Mega Man

In spite of how the classic Mega Man series would greatly evolve in the future, it is astounding to see how many of its essential building blocks were in place here. The freedom of choosing which stage one wants to tackle, the fantastically designed robot masters, the thematic variation of the levels, the seamless mixture of shooting and platforming, the thrill of discovering which weapon works against which boss, the colorful visuals, the iconic soundtrack, and – although it goes overboard at times – the high level of difficulty: all of these elements are strong signatures of the Mega Man franchise and, even if not in a fully mature state, they define this debut and propel it to ranking among the system’s highlights. The best was still to come, but the beginning was already rather bright.

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by Matt

Metal Gear

Metal Gear has a big list of problems and due to how some of the most serious ones were born during the porting process, it is easy to see why Hideo Kojima himself is not too keen on the NES version of his greatest work’s first chapter. Nevertheless, in the end, just like Snake somehow manages to survive a daring journey into a compound filled with hostile enemies, the game shrugs these problems and comes out on the other side as a fantastic experience. Truth be told, that achievement is not some inexplicable magic trick; it is a deed perfectly understood once one takes a look at what Metal Gear gets right. After all, aside from featuring a totally unique gameplay style for the time, it is also able to nail it in multiple ways, be it via complex non-linear exploration or thanks to satisfying stealth that paves the way to polished level design. Therefore, even if it is not the definitive edition of the operation, it has more than enough quality to be an 8-bit classic.

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by Matt

Castlevania

Castlevania is by all means a wonderful achievement. To put it simply, action-platformers of the era were never able to reach the level of cohesion and thematic perfection that is seen here. Although it is a linear quest with the standard division into levels, it puts a great degree of effort towards making Dracula’s Castle emerge as a unified whole; and it undoubtedly succeeds in that task via graphical touches, musical greatness, presentation details, and enemy design. Additionally, it fills that haunting atmosphere with solid gameplay, introducing a hero with an iconic set of skills as well as a subdued speed that is perfect for an adventure whose levels thrive in a meticulous pace, be it because danger is always around the corner or because there is so much for one’s sense to take in. Together, these qualities cause Castlevania to hold a rare feat on the NES; as rather than landing as a product that has clear room for improvement, it arrives as an almost fully matured package.

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by Matt

Crystalis

Crystalis is without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest moments of the NES. In spite of the fact the system has no shortage of grand RPGs, what the title manages to pull off is in a category of its own due to how it throws adventure elements into the usual mixture of the genre, replacing turn-based battles with action combats and linearity with exploration. The blend clicks not just because of its inherent value, but also thanks to the game’s ability to excel in multiple areas, such as the telling of a great story, the building of a fantastic world, the designing of engaging maze-like dungeons, and – surprisingly – the avoiding of some dated elements that tend to heavily harm products of the era in the eyes of a modern audience. Consequently, Crystalis is one of the most enjoyable and epic experiences on the console, as it transcends hardware limitations to the point it feels ahead of its time.

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by Matt

Ninja Gaiden

Saying that Ninja Gaiden is not enjoyable would be a lie. As far as action-platformers go, it presents one of the most original set of gameplay mechanics of the era thanks to how it matches Ryu’s wall-climbing ninja abilities with basic but satisfying combat. Additionally, the way it balances good storytelling with action is a very rare sight for the genre, especially when the library of the NES is considered. Yet, it has to mentioned that the amount of satisfaction one will be able to get out of the game is strongly related to their tolerance for irregular enemy-spawning, which often threatens to undermine the great work that was done in terms of level design and vaporize it into sheer frustration. If players are able to look at that problem as a rough edge of the era, they are sure in for a treat. If that is not the case, Ninja Gaiden is still worth a look for its originality, but the journey may not last long on account of perceived unfairness.

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by Matt

Inscryption

Inscryption may have its flaws, but none of them come close to erasing the fact this is one of the best indie titles ever made. More significantly, the product manages to achieve great uniqueness in the crowded field of rogue-like gameplay, and it does so by imbuing that abundantly explored loop in a brilliant card game that is straightforward, addictive, and deeply strategic. Part horror movie, part interactive storytelling, and part deck-building goodness, Inscryption is mysteriously engaging from the start, and it ought to make players feel a whole lot like the protagonist into whose shoes they will step: desperate to finally succeed in getting out of a cabin inhabited by a hypnotizing threatening monster, but at the same time curious to stay around for a little longer to further get to the bottom of what is happening and, of course, play some cards.

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by Matt

The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

By finally being freed from the tiny screen to which it was confined for more than two decades, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening reveals to the world that it has always been a far bigger game than its appearance let on. In a way, some may rightfully claim they were already aware of that fact. After all, back on the days of the Game Boy, it was clear that this was a title that broke the pattern exhibited by franchises that were transported to a handheld setting: where most of them visibly shrunk to unsatisfying sizes, this was an adventure that felt almost as big as its already ambitious console sibling. Yet, on the Switch, that reality becomes more blatant than ever, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening uses an exquisitely colorful visual, a basic – to modern standards – but engaging approach to dungeon design, and a whimsical tropical world with a simple touching story embedded in mystery to prove its worth as a major quest of both the past and the present.

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by Matt

Mark Of The Ninja

Within the framework of a sidescrolling platformer, Mark of the Ninja unearths stealth gameplay that is layered, varied, engaging, and thrilling. Carried by the flexibility of its protagonist, the natural behavior of its enemies, and the intricacy of its levels, it dares players to think strategically and act swiftly. Boosted by its detailed mechanics involving noise and lines of sight, it uses a simple format to create complex situations that reveal a very high degree of care. At last, augmented by satisfying optional content that challenges without ever generating frustration, it allows anyone to take a shot at mastering the art of being a ninja. The result is a stealth experience of rare quality that ought to deeply please fans of the genre and that might even be able to pull some nonbelievers into its grasp.

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by Matt

Contra

One could say that eight stages are not enough; that its high difficulty, which surpasses the already elevated standards of the time, makes it nearly unpalatable for a modern audience; or that its gameplay is too simple compared to what some classics of the console pulled off. These are all valid arguments, but they simply highlight Contra’s nature as an arcade title that was ported to a home console; as such, those are not necessarily flaws, but features that were planned from the start. And the fact they exist as part and parcel of the package leads to the only verdict that could be reached given the game’s numerous qualities: Contra is not universally appealing, but to those who love products of its kind, it is hard to find a better experience on the NES as far as its niche is concerned.

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by Matt

Sports Story

As such, Sports Story is not disappointing simply due to how it is marred by multiple technical problems; the game fails to live up to what was expected of it because in bugs as well as in gameplay it comes off as an unfinished sequel to one of the Nintendo Switch’s best indie titles. If on one hand it provides an adventure that mixes questing with sports in clever engaging ways that top what its fantastic predecessor had achieved, on the other hand it massively fails in using the multiple activities it embraces to create exciting competitions that match those offered by Golf Story, hence essentially not properly exploring the mechanics it built. It is a weird duality whose causes are tough to explain, as they could have originated from a lack of manpower to materialize a bold concept, the failure to understand what made the prequel so incredible, or overblown expectations. Regardless of the reason, however, Sports Story is a very mixed bag that will remain a decent but very flawed product even after most of its bugs have been sorted out.

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by Matt