score system but it does loop (no difficulty increases) -- I guess you can measure by how many times you can loop it before game over.

Surely there are many many more titles that just keep going until you finally break. Arcade style games and shooters should be good picks.

[treismac]

I've reached the 3rd loop on Spartan X (Kung Fu on FC) -- that game becomes rather evil. Having only 1UP is almost insulting but on loop 3 the knives fly faster... Also the magician on floor 4 can go fuck himself. He's even worse than the final boss. It's ridiculous to fight him on later loops when the regular enemies don't stop coming argh..

He is ridiculously annoying. Doesn't it seem like Thomas becomes "stuck" in the crouch position when you fight him as if the play mechanics break a little bit for that fight only? I really, really hate that bastard.

Of collectible note: I have both the NES and Famicom versions of the game, though I have yet to add the Famicom only sequel to my collection, which is a pretty damn good game in its own right.

[FoxNtd]

He is ridiculously annoying. Doesn't it seem like Thomas becomes "stuck" in the crouch position when you fight him as if the play mechanics break a little bit for that fight only? I really, really hate that bastard.

Of collectible note: I have both the NES and Famicom versions of the game, though I have yet to add the Famicom only sequel to my collection, which is a pretty damn good game in its own right.

Yeah you're locked into position when you knock his head off and he does his little respawning trick.

Spartan X2 looks radically different to the point that calling it a sequel seems odd. I haven't seen much yet to decide if I need to get a copy of it myself, I just know it's not conveniently common and cheap like Spartan X is.

Spartan X is such a simple game and it's a hell of a challenge. It's cool people are still playing it to this day.

[treismac]

Spartan X2 looks radically different to the point that calling it a sequel seems odd. I haven't seen much yet to decide if I need to get a copy of it myself, I just know it's not conveniently common and cheap like Spartan X is.

It left the iconic formula of the first to the point where it is indeed an odd fit to call it Spartan X 2, but it is still a fun game apart from the ill-fitting name.

Spartan X is such a simple game and it's a hell of a challenge. It's cool people are still playing it to this day.

I first owned Kung Fu Master on the Commodore 64 and I loved the hell out of it, but I regrettably didn't own the NES version as a kid. This was one of the first mistakes from my past that I rectified when I began collecting for the NES as an adult and for the Famicom when I got an adapter from a Gyromite cart.

[FoxNtd]

I have both the NES and Famicom versions of the game

Were you able to notice any difference in gameplay of any kind? I heard a rumor they were slightly different somehow, such as the number of regular enemies you routinely encounter, or something. I've played the US version before but I don't own it for some time now. From memory I'd say they play exactly the same way but I can't be certain.

[treismac]

Were you able to notice any difference in gameplay of any kind? I heard a rumor they were slightly different somehow, such as the number of regular enemies you routinely encounter, or something. I've played the US version before but I don't own it for some time now. From memory I'd say they play exactly the same way but I can't be certain.

I'm not certain, either, but I don't think there is any difference in gameplay.