13 Underrated NES Games

[@JohnRiggs]

WATCH 20 NES games that nobody talks about - kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3O6ip-hZ9qGiJo

[@Friggle_Dee]

Im going to get mucho hate but ive always been fond of Wall Street Kid.

[@JohnRiggs]

@@Friggle_Dee I loved Casino Kid. I tried to get into Wall Street Kid but couldn't figure it out.

[@stevievoorhees13th]

Funny thing is I’m 5 NES games from a licensed set, and princess Tomato is one of them ugh lol

[@Friggle_Dee]

@@JohnRiggs Its tough balancing everything out. There are codes to get the money you need for the inheritance.

[@shorterrecording]

Convince me that Zelda II is good.

[@dartdude2668]

When you mentioned little Nemo and chip n dale. Those games are awesome great memories

[@qualorii]

"If you've played everything else, maybe play this" Now that's a ringing endorsement.

[@longballplease]

Haha

[@matttherrien9608]

Pardon me, but I believe you meant "reigning."

[@silentvalue]

I played adventures of the magic kingdom so much as a kid. I do remember the game exactly even 30 years later.

[@themcadamsminute8494]

Monster in My Pocket was commonly played game on NICK ARCADE! Also glad you mentioned The Magic Kingdom game! I rented it so much as a kid. The Space Mountain level is tougher than it looks!

[@KidNato]

About time somebody gave some love to Monster in my Pocket! Glad John Riggs mentioned the game too.

[@androxilogin]

I came to hear your synopsis of The Battle of Olympus and it turned out being the shortest description in this list. This was a game my brother had during childhood that I used to sneak and play when he wasn't home. It was tough as nails so I never got far but I own a complete copy today and have still never beaten it.

[@deionbeeldenstormer7498]

Totally dig these "Underrated" vids. It's like the Riggs approach to "hidden gems." Very cool. Whenever I see "underrated" in the title, my brain automatically goes into "ravenous collector" mode, and I gotta seek them out across the land and play them all! :D

[@bigandyt-man3010]

Faxandu is one of my favorite, highly underrated. Great list John!

[@JohnRiggs]

one of my favorites!

[@dimitrios0072]

Battle of olympus is for me the number 1 nes game. Even better than 2d zelda games. Faxanadu and little nemo the dream master are one of the best nes games out there

[@bigandyt-man3010]

@@dimitrios0072 i totally agree! Battle for Olympus was so well made, and so easy to get into and enjoy, i have played that game so many times, even to this day!

[@dimitrios0072]

@@bigandyt-man3010 haha great i play it each summer! I was 9 when i got the game and i got stuck in laconia. Didnot know where to find god poseidon so i can buy his ocarina hahah those were the great times. I am my self a greek person. So that game is so special to me and learned about greek mythology 🤣. After 2 weeks I finnaly got to poseidon lol!

[@MrJimithee]

Low G Man is a NES game that I have fond memories of...awesome soundtrack. Never hear it get any love But it could be my rose tinted nostalgia glasses!

[@DublinJimmy80]

I love it, still play it hand held

[@larrykoolthegamer3646]

Low g man's terrible

[@GenerationGapGaming]

Yes! Someone finally talks about Adventures in the Magic Kingdom. That game is fantastic. Glad you enjoy it too John. Would be a cool homebrew idea for someone to make a new NES game based on some newer rides in the Magic Kingdom.

[@NESADDICT]

Fancy seeing you here 😘

[@ThePunkRockMBA]

Loved the Toki shoutout! I played that at the arcade in Everett, WA

[@graydeotto2820]

Yo weird seeing your channel here! Love your videos man 😊

[@cron205]

I have Toki for the NES

[@speznerd5643]

You blew my mind with Toki, I completely forgot about that game. Great memories!

[@L0v3_Murd3r_0n3]

Whomp 'Em, Toki, and Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout are my childhood.

[@aragnidarkness2474]

The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino and Hoppy, Astyanax and Gilligan's Island are all criminally underrated.

[@wyredaftsquall]

Dude Astyanax is amazing! I played it as a kid and now I can get through with no deaths. I even put it on my NES classic. You have good tastes.

[@larrykoolthegamer3646]

Gilligan Island is not a good game

[@epayson85]

I honestly thought I was the only one to ever play Disney's Adventures Magic Kingdom! Lol Took me forever to beat space mountain as a kid but can do it with ease now haha. Such a good game.

[@MotherKojiro]

Battle of Olympus is great; it's got a decent length to it, and the places you go and things you see are just breathtaking; the sunsets in Argolis are probably my favorite, but Poseidon's shrine in Laconia has a dark, mysterious aesthetic to it. I also remember getting up super early to shovel snow with my lady off of our driveway from Hell before work, and the sunrise looked a lot like the one in the ending. I mentioned how beautiful it was, and how it made the whole thing worthwhile. She just gives me this look, and I say, "Yeah, okay, it sucks." Mappy Land is really cool, too; the base gameplay is a bit simplistic, but there's a lot of variety in the stages, and the secrets and hidden areas are an absolute joy to discover. Birthday Blowout is good, too; it has this neat mechanic where standing on an enemy's head and hitting it with the hammer causes it to go sliding off into oblivion, and if it slams into another monster, that one goes down, too. There's something really enchanting about the visual design of the stages. Also, I would totally play Flo Noid.

[@marie-lisecouillard7263]

I played Mappy so much when I was a kid! I never knew there was a sequel!

[@retrofan4963]

There's 3 sequels of Mappy to be exact :) and a modernized twist of the original Mappy made in the mid-90's simply called Mappy Arrangement.

[@snowyweather1]

Yo noid is one of my favorite NES games. I even loved the pizza contest boss battles. Finding the secret warps where you get to play whack-a-mole and the bonus cards for the boss battles was always fun. And the levels were diverse and vibrant. Great game!

[@familycba7324]

Konami make great games for two players: life force, jackal, contra...and monsters in my pocket too.

[@mver191]

Love the Battle for Olympus!

[@chrisrichards2350]

Another great game list worth checking out. Thanks JohnRiggs

[@TBelly]

Nice list John. I knew most of these games till we got towards the end. That Ninja crusaders looks like a good challenge.

[@NESADDICT]

✌️

[@punkydudester3]

Yo! Noid is a huge favorite of mine!

[@punkydudester3]

I did actually beat it on the original NES & it took a lot of effort, Now I use state saves. I don't have time to needlessly replay an entire level for 1 mistake.

[@Corsina]

Battle of Olympus is the game I've been playing the past few days. Love that game! It really surprises me it's not more popular. I voted for it to be in the upcoming Big 20 race, but no luck. lol

[@derrickthegatorriverboat6993]

Another great video Riggs! I wish G4TV was still around, you'd have your own show on a cable network. You're great!

[@rekkazan]

In G.I. Joe you actually don't always have Duke. For each level you'll have one "leader" character that you can't change, and Duke is the leader for the first level. I love that game, it's so awesome!

[@NESbrownbearhugs]

Great video, John. Always fun to hear you talk about underrated NES games.

[@ganggreen1983]

I really like Toki. It’s a relaxing play through.

[@raym1477]

Excellent choices! I'd add Totally Rad and Shadow of the Ninja to that list.

[@D3athLord080]

Monsters in my Pocket is a great game honestly.

[@kornsin]

Battle of Olympus is Immortals Fenyx Rising today and it is what I love about video games. Even if you didn't figure out the formula, to be able to add to it can be appreciated.

[@7thangelad586]

Spiritual Warfare is an unbelievably solid title. Faria also has the potential to be a great game now that save states and maps are available.

[@glenhayman8722]

The felix the cat animated movie came out in 1988 so that was part of the revival

[@naptownmenace]

Excellent video! Great to see Womp-Em get some love. That was one of my favorite platform games on NES and it seems like no one else remembers it! Kickle Kubicle is another great underrated game.

[@hayabusa8314]

Thanks for mentioning Battle of Olympus. I can't recommend that game enough. I've always enjoyed the fact that you had to kneel before the Gods in order to speak to them. Also Olive (currency) grinding is super tedious. God forbid if you die on your way to buy something expensive. (Divine Sword, Bracelet of Ares, etc...)

[@kyoku1982]

Yes bring back Lolo! Perhaps the greatest puzzle game trilogy of all time.

[@bleedingzen6498]

Excellent list! Yo Noid, GI Joe, and Mappy are some of my childhood favorites. Every game in this video is a classic!

[@unity6926]

Great list man, especially great to hear how much you like them!

[@leefischer5814]

Yeah Ninja Crusaders does need the love as well as Bionic Commando, Rygar, and Xexyz😁👍

[@jaredhammonds8255]

Dude Xexyz!

[@GRWiley]

You actually have a different team leader for each stage of GI Joe (Taxan). A real classic!

[@nicholasmiller10]

Dude, awesome video, I'm so happy to see these games. I spent countless hours playing bugs bunny blowout, Whomp-em, and Battle of Olympus. Glad I'm not alone in enjoying those games.

[@bildo1977]

Toki for the Genesis has a subtitle. "Going Ape Spit". lol

[@JohnRiggs]

so edgy haha

[@MalabarTheGreat]

90s edge lmao

[@AzureKnightmare32]

Man, you and I have a lot in common when it comes to the classics! Whomp Em, Battle of Olympus, and the Taxan GI Joe title are all on my list of NES games I loved.

[@sgtsquank]

Really dig your video style -- gets the info and content I want without flashy music or gimmicks. Good stuff, looking forward to exploring your library of videos more.

[@Quarlitox]

I played GI Joe once (rented cartridge because 90's) It was very cool and difficult by the time. Also played Felix the Cat for many hours. Really good game! Thank you for this video. Made me recall good memories.

[@paulanderson929]

Ninja Crusaders is great! Love changing into animals (hold your attack button)! Every weapon has its own animal. Used to play with my brother.

[@derek-64]

nice selection of games. here's a few more that deserve more love. Astyanax, Kung-Fu Heroes, Kid Niki Radical Ninja, Werewolf: The Last Warrior.

[@wyredaftsquall]

Yes Astyanax!

[@MariusRenn]

You became my soulmate when you showed Battle of Olympus and mentioned Zelda II was your favorite. I thought I was the only one.

[@owlison76]

My favorite game on the NES is Battle of Olympus...love this game growing up and it still holds up today. The chip tunes are fantastic. Great vid Riggs. Take care.

[@CapnRetro]

Same for me 😄 That game is the best. So memorable and nostalgic Edit: I play all my old games on my Steam Deck, and it's the best, cause I always wanted to play my nes games on the go, since I was little, and now I can 😄

[@ImagineABear]

That Magic Kingdom game is pretty dope. Capcom were always putting out bangers for the NES and that was no different.

[@CapnRetro]

Man. I played Battle of Olympus so much.. 😄 Good times.. ♥ Still play it now, on my Steam Deck 🥰Always wanted to play my nes games on the go when I was little, and now I can ♥

[@Jackrost01]

Mitsume ga Tooru / 3 eye boy. You will love this game. Great gameplay, great music

[@theobscurestash6537]

Well I salute you for making a list of any kind for the NES this late in the game where the whole library has been picked through! It's really hard to find anything obscure or strange about NES/Famicom anymore (especially descent games), but I'm surprised occasionally. Love the list too, especially _Whomp 'Em, Toki, and Salad Kingdom_ ! Some titles I'd add are _Wurm:Journey to the Center of the Earth , Bio-Senshi Dan (or Bashi Bazook: Morphoid Masher), Shadow Brain, Lagrange Point_ , and _Door Door_ . All either have localizations or were fan translated, and are so worth checking out!

[@retrofan4963]

I highly agree that Mappy-Land needs more love. It's a really great game, yet people barely talk about it. Mappy-Land is definitely one of my favorite games of all time :)

[@wyredaftsquall]

Love your content! I could listen to you talk about retro games forever. I too am a huge fan of retro and retro style modern games. One of my favorite NES games as a kid was Astyanax. It's a great action/platformer with a decent story and Ninja Gaiden like cutscenes.

[@chrisalston6292]

Just found your channel. Glad I am not the only one who loves Battle of Olympus and Zelda 2

[@matthewnikitas2904]

Love these type of videos John. Going to fire these up on my emulator right now

[@gregdavis569]

I absolutely loved Battle of Olympus. I have multiple copies of it now. I am sure I rented the game so much I could have bought it twice.

[@saudal-mutawa3197]

Thank you for featuring more of these under-the-radar games. We’re lucky a few of them are being made available today-like Lolo on Nintendo Switch Online’s NES app (the Japan-only sequel is on the Famicom app.) I feel like Nintendo missed an opportunity to revive Lolo on the DS, but I still hope we see something new from the character today. I love puzzle platformers and puzzle adventures. I had Felx the Cat and loved it back in the day. I played Yo! Noid, but didn’t know it was based off a Japanese game at the time. A lot made more sense after I did!

[@LittleBlueJug]

Good gravy - I've never even heard of Wampum before, and I'm a fan of checking out obscure NES games

[@Wheels8504]

Two games that come to mind are Nintendo World Cup and Ultimate Basketball

[@mikejons7374]

Nes games that almost never gets mentioned: Trog! - A pretty nice Pacman clone. Rockin Kats - A great platformer that needs more love. North and South - A great strategy game. Smash TV - A pretty "un-needed" port because both the Arcade and Snes versions are superior but it is impressive how much of the game they managed to put on the Nes cartridge. And using two D-Pads from two controllers to walk around and shoot is a great way of playing the game.

[@RetroReef]

The Kinect DisneyLand game is kind of spiritual sequel to Adventures in the Magic Kingdom. You explore the park and play mini-games related to the actual rides. If you have patience for the controls, it’s a lot of fun, especially for kids.

[@chrisgoetz3816]

Omg, LOLO is amazing...so underrated, I used to play this with my.whole family taking turns. At the very least we need it as a new phone game.

[@takmsdsm]

Love Adventures in the Magic Kingdom!

[@keithchristner4522]

Xexyz is always my suggestion for NES games that no one seems to know, but was a great game!

[@mattf9096]

The joke about being invited to the smash tournament immediately followed by Wile E Coyote got me thinking how amazing of a character he could be in smash! Just a barrage of anvils and pianos and rocket skates going on. Even if the gimmick was an ACME crate dropping with a random ability you had to adapt to on the fly it would still be fun to play with the right balance.

[@markgreen1255]

Loads of great suggestions there & a few I definitely need to check out. Love these hidden/ forgotten gems videos, just when I think I’ve played everything you pull more great games out of the bag😁 How about a Famicom hidden gem/ must play video? With so many Japan only releases I wouldn’t even know where to start with that one 🤷‍♂️👍

[@cooladee]

Great video! I really like a lot of the NES hidden gems. I still have not played Princess Tomato, a game that each time you mention it makes me want to play it. I really enjoyed Whomp Em and it is my favorite game by Jaleco. Most of the other games you mentioned in this video I really need to play a lot more of. Some other underrated games I have enjoyed include Cowboy Kid, Silver Surfer, Fire n Ice, Crystalis, and Faria.

[@davidriddle9612]

Out of the games in this video, I only have bugs birthday. I really enjoy playing it. Never had it as a kid, bought it from goodwill a few years back in a bundle. Bought 15 nes games for 40 dollars and it was one of them. Ninja Gaiden, rush n attack, bugs bunny, spot, techmo super bowl, addams family and duck tales are the only ones I can remember from that pick up but the rest were completely fine additions to my modest collection of nes

[@teammeerkatgaming809]

I had Adventures in the magic kingdom as a kid, never could beat the Pirate level. Didn't know you could use the stars you collect to buy powerups from the pause menu

[@p1nkfreud]

Wow, that "haunted mansion" part is giving me old-school "Gex" vibes!

[@nashvillan4lif]

Two games I played that nobody talks about include Zen: Intergalactic Ninja and The Magic of Scherrezade.

[@AngryCalvin]

GI Joe criminally underrated. I'm not a big fan of most cartoon themed games but this one is a great game. Mappyland is not the original but all we really had from Mappy in certain parts of the world on consoles. I did enjoy it and beat all possible endings but badly wanted an arcade port.

[@Wair18]

I had toki for genesis loved that game. I also had adventures in the magic kingdom that’s a fantastic game.

[@Nichole-440HP]

absolutely loved adventures in the magic kingdom !

[@TheJostler]

I legitimately had a panic attack just now. This video helped calm me down. Thanks so much man.

[@djriverwind1200]

Your list is an exact mirror image of mine. Minus a couple titles. Good stuff!

[@Toad64]

This is a good list! I love Monster In My Pocket, both the toys and the game, and I feel like no one really talks about it! It's easy, yeah, but it's still a good Konami game, with some great music and excellent graphics!

[@stevesteve0521]

Great list. I’ll say Spy vs Spy as well, me and brother had a blast playing that back then

[@JohnRiggs]

I played a lot of that, too.

[@AcidGlow]

Monster in My Pocket. I remember that one. 🙃

[@Mightyguybrush2]

I remember one game on the NES I think you played as a plumber or something. You don't hear much of it any more. Shame really, it had lots of promise.

[@iankempster7007]

Pipe dream ? Lol.

[@gamecus1264]

Wrecking Crew? Spelunker?... Atlantis no nazo?... ... ... gorby no pipeline daisakusen (a gorvachov puzzle videogame)???...

[@giantlobsterboy644]

I love that the ButtKrak of Olympus has real historical Greek locations! The difficulty blows though. It does however make you feel awesome when you figure out what to do. I also dislike how you have to crouch and attack to pick up items. You are correct. The game is very well made. I have this on my tiny list of NES games to beat.

[@leefischer5814]

Using those sandals to flip is taxing on the patience meter, especially when you're in the forest. Also the fight with Cerberus almost makes you wanna cry.

[@justplaygamer2331]

I love this I had a few of these As a kid but forgot the names of them thank you!!

[@josephhuffman2757]

I'm happy you mentioned Ninja Crusaders but you didn't say anything about how its co-op and that you shape shift into animals based on which weapon you're using which is the coolest thing about that game.

[@Horzzo]

Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom belongs in a museum. I rented any played the game so so many times. Some of it was more terrifying than Shadowgate though. Amazing game. John, I know you've mentioned it but what is you story with the game. I always admire the framed screenshot there on your wall.

[@brandonflynn8047]

Ninja Crusaders!!! Had that game and you can turn into animals it’s awesome

[@skidart9063]

Felix the cat has recently become public domain, probably why we see him everywhere now

[@indangerdogg637]

Nes ... Best system EVER..!!!!

[@xXCigarXx]

Look up why the character of the Noid went away sometime....it's a crazy story. Also I heard something about them bringing the mascot back recently.

[@jamesmoss3424]

I played whomp'em when I was a kid and I still like it. 😀👍🎮

[@EchoFoxtrot21]

I inherited a copy of Battle of Olympus. It was pretty great.

[@kahncrane]

That Loony Tunes Game looked like it belongs on the Game Gear...might even be a video about it somewhere...

[@koffieleut]

I love Asterix (Pal) and Boulderdash a lot on NES. You should give them a try John when you have the chance.

[@measy-lr8bm]

It's funny my sister an I were just trying to figure out the name of the game we used to rent from this grocery store back in the day and damn if it wasnt the princess tomato game..nice work again as always!!!

[@JohnRiggs]

Oddly enough, I first rented mine from a grocery store, too.

[@PaladinLarec]

Dungeon Magic should be there. IMO one of the best 8-bit RPGs on any system.

[@freddyvidz]

G.I. Joe Taxan was fantastic!!! I wish Taxan didn't go under so they could have done the sequel.

[@awbays]

I used to work for Domino's and I was told that the Noid went away because the person who created the Noid asked Domino's for a ridiculous amount of money to renew the license after the Noid became super successful as an advertising icon.

[@giantlobsterboy644]

Do the fruits and veggies rot in Princess Tomato's land? Is rotting old age? Do the veggies have a lifespan like real vegetables rot? What do the veggie people eat? This game raises so many questions.