1. Mega Man 4

I love all the Mega Man games for the NES, but if I have to pick just one , it’s Mega Man 4. The best Mega Man game and one of the best titles for the NES library that I strongly recommend any retro gamer or fan of the NES to try. Great soundtrack, amazing level designs, tight controls, good gameplay and a new charge shot. Mega Man 4 has a lot to offer fans of the Mega Man series, as well as new comers.

Josh’s stellar Mega Man 4 play through:

Honestly between Mega Man 4 and Mega Man 6 it was a tough choice for me, but 2 key factors that me put 4 at the top were the weapons available, as well as introducing on a new villain; Dr Coassck a brilliant Russian scientist that has eight robot master that each have a useful weapon upgrade. There are also two hidden weapon upgrades that can be found, as with the other weapons these have actual uses outside the castle stages and boss fights, making the game feel more robust.

There was not one weapon that was better than the others or one that felt completely useless. This is something I felt the other Mega Man games didn’t offer. This truly is a great game that deserves the number one spot on my list.

2. Duck Tales

One of the many games on the NES made by Capcom, all of which are amazing; Darkwing Duck, Little Mermaid, Chip n’ Dale and of course Ghosts ‘N Goblins just to name a few. For me what puts Duck Tales above these other titles is gameplay and the music. The music is memorable with the music from the moon level being the most recognized and well known, but all of the levels even the level select music are a catchy tune that I find myself humming along with or after having played the game. In fact the new Duck Tales TV show uses the music from the moon level several times throughout the series.

The gameplay is fun, with Scrooge using his cane like a pogo stick to attack or jump higher, and also like a golf club to knock other objects around the map or even take out enemies. There’s a nice mixture of humor as well, such as getting stuck in the snow if you try to pogo on top of it, or having Scrooge’s eyes shake back and forth if you hit a non-moveable object with your cane. Having cameos of all the other well-known character from Duck Tales is also a nice touch and serves the purpose of opening new areas, taking you back to the level select screen, or giving you items to heal you back to full health.

The game captures so much of the TV show’s charm, it feels like you’re actually playing through an episode. There’s also a modern remake of the game which has the original voice actors in it, and a faithful recreation of the game with very little changed for those that don’t have an NES or access to the original cart.

3. M.C. Kids

Sometimes seen as a Super Mario Bros 3 clone, M.C. Kids is a cross between a platformer and a treasure hunt. Each overworld requires you to find 4 to 6 cards that are hidden within the levels with each level having one or two cards in it, and you won’t know who the card belongs to until you finish the level. At first this may seem odd, but once you get to the later areas you’ll have to either backtrack to finish levels you skipped or search through levels that seemed too short at first.

You can see Josh’s playthrough of M.C. Kids right here:

I personally enjoy exploring the levels and trying to reach new or hard to reach places and areas in video games, so having that as a part of the game concept was exciting for me as a kid and helped add to the re-playability. One thing I really love is in the bonus game you can change your character by hitting the moon block. You can even do this in a two player game which is a lot fun, if you just want to mess with the other person playing without affecting the actual gameplay itself. 

4. Super Mario Bros 3

A classic NES title that has a lot to offer. While the levels are a little shorter than the original Super Mario Bros., there are more power ups, new mini games, and different paths you can take add massive replay value to the game.

Another addition was giving the player more hits (non-Japanese versions) depending on what power-up they have; with a fire flower you can get hit twice, one hit returns you to mushroom power up and a second hit back to small Mario. You can also get power-ups or items from mushroom houses or chests hidden within some levels. These items can then be used on the overworld map to help you beat the levels and even warp to other worlds.

A solid game and a good way to test your friendship in the two player versus mode, when you don’t want to play a certain level or want to steal the other player’s cards to get some 1-ups.

5. Tiny Toons

An average platformer with Buster Bunny as the main hero, but on each level you can choose one of three other characters.

At first the game seems pretty straight forward, but after collecting a red ball with a star on it you switch to the other character that you chose to assist you through the level. This changes how the rest of the level plays out as each character other than Buster has a unique ability. Some characters do better in certain levels, and the game will recommend who to take on some of the levels, but you can choose whoever you want with different paths that can only be reached by certain character, giving the game re-playability.

By default you die after one hit. If you find a heart, however, you’ll be able to take one extra hit before dying, and this even carries over if you switch out characters.

6. Kirby’s Adventure

An easy pick up and play game that can be beaten by anyone at any age, but the difficulty increases at just the right pace to keep it fun and challenging.

Each overworld has fun and unique mini games, with a bonus area that has enemies with powers that you can copy.

This makes going from one level to the next more entertaining than just starting the next level right after reaching the goal. It’s also a nice place to take quick breaks between levels.

7. Fester’s Quest

An underrated game in my opinion as it has great music, level design and fun power up that you can get from other members of the Addams family. There are some flaws with the game, mainly with the programming, so when I learned that the US version was the hardest version there is it made me feel good to know I managed to beat it.

Josh’s ultra-helpful quick guide for playing Fester’s Quest on the NES:

Having said that, I strongly suggest that anyone playing the game for the first time – or without a turbo controller -play the European version. The main point of the game is that you’re trying to rescue Gomez, who was kidnapped by aliens.

To fight the aliens you can use your gun which can also be upgraded, a whip that you get from Morticia after the first boss, and even TNT that you get from Pugsley.

The crazy concept and gameplay works really well with the Addams Family, and while the US version is much harder than it should need to be, it can still be a fun game that I recommend. Just also be sure to get a European version if possible and/or have a turbo controller handy – as even the actual game manual itself says it’s required to play.

8. Blaster Master

A platformer mixed with a run and gun depending on whether you are in the tank or not. While in the tank it’s a typical platformer where you can jump and use your default cannon weapon, but once you collect sub weapons from the labyrinths that are located thought-out the eight levels you can use them to open new areas (similar to Metroid).

When you’re on foot outside the labyrinths, you have a short range gun that is weak against the monsters, but the only reason to exit the tank is to enter labyrinths where the game is top down run and gun style.

Inside the labyrinths you can find ammo for the tank sub weapons and upgrades for your gun, but the gun upgrades only work in labyrinths and not outside, so don’t try and go all Rambo just because you have max upgrades on your gun.

9. Alien Syndrome

A fun run and gun for 1 or 2 players, with the goal to save 12 comrades on each stage and kill the alien boss before the time runs out.

A fairly short game that can be completed within an hour as there are only 7 stages in total, but with one 3 lives and one hit kills it will take a few tries to beat it.

With unlimited continues, the only drawback is losing your last life during the boss fight. This will restart you at the beginning of the stage, which tends to happen more often in 2 player games.

10. Cobra Triangle

Cobra Triangle – a game that I had never heard of until I borrowed it from a friend (Jason) after he found out I never played it before.

This is without a doubt one of the best hidden gems for the NES. Not only is it a fun game, it’s really well designed in every aspect; music, gameplay, controls and concepts, etc.

You play as a boat with each level having a different and unique goal, that other titles of its time didn’t offer, such as racing to the finish or sweeping mines or even fighting giant monster the constant change helps keep your focus without getting repetitive.