Board 8 > Board 8's Top 20 NES Games - The Results

(+) Yeah! (+)

That's a pretty meh 2600 list, I mean, Double Dragon? At least Pitfall is indeed a classic.

#5. Mega Man 3 (1990)
Total Points: 49
List Appearances: 19
First-Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/07616e0a.jpg

Write-up provided by NBIceman
At one point an unquestioned contender for the most well-loved game in the classic series, Mega Man 3 has fallen from grace a bit in some corners of the fandom because of a relative lack of polish. Level design, especially outside of the main 8 Robot Masters, is questionable, with the Wily stages being particularly underwhelming. Half of the weapons suck. Rush wasnt implemented particularly well. Hitboxes exist, sort of. Most of all, slowdowns are frequent and nearly intolerable. The game is just clearly unfinished, for which you can blame another short development cycle featuring such misadventures as someone tripping over a power cord and forcing Keiji Inafune to rebuild Top Mans stage from memory right at the finish line.

But through all of that, you can see that theyre starting to figure out what they want the series to be. Proto Man, Rush, and the slide are such cornerstones of the franchise that its sometimes easy to forget there were two games without them, and even if the stages didnt always land, theres an obvious burgeoning creativity to them that would lead to greatness down the line. And, of course, the music is awesome - I know some people whose opinions I respect call it the best of the era. Warts and all, Mega Man 3 never crosses the line into being unfun because the foundation is just so solid. The thing about the Blue Bomber on the NES is that even his rougher outings were still pretty damn good.

Mega Man 3 is such a weird game. It clearly has bigger polish problems than the games surrounding it, but the fundamentals of the game are just so strong that it doesn't even matter a lot of the time. It could have been a GOAT game if a few of the remaining issues were ironed out.

Zylothewolf posted...

Top 5 prediction:

5: Super Mario Bros
4: Mega Man 3
3: Legend of Zelda
2: Mega Man 2
1: Super Mario Bros 3.

azuarc posted...

Put Mario 1 ahead of MM3, and I'll agree.

My guess too.

MM3's lack of polish puts it in a weird place for me. It beats MM1 and MM6 and it's not really close. However, MM3's problems problems felt more ongoing (like weapon-energy traps where you're out and can't progress, or Top Man's power feeling random), MM3 needed more time for a few fixes -- that could have really elevated it.

I used to be a MM3 > MM2 believer, but yeah, the lack of polish bothered me more and more every time I replayed those games.

MM3 is in the lower half of the NES MM games for me. It's still great, but feels overly long and not a fan of a good few stages.

Also, I tried Alex Kidd again in Lost Judgment when that came out a few years back, and thought it was a very bad game, now that I'm not 6. I didn't play it for a super long time, but I try current me's opinion more than 6 year old me's.

Alex Kidd was always a bad game, even when you were 6.

The first game was alright, I can see kids liking it.

It's no Wonder Boy though.

tazzyboyishere posted...

featuring such misadventures as someone tripping over a power cord and forcing Keiji Inafune to rebuild Top Mans stage from memory right at the finish line.

lmao did this seriously happen, amazing

andylt posted...

lmao did this seriously happen, amazing

I've never heard this story before either and wow it really fuels the imagination; like, I want to know what Top Man's stage looked like BEFORE it had to be rebuilt and how close it was, the stage is probably one of the more dull of the first 8 stages but it's not that bad

I never knew that about Top Man's stage, all I know is that I hated Top Spin but loved the music.

I'm like "why is everyone hating on Mega Man 3" and I see it's people from Poland upset there isn't more representation in their game again and I feel rejuvenated in my belief it's the best NES Mega Man.

Mega Man 3 was my comfort game rental when I had the chickenpox in the pre-Internet days of yore. I didn't beat it then, but I got close (child Isquen had the Nintendo Power grapevine to work off normally, but being sick, he had trouble with the Devil fight when he finally got to the Wily stages.)

TBH I never noticed much of a difference between MM games. There's the clear additions to the game that happen over the first three, but then the rest is just more Mega Man.

#4. The Legend of Zelda (1986)
Total Points: 61
List Appearances: 24
First-Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/daa0399a.jpg

Write-up provided by tazzyboyishere
The original Legend of Zelda was quite revolutionary. While action/adventure games of it's ilk were nothing new in 1986, Zelda provided some much-needed refinement to the obtuse game design commonly seen before it. While still dabbling in cryptic messaging, The Legend of Zelda was able to spin together an epic quest with a massive overworld housing nine different dungeons. The dungeons themselves are where the game really shines. There's a strong mix of navigational puzzle-solving and combat, with a variety of enemies and mechanics to toy around with. I particularly love the Boomerang, which became a huge series staple. For 1986, this was an incredibly complex game, and titles like this, Metroid, and Super Mario Bros. the year prior, it's clear to see why Nintendo got to rule the gaming landscape as handily as they did. Zelda is just one of the many innovative titles still being borrowed from to this day.

#3. Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Total Points: 67
List Appearances: 24
First-Place Votes: 4
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/0c12de1c.jpg

Write-up provided by MacArrowny
Of all the NES games, this is the one that holds up best. There are later games on the console that are probably "objectively" better, stuff like SMB3, but something about SMB1's simplicity makes it stay eternally good, without being improved on by games from later generations. The main key to this is, of course, the jump feel. Something about jumping around as Mario just feels incredibly good. You don't have to beat the game to have a great time. You don't even have to beat 1-1 to have a great time. Running around and jumping feels fantastic, both giving you tight control and huge jumps that feel great. And this is true in all of Mario's forms. Blasting through levels as small Mario rules. Destroying levels as big Mario rules. Burning everyone with fireballs rules.

And of course, it revolutionized video games in plenty of other ways too. It looks good for a NES game, very clean graphics that never obfuscate. The soundtrack is by far the most iconic in gaming, and has been remixed to hell and back. The enemy variety isn't huge, but they're all good at teaching you the game's mechanics (fuck Hammer Bros. tho). You can skip huge chunks of the game with warp pipes, so if you don't have a ton of spare time, you can still beat it! It's hardly perfect, and later Mario games improved on it in plenty of ways, every little bit of the game has love put into it, and shines in a way that inspired the entire industry Back in the age where backwards compatibility wasn't a given, Nintendo put new versions of Mario 1 on all their consoles, for good reason. Super Mario All-Stars was a killer app. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is the original Game Boy game I played most, despite having played through the game on NES and SNES previously. I didn't get a chance to play Super Mario Bros. 35, but even that was beloved for letting people spend more time with the game. It just doesn't get old.

it's no secret that I love Zelda 1

It's kind of insane how much better Mario/Zelda/Metroid were than like... every other contemporary game of their time. sorry, video games sucked until the NES

I suspected Mario might make it to 3.

#2. Mega Man 2 (1989)
Total Points: 88
List Appearances: 27
First-Place Votes: 4
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/9ed60e02.jpg

Write-up provided by NBIceman
I dont think theres much I could say about this game that Keiji Inafune cant say better. This sequel to the poor-selling original game only got the okay from Capcom because the staff agreed to put their own free time into it while working on other projects. That development cycle ended up lasting only three or four months, leading me to believe they must all have been zombies by the end, and yet Inafune still later called it the best time he had working at the company.

This labor of love brought us what I consider the first true Mega Man game, which sounds elitist but isnt meant to be. Gone are most of the more experimental and rudimentary aspects of the original title in favor of a new formula that fans would come to love for decades. Its still missing some things that would later become staples - Proto Man, the charged shot and slide, etc. - but honestly, I love that. Theres a purity to the experience. Jump and shoot. Oh, and groove to the music, which may not be my absolute favorite in the series but is undoubtedly revolutionary.

I think what Mega Man 2 nails better than any of the series entries that came after it is overall game feel. Its a legitimately tough game, but you feel super powerful for most of your time playing through it. Obviously the Metal Blade is famous for its strength, but the Quick Boomerang is almost as good and a few other weapons are, if nothing else, still fun to use. The Robot Master designs are among the best, some of the stages are nothing short of iconic, Wily Castle is great outside of the Boobeam Trap, and its all wrapped in a slick presentation.

Its one of those games where writing about it makes me want to go play it. Its not a perfect game, by any means, but theres an inexorable fun factor about it that doesnt force nostalgia to do all the heavy lifting in its continued popularity. That labor of love shows in every little pixel. Oh, and speaking of nostalgia, Im pretty sure this is the first video game I ever played, so I guess in a somewhat roundabout way you can all blame Mega Man 2 for having to sit here and read my opinions on things.

#1. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Total Points: 98
List Appearances: 28
First-Place Votes: 9
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/e20f81aa.jpg

Write-up provided by tazzyboyishere
Yet to be dethroned, Super Mario Bros. 3 reigns as king of 2D platforming. It refined the mechanics of Mario's jump and added some extra well-polished power-ups to the game. The result is something truly unprecedented: A game which not only has no bad levels, but has numerous of some of the most perfectly crafted set of levels ever designed. You can point to many aspects of the game which are well-done: The speed, the length, the diversity, the physics... All of it is curated to such a high degree. I can play this game an endless number of times and still enjoy it. There is little to nothing I would change about it. 2D Mario would only weaken after this, and it makes sense given the standard they set here. It truly is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

The thing about SMB3 having no bad levels is honestly true - I was thinking about doing a ranking of every SMB3 level and the candidates for the bottom ranking aren't even bad, they're just sort of boring/not executed in a very exciting way (5-7 and 6-F1 are examples that come to mind)

Nice list

This was a lot of fun! Here is the total stats for each list:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18sFKVDrf_ePBTV8Y9T8-J7PPUc_yBV4NhgRLPK0JbbE/edit?usp=sharing

GB/GBC voting goes up tomorrow!

ohhhhhhhh one of those alts voted for TMNT 3, huh? I see.......so me voting it #1 wouldn't have gotten it in anyway. But made the Top 25, and was the highest-ranking TMNT game, alright

Paratroopa1 posted...

it's no secret that I love Zelda 1

It's kind of insane how much better Mario/Zelda/Metroid were than like... every other contemporary game of their time. sorry, video games sucked until the NES

Just because the NES is the GOAT console doesn't mean everything before sucked. Ever since Space Invaders, it was breakthrough after breakthrough, a golden age.

This was reslly fun to follow, to bad we got the predictable winner tough. I reslly hope Pokemen RBY doesnt win the next one but I cant see anything being close to it.

Eh, I don't really see winners or losers here, I wasn't treating this like a contest, just an aggregate of our faves

Zylothewolf posted...

This was reslly fun to follow, to bad we got the predictable winner tough.

It was always a race for second.

Zylothewolf posted...

This was reslly fun to follow, to bad we got the predictable winner tough. I reslly hope Pokemen RBY doesnt win the next one but I cant see anything being close to it.

It does have a playrate advantage over GSC, I suppose.

I really hope Pokmon RBY wins the next one, I can't see anything being close to it

Link's Awakening I could see making a run, but otherwise, it's RBYs list to lose.

Feel free to continue discussing until this topic dies!!!

But...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80764314

Anyway, just to give a few additional notes, I was a bit surprised and upset that StarTropics didn't manage to make much of a splash. I figured it could get in the lower ranks, but it didn't even get close. Crystalis and Rygar are two other favorites of mine, but I didn't expect them to do anything.

Seeing Mega Man still do great after the stuffers were taken out was pretty cool. The classic series is arguably the most important series to me since MM5 and MM6 were two of the first games I can remember playing and beating. MM6 gets a lot of shit for being easy, but conquering it when I was like, 6, felt legendary. My NES rankings for those games is: 5 > 2 > 6 > 3 > 4 > 1. I never was too into 4, I guess the levels just didn't mesh with me.

And it's neat to see games like Metroid and Final Fantasy get some praise. I feel like the conversation around some of the games here is "Well, they were pretty influential but not very fun to play now." which I think is fair, but it's neat seeing the praise regardless.

How close was Bucky O'Hare making the top 20?

tazzyboyishere posted...

Link's Awakening I could see making a run, but otherwise, it's RBYs list to lose.

No love for Tetris, huh.

azuarc posted...

No love for Tetris, huh.

If Tetris was a GB exclusive it would absolutely win.

Metal_DK posted...

How close was Bucky O'Hare making the top 20?

Post 125 has your answer

azuarc posted...

No love for Tetris, huh.

I don't foresee it competing with those 2 but maybe I'm wrong.

MacArrowny posted...

If Tetris was a GB exclusive it would absolutely win.

I played the DOS version first, but it may as well be.

I still like to play og metroid! I could never beat it as a kid but now I can get sexy samus in the ending without too much trouble. Hard to top SMB3 though, I think it really is the best 2d mario. I remember watching the Wizard in the theater, which was a Nintendo ad disguised as a movie, and the big exciting finale was that they played SMB3 *before it was released*. As a small child this was the coolest thing in the entire universe, when of course every parent at the movie knew that a)it was a fancy ad and b)they were going to be spending money pretty damn soon

I also still enjoy Metroid also, some roughness around the edges here or there might make it an 'acquired taste' but I think it still plays smoothly and has an exciting map to explore. Still a great game.

If you're good at Metroid, all of the problems basically disappear.

I never have to grind to recharge health because I just save energy tanks for that

I love that the top 20 is 1/4th just Mega Man

It really is the main series that I associate with the NES (Yes even over Mario)
They are amazing games.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2143496800