30. R.C. Pro-Am (NES)

Arguably the game that put Rare on the map for Nintendo gamers, R.C. Pro-Am sets itself apart from other NES racing games with its isometric viewpoint. But it's also a fantastic racing game in its own right, immersing you in the full 'radio-controlled' experience, with excellent visuals, catching sound effects, and a continuous loop of tracks that you'll want to master. It may lack multiplayer on NES, but Rare's racer is absolutely worth checking out.

29. River City Ransom (NES)

River City Ransom mixes basic brawling with comedy to great effect, and its cute visuals still exude tons of character all these years later. Throw in a second player — plus a delicious frosty beverage or two — and you've got a great Saturday night ahead of you.

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28. Mega Man 5 (NES)

When people ask about the best Mega Man game on the NES, Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3 tend to get the lion's share of love. However, Mega Man 5 deserves attention, too. It doesn't quite reach the stellar highs of the blue bomber's earlier outings, but with a host of novel additions to its levels — gravity switching, and even a vehicular section — it's another fine entry in Capcom's series. Yes, it might be 'just' more Mega Man, but who doesn't fancy a bit of that?

27. Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II (NES)

Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II is a sequel that could have been absolutely great, and almost did everything right by improving on a clunky control scheme to improve the action sections. Sadly, its overworld and characters are disappointingly unimaginative in comparison to the first game, leaving an adventure that's mechanically improved but creatively lacking. It's still worth checking out, but any entry in the StarTropics franchise has some rather big and charmingly silly shoes to fill and this sequel didn't quite manage it. If you missed out on the Wii (U) VC re-releases, you'll need a NES cartridge to play it in an official capacity.

26. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)

Super Mario Bros. 2 (or Super Mario USA when this famously reskinned, plumberised form of Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic made its way back to Japan), was the follow-up to Super Mario Bros., with platforming mechanics quite different from the original. It introduced the ability to lift and throw objects and a screen that scrolled left and right and up and down.

The verticality of levels and ability to play as different characters was a profound change from the first game, but despite being the odd one out in its homeland, Super Mario Bros. 2 ended up having an enormous influence on the iconography of the series. The game is definitely worth revisiting — Nintendo Switch Online is the easiest place to find it these days — if only to remind yourself just how different it is from what came before and after.

25. Bubble Bobble (NES)

With Bubble Bobble’s simultaneous two-player gameplay, a hundred stages of increasing difficulty, and manic platform gameplay, Taito's arcade classic is one of the NES' top-tier titles. The bust-a-move gameplay is fun to pick up and play for a quick session, and the password system lets you make steady progress with Bub and Bob. Bubble Bobble has been released on multiple platforms over the years, and the NES version is still a fine one.

24. Dr. Mario (NES)

Mario's first outing as a healthcare professional, this block-falling puzzler might not have the following or cache of the mighty Tetris, but its colour-matching gameplay caught on with puzzle fans. Despite not being able to compete on the level of Alexey Pajitnov's puzzling titan, there's a reason Dr. Mario has stuck around in some form for over thirty years: it's simple and addictive.

23. Ninja Gaiden (NES)

Known as Shadow Warriors in Europe (because the word 'ninja' was considered far too violent and controversial at the time), this is the game that inspired modern classics like The Messenger. Ryu Hayabusa, the titular ninja, feels as acrobatic and responsive as he did over three decades ago, and if you're interested in finding out about the inspiration behind dozens of today's indie platformers, you owe it to yourself to give Ninja Gaiden a try.

22. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game (NES)

As the name suggests, this was a NES port of the arcade TMNT game given sequel status on console thanks to Konami's existing 8-bit Turtles title. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game was a fine 8-bit port with extra levels and new bosses thrown in for good measure, not to mention plenty of Pizza Hut product placement for that authentic early '90s feel.

16-bits of processing power would enable the SNES to more closely replicate the look, feel and sound of the arcade experience, but this NES port was pretty remarkable in its day and sticks in the memory as one of Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo's finest console brawlers.

21. Little Nemo: The Dream Master (NES)

A great, licensed Capcom platformer on a system with an abundance of great, licensed Capcom platformers, Little Nemo puts you in control of the titular boy as he heads to Slumberland on a journey through his dreams. Along the way, Nemo runs into a variety of animals who he befriends and recruits to help him rescue the ruler of said destination from the clutches of the Nightmare King. It's all sleep-themed, see?

It's based on the film adaptation of the Little Nemo comic strip from the early 1900s, but despite the cute premise and the dreamy animals, Little Nemo is notoriously punishing, especially when compared to the developers' Disney games. Kids who rented this back in the day weren't going to breeze through it in 30 minutes, that's for sure. Despite the difficulty, affection for this one has only grown over the years. As with virtually all of Capcom's 8-bit output, this is worth investigating.