Is there an 8-bit NES game recommendation by genre topic?

[Steven]

I searched DP and couldn't find anything. If there is one, please lock this and re-direct me, thanks.

if not, I'd like everyone who's ever enjoyed an NES game before to throw in their 2 cents. What are the best platformers? Adventure games? Action games? Run n gun? RPGs? Shooters? etc. Also, if you could divide them in a "well known" and "less known/obscure" pile that'd be awesome. It doesn't just have to be ONLY great games. I want to know EVEN the games are are "only" decent yet still worth getting for a couple bucks. The NES library is so large I need some help here.

Thanks.

[InsaneDavid]

Two words, well one word really: StarTropics.

If in fact this does come up as a new thread (surprised by that as well) I'll flesh out a list tomorrow when I'm not half asleep.

[Steven]

Two words, well one word really: StarTropics.

If in fact this does come up as a new thread (surprised by that as well) I'll flesh out a list tomorrow when I'm not half asleep.

I bought StarTropics today because of your recommendation. Waiting for your list.

[InsaneDavid]

Alright then, aside from the normal stuff like Super Mario Bros. 2 (which will always be my favorite SMB game, let's keep the debate out of this thread), this should get you started...


Barker Bill's Trick Shooting (best lightgun game ever, it's like parlor shooting games - plates and ballons, etc. - could also be called Duck Hunt II)

Cobra Triangle (you control a little boat with upgradable weapons like in Gradius and complete various missions from races to boss battles - it plays a lot like RC Pro-Am.

Gun.Smoke (home port of a great arcade game of the same name, it's a vertically scrolling wild west shoot em up in which you hunt down the fugitive Wingate gang, most prefer this over the arcade version)

LifeForce (called Salamander in Japan, this is a spinoff of the Gradius series - it's NES shooter perfection)

Little Nemo The Dream Master (great platformer based on Winsor McCay's 1905 comic series Little Nemo in Slumberland - great graphics, sound, challenge - one of the best NES games ever developed)

Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! (a game we all grew up on, and still the best boxing game ever made to many, many people)

Ninja Gaiden series (really can't go wrong with these games although the third one was no where as good as the second and the second was vastly better than the first - extremely challenging)

Palamedes (puzzle game in which dice are used to make runs, 3-4-5 or matches 5-5-5, hard to explain but great fun)

Rad Racer (THE classic NES driving game, the US only sequel isn't as good but is still decent, also has Nobuo Uematsu's [Final Fantasy composer] best audio work of his career in my opinion)

RC Pro-Am (radio control car racing, there's also a sequel - Pro-Am II, but it's hard to come by)

I've also done comparison reviews of all but two (coming in the next two months) of the Tengen games for the NES for Retrogaming Times Montly, these are mainly arcade ports. Here's an index up through RTM issue 20, for the last three simply go to the RTM homepage (link in my signature) and go back through the archives as well as the current issue. My favorite Tengen ports are Super Sprint, Ms. Pac-Man, and Rolling Thunder.

[o2william]

By genre, these are the NES games I vote for:

Platformer: It doesn't get better than Super Mario Bros. 3, but I also recommend Castlevania III, Ninja Gaiden 2, SMB2.

Run and Gun: Contra or Super C.

Action/Adventure: The Legend of Zelda and Metal Gear. People like to rag on Metal Gear's NES-only sequel, Snake's Revenge, but it's actually very good. I also enjoy Deadly Towers a lot, but most people really hate it. :P

Puzzle: I agree with InsaneDavid, Palamedes is great. Also Tengen Tetris.

RPG: Dragon Warrior IV. A true masterpiece IMO.

Arcade: I don't usually play arcade ports on the NES now that emulation is so widespread, but I'd go with Gauntlet. The NES version plays like the arcade game, but has new RPG elements and an overall quest. I love it! Arkanoid is a great port as well, especially if you get the custom controller.

Racing: I agree with InsaneDavid again, RC Pro-Am is the best. I don't like driving games as a rule, but RC Pro-Am is great. The sequel is enjoyable too if you can find it.

Shooter: InsaneDavid nailed it again: Life Force is tops. Although The Guardian Legend is a fantastic shooter/adventure hybrid, pretty much the only game of its kind. Zanac and Image Fight are decent, but too hard (for me, anyway).

Sports: Can't give much of an opinion since I rarely play the genre, but I had some fun with NES Play Action Football back in the day. Of course Tecmo Super Bowl is legendary.

Multi: The unlicensed game Ultimate Stuntman has levels that feature platforming, driving, climbing, shooting, a scrolling/bombing section reminiscent of Scramble, and more. It's not the best at any of these, but it combines them all pretty well.

All in all, I think SMB3, Castlevania III, Ninja Gaiden II, and Dragon Warrior IV pushed the NES to its limits. It's amazing how much they were able to cram into those games.

[InsaneDavid]

People like to rag on Metal Gear's NES-only sequel, Snake's Revenge, but it's actually very good.

Was also the game responsible for Hideo Kojima going back and creating Metal Gear Solid. Story is he ran into one of the developers of Snake's Revenge on a train in Japan who told him the reason they created Snake's Revenge is because they loved Metal Gear so much and wanted to see Snake in another adventure. This prompted Hideo Kojima to basically look at creating Metal Gear as he wanted to in the first place, with real stealth and more movie style presentation.

[Snapple]

I'm going to assume that Mario games are a given, because, you need to own them.


The best NES sports game is Tecmo Super Bowl. Not to be confused with Tecmo Bowl. It's very arcade-y and very easy to pick up.


The best NES RPG is IMO Dragon Warrior/Quest IV. A lot of people think III is the best, but I'm a IV guy.

If you count Zelda as an RPG, well, obviously that's a buy, too.


I want to categorize The Guardian Legend, but I'm not sure how. It's half action/adventure/RPG, and half shmup. Great game, anyway. Now that I think about it, Xexyz is another great shmup/whatever hybrid.


The best puzzle game is Dr. Mario. Tetris is a close second, but I absolutely, positively love Dr. Mario.


The best platformer that's not a Mario game is Mega Man 2. I also have to recommend Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers, Duck Tales, Kid Icarus, Little Nemo: The Dream Master, Power Blade, and... probably more I'm forgetting.


Best shmups, besides the couple I mentioned, Twinbee 1 and 3 for vertical. "Twinbee 2," aka "Moero Twinbee" aka "Stinger" in the US, I don't think is as good. I think Abadox is a decent horizontal shmup.


Racing? I'll agree with the others, RC Pro-Am. Not a great genre for the NES.


Strategy is a thin genre for the NES too, but I love Gemfire. It's better on Genesis and SNES, though.

[InsaneDavid]

Racing? I'll agree with the others, RC Pro-Am. Not a great genre for the NES.

What are you talking about?

Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat
Formula-1 Built To Win
Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off-Road
Micro Machines
Rad Racer
Rad Racer II
RC Pro-Am
RC Pro-Am II
Super Cars
Super Sprint

[Daria]

RPG: Dragon Warrior IV is a given, and StarTropics IS quiet good but I'd say Magic of Scherherazade is easily one of my favorites. Bit of a Zelda clone mix with traditional menu based battles as well as overhead action RPG fighting. I'm a sucker for RPGs with time traveling though. You'll move back and forth between a span of 150 years solving puzzles accordingly. Plant a seed in the past, fast forward to the future to pick the fruit. That sort of thing.

Adventure title: The obvious answer is Legend of Zelda, however Fester's Quest is also worth some attention. You play as Uncle Fester as he attempts to save his town and family from the onslaught of an alien invasion. Outside and sewer levels are played kinda like a shooter, and indoor dungeons are first person. Appropriately bizarre for an Addams Family license.

Run and Gun: Not a big fan of these types of games really, but as a kid I couldn't get enough Code Name: V.I.P.E.R.

Platformer: Rare's own Snake Rattle & Roll is a blast, you control a snake head who has to bounce around the level, avoid enemies and collect rubber balls to fill in your tail all within a time limit.The isometric graphics are quite detailed for an NES title, and the gameplay gets pretty challenging in later stages. Also couldn't recomend Bubble Bobble more. SMB3] is my favorite though, but again obvious.

Arcade: Gauntlet II, slightly better than the original.

Strategy: Genghis Khan is a great KOEI strategy, actually better then the 16 bit sequal I think. For starters the genesis and snes games were missing the animations displayed with every action, and for a game that's pretty much menus and battlefields those illustrations go a long way. Conflict's also a lot of fun, especially two player.

[boatofcar]

I'm gonna steal O2William's template


By genre, these are the NES games I vote for:

Platformer: Mega Man 2

Run and Gun: Super C.

Action/Adventure: The Legend of Zelda

Puzzle:Tengen Tetris.

RPG: Dragon Warrior IV.

Arcade: Kung Fu

Racing: RC Pro-Am

Shooter: I've got no opinion on this.

Sports: I'll break this down by sport:
Baseball: Bad News Baseball, Little League Baseball (Baseball Stars never did it for me)
Football:
Tecmo Super Bowl
Basketball
Tecmo NBA Basketball (Double Dribble really doesn't hold up to the test of time)
Hockey: Ice Hockey
Soccer:
NES World Cup

Honorable Mention: Disney games on the NES (Chip N Dale, Ducktales) are very good. Too bad this trend would not continue.

[InsaneDavid]

Don't forget Gun-Nac if you're going for shooters, it's probably one of the best looking things genre-wise on the system. Almost like playing a TurboGrafx-16 shooter on the NES. Tiger Heli isn't bad either.

[Steven]

Is $10 each for Megaman, MM 3 and Contra fair? Or can I get better with some patience? Or is it not worth the $1-2 saving (and that's a maybe) and I should just buy it on the spot?

[boatofcar]

Is $10 each for Megaman, MM 3 and Contra fair? Or can I get better with some patience? Or is it not worth the $1-2 saving (and that's a maybe) and I should just buy it on the spot?

I think that's fair. Those are all good games.

[retroman]

Dont forget TMNT 2 The Arcade Game

[Snapple]

Racing? I'll agree with the others, RC Pro-Am. Not a great genre for the NES.

What are you talking about?

Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat
Formula-1 Built To Win
Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off-Road
Micro Machines
Rad Racer
Rad Racer II
RC Pro-Am
RC Pro-Am II
Super Cars
Super Sprint

Different strokes for different folks, I suppose. There aren't that many driving titles that I like on the NES. I think the 16-bit era really jump-started that genre more, especially on Genesis, although Mario Kart and other SNES games deserve love, too.

Although I actually enjoyed Micro Machines quite a bit. I forgot about that title.

[InsaneDavid]

Although I actually enjoyed Micro Machines quite a bit. I forgot about that title.

It's the grand unlicensed game everyone forgets about.

[19k]

A lot of good recommendations so far!

Here's some of my favorites (a few haven't really been mentioned yet)...

Action/Adventure/Platformer:
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
River City Ransom
Blaster Master
Castlevania
Super Mario Bros 3
The Guardian Legend
The Lone Ranger
Ninja Gaiden
Mega Man 3 (IMO, the best in the series for the NES)


Puzzle:
Fire and Ice (pretty rare).
Klax
Tetris (Tengen version)
Dr Mario (very addictive with two players)

Arcade:
Gun.Smoke
Burgertime
Pac-Mania
Rolling Thunder (Code Name:Viper is essentially the same)

Racing:
RC Pro-Am II (I prefer it over the first for the multiplayer aspect)
Micro Machines
Super Sprint
Super Off-Road

Shooter:
Gradius
Lifeforce
Gun-Nac
Dragon Spirit

Sports:
Baseball Stars I and II (II is better IMO, but expensive and harder to find)
Dusty Diamond All-Star Softball (seems to be the most expensive baseball-type game. But VERY fun.)
Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! (the regular Punch Out!! is exactly the same except it ends with a white Mike Tyson, aka Mr Dream)
Tecmo Super Bowl
Kings of the Beach
Super Spike V'Ball

... I'm sure there's a ton more. Just can't think of them right now.

[xredmenacex]

I think people's recommendations are pretty spot on for the most part but here's my two cents:

Platformer: SMB games, Little Nemo, Castlevania, Kid Icarus

Arcade/Shooters: Lot's of great ports and shooters for the NES. Try Xevious (excellent port), Gun.Smoke, Dragon Spirit, Joust, Life Force.

Racing/Car Game: RC Pro Am, Bump n' Jump

Sports: Most sports games don't age well. Get Punch-Out!

Slightly less than tier one games that I think are fun and that I don't think anyone mentioned above include: Clash at Demonhead, Blaster Master, Kid Niki, and Solar Jetman. There's probably a bunch more that just aren't coming to mind at the moment too.

[Ruudos]

Racing? I'll agree with the others, RC Pro-Am. Not a great genre for the NES.

What are you talking about?

Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat
Formula-1 Built To Win
Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off-Road
Micro Machines
Rad Racer
Rad Racer II
RC Pro-Am
RC Pro-Am II
Super Cars
Super Sprint

You're forgetting the "unknown" Nigel Mansell's World Championship.

My recommendations:
- Adventures of Rad Gravity (Action/Adventure)
- Faxanadu and The Battle of Olympus (a bit like Zelda II)

[Damaramu]

I guess you can classify this as run 'n gun:

I loved the crap out of Metal Storm. Great graphics and I really dug the music! Especially the music for level 1.