Video: The 21 Best NES Games Of All Time, As Rated By The Nintendo Life Community

Call me an uncultured swine, but Mario 3 is the only nes game I’ve ever liked

Super Mario Bros. 3 is like 50 miles ahead of anything else on the console, and then I would go with Mega Man 2, Zelda, Ninja Gaiden, Punch Out, Metroid, Castlevania III, Contra, Blaster Master, Tecmo Bowl, Kirby, Startropics, in no particular order.

@Mystique I won't call you that. I think with time a lot of the rose colored glasses we might have had for the NES have faded. I still like the console a lot, but I can admit there are a ton of either "broken" games (unfair challenge, frustration beyond fun) or games that have not aged well. I can appreciate historically what the console did for modern video games and how important it was for the industry, particularly in North America, but in the pantheon of best game consoles of all time, I don't think it holds a candle to the Super Nintendo or the PlayStation 2 (though I still believe it's Nintendo's third best console behind the Switch and SNES.)

Please someone type out the list for me?

Also I love LoLo, and Little Nemo, I hope they make the list.

Mario 3 is pretty overrated, but still fairly enjoyable. I play it from time to time but there’s only so much “run to the right” that I can take. The auto scrolling levels are a blight on an otherwise fun game!

@Zuljaras Props for Shatterhand! That soundtrack is pretty incredible!

NINJA APPROVED

@Meteoroid I wish that remastered Ducktales would finally come to Switch, or the Disney Afternoon collection. It would fit nicely alongside the Aladdin/Lion King double pack.

Mario 3, Mega Man 2, Batman and Hook are the only games on the NES I still replay. Hook is an underrated oddity of a game, the controls are poor throughout but the map, exploration and key elements are unique on the console.

I love the NES a lot more than most consoles. Top 21 games doesn’t begin to cover it. Do a top 121 and you’ll have something that covers that great library!

I’m probably too young but there are only a few NES games that I can really truly enjoy without the nostalgia angle. The original SMB, Zelda 1, the Castlevania trilogy (sort of minus Simon’s Quest), Ninja Gaiden, Tecmo Bowl, Punch Out etc. I tried some of the further afield stuff but can’t really find much fun to be had. SNES games seem to have aged a little better just for me personally. The limitations aren’t quite as noticeable.

@ArsebiscuitsKarmasho I never played Hook, but Batman and Ducktales for me were the only good licensed games for the NES. "But what about TMNT?" The first one was a broken mess, the second one was a brainless button masher that got boring by the second level. I know there was a third one, but I never played it.

RoboWarrior
Marble madness
Tetris
Hogan's alley
Blades of steel
Tecmo bowl
BaseWars
Jackal
Bubble bobble
Contra series
Double dragon series
Tmnt series

Did you know that the western NES game Mario Bros 2 is actually a modified version of the Japanese Doki Doki Panic?

/smartassmode off

Where is metroid btw? People! Don’t let me down!

Yeah Super Mario Bros 3 is clearly top with Mega Man 2 second. However, SMB1, MM3 and Kirby's Adventure ought to be higher.

A fascinating era of gaming

Dragon Quest IV is the true NES gem for me, once you look past SMB III. It’s one of those rare games that could be released today and still stand out. For an 8-bit title, let alone an 8-bit RPG, that is an extraordinary achievement.

Two of my fondest NES gems were Battle of Olympus and Kabuki Quantum Fighter. Anyone else want to show these games some love please and give them a score?

@Mystique Same here. Well that and Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr!

I grew up on the Commodore 64 in late 80s and SNES was my first console. I think the NES is a very hard system to get into if you didn't grow up with it.

Mario 3 and Little Nemo

@Clyde_Radcliffe And the thing is, with the Switch, you can now get the far superior arcade ports of DK and DK Jr. via Arcade Archives.

Anyone who does not love SMB3 has a very bad taste.

Giving some love to both SMB 2 USA and Zelda II. The most unique, different, misunderstood and underrated games in each franchise.

Most underrated games for the NES: Guardian Legend, Little Nemo, Kabuki Quantum Fighter, Shatterhand

Most overrated games for the NES: TMNT series, Battletoads, Double Dragon series (doesn't hold a candle to the superior arcade titles), Metal Gear (play the Solid series instead)

@Valdney Well I dunno. I like the original SMB and love Super Mario World. I just can’t really warm to 3. The levels are over quite quickly and you fight Boom Boom like 50 million times. Granted, I wasn’t there at the time but it’s a game that eludes me.

Hands up if you’re from the UK and think the majority of the NES’s ‘best’ games are overrated, hyped up by the 40 year old man children from the USA that dominate the retro community and/or youtube

Nes games are alright but snes games are where Nintendo hit it's stride. I grew up with the snes instead of nes titles but there is a certain charm in playing a nes game that really isn't anywhere else

@bryce951 I'm kinda confused here is the NES overhyped or something? I mean it's not fantastic imo but it's the first real gaming experience outside of the arcade as we know today. Is this about the uk not getting games? I'm not discrediting you but I'm curious exactly what you mean lol

@kingbk

I don't know where that Tendency for rose colored Glasses cames from.
I never had a NES, but a C64 that also has many Fans.
I was really pretty young when i first played Games on it (my Father started the Stuff for me) and i disliked most of the Games, as Ninja Turtles (the same that exists on the NES), Prince of Persia...

Most Genres were still evolving, limited to the Hardware or made more difficult as needed to make them longer (because of rental, Castlevania for Example has an easy Mode in Japan, other Games have more Lives/Continues etc.)

Even on the Super Nintendo i disliked Games as Lion King, Hulk and Gods, they have bad Gameplay.
But overall Games at that Point are still from good to Master Pieces (Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VI, Super Mario World).

And i also disliked many of the first 3D Games, clunky Controls, ugly Polygon Models without Details, morphing Graphics , bad Framerates...
I rather stayed with fine 16 Bit and PC Games.

Yeah, you had more Time, more Nerves and not as many Games to choose from as today, but even then you knew when something felt unfair, unpolished or just overall broken.

But i am talking to negativly.
Games as Zelda aren't perfect compared to newer ones as a Link to the Past.
But they are good playable and have a really nice Atmosphere! (that Dungeon Music when playing it alone at Night).
Castlevania is also much fun and not as unfair and clunky as i thought (i've got Adventures on the GB back then...)

My feeling is that there are a handful of incredible NES games and a mountain of unplayable forgettables with nothing in the middle.

I love that nowadays so many developers are making NES-like games.

It's definitely subjective on how well these hold up. I can't get much out of Atari games beyond an appreciation of their influence, because the NES was my first console. Or in another medium I can appreciate Bob Dylan for the influence but his music is not that enjoyable. Nothing wrong with it, not everyone has to have the same exact love for older games. Anyway, here's my favorites that don't always get their place in the spotlight

Archon
Bucky O'Hare
Clash at Demonhead
Faxanadu
Guardian Legend
Isolated Warrior

@Mystique When was the first time you played an NES game? Just curious.

@nessisonett The levels being short and well edited is one of the many reasons why SMB3 is so good. The game gives you a great sense of quality and variety.

@nessisonett honestly I think this is because the SNES is exactly what it was titled - a super version of the SNES. 90% of its game library was 'what we previously did on the NES but better'. Developers learned from the time they spent making NES games and perfected the formula, and the result is that you can essentially have the same experience on the SNES that you had on the NES but without the niggling flaws and with better graphics.

R.C. Pro-Am is a fantastic game on the NES.

Although I grew up in the era, I have to agree that there's only a handful of NES games that hold up well for replayability.

Here in Australia the NES didn't seem to have the impact as it did in the US and I think the popularity of the Commodore 64/Amiga had something to do with it. I suspect a similar situation in the UK?

Additionally, the PAL NES had that 50Hz slowdown. The slowdown also made SNES games in particular a sluggish mess. Thankfully I only really played those consoles in the US at the time.

@Azuris said _"And i also disliked many of the first 3D Games, clunky Controls, ugly Polygon Models without Details, morphing Graphics , bad Framerates...
I rather stayed with fine 16 Bit and PC Games."_

Totally agree. I went from 16-bit to PC games. Playstation looked and played like total garbage.

Before I even dive into this list and read, I’m leaving this comment here: Blaster Master BETTER be on here.
K, now I’ll go check the list 😀

EDIT: oh boy it’s not even a list! It’s a video list!

Only games on NES I’ve played that resembled functional were the Megaman games.

@Mystique You uncultured swine!

I love the NES, but truth is that most of the games haven’t aged well.

It was primitive hardware, and developers had extreme limitations they had to deal with.

I think the biggest flaw was that for most of its life, most developers approached game development from an “arcade” mindset. In the arcade, players are encouraged to spend just one more quarter to see the end of the game or get the high score. That wasn’t possible on the NES, and developers didn’t want their arcade styled games to be beaten quickly, so they put in bullcrap like limited continues and very limited pools of lives. It also served to beat the rental market.

So most NES games are stupidly hard, but not in a fun compelling way. I love arcade games, but I like the stupid challenge because I can always just put in more quarters and keep going. NES games typically gave three to four lives with one continue. In games that were just as stupidly hard as arcade games.

What I loved about the SNES and Genesis was that developers started to move away from that mindset. They developed hard games that were fair. Unlimited continues, easy pools of lives. It started in the latter half of the NES’s lifespan, but it really hit its stride about 1/4 of the way into the 16 bit era.

The Legend of Zelda

Mario 3 is one of the most overrated piles of garbage. Mario 2 is much better and the original is more nostalgic.

Just wondering, why aren’t these lists ranked in order? It kind of takes a bit of the fun out of a list when we don’t know the true ranking.

Mega Man 2 for me is superior to 3 for a few reasons:

-Better music
-Better Weapons
-Better Stages
-Better Wily levels
-No wasted movements

MM3 is great, but the doc robot stages seemed tacked on to me, and this is the first game that starts to rehash some wily bosses like the rock monster guy. Proto man and Rush were nice additions, but not enough to overcome mm2’s pure joy.

@BFahey3 Mega Man 2, and Mega Man X, will always rank for me as the two best Mega Man games by a mile. Mega Man 3 is good, but there is "filler" in the game that wasn't in the other two I listed.

@BloodNinja Mario 3 is definitely not overrated

@Clyde_Radcliffe

That's awesome. I thought I was the only one who went C64 -> SNES. My parents refused to get me an NES because we had a C64. They later upgraded me to the SNES. Given my age and free time, the SNES is still my favorite console. I had tons of time with Super Mario All Stars so I am very familiar with those games. There are a few games like Tecmo Super Bowl that I played at friends houses. But I'm largely not nastolgic for the NES library.

@Mystique "Call me an uncultured swine, but Mario 3 is the only nes game I’ve ever liked"

I would pay to see you play on an Atari 2600 for an hour. You would be begging to play an NES game. Any NES game!

To me, I guess it's kind of like someone saying "I've never played a game of cards that I've liked."

It's just weird.

My sister refuses to watch any movies made before 1970.

So, it could be worst, at least you gave them a try.

@bryce951 Is that because I hear the NES didn't get that much popularity over there in its time?
Like I hear computers did far better there and even on the console market, Sega sold better.

Well maybe because literally half the USA NES library wasn't released in PAL territories, could be one of many factors the NES was much more popular here.

Wizards and Warriors 1,2,3
Mylons Secret Castle
Kid Icarus
Blaster Master
Friday the 13th (yes, I actually liked it)
A Nightmare on Elm St. (Yes, i liked it also)
Golgo 13
Bionic Commando
Shadowgate
Metroid
Legend of Zelda 1,2
Ikari Warriors
Tiger-Heli
Karnov
Deadly Towers
Contra 1,2
T and C Surf Designs
Shingen the Ruler
N.A.R.C.
Double Dragon 1,2,3
Ghengis Kahn
Uninvited
Dragon Spirit
Break-Thru
Metal Gear
........some of my favorites from boyhood, just to name a few......i was 7, almost 8 when the Nintendo hit the market. My dad bought one, lol.

Some of these games with only 25-35 votes have somewhat inflated scores, IMO. If not for them, Dragon Warrior III and Metroid would be in the top 21. Also, @ziondood cheated by including Castlevania, which is actually #25!

@harrystein said "Mario 3 is one of the most overrated piles of garbage."

This is an odd comment and would make more sense if you didn't experience it at the time?

So many features of SMB3 were cutting edge.. a world map to navigate and mini-games, tons of unique power ups, a huge amount of varied levels, including the 'giant' world 4. It set a huge benchmark for NES games.

AND they pulled it off the same year that SMB2 came out - SMB 3 was out in Japan 2 years before it was released internationally. Even if you don't like the gameplay, it is one of the most polished NES games by far.

@BFahey3 said "Mega Man 2 for me is superior to 3 for a few reasons"

MM2 is also my favourite for most of those reasons, but I think 3 was a more polished game. I mean, "Get equipped with item-1"? 😅
Rush was the perfect addition. But if I feel like playing, I still go back to 2.

@Krull not the original NES version with its AI-controlled party members. Watching Cristo cast Beat on enemies that are immune to instant death instead of healing people who are one hit from death is seriously rage-inducing.

Re-releases fixed this problem, but if we’re talking about the NES version there’s no getting around this major design flaw..

My favourite NES games : The Guardian Legend, Gun Dec/Vice: Project Doom, Contra Force, Cabal, Ningen Heiki Dead Fox/Code Name: Viper, Ultimate Stuntman, Yami no Shigotonin Kage/Shadow of the Ninja haven't made the list but I still remember them fondly.

@Cheez The List:
Mega Man 2
Bubble Bobble
Kirby’s Adventure
TMNT III
Rescue Rangers
Punch Out!!
Castlevania
Dragon Warrior IV
Batman: The Video Game
Super Mario Bros.
Life Force
Duck Tales
The Legend of Zelda
Contra
Mega Man 3
Ninja Gaiden II
Tetris
Gargoyle’s Quest II
Mighty Final Fight
Castlevania III
Super Mario Bros. 3

Pre-Switch I didn't have a high opinion of NES games but I have bought a couple of collections now like the Mega Man and Castlevania games plus I played a couple of the NSO offerings and my opinion on NES games has improved a lot nowadays. I still wouldn't want to play them without the save state feature as their age definitely shows but there are a lot more NES games that I enjoy nowadays than I used to in the past.

The original 8-bit Nintendo 🍄 still has one of the best and most exhaustive libraries of any console. If you never owned one, or mainly played the games on the NES Classic, here are some you should totally check out (turbo controller and Game Genie optional):

Adventure Island III
Pac-Man Championship Edition
Duck Tales
Felix The Cat
Ghostbusters II
Pitfall
Boulder Dash
Parasol Stars
Kung Fu
Block Dude
Final Fight 3
RC Pro-Am
Rad Racer
Arkanoid
Frogger Championship Edition
Dragon Warrior IV
Little Mermaid
Bubble Bobble
Snow Bros
NARC
Famista 89'
Blades of Steel
Paperboy
Super Tecmo Bowl
Tecmo NBA Basketball
Gun Smoke
1943
Hammerin' Harry
Shatterhand
Power Blade
Bonk's Adventure
Heavy Barrel
Jackal
Gun Nac
Guerilla War
Eskimo Bros
Batman
Jay & Silent Bob Mall Brawl
TMNT III
Battletoads & Double Dragon
Mega Man IV
Little Samson

You can thank me later 😉 🎮

Bionic Commando is still one of the best of all time. Severely not talked about enough

My biggest regret was, I saw a NES cartridge at a black market, and I am almost positive it was Final Fantasy, which I didn't know anything about at the time.

I should've bought it.

I remedied that mistake when I bought Final Fantasy 3 (VI).

@Prizm Mario 3 tried way too hard to recreate the first game but adding a boring world map and tons of powerups which most weren't good. I experienced the game the day it came out and was super excited to play it after seeing the video footage in The Wizard when I saw it in theaters. It just isn't a fun game like Mario 2, even now. And Mario World just blew it away. Mario 3 has super short, uninteresting levels with the some of the worst music in the series. Only the Lost Levels is a worst Mario game.

Megaman 2 is also very overrated but not in the same way. It's still a great game but 3 and 5 are better. 5 being the best of the NES games with by far the best level design and weapon powers. Only to be topped by Megaman 9.

Just off the top of my head:
Gryzor
Green Beret
Gauntlet II
Karnov
Double Dragon
Bubble Bobble
Q-Bert
Pac-Man
Arkanoid
Batman
Famicon Wars
Fire Emblem
Castlevania
Metroid
Zelda
Kid Icarus
Mario
Mega Man
Final Fantasy

Counter point: the NES was the only Nintendo console inferior to the SEGA equivalent and therefore we need the 21 best Master System games:

1. Wonderboy 3: The Dragon's Trap (Its basically Zelda x Metroid)
2. Alex Kidd in Miracle World
3. Zillion
4. Phantasy Star (Did Squaresoft release Final Fantasy in Europe? They did not)
5. Sonic Chaos
6. Asterix
7. Sonic 2
8. Action Fighter
9. Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse
10. Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
11. Sonic the Hedgehog
12. Kenseiden
13. Operation Wolf (Whilst my NES-owning friends were shooting ducks 7-year-old me was pretending to be Rambo)
14. Golvellius: Valley of Doom
15. Columns
16. Fantasy Zone 2
17. Wonderboy in Monster World
18. Golden Axe Warrior
19. Master of Darkness
20. Lemmings
21. Gain Ground

I've been back and played a lot of NES games and the only feeling I get from them is that I was right in the school playground: Nintendo did suck until they released the SNES.

Destiny of an Emperor 1/2 are the best games on the NES and have held up well all these years.

If you haven't played the series I highly recommend them.

Journey to Silius is another hidden gem that is still fun to play. It also has one of the best sound tracks on the NES.

@kingbk I agree that you appreciate NES games more when you grew up playing them but I think very little of that is because of nostalgia.

It is more because so much of the innovation in this games has been copied, used, and improved in future games and now is taken for granted. The ability to choose your boss order in Mega Man was mind blowing when it released. So was the first time you burned a random tree in Zelda and found a secret cave. I remember when that happened my brother and I spent hours burning every tree we could find looking for more caves. Now, these are taken for granted and are even looked down upon because there are more user-friendly ways to, say, hide a secret cave.

Chip n Dale is an absolute blast. Mega Man 3 and 4 are the sweet spot. Where is mention anywhere of Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves. The game is legendary. Also honorable mentions for multiplayer fun factor: Smash TV and Ikari Warriors.

Earthbound Beginnings needs to be released for Switch/3DS/Game & Watch/Actual NES cart so you all give it a try and realize that it is the best NES game, and the best in the Earthbound series.

SMB3 is the Last of Us of the NES - end of console title that blew everything before it out of the water

@Mystique Preach.

I grew up with the NES and I find most of those game unplayable these days. Save for Dragon Warrior, Mario, and a couple beat-em-ups.

@Big_Fudge I rather play Dr.Jekyl and Mr.Hyde then Mario 3 or Lost levels.

I sat down with my 6year old son and we beat contra together. He had a lot of fun. A lot of these games are genuinely good to this day

I have to say I'm actually super surprised at some of the games that didn't make it, but it's easy to make a side argument for almost all these games.

If I were adding a few, then I'd definitely have to include these...

River City Ransom (Merv's Burger Joint where smiles are free!)
Bionic Commando (Still such a fun game, but seriously that music is amazing!)
Monster Party
NES World Cup (Just the absolute apex of sports games for the system!)
A Boy and His Blob (There are few games that innovative for the time!)
RC Pro Am (To this day, one of few racing games I have ever loved!)
Blaster Master

Good list overall, and honestly these are just classic games that really pushed forward some future games!

@Zuljaras I just recently went back and played Faxandu, and it's highly underrated.

@Ghostchip this is what i’m talking about. Gaming didnt begin with NES, it just began for you americans with that. In europe no one cared about the NES

@bryce951 if I had to guess your right no one cares about it because there is no nostalgia/hardly anyone got chance to play them and the snes did everything better but that doesn't mean the games suck or something. The Mario games are just as good on the NES as the snes ports (a couple were botched physics wise in all stars making the NES version better even). Metroid is still great today although Id go with zero mission. Dragon quest 1 through 3 for nes is a fun jrpg which started all others and is an enjoyable short adventure that holds up very well. I'd argue early final fantasy games aged poorly to be honest though but some really like them but idk. A lot of hard side scrollers like ninja garden are on the console and they are all really fun! If you get rid of nostalgia you can look at the NES as the N64 pioneering 3d: great games, but it hasn't hit it's stride yet. That still doesn't mean that there aren't Mario 64s, banjo kazooies, etc. I'm sure there are a ton of games you'd appreciate on the console even if there isn't any nostalgia. It's my least favorite Nintendo console personally (besides Virtual boy of course) but it's still got tons of fun games if you look that are fun regardless of nostalgia

@nukatha I'm curious why you think it's better than mother 3 and earthbound I'm not saying your wrong I haven't even finished a single one since im playing all three now but I've never heard anyone say beginnings was better so I'm curious as to why you think it's better

@Ghostchip
Numerous reasons.
First, it is a technical marvel for the NES in every respect. There is approximately an hour of music, hundreds of lines of dialogue with each and every NPC saying something different, numerous enemies with variations, and a fully open world.
The sequels look good, of course, but they don't push the hardware to crazy limits. (Again, I understand that the background effects took some real know-how on the SNES/GBA, but everything about Beginnings feels closer to a SNES game than a NES game). It even has modern sensibilities like no progress lost when you lose a fight except some money, so if you made it deep into a dungeon, and found the item, you don't need to go back if you lose on your way out.

Next, the game is grounded in reality far more than ita successors. The first thing that we see in the game is a lamp and doll that come to life by some force, in this case aliens. We immediately have the environmental storytelling that justifies the cars, robots, and aliens attacking us later.
We also find out that Ninten's limited psychic abilities are due to the same aliens.
All the locations you visit (except Magicant, a literal dream world, and the talking monkey cave, but even then, it is established immediately that Ninten can talk to animals, so not that weird) are ordinary. You have towns, train stations, caves, a zoo, a cemetery, a swamp, and a desert.
Yes, zany improbable things happen, but it doesn't stray incredibly far.
Think about Lloyd, he has a very human reason for joining Ninten. He is bullied, and Ninten goes out of his way to find something for Lloyd that he enjoys.
Ninten and Ana actually develop a relationship and confess their love. The themes of mistakes and plans of your anscestors echoing to the future run deep in the human experience. In Beginnings, it is okay to run away from fights you know you would lose.
And the (entirely English) lyrics of the soundtrack only enhance the experience even more.
The sequels dive deeper into the realm of the absurd rather than simply touching on it. Entire cities of Mr. Saturns, devices to extend life by centuries, or put souls in robots. Don't get me wrong, it is a fun time, but it doesn't hit me deep in my soul like Beginnings.
And I still believe in miracles I swear I've seen a few
The time will surely come when you can see my point of view.
I believe in second chances and that's why I believe in you.

@nukatha suddenly I can't wait to play beginnings! I was always under the impression it's just okay but from what your saying I have a lot to look forward too! I kinda skimmed what you said (I don't want it spoiled for me lol) but I'm excited to play!

@Ghostchip
I'll add: Don't use a guide, but do use maps.

@nukatha okay thanks!

My top 10 are

1. Super Mario Bros. 3
2. Mega Man 2
3. Kirby's Adventure
4. Kid Icarus
5. StarTropics
6. Ninja Gaiden
7. Metroid
8. The Legend of Zelda
9. Super Mario Bros.
10. Balloon Fight

@Prizm ironically mm3 was supposedly rushed to release and the sometimes gritty feel can be attributed to that. I hear you with the item naming but I think that’s a minor point. Music was much better and gameplay was more pure.