#20 - Metal Storm
Chosen by: Polly, Genuine Fiber, FreezingInferno, wolf99x, Carmichael Micaalus
Polly - Okay, smartass, you name a better game with gravity switching mechanics, psychodelic scrolling backgrounds that were pimp shit at the time, and a big ass orange fuckin' robot. What's that? Oh that's right, you can't, [REDACTED]. You probably suck at this game too, because it's for us superior-type gamers who want a game that makes us earn the victory.
Genuine Fiber - The second best platformer ever. Lots of action, varied stages, and a very well implemented gravity changing gimmick. Also boy does it get HARD later on, but the controls are so good it's a matter of skill. Every time you fuck up you just know you could've made it had you reacted faster. Also has an expert mode for people with oversized adrenal glands, robots, and Polly.
FreezingInferno - Pretty, unique, and challenging. What the hell more do you want from an action game?
wolf99x - The ability to alter gravity turns this sidescrolling platform/shooter into a challenging puzzle game at times as well. Also features some of the best 8-bit explosions I have seen.
Carmichael Micaalus - Probably the first game I played where your character was a giant mech. Or maybe it was just power armour, I can't remember. Anyway, as others have mentioned, the gravity flipping was awesome, and I remember some of the stages being pretty trippy, with the moving background and stuff (kinda like the bonus stages of Sonic 1, I think). While I've never cared much for one hit and you die games, it was still cool.
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#19 - Final Fantasy III
Chosen by: FreezingInferno, Miller, Pitchfork, Mash, ignorent spine
FreezingInferno - A wise man said it best: "I'M SORRY, I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER ALL THIS JOB SYSTEM!"
Miller - Played through this recently and I had a lot of fun with it. One of those game you kind of hate while playing it but the feeling afterwards is really satisfying (like Landstalker).
Pitchfork - This is where Final Fantasy began snowballing into something really interesting and special. It's best of the three 8-bit FF games and the most challenging entry in the whole series. I can only imagine how much therapy would have been needed if I as a nine-year old had to play through the Sylx Tower/Dark World without save states.
Mash - This game's highlights include 22 (well, okay, 19 really) awesome jobs to play with, a good challenge, no grinding required (at least, not once you really know what you're doing) and probably the most rewarding experience this series has ever offered for exploration freaks like me. It not only has hidden loot up the wazoo, it's also got the best ratio of worthwhile stuff instead of useless crap as well. It's also one of those rare RPGs where status effects are actually worth using on enemies. I find this game to be a thoroughly fun experience, through and through. I could go on for hours about how much I love it, but I can also sum it all up in one sentence: It's everything it's poor DS remake is not.
ignorent spine - I remember playing through the first few hours of this game on an emulator wondering "How the hell did they cram a 16-bit game onto an 8-bit cartridge"
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#18 - Bionic Commando
Chosen by: Polly, Genuine Fiber, wolf99x, BionicCommando83, Carmichael Micaalus
Polly - 'Round my neck of the woods, being good at this game made you some kinda freak of nature. "HOW DO YOU PLAY A GAME WITHOUT A JUMP BUTTON THIS ISN'T LIKE MARIO AT ALL OH MY GOD!" I'm just that fuckin' good, Scooter. Now, watch me shove this rocket into Hitler's stupid face for the fifth time today.
Genuine Fiber - The best platformer ever, QED.
wolf99x - Hard as hell but it's difficult to hate a game that lets you swing about on your robot arm.
Carmichael Micaalus - I never owned this one, but I borrowed it from my friend a lot. The bionic arm was one of the coolest things ever to me, and how you got to choose your gun and stuff for each stage was also neat. I recall some of the jumps you have to do being a bitch and a half, but that just made you feel better when you pulled them off, or finally mastered them.
BionicCommando83 - Let's see- superior gameplay, controls music, and a diverse group of stages and weaponry. What more could anyone want, save for Hitler's head exploding into a cloud of gore?  This game has everything. Next!
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#17 - Super Mario Bros. 2
Chosen by: Vanor Orion, Pitchfork, Mash, BionicCommando83, Serafita
Vanor Orion - This game gets a bum rep. I mean, have you seen the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2? It was more of the same, whereas our version had all sorts of Arabian-themed shit going on with it, and never in a game have I seen vegetables used as deadly weapons.
Pitchfork - The Princess is so overrated. I will elaborate on this next month in a fifteen-page article addressing the issue in the detail it deserves.
Mash - Possibly the only instance where I'm actually glad NOA treated us 80s kids like...children. Not that I think the real SMB 2 would have actually been too hard for us (anyone who's beaten Ninja Gaiden or Castlevania could eat that game for breakfast), but the game they tricked us into buying instead was simply much, much better.
BionicCommando83 - The odd man out of the Mario series, but it still had the Mario series excellent control, quirky settings, and a great amount of variety between the four people you could play as. Granted, it's a refinement of a FDS game with Mario sprites, but it deserves its place here for sheer fun and its contribution to the Mario canon. The throw feature is easy to use, the music catchy, and there are also a variety of bosses to boot.
Serafita - Each character had their own ability and it was a strange world. However, I had the Japanese version at the time, which omitted the run feature, and had different sprites, but nobody believed me. ;_;
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#16 - Kirby's Adventure
Chosen by: Polly, FreezingInferno, Pitchfork, Spyda K , D-Mac
Polly - The NES's true swan song and a fucking fantastic one at that. There were a few games after it, but this, to me, is how the NES went out.
FreezingInferno - One of those triple-A titles you see crop up in the twilight of a system's life. This one pretty much created the Kirby game as we know it, with powers and stuff.
Pitchfork - Kirby does not suck. He creates a vacuum.
Spyda K - This was the game that immortalized Kirby. His first game, Kirby's Dreamland for the Game Boy was alright, but it was fairly short and you couldn't attack without sucking things up and spitting them out. Kirby's Adventure was the first game to use the mechanic of swallowing bad guys to gain their powers. And where would Kirby be without that?
D-Mac - A great send-off for the NES, and introduced Kirby's now iconic power-stealing, uhh... powers?
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#15 - Duck Tales
Chosen by: Polly, Genuine Fiber, Mash, Spyda K, Roger, Rhete
Polly - What a fantastic licensed game. This was classic Capcom platforming that coulda been named damn-near anything and it would have been fantastic. You honestly couldn't go wrong with this, Chip 'n Dale, or Darkwing Duck, but this is the one that stands out the most for sure.
Genuine Fiber - Man I used to live for the Disney Afternoon. LIVE. I begged my parents to take me to see the Ducktales movie in the theater (they were real troopers). In one of the few cases of non terrible licensed games, Ducktales is one of the best platformers on the NES. Multiple paths, tight controls, fun boss fights. This is definitely one you should play if you haven't already.
Mash - One of the first NES games I got. This one's so well known, even most people who haven't played it already know about almost everything that makes it awesome. Though one of my favorite aspects that I don't often hear mentioned is just how much hidden stuff there is to find in this game. I spent soooo much of my childhood going over every inch of this game, finding more treasure in every nook and cranny. It's one of the two games that forever turned me into an exploration nut.
Spyda K - The biggest issue I had with this game was that you had to learn how to do the pogo cane (jump, down+B) from the manual or from a friend. That's just not a button combination that comes naturally, and it took me forever to master when I was a kid. But when I finally mastered the attack, that game was just so fantastic.
Roger - Who didn't want to be Scrooge McDuck looking for treasure and out on adventures? In my opinion, the best licensed game ever made.
Rhete - I'm on the moooooooooooooon!
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#14 - River City Ransom
Chosen by: wolf99x, Pitchfork, BionicCommando83, ignorent spine, Carmichael Micaalus, Roger
wolf99x - Never before or since has 2d fighting and RPG stat-building been meshed together so well into a fast-paced, ass-kicking package. Unfortunate that the GBA remake had to commit the biggest blunder ever in not including a 2-player mode. BARF, indeed.
Pitchfork - POLLY was so uptight and the sauna was so relaxing. BARF! Is this fun yet? I should like to say so.
BionicCommando83 - The ultimate NES beat'em up. It has some RPG elements, has excellent two player options, and involves some rather epic brawls. The gameplay is smooth, has several options as your character grows and if anyone disagrees, all I can say to you is BARF!!!
ignorent spine - I remember my friend telling me this was "Grand Theft Auto before Grand Theft Auto was ever born", in some ways he was right. This is perhaps the only NES Beat'em Up I ever enjoyed, thanks to the quirky humor and solid controls (save for the jumping bits, thank god their weren't to much of that though).
Carmichael Micaalus - I think we got this one from a friend of my brothers or something... I remember we didn't have the book for it, but we did have this piece of paper with a bunch of tips and codes written on it. This game was awesome, though. The characters had alot of expression, you could buy stuff to make your attacks all buff, and you could accidentally beat the crap out of your friend because they got in your way, or stole your cash one too many times.
Roger - Running around as a young punk Yakuza-wannabe has never been more fun than what you experienced in this game.
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#13 - Blaster Master
Chosen by: Polly, Spyda K, BionicCommando83, ignorent spine, Carmichael Micaalus, Roger, Rhete
Polly - I'M DRIVING AROUND AND JUMPING AND SHOOTING SHIT! Confusing as hell the first time I played it, because I didn't quite get the Metroidy-ness of it at first, but completely awesome once I got the hang of things.
Spyda K - Easily one of the best platforming shooters I've played. And most of the time, you weren't even a guy with a gun. You were a guy with a gun inside of a JUMPING TANK WITH TYLENOL FOR WHEELS! Bad ass.
BionicCommando83 - A hard but challenging game that combines both platforming with overhead battles and exploration. The gameworld is fairly big as you wander about trying to uncover the location of parts for your tank that enable you to fly, move up walls, and even swim. The overhead sections are particularly challenging, especially the game's 9 boss fights. A tough, but mostly fair game, though a lot of time will be spent mapping out possible dead ends as you hunt down the bosses.
ignorent spine - I'm going to be honest, I really cant' remember playing this game, I was like four years old last time I played. But the fact that I can still remember the opening theme song means its gotta be good.
Carmichael Micaalus - The music and level design for most of this game was pretty awesome. I think a lot of people hated it, but I really liked the water level. I also liked how the way to the next level was kind of hidden, so to speak. Nowadays it's usually a pain in the ass to backtrack like that, but I hadn't played many video games where you did.
Roger - A very Metroid-esque game that had good gameplay and the wheels on the tank looked like chewable Tylenol.
Rhete - A boy in a space suit in a tank on a mission. To rescue his pet frog. Fuck yeah.
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#12 - Final Fantasy
Chosen by: Pitchfork, BionicCommando83, ignorent spine, Carmichael Micaalus, D-Mac, Roger
Pitchfork - Oh, who am I kidding. It may be clunky and slow and outdated, but I still loves my Final Fantasy.
BionicCommando83 - The original Final Fantasy and arguably the best traditional RPG for the system. Turn based, but with great replay value given the ability to reshape your part as you see fit. The game is glitchy with its item implementation, true, but it has enough solid elements- from dungeon crawling (Marsh cave) to exploring (Airship!) to a plot that while simple, literally brings things full circle to make this a stand up game.
ignorent spine - While it wasn't the first Final Fantasy I ever played, It was the first I ever beat. Theirs also just some thing relaxing about strutting around the world and getting into fights. It's also one of the few RPG's thats as tough as nails.
Carmichael Micaalus - Were I to try and play through the original Final Fantasy today, I know I wouldn't be able to stand it. However, I loved it back in the day. You got to make your own party, name them, and then go around and beat people up, take their boat, and eventually get an airship!
D-Mac - I'm almost positive I'm listing this due to the soundtrack alone! Because I'm not quite sure why else I like it. I just do.
Roger - A great game. It's the first RPG my father ever took the controller from my hands and said it was his turn to play.
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#11 - Crystalis
Chosen by: Polly, RaiRaiRai, Genuine Fiber, FreezingInferno, BionicCommando83, Carmichael Micaalus
Polly - Simply put, THIS is what Zelda II could have been, and I'd have enjoyed it more had it been. I'll always remember the awesome commercial SNK ran for it on Saturday mornings.
RaiRaiRai - Hell, I still play this one.
Genuine Fiber - Sure it's a Zelda knockoff, but Mello Yello is better than Mountain Dew, ain't it? More weapons, more spells, more locations, more character... plus it certainly made me bite my nails on September 30th of my freshman year of high school.
FreezingInferno - Everyone who ever called Zelda an RPG was thinking of this game when they said that.
BionicCommando83 - The other Zelda style game. While a bit grindy because of the leveling system, it had an engaging storyline, a bit darker than most NES games that came out stateside. Fast paced combat, puzzles, and the use of four varying elemental swords added a lot of depth to this game.
Carmichael Micaalus - I can't even remember how many times I've replayed this game. I always liked how you'd get the orbs or bracelets to power up your swords, and the spells were neat as well. The final armour being called "Psycho Armour" was also a plus in my book.
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#10 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II:
The Arcade Game
Chosen by: Polly, Genuine Fiber, FreezingInferno, Spyda K, Carmichael Micaalus, Serafita, Roger
Polly - I had a lot of fun playing this one with friends, but solo mileage will vary due to its length. And for some reason I like that every dood you kill is worth one point. Huh...
Genuine Fiber - The best reason to have a cousin who also didn't have any friends! Two extra levels means even more time not having to go outside!
FreezingInferno - Because it made up for that awful first TMNT game.
Spyda K - NES ports of arcade games were rarely as good as their arcade counterparts. Turtles II certainly didn't have the graphic quality or 4-player mode like its older brother, but it was great in its own right. A lot of the levels were longer, and some new levels were added to make it feel more special. If only it didn't have limited continues.
Carmichael Micaalus - I think this was the first game I played that had in-game advertising... but I remember it being a lot of fun, especially on two-player.
Serafita - Slow as hell, only two player, but even so, spent tons of hours and enjoyed it anyway.
Roger - We were all obsessed with the Turtles in the late 80's/early 90's. This sated that obsession just fine.
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#9 - Mega Man 2
Chosen by: MooMan1, wolf99x, Pitchfork, Spyda K, BionicCommando83, decoy octopus, Roger, Rhete
wolf99x - A seamless blend of challenge and gameplay. A game designed to test your ability to its limits, ending when either your will is broken or you've conquered it. Or you just used the Jet Sled to get by those stupid disappearing platforms, who can say.
Spyda K - Y'know, a lot of people complain about the platforming with the disappearing blocks in Heat Man's stage, but I really enjoyed doing that part. Maybe I'm the crazy one.
BionicCommando83 - Like the Mario games, timeless. Despite the five other entries on the system, Mega Man 2 is the masterpiece for the system. It perfected the formula Mega Man 1 created, refining it with 8 robot masters, 3 utility items, and some excellent stage design. Throw in some of the best music for the system, and you have a winner.
decoy octopus - The best. Period.
Roger - The first Mega Man game I ever played. The gameplay was fun and addictive and the levels were expertly designed. One of the best game soundtracks of all time.
Rhete - I defy you to find a game with better music than this.
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#8 - Super C
Chosen by: Polly, wolf99x, Pitchfork, Serafita, D-Mac, Roger, Rhete
Polly - Look, I've accepted the fact that nobody loves this game as much as me and that Contra will always be the one everyone goes for first. It doesn't mean I can't love it though! It's a literal improvement on EVERYTHING that was in the first game, yet it's so horribly overlooked. It laid the groundwork for all the over-the-top screen-filling boss fights and heightened twitch-happy gameplay that would become hallmarks for a series that survives 20 years later.
wolf99x - Why did I pick this instead of the original? Well because I'm better at playing Super C than the original Contra, that's why.
Pitchfork - Always preferred this one to Contra. Aside from the two exploding bridges in the first level, the first Contra game is really rather vanilla compared to the sequel. I also like how the flamethrower in Super C is actually useful.
Serafita - It's CONTRA. At the very start when HOLY FUCK YOU ABSEIL DOWN A ROPE to the very end is just all fun and Konami hard.
D-Mac - I never played this game until late 2007. It being an unlockable in the DS's awesome Contra 4. If I actually owned Super C on a NES cartridge, I'd probably never play Contra again. THIS GAME DID EVERYTHING BETTER. THERE'S NO REASON TO. IT'S THAT GOOD.
Roger - This game would frustrate the hell out of me, but I kept on playing. The boss designs were some of the oddest but most beautiful things I'd ever seen.
Rhete - It's like Contra, but BETTER!
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#7 - Contra
Chosen by: Polly, MooMan1, RaiRaiRai, FreezingInferno, Vanor Orion, BionicCommando83, D-Mac, Rhete
Polly - This one's on my list not because I think it's better than Super C, but because I still had a blast playing you with friends, because it was the easy one. Everyone else pussed out on Super C. Fuckin' pansies.
RaiRaiRai - Always brutalized my 8-year-old ass, but I still kept playing for some reason.
FreezingInferno - Beating this sans code and using no continues makes you a better person. What more needs to be said, IT'S CONTRA AND YOU KILL SHIT!
Vanor Orion - This game always kicked my ass, even with the Konami Code. Only once did me and another friend dodge, shoot, and die our way to the end of the game and actually finish it. I suck at Contra, but to this day Contra is still fun!
BionicCommando83 - Not too much else I can say about this game atop of everything else that's been said about it other than it's the perfect game to fire up with a friend when you have 15 minutes to kill and just want to play something co-op. Mowing down hoards of aliens with a spread gun is timeless.
D-Mac - I did not discover this game until the age of 16. I have since considered it a crucial asset in my passage thru to manhood.
Rhete - Pure run and gun action. I was absolutely horrible at this game for a very long time, luckily my cousin wasn't afraid to tell me that right to my face. Thank god for the 30 lives code or we'd have never been able to beat it.
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#6 - Metroid
Chosen by: Polly, FreezingInferno, Vanor Orion, Pitchfork, Spyda K, BionicCommando83, Roger, Rhete
Polly - I was so into this game at one point that I mapped every fucking square inch of the game I could onto graph paper when I was around 11-12'ish. I still have those maps in the basement too.
FreezingInferno - The father of adventure/platforming, women as kickass protagonists as opposed to damsels in distress, and it even has one of the creepiest moodiest atmospheres in gaming history.
Vanor Orion - Damn this game confounded me in my youth. Even when my cousin taught me the Justin Bailey cheat I still kept getting lost, until one day I finally did reach Tourian and beat Mother Brain. Only years later did I commit myself to delving into Zebes' colorful and foreboding labyrnthine maze of horrors form start to finish to finally beat the game legit.
Pitchfork - Who is Justin Bailey?
Spyda K - A good example of 'almost, but not quite.' Metroid had some great gameplay mechanics. Morph balls, ice beams, screw attacks, it was great. The thing that really bogged the game down for me was that it was super easy to get lost, go the wrong way, or get killed by enemies who take cheap shots. This wasn't super uncommon for NES games, and Metroid certainly wasn't the worst, but it bogged the game down a bit and prevented me from making any real progress. I put it on the list mostly because it was the prototype for Super Metroid. Which is one of the greatest games ever made. That's right, Super Metroid was so good, I give the original Metroid points just for fathering it. Also see Castlevania II: Simon's Quest for an example of a game with good ideas that gets bogged down with a lot of other bullshit.
BionicCommando83 - Yet another Nintendo in-house title for the system, but for great reason. Unlike later Metroid titles, the majority of the game world was almost immediately accessible after a few essential power ups were obtained. This made for a great; open ended game that emphasized exploring and trying to navigate around the bowels of planet Zebes.
Roger - A great platformer that is rather non-linear with some good but hard bosses and challenges your finger dexterity.
Rhete - I sucked ass at this game, but it was still somehow fun, at least with the Justin Bailey code that would let me run around until i got lost and died. I had a nightmare once where Kraid came out of the TV. I don't even know why I had this dream because I never even reached Kraid in the game.
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#5 - Super Mario Bros.
Chosen by: Polly, MooMan1, Vanor Orion, wolf99x, Pitchfork, Spyda K, ignorent spine, D-Mac, Rhete
Polly - This game was an obsession for me and my dad. We never actually beat the game together, but I do remember the day I came home from school and he showed me a trick in world 1-2 that a neighbor had shown him earlier that day. My first Warp Zone. Shit blew my mind.
Vanor Orion - To this day I still have nightmares about playing this game at my aunt's trailer back in the day. I remember the good old days of playing this on my shitty little black and white TV, and my mother calling Mario "Geraldo" because of his Moustache. Everybody loved this game, even my grandfather, who never played a game in his life. Good times.
wolf99x - This game will always be important to me since it was the first videogame I ever played, even if my 3-year old self couldn't do any better than world 4.
Spyda K - The original. Let's face it, video games wouldn't be where they are today without this game. Considering the amount of games on the NES that followed its model of platforming, and even games that are being made today that still follow it, I think it's safe to say that this was the most important game on the system. And given the fact that it was essentially a prototype of how platforming should work, it's amazing how well it stands the test of time, and how few games have surpassed it.
ignorent spine - Out of all the NES games I've ever played, I have played this the most. By all rights I should be sick of it by now but I'm not.
D-Mac - My first video game. Everyone knows why it's awesome. It's STILL awesome.
Rhete - While this was a game that changed video games as a whole, for me and a lot of others, it was simply the first video game they ever played. Fire flowers, warp pipes, beanstalks, getting 99 lives from the turtles in stage 3-1, "I can go above the stage?" and of course, that big lizard at the end of each world. These are the things my 6 year old memories are made of.
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#4 - The Legend of Zelda
Chosen by: RaiRaiRai, wolf99x, Pitchfork, Mash, BionicCommando83, Serafita, decoy octopus, Roger
RaiRaiRai - Honestly, it was a bit clunky, but it was pretty fun. Still haven't managed to beat it, though. :<
wolf99x - All right old man, I'll play your money making game.
Pitchfork - Not long ago EGM put out its most recent list of the TWO-HUNNERD BEST VIDEO GAMES IN EVER, and Legend of Zelda was number one. This is the first time I'm not able to disagree with EGM on something, and I'm not sure I like how it feels.
Mash - And this, of course, is the other game that turned me into an obsessive explorer. In fact, unlike Duck Tales (and later Zelda games), you couldn't even beat this game unless you were one. It's also the Zelda game I most often find myself coming back to. Partly due to it being the shortest, and partly because it's the only one that remains challenging even after you've memorized where to find everything. In other words, it's short and engaging-my favorite type of game.
BionicCommando83 - Solid gold gaming goodness- both literally and figuratively. It had a massive overworld filled with secrets, dangerous dungeons, and included enough clues and hint guides to make finding your way around the game bearable. Classic music, firm gameplay, and enough secrets in a relatively open ended world makes this game a true legend.
decoy octopus - The best game of all time.
Roger - This game was the heart of so many fantasies I had as a kid, not to mention a few groundings for breaking things swinging sticks around.
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#3 - Mega Man 3
Chosen by: Polly, wolf99x, Miller, Pitchfork, Spyda K, BionicCommando83, Carmichael Micaalus, D-Mac, Rhete
Polly - Mega Man 2 gets all the recognition, it seems. Though it's a great game in its own right, I ended up spending more time with 3, probably because I was sick with the worst case of strep throat ever when I got it and had fuck-all else to do. The only thing it really has going against it is that it gets way too bogged down with repetition toward the end. Other than that it's got the same things that make all the good Mega Man games faaaantastic. And fuckin' Top Man! Top Man is the shit!
wolf99x - While the length of this game certainly made it one hell of a grind even for Mega Man 2 veterans, it still has its predecessor's awesome music and gameplay, plus the introduction of the everybody's favorite shades-wearing showboater, Proto Man. Oh and I think there's some robot dog involved as well (just kidding, Rush is pretty awesome).
Miller - The best Mega Man-game I'd say.
Pitchfork - I don't care what outfit you're wearing, Crash Man. You're still a chump.
Spyda K - Did I just say that Mega Man 3 was better than Mega Man 2? Oh yes, I did! I might be biased due to the fact that I played this game first, but I still stand that it was a better game. A lot of things about Mega Man 2 really irked me off. Quick Man stage's stupid death lasers, the second Dr. Wily boss where you have to break those laser things, and the fact that the bosses didn't seem to follow a legitimate Rock-Paper-Scissors order. Some weapons were useful against multiple bosses, and others seemed to be useful against none. Mega Man 3 scores higher in my book. First appearance of Rush, Protoman, and the Slide (shut up, I like it) as well as home to my favorite Robot Master ever, Gemini Man.
BionicCommando83 - While Mega Man 2 defined and perfected the Mega Man formula, Mega Man 3 revised it and added some lasting additions that would mark the four remaining games for the NES and after. Its bosses and powers were arguably a bit more balanced, and the inclusion of Rush in his various forms provided more utility and smoothness to both play and level design. The second set of bosses, Protoman's introduction, and the battles at Wily's Castle not only add significantly to the gameplay, but also shout out to past points in the series, giving it a sense of completeness as well.
Carmichael Micaalus - This will always be the best NES Mega Man game to me. It was the first of the series I played, but it was a hell of a lot of fun. I enjoyed the music, I liked the stages, and the way you revisited four of the stages after you beat all eight was just way too awesome for words. One of the other neat things was the cheats for invincibility and super jumping. I remember I got damn good at holding both controllers at once to jump around like a coked out monkey.
Rhete - I liked how this one twisted the formula with the Doc Robot stages, revisiting previous stages while making you fight against the previous games robot bosses with your new weaponry. That and it had Protoman, who is, as his name implies, the man. I dressed up as him for Halloween one year. Everyone though I was a Power Ranger :(
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#2 - Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Chosen by: Polly, Genuine Fiber, Vanor Orion, wolf99x, Pitchfork, Mash, Spyda K, BionicCommando83, ignorent spine, Serafita, decoy octopus, D-Mac, Roger
Polly - You might find this a little strange, but this is the very first NES game I ever played and it was in 1988. Only a few months before I got my first NES for Cirnomas. I played it at a friend of the family's house while my immediate family were attending a funeral. Seeing this when compared to my crappy Atari 2600 was mind-blowing. I had no fucking idea what I was doing with the controls, but the big goofy characters amused me to no end. Everyone already knows this game is a classic in the truest sense, so there's a little weird background information for you instead.
Genuine Fiber - I'd just like to say I beat Mike Tyson when I was eight so put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Vanor Orion - I sucked at this game, but it was just too much fun beating the ever-living snot out of Glass Joe, before the game decided to make "taking your ass to the ringers" a gross fucking understatement. It also laid the foundation for my unyielding love for Monster Hunter many years down the road.
wolf99x - My friend somehow confused this for serious boxing at first glance. Because nothing says serious like a Russian getting inebriated hopped up on caffeine during a match.
Pitchfork - 007 373 5963. I can't remember what date my phone bill is due every month, but can flawlessly recite the ten-digit "straight to the endboss" code from a twenty-three year old video game. I'm so useless.
Mash - I'll always fear The Sandman more than Tyson. Goddamned Nightmare Train...
Spyda K - As a child, the greatest complement I could give to a video game character was to dress up as them for Halloween. Little Mac was one such character. This game was probably the greatest test of reflexes available, without feeling cheap and impossible.
BionicCommando83 - Another timeless classic that goes more for recognizing patterns, quick reflexes, and a cartoony humor than trying to capture boxing realistically. The end result is full of Nintendo in-jokes, tough matches, and a reliance on finger speed.
ignorent spine - Some games tell a story by cobbling together 3 hrs. of CG footage, Punch Out tells a story by making each fight as memorable as the last.
Serafita - Mike Tyson or Mr. Dream, whatever, they're cheating sons of bitches! Either way, punching the hell out of people of all nationalities was fun as hell!
decoy octopus - With or without Mike Tyson, it's still one of the most fun boxing type games you'll ever play and honestly the only person I have a problem with is Don Flamenco the second time.
D-Mac - The crown jewel of my late NES discoveries. I'd played the SNES's Super Punch Out first; a fine game in its own right, yet I quickly came to enjoy and appreciate its predecessor even more for its simplicity and its heart. Oh yeah, and seeing that Mike Tyson guy in a Nintendo game is also pretty cool.
Roger - Ah, being the little underdog rising through the ranks of boxing through finding patterns. Also brought to life to a song from a great friend.
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#1 - Super Mario Bros. 3
Chosen by: Polly, Genuine Fiber, FreezingInferno, Vanor Orion, wolf99x, Miller, Pitchfork, Spyda K, BionicCommando83, ignorent spine, Carmichael Micaalus, Serafita, decoy octopus, D-Mac
Polly - You own an NES, you own this game. You don't own an NES, you somehow STILL fucking own this game.
FreezingInferno - This is the greatest make-up present for that awful version of SMB2 that Japan got, and probably the greatest platformer ever made.
Vanor Orion - You can fly, you got an overworld map to pick your stages from, hundreds of secrets and hidden-nuances, the levels were huge and amazing, there was a staggering variety of enemies, and the game looked amazing. All of this came together to create one of the most memorable NES games and probably one of the best platformers of all time, which has yet to have been surpassed.
wolf99x - This game not only provided the setpieces that would define Mario games throughout the 16-bit era and beyond, but it also produced an amazing experience which no other Mario game, no other platformer, has been able to quite attain. Plus what other game lets you ride around in a giant shoe?
Pitchfork - The best
Spyda K - I've played it. You've played it. I'm actually wearing a shirt of it right now. I loved the worlds, I loved the suits, I loved everything. More Mario games need to have the Koopa Kids/Koopalings.
BionicCommando83 - What more can be said for the game that's perfected the Mario formula? It opens up into a wide world with new enemies, powers, and secrets. The only thing missing was a save feature, though the warp whistles in part mitigated that. Super Mario Bros. 3 is arguably the best platformer of all time, and a contender for the system's best game.
ignorent spine - If Willy Wonka had a drinking buddy, this game would be it. It takes the classic Mario Bros formula, and throws it into eight imaginative levels. Racoon tail, angry sun, giant world, jumping boot, world of pipes, WORLD OF TANKS!, this game is fresh from start to finish.
Carmichael Micaalus - As it has been said before, this game was just cool. The way you could skip some stages was neat, most of the level designs were awesome, and all the bosses were in airships. Also, if you could beat the Koopa kids with certain outfits, then the kings might respond with something beyond the standard "thanks for saving me, here's a letter."
D-Mac - Of the very few NES games I actually grew up with, this one got the most playtime from me, by far. So many unique powerups and worlds that are just full of surprises. Seeing the huuuuge blocks, pipes and enemies in Giant Land was likely my first JAW DROPPING gaming experience, while Dark Land had me utterly terrified. And oh the verbal battles that ensued from stealing a 2nd player's turn and hard earned level cards, via the old-school-styled verus mode.
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