Super Mario Bros.
Developer : Nintendo
Released : 1985
Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 platform video game internally developed by Nintendo R&D4 and published by Nintendo as a pseudo-sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. It was originally released in Japan for the Family Computer on September 13, 1985, and later that year for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America, Europe on May 15, 1987 and Australia in 1987. It is the first of the Super Mario series of games. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario and in a two-player game, a second player controls Mario’s brother Luigi as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist Bowser..
Play Now!
The Legend of Zelda
Developer : Nintendo
Released : 1986
The Legend of Zelda, subtitled The Hyrule Fantasy in its original Japanese release, is a 1986 action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo, released in North America in 1987 and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom in order to rescue Princess Zelda from the antagonist, Ganon. During the course of the game, the player sees Link from a top-down perspective and must navigate him through the overworld and several dungeons, defeating enemies and finding secrets along the way.
Play Now!
Super Mario Bros. 3
Developer : Nintendo
Released : 1988
Super Mario Bros. 3 is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. It is the fourth overall installment in the Super Mario Bros. series. It was first released in Japan on October 23, 1988 and later in North America on February 12, 1990. The game was developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development, led by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Enhanced remakes were later released on the Super NES in 1993 and the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The game has been re-released as a Virtual Console title for the Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U consoles.
Play Now!
Contra
Developer : Konami
Released : 1987
Contra, distributed as Gryzor in Europe and Oceania, is a 1987 run and gun action game developed and published by Konami originally released as a coin-operated arcade game on February 20, 1987. A home version was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988, along with ports for various computer formats, including the MSX2. The home versions were localized in the PAL region as Gryzor on the various computer formats and as Probotector on the NES, released later.
Play Now!
Castlevania
Developer : Konami
Released : 1986
Castlevania, known in Japan as Akumajou Dracula, is an action-platformer video game developed and published by Konami for the Family Computer Disk System video game console in Japan in September 1986. It was ported to cartridge format and released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System in May 1987 followed by a European release in 1988. The game takes place in the year 1691 where players control Simon Belmont who is tasked with defeating the vampire Dracula. It was re-released for the Family Computer in cartridge format in 1993.
Play Now!
Metroid
Developer : Nintendo
Released : 1987
Another epically popular franchise to this day, Nintendo's Metroid came to the United States in 1987 and immediately floored gamers not only with its slick presentation, interesting protagonist and open world, but from the fact that it was non-linear in nature. Developed on the same engine as Kid Icarus, and released around the same time, Metroid toned down the action-platforming found in Icarus and focused on exploration. And explore you did. Metroid proved to be one of the biggest and most daunting games early in the NES' lifecycle. Metroid was unique for so many reasons, among them the ability to explore at your own pace. All of the terrain was interconnected into one big map, an idea later expanded upon and matured by the SNES's Super Metroid.
Play Now!
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Developer : Nintendo
Released : 1987
Perhaps the one NES classic most on the minds of gamers in 2009 thanks to the recent release of its incredible Wii sequel/remake, Punch-Out!! is the original masterpiece boxing game that isn't really about boxing at all. The game simply used the convenient foundation of the sport to construct a deceptively deep, endlessly addictive gameplay design that's all about pattern recognition, fast reaction times and comically over-the-top cartoon personalities. Punch-Out!! put you in the rookie shoes of underweight title contender Little Mac and challenged you to duck, dodge, jab, hook and uppercut your way to success against one of the greatest rogues' galleries of ridiculous opponents ever assembled for any videogame, ever. The cast was so memorable and the experience so well defined that many elements were kept completely intact for the recent Wii re-imagining of the game – there's no improving on the perfection of King Hippo, Great Tiger or Glass Joe.
Play Now!
Mega Man 2
Developer : Capcom
Released : 1989
The sequel to the original Mega Man was quick on the heels of the first, with barely a year in between the release of the two titles in the United States. And what gamers found in Mega Man 2 was something seen in few games since – a title that was virtually flawless. Opening up the initial level of Robot Masters from six, as seen in the first game, to eight as seen in each subsequent Classic Series title, Mega Man 2 was also the only Classic Mega Man game to have a difficulty setting. Mega Man 2 is often glossed over as being too easy even on the "Hard" difficulty setting, but that doesn't take away from everything the game offered. It's bright, colorful aesthetic, awesome enemy designs, amazing music and incredible replay value are all storied parts of the game's history.
Play Now!
Excitebike
Developer : Nintendo
Released : 1985
If you've played and enjoyed ExciteTruck or ExciteBots: Trick Racing on your Wii, this is the original you have to thank for them. Excitebike was one of the 18 launch titles for the NES here in America, and distanced itself from the pack by offering truly addictive motocross gameplay. You sped through a scrolling track, weaving up and down into and out of four parallel lanes filled with obstacles, traps and humongous hills. You'd leap off the peaks in your path and go flying through the air, and have to adjust the angle of your descent in order to maintain your momentum and keep from crashing – and you'd also have to keep an eye on your engine's temperature gauge all the while, as overheating would cause lengthy cool-down delays that would likely keep you from claiming first place.
Play Now!
Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles II : The Arcade Game
Developer : Ultra Games
Released : 1990
To this day, this is still the only game that's ever shipped with a coupon for five bucks off an order at Pizza Hut printed on the back of its instruction manual. Greatest cross-promotion ever? The Ninja Turtles do love their pizza. TMNT II: The Arcade Game for the NES was an incredibly impressive 8-bit conversion of one of the most popular coin-op cabinets ever created – the original side-scrolling Turtles brawler from the early '90s arcade scene. The visuals weren't as vibrant and the animations weren't as fluid, but the gameplay was spot-on. It was so much fun to play that we didn't know many people who cared that it didn't look quite as good as its source material.
Play Now!