Best First-Party NES Games

46. Donkey Kong Jr. Math (NES)

Donkey Kong Jr. Math adds some arithmetic to the basic vine-swinging and platforming of Donkey Kong Jr. in a title that sucks all the fun out of both gaming and mathematics. It combines 'education' and 'entertainment' to make — you guessed it! — a terrible game. Think of the poor kid who got a launch NES console and this. There must have been at least one.

Don't feel too sorry, though. Boxed versions of Donkey Kong Jr. Math are worth a pretty penny these days, so silver linings and all that. The title makes the game sound dreary, and it very much is, but at least it delivers on the promise of its name, and a unique, surprisingly fun two-player experience is this retro curio's saving grace.

Previously available via Virtual Console, it's technically playable on GameCube, too, as it's one of the NES games included in the original Animal Crossing.

45. Volleyball (NES)

Certain entries in Nintendo's 'Black Box' series have aged better than others and, unfortunately, Volleyball went off long ago. In fact, we'd go as far as to say it's the worst of Nintendo's early sports titles, providing only the very basics of the game in a rather unattractive package. We much prefer a round of Tennis when it comes to ball-based net sports, but we suppose you've got nothing to lose in firing up Volleyball for a match or two.

44. Baseball (NES)

Another rather primitive take on a national sport, the 'Black Box' title Baseball is a slow-and-steady game that takes time to master, but persevere and you'll find it to be a fun, if simple, experience - especially with a second player in tow. It's more of a historical document at this point, but there's fun to be had if you give it a chance.

43. Soccer (NES)

The beautiful game has seen more than its fair share of digital iterations over the years. This quaint early effort won't keep you occupied for long, but Soccer is an intriguing look into early sports titles on the system and worth firing up at least once.

42. GOLF (NES)

This is the game, originally programmed by HAL Laboratory's Satoru Iwata, that was hidden in Switch's firmware as a good luck charm for the system in 2017. Golf may not be the most exciting game on the NES, but it set the template for almost every video game version of the sport until Wii Sports arrived over two decades later.

41. Urban Champion (NES)

When Urban Champion was released it would surely have been mediocre even for its time, but played in the modern era it's painfully bad. It's rubbish, and we'd rather take to the streets and pick random fights — which we'd in all likelihood lose — than play this again. However, there's no arguing that as the first entry on a very short list of Nintendo fighting games, it's a significant game in the company's catalogue.

40. Clu Clu Land (NES)

If you can stomach the odd controls and steep difficulty, you may well be able to mine some fun from Clu Clu Land, and as a 'Black Box' title it's certainly got curio kudos. That said, this arcade puzzle-style maze game is unlikely to keep your attention unless you're a real Nintendo enthusiast or scholar. We'd be tempted to leave our Rupee collecting to Link.

39. Tennis (NES)

Rudimentary is perhaps too kind an adjective to describe Tennis, although we've always had a soft spot for it (and its Game Boy brethren, in particular). It's an extremely simple take on the sport, and not one that'll keep you occupied for any length of time, but at the very least it's fun to see how far we've come.

Game? Why not. Set? Hmm, perhaps. Match? Nah, you're alright. Let's play Mario Bros. 3.

38. Pinball (NES)

There just isn’t that much to say about Pinball. It’s a small piece of history, teaching us what home console video games were (essentially not-as-good versions of their arcade brethren) before they knew what they could be — a lesson that can be fully learned by most in one sitting. Nothing here is bad; in fact, the game functions quite well. It's just repetitious, lacking variety, and overshadowed by better options we've enjoyed in the decades since. Those who were around when the NES launched and have fond memories of Pinball will surely find value in revisiting it, but anyone else would probably fare much better going with a modern alternative instead. Easily accessible for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, there is fun to be had here, but it's simple and limited.

37. Pro Wrestling (NES)

"A WINNER IS YOU." This game is worth playing at least once just to see that iconic meme phrase in its original context. It's a simple interpretation of professional wrestling with a slim roster, but it's charged with nostalgia and personality, and given the sorry state of the genre in recent years (Fire Pro Wrestling notwithstanding), you could do much worse than returning to Pro Wrestling for a bout.

36. Wrecking Crew (NES)

Wrecking Crew isn't something we'd recommend spending vast sums on, but it's definitely worth checking out as part of the Nintendo Switch Online package of NES games. It can be a frustrating experience and it lacks the control finesse players would come to expect from later Nintendo efforts, but as an early 8-bit Mario puzzle-platformer, it certainly warrants investigation.

35. Donkey Kong 3 (NES)

Perhaps most notable for introducing Stanley the Bugman into the Nintendo canon, Donkey Kong 3 is an odd departure from the previous entries in the series from back when sequels didn't mean rinsing and repeating the concept from the previous game ad infinitum. It's certainly not up to the standard of the arcade original but it's still a fascinating slice of Nintendo history and worth firing up at least once.