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. 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.

32. 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.

31. 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.

30. Barker Bill's Trick Shooting (NES)

Believe it or not, this is a licensed game made by Nintendo itself. Based on an animated American network show from the 1950s that broadcast black and white Terrytoon cartoons from the previous decades, Barker Bill's Trick Shooting made use of this obscure licence and the titular ringmaster (and his assistant, Trixie) for a cheerful NES Zapper game that launched in 1990 in North America.

Comprising several minigames that see you shooting balloons, diamonds, plates, and other objects, it's a cute and uncomplicated latter-era NES shooter that deserves more recognition than it gets. Being stuck on original hardware represents a sizeable barrier to entry for all but the most hardcore of historical gamers, unfortunately.

29. 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.

28. 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.

27. 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 (known as Mario Open Golf in Japan, so technically the first entry in the Mario Golf series) 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. 18 holes might be pushing it, but a swift walk around the back nine will do nicely.

26. Donkey Kong Classics (NES)

A simple compilation cart that collects Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. in a single release — one that didn't come to Japan. Not much else to say, really. Not a bad Kong-pilation, all told. Plenty of pros, only a couple of Kongs. Nothing to be overly Kongcerned about, all things Kongsidered.

Okay, we'll stop now.

25. 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.

24. Devil World (NES)

A game which fell foul of Nintendo of America's nervousness around depicting religious iconography, 1984's Devil World came to Europe in '87 but never launched in North America.

Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka (and being the latter's first project after joining the company full-time in 1984), it’s easy to label it a Pac-Man clone given the obvious similarities, but this is a game that takes the basic formula of the arcade original and builds upon it in an inventive and unique way. It does become a bit repetitive over time due to the fact that the stages are very similar throughout and always presented in the same order. Despite this, the quirky theme and challenge will keep you coming back to this 8-bit curio.

Previously available on multiple Virtual Consoles, it's now part of Nintendo's Switch Online offering.

23. 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).