The best thing about the NES is that it doesn't need updated and you have physical copies of your games. It's also impressive that after almost 40 years, the system still works
Truly. No moving parts. Would never have thought these consoles & games would still be relevant today. Meanwhile PS1's breaking just from age (mine did).
This is why I DL N64, SNES, and NES games only. I can play chess or drive. No Wi-Fi, no BS, no 2 Gig files... I can hold like 6-8 (maybe more) N64 roms for every ( *1* ) phone app or space/memory.
I have played Contra every other month or so, since the 80s, for my entire life. Sometimes I just get the feeling and think, “eh, I’ll take a fifteen minute break and go play through Contra again”. I have no idea how many times I’ve played it; but it has to easily be the game I’ve played most often, no contest. I’ll keep playing it until the day I die. Timeless classic.
Contra is better, in my opinion, if you have a 2 player co op. I’ve played that game co op and single, and I’ve found a second player more enjoyable for that particular game. I loved covering lower ground, while the first player battles above. Beat it several times ❤
I hear ya pal. Retro gaming is our childhood, as it becomes a part of us as we get older. Contra to you is much like MegaMan to me. I am a diehard fan of the loveable side scrolling lemon shooter and to this day I still enjoy playing those games. Though I do not have a working Nintendo system or the original cartridges I have the MegaMan collection on PS2 which is the next best thing. That aside there was something truly wonderful about Nintendo games. Maybe it was the 8bit graphics and sound, the simplicity of the controller, the CHALLENGE that many of the games had to offer, the fact that we grew up not having internet to rely on if we got stuck in a certain point... Nintendo games are charming as heck and definitely deserve much praise in the gaming world. Like you I will continue to enjoy what I grew up loving as it was a huge part of our culture and the 80's and 90's were just a great time period in general. Every time I indulge in some retro gaming I'm taken back to my former child self and all the memories and emotion that came with it during those awesome, simpler times. Rock on & God bless 🙏
About once a year, I go back and beat the original Dragon Warrior. I love that game, its one of my favorites from my childhood. I spent hours in front of the TV playing it, and then the adventure followed me outside to my backyard where I slayed slimes with a stick while pouring over the game map under a tree. Any game that stimulates the imagination like that and becomes so real for a kid just speaks volumes for the creativity of Toriyama's art design and world building.
Dragon Warrior is great. I used to love wandering around as a kid and then finding out that I had wandered into dangerous territory based on the crazy new monsters.
Great game, I like the others too....I finally made it all the way through Dragon Warrior 2 which I think was the hardest of them all, it took me the longest to beat, the first Dragon Warrior game is great, I go back and play it, not every year but still it's in my regular rotation,
My favorite NES game franchises are: Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Castlevania, Contra, Mega Man, DuckTales, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, Double Dragon, Q*Bert the game, and Double Dare. And also, The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World and Bart vs. the Space Mutants.
I m 42 years old now and from Germany. the NES was also and deep influence on me. i played almost every game you have shown (except ultima) and quantum fighter and i agree in my opinion this all particular games are all awsome. i remember as a kid in a store the cover of quantum fighter and i thoght damn this game must me good for some reason. but i never got the chance to play it or own it. they ware expensive. back in the ninetys, no emulators, no internert etc :D
my physical switch collection is about 90 games at this point. 95% of my gaming time is still spent on nes haha. i feel ya on this. so many great titles. for me it's the pick up and play nature of the nes. i dont have a ton of time to sink into games, so the short play time of many nes titles is what makes it so attractive i think.
Final Fantasy 1 is still amazing. Replayed it 80 runson NES in the past 5 years (in 2.5 year span). Just a perfect game. Also played if about 25 times as a Pixel Remaster, got a run under 2 hours at turbo mode maxed out.
I still own 8 copies of FF1 to this day. (I picked up extra copies when people were moving on from the NES and they were cheap. You could only save one slot, and I didn’t want to erase my previous games to play with a different party.)
It's good to see someone showing there love of Popeye. At the time it was probably my most played arcade game and it being released on the NES was the reason I got the system and for me Popeye was the most influential game on a console as at the time I had micro computers (Commordore vic-20, Commodore 64, Acorn Electron & a ZX Spectrum) the games were cheap starting from £1.99 to £12.99. And some of those games were fantastic and very hard. But to load from cassette could take for an 6,7,8,9 year old for hours but in reality 5 -10 minutes to load. And to see the NES just popping in the cartridge and Popeye was immediately able to play was jaw dropping and I had to have that miracle of gaming in my life. But to get it I had to earn it and so after a few weeks when I was 8 working in my parents pub/hotel and restaurant. Which had a massive children's bar which also had about a dozen video games Scramble, Space Invaders, Commando, Gorf, Pong, Sheriff(an old western game), Hogans Alley Phoenix and more. And one of my jobs was to put high scores on the video games every morning. Which was something I never minded doing. But when I had earned enough money to go to the shop and buy my first console with my own money was such a memorable moment and if it was not for Popeye on the NES looking and playing virtually the same as the arcade and with no loading I would never have bought the NES and then my life long love of console gaming probably would never have happened.
Goonies 2 is absolutely excellent if you have the nintendo players strategy guide to run through the game. I like to have a person with me to play the game or give directions on where to go from the guide, its really fun that way.
Excellent choices, man! There's a lot of overlap with my top 20. I'd say my top 10 favorites are The Guardian Legend, Crystalis, Faxanadu, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros 3, Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, Shadowgate, Willow, and The Battle of Olympus. And then my top 20 would probably also include Monster Party, Sweet Home, Kabuki: Quantum Fighter, Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti, Simon's Quest, Goonies II, Mega Man 2, Life Force, River City Ransom, and Dragon Spirit. It's hard to pick just 20, even. I own about 40~50 NES games and I think they're all quite good and very unique. It still ranks as one of my favorite platforms because it was kind of a new and experimental time for home console video games.
That's a fantastic list of games there, sir! We have very similar tastes - and one day I'll sit down and play Sweet Home. Side note: A bit of a thrill to see your name comment on my video. I really enjoyed your content, and I hope you're doing well. :)
Games I keep coming back to for the Nes, Castlevania 3 (the most), Castlevania 2 (Second most), Contra, Super C, Double Dragon 2, Double Dragon 3, Mega Man 2, Mega Man 3, Super Mario, Super Mario 2, Super Mario 3.
Speedrunning gave me a reason to revisit some of my old childhood NES games. It's fun to look at the leaderboards and see which games I could practice like crazy and reasonably set a world record at (or at least come close to it)
Of all my consoles, I go back to my NES the most. My top ten games I go back to are. 1. Super C (the best Contra game) 2. Super Mario 3 3. Dr. Mario 4. Castlevania 3 5. Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers 6. Jackal 7. Contra 8. Mega Man 2 9. The Legend of Zelda 10. Ninja Gaiden
That Popeye port looks amazing, I loved the Arcade back in the day. Good luck in self-imposed challenge of finally beating Faxanadu 🤞 Another splendid list, my friend 😎👍
Buddy. You know I had to comment when I saw Little Nemo. My goodness I would not be the gamer I am today without that game. Also that story about your grandfather and Popeye was awesome. I love hearing people's memories and how their favorite games have become such an integral part of their lives. Great video man.
I do kind of consider Nemo the 'BittyKong Signal' - I feel when I mention him or McKay I know you'll show up. :) And thank you for the kind words, and as always for watching, my friend. :)
I totally agree with Simon's Quest, it is the first Castlevania game i ever beat, and it stands out as my favorite due to pioneering the Metroidvania game design.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with still playing an NES today in 2024, especially Castlevania II: Simon's Quest(which is my favorite Castlevania entry). I still play GameBoy, GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance games(as well as collect for them). I still play NES games(on my NEW 3DS XL, my NES has seen better days) I still game on my Genesis, SNES and Dreamcast. Just because the world has moved on to the new PS5 and Xbox realm doesn't mean you have to stop playing some of the greatest games and consoles EVER.
In no order: * Contra * Super Dodge Ball * Double Dragon * Dragon Warrior * Legend of Zelda * Mike Tysons Punch Out * Skate or Die * T&C Surf Design * Dr Mario
a couple days ago I turned 40 and after the party only a handful of mates from the closest cyrcle gathered to play international superstar soccer deluxe cause we all remembered how much we played it back in the day. We started discussing what the console of our youth was and we decided that the famicom disk system sold here in Argentina was the clear winner. Man some games are so amazing to play today... We played that Shatterhand game (the bootleg? version sold here called solbrain) with the killer soundtrack... Megaman 4 was the coolest robot masters winner by majority and also played but not to completion.... guess i`ts time to start adding games to the snes mini. And maybe I can finally get into Ultima 4.
These work so well on an emulator. Sure I've still got my NES and even an SNES mini. There's nothing like emulating games on a PC handheld like the Steam Deck.
Mega man 2 River City ransom Smb 123 Cobra triangle Guerilla warfare.. Too many to name really. The NES was a huge part of my childhood This is your first video I've seen. Good stuff. Subscribed.
That's one of the more unique lists I've seen in a long time. Usually when people talk about NES games, it's usually one or more of the Mega Man games, one or more of the Mario games, etc. and you can easily name 10 games that pretty much everyone has talked a ton about. Not so here. I thought I was the only one alive who even attempted or knew about Ultima on the NES. lol When I want to play NES games, it's usually Final Fantasy, One of the 6 Mega Man games, Zelda, etc. so I'm not one to talk about uniqueness, but I do like Crystalis and The Guardian Legend a lot. I also like both Star Tropics games too. One game I do want to pick up and play again is Rockin' Kats. That was a fun different game to play. :)
First time I ever saw Kabuki Quantum Fighter was on an episode of Nick Arcade and became instantly enthralled with it. Decades later and I finally have it. Such a fun game.
I absolutely completely forgot about Popeye! Memory unlocked and I'm so happy you included it. If I didn't have to work tonight I would be playing that game. I remember having a ton of fun with it.
I have the opposite take. I played many a summer day with my friend on one of our NES systems. I even collected NES games in the early 00s but when i go back and try to play anything but SMB series I just can't believe I spent so many days pressing right and mashing a and b. Games like Popeye are more fun than a lot of the other stuff on NES as an adult.
Same here, this weekend I even made a video on my first Japanese Famicom! It’s the most awesome 8 bit console we had. And I’m not even a Nintendo fanboy. I’m a true C64 kid but the NES/Famicom had the best 8 bit games. And the best 16 bits machine is the MegaDrive/Genesis for me. There’s something about those 90s big 2D sprites that I love.
You and I are very much aligned on things. :) I started on a C64, moved onto an NES, think the Genesis is the best, and just recently started collecting for the Famicom. :)
@@SquarePegs Oh man, that is really a similar path. Having said that my little brother (rest in peace) had the NES. I didn't own it he did it and later he had the MegaDrive/Genesis. The little guy was smart enough to sell the NES with some games to the neighbour who paid so much for it that he could be the Genesis bundle with SONIC and Castle of Illusions. By then I had an ST and PC but what the Genesis did, the ST (and even most Amiga ports) didn't do. So I have a fond memory of that machine. Later (I was 6 years older than him) I bought a PS1, that he borrowed very often as he was more of a gamer than me. And one night him and I played silent hill. So here was a 24 year old and an 18 year old in the mid 90s screaming their lungs out in his attic room during the jump scares :D So that basically was my gaming history, I did some 486 CD ROM games and did the PS2 and PS4 and XBOX and last year even a Switch because I needed some heart surgery so I figured that was nice to pass the time waiting on the procedure. And ironically I forgot to pack it :D But none of them give that same warm fuzzy feeling as the C64, ST, NES/FAMICOM and Genesis. Or even SNES that I also have and we never played in the 90s but the games do bring that wonderful era of gaming to live there to.
replayed simons quest for the first time in years back in 2020 when I got an nes classic. Didnt get a good ending but had fun playing through it again.
my faves were/are: contra, faxanadu (im so glad u mentioned it), kirbys adventure, micro machines, skulls and cross bones, excite bike, blades of steel, simpsons bart vs the world, paper boy, mario 2 and 3, california games, mike tyson's punchout and friday the 13th.
Wow as a French, I didn't know the Little Nemo's comics. The game is just amazing, stunning for the NES ! I'm blown away Ducktales was a a great game too, graphics, music, gameplay, history and quests, it was really perfect in all points, even a good difficulty but not a crazy one. Perfect immersion in the Uncle Scrooge's World of Adventures. Capcom gave us a great childhood with all those masterpieces they made, they almost should be ranked as a World Heritage ! My thoughts for your grandpa who was a true hero ! Thanks to him for what he did in WWII. May his soul rests in peace.🙏
Bienvenue sur la chaîne et merci d'avoir regardé! (I hope that was right - I'm still learning French!) I appreciate the kind words about my grandfather. 🧡
NES is and probably always will be my jam! Kabuki Quantum Fighter is the original Headbanger! 😂 Hidden Gem may be a played out term but I feel like it fits perfect for the game. Popeye is probably one of my favorite arcade games from that era. That one and Kangaroo always got quarters from me in the arcades. No way anyone who has even scratched the surface of this consoles library could dispute any of these games here. 🤙🏻
Woah woah woah, did you say Fall River Public Library? Is that where you are from? I grew up close by in Mass. Just coming across your channel. Definitely subscribing and looking forward to seeing your perspectives on gaming.
Faxanadu YES. I have also never beaten it, but I would rent and play, I think mostly for the music, which is incredible. It always got my imagination going as a kid.
Story for you. I was playing Colecovision long after it was discontinued. Then out came the NES. I was going to get one but couldn't get over the controllers and thought the graphics weren't much better than colecovision. Of course they were, but not by much. I happened to be in a local dept store and saw a Sega Master System set up and was blown away by how much better it was. Softer 8 way control pads, cooler design, and way better graphics. I got one of those and never regretted it.
I always loved the Master System from afar. My childhood friend Peter had one and his family over in Portugal would send him PAL games that never released over here, so sleepovers at his house were always dominated by Master System play. But I never owned one myself until a couple years ago - and I love it. It's such an incredible console with a fantastically unique library of games.
8:17 Little Nemo, not just a comic stirp, but the movie. I don't care what anyone says--it was one of my favorite movies as a kid. The game was good too. FF1 is a great game. I like FF2 too--also don't care what anyone says. Get a copy of FFII japanese version with the English translation and you're set.
Great list ! Mine are : Solstice Robowarrior Silent service Super Mario 3 Snake rattle & roll + fan remakes of Adventures of Link (or the Zelda 2 randomizer)
You have many great game picks like CV2, FF1, Faxanadu, Zelda 1, which I love. Still have my original 80s Nintendo collection and addition additional games from eBay in the 2000s. One thing that I love with NES games is that you can just pick it up and start playing and exploring. Only the A, B, and Select buttons instead of the huge varieties of buttons. Most of the games can be pass in an hour or two. Golden era.
I don't usually give likes, but when I came here there was 419, so I had to. I didn't even know about some of these games, like Atlantis Factor, and I supposedly have a folder with ALL NES Roms. Ultima 2 is one of my all time favorite games. One drawback though is you tend to remember your favorites which can actually lead to less replay value. Perhaps the best shows and games are those which are good enough that you like it, but don't remember every tiny detail.
I think we're around the same age, but our "NES classics/experience" are quite different, but that just proves the variety the system had to offer. Other than Zelda, mine are Mega Man 2, Ninja Gaiden 2, Batman, Adventure Island, and Contra. Your choices are great, but for some reason I never got introduced to them.
Hi, something like Startropics or Punch Out might be the ones for me to get back into. It is more of how'd I dare to play the same game again when there's so many new and old games unplayed. It could be: Can I (still) beat the game this time with ease. Even if my options for original NES are quite limited, there's 1-3 out of your list Imma try this year at least.
very few games i've revisited in a while. i've revisited mega man 2 and final fantasy numerous times. thanks to switch online, i've revisited punch out and river city ransom recently. would like to play gi joe atlantis factor again, severely underrated.
Some of my most played games are Mike Tyson's Punchout, Duckhunt, Hogan's alley, Contra, Double Dragon III, Ninja Gaiden. On the SEGA, it's Comix Zone, Ghouls N Ghosts, Tecmo Superbowl, Greatest heavyweights, NBA jam TE
Sir you just unlocked a memory in my mind with Poped Eye. I think it was the second game i ever play after Mario bros and the circus one where you jump hoops. Thank you
Not growing up with a NES and not collecting for it I don't there is anything I go back and play again. I've only played through a few NES games and trying to limit it to games I own. I did enjoy Popeye but I played it on the C64.
You had a C64 but not an NES? I had both growing up, and a Sega Genesis, which the controller works for the C64. I had some nice games on the C64: Archon 1 and 2, Legacy of the Ancients, Magnetron, Druid, Adventure Creator, and the gold box DND games.
the thing about Capcom releasing Little Nemo in 1990 is that it was based on the 1989 animated film, which was the first international release of a Japanese animated feature film. the real question is why people in Japan decided to make a movie about a nearly century old french comic strip, not why a Japanese game studio adapted it into a Nintendo title.
Fucking LOVE seeing Kabbuki Quantum Fighter get some much deserved love. Had this as a kid and played the SHIT out of it. One of my all tim favorite games....
Still go back to the NES a lot, but the ones I play the most would be Tyson’s Punch Out, MegaMan 1 and 2, TMNT, Puzznic, Rush n Attack, Castlevania, and Bionic Commando. Jay, you ever heard of Bit Brigade? They speedrun the games live while playing the soundtrack. They are hitting the Midwest soon on tour. Highly recommend checking them out if they come to your area. I just saw them last month and they inspired me to finally beat the original Castlevania 😂
Awesome that you mentioned Little Nemo. So actually the game itself is based on the film they made that came from the comic book. I actually saw it in theaters. It was released in Japan in the 89 but not released in the US until 92. Great animation. I would also say you could make a strong argument that it’s not only one of the best looking, but best sounding games for the NES. The soundtrack still blows me away. The compositions are top notch by a female Japanese composer whose name escapes me, but I believe it was her last soundtrack. Which is crying shame, because it’s a masterpiece.
Just ordered the all new nes game Sam's Journey from Knights of Bytes. Can't wait to get my hands on it. It's a mix of elements from various nes platformers it seems. There are still many good nes games I haven't tried yet all though have them.
@@hello-cn5nh nah. We’ve move several times since 1994 or 1995 when we got the dryer and the homes have had refrigerators. Our current one is from 1998. So the dryer wins because we kept it.
As a kid, I hated Faxanadu. Passwords, extreme difficulty, cryptic bullcrap, but the awesome music kept pulling me back until I started absolutely loving the game.
The Nes is great! I love mine, and I play it more than my ps5, to be honest. I love how quick and easy most games are to pick up and play. Also, a lot of the titles are classics 👌
What was your grandfather’s name bc I was also in the Navy w Popeye? LOL I always thought it was so great that Road Pig was a boss in GI Joe bc he’s one of my favorite guys and you wasn’t very popular. Faxanadu is one of my fav NES games. You can beat it.
I own what I need and can afford. I dont have a big NES collection (100+) but I bought them when those games were 3 or 5$... I love a lot of them but if I would go on a desert island my top ten in no order would be (1) - Ninja Gaiden (2) - Contra (3) - Super Mario Bros 3 (4) - Blade of Steel (5) - Tetris (6) - Batman (7) - Castlevania (8) - Gunsmoke (9) - Zelda (10) - Punchout. Honorable mention Jackal, Double Dragon, Adventure Island
Base Wars is my favorite to go back to, but Code Name: Viper is a close second, and if I have a human opponent, Archon can’t be topped. (It sucks against the CPU)
I loved the first GI Joe but have been unable to play the second one, cant find in the wild and download for my set up wouldn't work. one day...one day damnit, i will find the Atlantis Factor and it will be played.
I got VERY lucky on my copy. I saw it in a shop about 45 minutes away a few months back and initially passed on it. Ended up in the area about three weeks ago and it was still there because there's some label damage and I pulled the trigger. Zero regrets. But keep the faith, you'll find one!
I'm still playing Dragon Quest 1. No hand holding, you start in a throne room, gather clues and figure things out for yourself. I think it's the best RPG of the 8 bit era. Better than FF1 and Phantasy Star 1.
Popeye has a lot of sentimental value for me. It's one I collected in recent years. An arcade obscurity I enjoyed as a child. I wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese to play it. And I wanted to play it so badly.
Yeah, I still play NES, other "retro" consoles too like SNES Genesis and my original PlayStation, but NES still has games that are a lot of fun even all these years later. 😁
I find myself playing a lot of contra and gauntlet with the kiddos. I've shamefully never played the ducktails games but I'm going to be changing that soon
The best thing about the NES is that it doesn't need updated and you have physical copies of your games. It's also impressive that after almost 40 years, the system still works
It's a workhorse of a system, to be sure!
Truly. No moving parts. Would never have thought these consoles & games would still be relevant today. Meanwhile PS1's breaking just from age (mine did).
Look, kids! I don't need to digitally input my credit card info to play a game!
This is why I DL N64, SNES, and NES games only. I can play chess or drive. No Wi-Fi, no BS, no 2 Gig files... I can hold like 6-8 (maybe more) N64 roms for every ( *1* ) phone app or space/memory.
do the batteries on those old cartridges with battery saves ever die?! i don't think i ever experienced that problem, it is amazing...
I have played Contra every other month or so, since the 80s, for my entire life. Sometimes I just get the feeling and think, “eh, I’ll take a fifteen minute break and go play through Contra again”.
I have no idea how many times I’ve played it; but it has to easily be the game I’ve played most often, no contest. I’ll keep playing it until the day I die. Timeless classic.
Contra is better, in my opinion, if you have a 2 player co op. I’ve played that game co op and single, and I’ve found a second player more enjoyable for that particular game. I loved covering lower ground, while the first player battles above. Beat it several times ❤
I replay Godzilla a lot more then I should, but it's a fun game with a nostalgic feel. A bit too easy though.
I hear ya pal. Retro gaming is our childhood, as it becomes a part of us as we get older. Contra to you is much like MegaMan to me. I am a diehard fan of the loveable side scrolling lemon shooter and to this day I still enjoy playing those games. Though I do not have a working Nintendo system or the original cartridges I have the MegaMan collection on PS2 which is the next best thing. That aside there was something truly wonderful about Nintendo games. Maybe it was the 8bit graphics and sound, the simplicity of the controller, the CHALLENGE that many of the games had to offer, the fact that we grew up not having internet to rely on if we got stuck in a certain point... Nintendo games are charming as heck and definitely deserve much praise in the gaming world. Like you I will continue to enjoy what I grew up loving as it was a huge part of our culture and the 80's and 90's were just a great time period in general. Every time I indulge in some retro gaming I'm taken back to my former child self and all the memories and emotion that came with it during those awesome, simpler times.
Rock on & God bless 🙏
Contra is ALWAYS a blast!
About once a year, I go back and beat the original Dragon Warrior. I love that game, its one of my favorites from my childhood. I spent hours in front of the TV playing it, and then the adventure followed me outside to my backyard where I slayed slimes with a stick while pouring over the game map under a tree. Any game that stimulates the imagination like that and becomes so real for a kid just speaks volumes for the creativity of Toriyama's art design and world building.
Dragon Warrior is great. I used to love wandering around as a kid and then finding out that I had wandered into dangerous territory based on the crazy new monsters.
Great game, I like the others too....I finally made it all the way through Dragon Warrior 2 which I think was the hardest of them all, it took me the longest to beat, the first Dragon Warrior game is great, I go back and play it, not every year but still it's in my regular rotation,
Just the name takes me back to summer 1989.
I can see it so clearly....
I'm currently playing the 7th one, PS1 version. I have all systems emulated up to PS2.
I just fired up my nes copy and started a new game this week. Its still fun.
My favorite NES game franchises are: Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Castlevania, Contra, Mega Man, DuckTales, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, Double Dragon, Q*Bert the game, and Double Dare. And also, The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World and Bart vs. the Space Mutants.
Although I have played, Legacy of the Wizard, The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy, and the Back to the future games on the NES
I go back and play double dragon here and there. I got that game the Christmas I got my NES. So many memories.
It's a fantastic title. :) Thank you for watching!
I thought beat em ups were boring until i played Double Dragon, now thats one of my favorite genres
Its good to see Simons Quest on here. Its what got me into Castlevania back in the day. Its often overlooked as a bad game so its just nice to see.
The floor spikes were an abomination. Overwise a great game. I like the weapon upgrades and day/night cycles.
Castlevania 3 was my favorite. The multiple paths, different characters, but it's a pretty hard game.
yeah idk what mike matei is talking about it being not a good game
I m 42 years old now and from Germany. the NES was also and deep influence on me. i played almost every game you have shown (except ultima) and quantum fighter and i agree in my opinion this all particular games are all awsome. i remember as a kid in a store the cover of quantum fighter and i thoght damn this game must me good for some reason. but i never got the chance to play it or own it. they ware expensive. back in the ninetys, no emulators, no internert etc :D
my physical switch collection is about 90 games at this point. 95% of my gaming time is still spent on nes haha. i feel ya on this. so many great titles. for me it's the pick up and play nature of the nes. i dont have a ton of time to sink into games, so the short play time of many nes titles is what makes it so attractive i think.
I just bought God of War on ps5 and played Super C all day...haha
90% of my games on Switch are old games updated.
Still got my NES hooked up as well.
Final Fantasy 1 is still amazing. Replayed it 80 runson NES in the past 5 years (in 2.5 year span).
Just a perfect game. Also played if about 25 times as a Pixel Remaster, got a run under 2 hours at turbo mode maxed out.
I still own 8 copies of FF1 to this day. (I picked up extra copies when people were moving on from the NES and they were cheap. You could only save one slot, and I didn’t want to erase my previous games to play with a different party.)
I love this! Congratulations on the foresight to pick up so many copies!
It's good to see someone showing there love of Popeye. At the time it was probably my most played arcade game and it being released on the NES was the reason I got the system and for me Popeye was the most influential game on a console as at the time I had micro computers (Commordore vic-20, Commodore 64, Acorn Electron & a ZX Spectrum) the games were cheap starting from £1.99 to £12.99. And some of those games were fantastic and very hard. But to load from cassette could take for an 6,7,8,9 year old for hours but in reality 5 -10 minutes to load. And to see the NES just popping in the cartridge and Popeye was immediately able to play was jaw dropping and I had to have that miracle of gaming in my life. But to get it I had to earn it and so after a few weeks when I was 8 working in my parents pub/hotel and restaurant. Which had a massive children's bar which also had about a dozen video games Scramble, Space Invaders, Commando, Gorf, Pong, Sheriff(an old western game), Hogans Alley Phoenix and more. And one of my jobs was to put high scores on the video games every morning. Which was something I never minded doing. But when I had earned enough money to go to the shop and buy my first console with my own money was such a memorable moment and if it was not for Popeye on the NES looking and playing virtually the same as the arcade and with no loading I would never have bought the NES and then my life long love of console gaming probably would never have happened.
Loved Popeye in the Arcade, one of my favourites.
Gah-gah-gah!
Goonies 2 is absolutely excellent if you have the nintendo players strategy guide to run through the game. I like to have a person with me to play the game or give directions on where to go from the guide, its really fun that way.
Excellent choices, man! There's a lot of overlap with my top 20. I'd say my top 10 favorites are The Guardian Legend, Crystalis, Faxanadu, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros 3, Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, Shadowgate, Willow, and The Battle of Olympus. And then my top 20 would probably also include Monster Party, Sweet Home, Kabuki: Quantum Fighter, Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti, Simon's Quest, Goonies II, Mega Man 2, Life Force, River City Ransom, and Dragon Spirit. It's hard to pick just 20, even. I own about 40~50 NES games and I think they're all quite good and very unique. It still ranks as one of my favorite platforms because it was kind of a new and experimental time for home console video games.
That's a fantastic list of games there, sir! We have very similar tastes - and one day I'll sit down and play Sweet Home.
Side note: A bit of a thrill to see your name comment on my video. I really enjoyed your content, and I hope you're doing well. :)
Thank you giving Final Fantasy the respect it deserves. I also go back to Metroid, Mike Tyson’s punchout and Goonies 2.
Love Goonies 2!!!
Games I keep coming back to for the Nes, Castlevania 3 (the most), Castlevania 2 (Second most), Contra, Super C, Double Dragon 2, Double Dragon 3, Mega Man 2, Mega Man 3, Super Mario, Super Mario 2, Super Mario 3.
The Little Nemo game is actually based on the anime movie Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (which was based on the comic).
I wasn't aware of that! Thank you for letting me know!
It's based off Little Nemo: Adventure in Slumberland which came out in 1989 in Japan. In the US in 1992.
im always going back to Tetris, SMB/Duck hunt, Hogans Alley, Punch-Out!, Tecmo Super Bowl, SMB3, and Metroid.
40+ years and believe it or not, I've never played Hogan's Alley. I need to change that this year.
Are you kidding me Nintendo has the greatest library of all time of over 700 titles😊 The greatest childhood memories😊
eh
sega has the better game library
Speedrunning gave me a reason to revisit some of my old childhood NES games. It's fun to look at the leaderboards and see which games I could practice like crazy and reasonably set a world record at (or at least come close to it)
You speedrunners are a different breed, my man. I am floored with the talent you guys display for flexing that muscle memory.
Of all my consoles, I go back to my NES the most. My top ten games I go back to are.
1. Super C (the best Contra game)
2. Super Mario 3
3. Dr. Mario
4. Castlevania 3
5. Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers
6. Jackal
7. Contra
8. Mega Man 2
9. The Legend of Zelda
10. Ninja Gaiden
That Popeye port looks amazing, I loved the Arcade back in the day.
Good luck in self-imposed challenge of finally beating Faxanadu 🤞
Another splendid list, my friend 😎👍
Buddy. You know I had to comment when I saw Little Nemo. My goodness I would not be the gamer I am today without that game.
Also that story about your grandfather and Popeye was awesome. I love hearing people's memories and how their favorite games have become such an integral part of their lives. Great video man.
I do kind of consider Nemo the 'BittyKong Signal' - I feel when I mention him or McKay I know you'll show up. :)
And thank you for the kind words, and as always for watching, my friend. :)
I totally agree with Simon's Quest, it is the first Castlevania game i ever beat, and it stands out as my favorite due to pioneering the Metroidvania game design.
There were some deep cuts in this video that i have never played! Nice list
There is absolutely nothing wrong with still playing an NES today in 2024, especially Castlevania II: Simon's Quest(which is my favorite Castlevania entry). I still play GameBoy, GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance games(as well as collect for them). I still play NES games(on my NEW 3DS XL, my NES has seen better days) I still game on my Genesis, SNES and Dreamcast. Just because the world has moved on to the new PS5 and Xbox realm doesn't mean you have to stop playing some of the greatest games and consoles EVER.
I just recently found this channel and am really liking the content. This guy is definitely old school, and I dig it.
Rock on brother.
Thank you so much, Scorpion! I appreciate the kind words.
In no order:
* Contra
* Super Dodge Ball
* Double Dragon
* Dragon Warrior
* Legend of Zelda
* Mike Tysons Punch Out
* Skate or Die
* T&C Surf Design
* Dr Mario
a couple days ago I turned 40 and after the party only a handful of mates from the closest cyrcle gathered to play international superstar soccer deluxe cause we all remembered how much we played it back in the day. We started discussing what the console of our youth was and we decided that the famicom disk system sold here in Argentina was the clear winner. Man some games are so amazing to play today... We played that Shatterhand game (the bootleg? version sold here called solbrain) with the killer soundtrack... Megaman 4 was the coolest robot masters winner by majority and also played but not to completion.... guess i`ts time to start adding games to the snes mini. And maybe I can finally get into Ultima 4.
My fiancé and I like to play Tengen Tetris and Bubble Bobble together. Cool vid, subbed.
Tengen Pacman. 😉
Both great games though.
@@SartorialisticSavage65I will have to try but I still miss skating burgertime and astromsmash on Intellevision if that dates me lol.
Same here so much I don't even look at new games anymore.
Toy collecting is where its at for me now.
Toy collecting is always something I think I'm done with but I never am. :D
These work so well on an emulator. Sure I've still got my NES and even an SNES mini. There's nothing like emulating games on a PC handheld like the Steam Deck.
Limitation breeds creativity. Now we have graphics but lack of creativity.
Mega man 2
River City ransom
Smb 123
Cobra triangle
Guerilla warfare..
Too many to name really. The NES was a huge part of my childhood
This is your first video I've seen. Good stuff.
Subscribed.
I appreciate you being here and hope I can continue to provide something you'll enjoy. Thank you for watching!
@@SquarePegs anytime boss..and thank you for the content! ✌️
Startropics and Journey to Silius
Some real fun games mentioned here. I just played through Castlevania 2 yesterday. 😊
That's one of the more unique lists I've seen in a long time. Usually when people talk about NES games, it's usually one or more of the Mega Man games, one or more of the Mario games, etc. and you can easily name 10 games that pretty much everyone has talked a ton about. Not so here. I thought I was the only one alive who even attempted or knew about Ultima on the NES. lol
When I want to play NES games, it's usually Final Fantasy, One of the 6 Mega Man games, Zelda, etc. so I'm not one to talk about uniqueness, but I do like Crystalis and The Guardian Legend a lot. I also like both Star Tropics games too. One game I do want to pick up and play again is Rockin' Kats. That was a fun different game to play. :)
I definitely love the Mega Man and Bari games, but I truly appreciate you saying the list is unique. Thank you so much for watching!!
That's because the Mario and mega man games are the best. The system had to offer. The hype that SMB3 caused was something unheard off in the 90's.
First time I ever saw Kabuki Quantum Fighter was on an episode of Nick Arcade and became instantly enthralled with it. Decades later and I finally have it. Such a fun game.
I absolutely completely forgot about Popeye! Memory unlocked and I'm so happy you included it. If I didn't have to work tonight I would be playing that game. I remember having a ton of fun with it.
I have the opposite take. I played many a summer day with my friend on one of our NES systems. I even collected NES games in the early 00s but when i go back and try to play anything but SMB series I just can't believe I spent so many days pressing right and mashing a and b. Games like Popeye are more fun than a lot of the other stuff on NES as an adult.
Same here, this weekend I even made a video on my first Japanese Famicom! It’s the most awesome 8 bit console we had. And I’m not even a Nintendo fanboy. I’m a true C64 kid but the NES/Famicom had the best 8 bit games. And the best 16 bits machine is the MegaDrive/Genesis for me. There’s something about those 90s big 2D sprites that I love.
You and I are very much aligned on things. :) I started on a C64, moved onto an NES, think the Genesis is the best, and just recently started collecting for the Famicom. :)
@@SquarePegs Oh man, that is really a similar path. Having said that my little brother (rest in peace) had the NES. I didn't own it he did it and later he had the MegaDrive/Genesis. The little guy was smart enough to sell the NES with some games to the neighbour who paid so much for it that he could be the Genesis bundle with SONIC and Castle of Illusions.
By then I had an ST and PC but what the Genesis did, the ST (and even most Amiga ports) didn't do. So I have a fond memory of that machine. Later (I was 6 years older than him) I bought a PS1, that he borrowed very often as he was more of a gamer than me. And one night him and I played silent hill. So here was a 24 year old and an 18 year old in the mid 90s screaming their lungs out in his attic room during the jump scares :D
So that basically was my gaming history, I did some 486 CD ROM games and did the PS2 and PS4 and XBOX and last year even a Switch because I needed some heart surgery so I figured that was nice to pass the time waiting on the procedure. And ironically I forgot to pack it :D But none of them give that same warm fuzzy feeling as the C64, ST, NES/FAMICOM and Genesis. Or even SNES that I also have and we never played in the 90s but the games do bring that wonderful era of gaming to live there to.
replayed simons quest for the first time in years back in 2020 when I got an nes classic. Didnt get a good ending but had fun playing through it again.
my faves were/are: contra, faxanadu (im so glad u mentioned it), kirbys adventure, micro machines, skulls and cross bones, excite bike, blades of steel, simpsons bart vs the world, paper boy, mario 2 and 3, california games, mike tyson's punchout and friday the 13th.
I will definitely check out all these, some I will be revisiting and others will be new experiences for me, which is what I love about retro gaming.
Wow as a French, I didn't know the Little Nemo's comics. The game is just amazing, stunning for the NES ! I'm blown away Ducktales was a a great game too, graphics, music, gameplay, history and quests, it was really perfect in all points, even a good difficulty but not a crazy one. Perfect immersion in the Uncle Scrooge's World of Adventures.
Capcom gave us a great childhood with all those masterpieces they made, they almost should be ranked as a World Heritage !
My thoughts for your grandpa who was a true hero ! Thanks to him for what he did in WWII. May his soul rests in peace.🙏
Bienvenue sur la chaîne et merci d'avoir regardé! (I hope that was right - I'm still learning French!)
I appreciate the kind words about my grandfather. 🧡
@@SquarePegs Merci ! C'était parfait ! 👌
NES is and probably always will be my jam! Kabuki Quantum Fighter is the original Headbanger! 😂 Hidden Gem may be a played out term but I feel like it fits perfect for the game. Popeye is probably one of my favorite arcade games from that era. That one and Kangaroo always got quarters from me in the arcades. No way anyone who has even scratched the surface of this consoles library could dispute any of these games here. 🤙🏻
Fellow Kangaroo fan here! Thank you so much for watching, my friend!
Woah woah woah, did you say Fall River Public Library? Is that where you are from? I grew up close by in Mass.
Just coming across your channel. Definitely subscribing and looking forward to seeing your perspectives on gaming.
Sure did! Went to school in New Bedford at St. Anthony's. :)
Glad to have you, Jeff! Thanks for checking the channel out.
@@SquarePegs OH! I grew up in Acushnet. Went to NBHS.
Faxanadu YES. I have also never beaten it, but I would rent and play, I think mostly for the music, which is incredible. It always got my imagination going as a kid.
I still love to play Skate or Die and Skate or Die 2.
Same. I love Simon's quest so much!!
Story for you. I was playing Colecovision long after it was discontinued. Then out came the NES. I was going to get one but couldn't get over the controllers and thought the graphics weren't much better than colecovision. Of course they were, but not by much. I happened to be in a local dept store and saw a Sega Master System set up and was blown away by how much better it was. Softer 8 way control pads, cooler design, and way better graphics. I got one of those and never regretted it.
I always loved the Master System from afar. My childhood friend Peter had one and his family over in Portugal would send him PAL games that never released over here, so sleepovers at his house were always dominated by Master System play. But I never owned one myself until a couple years ago - and I love it. It's such an incredible console with a fantastically unique library of games.
@@SquarePegs sounds like fun times. I had a blast!
Simon's quest my favorite!
8:17 Little Nemo, not just a comic stirp, but the movie. I don't care what anyone says--it was one of my favorite movies as a kid. The game was good too.
FF1 is a great game. I like FF2 too--also don't care what anyone says. Get a copy of FFII japanese version with the English translation and you're set.
I love my NES collection, and play it often.
Great list ! Mine are :
Solstice
Robowarrior
Silent service
Super Mario 3
Snake rattle & roll
+ fan remakes of Adventures of Link (or the Zelda 2 randomizer)
Love the inclusion of Zelda and Simon's quest.
I would personally add Metroid, Mario 2, and River City Ransom.
And I'm going to try Quantum Kabuki.
You have many great game picks like CV2, FF1, Faxanadu, Zelda 1, which I love. Still have my original 80s Nintendo collection and addition additional games from eBay in the 2000s.
One thing that I love with NES games is that you can just pick it up and start playing and exploring. Only the A, B, and Select buttons instead of the huge varieties of buttons. Most of the games can be pass in an hour or two. Golden era.
The intro music to Solstice still holds up, love going back to that one
I don't usually give likes, but when I came here there was 419, so I had to. I didn't even know about some of these games, like Atlantis Factor, and I supposedly have a folder with ALL NES Roms. Ultima 2 is one of my all time favorite games. One drawback though is you tend to remember your favorites which can actually lead to less replay value. Perhaps the best shows and games are those which are good enough that you like it, but don't remember every tiny detail.
I appreciate your like getting it to the promised land. 😁 And I completely agree about games you love leading to less replay value.
I think we're around the same age, but our "NES classics/experience" are quite different, but that just proves the variety the system had to offer. Other than Zelda, mine are Mega Man 2, Ninja Gaiden 2, Batman, Adventure Island, and Contra. Your choices are great, but for some reason I never got introduced to them.
I've never heard of that Kabuki game, but it looks insanely cool. I'm gonna have to check it out this weekend.
Air Fortress is one I keep playing! Also strangely, the copy of Ice Hockey you gave me at Southeast Game Exchange. Its fun!
Hi, something like Startropics or Punch Out might be the ones for me to get back into. It is more of how'd I dare to play the same game again when there's so many new and old games unplayed. It could be: Can I (still) beat the game this time with ease. Even if my options for original NES are quite limited, there's 1-3 out of your list Imma try this year at least.
Yes, I always go back to old games. I'm playing Neverwinter Nights: HotU as I watch this. Kama Monk/Fighter/Cot for anyone who was wondering lol
very few games i've revisited in a while. i've revisited mega man 2 and final fantasy numerous times. thanks to switch online, i've revisited punch out and river city ransom recently. would like to play gi joe atlantis factor again, severely underrated.
Some of my most played games are Mike Tyson's Punchout, Duckhunt, Hogan's alley, Contra, Double Dragon III, Ninja Gaiden. On the SEGA, it's Comix Zone, Ghouls N Ghosts, Tecmo Superbowl, Greatest heavyweights, NBA jam TE
On sega its streets of rage, flicky, ranger X, toy story, greatest heavy weights, street fighter new challengers, mk3,
Sir you just unlocked a memory in my mind with Poped Eye. I think it was the second game i ever play after Mario bros and the circus one where you jump hoops. Thank you
Circus charlie by konami
Not growing up with a NES and not collecting for it I don't there is anything I go back and play again.
I've only played through a few NES games and trying to limit it to games I own.
I did enjoy Popeye but I played it on the C64.
You had a C64 but not an NES? I had both growing up, and a Sega Genesis, which the controller works for the C64. I had some nice games on the C64: Archon 1 and 2, Legacy of the Ancients, Magnetron, Druid, Adventure Creator, and the gold box DND games.
@@EmeraldEyesBibleSecrets Archon 1 and 2 were great. My brother and I spent a lot of time with them. I'll have to look into the others.
Great selection!! Finished battle of Olympus a couple of weeks ago. I will use your list as inspiration and play Popeye next.
the thing about Capcom releasing Little Nemo in 1990 is that it was based on the 1989 animated film, which was the first international release of a Japanese animated feature film. the real question is why people in Japan decided to make a movie about a nearly century old french comic strip, not why a Japanese game studio adapted it into a Nintendo title.
Little Nemo blew my mind when i was young! Such incredible graphics and gameplay for a NES game
Thanks for the nostalgia trip...🙏
I leave games I love unbeaten on purpose. I feel like if I beat them that's it the game is over.....😢
You're most welcome! Thanks so much for watching!
Fucking LOVE seeing Kabbuki Quantum Fighter get some much deserved love. Had this as a kid and played the SHIT out of it. One of my all tim favorite games....
Mike, you are a man of impeccable taste. Thanks for checking out the video!
Still go back to the NES a lot, but the ones I play the most would be Tyson’s Punch Out, MegaMan 1 and 2, TMNT, Puzznic, Rush n Attack, Castlevania, and Bionic Commando.
Jay, you ever heard of Bit Brigade? They speedrun the games live while playing the soundtrack. They are hitting the Midwest soon on tour. Highly recommend checking them out if they come to your area. I just saw them last month and they inspired me to finally beat the original Castlevania 😂
Very solid list! Love the Popeye story! My kids last summer just got into the Nemo games! Fun vid Jay!!!
Awesome that you mentioned Little Nemo. So actually the game itself is based on the film they made that came from the comic book. I actually saw it in theaters. It was released in Japan in the 89 but not released in the US until 92. Great animation. I would also say you could make a strong argument that it’s not only one of the best looking, but best sounding games for the NES. The soundtrack still blows me away. The compositions are top notch by a female Japanese composer whose name escapes me, but I believe it was her last soundtrack. Which is crying shame, because it’s a masterpiece.
An absolute killer choice of games. I LOVE Kabuki Quantum Fighter! Thanks for posting!
popeye is awesome. so nostalgic from the arcades
Very nostalgic list. Love it!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching. :)
Megaman 2 and 3 ? 🥰🥰
MM3 featured in the first take on this video I did - and I talk about MM2 _all the time_ so I figured I'd give it a rest for a bit. ;)
@@SquarePegs 😂😂ok
Just ordered the all new nes game Sam's Journey from Knights of Bytes. Can't wait to get my hands on it. It's a mix of elements from various nes platformers it seems. There are still many good nes games I haven't tried yet all though have them.
Fester's Quest :)
The NES is the oldest object that I still use. Followed by my SNES I guess. Followed by the clothes dryer.
Refrigerator?
@@hello-cn5nh nah. We’ve move several times since 1994 or 1995 when we got the dryer and the homes have had refrigerators. Our current one is from 1998. So the dryer wins because we kept it.
Anytime I see Little Nemo and Simon's Quest being the favorite of the NES series, it's an automatic like and subscribe for me.
As a kid, I hated Faxanadu. Passwords, extreme difficulty, cryptic bullcrap, but the awesome music kept pulling me back until I started absolutely loving the game.
The Nes is great! I love mine, and I play it more than my ps5, to be honest. I love how quick and easy most games are to pick up and play. Also, a lot of the titles are classics 👌
What was your grandfather’s name bc I was also in the Navy w Popeye? LOL I always thought it was so great that Road Pig was a boss in GI Joe bc he’s one of my favorite guys and you wasn’t very popular.
Faxanadu is one of my fav NES games. You can beat it.
Any Mega Man, both Zeldas, Metroid, Faxanadu, all Ninja Gaidens, and I absolutely love the LOLOs. lol
Lolo is amazing!!
@@SquarePegs I know! hahaha
I own what I need and can afford. I dont have a big NES collection (100+) but I bought them when those games were 3 or 5$... I love a lot of them but if I would go on a desert island my top ten in no order would be (1) - Ninja Gaiden (2) - Contra (3) - Super Mario Bros 3 (4) - Blade of Steel (5) - Tetris (6) - Batman (7) - Castlevania (8) - Gunsmoke (9) - Zelda (10) - Punchout. Honorable mention Jackal, Double Dragon, Adventure Island
@@Aeternuss Excellent list! Love seeing Gunsmoke on there.
Base Wars is my favorite to go back to, but Code Name: Viper is a close second, and if I have a human opponent, Archon can’t be topped. (It sucks against the CPU)
I loved the first GI Joe but have been unable to play the second one, cant find in the wild and download for my set up wouldn't work.
one day...one day damnit, i will find the Atlantis Factor and it will be played.
I got VERY lucky on my copy. I saw it in a shop about 45 minutes away a few months back and initially passed on it. Ended up in the area about three weeks ago and it was still there because there's some label damage and I pulled the trigger.
Zero regrets. But keep the faith, you'll find one!
I wish I still had my NES and games. I want to play Bucky ohare and astyanax so bad
I'm still playing Dragon Quest 1. No hand holding, you start in a throne room, gather clues and figure things out for yourself.
I think it's the best RPG of the 8 bit era. Better than FF1 and Phantasy Star 1.
If you liked Kabuki Quantum Fighter, take a look at Low Gravity Man, you might like it too! Great video btw
I'll do that! Thanks for the tip, and thank you so much for watching! :)
The ones I always go back to are air fortress, solar jetman and twin eagle
You had me at NES!
Hi Jay! :)
@@SquarePegs hey Jay! 😂
Popeye has a lot of sentimental value for me. It's one I collected in recent years. An arcade obscurity I enjoyed as a child. I wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese to play it. And I wanted to play it so badly.
Our household plays og Zelda about once a month it seems haha.
Other than that I enjoy a run at Adventure Island and the first Castlevania.
I think when we look at the NES we underestimate how detail those games could be. I'm seen indies that try to reach those leves of finesse
in 2 D under 16 bit: Duck Tales.
in 2D 16bit : Aladdin (Genesis)
Modern Kingdom Hearts !!!! The disney trifecta !!!
Yeah, I still play NES, other "retro" consoles too like SNES Genesis and my original PlayStation, but NES still has games that are a lot of fun even all these years later. 😁
I find myself playing a lot of contra and gauntlet with the kiddos. I've shamefully never played the ducktails games but I'm going to be changing that soon