My 15 Favorite NES Games

Let's talk about my favorite games for the NES, and why they are still great today.
** Correction: the original Double Dragon didn't have co-op multiplayer, instead it was alternating 2-player gameplay. I was misremembering the "fighting for points" thing!
Handhelds mentioned in this video:
PowKiddy RGB30: • $90 and Amazing for Re...
Steam Deck OLED: • OLED Steam Deck Review...
Analogue Pocket: • The Analogue Pocket is...
AYN Odin 2: • Odin 2 Review: This is...
TrimUI Smart: • The TrimUI Smart is No...
Miyoo Mini Plus: • Miyoo Mini Plus In-Dep...
Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
01:25 my favorite NES handhelds
04:36 a couple notes
05:14 Batman
06:42 Blaster Master
08:09 Castlevania III
09:09 Contra
10:34 Double Dragon II
12:33 Dragon Warrior
14:46 Life Force
16:03 Little Nemo: The Dream Master
17:30 Mega Man 2
19:00 (Mike Tyson's) Punch Out!!
20:45 Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
22:17 Shadow of the Ninja
23:29 Shadowgate
25:22 Super Mario Bros. 2
28:12 Tecmo Super Bowl
29:47 TMNT II: The Arcade Game
31:03 Wizards & Warriors
32:42 summary and conclusion
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#NES #emulation #retrogaming #nintendo

[@RetroGameCorps]

So...did anyone notice that there are 17 games on this list?

[@Taragas]

So which 2 games will you have to jettison?

[@guywhoisnotbob]

She had sixteen points to make Five were heads, the other ten were snakes

[@Maginist]

@@guywhoisnotbob Didn't come into this video expecting Rishloo but here we are

[@guywhoisnotbob]

@@Maginist it's always a good time for Rishloo

[@toddm9910]

I noticed your Wizard accent for Ninja Gaiden

[@sstepoutside]

Wow, talking about actual games now! I'm going to love this series.

[@Micchi-]

Wait.. you're not supposed to play the games, you just sort it and scrape every box art then buy another device.

[@wooordwooord4712]

@@Micchi-this is the way

[@sTuPiDiScOoL_]

😂😂😂😂

[@ShadyRapture]

@@Micchi-facts no printer

[@gregbryant909]

I think sometimes we get way too wrapped up in the hardware…what’s next, what’s better…forgetting sometimes that games are why we do this. This series will be fun!

[@Omar-Asim]

Or get wrapped up in the software...endlessly hoarding ROMs, trying to make the perfect looking frontend etc.

[@chlorophyllphile]

​@@Omar-AsimPart of the fun tho

[@dishwater63]

@@Omar-Asim The thrill of the hunt. But yes, I'm notoriously known in my friend circle to do everything known to man for video games EXCEPT actually play the damn things, lol. But that's part of the fun, right? Collecting all the ROMs, making it look great in a frontend, showing it off to the friends, but then it's onto the next latest/greatest emulator, adding the last metadata that couldn't be automatically scraped, etc and so forth

[@traviscunningham_1]

One thing I really like about this video, is the stories about your history with these games, and your memories with your siblings, and the parts you recall.

[@skycloud4802]

It seems actually personalised and not something gleaned and regurgitated from the web. I like this. People are quick to forget that video games are subjective, just like art. Some people's idea of good games can and should vary from person to person.

[@ChurchWorshipandvideo]

I’m also enjoying it’s a list like I would make where it’s about my favorites that I actually played as a kid versus a list of the “best” NES games.

[@54raynor]

The first Double Dragon game was not co-op on NES. It was actually the biggest criticism of the game at the time. The only two-player simultaneous mode was the battle mode, which was way ahead of its time but not a substitute for co-op.

[@josephbradshaw6985]

Yeah he's confusing the 2 games, or maybe the arcade.

[@cjhatesu]

I like lists like this that aren't just reiterating the same popular titles. It's also fun hearing your childhood memories that made these games your favorites. Kinda reminds me of the channel "My Retro Life".

[@PeeJaySpear]

I was literally just thinking the other day how I want a lot of the emulation / retro handheld KZbinrs to talk about their favorite games on each platform. As someone who grew up starting with later consoles and limited access to them and now loves video game history, it’s really cool to see what people’s favorite games and memories they have with them are. Definitely makes me want to play them; please continue the series!

[@JoeyRock333]

This is a great idea Russ. Reminds me of games I need to go back and replay. Can't wait to see all the future shows in the series.

[@matthagen67]

Happy to see "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" getting some love. I played this game all the time as a kid. I've beaten it twice.

[@sotosmatthew3046]

Great idea for the new series,its always interesting to me what people prefer to play.

[@rangoononline]

Great list. Dragon Warrior 4 is my favorite in the series.

[@kylesmith3045]

Great video, and series concept! I love the discussion about the most relevant devices for the system

[@wdwmainline]

Russ, you need to keep doing videos like these. I love how your love for these games naturally unfold in your dialogue. I do love the hardware vids, but I would love a series on this channel dedicated to the retro games themselves. Seriously phenomenal job, my man. My list would definitely include Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Warrior, and my number 1 game on the NES would be Duck Tales. The music and mechanics in that game really pushed. the NES to another level

[@robert.sec2]

Very excited for this. I love that these videos are starting to take off in this hobby; I, and I imagine so many, love the idea of retrogaming, but often have massive blindspots for different systems, don't know where to begin

[@dang0theBepis]

I *really* enjoyed this video. It's so refreshing and wholesome to hear about your memories of these games, with beautiful captures

[@ThCrimsonReaper]

Amazing new series, can't wait to see the videos for each console

[@traviscunningham_1]

A Boy And His Blob would be an obscure game on my list. I feel like nobody owned or played it, but lots of memories with this one.

[@tompadfoot3065]

Omg I played this all the time. I remember one time I managed to get Blob to eat the Ketchup jelly bean that permanently turned him into a wall and being so sad

[@PongbyAtari]

Its really fun to see you share your favorites looking forward to more videos on other systems like this. Happy Holidays!

[@ConnattyProductions]

Such a great video, you did great job capturing the feeling of playing games as a kid, got me full of nostalgia! Would love to see you do more of these with other systems

[@drezial]

Commenting before I watch, but I genuinely excited about this. I like that it's not a best games list, but specifically the games you like and I'm really looking forward to hearing you tell me why. The length seems good enough too that I feel like I can expect you to really talk about each game. That said, now that I've pleased the engagement gods, I'm going to finish watching the video.

[@DonkeyRhubarb21]

I'm really happy to see that being the age I am, the praise of gaming history is coming into its own. I love and appreciate it all. What a time to be alive.

[@AphexSchwinn]

I loved this!! I’m your age, and it’s so cool to hear someone recommend NES games that aren’t the typical top 10. I’ve always appreciated personal favorite recommendations over the objectively “best” games, so this was a lot of fun. A lot of these were games I remember seeing at friends houses but never really playing and wasn’t familiar with. I’ll definitely be playing through a few of these now that I know a bit more about them. Baster Master and Shadow of the Ninja look amazing!

[@NobleEinherjar0]

I can't wait to see more from this series. I love your hardware reviews. They've helped me make a few purchases for my personal use cases. So it's fun to see what games you might be using all of your own devices for. Whether I learn about new games or not, whether I like the same games or not, I just really like seeing what people love.

[@BrianJones-wk8cx]

Love your perspective and the invitation to meander down memory lane … what a different world gaming once was! As a fellow 80s and 90s kid, I remember the schoolyard serving as the precursor to Internet forums, the video store expanding our play experiences one weekend at a time, and the long lost juxtaposition of impossible to beat and 30 minute romps, often in the same game, separated by cheat codes. And the reminiscing on co-op play with siblings really brings it home-that’s one of the top reasons that I emulate today. Holidays and family gatherings still hold that communal gaming goodness when I bring along a laptop or Steam Deck to plug into the big screen. Great stuff, as always, Russ, looking forward to your further explorations on the topic! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

[@briandrumgold642]

Mario 2 was my favorite as well. Love the music when you go inside the door to the cave. I love tmnt 2, Mike.Tyson Punch Out, Megaman 2 and for Castlevania....Super Castlevania.4 is my all time favorite and that games soundtrack still BANGS!!

[@mattiez7295]

Loved this list! Definitely titles I've never even heard of or even thought to try. I'd love to see more of this - along with your other videos, of course!

[@theovermatt]

Always love videos like this and it's cool to hear your stories about them, bring on the ones for other consoles! One slightly more obscure series I'd recommend for folks checking out the NES is StarTropics, 2 games that were kind of Zelda mixed with a JRPG. The first one even had a moment where you had to dip a letter that came in the game box into water to reveal a secret code to advance, which was wild.

[@MrDiegoMieres]

I was expecting a video like this! Amazing, as always. All the best! Greetings, from Argentina.

[@Boyiaka97]

Russ, you’re absolutely one of my favorite KZbinrs at the moment, not just because of your in-depth and thoughtful reviews, but for these videos too (including the Q&A) where we get to go down memory lane with you. I’m definitely down for more of these kinds of videos.

[@benjaminjohnson6936]

Love this kind of video, and it goes so nicely with the hardware reviews and emulation guides. I know my favorite games from the old school systems, but there's always something new and weird to discover, since, like you mentioned, these were before the internet and it was actually super hard to discover games beyond going to someone's house that had some weird game, or randomly renting a game based off its cover.

[@MikeySaxMusic]

Wow! Incredible picks. I had some clue about most, but not one clue about that Mac port! Russ, keep doing these! This will train us all that it’s not the shell we play the game on, but the game itself.

[@ilpastor]

It has just started and I already love it! Keep going Russ, have a happy Christmas holiday and a happy new year!

[@YouTubeCensors]

Ninja Gaiden 1-2, SMB 2-3, Mike Tyson's punch out, Zanac, Zelda 1-2, Life Force, Adventures of Bayou Billy, Slalom, Battle of Olympus, Willow, Goonies 2, Tetris. Off the top of my head. I might have changed a couple if I thought about it longer.

[@YouTubeCensors]

And I was right as soon as you started. Blaster Master! I literally still have the Nintendo Power Poster plastered at my folks home 😂. Also Contra, Castlevania, Mega Man as very worthy options as well

[@dawnyfrogmouth]

I really enjoyed hearing your personal stories around each of these games. :)

[@troybishop9644]

Great list. A lot of my favorites were on there. Look forward to more videos in this series.

[@AphexSchwinn]

The stories how you played these games really took me back. There’s something so special about those games you could only play at a friends house, or rent and play with brothers. I love the games that are special to people just because those are the ones we happened to have at home.

[@scottpetrovic]

Yes! I have actually been getting a bit of review-fatigue. It is nice to get ideas or opinions on some good gems to try out.

[@TheBlargMarg]

I still love Gunnac. It's a phenomenal shmup (shoot em up). Very technical game with its power system, challenging but not impossible, looks great, and has a great sound track.

[@rvreqTheSheepo]

I didn't beat Expert with ricochets to this day 😢

[@damondelgado4603]

It is also pretty expensive these days

[@jasonmc6997]

This was a nice trip down memory lane. I forgot about Wizards and Warriors and yeah it was ridiculously hard. In no particular order: 1. Mike Tysons Punch-Out 2. RC Pro-Am 3. Pro Wrestling 4. Super Mario 2 and 3 equally 5. Ninja Gaiden 6. Dragon Warrior 7. Super Tecmo Bowl 8. The Legend of Zelda 9. Double Dragon 2 10. Ring King 11. Contra 12. Mega Man 2 13. Kings of The Beach 14. Final Fantasy 15. Baseball Stars

[@spartaninvirginia]

A video I didn't know I wanted. Nice. Merry Christmas, Russ

[@viktorpede1840]

Love the series already as it gives us a good idea for interesting games to play on all the Retrohandhelds you are introducing. Please keep on going and cover other systems like GB, GBC, GBA, SNES, Genesis, etc

[@Muneeb100]

Another amazing video Russ. Keep it up man

[@gloamingtime]

Little Nemo was one of my favorite movies as a kid, I loved the NES game but it was so hard to figure out when I was young. As I got older I got super excited to find a DVD copy of the movie at a highway convenience stop of all places. I still have it and I've watched it with my own kid. The making of the movie is really interesting as it's somewhat an anime produced for the American market.

[@Ash_1277]

Gonna absolutely love this series man!

[@tysonb1460]

Great video, made me recall a lot of the nostalgia I had with my friend and games like excitebike, RC Pro am, etc. also I loved Robin Hood when I was younger and I was starting to think I was the only one!

[@FreimannMusic]

Please create more videos for this series! Amazing, this is just what I missed from you

[@kleenbeats]

I remember getting super Mario brothers 2 for my birthday. We had Pizza Hut for dinner and I was able to stay up late playing the game (even after I switched it off briefly to watch Doogie Howser MD, haha). I still rank it as one of the happiest moments of my life for some reason (despite accomplishing much in my life). Happiness as a kid always beats happiness as an adult!

[@joshd.642]

Great video. Especially the parts where you talk about recommended handhelds based on the system. Look forward to seeing for other systems in the future. Another great series approach would be to go over different handhelds based on lifestyle. Like someone looking for something to play around the house vs someone looking to play from business travel, etc.

[@hotchoclateguy]

This is really helpful. I never played too many NES games and now don’t know where to start. Appreciate your help.

[@davidmathis7780]

Duuude no way! I JUST went through the NES catalog a couple days ago myself! I was assembling my own curated playlist for NES, either games I have fond memories of (like Blaster Master, Little Nemo) or games I missed that and want to try to find (Dragon Warrior, Castlevania). Love this idea for a series

[@damondelgado4603]

That's what I did the other day with castlevania. I got all the way up to dracula before the power went out in my neighborhood. I'm going to have to revisit this one and beat it for sure.

[@thatsgoodpocky]

Thanks Russ, that was a fun video. It was nice hearing the stories behind your picks. We had a Commodore 64 during this period so I didn’t play the NES much apart from a little kiosk that was set up in our local supermarket that only ever had Gremlins 2 set up in it.

[@acidbern12]

I’m so glad TMNT made it to this list of your favourites! I enjoyed playing it when it first released as well!

[@highsurf]

looking forward to future episodes of this!!

[@estylegreesye4384]

Great video and great idea with this new series. Not only talking about hardware all the time, but more about the games, as well. Man, I love Chip 'n Dale 1 + 2 by CAPCOM on the NES. I've played it a thousand times and still play it. Just an awesome game!

[@rylch44]

What a great list! So many good ones on here. Well done on the video. So cool.

[@jamiecarlson6452]

Wait wait wait… I’ve seen many videos from you, Russ, that showed Dr. Mario on multiple devices. How is that puzzle gaming masterpiece not on this list?!?! 😅

[@REVOLVERE]

Dude this is great! I'd love to see more of your favorite games on other systems as well :D

[@fireresq7]

Great video I love seeing these NES games reviews!

[@WMARUoriginal]

Oh man great idea Russ! Would love to see more like this.

[@Jeremy_Hopkins]

This is a fun idea for a series! A couple games I really enjoy that don't often make lists are Legacy of the Wizard and The Guardian Legend.

[@mikeh.9954]

Enjoyed this clip (as well as your other content)!

[@bobmaynardauntienoonoo6387]

Excellent video really enjoyed thanks, can't wait fir the snes top 15

[@mattb6522]

Great video! I love the idea of this series and I hope you continue with other classic systems like the Genesis, SNES, and GameBoy! I was also an '80s kid that grew up with many of these games either by friends or family. I have very fond memories of Life Force, Mega Man 2, Super Mario Bros 2, Little Nemo, Castlevania and Contra as well! Some of my absolute favorites were Kirby's Adventure, Bubble Bobble, Mega Man 3, DuckTales, Adventure Island II, Adventures of Lolo, Shatterhand, and Super Mario Bros 3. The great thing about NES games now is that there are so many awesome rom hacks for many of these games that breathe new life into them and provide a new spin on an old classic!

[@unclerukmer]

Noticed you playing with Retro Achievements. Can't praise that site enough. It makes going back to old games really fun.

[@sebastiansanhueza9601]

Amazing Christmas special! Thanks!

[@HypocritesExposd]

Definitely down for more of these types for videos. Between my cousin and I as kids, we had well over 50 NES games, yet you listed at least 5 that I’ve never played or even heard of.

[@broncosbreaks]

Thanks for recognizing tecmo Super Bowl. It doesn’t get nearly as much love as it deserves. You highlighted the facts well, and your identification of replayability speaks to why this should be acknowledged as a top tier game

[@Opebin]

I gotta say this is content I love to hear about. We all know the "showcasable" games for handhelds but it's cool seeing every so often what you're interested in playing leaking into the videos

[@jmxtoob]

Man we're the same age but you hide it better! Another great year for another great channel, and, maybe because it's exactly the same nostalgia but love the top game format. Have a safe and happy holidays

[@cornypuddle48]

This is awesome Russ. Looking forward to your picks for other systems

[@qhoton]

Ues please! Very interesting series, would like to see more this kind of format from you. Enjoyed it alot!

[@zwallop]

This is such a fun list! I have a Miyoo Mini Plus and a buddy of mine recently got the Anbernic 35XX Plus and we were able to play NES Contra together over Netplay! It was such a hoot.

[@pholly]

Dragon Warrior was also my first RPG, I love everything about that game except the convoluted controls. There is a rom hack that makes it so that you can automatically walk up and down stairs just by walking on the icon that helps tremendously. I thought I was the only person who liked Shadowgate on NES, I love the soundtrack especially. I played it too many times to count but could never finish it, I'll probably have to play it again one day.

[@steveandrade3477]

I was also 9 when the first Batman movie came out. Great video. It brought back memories of maddening difficulty, cheat codes, asking friends at school how far they got in a game, borrowing a friend's Game Genie to beat a game, reading game mags in Walgreens, and staying up late at my friend's house playing Contra.

[@Sneakers8b]

I really hope you do more of these, I love hearing about your history with gaming. A lot of us born in the 80s can reminisce, I would love to see your sega favorites. I’m a bit younger than you, so I know some of my memorial gaming moments you would have been in college, or serving for our country, but that’s alright.

[@uncme123]

I’m the same age and this speaks to my heart. So glad to see Tecmo Super Bowl on this list! Some games I loved that weren’t on here and often get skipped: Gunsmoke -With an NES Advantage and turbo to the max, so much fun Jackal - Jeeps, grenades, and missiles while saving POWs…what’s not to love Tetris - The music in this game is stuck in my head to this day Golf - first time playing golf and I loved it Excitebike - it had a course editor!

[@user-eg9sx3oo9u]

Fairly new retro gamer and love these types of vids for good games please keep em coming! 👍🙂

[@conza1989]

Great series idea Russ, looking forward to the next one, especially since everyone is a different age, had Nintendo, Sega, Sony or Microsoft potentially, but necessarily all or even multiples, different systems will hit different, and coming to a system with or without nostalgia too

[@Xygor]

Love this video format, hope to see it for other systems too!

[@kevino8420]

I kept seeing the thumbnail for this video and didn't realize it was yours, so I've been ignoring it! Glad I finally clicked, and I'm looking forward to seeing the series continue!

[@woody9437]

Dude...Wizards and Warriors was a game my brother and I played all the time. I loved it so much. I didn't think anyone else knew about it.

[@maxducoudray]

Top 5 I’d add to the list: Zelda, Kirby, River City Random (all of which you mentioned), plus Excite Bike and Bionic Commando.

[@christiancompton9188]

Man, I love how that TV just fits so perfectly on your shelf! What model is it? Been on a nostalgia trip lately now that I’m a father & want to give my child the same “gaming experience” we had as kids growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, but I forgot how MUCH depth those old CRTs have to them so it’s hard to find a model that fits. Excellent upload, btw! 🎉

[@hjshoon5244]

Double dragon and contra brings back a lot of childhood memories. Looking forward to your GBA and GC games

[@NoaTugy]

I received my Odin 2 today and I'm so excited to start playing with it💖

[@bdanka50]

This is going to be amazing seeing your videos about games too! Very excited. Couple of nitpicks... 1) Double Dragon NES didn't have 2 player 🤨 2) Contra impossible on three lives? 😎 Love your videos and channel. Happy Holidays Russ!

[@liamconverse8950]

Maybe he's thinking of the Genesis version

[@mkoopman172]

I loved this, and I would *love* to hear your lists for more underappreciated platforms like the Saturn!

[@MaximumRD]

Love it Russ, look forward to more!

[@peterd7009]

Happy Holidays Russ to you and your family !!!

[@nebraskaimport]

Love this video, hopefully you continue this route and do a series for each system out there. Gonna make me try out that Robin hood game

[@sternpflaume]

I am VERY excited for more of these videos!

[@50suto]

Great list. My list would be almost identical! I agree with your picks of your favorites from the different series. Mario 2 was always my favorite. It was so different. I still need to play Shadowgate, I had only played Deja Vu and loved it.

[@Hal_Evergreen]

I'm really excited for this series. Even though I'm the right age to have grown up with these games, the first home console my family bought was actually the PS2 when I was in my late teens. Before that, we were a PC (and GameBoy) gaming household only. So now that I'm getting into these retro handhelds, I'm trying to figure out what I should play on them to make up for lost time.

[@ttoms96]

Awesome idea man, i am looking forward to some episodes on sega systems for this series/format since i never had any of those systems as a kid!

[@bruxolabs-thedefitribunal]

wizard and warriors!! My dad randomly bought this game, it holds a special place in my heart lol Great video.

[@WickedGamerCollector]

Love this kind of video's ... bring back the nostalgia !

[@Tofuu4811]

awesome list! i like this new series. keep it up.

[@afasico9669]

I love that you're making these videos. I like how well made your videos are, but I'm not looking into buying more consoles at the moment, so I don't really watch most of your videos. Looking forward to seeing which games resonate with you.

[@serpserpserp]

Watching this reminded me that I had the Power Glove at one stage for the NES. It was a bit shoddy looking back at it, but I was the most popular kid in my neighbourhood for awhile! Punch Out was probably the most fun with the glove.

[@JetSpiegel88]

Love this video because it reminded me of the era of owning games that were so hard that even after years we wouldn't beat them. We had Ironsword and never beat that. Another in that category is James Bond Jr.