20+ NES Games That Still Hold Up Today

[@oscarzxn4067]

If anyone wants to know about the NES library beyond the ususal suspects or the bad games the AVGN has covered, I recommend the videos that the SNES Drunk has done of it's games, he specifically goes to see if a games is worth playing today, so rarely covers shovelware that is clearly not, and overall has covered several great NES games that are well worth playing if you don't mind a little bit of challenge.

[@jclkaytwo]

*SNES Drunk I love that channel, it's very informative. highly recommended

[@oscarzxn4067]

@@jclkaytwo Fixed it, thanks

[@Asunox]

I'm with you. Enjoy AVGN for the comedy but remember that you have your own opinion and SNESdrunk is fantastic resource for honest reviews of games on many platforms.

[@CrazyDoodEpicLeaves]

Yeah when I was getting NES games for my Handheld this was the channel I went to, very good recommendations.

[@SiccDeville]

SNNNNEEEEEEEEES DRUNK! or in this case NEEEEEEES DRUNK

[@Waffletigercat]

Even without emulator features, I’d say: Super Mario Bros 2 and 3 Mega Man 2 - 6 Wario’s Woods Tetris CastleVania CastleVania 3 Pipe Dream DuckTales Darkwing Duck The Little Mermaid (yes I’m serious) Kirby’s Adventure All still hold up quite well.

[@RealVviperX]

I actually 100% kirby's adventure a month ago or two, good game

[@Bro3256]

My research in regards to the 8-bit Nintendo platform leans towards the Famicom side of things rather than NES. I honestly find researching that console to be way more interesting than the grey box us western players are familiar with. There is a completely different history of releases to analyze and the context behind them in Japan are very different compared to ours. Punch-Out and Tecmo Bowl for example are not very well known games in Japan compared to others like Tsuppari Oozumou and Ripple Island. The Famicom rabbit hole goes deep and I suggest those who are interested to dig into that library in particular (and binge watch Famidaily while you're at it).

[@chalka52]

I am so glad you mentioned kickle cubicle. It's one of my favorite NES games ever, but whenever I talk about it no one seems to have ever heard of it. Such a hidden gem.

[@Froge0]

I'm not massively into NES but Ufouria: The Saga and Gargoyle's Quest II are two I can always go back to

[@Bubbabyte99]

Ufouria: The Saga is fantastic! Though I reccomend picking up Hebereke: Enjoy Edition on modern consoles nowadays if you're interested in playing it, as Hebereke is the original Japanese version and is WAY more charming, and Enjoy Edition provides translations for what the characters are saying in it via a special menu.

[@thesquadron7571]

Shoutouts to Crystalis! I randomly decided to try it on the Switch online, and BOY it holds up well, especially the music!

[@19sunbeamalpine67]

The Lone Ranger, Arch Rivals, Rad Racer, and Gimmick are a few more NES games that are still really fun to play.

[@oscarzxn4067]

Not only the second Star Tropics was not released in Japan, the first one didn't either and I think that is one of the resaons the series never came back, it had a whole lot of less potential market. It's so weird, since there were other Nintendo games that didn't release in Japan, but they were basically all western made like Killer Instinct or Cruis'n, but ST was made in Japan and had elements from Zelda or even Dragon Quest, so not being released there is beyond me.

[@jclkaytwo]

it's weird that he singled out the second game not releasing in japan, considering... you could say the exact same thing about the first game

[@extraheight]

If you want to go past the NES, Lolo is actually at least a Decology of games, if you do not include Adventures of Lolo 1 and 2 in japanese (which are different from the US versions) And a lot of those games released on Famicom. And not only that, but 2/3 of the Famicom exclusive Lolo games (Called Eggerland) actually happen to be pseudo Open world

[@yukimistay]

video starts with startropics immediate s+ tier video

[@jameslawrenson1208]

Nitro Rad must appreciate it.

[@dorae9437]

nitro rad alt account

[@SevenFalcons]

noah's ark was only published by konami (and exclusively in europe), it was developed by british studio source r&d, it being the only game they made i think

[@TimGaukerToons]

Man, Noah's Ark has a great art style for a weird throwaway title Not only does Mighty Final Fight have Guy and Cody, but Poison wasnt replaced by the mohawk dude, thats pretty cool

[@calambrito9093]

i really like this format and i want a SNES one in the future, also, super adventure island 2 follows the exploration and metroidvania elements of the fourth one in NES

[@petrock4041]

Dragon Quest 3, as old as it is, still holds up quite well. It’s one of those rare old RPGs where you can play it without a guide and just get absorbed into the world.

[@kiadayo]

I just beat New Ghostbusters II a couple weeks ago! Had a damn good time.

[@Silver-Nao]

You should do a snes version of less known games and a MUST play is [Super Earth Defence Force] It has some of the best music and stages along with bosses ive ever seen in a shooter along with a small amount of hidden lore that plays in the background of 1 or more of its levels but requires a little digging online to find out some of the backstory which isnt much of a problem.

[@BasVoet]

This was my console when growing up and I have so much nostalgia for it. Still have it and my childhood games.

[@antonco2]

25:20 That may be one of the best looking covers I've ever seen for an nes game

[@JampleyDevEs]

28:34 Also my favorite run and gun, I like Metal Storm so much that I've been doing a game inspired by it, with gravity mechanics and all. Other games I think really hold up today are Hatris, and Over Horizon, the ladder being my favorite NES shoot'em up.

[@fuchsiasniper5699]

Likle(little Sampson) mentioned!! Absolutely love that game as a kid. We somehow had it in a small collection of nes roms on our pc and its a shame it hardly gets talked about. The music is also really catchy, especially the boss music when you fight your own dragon guy.

[@ItsThatRetro]

24:57 That's Rex Beat from Tecmo World Wrestling

[@JazzySpF]

Always happy to see Metal Storm praise. That game rules.

[@DanBrownPierces]

Jackal was one of my favorite NES games, period! My brother and I spent hours on it as a kid, seeing who could get farthest without dying!

[@TimedRevolver]

Firebrand isn't the Red Arremer you fight as Arthur. If he were, the fight would be 1,000% more annoying than it is.

[@miguelduque7068]

Amazing Video Ant im glad i watched it because i fit in this category of "the NES is a hard console to go back for me" but you showed some really interesting games i didnt know about and im eager to check them out.

[@MidnightWonko]

Ya know what's interesting about the Noah's Ark game is that it makes use of a feature on the NES that I don't think any other game uses: the ability to switch between color and B/W from one scanline to the next. As is suggested by the video here, the game uses that feature to quite cleverly simulate rising flood waters.

[@mattb6522]

Great list, Ant! Adventures of Lolo was literally the first video game I played as a wee child! I agree that NES games can be frustrating for many players, but they are definitely rewarding as you really have to learn the game and have patience. I know they aren't for everybody but there are a lot of solid titles. I'd also recommend some lesser-known ones like *Xenophobe* (especially 2-player mode), *Gyruss*, *Seicross*, *Bubble Bobble Part 2* (I think most people already know about NES Bubble Bobble), and *Shatterhand* I had no idea there was an Adventure Island 4!! I loved Adventure Island 2 and 3, so definitely will check it out! It reminds me of Super Adventure Island 2 on the SNES in that it adds an extra layer of exploration on top of the platforming!

[@jfuebel]

1:32 James from Nitrorad felt the disturbance in the force

[@rafresendenrafresenden.1644]

Save stages and rewinds destroy nes enjoyment

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

My recommendation goes to Bionic Commando just for how unusual in its way it approaches platforming.

[@IfOUGHTpIRANHAz]

Baseball Simulator 2000 is the best NES baseball game.

[@gligarguy4010]

I remember playing Fire N Ice when it came out on Switch Online not knowing what it was, and was hooked instantly. It's good to play the random games, sometimes.

[@Mustard_Face]

HVGN is the reason I even knew of Journey to Silius back in the day. It has some of the BEST NES music ever made.

[@ThisIsCSDX]

You mean to tell me Metroidvanias have existed long before the term was created and that it didn't start with Castlevania using elements from Metroid, a game that falls under the description but preceded SOTN by at least a decade? I am shocked. SHOCKED, I SAY!!! /s

[@LoveatFirstHike]

One of the major timeline forks in my life was 32 years ago when I stood in the game section of my local Toys R Us with a slip ticket for Star Tropics in one hand and Kirby’s Adventure in the other and only $40 Jeffery dollars to blow. I went home with Kirby and the rest is history.

[@MrTruy]

I always love seeing the Gargoyle's Quest series getting the love it deserves

[@aweiz6265]

Bad News Baseball was my jam, great shout out

[@richfutrell753]

Fire n Ice is hard as nails but you feel like a genius when you figure it out...great action puzzle game...fans of Lolo and Solomon's Key will dig it

[@LordSkullkid]

Gargoyle's quest is one of the most underrated games ever

[@Bubbabyte99]

Hebereke/Ufouria: the Saga, Joy Mech Fight, Quinty/Mendel Palace, Solomon's Key 2/Fire 'n Ice, Mighty Final Fight, Dragon Quest IV/Dragon Warrior IV, Mother/EarthBound Beginnings, Tetris, Ice Hockey, Dr. Mario, Super Mario USA/Super Mario Bros. 2, Kid Dracula, and Super Mario Bros. 3 are all games that I can contribute to this conversation. All of those are FANTASTIC and hold up really really well. Granted, quite a few of those are from the NES's later years and can be really expensive if you want a physical copy for OG hardware, but still. (Also, shoutouts to the Chip's Challenge prototype for NES and the Makai Island localization prototype. Those are both great as well (even though Chip's Challenge never released in general on NES and Makai Island only released in Japan, hence why I'm reccomending its English localization prototype)).

[@inktendo]

With modern emulation you can even disable the sprite filler which makes for a even cooler experience (in most cases)

[@sergethegreymage5093]

Holy shit! Developers of the Bad Ice Cream games took their gameplay mechanic from Fickle Cubicle! I'm blown away!

[@jameslawrenson1208]

Sukapon should be upgraded to a playable fighter.

[@Bubbabyte99]

Agreed

[@GentlemanGamer94]

"Mighty Final Fight" being apparently better than "Final Fight" reminded me of how "Mighty Gunvolt Burst" was an improvement from "Gunvolt Burst" It's silly, but that alone kinda makes me wanna try Mighty Final Fight out. :)

[@emtee40]

Solar Jetman! That game was so damn hard. I've literally never met another human that has played it or heard of it

[@Entropic_Alloy]

Remember when the rumors were that Retro was making a new Startropics? Those were the days...

[@erikfurudi975]

Gun nac is an amazing shmup yes, from compile which is a great studio

[@Jomanuelrg]

Finally someone talks about Fire and Ice!!!

[@hanselmanryanjames]

Rekka or whatever it's called wasn't a commercially available game back in the NES prime, it was made for a game jam somewhat recently? I think

[@tjames4597]

Batman: The Video Game, DuckTales and The New Zealand Story are still excellent, as is Rad Racer.

[@maxyliano]

You should do one of these for each Nintendo system! or at least the "most retro" ones, like GBA, SNES and GB/GBC

[@FreDaN92]

No one ever mentions The Battle of Olympus. Think if Legend of Zelda 2 and Castlevania 2 had a greek mythical painted baby. Which is really good and a fantastic sound track. Easily one of my favorite games on the Systems thats isn't among the usual suspects.

[@Iamrooq]

Getting tons of Game Grumps flashbacks

[@skapokonroll]

Kind of a shame that you didn't go over the story in Joy Mech Fight, because it's literally JUST the story of Mega Man. To the point that the evil scientist's last name starts with W and plasters the letter W in some of the later stages in the game.

[@dewtheone]

Kinda funny to me how you start with Startropics and basically go “here’s all the reasons why it sucks, anyways you should totally play it”

[@aeon87]

Nintendo's gonna look at this video and think "let's release Little Samson and Noah's Ark on NSO!"

[@hawawa675]

Sure you've heard about it by now but if you're looking for great retro inspired games with modern conveniences, you gotta check out UFO 50 if you haven't already. They got stuff similar to Metal Storm, some ridiculously tough (but beatable with hours of practice) Shmups, and some of the best puzzle games i've played in years. Would love to hear your thoughts on it if you play (or played) it

[@paigegguy]

"Games that hold up" "Use rewind or save states"

[@maxisenberg9093]

You dont have to talk to everyone in the village in stsr tropics. Only select people. Its still most mind you, but not everyonen

[@benhmedia]

Earlier in the year I played an NES game with a plot/goal that's so offensively bad it circles back around to being funny: Yume Penguin Monogatari. You're a penguin that loses their girlfriend because you've become too fat. You have to travel across the land to defeat her jerk of a new boyfriend while also avoiding food to keep your obesity meter low. Yes, obesity meter is a central mechanic of this game. If you can avoid food while gaining health drinks, you get skinnier, quicker, and more powerful. The only way to get the good ending is to beat the final boss with your obesity meter at the lowest possible range. Like Noah's Ark, it's surprisingly fun while also not being anything too impressive. At least worth a try if you're into retro gaming!

[@nate6749]

For mario luigi brothership.. it better be on the main channel.. otherwise.. it would be scandrel to do it after your incredible deep-dive into the brotherhood, wacky, and..lots of hours of grinding for levels.. of the Mario & Luigi series..

[@Artista_Frustrado]

i feel silly for expecting Shesez to make a cameo because of StarTropics

[@MarioFanOnYouTube]

Playing Little Samson, it's really damn good!

[@bandicootsmwcentral2950]

Some more games I think definitely still holds up: Snow Bros Monster in my pocket Tiny Toon adventures 1 and 2 Track and Field

[@tylerferguson3193]

Hope you had a good day

[@SolinoOruki]

You tried so hard not to sound too biased when talking about Star Tropics that you ended up mostly bashing the game and mostly telling people the reasons it has NOT aged well😅😂

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

19:08 Konami only published the game. No idea who SR&D is.

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

The only info is that they're British

[@Alucard24601]

On a personal note, I have to highly disagree with your statement about needing save states or a rewind feature to play Nes games. Nes games were all about learning as you play, even if it meant repeated game overs and starting over. You had to learn the game mechanics, enemy patterns, what items to use in certain areas, and the best ways to get through each stage. As a fan of both classic and modern gaming, I can comfortably say that modern games really do hold your hand with multiple check points, on screen instructions and saves. All of that is great for how modern games are made, but if you're going retro, you want to have that learning experience in order to get the true satisfaction of beating the games. Using save states and a rewind feature for those games completely strips away the entire proper experience of that era of gaming.

[@GlawiousAldredMarci]

Panic Restaurant reminds me of Pizzah Towa' :D

[@ZuzNewsReviews]

And The Lord said unto Noah, "Gather ye two of each animal, except those big-ass hornets."

[@chocolocojames213]

I was playing Felix the Cat, it's so much fun 😄😄😄

[@wildstarfish3786]

13:15 brb just checking to see if this is the same game EDIT: nope doesn't look like it's the same game (sorry I'm 2 weeks late I lost connection and forgot all about this video until now)

[@Metallizombie]

Mario, Mario 3, Dragon Quest, Contra, Bubble Bobble, Castlevania I, II, III, Dragon Spirit, 1942, Metroid, Zelda, Zelda II, Turtles Arcade. No save states needed.

[@Bubbabyte99]

I dunno about Castlevania II... Castlevania I and III, sure, but Castlevania II is a bit gross.

[@liamsweeney4754]

Where's Scrunt

[@WebstersYouTube]

Oh, Metal Storm's backgrounds scroll up and down as you move left and right? Vertical scrolling from horizontal movement? I felt queasy watching that footage. Might have to skip that game! ^^;

[@JEANS__]

Legacy of the Wizard

[@jesfest]

Might as well use cheats for infinite health while you're at it.

[@greninjadeluxe5061]

cool!

[@bradaloop]

Does a game really hold up if you need save states to enjoy it?

[@rcLdrcH]

I grew up with the NES and I saw multiple copies of little Sampson for a few bucks and I actually owned 2 copies growing up and I sold 1 in the day but what I regret and hate most is that out of my whole NES COLLECTION I had an ACTION 52 (with a working version of Alfredo which is rare) and it's the only game I am missing somehow... I originally traded it for VMX RACING & Tomb Raider on PS1 which was a killer deal back when and I knew it in the day because even 3 sh17 games were worth more than that VMX game lol.

[@Metallizombie]

Mario, Mario 3, Dragon Quest, Contra, Bubble Bobble, Castlevania I, II, III, Dragon Spirit, 1942, Metroid, Zelda, Zelda II, Turtles Arcade. No save states needed.