Best First-Party NES Games

22. 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.

21. 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.

20. Mario Bros. (NES)

Known to a whole generation as the extra mode that came tacked on to the Game Boy Advance Super Mario Bros. series ports, Mario Bros. is a slight, flavourless offering that doesn't hold up too well these days. It's passingly diverting with two players, but you'll soon be wishing you were playing the one with 'Super' at the start.

19. Balloon Fight (NES)

Balloon Fight was programmed by Satoru Iwata and is essentially Nintendo's version of Joust, and while it was very much a case of the company copying someone else's homework back in the day, the resulting game is a strong one.

We like to blast through the Balloon Trip mode every so often, if only to listen to the cheery tune that plays. The game is starting to show its age, but that's no crime in itself — how many 8-bit games don't feel a little creaky by modern standards? Balloon Fight's definitely worth a smidgen of your time.

18. 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.

17. Tetris 2 (NES)

The incredible success of the original game meant a sequel was inevitable, but when you've created a puzzler as singularly refined as Tetris, how exactly do you create a new take which does anything but dilute the first game's purity of expression? Sequels are meant to polish and introduce new and better mechanics — how do you do that with Tetris?

Tetris 2 essentially has you playing Dr. Mario with tetrominoes. It's not bad, by any means, but it's certainly not better than Tetris, so it's difficult to play it and not think you could be having a better time.

16. Donkey Kong (NES)

While the NES version might not compare favourably side-by-side with the arcade original, this Donkey Kong port captured the spirit of the cabinet version very well indeed. Back in the day this was a remarkable feat, and for many kids who may not have been old enough to venture into arcades, it was here that they first met DK and the plucky plumber.

It's missing a level (which was eventually restored in the Original Edition), but it's arguably only once you've played the arcade version that the limitations of the home console port become apparent. Best enjoyed in short and sweet bursts.

15. Kid Icarus (NES)

Kid Icarus is a game filled with idiosyncrasies (like several first-party NES titles which didn't spawn a series with dozens of entries) and while it's got its share of flaws, this game still has a certain spark despite its missteps. It makes you wonder what could have been if Nintendo doubled down on Kid Icarus rather than, say, Zelda. Check it out.

14. Excitebike (NES)

The existence of VS. Excitebike on Famicom Disk System made the original Excitebike somewhat superfluous, but this was the base version of the game we got in the West. Providing a deceptively deep 8-bit ride that plays beautifully with acceleration and the pitch of your bike as you land, we'd say it's definitely worth a spin. We just like VS. and its expanded modes a bit better.

13. Metroid (NES)

While it set the template of the series and pioneered the delicate mix of exploration and gradual empowerment, the original Metroid can be tough to return to these days, even if you played it back in the day.

The audio and atmosphere it conjures remain incredible, but control refinements and quality-of-life features we're used to are largely absent from the Famicom Disk System/NES original and going back without the right mindset and context can be jarring.

Its biggest issue is that the fantastic Game Boy Advance remake, Metroid: Zero Mission, exists — truly the best way to experience Samus' first adventure. The original has its charms, though. You just need to dig deeper to find them than you once did.

12. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES)

A radical departure from the original and arguably the most difficult game in the series, Zelda II has enjoyed something of a reappraisal in recent, post-Dark Souls years.

In a series that, in the past, risked becoming by-the-numbers by slavishly sticking to a formula, this first sequel was anything but a repetition. A deeper combat system with RPG levelling elements and side-on platforming villages and dungeons made this a very different take on the Zelda template.

You could argue that too much of its sense of adventure and 'wonder' is lost to frustration, but no more so than in other challenging 8-bit games. If you find the challenge too much to bear, the rewind function in the Nintendo Switch Online version comes in useful. Regardless, if you've bounced off The Adventure of Link in the past, we'd urge you to give it a second look.

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

Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II is a sequel that could have been absolutely great, and did almost everything right by improving on a clunky control scheme to improve the action sections.

Sadly, its overworld and characters are disappointingly unimaginative compared 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.