Best First-Party NES Games

10. Duck Hunt (NES)

A cheeky light gun shooter brimming with personality, many players experienced this as it came bundled with their NES and Zapper (on a dual cart with Super Mario Bros., no less - not a bad deal at all). Duck Hunt offers simple, wholesome light gun fun for the whole family; that is, as long as the wanton murder of countless digital waterfowl while a sniggering bloodhound watches doesn't put you off.

An official Wii U Virtual Console release in 2014 reworked the game to function on modern non-CRT televisions with a Wii Remote and an on-screen cursor. As of the end of March 2023, that version is no longer available to buy.

9. StarTropics (NES)

A game which stands apart in Nintendo's back catalogue, StarTropics melds elements of Zelda, the Mother series, and classic RPGs to make something different.

It isn't entirely successful and is let down by its controls, but it's well worth making a trip to C-Island via Nintendo Switch Online, if only to see a rare game from Nintendo which didn’t get a dozen follow-ups (although it did get a single sequel).

8. Kung Fu (NES)

Essentially the progenitor of the side-scrolling beat 'em up genre, Kung Fu was a Nintendo-developed port of Irem's arcade Kung-Fu Master. Miyamoto oversaw the port, which helped increase his understanding and desire for a game which could scroll sideways for "long distances". His learnings from porting Kung Fu would thus inform his design work on the then-upcoming Super Mario Bros., so it's a key title in Nintendo's back catalogue in addition to its influence on belt-scrolling brawlers.

7. 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 30 years: it's simple, addictive, and bloody good fun.

6. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)

Super Mario Bros. 2 features 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.

Retitled Super Mario USA when this famously reskinned form of Yume Kojo Doki Doki Panic made its way back to Japan, the verticality and inclusion of Peach and Toad as playable characters were profound changes from the first game. Yet 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.

SMB2 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, and where stalwart series regulars like Shy Guys, Bob-ombs, and Birdo debuted.

5. Tetris (NES)

The Game Boy version of this video gaming titan might be the most iconic — and certainly more convenient to play when you're out and about — but the ability to relax with Tetris on your TV wasn't to be sniffed at, either. Some prefer the Tengen version, which disappeared from stores soon after release due to a licensing snafu, but this non-controversial port is also a winner.

It's Tetris, just on the NES. 'Nuff said, really. There's no shortage of ways to play, but this very first Nintendo-developed home console version was never re-released - until its NSO appearance in December 2024.

4. Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (NES)

A boxing game that's not really a boxing game, Punch-Out!! is all about reading your opponent's tells and timing your dodges and responses. So maybe it's the perfect boxing game, then?

Regardless, it's a great time, brimming with colourful characters (read: outrageous comical stereotypes that wouldn't fly these days). The lag inherent to modern displays makes it more challenging to master these days versus the original game on a CRT, but challenging Mr. Dream — or Mike Tyson, as he was originally — to a duel should be on every NES fan’s bucket list. Fight!

3. Super Mario Bros. (NES)

So much of the foundation of the series — and the medium at large — was put down in Super Mario Bros. that it's tough to evaluate all these years later without considering its historical importance.

This game, perhaps more than any other, has passed into the popular cultural consciousness and influenced countless developers since 1985. Artefacts like this delineate epochs; when it comes to video games, there was 'Before SMB' and 'After SMB'.

Going back today, it has aged, naturally, and it doesn't control quite as tightly as the Super Mario Bros. theme in the Mario Maker games. But it's still the original and, some would say, the best. Not us, but some.

You've played this many, many times before, no doubt, and you'll play it many, many times again. Good game.

2. The Legend of Zelda (NES)

What is there left to say about The Legend of Zelda?

The game that started it all holds up well, although be prepared to explore and really work for the answers to puzzles here. A modern game would never ask you to try setting random bushes alight to reveal a hidden passageway without signalling it with a huge neon 'SECRET HERE!' sign. The Legend of Zelda trusted the player and had faith in its own strengths enough to let you miss things.

It was a very unique prospect back in 1987, offering an unparalleled sense of adventure, clever combat mechanics, and a world ripe for exploration. Decades later, developers of titles big and small are still borrowing from it.

A landmark game that still feels fresh. Definitely worth revisiting, although if you've never played the series, we wouldn't recommend playing this one first.

1. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

As toweringly important as the original Super Mario Bros. was, Super Mario Bros. 3 was a colossal leap forward in practically every way.

It refined the basics, switched up the visuals, and added more mechanical variety and one-and-done elements than any video game to that point — so many that even today there are certain suits, stages, and secrets that many fans never found.

So many ‘old’ games are best approached with historical context in mind, or come with caveats when playing them years after release. SMB3 needs none. It's just as boundingly inventive and fresh as the day it was released, and easily one of the very finest video games ever made. Play it, now.