Best First-Party NES Games

34. Ice Climber (NES)

Ice Climber is a solid concept let down by finicky controls. Scaling its mountains can offer diversion if you can overcome how awkward it feels in a modern context, but anyone checking this out on the strength of the characters' inclusion in Smash Bros. best prepare themselves for a cold shower.

33. Mach Rider (NES)

Mach Rider might not be remembered as fondly (or as often) as other NES launch titles, but with its unique aesthetic, fun gameplay, and impressive sense of speed, it certainly deserves to be. Though the action can get repetitive, three distinct modes and a track editor make it easy to jump into a slightly different game each time, and score-chasers will find plenty of replay value in revisiting racetracks for better times and scores. Pop-up obstacles and the faux-3D perspective will date the presentation for gamers raised on modern (or even Mode 7) motorways, but retro-race enthusiasts will enjoy revving up this overlooked old-school experience.

32. Wild Gunman (NES)

Much like the other NES Zapper games, in terms of gameplay there's nothing particularly wrong with Wild Gunman, the NES version of one of Nintendo's oldest arcade games. Unfortunately, it gets repetitive quite fast, as all three modes are very, very simplistic and really don't have a whole lot to offer console gamers looking for something more involving than a quarter's worth of arcade diversion. It's still an important entry in Nintendo's back catalogue, though, and one you'll only find playable on original hardware — unless you grabbed the Wii U adaptation before the eShop closed.

31. NES Open Tournament Golf (NES)

As with nearly all of the games in the NES library, the formative systems and mechanics put down in games of the '80s have advanced a lot in the interim. However, while NES Open Tournament Golf might lack the bells, whistles and frills we've come to expect from our golf games these days, the core gameplay here is as solid as ever. Eighteen holes might be pushing it, but a swift walk round the back nine will do nicely.

30. Gumshoe (NES)

One of several light gun games lost to time thanks to the CRT TV-reliant tech employed by the NES Zapper, Gumshoe is an unusual prospect — a platformer you control with a gun.

The detective of the title, Mr. Stevenson, automatically walks through the levels and you shoot to make him jump while also protecting him by zapping any projectiles heading his way. Designed by Yoshio Sakamoto (he of, most prominently, Metroid series fame), this entry in the 'Light Gun Series' was never released in Japan and has never been re-released or reworked for another Nintendo console.

29. Gyromite (NES)

Having this on Virtual Console or playable via Nintendo Switch Online would be akin to making the Labo games available without giving you the required cardboard kit, so it's not surprising that Gyromite is only playable on OG NES and Famicom hardware, and then only if you've got a functioning R.O.B., the associated peripheral plastic, and a CRT TV.

Working in tandem with your friendly neighbourhood Robotic Operating Buddy, you control one Professor Hector and direct R.O.B. to raise and lower red and blue pillars around your vine-filled laboratory, enabling you to navigate the puzzling platforms and defuse bombs that have been placed throughout. Hitting 'Select' lets you operate the robot, pivoting and pressing coloured plates which activate the pillars, and there are various wandering baddies (Smicks) to be avoided or distracted with the tasty turnips you can pick up and place in their path.

28. Hogan's Alley (NES)

Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, Hogan's Alley really doesn't have a whole lot going for it beyond score-chasing. Its three modes offer little variation and unlike Duck Hunt, in which you could theoretically keep going forever if you're a good enough shot, it becomes essentially impossible to survive after a certain point as you would need inhuman reflexes to visually identify the targets and react quickly enough.

Hogan's Alley was certainly an interesting light gun game in its day, and hasn't aged particularly poorly, but it's simply far too shallow to hold your attention for long. A Wii U VC release with Wii Remote pointer functionality made it more widely available for the first time since the '80s, but that disappeared with the Wii U eShop in March 2023.

27. Stack-Up (NES)

The second and final 'Robot Series' game designed to be played in conjunction with R.O.B., Stack-Up sees you once again controlling Professor Hector and once again directing the robot, this time to stack up (geddit?) a bunch of plastic disc-shaped blocks in a certain order. And it's as exciting as that sounds.

Check out Jeremy Parish's excellent overview of the game as part of his NES Works series if you're eager to find out more and see R.O.B. in action stacking 'em up.

26. Popeye (NES)

This NES port of Nintendo's Popeye arcade game released the year after Donkey Kong, saw Shigeru Miyamoto himself on design duties with Genyo Takeda and has a special connection to 1981's enormous ape-shaped arcade hit. Donkey Kong was originally meant to star Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Bluto, but despite using the Popeye licensing in other Nintendo products, for some reason (which now escapes Miyamoto) the team wasn't able to use those characters for the game, which led to the birth of Nintendo's own Mario Jump Man, Pauline, and DK.

A single-screen platformer reminiscent of Donkey Kong, though lacking a jump button, Popeye charges you with collecting items Olive drops from the top of the screen while avoiding Bluto and other hazards. It's good, simple fun, and also notable as being one of the launch games for the Famicom in July 1983.

25. Ice Hockey (NES)

Ice Hockey is far from the worst 8-bit sports offering on the NES, and it provides a solid, serviceable approximation of the game, although you'll need patience to put up with its quirks, especially when defending. Worth a look if you're a fan of the sport; non-fans aren't missing much (although that sentiment is arguably true for many sports games on the NES).

24. Wario's Woods (NES)

Starring Mario's dastardly alter ego / doppelgänger / evil twin / [insert theory here], Wario's Woods is a B-tier NES puzzler probably best known for being the final official release for the console in 1994. That said, its unique gameplay hook combined with unusual boss battles makes it worth investigating if you're a puzzle fan who has exhausted the usual suspects.

23. Donkey Kong Jr. (NES)

Unique in the Mario canon for being the only game to make the plumber the antagonist, Donkey Kong Jr. can't measure up to the original game, but it's worth a play just to see Mario guarding a caged Donkey Kong. You'll need a hefty dose of nostalgia to get much more out of it, though.