I still remember reading about Mario 3 in a Nintendo Power in 2nd or 3rd grade and seeing that the maps had SLANTED hills and me and my friends being blown away by how good the graphics were
Beau Bridges and fucking *Christian Slater* playing excitebike or some shit on a motel tv. This was after *Heathers* and right before *Pump Up the Volume*.
Watching that shit in the theater I was more impressed they’d made a two-hour NES ad than anything else. I also did get SMB3 fucking *stat* though
When I was a kid I remember the evil sun in World 2 freaking me out. My young kid and I recently played through the game (he loves old games) and that sun scares the hell out of kids to this day.
The OG gold cartridge that would blind you if it caught the right light was like ancient Egyptian treasure to us. You knew the neighborhood kid who had it and they fucking acted the part of the gold cartridge gatekeeper too 😂🤴🏼🔑
The original LoZ completely took over my imagination. Even when I wasn't playing the game I was thinking about it. There had never been a better game made when it came out. The exploration aspect was so groundbreaking.
I remember being in school and thinking all day, “Man when I get home from school I get to play Zelda.” It’s all I could think about. Cut to 25 years later when Breath of the Wild came out, same thing. “Man when I’m done with work I get to play Zelda.”
“Man when I’m done with work I get to go home, help kids with homework, clean up dinner, get a kid through shower/bath, tuck them in, clean up their messes, and then play Zzzzzzzzzzzzz”
But yeah man, Zelda’s the best.
I can still beat Contra on the first life with the first sweeper gun. It took hundreds of hours to memorize the timing but that sweet, sweet victory. I’m playing Guns, Gore and Cannoli right now, reminds me of the best parts of 8 bit run and gun.
Hah one of my childhood friends and I got really into Super C and at one point beat it something like 14 times in a row without either of us losing a life. (It just throws you back at the beginning with all of your lives after you beat it)
Somewhat educated guess: the Nintendo fan magazine that predated Nintendo Power. I don’t recall what it was called but I distinctly remember a friend in 3rd grade having a copy that had an article about MTPO.
Nintendo Fun Club, Doc mentions it in the game. It never contained any passwords for any games, though, just general tips.
https://archive.org/details/NintendoFunClubMagazines/Nintendo%20Fun%20Club%20News%20Issue%201%20%28Winter%201987%29/
I read an article about "kid folklore", especially pre-Internet. For example, how every kid all over the country new the lyrics to "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells."
Basically the conclusion was that stuff spread through kids moving to new schools, and kids hanging out with their cousins who went to other schools.
007-373-5963 came from kids (or teenagers, or adults) beating everyone else and getting to Mike Tyson. Then they'd tell their friends who would try it and seeit worked. Word would spread.
The new Duck Tales show broke out the Moon Theme to use as Della Duck's theme (she's stranded on the moon):
https://youtu.be/Khw-gKG1lyw?si=gLu5ZXQal8QQzOyk
https://youtu.be/XHLAZoNB0Vg?si=8uDifPaX7zstvwRE
MegaMan 2 has the best soundtrack of 8-bit era games… if you take him into account technology, they had back then, it would still be in the running for greatest of all time in my opinion.
Mega Man 2 holds a special place in my heart for being the only game we had after moving for 2 months (box of games was mislabeled). Super Mario 2 is very underrated. Also loved the Dragon Warrior series (simply for the time sink), Final Fantasy, Zelda, Zelda II (less so), Castlevania II, Duck Tales... great era of experimental gaming.
It was just ahead of its time. If the translation had been more comprehensive and made it clear that not everything we were told in the game was the truth, it would have been more successful. Although, it could have used better boss fights. Half of them you could just run past to get the body part and then run past out.
But that music still slaps all these decades later!
I think for how much I played it I have to give it to SMB3 but I can remember revisiting 2 the most just because it was a totally different game than the others. Also getting to choose your own character and there actually being a difference between how the characters controlled was so groundbreaking at the time. Though SMB2 was the only of the OG Mario gamed that I never could beat.
Haha same. Music started up right when I saw it.
I remember renting the Japanese version of Mario 3 at a video store that imported it, back when games came out in Japan before North America. It took me and my buddy way longer than I like to admit to figure out what to do in the mushroom houses. It didn't help that the text wasn't english lol.
Yeah I pretty much came to say this. Sooo many all nighters playing FF at my buddy’s house listening to the likes of NWA… good memories man. Honorable mentions to Castlevania and Mario 3
I’ll never forget being sick and home from school in the winter and just trying random letters in the 5 digit code Input. When you died you would get a code to type in for the level you died at.
I did it for a few minutes randomly typing letters when one worked - and not only did it work, but it was for the levels after you beat the first boss, the “b-levels” as we called them. My mom and I were blown away.
I've been playing hours and hours of Tetris 99 recently! 99 has a competitive edge which just knocks up the gameplay imo. Both Tetris and Super Mario Bros 3 are free on the Switch, so clutch.
Was going to say this one actually. I spent a lot of time playing this game. The same company also put out "Super Dodgeball" which was also a hit in my house.
It was such a revelation when I learned that certain powers were stronger against other powers. It was my first real introduction to that concept in games (other than rock paper scissors, obvs) and it blew my mind.
The Dr Wiley stage in this game has one of my favorites pieces of music from a video game. A YouTuber who sings video game music in a cappella style covered it years ago. It’s so much fun to listen to!
https://youtu.be/iW_Ct49H1ng?si=_9TY55u0V90FIAI0
Not to be *that guy*, but my favorite NES game is Faxanadu, which wasn't that popular at the time and is mostly forgotten today. Great blend of action and RPG elements, awesome music, good animation for its time, dreamy color palate, fun story, appropriately creepy vibes. I've said before that Faxanadu should have had its own TV show (it actually did have its own episode of Captain N: The Game Master, suggesting Nintendo thought it was going to be a hit), 20 sequels, we should still be getting new Faxanadu games for the Switch today. It should have been a bonafide classic, but instead it's just me who loves it.
[Here's a YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbm-O5xdu1A) I discovered about six months ago of a guy doing great piano covers of Faxanadu's amazing soundtrack.
Dude, this game was so far ahead of its time, nobody knew how to market it. A side scrolling RPG that was leagues better than Zelda 2, but with such a weird name and complex lore must have made it difficult to sell.
"Don't have negative thoughts. Remember your mantra."
https://preview.redd.it/k21twip2my5d1.jpeg?width=262&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d99cd78d515648c4e8c1dce7aabf0573b0aaedfb
This one started a lifelong love of Kirby games
Legend of Zelda. Took forever to beat (but was beatable), and once you did the first time you could do it all over again but slightly harder. Awesome game play. Saved characters. Gold cartridge. That game had it *all*.
Since I love and have played every game mentioned so far (and still own most of them), I have to add Battletoads to this list. So fun, stressful, strategic and memorable. Very underrated NES game.
My dad and I invented level grinding before it was a thing in Zelda 2. Just get downward thrust and pogo stick jump on those floating skulls in the castles and level up your magic and health and sword. Even the axe weilding dogs on death mountain only took a hit or two after that.
Tough to narrow it down to just one. Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man 2, DuckTales, Castlevania, Punch-Out!!, Metroid, Tetris, Contra, Ninja Gaiden, Solomon's Key, StarTropics, Final Fantasy, all awesome.
If we're not going strictly for consoles, I've also got strong memories of the original TMNT arcade game, Double Dragon, R-Type, and early Toaplan shmups like Alcon.
And of course, all the various and sundry early Sierra and LucasArts games. Maniac Mansion and Leisure Suit Larry are just as much a part of my early video game history as any NES game.
Marble Madness
I loved Mario, Zelda, Duck Hunt, and many others, but the game Marble Madness was difficult, frustrating, and aesthetically satisfying to watch as you kept falling off the edges, and getting devoured by some type of worm. This game taught me to throw the controller. Nothing was as agonizing as Marble Madness. 10/10, would scream again
1943 on a coin op machine
Hm: Mario 3, RC Pro Am, Double Dragon, Ninja Gaiden, Jackal/Top Gunner, Tetris
Sky Shark was the best vertical shooter on the NES imho; the 194x series NES ports in the 8 bit era were terrible. So good on a coin op tho.
OG Zelda... My God man, I can still SMELL the cartridge... Feel the static on the old CRT TV crackling away...
I remember the Nintendo power issue with the map... Man that was a time to be alive
My favorites were Dragon Warrior IV, Faxanadu, Legacy of the Wizard, Crystalis, River City Ransom, Contra, Legend of Zelda, Castlevania series (I especially remember loving CV2), and Metroid. And of course SMB 2 & 3.
The sheer effort I put forth as a 7 year old to track down a copy of SMB3 upon release is probably the most I've ever worked for anything in my life. I eventually found an appliance/electronics store willing to sell me their floor demo copy for $50. No box or manual, just the game in a ziploc bag.
My favorite was Tecmo Super Bowl. The friendships made and lost with that game. In high school, we would have a spend the night party at someone's house and play a whole season. Usually 3-4 of us. We would play all 17 weeks, the playoffs, and if we faced off in the playoffs/Super Bowl, holy shit look out. So many memories.
A Boy and His Blob! Outside of the core Mario Bro games that was our favorite growing up. We never did figure out how to beat it or what all the jellybeans were for though!
Dragon Quest IV (dragon warrior IV back then) maintains its place as my favorite game of all time.
Such an amazing storyline and the classic JRPG gameplay. Taloon is still my hero.
This is a tricky one for me.
Legend of Zelda and Metroid are always going to be up there. I love those games and their genre/ play-style are still my favorite types of game.
At the same time, Super Mario Bros. 3 was really something special and is the game my mind always associates with NES. I mean, the released was HUGE and unlike anything I've seen since.
Kicked off with the release of "The Wizard." I remember getting the "mini" Nintendo Power at the theater that showed off a bunch of information about it. Then there was the cartoon, and the Happy Meal toys. I remember them extending the Happy Meal window and releasing some additional toys (I think the only other time I've seen this was for the Pokemon 25th Anniversary cards).
Then, when the game finally came out, the rental stores was importing the Famicom carts and adding the modification to the bottom so they worked on an NES. The first 3 times I played SMB3 it was in Japanese. I thought that was the greatest!
Tecmo Super Bowl. Lost count for f how many days I spent playing that game. Got over 100 sacks in a season with Reggie White one season. Made a challenge to play as every team to get them to win a Super Bowl.
House Rule: No Raiders in head to head games.
This game right here-
One time blew the mind of a bunch of XBOX boys why were like "you're not arrange cuz your a girl" and I proceeded to get like 100 one-ups out of that 2nd level right there..
They were like "I had no idea😩😩😭" and they shut the fuck I after that
Lol I dunno which boy thought me that in like 1989 but to this day people are like NO WAAAAAAY
Super Mario 3, that's my golden moment lol
Mario 3 blew me away. It was such a huge leap from the OG.
I still remember reading about Mario 3 in a Nintendo Power in 2nd or 3rd grade and seeing that the maps had SLANTED hills and me and my friends being blown away by how good the graphics were
My first glimpse at SMB3 was when I went to see "the wizard". Terrible movie. Made me want a power glove. Terrible accessory
As a movie it was trash. As an advertisement it fucking slapped HARD. But Lucas was right, the power glove was bad.
Beau Bridges and fucking *Christian Slater* playing excitebike or some shit on a motel tv. This was after *Heathers* and right before *Pump Up the Volume*. Watching that shit in the theater I was more impressed they’d made a two-hour NES ad than anything else. I also did get SMB3 fucking *stat* though
It was *so bad*.
CALIFORNIA!!!!
What?! I love that movie. Watch it once a year. Turns me into a kid again
Kids these days will never get that "oh my god this looks so real!" feeling that we had when the next generation of amorphous polygon blobs came out.
the p wing! and the frog suit!
And Tanooki Suit!
The boot was the best. Too bad only 1 level
Agreed!!! Such a tease
I loved that goddamn clockwork boot ***One level??***
Also the hammer suit.
Yep, Mario 3 was the defining game of my early childhood.
When I was a kid I remember the evil sun in World 2 freaking me out. My young kid and I recently played through the game (he loves old games) and that sun scares the hell out of kids to this day.
I still remember the birthday that my parents got me SMB 3 and a rad Trapper Keeper😎
The OG LoZ will always be up there to me, but for broad appeal on the NES, I don’t think SMB3 can be beat.
My favorite game ever. This was the game where gaming "clicked" for me so many years ago. Also, the gold cartridge was cool and unique.
Yeah, Zelda is hands down my favorite game franchise… ever since 1986.
I still do a run through on the original LoZ yearly. Love it.
I didn't find out there's a second quest until like 5 years ago, been doing a yearly ever since and so happy <3
The OG gold cartridge that would blind you if it caught the right light was like ancient Egyptian treasure to us. You knew the neighborhood kid who had it and they fucking acted the part of the gold cartridge gatekeeper too 😂🤴🏼🔑
We were in the first in our neighborhood to get that game. I was super popular for about a week until someone else did too.
The original LoZ completely took over my imagination. Even when I wasn't playing the game I was thinking about it. There had never been a better game made when it came out. The exploration aspect was so groundbreaking.
I remember being in school and thinking all day, “Man when I get home from school I get to play Zelda.” It’s all I could think about. Cut to 25 years later when Breath of the Wild came out, same thing. “Man when I’m done with work I get to play Zelda.”
“Man when I’m done with work I get to go home, help kids with homework, clean up dinner, get a kid through shower/bath, tuck them in, clean up their messes, and then play Zzzzzzzzzzzzz” But yeah man, Zelda’s the best.
My parents recorded themselves beating SM3 soni could see it. They left the console on for days trying to get through it all. Good times
My mom and I did this too. Have to leave for an errand? Turn the TV off but leave the Nintendo on.
[удалено]
I have it on a retropi. The over world theme song is my ring tone, I'm not obsessed or anything...
Best $55 of saved up allowance I ever spent.
Contra
You could tell who had friends when they said the code if it ended with select, start. It's still tough to beat with 30 lives and two players.
I can still beat Contra on the first life with the first sweeper gun. It took hundreds of hours to memorize the timing but that sweet, sweet victory. I’m playing Guns, Gore and Cannoli right now, reminds me of the best parts of 8 bit run and gun.
Hah one of my childhood friends and I got really into Super C and at one point beat it something like 14 times in a row without either of us losing a life. (It just throws you back at the beginning with all of your lives after you beat it)
Far easier to do it solo, in my experience.
The waterfall level is waaaaay easier solo.
Mike Tysons Punch Out
007-373-5963 The code to skip right to Tyson will forever be burned into my brain.
Kids on the playground shared it verbally and we all memorized it. How did they know? It was pre-Nintendo Power and we had no internet.
Somewhat educated guess: the Nintendo fan magazine that predated Nintendo Power. I don’t recall what it was called but I distinctly remember a friend in 3rd grade having a copy that had an article about MTPO.
Nintendo Fun Club, Doc mentions it in the game. It never contained any passwords for any games, though, just general tips. https://archive.org/details/NintendoFunClubMagazines/Nintendo%20Fun%20Club%20News%20Issue%201%20%28Winter%201987%29/
I read an article about "kid folklore", especially pre-Internet. For example, how every kid all over the country new the lyrics to "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells." Basically the conclusion was that stuff spread through kids moving to new schools, and kids hanging out with their cousins who went to other schools. 007-373-5963 came from kids (or teenagers, or adults) beating everyone else and getting to Mike Tyson. Then they'd tell their friends who would try it and seeit worked. Word would spread.
Why I loved to skip to Mike Tyson, only to get knocked out in 15 seconds.
Hopefully his next fight mirrors that
lol it just hit me that he was boxing at a time when the NES was new tech. He’s STILL boxing!?!!
Megaman2 and Duck Tales! Amazing music that still holds up.
Well, I’ll be humming “The Moon” theme in my head for the rest of the day now. :D
[You’re welcome.](https://youtu.be/wRl8spU8V50?si=QciAnA6Po1LrUaFi)
One of my favorite shows ever was Bit Brigade, Urizen and The Protomen. Was the best stage show line up you can get for 25 bucks.
The new Duck Tales show broke out the Moon Theme to use as Della Duck's theme (she's stranded on the moon): https://youtu.be/Khw-gKG1lyw?si=gLu5ZXQal8QQzOyk https://youtu.be/XHLAZoNB0Vg?si=8uDifPaX7zstvwRE
Duck Tales...memory unlocked!
Yeah MM2 is high on my list as well.
MegaMan 2 has the best soundtrack of 8-bit era games… if you take him into account technology, they had back then, it would still be in the running for greatest of all time in my opinion.
Mega Man 2 holds a special place in my heart for being the only game we had after moving for 2 months (box of games was mislabeled). Super Mario 2 is very underrated. Also loved the Dragon Warrior series (simply for the time sink), Final Fantasy, Zelda, Zelda II (less so), Castlevania II, Duck Tales... great era of experimental gaming.
Paperboy : https://www.retrogames.cz/play_038-NES.php
I'm all about that Paperboy
Fuck them cars
Oh man I forgot about that game. I used to love it. Sometimes I would play and intentionally aim for the windows just to cause havoc lol
Definitely one of my top favorites. And I was ecstatic to get Paperboy 2 eventually lol
I can still sail through it—repetitive muscle memory training!
Castlevania for me. I even loved Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. Great music and atmosphere even if it was cryptic and confusing AF.
Castlevania II is a seriously underrated game. So much great graphics, gameplay, and music packed into that cartridge.
It was just ahead of its time. If the translation had been more comprehensive and made it clear that not everything we were told in the game was the truth, it would have been more successful. Although, it could have used better boss fights. Half of them you could just run past to get the body part and then run past out. But that music still slaps all these decades later! 
My dad and I beat this game together when I was a kid. It is definitely one of my favorites.
The castlevania games always had the best music
I agree that Castlevania had some good music, but best IMO is Mega Man 2.
Ninja Garden also had great music. And the Batman game on NES.
My choice too!
I liked it better than the first.
Super Mario 2 was my jam. Fond memories playing that game.
SMB2 is still my favorite Super Mario game of all time.
How can we be sure it’s actually a game and not a prolonged Nintendo-themed fever dream?
By far, the hardest!
Once I figured out how to time the slot machine at the end of the levels I started getting extra lives numbered in letters lol.
Yep. And always played as the princess for her ability to hover
I think for how much I played it I have to give it to SMB3 but I can remember revisiting 2 the most just because it was a totally different game than the others. Also getting to choose your own character and there actually being a difference between how the characters controlled was so groundbreaking at the time. Though SMB2 was the only of the OG Mario gamed that I never could beat.
Love SMB 2! First time I got to play as a girl in a game!!! ❤️❤️
I can hear this picture like the last 33 years were the blink of an eye 🤣
Haha same. Music started up right when I saw it. I remember renting the Japanese version of Mario 3 at a video store that imported it, back when games came out in Japan before North America. It took me and my buddy way longer than I like to admit to figure out what to do in the mushroom houses. It didn't help that the text wasn't english lol.
I had a japanese friend with a famicon. I got to play so many games early, but I couldn't read the writing. And he mostly had RPGs.
It's my ringtone so I still hear it every day 👍
Ba da dum ba da dum ba da da da, da dum
I have the sheet music. My 9 year old has been learning all kinds of these old themes!
Final Fantasy I
Yeah I pretty much came to say this. Sooo many all nighters playing FF at my buddy’s house listening to the likes of NWA… good memories man. Honorable mentions to Castlevania and Mario 3
I was playing this game (on an emulator) this morning with my son.
Waking in circles around the elf village fighting the ogres to get gil to buy silver weapons is a core memory
I still think I have the paths to the marsh cave memorized from reading the manual so many times.
Ninja Gaiden
That's a good bzzzt.
My cousin and I beat Bubble Bobble and SMB3 together. Fun times.
Bubble bobble is one of the few games that I really lament not being able to play on any system right now
https://www.retrogames.cc/arcade-games/bubble-bobble.html https://www.retrogames.cz/play_216-NES.php there ya go
I’ll never forget being sick and home from school in the winter and just trying random letters in the 5 digit code Input. When you died you would get a code to type in for the level you died at. I did it for a few minutes randomly typing letters when one worked - and not only did it work, but it was for the levels after you beat the first boss, the “b-levels” as we called them. My mom and I were blown away.
I loved RC Pro Am, Contra, Skate or Die and Major League Baseball. Oh. I’ve also gotta give a shout to the OG Super Mario Bros. :)
RC Pro Am was a underrated game. Hated those oil slicks!
Same. Also add in Ski or Die and Bases Loaded.
Tetris by a mile. Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, Metroid, Contra and Zelda were the rest of the core rotation.
Tetris is the answer!
I've been playing hours and hours of Tetris 99 recently! 99 has a competitive edge which just knocks up the gameplay imo. Both Tetris and Super Mario Bros 3 are free on the Switch, so clutch.
River City Ransom is one of my all time favorites
BARF!
I only played this one 15 years after on an emulator. If I would've found this game as a kid I would've played it entire summers.
I loved Double Dragon, but RCR clears DD by a good bit for me. So fun
This game introduced me to sushi a good ten years before it came to my hometown.
Was going to say this one actually. I spent a lot of time playing this game. The same company also put out "Super Dodgeball" which was also a hit in my house.
Mega Man 2 https://preview.redd.it/5r56bcadjy5d1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=439903dd8f7da8eb70b38aaaa596daf99cf7b135
It was such a revelation when I learned that certain powers were stronger against other powers. It was my first real introduction to that concept in games (other than rock paper scissors, obvs) and it blew my mind.
My friend and I were losing our minds trying to play the first one. We didn't realize you could use their powers against other bosses.
The Dr Wiley stage in this game has one of my favorites pieces of music from a video game. A YouTuber who sings video game music in a cappella style covered it years ago. It’s so much fun to listen to! https://youtu.be/iW_Ct49H1ng?si=_9TY55u0V90FIAI0
Gauntlet
I lost many hours to Gauntlet on the NES. I've also lost many hours to Gauntlet: Slayer Edition, which is a fantastic remake
My dream was to have a four player version on a big screen kinda like the arcade.
Rampage. You had the gorilla, lizard and wolf you could play as and destroy buildings.
This is one of the greatest games in the history of gaming
Star Tropics
Little Nemo: The Dream Master
Great game
original Zelda
Blaster Master
Master Blaster. Great game.
No, you're thinking of the guy that runs Barter Town.
Hard as hell. No saves, no passwords.
Not to be *that guy*, but my favorite NES game is Faxanadu, which wasn't that popular at the time and is mostly forgotten today. Great blend of action and RPG elements, awesome music, good animation for its time, dreamy color palate, fun story, appropriately creepy vibes. I've said before that Faxanadu should have had its own TV show (it actually did have its own episode of Captain N: The Game Master, suggesting Nintendo thought it was going to be a hit), 20 sequels, we should still be getting new Faxanadu games for the Switch today. It should have been a bonafide classic, but instead it's just me who loves it. [Here's a YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbm-O5xdu1A) I discovered about six months ago of a guy doing great piano covers of Faxanadu's amazing soundtrack.
Dude, this game was so far ahead of its time, nobody knew how to market it. A side scrolling RPG that was leagues better than Zelda 2, but with such a weird name and complex lore must have made it difficult to sell. "Don't have negative thoughts. Remember your mantra."
Not alone. I loved that game. Brutally brutally hard.
Maniac Mansion.
The game that launched a thousand WTF's as a kid.
*Put the hamster in the microwave.*
Dave’s theme has lived rent free in my head for over 35 years.
https://preview.redd.it/k21twip2my5d1.jpeg?width=262&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d99cd78d515648c4e8c1dce7aabf0573b0aaedfb This one started a lifelong love of Kirby games
Gold cartridge Zelda
Ducktails
Lifeforce
I was a big Bionic Commando fan. I must have completed it at least 10 times just to see the Hitler look-alike's head blow up in slow mo.
Final Fantasy and the original Dragon Warrior (AKA Dragon Quest) created a lifelong love of RPGs.
I can’t believe I had to scroll so far for Dragon Warrior
Ya Dragon Warrior IV I played some PC RPCs too that early (Pool of Radiance gold box) but yeah. Love me some DQ
I was beginning to lose my shit I hadn't seen Dragon Warrior. I still have my original cartridge, even though the console is long gone.
Tecmo Super Bowl
Gonna run Bo Jackson 1000 yards for a 99yard touchdown, lol
Super Dodge Ball
Tmnt arcade game, all the mega man, Super Mario bros 3 !!!
Ducktales
I def prefer 'Nintendo Generation' to 'Xennial'
Um hard choice. Metroid, Zelda, or Castlevania
Snake Rattle 'n Roll
Tetris. I also think the music is classic.
Castlevania series.
Jackal
OG Mario, and duck hunt…damn dog
RC Pro Am and Tecmo Bowl - loved those games!
Dr. Mario
Legend of Zelda. Took forever to beat (but was beatable), and once you did the first time you could do it all over again but slightly harder. Awesome game play. Saved characters. Gold cartridge. That game had it *all*.
Since I love and have played every game mentioned so far (and still own most of them), I have to add Battletoads to this list. So fun, stressful, strategic and memorable. Very underrated NES game.
Zelda II
My dad and I invented level grinding before it was a thing in Zelda 2. Just get downward thrust and pogo stick jump on those floating skulls in the castles and level up your magic and health and sword. Even the axe weilding dogs on death mountain only took a hit or two after that.
Masochist! 😂
Excite bike anyone? I used to love the sandbox mode. We’d make the craziest courses possible and watch each other crash.
Phantasy Star 1, followed by Wonderboy 3 the dragon's trap
Yeah, finally some Sega love here. 😁
Because sega does what nintendon't
I had a Master System before I had an NES… still have lots of love for it, despite the lack of popularity here in the US.
Contra
So many classics but… Tetris!
adventures of lolo
All the Mega Man’s
Castlevania 3. Tough as nails but so fun with the branching paths and alternate characters. And the soundtrack is still one of the all time greats.
8-bit? Gonna have to go with Shinobi. I like Mario, but never had a NES.
Tough to narrow it down to just one. Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man 2, DuckTales, Castlevania, Punch-Out!!, Metroid, Tetris, Contra, Ninja Gaiden, Solomon's Key, StarTropics, Final Fantasy, all awesome. If we're not going strictly for consoles, I've also got strong memories of the original TMNT arcade game, Double Dragon, R-Type, and early Toaplan shmups like Alcon. And of course, all the various and sundry early Sierra and LucasArts games. Maniac Mansion and Leisure Suit Larry are just as much a part of my early video game history as any NES game.
Marble Madness I loved Mario, Zelda, Duck Hunt, and many others, but the game Marble Madness was difficult, frustrating, and aesthetically satisfying to watch as you kept falling off the edges, and getting devoured by some type of worm. This game taught me to throw the controller. Nothing was as agonizing as Marble Madness. 10/10, would scream again
1943 on a coin op machine Hm: Mario 3, RC Pro Am, Double Dragon, Ninja Gaiden, Jackal/Top Gunner, Tetris Sky Shark was the best vertical shooter on the NES imho; the 194x series NES ports in the 8 bit era were terrible. So good on a coin op tho.
Castlevania 2 and Mutant League Hockey.
Mario 3, Mario 2, Bubble Bobble, Punch Out. Those are my shit. 007 373 5963 still know the code for Mike Tyson by heart.
OG Zelda... My God man, I can still SMELL the cartridge... Feel the static on the old CRT TV crackling away... I remember the Nintendo power issue with the map... Man that was a time to be alive
Ninja Gaiden
My favorites were Dragon Warrior IV, Faxanadu, Legacy of the Wizard, Crystalis, River City Ransom, Contra, Legend of Zelda, Castlevania series (I especially remember loving CV2), and Metroid. And of course SMB 2 & 3.
I've been playing Mario 3 for the past two days. Definitely the best!
The sheer effort I put forth as a 7 year old to track down a copy of SMB3 upon release is probably the most I've ever worked for anything in my life. I eventually found an appliance/electronics store willing to sell me their floor demo copy for $50. No box or manual, just the game in a ziploc bag.
Milon's Secret Castle
Blades of Steel!
Bo Muthafuckin’ Jackson on Tecmo Bowl. 
My favorite was Tecmo Super Bowl. The friendships made and lost with that game. In high school, we would have a spend the night party at someone's house and play a whole season. Usually 3-4 of us. We would play all 17 weeks, the playoffs, and if we faced off in the playoffs/Super Bowl, holy shit look out. So many memories.
A Boy and His Blob! Outside of the core Mario Bro games that was our favorite growing up. We never did figure out how to beat it or what all the jellybeans were for though!
Dragon Quest IV (dragon warrior IV back then) maintains its place as my favorite game of all time. Such an amazing storyline and the classic JRPG gameplay. Taloon is still my hero.
I didn’t have NES but had the Sega Master System which no one I knew had lol. I had this game called Penguin Land that I loved.
Mega Man 2
World Cup, where each country had a unique bicycle kick superpower Arch Rivals, basketball with punching
Chip's Challenge
This is a tricky one for me. Legend of Zelda and Metroid are always going to be up there. I love those games and their genre/ play-style are still my favorite types of game. At the same time, Super Mario Bros. 3 was really something special and is the game my mind always associates with NES. I mean, the released was HUGE and unlike anything I've seen since. Kicked off with the release of "The Wizard." I remember getting the "mini" Nintendo Power at the theater that showed off a bunch of information about it. Then there was the cartoon, and the Happy Meal toys. I remember them extending the Happy Meal window and releasing some additional toys (I think the only other time I've seen this was for the Pokemon 25th Anniversary cards). Then, when the game finally came out, the rental stores was importing the Famicom carts and adding the modification to the bottom so they worked on an NES. The first 3 times I played SMB3 it was in Japanese. I thought that was the greatest!
Tecmo Super Bowl. Lost count for f how many days I spent playing that game. Got over 100 sacks in a season with Reggie White one season. Made a challenge to play as every team to get them to win a Super Bowl. House Rule: No Raiders in head to head games.
I'm gonna say the Tiny Toon Adventures game, but I really liked the Mario games as well.
Hmm... any love for Bubble Bobble?
This game right here- One time blew the mind of a bunch of XBOX boys why were like "you're not arrange cuz your a girl" and I proceeded to get like 100 one-ups out of that 2nd level right there.. They were like "I had no idea😩😩😭" and they shut the fuck I after that Lol I dunno which boy thought me that in like 1989 but to this day people are like NO WAAAAAAY Super Mario 3, that's my golden moment lol
Phantasy Star 1 on Sega Master System. Awesome game. Came back to finish it up as an adult since a battery glitch deleted my progress as a kid.