GOOD NES Games - you probably rented these

[@JohnRiggs]

5-Star NES Games - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqTcZmasZruGiq8

[@shane3478]

Your Total Recall cheeky comment about the three reasons why we might be thinking that you like the game, just had me bust out laughing!

[@JohnRiggs]

hey know, if you know you know

[@shane3478]

@@JohnRiggs it's such a good movie too, and I want my kids to see it, or at least my teenager, but those three reasons stick out like a sore thumb LOL

[@animemaster4861]

​@@shane3478it's been long enough since I've seen that movie I had to actually think for a minute as to what three reasons would refer to, then I remembered and started busting up laughing.

[@PapaBPoppin]

Possibly the first, but certainly not the last, time I shared the sentiment 'Wish I was born with a 3rd hand'

[@streetmagik3105]

This should be a regular video. Some of my favorite games are just "good" by mainstream standards. It's a great way to promote "good" games that many probably missed.

[@istrasci]

"And not for the 3 reasons you're thinking." 😂🤣😂🤣 Dead!!

[@mattf9096]

What's even funnier is that a similar thing was supposedly on the drawing board for either Tasha Yar or Diana Troi (i forget which one) in the early planning stages of Star Trek TNG.

[@janX9]

​@@mattf9096Nice ;)

[@jamesz28]

I’m glad to see 3D World Runner getting some love. I had it when I was growing up, and I’ve always felt like it was a solid game.

[@morgansimpson315]

I randomly got this game from a friend and found it to be interesting even if it wasn’t a favorite.

[@davidbermudez7704]

I still remember the '80s playing 3D World Runner with my best friend Edward. We were next-door neighbors! Every day after school and after finishing my homework would go to his house to play NES games I didn't have. One of those games was 3D World Runner he had 3D glasses and would take turns until we beat the game. As we played it got more difficult and we decided to play another NES game. Great times growing up 😊😊😊😊😊

[@16bitseth]

Thank you for all your videos John! I loved NES and SNES growing up, but because of you I discovered so many hidden gems I never would have experienced otherwise!

[@howieg2019]

got love for the nes & arcade versions of silk worm

[@jasonhewitt9542]

Bugs Bunny games are absolutely awesome on the NES! Birthday Blowout is damn good but Crazy Castle is awesome!

[@jeffdaigle5487]

The 3 reasons 😂😂😂 I caught that reference. Wish I had 3 hands🤣

[@greenmachine5487]

You're doing just fine with two

[@erneststackhouse1133]

i remember playing "DinoWarz Destruction of Spondylus" & yelling the Robot Dinosaur shoots it's fist like my toy Godzilla! Love that game just for that reason! Also played "Bugs Bunny Birthday Blow Out" a lot too & i put that Bugs Bunny game right up there with "Felix the Cat" for the NES. i use to hate those weird double jumps growing up & to have a game like "3D Battles of World Runner" where u just hold the jump button to go extra far was genius! i like to call the "Space Harrier" games Centipede 2 as that is what the boss battles felt like when fighting them.

[@PineVinyl]

“I almost said Great Game - well- you know, it is a great game but good is good!” Don’t ever change John

[@Lordjunon]

3d Worldrunner has the funniest pause, when the character sits down for a smoke break, and if you fall into a pit and pause, he jumps out and sits down to smoke.

[@EvilHienSan]

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was a very good game. However if you didn't understand the finer mechanics of the game, the later stages got super tough to you're not beating this game.

[@nttn5264]

I definitely enjoyed Silkworm but the final stage + the boss are insanely difficult to beat! Always love when Riggs drops a NES-video :)

[@TheManofDew]

Roller Games was tough but it gave me Double Dragon vibes so I kept coming back to it. Gotta be the Rockers. 😁

[@305SEGA305]

Now you got me in the mood to play NES 🎮😆🎮

[@JLAvey]

I remember renting Trogs once, and only once, a long time ago. For whatever reason, it stuck with me and all these years later, I have it. Pretty much the only thing I've played on NES for years.

[@jessragan6714]

Trog is good. It's not the best Pac-Man clone out there, but it brings something new to the table with claymation graphics and a sense of humor. They switched to pixel graphics on the NES, of course, but they're faithful enough in spirit. Way better than other Midway arcade ports like Rampage and Xenophobe.

[@poppetmaster8971]

I absolutly love Rock "N Ball. The OG Pin one is really addicting once you get really good at it and get the multpliers. The sports one is so good 2 players

[@GameHammerCG]

If I recall correctly, the original pinball mentioned at 13:30 was called Bagatelle. It lasted a very long time in the U.K. thanks to being used as a “game of skill” style gambling device.

[@bes03c]

I am not alwaus in the mood for an innovative masterpiece. Sometimes I just want to play a decent game.

[@MrSkyfish7]

This legit put several games on my map. I had never known about Wurm or Dinowarz. I would've loved Dinowarz when I was a kid.

[@JohnRiggs]

Yeah, they're not quite S-tier but fun to play all the same.

[@StevieBGoode]

Rollergames was one of my favorite games as a kid, and I actually still think it's an underrated gem.

[@harrimanpd]

See you at the party Richtorrr!!!

[@TheCobrabee]

I had some red and blue 3d glasses from a comic book, so I put them on and turned on 3D mode when I rented 3D World Runner.

[@LegoDork]

Minecraft used to have an anaglyph mode. I bought a nice pair of red/blue 3D glasses specifically for playing Minecraft in 3D. A few months later, an update removed the anaglyph mode.

[@stevennutz1109]

In worldrunner hit the green poles for rockets, then you can shoot the enemies... there is also a potion.... avoid the mushroom

[@JohnRiggs]

...say wut? This whole time I've been avoiding them?! Going back to check it out. I never had the manual for this game so I never knew!.. haha, I suck.

[@jessragan6714]

The game strikes a perfect mid point between Space Harrier and Super Mario Bros. "Sorry, WorldRunner! Your one eyed mammoth is in another castle!"

[@catholicactionbibleonlyist1813]

GOOD=replayable My all time favorite Indiana Jones movie is the last crusades In my view the weakest is the temple of doom

[@JohnRiggs]

Good call. Good = REplayable. I like that.

[@theretrogamer1]

I have an original boxed version of blowout for the nes

[@the_weird_scientist]

FINALLY, someone brought up Mach Rider. That was my favorite game when I was 7. I got it in from a friend who had a sega genesis when I got my nes in 89. That game, excitebike, meteors and zelda I & II. Along with the pack in Mario/duck hunt, I was set, lol...

[@blackmesacake5361]

Love that Total Recall game haha

[@georged7627]

Total Recall is one of my favourite games not because its the best game but its because i have so many good memories from it 🙏🏽

[@superwalt2159]

Pinball Quest, Werewolf, PoW, and Air Fortress were the only games i had and i loved them dearly.

[@matsunami]

Space Shuttle Project's music is all bangers. Loved playing that game as a kid.

[@PhillipJackson-rl5ty]

My Good Go To NES game Is Gyruss

[@tigmo55]

So underrated! I love Gyruss! The soundtrack is amazing!!

[@jessragan6714]

That's a game I'd call better than good! I was a fan of the arcade game and this makes a great bookend to it. It's more of a sequel than a port, but it's closer to the arcade game than say, Strider or Bionic Commando or Ninja Gaiden.

[@Revegelance]

I appreciate how half of this list is games I grew up with. Total Recall was one of the first games I had for NES, along with Ironsword.

[@patrickmurphy1566]

Great video! I added some to my wanted list. I'll probably scoop them up in a couple weeks at SEGE

[@BetterThanDoomWithAZ]

- Hey, I'm making a game called Space Shuttle Project! - Cool! You know who I associate with space? Mark Hamill! You should make your astronaut look like him!

[@randallleddy4822]

In 3-D World Runner, bump the green poles at get the missile and allow yourself to shoot all the baddies while you're running through. The poles will also dispense invincibility, shields, and sometimes poison.

[@JohnRiggs]

TIL - I've never had the manual so I always avoided them lol

[@tm0054]

That Bugs Bunny game reminds me of an early PC side scroller with that choppy scrolling.

[@UstraMage]

I remember renting Space Shuttle and really liking it. So weird of a game but rather addicting to play

[@davidchan7860]

4:14 To this day, I'm not sure if I played City Connection for the game play or the music. It might have been both. I received Mach Rider for Christmas. I was confused on what the point of the game was. I was thinking that there was a story just like how in Super Mario Bros you have to save the princess. It took me months to figure how to build a track. I didn't understand the instructions back then.

[@jeremygreen2883]

It's "butthole" cat that gives City Connection that special je ne sais quoi. I call him "butthole" cat, because when the car hits him, he clearly shows his butt as he flies through the air. 😂

[@djdresden242]

"not for the 3 reasons you're thinking" lol

[@chrishensley5384]

I kinda liked 3D World Runner. Good list John!

[@TheKnoxcountry]

Would anybody happen to remember a game that has a lion that appears to be made of stone or “asleep”, then flashes blue and starts to walk around if you run into it? This happens in an underground portion of the game if I remember right.

[@plastique45]

3D World runner wasone of my favorites when I was a kid! And the music is so fun. The 3D glasses that came with it do work FYI.

[@AngryCalvin]

Ah man Wurm Journey to the Center of the Earth looks like a good game. Can’t believe I missed that one. It’s a unique looking title. Roller Games was a great rental. One of the top NES games I’ve considered buying because it’s way less expensive. It’s difficult but a gem. Total Recall surprisingly looks good. Outside of Sunsoft I really hate all movie games for the NES but this looks like an exception. There are plenty of rentals I regret not buying considering how expensive they are. And then the rentals I’m so happy I didn’t buy. Most of these games in the video are average games. The 3 I listed however might be worth owning.

[@CasperEgas]

I think I only rented a NES game once. My nephew had a NES and we rented Ikari Warriors. I did rent plenty of Mega Drive games though.

[@Ruudos]

3D World Runner gets so frustrating and the music will make you insane after a while.

[@Cincinnatijames]

One game I really like but never hear about is Low G Man

[@JohnRiggs]

GREAT game, too!

[@christofalbat1632]

Had Roller Games.

[@socialistprofessor3206]

Those holes in Total Recall certainly looked...glorious. 😅

[@amandapeterson852]

if you run into the towers on the level, you get armor and a gun to shoot things on 3d world runner

[@RazorBucks]

You can totally shoot enemies in the game. You bounce off the green columns to get the power ups.

[@grimmbeatZ]

John! Love your ranking videos! Have you done one on 2 Player Nes games? If not, I'd love to see one!

[@mattnova18]

Just played City Connection last night. Such a fun game! I'd call it great but only once in a while

[@spoonshiro]

My uncle got me Dynowarz for Christmas one year. It was an okay game but once I finished it I didn't really feel any desire to replay it. As of 2024 I still haven't.

[@mugsofmirth8101]

Wow those World Runner graphics are impressive for a game on NES

[@johngavalas712]

Image fight one of the hardest shoot em ups yes im double dipping on your video can't help it your one of my favorite video game channels

[@mjdf122]

Good NES game time with John Riggs

[@daerth4423]

I really can't believe those knotholes in Total Recall slipped past my teenage self.😆

[@timpize8733]

Good point. Having good games is good. Nowadays everyone wants to call games either masterpieces or worst games ever. But most games are neither, and nothing wrong with that. 😏

[@superdave3093]

Bugs Birthday Blowout I rented once(mostly cause there were so many copies there lol) and just like you said.. it’s a good game. Pretty memorable weekend. I think I even beat it too 😂

[@ScaryPotato]

I'd say Super Pitfall counts as a good game. As a kid, it was fun trying to find your way around in it

[@krisfrederick5001]

I call it "Game Dating" you don't have to get married. Which I just made up. Being lucky enough to rent a game and movie on a Friday night with a pizza, was magic as a kid...wait...still is.

[@JohnRiggs]

haha, fair enough.

[@iconoclast137]

I hate renting pizza, it's not as good

[@jessragan6714]

@@iconoclast137 You always rent beer, because you definitely don't want to hold onto that for more than a day.

[@krisfrederick5001]

@@iconoclast137 Lol

[@Sailius54]

I want a sequel of space station project. I think the concept could be explored way more.

[@Newbobdole]

I remember the original NES TMNT being fairly obtuse, but awesome at the time. I’d consider it good, whereas the later beat em ups were fairly great by comparison

[@Onering80]

One I thought was good was Mag Max. That odd side scrolling shmup where you can collect the three pieces of a robot torso to become the giant walking robot. Also some others that are good, but not amazing: Rambo, Predator, Platoon, Tiger-Heli, Dr. Chaos, and the list could go on for quite a while. I would say that maybe 45-55% of the NES library could fall into the "good, not great or amazing, but good" category. The other 45-55% would fall into the Amazing, or amazingly awful category. And of the 45-55% of the "good" games probably around 45-55% are sitting on the fence separating good from mediocre and would be a toss-up depending on the player. This got me thinking of what could potentially be a fun video to do: Desperate dredges of videoland; It is Friday night and the video store only has X games available to rent. Of the ones available, which would you go with? You have to pick something, but they are all bad. Which is the cream of the crap? And no, you can't find three reasons to watch Total Recall instead. If you do then you have to listen to the "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" audiobook as read by Margaret Thatcher naked on a cold day.

[@MattisCarlgren]

Bugs bunnys birthday blowout was such a slog for me to beat, never again!

[@lionneko]

Come to the Southern Fried Gaming Expo one year. They had some '30s pins last year

[@tm0054]

World Runner looks like a hybrid of Ballblazer and Space Harrier.

[@MotherKojiro]

This is an excellent idea for a video; I often talk about what I call medium obscurity in games, where it's not Mario so the masses don't know it, and it's not something weird and obscure enough that the hardcore fans are talking about it, so even if it's more popular than, say Kiteretsu Daihyakka, fewer people are discussing it. This isn't quite the same thing, but I imagine there's a great deal of overlap. Great choices, too, especially Bugs Bunny's Birthday Blowout, Dynowarz (PERFECT description), and Wurm; I'm a maj- uhh... moderate fan of those. Bugs Bunny has some really interesting visual design for its worlds, as well as a neat battle mechanic that kinda works like croquet; if you stand on an enemy before hammering them, they'll slide across the ground, sometimes with a unique effect. Dynowarz and Wurm are more like the quintessential NES experience; everyone knows Mario, Zelda, Mega Man, and all that, but back in the day, you had a game like one of these: middle-of-the-road titles that only you had (and your friends had games similar to these that only they had), and you remember playing these well into the night on that wood panel TV as the rest of the room dissolved around you; bonus points if you were sitting on some old shag carpet, and more bonus points if it was a really tacky color, like orange, fuchsia, or slime green. Contrary to popular belief, the '80s wasn't all big hair and hot pink Spandex with "matching" chartreuse legwarmers. As for my own choices, it's a list way too long to drop here without looking like some sort of human/bot hybrid, so my top picks would be Battle of Olympus, Castlequest, Clash at Demon Head (you could probably put every Vic Tokai game right here), Demon Sword, Mappy Land (the EXACT game I thought of), Rockin' Kats, and Tombs & Treasure.

[@idontdodrugs6528]

John name me some good jrpgs for the NES :p nice video man ! Have an amazing day!

[@JohnRiggs]

THEre's only so many outside of DW and Final Fantasy. Legend of Ghost Lion is always worth checking out.

[@jessragan6714]

There's a GameArts game called Faria, if that helps! And of course, there's I Can't Believe It's Not Zelda, Crystalis.

[@johngavalas712]

That level layout on bugs bunny kind of reminds me of bionic commando

[@mattfisher1916]

Need to make cart slot cleaners as well

[@retrogecko2859]

Legendary Wings is a good! Played it so much I can almost no-deathrun with no damage taken.

[@broncosbreaks]

Silkworm looks rad! Why am I not playing it rn ?

[@danielespeziari5545]

I think Rollergames is more than just "good", it has a very cool concept and great execution. It just isn't as well known as other titles, for some reason. It certainly is a lot better than Top Gun. As for the Bugs Bunny game, it must have been the perfect rental, considering how easy it is. On my first try, I made it to the end of the game with 30 or 40 lives left...

[@ikee5687]

Does anyone remember a game on the NES that is a vertical shooter game where you play as a dragon? I played it when I was really young so my memory is foggy, but it was the first game I beat and would love to add it to my collection. Think you upgrade and gain multiple heads to increase your fire power. Again been over 30 years so my memory is of the game might be off

[@JohnRiggs]

Dragon Spirit?

[@ikee5687]

@@JohnRiggs holy crap... that's totally it!! Thanks man and I appreciate the reply!

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Riggs, can you make a video on games that aren't as bad as most gamers say? I know you found Dick Tracy to be good, despite AVGN and others trashing it.

[@JohnRiggs]

I love Dick Tracy. AVGN is just a character who's supposed to trash games. Castlevania 2 also rules.

[@jessragan6714]

I think he just did that with Total Recall, heh. Poysonally (nyuk nyuk nyuk), Phantom Fighter is a game that's underrated. Repetitive and stiff? Yes! But well animated and with a sense of humor. Some research reveals why... it's a video game adaptation of the movie Mr. Vampire!

[@popeyedoyle6360]

Abadox, Yo! Noid, Battle of Olympus, and The Punisher

[@goranisacson2502]

I had legitimately never heard of Wurm before, but I'm very intrigued now that I do know it exists. It seems like a very ambitious title, many different gameplay modes, a plot, several recruitable characters apparently, and even a female lead! Makes me wonder why I haven't heard more about it. Same thing with Space Shuttle- it may be far more mundane than a game like Wurm, but just simulating shuttle launches on NES technology seems like a very ambitious goal for a video game. Makes me wonder if it was sponsored by NASA or if the dev just had that idea.

[@darrickcato9499]

The jump game reminds me of Super Star Wars speeder levels just pick a game. I think the ones in ROTJ where the harder ones.

[@forcedfeedbackclassicgamer5499]

Obvious first-party greats like Zelda, Mario, and Metroid aside, most of my favorite NES games would fall into this category. I'm a sucker for a lot of the B-tier/second-stringer titles on the system like Arkista's Ring (probably one of my top five favorite games on the NES), Gyruss (a nearly flawless arcade port that is arguably better than the arcade original) and Rolling Thunder (a flawed port, for sure, but has a certain charm to it).

[@pharmcat8484]

Hi, just coming over from Square Pegs. I think you know each other? I’m pretty sure he mentioned you in his video.

[@TheJamesShow00]

love me some silk worm but yea 2player way better. ,. and 3d world runner was 3d cuz if you hit select, it goes red green 3d for 3d glasses

[@Dwayne-m4t]

That dude reminds me of Andre The Giant in Rollergames.

[@tonycoffee7335]

I have a love and hate for Tiger Heli.

[@isd8894]

Disagree on Bugs Bunny's Birthday Blowout being just good. Definitely one of my favorite NES platformers, which is saying a lot.

[@feelsbad6312]

loved it! thanks!

[@mugsofmirth8101]

The Bugs Bunny Game just looks like Super Mario 2 clone

[@cesartaker]

Hahaha, good one, John. Not because of the 3 reasons😅😅😅 7:37...

[@diplenski]

To each their own and all but I don’t even think total recall is in my top 5 Schwarzenegger movies. Def behind terminator and t2, running man, predator, commando, true lies

[@Patrick19833]

I enjoy The Running Man and Commando, but Total Recall was definitely better than those movies! The other ones I agree.

[@diplenski]

@@Patrick19833 i liked total recall, but i've seen it the least. i should prob rewatch it

[@animemaster4861]

Mach rider reminds me of hang on. As the owner of the Total recall game since 2007 I'm thoroughly convinced that it is not even a good game the whole way that it plays is just weird write down to how quade punches I guess it's okay I mean it gets just beyond difficult I still don't think I've ever gotten past stage one maybe once. Maybe if a person sat down and just played it over and over and over. It's better than the Terminator on nes

[@clintonlewis1261]

Games look fun !

[@brianfoley1805]

Mach Rider was fun

[@johhnn]

Im good

[@jessragan6714]

First time I've heard Total Recall described as "good." EGM hated it. Seanbaby hated it. Most players who play it hate it. It's one of those games from 1990 that made me decide the NES had outlived its usefulness and that it was time to migrate to the Sega Genesis. BTW, I think that pinball game had something to do with Pac-Man in Japan...

[@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785]

If you only rented Image Fight, you probably were never able to beat the 3rd stage because of the pipe laser boss. 💀 Heck, I own the Famicom cart, and I have sunk hours over months trying to beat that boss, came close once...gotta have your ship speed set right to even have a chance I think.

[@MonteranceSharp]

I don't just think City connect is a good game I think it's an awesome game in my opinion in my opinion I see nothing wrong with the game is awesome and one of my favorite on the NES