NES Games That Aged Beautifully

[@CulturedVultures]

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[@timothylopez8572]

Aged like Page Turco😍

[@Autotrope]

My pick for the NES game that's aged best would be Blaster Master. It looks and plays like an innovative current day indie game imho. It's awesome and the music slaps.

[@jammiebooker6489]

Came here to recommend Blaster Master too....love that music, especially level 4 😂

[@tpolutts3309]

Came to say blaster master and the guardian legend. Both soundtracks are peak NES.

[@jamesmurphy8968]

There are new old school blaster masters on consoles today

[@Nerdynate253]

Love that game.

[@Dhalin]

@@jammiebooker6489 level 4? I've always loved level 7 myself. It also ties in nicely with the novel, as the tune is fast-beat but yet has a sad tone behind it, like you're rushing to the end of a long journey but you've been through so much.

[@kevinsiver4780]

First off, the fact that you put Faxanadu on this list is AWESOME. I played the hell out of that game as a kid and finally beating it was a crowning achievement of my childhood. Secondly, that first statement made me feel pretty old... In all seriousness though, a few games that I could add that aged quite well would include: - Shatterhand - The Guardian Legend - River City Ransom - Adventure Island 3 - StarTropics - The Magic of Scheherazade There are many others that come to mind, but a lot of them are ones that others have probably mentioned several times already. I tried to go for the less commonly talked about titles that I loved as a kid.

[@Superabound2]

FUCK YES FAXANADU! that song will be stuck in my head until the day i die

[@Toadimuss]

Not only did he mention Faxanadu, but you almost never hear about Crystallis. Also Dragon Spirit, is a very fun, exceedingly difficult top scrolling shooter, was hoping would be mentioned. Finally glad you mentioned The Guardian Legend, its one of my all time favorites and the blue optimom still makes me cuss.

[@nickfanzo]

Guardian legend ❤❤❤❤

[@HyperNova137]

Star Tropics pops into my head at random every once in a while, I think that was one of the first NES games I ever saw being played, before I even had my own system... And it still looks just as fun today as it did back then.

[@kevinsiver4780]

@@Superabound2 °slow clap° Yoosa funny guy. 😆

[@Dhalin]

No BLASTER MASTER!? Now that's criminal. That game was absolutely phenomenal at the time, and while it had some challenge, it wasn't borderline impossible. It still holds up to this day with nice spritework, great environments, and the soundtrack ranks among the best of the system.

[@michaeldoherty5415]

I’m actually a bigger fan of Dragon Warrior 3 than I am of 4 but 4 is still pretty awesome. All of the NES Dragon Warrior games are worth checking out. And Tecmo Super Bowl is a must if you’re into sports games at all.

[@therealluigi]

Agreed & agreed! I don't even like sports games but I love Tecmo Super Bowl!

[@rsmith02]

Strongly agree, 3 had a much more involving story than 4. I think 5 is the best of them, if only it had come to the US back in the NES era.

[@voltron77]

I’m playing dragon Warrior 2 right now and I’m having a blast.

[@Banquoe]

I love Crystalis so much, I remember spending a summer where both my friend and I spent the days playing this together, we each had a copy, and would haul a tv across the street to play side by side and try different things. Fax very much.

[@c.rackrock1373]

Crystalis is the best NES game and I will die on this hill. It took me 20yrs to accept it but I accepted it a decade ago and it's felt right since.

[@ShaggyisMBM]

I must be playing it wrong. I have a good time with it until I get the 3rd sword. Then it seems like I have to switch them and their accessory every time a different colored enemy comes on screen. I pushed through when I was younger, now if I pick it up I stop about halfway through

[@DanielDOleo]

Honorable mentions: Little Nemo's Dream Adventure, Blaster Master, River City Ransom, Bionic Commando, Iron Sword: Wizards and Warriors II. Others I don't remember right now.

[@str33tcarnameddesire]

I was hoping Crystalis was on the list. Absolutely amazing game.

[@SkywarpZX]

I still like TMNT 3: The Manhattan Project more than TMNT 2: TAG. It had more vibrant settings and more detailed pixel work, while somehow it seemed to have less screen flicker. TMNT 2 is mostly various gray backdrops.

[@Aranesque]

1000% agree. Manhattan project was more interesting as well, not being based on an arcade game

[@bloodharrier3333]

I loved Double Dragon. Especially the arcade version, but the NES version was great when I ran out of quarters.

[@DrxSlump]

Chip & Dale 2, Mr. Gimmick, Zen Intergalactic Ninja, Mighty Final Fight, Power Blade 2 and Little Samson are also completely amazing looking games that also play fantastically!

[@JanetStarChild]

There's no "Mr.", it's just 'Gimmick'; that's the original Famicom title.

[@grimmpoetics313]

Little Samson is that shit. Found it around ten years ago emulated. Also so ninja game where you jump through trees.

[@Moleje1337]

Crystalis, Wizards and Warriors Iron Tank, Blades of Steel, Base Wars, and River City Ransom.

[@despeinado340]

"The first truly good Dragon Quest game"... Are we really going to ignore the DQ3 slander here?

[@voltron77]

And DQ 1 and 2. I played both and they’re great!

[@orelas167]

Dragon Warrior III gave you two genders for the hero, but they both had the same sprite. I gave you Wraith Knights... that were on foot for some odd reason. II gave a battle theme that lasted more than 15 seconds. But only Dragon Warrior IV gives a real female hero, skeleton knights on steeds, and a battle theme with a crescendo!

[@dillydadally]

The first truly good Dragon Quest game was Dragon Quest 1. Only a Neanderthal would disagree! 🧐

[@orelas167]

@@dillydadally Only because the fuzzy resolution makes Slime even cuter.

[@pharmcat8484]

Here is my shame. I could beat Crystalis, Final Fantasy, both Zelda’s, Mega Man 2 and 3, and Ultima 4 on the NES. But I thought Kirby was just too hard.

[@markpfeffer7487]

🙃

[@Isntme6336]

Kirby's adventure truly is one of the hardest games ever made something like sekiro is far easier than it by miles

[@adamroland7359]

Same here pharmacat. I beat battletoads and ghosts and goblins no sweat but never actually could beat double dragon 1 despite getting to the final level dozens of times.

[@overused6632]

Ive never beat a nes, snes, Sega genesis game in my life

[@Isntme6336]

@@overused6632 you are missing out dude

[@getwrekt420]

River City Ransom...

[@8bitorbust-w3n]

Best boss music in a video game ever. I love how it just came out of nowhere but once you heard it, you knew what time it was.

[@mentalhell4846]

NES is one of the consoles that span across two generation and had massive graphical leap starting from simple looking Kong games to almost 16 bit quality games like Batman 🦇 and Project Vice.

[@aluminumfalcon552]

The konami code is up up doen down left right left right B A start not A B

[@alberach]

The Contra game with 3D glasses was Contra: legacy of War on the PS1 and Sega Saturn.

[@CulturedVultures]

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[@pharmcat8484]

My rule for TMNT 2 was if I died at or before Rocksteady I had to start over. After a while I could get past him without taking a hit.

[@honusbakewell7546]

I consider solving Crystalis bitd without any guide one of my greatest gaming achievements

[@edwardrivera8936]

Faxanadu looks crazy! That castle and the other backgrounds in the game just blew my mind. Also, thanks for the info on DW5. I will be definitely checking it out with being a ff12 fan. Cheers!

[@patino851]

I would add to this list Star Tropics, Zoda's Revenge, Clash Demon Head, The Goonies, Blaster Master and and Solomon's Key. 👍

[@mountainmgtow5421]

I loathe all gamers that still don't understand how powerful the "R" powerup is in Contra!!

[@codywoodman9913]

Spread with R made you a bullet hell, Machinegun with R made you a bullet hose.

[@mxx720]

3:48 The Konami Code is B, A, Start, not A, B, Start. And if you're playing 2-player Contra, it's B, A, Select, Start to get 30 lives for both players.

[@Moleje1337]

BABAUpDownBAleftrightBAselectstart. TMNT2

[@MatthewDempsky]

Start isn’t part of the code. That’s just how you start the game.

[@sleeper_hit]

Fully agree that these games aged beautifully! Although the best NES/Famicom Dragon Quest/Warrior was part III. Even in its day people would talk about how it was good, but part III was better. Crystalis doesn't get the love it deserves. So thank you. Great game, but got buried trying to compete with Final Fantasy. Who would have thought the makers of Kings Knight would have a game that could outsell Crystalis. Crystalis had the ads, commercials, and coverage in magazines, but Final Fantasy came out of left field and would go on to...well...owning the field. Faxanadu was a super popular US game. It just came out competing against Dragon Warrior, which was much easier to find in stores vs Faxanadu. Then to kick it while it was down, if you were still looking for stores that had it, by the time you found a copy, it was Xmas and Willow was being advertised everywhere and Battle of Olympus was about to come out. It chose a bad time to release. Speaking of Battle of Olympus. THIS is probably a top tier "aged beautifully" game. If you haven't played it, I only wish I was you so I could relive its mastery for the first time again. If you have played it. Go back to it. It's still as good today as it was when it came out.

[@EriknocTDW]

All the Dragon Warrior games on the NES were good. I think the series really took off with DW2. The sequels after that got better and better. Even still, don't underestimate DW2 and DW3. In DW3, you can build up your companions and switch professions. And if you haven’t already, start a new game in DW2 and watch through the beginning sequence. 😮

[@voltron77]

Playing DW2 right now and it’s great.

[@EriknocTDW]

@voltron77 Awesome! 😀👍

[@AshBates93]

Vice: Project Doom looks like a Castlevania game where you play as Bill Paxton.

[@davy_K]

Solar Jetman, RC Pro Am, Dropzone, Solomon's Key, NES Open Golf and Boulderdash are still good looking and good playing games. There's Battletoads as well of course.

[@RockerCentauri]

Fax very much, CV! Glad to see there are some people out here that know and appreciate these older games like I do.

[@iridiumion]

Fax very much. Good list. I wouldn't quite call Castlevania III a metroidvania, but it is a great nonlinear action platformer.

[@penciledin]

Fax very much Vulture! NES games always hold a sweet place in my heart.

[@Catterjee]

Fax very much! I would argue that Dragon Warrior/Quest 3 was the first really good one, but I otherwise agree with the list.

[@mikenahmias7102]

Finally someone who gives some love to Castlevania 3 over the 1st one. Number 3 was my intro to the franchise. Funny story: I wanted Dragon's Lair and when my mom took me to get it I grabbed Castlevania 3 thinking it was Dragon's Lair, but then ended up really liking Castlevania 3.

[@ninjaswordtothehead]

That's the best mistake you could have made. Even if you could manage to beat Dragon's Lair, it has zero replayability compared to Castlevania.

[@Nazraq04]

Contra Legacy of War came with the 3D glasses. Fax very much.

[@sargesmash1]

Fax very much. 🤣 I still play every game on this list - some serious bangers here. Dragon Warrior IV in particular holds up - it's not just "good for an 8-bit RPG", it's just good, period.

[@AdamBladeTaylor]

Dragon Quest 4 is probably still my favorite in the series, and I've played them all. I LOVED the chapter system, where you play four chapters, each with their own protagonist, each of which feeling like a game in it's own right. Only to have the final chapter be YOU the hero, and you go collect everyone you've enjoyed playing as through the game. It was wonderfully set up.

[@Jeremyb2023]

How about Willow? That game looked great for an NES title!

[@timlangeloh4679]

fax very much! loved revisiting those memories. Fax again for your work!

[@AluccardX]

Contra Legacy of War came with the glasses.

[@BATMAN-nb6nc]

Fax very much! Great list. I remember having to order DWIV from a magazine because the local stores did not have it.

[@lindenstromberg6859]

I thought Faxanadu was relatively popular among NES games. I recall it being up there with Metroid and Castlevania, and ahead of games like Kid Icarus. But it was in a franchise whose popularity didn't make it far out of the 1980s (Dragon Slayer/Xanadu), unlike Metroid and Castlevania which have had a lot of sequels beyond. Younger people may not know it, but NES era gamers probably do.

[@KAR98Kruz]

Fax very much! You've got a new subscriber here. Great list, with a nice mixture of lesser-known and well-known titles.

[@charlieholloway627]

Fax very much! Some of my all time favorites covered here!

[@claudeyanly5356]

I recently became aware of Vice Project Doom and it quickly became a favorite on the console for me. Very fun to play and a good balance of challenge and enjoyability. Can't believe I'd never heard of it before and glad to see it's getting more attention these days.

[@JanetStarChild]

One NES (more specifically, Famicom) game that I think is still incredibly fun and charming to this day is Gimmick. It's such an injustice that the game is widely unkown; it could have been as popular as Kirby.

[@stickjohnny]

Nearly all of my fav nes games. I was a little surprised vice made it in there, super underrated!

[@alberach]

Faxanadu is one of my FAVORITE NES games! Boy is it hard, though.

[@dumbstruckempire]

It's brutal lol

[@lindenstromberg6859]

Easier than the Castlevania games, Metroid, and Zelda 2, IMO. Also one of my favourite NES games.

[@ClawestBoss]

Loved TMNT2 TAG, and nearly 4 decades later it was cool that a buddy of mine did a little voice work on Shredder's Revenge! Great vid! I think I'll have to track down and give DW4 a legit try in 2025. Fax very much!

[@Arnisboy]

Fax very much! Love the videos as always!

[@stpnpl]

Contra's sound and graphics are still good...

[@Taurenlock]

Fax very much! Great video, with some bangers I'm gonna have to try!

[@adammichaelchannel]

Didn't expect TMNT 2. It was one of the most fun games I played during the NES era.

[@NotePadStudio]

I remember slaving over Crystalis for goirs as a kid trying level up just to not bring enough magic rings to the tower! Fax very much!

[@MetalPersonJ]

9:04 Including Kirby's Adventure just earned you a thumbs up good sir. It is SHOCKING how they managed to get an NES game looking that good and that was the prime of the Super Nintendo/Genesis era. Honestly I would rate it as the best NES game ever made.

[@Jeremyb2023]

I'm glad that you mentioned that about the Faxanadu soundtrack... I have always said that!

[@TVsBen]

Fax very much! Contra Legacy of War came with 3d glasses I think.

[@melody3741]

Kirby 1, 2, and nightmare in dreamland had literally just came out of the gate with absolutely perfect platforming. I think that Kirby’s light and sticky controls are just such a fucking joy to play with.

[@michaelsantangelo7997]

I had a crazy experience with Contra. As a kid, I could never get anywhere in that game without the 30 lives code. In about 2007 or 2008, I fired up my old NES and put in Contra, having not played the game in years. I messed up putting in the 30 lives code and the game started without it. I figured, eh, let me try it. I beat the game without the 30 lives code and without continuing. I just got the spreader gun on the first board and was unstoppable. I'm not even good at video games. I doubt I could di it again.

[@indy2277]

Cool list. Need to finally play some of these!

[@Achievement_Slayer]

fax very much. I'm sure you already gave away all of your steam keys but I do appreciate this video about games that have been forgotten and overlooked and I listened from start to finish

[@josephlong6779]

Fax very much! Also great list. All solid choices. Love that they weren't just all the same ten a lot of people would listed.

[@redwizardmatt]

Fax very much. Also, loved the list. It's hard to boil a system this good down to ten games. No matter what you choose you end up having to leave out some amazing games.

[@jasonanthonywilper]

Awesome videos, the nes was a real milestone

[@CerealSensei410]

fax very much. That TMNT game unlocked a core memory for me lol

[@noquieropuerco]

Fax very much! Oh, and the answer is "Contra: Legacy of War" on the PS1

[@michaelblosenhauer9887]

Awesome video. I teally loked how you had some popular games with a few lesser known games on the list, too.

[@matthiasplatz5919]

Fax very much! I remember finding Dragon Warrior IV in the clearance bin of Toys R US back in the '90s. I was blown away by it.

[@zalafinari]

Clearance? Damn. My friend had to special order both DQ III and IV to get them and they cost over $100 CAD each.

[@matthiasplatz5919]

@zalafinari Yeah, I paid $9 for it. Best $9 that my teen-age self spent!

[@mjdf122]

I would say NES Action Platformers Shoot Em Ups Beat Em Ups Run and Guns RPGs and Fighting games have all aged gracefully

[@Griffnix]

Love that Faxanadu got a mention! Love that game so much. Even have a cib copy of it. Also it's pronounced Faz-Anadu since it's a portmanteau of Famicom and Xanadu, another action rpg series. Fax very much.

[@CulturedVultures]

Congrats! You won the giveaway! Please add your email to your KZbin profile on here (kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYCYi52Jm7iEa9k), then email us at infoatculturedvulturesdotcom to claim your prize :) (also the joke doesn't work if I'm not an idiot therefore I will ignore this)

[@alexcren7127]

Fax very much. Great video with an awesome selection of games.

[@Eagledelta3]

Fun fact - Faxanadu is a spin-off of the Dragon Slayer games in Japan. The same Game series that spawned another spin-off still popular today: The Legend of Heroes series

[@hartman.4744]

Fax very much! I'd forgotten about Faxanadu!!

[@DTSephiroth]

Fax Very Much I've played almost all of these, and they're still quite fun today. The only one I wasn't familiar with was the first one.

[@infographistehistorichaiti5929]

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out: It took me reflexes that I don't think I have anymore to beat that game. Tyson is so brutal with his game ending one punch knock-outs. Castlevania 3: This has to be my most favorite game. It's amazing how much graphics and sounds that was able to be crammed in this NES cartridge. It was the longest NES game I've ever played. TMNT: I prefer the Sega Genesis version.

[@Agbujwf]

Fax very much. Faxanadu was one of those games that I playes so much of that no one else had even heard of. Also, DW4 is my favorite DW game, but 3 is also incredible.

[@arlonborges]

Contra: Legacy of War came with the 3D Glasses Fax very much!

[@bahamut82xx]

I like how this time it actually says "Fax very much!" on the screen, so we don't have another "I made it, Mark!"

[@QueenFiria]

Fax very much for the nostalgia. I found myself nodding in near constant agreement!

[@oldsaltyowl]

I thought the Konami code ended with B A start?

[@Deadite8593]

That's because it does

[@traviskronenberg579]

Select start for 2p 😉

[@RobertRoweMusic]

Great list! Definitely a few on Nintendo Switch Online that I've never played, and now I need to check 'em out.

[@CobaltContrast]

Simon's Quest was just better. It's the solid part of the castlevania.

[@thelastbastionofinvincibil9629]

Fax very much! Not just for this vid but the others I have watched. Good to hear another brit even when you get the tongue twisters in your videos hah. Faxanadu really gave me Zelda 2 vibes with the side scrolling.

[@CulturedVultures]

Congrats! You won the giveaway! Please add your email to your KZbin profile on here (kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYCYi52Jm7iEa9k), then email us at infoatculturedvulturesdotcom to claim your prize :)

[@VictoriaDeMinico]

Contra Legacy of War is the one with 3d glasses. It may not be for everyone, but I'd give a shoutout to games like Shadowgate, Deja Vu, and Maniac Mansion. They tend to be more narrative than action packed, though still, a good time if that's your type of game. Fax very much.

[@jackrose6996]

So this was basically a list of the games I loved as a kid in the 80s and early 90s.... And I still have most of them, and play them once in a while. I'm not nearly as good at them as I once was though. Fax very much.

[@mychalevenson7710]

OMG, I have been looking for Faxanadu for 30 years. Thank you!

[@RetroRadical]

Fax very much! Today I'm thankful that I bought my copy of Vice: PD for 10 bucks in 2012

[@BrianJNelson]

I was lucky enough to pick up 3 copies of Dragon Warrior 4 from my local mom and pop rental store for a mere $5 each (they were getting rid of NES for newer systems). I took them to Gamestop (back before they REALLY sucked) and with the $80 worth of credit they gave me for two copies (I kept the 3rd) I picked up a bunch of NES games I didn't have. Never been that lucky since. DW4 was an amazing game. I spent hours playing that thing and I loved it.

[@MojosGarden]

Fax very much! Great list! I had, and adored, every game on here ❤️

[@AZLionheart312]

This was a fun collection of NES games. In a future video, you may want to put in one of the Ninja Gaiden games. Those were superb, but frustrating.

[@Iohannis42]

They got easier

[@CulturedVultures]

What NES games do YOU think have aged really well? Let us knowbelow and they could be featured in a second video! (also yes we are including the Famicom in making the NES over 40 years old please don't start shouting)

[@dumbstruckempire]

I think River City Ransom has held up nicely for me. I replayed Conquest of the Crystal Palace not too long ago and found it to still be ridiculously fun and charming.

[@lucrativesoundsent.1274]

Other games that have aged beautifully are the Adventures Of Lolo series and Adventure Island Series. Those games are great. Thank you for showing Faxanadu- that game is awesome!!

[@Sly2Cooper]

I have first played Kick Master several years ago. And I think it still holds up greatly. It has interesting level-up mechanics and rich animation with tons of different moves. It's really hard to judge if a game aged well with tons of nostalgia I have for them. Maybe I would go with Bucky O'Hare, Snakes - Rattle'n'Roll and Duck Tales 2. Also, TMNT 3 is better than the second installment. Many western gamers missed late NES era playing on SNES or Megadrive when NES got its true gems.

[@lucrativesoundsent.1274]

@@Sly2Cooper You are correct- Kick Master and how can I forget Bucky O’Hare!!

[@dumbstruckempire]

@@Sly2Cooper Bucky O'Hare is an excellent choice

[@radderek007]

Well created content. I am surprised what was possible in the NES.

[@BenjaminsToybox]

Played most of these. Watched a play through of Faxanadu this year and I gotta say, I have no idea how I beat that game as a kid haha

[@michaelmcdonald9895]

What are those other games at 13:11 when he's talking about modern metroidvanias?

[@rycolligan]

Fax very much for this list, all legit bangers, especially Punch-Out and MM2. Still playing those games all the time almost 40 years later.

[@iangorin2878]

Fax very much! Great video, looking forward to more content.

[@zzomegaredzz]

Fax very much! Well enjoyed!

[@gruntmanthesound]

Man, Faxanadu looks incredible for its time

[@Save21]

Nice Video. Very good selection. Thank you. 👍

[@OzeroCa]

Fax very much! But I’m not that worried about a key, I rarely play pc. Just enjoying your fun uploads!

[@shadow111d]

fax very much! i've played alot of these and "found" some new ones to try!