GamesNostalgia's Top 20 NES Games of All Time

20. Paperboy

Kicking things off, coming in at the 20 slots is Paper Boy. Paper Boy is one of my weirder (at least in my opinion) amusements. The game's premise is to drive down the road on your bike and deliver newspapers without causing property damage. Of course, you can also cause all the damage you want to. I used to like to vandalize my non-customers houses sometimes, but that's no way to get more customers.

While riding your bike down the street to deliver newspapers may sound easy enough, there are plenty of obstacles to prevent you from doing this successfully. There are kids on bikes, weird people working out in their driveway for some reason, skateboards, and many other things to keep an eye out for. You also need to be on the lookout for newspaper stacks to refill your stock, or else you won't have enough for all of your customers. I always liked that this was a pretty straightforward game and rather amusing should you get knocked off your bike. I've played many of the iterations of this game over the years. This one is still up there high in my favorites.

19. Kings of the Beach

Next up, we've got classic beach volleyball gameplay with Kings of the Beach. Now, I have moved away from sports games in later years, but this is one I actually really enjoyed in its heyday.

Kings of the Beach features real volleyball players (from the time) plus fun characters from other games. There are five beaches on which you can play to try to crown yourself king of the beach. Teams get more challenging as you progress through the game, but you do have the option to argue with referee calls. But be careful, or he may just slap you with a penalty card. You also have the chance to practice, play a match, or take part in a tournament. Teams are set up in true Top Gun fashion with two against two, so you can play out that iconic scene with impunity. NES controls are pretty straightforward, so it's not too difficult to wrap your head around how to play.

18. Gradius (aka Nemesis)

Gradius is one of those games right up there with R-Type for me. I love a well-done side-scrolling shooter. Now, the point is to pilot your ship through space and take out enemy vessels until you reach the big boss.

Enemy vessels come in an assortment of shapes and sizes, as well as different flight patterns. You must dodge enemy ships, weapons, and certain obstacles scattered around the levels. Destroyed enemy ships also drop different types of power-ups that can beef up your firepower or add additional tiny gunships to eliminate opposition. Gradius is one of those games that I can just pick up and play again and again. It's easy to pick up, and it's a great way to kill some time.

17. The Black Onyx (aka Super Black Onyx)

I initially thought this one's title was redundant, but I have since learned that onyx can come in multiple colors, including pink. Anyway, the Black Onyx is an RPG that tasks you with finding, you guessed it, The Black Onyx. This particular stone is essential because it is the only thing that can break the curse that currently holds your town hostage in eternal darkness (I love that game).

You can have a party of up to 5 members that you either create yourself or gather along the way. Using a Doom-like way of moving around the environment, you will have random battles with enemies as you explore. You have your choice of armor, shields, and melee weapons to equip your party. The Black Onyx is pretty significant because it was the first RPG to achieve commercial success in Japan and represents the genre strongly. Literal history, as well as classic.

16. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (I know you sang that in your head) is one of my favorites. My sister and I used to love TMNT, which we would play together a lot. I also still play it on this handheld thing I got off Amazon for like $15, but that's off point. Once the game starts, you can switch to whichever turtle you want to take on Shredder and his foot clan goons.

TMNT plays like a side-scrolling platformer, but there are parts where you can be in the city from a top-down view and still kill enemies that roam the streets. You also get to use your inherent turtle abilities to swim underwater. The game has familiar faces such as April O'Neil, Rocksteady, Bebop, and others. One of the more exciting aspects of this game is that failure results in your turtles getting captured, which allows you to switch to a new turtle to keep going. Of course, if all the turtles are caught, it's game over, man. A love of TMNT, in general, is not really required to enjoy this game.

15. Sweet Home

Ah, Sweet Home. Probably like the first survival horror type game I remember. I guess it's a bit more like a supernatural-themed RPG, really.

This game stands out to me because it plays like an RPG but does not have a fantasy setting like one would expect. You take control of 5 different survivors as they travel to a haunted mansion to search for priceless frescos done by a now-deceased artist. Each survivor has their own items and abilities that make them useful in different situations. You can also acquire more things to help you progress and escape the haunted house. Equip items and be careful to keep an eye on inventory as they can only carry so many items at a time. Your team will go up against ghosts, haunted dolls, skeletons, and all manner of things that go bump in the night. This was an excellent first introduction to a horror genre for me, and it's still an enjoyable RPG that's still quite entertaining. Can you make it out alive?

14. Batman: The Video Game

If you’ve ever wanted to put yourself in the shoes of the Dark Knight himself and save Gotham, this is the game to let you do it. Batman is one the best superhero games released for the NES, and while it’s not an exact recreation of the film, it still features many of the visuals. You will see familiar faces such as the beautiful Vicki Vale and Jack Nicholson’s Joker. It also keeps many of the Tim Burton touches like the style of the Batmobile. The game features similar gameplay to that of Ninja Gaiden in that Batman can use his acrobatic skills to wall jump to higher ground. Batman mostly uses his fits to take down the bad guys, but he can also use common Batman items such as a batarang, batdisk, and spear gun. This was one of my favorite games as I have always had a soft spot for Batman. This is one classic that is worthy of replaying.

13. Dragon Quest (aka Dragon Warrior)

Now, I am a huge fan of RPGs, so Dragon Quest has to be on this list for me. I love good old-fashioned games with an open world map, dungeons, and many monsters to battle. In this epic tale, you are tasked with saving a princess and the kingdom from which she hails.

One of the more exciting things about Dragon Quest is the fact that you don't have a party. You are pretty much out to save the world on your own. You do, however, have many magical items to help you get past obstacles and continue on your way. Dragon Quest went on to become a trilogy and was ported many times. It even got its own anime and manga series. This game has been well-loved throughout the years, and it's no wonder why.

12. Shadow Warriors (aka Ninja Gaiden)

"With whom did father have a duel and lose?.. For what reason did he fight and die?" These are the opening lines of Ninja Gaiden. You play as a young man who has recently lost his father but is given a task by him nonetheless to take the dragon sword to America. While this task may sound simple, you are also out to avenge your father and save the world from evil. That's a lot to place on a young man.

Ninja Gaiden is an action platformer that has a similar play style to Castlevania. But aside from the usual platformer type of movements, Ryu can also wall jump to ascend higher without needing ladders or stairs. Ryu uses his family dragon sword, but he can also acquire secondary weapons to dispatch his foes. What I always liked about Ninja Gaiden, as a series, really, is the deep storylines. I also enjoyed this original installment because you can move in ways most platformers don't allow for. Ninja Gaiden is one of those games that is still enjoyable to play regardless of how old it gets.

11. Final Fantasy

Now, this next one I know might catch me a little bit of flak, but Final Fantasy comes up next for me. I love this game, and I love this series in general, save for a few installments. Final Fantasy is one of the series that helped lead to my life-long love of fantasy RPGs. In all honesty, I got my start with 7, but I did backtrack and end up playing them all. I still particularly like the first one because it's cute and still a very epic tale regardless of the time.

You and your team of heroes are tasked with restoring shine to the orbs. To do this, you must fight many monsters and the forces of evil. Final Fantasy is an old-school RPG at its finest, with classes to choose from and the ability to name your own characters. As with any good RPG, there are many options as far as weapons and gear go; strategy is critical with turn-based combat. This is a classic RPG to be revisited again and again.

10. Star Wars NES (aka Beam Software's Star Wars)

Flying into the next spot is Star Wars. Everyone is familiar with this series as it has managed to take on a life of its own following the first movie's release. The game basically follows Episode IV's storyline pretty closely and puts you in Luke Skywalker's shoes. The game has a nice mix of flying and on-foot gameplay and some hyperspace asteroid dodging. While exploring side-scrolling levels, you have to use your blaster to dispatch foes. You will also get to enjoy a host of familiar characters as you play through this classic. I'm a fan of action platformers as well as Star Wars itself, so this game is one that I like to revisit whenever I can.

9. Ghosts 'N Goblins

Ghosts' n Goblins is next up on the list. Now, as far as challenging games go, this one's way up there. But I love it nonetheless. I love it so much I even got the remake for Switch. However, the NES version is still one of my all-time favorites, and I will play it forever.

The game utilizes subtle, silly humor, like losing your armor down to your undies before death. This side-scrolling adventure has you playing as a knight set to save his kingdom from evil. He goes frolicking through spooky locations like a graveyard, forest, and even caves. You start out with a lance, but you can find several other weapons scattered throughout the levels, all of which are thrown. Enemies come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from birds up to massive monsters. Ghosts' n Goblins is definitely a must-play.

8. Contra (aka Gryzor)

If you read my first list of 20, you will already know that I have a soft spot for the Contra series. So, coming in decently high up is Contra. These muscle-bound, gun toting, acrobats have a very special place in my heart. What's kind of funny is I was just recently playing this game, and here I am putting it on this list.

Basically, you play as a Rambo lookalike running and gunning your way through a host of baddies that come in many forms. Everything from humans, turrets, robots, and straight-up aliens. Each level is filled with power-ups that can change your weapon type or speed up your fire rate, or even give you a shield. Keep an eye out for flying capsules to shoot, and pay attention to the letter on the power-up inside to better understand what it might be. Contra is one of my favorite run-and-gun type games, and I would tell anyone to play it, even now.

7. Metroid

Now truth be told, I was late to the party on Metroid. I didn't really get into this game until much, much later. However, once I like a game, I want to revisit the older versions of it, and I have to say I was not disappointed with this one.

In this original installment, you play as Samus as she tries to defeat the Space Pirates. The Space Pirates are trying to clone the parasitic lifeforms known as Metroids. One of the more remarkable things about Samus, other than the fact she's a female lead who isn't overly sexualized, is that she has abilities not often seen in games of this type. She's kind of like if Sonic, Bomberman, and Megaman had a baby in terms of powers. She has her gun arm, but she can also roll into a fast-moving ball and lay bombs. Of course, she can find power-ups around to make her even stronger so she can face the Mother Brain. Enemies come in an array of strange alien creatures, and some of them are best dodged than killed. Metroid is one of Nintendo's most successful games, and it's no secret as to why.

6. Bomberman (aka Dyna Blaster)

Now, I am biased as far as Bomberman goes. I love this game so much and have spent many an hour playing Bomberman. My preference was always to play while listening to music. To this day, some songs remind me of Bomberman, but I digress.

This classic's premise is you play a little robot man pulling a Pinocchio and trying to become a "real boy." He must bomb his way through levels to get to the surface to become human. Bomberman can poop bombs to blow up obstacles and enemies. Now, I can't say for sure he really poops them, but the thought has always made me giggle. The game is chock full of power-ups that do things like increasing your blast radius or the number of bombs you can drop at a time, as well as a few I won't spoil here. And as you are not impervious to your own bombs, it's best to stay out of the blast zone. If you're into puzzlers, Bomberman is a cute, entertaining go-to that I would strongly recommend.

5. Kirby's Adventure

Kirby's Adventure is a classic of the platform genre and features that cute round pink guy who eats his enemies to gain their powers. What I always liked about Kirby games is that Kirby can really do just about anything. All he has to do is eat certain enemies, and boom, new powers! Every enemy's abilities can be helpful in different ways, and it's just fun to discover them all.

In this particular Kirby adventure, an evil Penguin (King Dedede) has broken the star rod that helps good vibes and hope run through Kirby's home of Dream Land. King Dedede has scattered the rod pieces all around Dream Land, and Kirby must get them back to restore his home. Kirby can attack by spitting air, spitting water, spitting enemies, or utilizing enemy powers. Kirby is one of those games that just never really gets old.

4. Mega Man (aka Megaman)

This next one is special because Megaman and I both came into this world in the same year. I even have a Megaman shirt that says "Running and Gunning since 1987" for both of us. I've always liked this series and have pretty much religiously played every installment.

Megaman is an action platformer where you control a little cyborg man with a gun arm. He's on a mission to stop the six evil robots that have been reprogrammed to help Dr. Wily take over the world. Megaman does not have a specific order in which you have to play the game. You can take on the enemies in whatever order you wish, but the weapons they drop can help fight with other enemies. Once the initial six evil robots are out of the way, your next target is Dr. Wily himself. Megaman is one of those games that's always fun. Whether it's the 1987 version or the newest one out there. They are all worth a play and very high up on this list for me.

3. Castlevania

Getting closer to the top, we have the original Castlevania. Taking control of the whip-cracking Simon Belmont, you must travel through Dracula's castle and defeat him in the heart of his lair. There are plenty of enemies to be found, like bats, sea monsters, and ghosts. You can also engage in some light property damage to find hearts, roasted turkey, money, and other items. Simon can also find secondary weapons but can only carry one of these at a time. There are also plenty of power-ups to be found for Simon's whip. Dracula's castle also houses many hidden areas and secrets, so exploration can be quite rewarding.

I have always enjoyed this series, with Symphony of the Night being my absolute most favorite. However, the original is definitely still one I like to mess around with from time to time.

2. Super Mario Bros. 2

Taking the silver medal in this list is Super Mario Bros. 2. Why 2, you ask? Well, it's because I actually ended up playing the Mario games out of order and played 2 first. Now, if you ask me, you really can't go wrong with any Mario game out there; they are all pretty awesome. However, this one holds a special place in my life and reminds me of my childhood. Fun fact about how Mario got his name: he was named after Nintendo US's landlord, who, out of his heart's kindness, did not kick them out when they were late on rent. Mario is one of those universal games where even if someone says they are not a gamer, they have probably played a Mario game at some point in time.

In this particular installment, you actually have your choice of characters, rather than just playing Mario. You can be Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, or the adorable Toad. This installment is also enjoyable because Peach is not a damsel in distress you need to rescue; instead, she is a playable character who can kick butt with the boys. Whomever you choose, you can jump and climb your way through levels and defeat enemies. You can pick up and throw multiple projectiles, including turnips pulled from the ground, enemies, and certain things enemies spit at you. This is one of my favorite games, and I still love to play it and pretty much any other Mario game out there. As I said, you can't go wrong with this plucky little plumber duo.

1. The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda is my shit! I have played just about every LoZ game there is on offer. From console to handheld, this series has an extraordinary place in my heart. I even got my mother hooked on the series. I'm sure everyone is familiar with that little golden-haired elf who sets out to save Princess Zelda (and the rest of Hyrule) from evil. In this original installment, Link is sent on a quest to gather the pieces of the Triforce to stop the evil Ganon. Equipped with a sword and shield, Link must trudge his way through dungeons and dangers to find the hidden pieces and defeat Ganon. There are enemies and traps galore, but you can upgrade your health and weapons to make Link a much more formidable hero.

One of the things I've always enjoyed about the Legend of Zelda games is the hidden things to discover. There are secrets abound, so keep a sharp eye to spot them! LoZ is a classic dungeon crawler that stands the test of time. Just as fun to play now as it was then.