Most underrated NES game?

[roushimsx]

Destiny of an Emperor never gets the love it deserves. It's a fantastic RPG set in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms framework with a nifty combat system and some really rockin' good music (for the time). It pains me that I've yet to get around to playing the fantranslated sequel....one of these days....

Also backing recommendations for Faxanadu and Willow. Faxanadu did 2d side scrolling RPG right (whereas Zelda 2...didn't) and Willow was just an enjoyable as hell action/adventure/rpg. Hell, I used to play Willow so damn much that I would play through it in a single sitting.

Journey to Silus was another great one that got mentioned. No idea why that one wasn't more popular when it came out. It had it all, man. Ditto for Shadow of the Ninja and Shatterhand (if you've never played Shatterhand, just imagine NES Batman, but cooler).

Ohh, speaking of Batman, Return of the Joker was an awesome game. I loved the first game, but the second one was even better. The music wasn't quite as memorable, but other than that it trumped the first in all areas.

How about Gargoyle's Quest 2? For some reason the whole series seems to be more or less forgotten, which is a damn shame.

Bucky O'Hare was quite fun, too. Didn't much care for the Arcade version and I thought the cartoon/toys sucked, but the NES game was pretty sweet. Rented it around the time I rented Rad Gravity, which was equally badass.

I want to say G.I. Joe and G.I. Joe - The Atlantis Factor, but I haven't played either one in nearly 10 years....so that just might be nostalgia hitting like a freight train. I'll have to pop 'em in and play 'em again sometime soon to see if they've held up well :(

[suppafly]

Here are a few more which are hardly ever mentioned:

Rescue: The Embassy Mission: Let me first say that there probably is no gameplay element in all of videogamedom that I cannot stand more than stealth. I just hate it with a passion. However, this short-and-sweet gem truly shines. As the title suggests, you are part of a counter-terrorist team which tries to rescue hostages from the assailed embassy. The game is very short (although there are three difficulty levels and five independant missions, all pretty much the same in the end), and I like it that way. It's quite intense and challenging. In the first part, you control your squad, one by one, in hopes of reaching appropriate buildings from which you can then snipe terrorists during the second part of the mission. In order to do so, you must avoid lights by jumping in bushes, hiding behind pillars, and crawling in front of walls. The third part consists of leading a second squad from the top of the embassy to the interior, killing every terrorist and saving every hostage. Using your radar (not available in all difficulty/mission settings), you can spot the enemies and make quick work out of them, using a pseudo-3D/first-person perspective. This game was impressively ahead of its time, and it deserves a quick 15-minutes play-through from time to time.



This is, quite possibly, one of the worst NES games I ever `played. It was a HUGE letdown. I finished it the first time I played it, without losing any lives, and it took 10 minutes.

It was a b-day present, and I was VERY disapointed! Im glad I was able to return it to the store and trade it for another game!

[Mr.Faxanadu]

The only unpopular games that I ever really got into are:

Solstice
Fire N Ice
Bump N Jump


I noticed alot of people suggesting MC Kids ! Ill have to try that one!

[Graham Mitchell]

Have you played Alpha Mission or Kabuki: Quantum Fighter?I know I have played something else from HAL, don't quite recall what, but I don't remember ever playing either of those. Will have to check them out though, and I know where I can find them around here.

Alpha Mission is by SNK, not HAL. It's still one of the best shooters on the NES, though, regardless of the publisher.


Jaws (yes, I loved this game)

I loved Jaws, too, and I don't understand why it gets ranked on so much. It's pretty advanced for it's time, really, even if the map is pretty small. I think people get hacked off at it because you only see the shark if you put a little effort into the game. Instant gratification it is not.

[RJ]

4 pages of posts & counting & NO ONE said Basewars???

ALso, Hogans Alley is pretty playable...

[shoes23]

Wow lots of good suggestions in this thread. I must have missed this one when I first signed up here a few years ago. Perhaps this thread was due for a bump anyway.

I just played through the Lone Ranger, and had to search the forum to see if anyone else thought that this game was as good as I did. Let me tell ya, if you haven't tried this one out yet you need to at least give it thirty minutes of your time, I can almost guarentee that if you are a NES fan this game will get you hooked.

Gameplay is fantastic, switching you from an overhead perspective, to a side scroller, to a first person shooter perspective (you can even use the zapper if you so desire in this section). The game makes you buy ammo for your six shooter, so fanning the hammer on your foes isn't the smartest approach. You are given various missions by townsfolk you will wander around and talk to, and once you complete an areas missions, you are given a password to advance to the next area (8 in all).

The graphics are great for a NES title, everything looks as it should and has very nice wild west feel to it. Very little if any flicker present in this one.

Anyone else played this one?

[Barbarianoutkast85]

Felix the Cat
Yo Noid
Journey to Silius
Codename: Viper
Dr. Chaos

These are all games that I love, but you just dont hear much about them.

[Barbarianoutkast85]

Also Monsters in my Pocket is a great game you dont hear about much. It's actually one of my all time favorite NES games.

[Barbarianoutkast85]

Also Shadowgate, Deja Vu, Uninvited, and Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom.

[Moo Cow]

Destiny of an Emperor never gets the love it deserves. It's a fantastic RPG set in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms framework with a nifty combat system and some really rockin' good music (for the time). It pains me that I've yet to get around to playing the fantranslated sequel....one of these days....

The sequal's pretty good too.

Cattou Ninden Teyandee (Samurai Pizza Cats): What a kickass game. One of the best games I've played in a whle.

Panic Restaraunt: Sure, I prefer the Japanese one (the Japanese regular weapon has less lag), but either one is damn good.

Rockin' Katz anyone?

[bangtango]

I always thought some of the games based on movies were half-decent on NES, maybe because the 8-bit capabilities kept them simple. I thought licensed games like those generally sucked more on Genesis and SNES than they did on NES (or Gameboy).

So a few of the games I thought were underrated are........

-Friday the 13th: 2's and 3's in EGM, which I never thought the game deserved. Sure, it wasn't a 9 or 10 but it also wasn't a 2. The setting was pretty authentic compared to the movies. Music was mediocre to average. Graphics weren't half bad, just a little small. Good control, reasonable difficulty and you had to beat Jason three times with the game getting harder each time.

-Jaws: Very repetitive but otherwise I thought the game controlled well and the graphics were easy on the eyes.

-Robin Hood Prince of Thieves: I liked the idea of having all those different party members and switching weapons and armor back and forth. Weapons included a sword, two types of daggers, Little John's wooden staff, bow and arrows, etc. There was also a lot of exploration, with a bunch of hidden items to find. The events also follow the movie for the most part, except for a stupid diversion where you hunt a giant boar (heh). This all makes me want to pick up another copy of the game.

-Jurassic Park

-Major League Baseball: A similar set-up to RBI Baseball which I also enjoyed. I hated the pitcher/batter view in the Bases Loaded games and always thought Baseball Stars was overrated.

-WWF Wrestlemania: Although stupid power-ups bounce across the ring and you can't throw a guy over the top rope, I always enjoyed this game. It has good arcade-style gameplay. I liked that you got to hear each wrestler's original ring themes during the matches, too, instead of a generic soundtrack. The only flaws to me are that the wrestlers are unbalanced (try using Ted DiBiase to beat a cpu-controlled Andre the Giant) and the biggest move you have at your disposal is a regular old body slam (no finishers for the wrestlers).

[shoes23]

-Jaws: Very repetitive but otherwise I thought the game controlled well and the graphics were easy on the eyes.

-Robin Hood Prince of Thieves: I liked the idea of having all those different party members and switching weapons and armor back and forth. Weapons included a sword, two types of daggers, Little John's wooden staff, bow and arrows, etc. There was also a lot of exploration, with a bunch of hidden items to find. The events also follow the movie for the most part, except for a stupid diversion where you hunt a giant boar (heh). This all makes me want to pick up another copy of the game.



I liked Jaws as well, but once you know what you are doing the game is incredibly easy and short. You can beat the game in literally 15 minutes or less once you know what you need. The toughest part is spearing Jaws with the ship at the end, but once again when you realize he needs be by the first horizontal line (and not as close to the ship as possible) killing him is easy.

As far as Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves is concerned, no complaints from me about it's inclusion. The game is awesome and should be on almost every Top 50 list. The only thing that held it back is the absence of a password system (technically it does have one, but it is hidden), coupled with the overall long length of the game. On a side not, the developers were going to include an archery contest in the game, but sadly that was scraped in the released version.

[GhostDog]

Also Monsters in my Pocket is a great game you dont hear about much. It's actually one of my all time favorite NES games.

I haven't played Monsters in My Pocket in years but I remember liking it as a kid. I agree that Yo! Noid is an awesome game. It was a childhood favorite which I often played at my cousin's house back in the day. That's where I played Monsters in My Pocket, Vice: Project Doom and other great NES titles. I was also introduced to a bunch of Genesis titles at his house. Those were the days. I re-bought Yo! Noid back in the summer of 2000 from Funcoland and have been enjoying it ever since.

[GhostDog]

I haven't played Monsters in My Pocket in years but I remember liking it as a kid. I agree that Yo! Noid is an awesome game. It was a childhood favorite which I often played at my cousin's house back in the day. That's where I played Monsters in My Pocket, Vice: Project Doom and other great NES titles. I was also introduced to a bunch of Genesis titles at his house. Those were the days. I re-bought Yo! Noid back in the summer of 2000 from Funcoland and have been enjoying it ever since.

I don't get the constant bashing of this game just because it uses an ex-Domino's mascot. The game was essentially a Capcom produced title with the Noid replacing some character from the original game. There were some changes done to Yo! Noid that weren't in the original Japanese game. I believe I saw a video on Youtube comparing the two games.

Also, check out the irate gamer's review of Yo! Noid. He complains that it's too hard. While I agree with his other videos on games like Ghosts 'n Goblins being frustrating, Yo! Noid really isn't all that hard once you get the hang of the levels and controls.


Felix the Cat
Yo Noid
Journey to Silius
Codename: Viper
Dr. Chaos

These are all games that I love, but you just dont hear much about them.

[GhostDog]

Here are some games that don't get mentioned enough:

Bad News Baseball
Kickle Cubicle
Solomon's Key (Would kick ass if it had a password feature at least)
Super Spike V'Ball/World Cup Soccer
Tennis (I always thought it was fun)
Trojan
Vice: Project Doom
Wrath of the Black Manta
Yo! Noid

[Thrillo]

Shatterhand - I've praised it before and I'll praise it again. It has everything you could want in a NES game: classic platform gameplay, tight and responsive control, kickass music and sounds, gorgeous graphics that rival some SNES games (check out the refinery level! parallax scrolling!), wicked boss fights, and an interesting yet useful gimmick in the form of the helper robots you can create. It's a real shame that Natsume didn't get more recognition for this and their other NES games.

[Lord_Magus]

I'll just quickly jump in and mention Faxanadu again. The story, characters and graphics made this game really different from your standard Action/RPG, and I also found it to be strangely...atmospheric, with every section of the game having a very distinct feel to it. One more thing that really stood out for me was the music - I have yet to encounter another game with a similar "feel" to it, and I still listen to the .nsf soundtrack from time to time :)

Other games that don't get mentioned nearly as often as they deserve are the Wizards and Warriors games, with the second one (Ironsword) easily being one of the 5 best NES games I've played.

[bust3dstr8]

Gun Nac

[gonzo90017]

Here's the complete list. 224 games! Alphabetical Order. No repeats

3-D Worldrunner
8 Eyes
A Nightmare On Elm Street
Abadox
Adventure Island
Adventures In The Magic Kingdom
Adventures Of Rad Gravity
Air Fortress
Al Unser Jr. Turbo Racing
Alpha Mission
Anticipation
Arch Rivals
Archon
Attack Of The Killer Tomatos
Baby Boomer
Bad News Baseball
Balloon Fight
Bases Loaded Ii
Basewars
Batman, Return Of The Joker
Battletoads And Double Dragon
Bee 52
Bigfoot
Blades Of Steel
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Bucky O'hare
Bump 'N Jump
Cabal
Casino Kid
Casino Kid 2
Cattou Ninden Teyandee(Samurai Pizza Cats)
Championship Rally
Chubby Cherub
Clash At Demanhead
Cobra Command
Cobra Triangle
Code Name: Viper
Conquest Of The Crystal Palace
Cowboy Kid
Crash N' The Boys Street Challenge
Crystalis
Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat
Deadly Towers
Deja Vu,
Destiny Of An Emperor
Double Dribble
Dr. Chaos
Dragon Spirit
Ducktales 2
Dudes With Attitudes
Dusty Diamond's All Star Softball
Elevator Action
Eliminator Boat Duel
Exodus,
Faria
Faxanadu
Felix The Cat
Fester's Quest
Fire N Ice
Firehawk
Fist Of The North Star
Freedom Force
Friday The 13Th
G.I.
G.I. Joe - The Atlantis Factor
Galaga
Galaxy 5000
Gargoyle's Quest 2
Gemfire
Gilligan's Island
Goal! Two
Godzilla 2
Gold Medal Challenge '92
Golgo 13
Goonies 2
Guardian Legend
Gumshoe
Gun*Nac & Galaxy 5000
Gun.Smoke
Gunsmoke
Gyruss
Heavy Barrel
Heroes Of The Lance
High Speed
Hogans Alley
Ice Hockey
Image Fight
Jackal
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu
Jaws
Journey To Silius
Jurassic Park
Karnov
Kickle Cubicle
Kickmaster
Kid Niki
King Of Kings
King's Quest 5
Klax
Krazy Kreatures
Kroin Conquest
Kung Fu!
Legacy Of The Wizard
Life Force
Little Nemo
Little Ninja Brothers
Little Samson
Lolo Series
Lone Ranger
Low G Man
M.C. Kids
Magic Darts
Major League Baseball
Maniac Mansion
Marble Madness
Mc. Kids
Mendel Palace
Metal Storm
Micro Machines
Mighty Bomb Jack
Mighty Final Fight
Milon's Secret Castle
Monster In My Pocket
Monster Party
Monsters In My Pocket
Motor City Patrol
Mr. Gimmick
Mtv Remote Control
Nes Open Tournament Golf
New Ghostbusters
Nightmare On Elm Street
Nightshade
Ninja Crusaders
Ninja Kid
North & South
Orb 3D
Pac-Mania
Palamedes
Panic Restaraunt
Phantom Fighter
Pinball Quest
Pinbot
Pipe Dream
Pirates!
Popeye
Power Blade
Power Blade 2
Princess Tomato
Quattro Arcade
R.C. Pro Am Ii
Race America
Rad Gravit
Rad Gravity
Raid On Bungeling Bay
Remote Control
Rescue
Road Runner
Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves
Rock N' Ball
Rockin
Rockin' Kats
Rygar
S.C.A.T
Shadow Of The Ninja
Shadowgate
Shatterhand
Short Order / Egg-Splode
Side Pocket
Silkworm
Skate Or Die 2
Ski Or Die
Sky Kid
Sky Shark
Snake Rattle N' Roll
Solar Jetman
Solomon's Key
Solstice
Spelunker
Spirtual Warfare
Spleunker
Sqoon
Startropics 1
Startropics 2
Stealth Atf
Stinger
Street Fighter 2010
Strider
Super Pitfall
Super Spike V'ball/World Cup Socce
Super Spy Hunter
Swordmaster
T&C Surf Designs
Tecmo Cup Soccer Game
Tennis
Terra Cresta
The Guardian Legend
The Lone Ranger
The Mafat Conspiracy
The Uninvited
The Wisdom Tree
Thunder & Lightning
Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures 2
To The Earth
Tombs & Treasures
Totally Rad
Touchdown Fever
Trog!
Trojan
Ufouria
Ufouria
Ultima Exodus
Ultimate Stuntman
Uninvited
Vice: Project Doom
Video Game
Wacky Races
Wall Street Kid
Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Whomp 'Em
Wild Gunman
Willow
Wolverine
Wrath Of The Black Manta
Wrecking Crew
Wwf Wrestlemania
Xexyz
Yo! Noid
Yoshi's Cookie
ZANAC
Zen: Intergalactic Ninja
Zombie Nation

Now please someone close this thread before any more are added.

[kainemaxwell]

Definitely want to 2nd or 3rd Faxanadu, along with Startropics 1 and 2.

[RadiantSvgun]

I'm all over Metal storm! Oh, don't forget to try Image Fight and Kickle Cubicle.

[Balloon Fight]

Mr. Gimmick (Best non mario platformer with ease)
Balloon Fight (obvious)

[DragonBomber]

I second a ton of games mentioned. Cobra Triangle, Wrath of the Black Manta, and Dragon Spirit being the ones I noticed most I enjoyed every time I picked up the controller. I would add the following though if not mentioned already:

Ninja Kid
Phantom Fighter
Tiny Toons Adventures

Those three games were given the most time in the NES toasters we had over the years (my younger brother and I). Every time the system would freak out while playing Ninja Kid (as our cart connector became ill) I would shriek. Our grandmother had sent us the first two carts used and man, we played the hell out of them.

Drache

[The Clonus Horror]

ZANAC-one of the best games I've ever played, period. I still enjoy playing this game, great power-ups, excellent music. The shooting sections in Guardian Legend are an almost direct throwback to this game.

I will also second: Monster Party, Jackal, and Sky Kid

[gonzo90017]

Suggestions have been added to the list.

[blue lander]

I agree with virtually all of these, but two that really need more recognition are Shatterhand and Krazy Kreatures. There's nothing really fancy or gimmicky about Shatterhand, it's just a solid sidescrolling platformer. It's the epitome of NES gaming.

Krazy Kreatures is probably my favorite puzzle game on the NES and easily my favorite unlicensed game outside of the Codemasters stuff. It really shines in two player mode. Me and my mom used to play this one all the time, and other than that the only time she'd look at a video game was when she was throwing one away because it had wizards in it and it was going to turn me into a satanist.

For famicom stuff, I can't get enough of Asmik-kun land. This might sound like hyperbole, but playing through it is like playing through Super Mario Bros 1 for the first time. It's so profoundly weird and difficult, getting to a new area is exciting not only because it's taken you a dozen tries to get there, but because you can't wait to see what kind of insane enemies or backdrops are waiting for you. The first Wai Wai World is really good in an old-school Konami kind of way too. Never had much use for the sequel.

[Serragon]

Magic of Scheherezade

[p_b]

Magic of Scheherezade

Now that was a good Pinball machine! Sorry...

[MonoTekETeA]

Willow
Snake Rattle n' Roll
Solstice
and Cabal (I know the arcade, but some never played it, so this goes great here, considering so many turn it away due to that fact.)

[IronBuddha]

Anyone mention yet Clash at Demon Head? Got it as a present back when I was a kid and really liked it.

[Barbarianoutkast85]

I need to add Codename: Viper; and Journey to Silius. But I think I mentioned Journey to Silius before.

[diskoboy]

Yet again, another category in where I vote for Gumshoe.
:)

[kainemaxwell]

This topic's actually gotten me to try a few of these titles on my NES DC disc- and I like them!

[ronclon]

Gun Smoke, Golgo 13 Top Secret Episode, legend of Kage, Ring King

[8bitgamer]

I'd have to go with Gun.Smoke. It actually adds some elements not found in the arcade game, such as the ability to purchase weapons.

http://brettweisswords.blogspot.com/

[sonoranreptile]

I would have to vote for Star Tropics, Karnov, and Willow.

[ButtonMasher123]

When ever I see these kind of lists for the NES the first game I think of is GI Joe: A Real American Hero. Its so underated that I never even see it on other underated lists lol

It has has amazing depth for a NES game. I mean you have a team of 3 Joes to choose from on the fly throughout the levels and 5 to pick from before you start a mission. Each character has thier own strengths and unique weapons that can be upgraded. You can also throw grenades, use hand to hand combat and hop in some very cool vehicles scattered throughout the levels in hidden spots.

The game switches from straight-up run and gun levels to exploring level where you place bombs in predetermined spots before the time runs out. There is also a ton of bosses to fight.

Lots of variety here and all without mentioning the retro coolness of the GI Joe name which makes it even better. Believe me when I say that this game is as good as any Mario, Zelda, Megaman, or Contra out there and more people should play it.

[Joe West]

I believe its :Snake Rattle n' Roll

[elvis8atari]

A lot of these "underrated" games people are mentioning are horrible. I saw someone mention Road Runner, Milons Secret Castle, Super Pitfall.. are you people kidding? These are all horrible. Someone even said Wall Street Kid, probably the worst game I ever played. I think some of you must be smokin crack or just kidding around to get a response.

[2Dskillz]

I'd have to go with Gun.Smoke. It actually adds some elements not found in the arcade game, such as the ability to purchase weapons.

http://brettweisswords.blogspot.com/

Must have NES Advantage for this one.

[StakeRaiser]

If it has been said before, I don't care, I'm saying it again...


The Guardian Legend


Live it, Love it, Play it

[CDiablo]

The Punisher.....my favorite 1 Player game for the NES.....gave me violence a plenty, and had sweet destructible enviroments.

[PutUrQuarterUp]

Glad to see someone has already mentioned Jackie Chan's Action Kung-Fu.. definatly one of my all time favorites for the NES..

and just for the sake of adding to the list.. I nominate Toki.. which differs from its reprogrammed genesis counterpart Toki: Going Ape Spit in more ways than just graphics.. definatly a worthy title to pick up and play..

[MegaDrive20XX]

Metal Storm!

[Xander]

Nightshade!

[Game Freak]

Pinball Quest and Monopoly

EDIT: After reading the above posts, i forgot a game I don't have that's very underrated:
GunSmoke !!! love it!!!!

[Press_Start]

If it has been said before, I don't care, I'm saying it again...


The Guardian Legend


Live it, Love it, Play it

QFT :rocker::rocker::rocker:

Like to give shout out to more underrated classics:

Kickmaster -Action/RPG/Fighter Few games ever used fighting control with platforming.

Vice: Project Doom -Think Ninja Gaiden meets Spy Hunter and Freedom Force to born the greatest ninja-cop game ever.

Cabal -Two-player co-op and lots of stuff to blow.

Clash at Demonhead -2D side-scrolling Zelda game with anime-like characters and plenty of areas to explore.

That's it...for now ;)

[Joe West]

Gunsmoke is under rated game

[sidnotcrazy]

MC Kids. I love that game. Terrible product branding, but a decent side scroller, with a neat twist.

[carlcarlson]

Guerrila War. From what I remember it's a great shoot-everything-in-sight game complete with power ups. I believe there are also unlimited continues which makes it a nice game it pick up if you've just been killed by Contra.

Also, I enjoyed Milon's Secret Castle despite what elvis says.

[GrumpyTF]

No one's mentioned it so I have to embarass myself by recomending a disney platformer

Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers

[Garry Silljo]

No one's mentioned it so I have to embarass myself by recomending a disney platformer

Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers

I think no one mentioned it because it is near universally agreed upon that it is a great game, and not at all "underrated."

[Game Freak]

Must have NES Advantage for this one.

i agree, love GunSmoke, but really wears out your thumbs :P I use the NES Satellite, which has turbo on it. Dont have an advantage :(

Oh, more underrated games :D

Adventures in the Magic Kingdom
Back to the Future
Dr. Chaos
Freedom Force
The Mafat Conspiracy
Pinball Quest
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Monopoly

not sure if i said these already...