So very sorry for the delay. I know it's been like pulling teeth. Didn't expect the fall to be so busy for me. Anyway, one more post after this one, and it'll happen tomorrow night (about 24 hours from now).
HONORABLE MENTION
Contra (1987)While I'm not big into shooters usually, Contra is the main exception. The main reason is co-op multiplayer. Getting to play simultaneously with a buddy in the late '80s was almost unheard of. So laying waste to an army of bad-guys and aliens with my best friend has kind of become a gaming tradition in my house. I would say at least 2-3 a year we'll fire up the old NES and try our luck, sans-30-live-code. I think another reason we come back so often is both the very smooth gameplay and the difficulty towards the end of the game. While the last level isn't so bad, the two leading up to it are a nightmare, even after beating them a hundred times over. If you've never played this rapid-fire shooter, do yourself a favor and grab a buddy and an NES and have a blast. UUDDLRLRBA!
3. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987)While a strange departure from the original, and a black sheep under the Zelda name, Zelda II still makes for a very entertaining few hours for me. I think the reason I rank this game so high, aside from the actual quality of the game (it's an awesome game), is that growing up it was just so hard! I remember having so much trouble remembering how to get through most of the levels, to the point where I would get lost. The last level was a nightmare for me until college. Then, at some point, something clicked. I figured out how to kill the Thunderbird, how to destroy the bird knights without getting smoked myself, and figured out the best way of levelling up so that I'm as strong as I can be going into the last castle (or even before that). Now, I've almost perfected my run of this game. While I'll never be able to do it in record time (something like under 90 minutes or so, I think), I've been able to run through this game in about four hours. I wouldn't necessarily tell a Zelda fan to go out of their way for this game, especially if they've only played newer ones, but I would still recommend this game to anyone who likes a difficult, old-school platformer. While most people rave about A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time, I could rave all day about The Adventure of Link.
2. Mega Man X (1993)Absolutely, hands down, the best platformer game ever made. I really don't know what else is close. I know I just put Zelda II and the Mega Man Series in the top five of my list, but really, it's not even close. Mega Man X is light years ahead of every other platformer I've ever played. It's fast paced, it has secret weapons, upgradable armor, a difficulty that's just right. I mean, really it has it all. This game blew my mind when I first played it. Coming from a Mega Man background (and LOVING it), I couldn't believe how much better this game was. My favorite thing about this game is using the weapons. I don't really do that in the original series, but in this game it's just so fun! Using fire to mow down pretty much anything in my way, or charging up the Sting Ray to become invincible and run through your enemies. Or taking out Sigma's dog in one hit with the Hadouken! Man this game is fun. A small honorable mention to the rest of the series, too; although the big drop in quality after X4 kept them off the list, they're all pretty fun games. I would recommend the original, though, to anybody! It's available on Wii and Wii U Virtual Consoles! Get it!!