Top 25 Video Games Lists v2.0: Cable's NES Nostalgia 15 & 2 (starts pg32)

[Dr. DTVT]

18.  Battletoads



NES

several on different systems

Few games are renowned for their difficulty, and if you ask any NES aficionados about  this game, their first comment is usually "Yeah, that game is brutally hard."  What sometime gets lost in this attempt to cash in with a TMNT knockoff is that the game was not repetitive and was meant to not just be a fun game, but a fun experience.  The animations of the big fist, big boot, ram horns, and other growing parts when applying big hits made the game fun to watch as well.  There variety of stages: side scrolling and walking, from the point of view of the boss, rappelling down a hole, riding high speed scooters, riding dragons, surfing, climbing towers, riding snakes, flying rockets, crazy wheels, and that fucking last stage.  Don't watch a run through and think this game is easy.  It will fuck you up worse than Mike Tyson on roid rage after you kill one of his pigeons.

[Cable]

 

This game is the number two hardest game I beat on the NES (used warps and NES Advantage), thus far. At least top six in NES difficulty, and three of one franchise make up three of those spots IMO. This game is definitely above Mike/white Tyson in challenge. It's just a sustained will-crusher, and the game somewhat gets harder as you go. Anyone else get past here?







Co-op speed run you say? Incredible = https://youtu.be/pvnsZeDQ8GE?t=16m10s

The only flaw in this game is the arcade style fun is dropped after two and a quarter of the stages. Battletoads & Double Dragon did the beat em' up thing for the whole game. So I'm glad they made the "sequel" more accessible.

[Dr. DTVT]

Call me jelly because I'm on a roll...

17.  Shadowrun



Sega Genesis

There was also a SNES game that was different, but by almost all accounts the Genesis version is vastly superior

Shadowrun is a venerable RPG franchise that I loved when I was a teenager.  Video game version of it?  Awesomesauce.

In the Shadowrun universe, in the future huge corporations basically run the world as shadowy entities, mutated humans such as orcs, trolls, dwarves, and elves are around, magic has made a reappearance along with mythical creatures, cybernetic implants are common among people, which are used for armor implants, increased reflexes and senses, and getting online by jacking directly into the brain.  Players make money by taking on runs: jobs that range from package delivery (boring, but easy money), escorting business people, investigating paranormal activity, hacking corporate systems to retrieve data or crash their network, and even breaking into corporate buildings and police stations to steal items.  In the Genesis game, you do all this trying to track down who sent your brother on a run that was a set up.  While the game doesn't fall under the "damn hard" category, it was extremely fun due to the types of jobs you could take, particularly the high risk - high reward jobs.  The journey was what made the game special.  With three different types of characters, there was some replay ability, and to be honest I've played through the game at least ten times.

[ReaperKK]

My buddy had Battletoads growing up and it was a lot of fun but so challenging. I never beat the game but I had a great time trying.

[jingle.boy]

19.  No clue
18.  No clue
17.  No clue

[Phoenix87x]

19. No clue
18. Awesome, yet hard ass game
17. Awesome game, that I was definitely not old enough at the time to know what I was doing.

[Dr. DTVT]

16. Dungeon Explorer



Turbo Grafx-16

There is a sequel, never played it.  Dungeon Explorer is available on Wii Console (or at least was in the past), and is available for PS3 on the PSN

The gameplay most closely resembles Gauntlet, and even if some people call this an improved Gauntlet wanna be, that's the equivalent of saying Jerry Rice is an improved Paul Warfield wanna be.  In Dungeon Explorer, you chose a character who had an attack, a black magic spell, and a white magic spell, as well as four attributes (speed, attack, endurance, and wisdom).  The game could be played solo or with a party of up to five players, because the TG16 was really the pioneer of more than two player games.  The premise was simple, the King Natas wanted you to find the Ora Stone, and you had to navigate wilderness, dungeon, and castle fighting enemies and eventually bosses to progress in the game.  Like all TG16 games, the gameplay was pretty crisp and smooth.  Played solo, the game provided significant challenge in the late stages.  What made the game fun is that all players had a collective "extra guy" pool, which meant one bad player could sink you by eating up the extra guys.  A good party however could handle swarms of mobs.  Dungeon Explorer also had a great soundtrack for a game of that era, one I can still hear in my memory.  It's a game that has stayed with me since it has been available on Wii and PS3.  Come to think of it, I think Blazing Lazers might be as well.  It's worth checking out.

[Dr. DTVT]

I disagree CableX, I think the variety of stages made it more fun.  A straight beat-em up game would have gotten stale.  As for challenge, the game rewarded memorization of parts.  Some of those rocket stages or chase stages you just had to learn the path, and even after you knew it you had to execute it.

[Dr. DTVT]

15.  Super Metroid



Super Nintendo

More games in this franchise than the 8 or so I am aware of probably, only other one played was original Metroid for NES

This will be one of the hardest ones to write up because I never owned a SNES.  I really only got to play this game when a friend and I traded systems for a few months so he could play Shadowrun and I could play this.  The original Metroid was insanely hard without the Justin Bailey code.  In a lot of ways, Super Metroid was easier, but it was a lot more fun.  Aside from the enhancements that came with the improved software, there were more bosses, more weapons, and fewer insane "bomb climbing" areas than the original.  It had a more expansive area, and I remember the sound being impressive, including the spooky Metroid sounds.  This is the one game I would have liked to have played more, but it's single playthrough was enough to convince me to put it here over the original which I played a lot more.

[Phoenix87x]

Oh hell yeah, one of my favorite games ever made 

From the music, to the story, to the gameplay to the atmosphere and tone. Its all just incredible.

[Dr. DTVT]

14.  Ninja Gaiden



NES

NG2 for the NES was pretty good as well, NG3 was ok.  Resurrected on PS3, but never played Sigma series

Yup, here's another hard game.  But that's not the only reason this game made the list.  It featured a compelling story told by cut scenes and characters whose immediate intentions were not always known, a good sound track, and like any tough game, a nice sense of accomplishment.  A lot of what made this side scrolling classic so hard was the video game logic applied to being hit, especially midair.  Getting hit would knock you in the direction of what hit you, and that was often the difference between making the jump and falling into the abyss.  I've probably died more times like that than having my life depleted.  Something uncommon for NES games at the time, the game featured about 20 minutes of cutscenes that told the story.  I think the only game to do this previously was Golgo 13, which I also loved and was actually the last game cut from the initial 50.

[Cable]

Both of these were in my top 10. Outstanding games.

[black_biff_stadler]

Mace likes his games harder than virgin dick on prom night.

[Sacul]

Then maybe we'll see some Dark Souls

[Dr. DTVT]

13.  Crystalis



NES

There was a remake for Game Boy Color, but I never played it

Crystalis is an action RPG that takes place in a post-apocalyptic game that has you waking up from a cryogenic sleep to a world that has regressed technologically but magic has reappeared.  Throughout the game you acquire swords, orbs, and bracelets that correspond to the elements air, fire, water, and thunder, along with some other items and eight magic spells.  The game had an evolving story, a variety of locations, a simple level up system, lots of maze like caverns, and bosses that were written into the story, and not just put in to be a challenging fight every once in a while.  Probably the only negative is that after hours of hard work, you get about a 30 second ending.  Still didn't keep me from completing the game multiple times.

[Dr. DTVT]

12.  Witcher 3: Wild Hunt



I played PS4, but also on PC and XBox 1

The previous titles were on PC and XBox 360

Well, here is the current standard bearer for the eighth generation of consoles.  I had not played the previous games, and while they might help with the lore a bit, I found myself able to get into the story once I got past White Orchard.  The explorable land is expansive, and there are plenty of side quests to keep you distracted from completing your main quests.  The comparison that is usually made is to Skyrim due to the openness, and in some ways that's a fair assessment of the exploration facet of the game.  However, the combat is very different since the game takes place in 3rd person rather than first person, and therefore feels more arcade like.  The one area where Witcher 3 surpasses Skyrim in spades is in story telling, and that is mostly due to the fact that you are playing a specific character with a history, and not some nameless prisoner who makes a name for himself.  I have not delved into the expansion content, but much like Horizon: Zero Dawn I don't see myself making a second playthrough because the lack of character archetypes available.

[Dr. DTVT]

11.  Metal Gear Solid 2



PS2 is what I played it on, but it's elsewhere as well

Tons of games in series, two for NES, MGS1 on PS1, MGS3 on PS2, MGS4 on PS3, and MGS5 on PS4.  Other games as well on various PS systems

This might be one where I take some heat from my choice.  MGS3 came out when I started grad school and I just never got around to getting past the first boss.  I had MGS4, but a roommate sold it thinking it was his for some reason.  Anywho...

The Metal Gear games were always about silent infiltration.  Yes, you could shoot your way though, but that was never the intent of the game, and by the time MGS1 came out, it became easier to make a game that rewarded stealth over firepower.  The story of MGS1 was detailed, but rather straight forward.  MGS 2 was a mind fuck, and I loved it because it was.  I didn't mind playing the somewhat whiny Raiden, despite the "heresy" of replacing Snake, although I do admit that David Hayter might be my favorite voice actor in a game - he nails Snake to a T.  Let's start at the beginning.  The opening sequence at the time was jaw dropping (incoherent organic molecules aside  )  The story kind of plays out relatively straight forward until the very end, and then just goes completely off the rails, but in a good way.  For a game that came out in late 2001, the game makes some pretty good predictions about the digitized society we were starting to enter.  Towards the end of the game, epic, difficult boss battles were sandwiched between long conversations and cut scenes that pushed the story forward quickly and in an unexpected direction.  Right now, I would say I have a stronger desire to play this game than to go back and complete the ones I have missed on.  While some previous games had stories with scenes, this was the first game I recall playing to put so much focus on the story telling, which was refreshing since I cut my teeth on the 30 second "A Winner is You!" scenes of the NES.

[Dr. DTVT]

Recap:

25. Horizon: Zero Dawn
24. The Legend of Zelda
23. Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
22. Wing Commander 3: Heart of the Tiger
21. Asheron's Call
20. Warsong
19. Blazing Lazers
18. Battletoads
17. Shadowrun
16. Dungeon Explorer
15. Super Metroid
14. Ninja Gaiden
13. Crystalis
12. Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
11. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

What's left:
NES - 3
Turbo Grafx 16 - 1
Sega Genesis - 1
PS 2 - 1
PS 3 - 1
PC - 3

[jingle.boy]

Witcher 3 consumed me for about 10-12 hours per week from last Christmas to the end of March earlier this year.  It was my first PS4 experience.  I bought the Hearts of Stone expansion pack, which added about another 20 hours.  I never played any Gwent, but other than that, finished all the side-quests, and most of the mystery locations.

Brilliant game.

[black_biff_stadler]

Mace, I own three of the games on your list (Zelda, Super Metroid, and Witcher III) but haven't played any of them yet or any of them, period, for that matter. I'm really liking what I'm seeing though as a lot of it seems quite intriguing. Your no-frills approach to this list makes it easy to read whereas I sometimes might see a long post from a more detailed listkeeper's list and think "Fuck it. Ain't got time fuh dat shit. Gon hafta read it later." Somehow you've hit a sweet spot, though, since you still put enough info in each entry to make me wanna try the games out. You probably woulda made a good EGM or Gamepro writer when we were teens.

[Phoenix87x]

I also like this less is more approach. I think it gets the job done and Its quick and dirty, just he way I like it.

But anyway, metal gear solid 2 is an awesome game and The witcher 3 might be my favorite game of the generation. I've played loads of open world games in my time, but witcher 3 takes things to a whole new level.

[Cable]

13.  Crystalis



NES

There was a remake for Game Boy Color, but I never played it

Crystalis is an action RPG that takes place in a post-apocalyptic game that has you waking up from a cryogenic sleep to a world that has regressed technologically but magic has reappeared.  Throughout the game you acquire swords, orbs, and bracelets that correspond to the elements air, fire, water, and thunder, along with some other items and eight magic spells.  The game had an evolving story, a variety of locations, a simple level up system, lots of maze like caverns, and bosses that were written into the story, and not just put in to be a challenging fight every once in a while.  Probably the only negative is that after hours of hard work, you get about a 30 second ending.  Still didn't keep me from completing the game multiple times.

A+ for this one. A pretty solid story IMO, and better gameplay than any other Zelda type games- including Zelda1 itself. Clearly it wouldn't exist without Zelda, but such a great game that is underrated. Loved the Warrior Ring for rapid-fire level 1 sword attacks!

I agree about the ending, and also the final boss plus the sword Crystalis. Considering the game is named after the sword, only for it to be used on an easy boss is weak.

[Dr. DTVT]

Time to start the top 10:

10.  Phantasy Star IV



Sega Genesis

PS2 and PS3 were on the Genesis.  PS2 was strongly considered for this slot, and PS3 is merely a really good game.  I never played the original on the Master System

This was the finale, the game that brings the threads from the previous games together.  The gameplay was mostly typical for a fourth generation RPG, but the action was the smoothest, the story was well written and nuanced, and featured some new wrinkles like different characters combining actions to make a more powerful single action.  Much like the second and third games, you have a party consisting of a main character, a secondary lead who is more powerful but will ultimately be permanently killed before the midpoint of the game, and you collect better weapons and armor and learn new spells and techniques for combat.  PS4 didn't have some of the maddingly frustrating mazes that PS2 had, so in some ways it was easier.  The only complaint is that some time must be spent grinding for the sake of leveling up.  Still, one of best stories in a game from that era.

[Dr. DTVT]

9.  Baseball Stars



NES

There is a Baseball Stars 2 for NES.  Skip it and stick to the original

From a gameplay standpoint, Baseball Stars looks like and in many ways plays like RBI Baseball and other NES era baseball games that aren't Bases Loaded - which in it's own right is a great game.  What made Baseball Stars special were a few things - you made your own team, you could name your own players, players had attributes and also a maximum potential, your team earned money which could be used to improve your current players or hire new free agents, and you could play a round robin season in which the game kept track of stats.  I don't think there is another NES game that does any of those things let alone all of them - except Baseball Stars 2, but they took away naming players.  This was the game that brought the neighborhood together when it was raining and we couldn't play real baseball outside.

[Dr. DTVT]

8.  Mega Man 2



NES - port available on PS4 as a package of MM through MM6

Lots and lots of sequels

THE platformer to end all platforming games.  Think you know a better one?  WRONG.  This game is the peak.  They added more features in later games, but the only good one was the sliding.  Best bosses?  MM2.  Wily castle bosses at their best?  MM2.  Only game in series that isn't needlessly long or too short?  MM2.

Go to stage, kill robot master, gain master's weapon, rinse, repeat.  Awesome.  Haven't played this game yet?  Quit reading the thread and go do it.

[Mr. Beale]

Huh. I did not know there was a Shadowrun on Genesis. Crystalis and Phantasy Star IV are solid picks. Shame you never got into MGS 3 or 4!

[Dr. DTVT]

7.  Fallout 2



PC

Fallout was for PC, Fallout 3 and Vegas are solid PS3 games, and Fallout 4 is on the PS4

Yup, this is my favorite Fallout game.  Starting at Fallout 3, the role playing aspect was dialed down and traded in for action.  The newer ones aren't bad, but the they lacked the amazing humor of the first two.  The turn based combat made it more strategic and less reflexive.  This added to the challenge of the game, but this real draws of the game were the numerous decisions you made and the far reaching implications of those choices, the heaps of humor, and the great story.  Possibly the funniest thing I ever did in a game was in Fallout 2.  There is a town where kids stand outside every door in town and pickpocket you as you walk in doors.  There are a few ways to deal with this, but mine was one the game didn't necessarily condone or give as an option.  I left all my inventory in storage except for dynamite, and then I set the dynamite on a two minute timer and walked by a kid, who pickpocketed it from me.  One minute later, I had a doorway I could freely walk through and kid chunks littering the streets.  Grab more dynamite, rinse, and repeat.  There was also tons of scripted humor with tons of callbacks to the original Fallout as well as pop culture.

[Dr. DTVT]

6.  Grand Theft Auto 3



PS2 for me

older games on PC/PS1, Vice City & San Andreas PS2/XBox, GTA4 PS3/XBox360, GTA5 PS4/XBox1

I've actually played all the GTAs except San Andreas.  The first two on PC were fun, top-down games; but GTA 3 changed everything.  3D world, tons of characters, radio stations with music - and my favorite the talk stations, and a real story.  GTA 4 & 5 are getting too goofy with side quests where you bowl or do yoga...screw that.  Steal cars, fuck with the mob, get a tank, cause mayhem.  THAT is what GTA is about, GTA 3 took that formula from the first two games and upped the ante a hundred fold.  The only reason GTA3 gets the nod over Vice City is that it came first.

[black_biff_stadler]

GTA III was my intro to GTA and god did it make an impact. To this day I consider it one of the best party games ever despite being single player. Seriously, how many of y'all remember hangin with friends 15 years ago gettin shit-tanked on piss-tier swill and passing the controller around for hours playing this?

[ariich]

Gotta say Doc, I HATE the turn based combat in the first two Fallout games. It's so horribly clunky.

[Phoenix87x]

GTA 3 is one of the defining moments of my gaming life. I remember first time I loaded it up and my jaw just being on the floor, and right from there it was off to the races. I would wake up at 5am and play it before school. Think about it all day at school, immediately get home and play it all night long. This went on for months. I just could not get enough and was fully taken by it. Only one other game gave me that same feeling and that is FF VII.

The GTA sequels are cool and I enjoyed them too, but nothing ever game close to what GTA 3 originally did to me.

[jingle.boy]

Never played anything from the GTA franchise, and I have no interest to do so.

[ReaperKK]

Gotta say Doc, I HATE the turn based combat in the first two Fallout games. It's so horribly clunky.

This is how I feel, I wonder if there are some mods to change that because I would like to play the first two games.

[Kwyjibo]

Fallout 2 may be my favorite RPG, in fact it's the only RPG that I played through twice. There are so many possibilities, you have such freedom in chosing what to do, it's funny, it's exciting, it's just great.

[Cable]

I played GTA1, and primarily GTA: Vice City, although I bought VC in a combo pack with GTA3. GTA3 no doubt not only changed the formula of GTA3, but did just so much for the style of GTA. And as a result, changed pretty much all games. Landmark, groundbreaking game.