My NES Memories

Guess what, everyone? It's the end of January. Do you know what this whole last week is? That's right! Wintereenmas!

In honor of that, I've got a special video game article for you based on my memories of the classic Nintendo Entertainment System. These are basically my Top 20 most memorable games of the system that I have experienced. So, let's begin the list!


"Yoshi's Cookie" is one of the games released when the NES was starting to lose it's popularity. This is a unique puzzle game, and it's also pretty fun to play. Mixing and matching cookies just to get rid of them. Sounds easy, but it's not. Mario and Yoshi are the only Mario characters who appear in this game, and you gotta love those funny cartoons that occur every so often in the game.


This is a classic game. It may be plain and simple, but it's got cool graphics, awesome sound, and it's really fun to play. "Balloon Fight" deserves a spot on my list!


This game ranks up as one of the most classic games on the NES. Some say "Kid Icarus" is a hard game, but I don't think it is. In fact, I find a lot of things this game is ripping off, and there are a lot of games after this that ripped it off (half-sarcasm). Not to mention the character in this game is named "Pit", which is probably the worst name ever made for a video game character. Beside those flaws, "Kid Icarus" has classic sounds and graphics, making it a worthy list marker.


I'm not really into sports games, but this one's pretty tight. You get to pick what baseball team you can play as, the sounds are classic, the uniforms the players wear are cool, and this game can teach all you need to know about baseball. I'm so glad they made a remake of this game on the Gamecube! (I'm talking about "Mario Baseball")


Yoshi's first mark on the NES took puzzle gaming to a different level. While the game can get boring at times, it's still addicting. Two-player mode is the best way to play this game, as it's the only way Luigi can get a chance to ride Yoshi!


When I was a kid, I thought Darkwing Duck was one of the coolest characters ever. When I saw a Darkwing Duck video game on display, I flipped out, and I had to have it! Capcom's game based on the terror that flaps in the night, is just astonishing. The controls are responsive, you get to battle all your favorite villains from the cartoon (...well, except for Nega Duck), you get equipped with various types of gas, and you can deflect projectiles with your cape! This game is bad ass!


I thought this game was so fun, I rented it four times! "Felix the Cat" has something that'll leave you on the edge of your seat. How cool do you think it'll be to be a cat either on land, on water, under water, or in the sky, while upgrading your weapons and modes of transportation all the time? The graphics may be a little odd, but "Felix the Cat" is always a fun game to play.


"Rad Racer" is one of the earliest racing games I recall ever being made. Even if you suck at the game, it's still fun to play, and the lack of music is just all the reason to make it more classic. And, of course, how can you not remember radicalizing the game by playing it in 3D!


I know what a lot of you are thinking: "This game does not belong on this list." Well, it does, because this is my list, not yours! "MC Kids" is a really fun game, and to get used to it, you have to play it several times. The game is pretty challenging, and I've played it tons of times, and I've figured out all the secrets in the entire game. The graphics may be corny, but they're funny. The sound may be corny, but the music is pretty unique for a game on the NES. I know the Angry Video Game Nerd has reviewed this game, but as he said, it's not one of the worst games ever made; there were definately much worse games ("Hotel Mario" anyone?). I consider this game to be one of my guilty pleasures.


Ah, yes! Sweet memories coming back to me all the time! Sound and graphics, like any other NES game, are 100% classic. Even though the map of Disneyland is screwed up, the attractions you go on look nothing like the Disneyland attractions, and the game can sometimes be hard as hell, it's still a good game. There aren't as many games where you can actually create your own name for the character you're playing. What other game can you hear Mickey Mouse say something like: "Hey, Stupid!"?


Ah, yes, another fun game by Capcom for the Nintendo based on an awesome Disney animated series. I remember playing this game with my brother at an arcade that was set up next to Videopolis at Disneyland during Disney Afternoon Days! It was so cool! Throwing blocks and apples at bad guys, multi-player action, good stuff. The only problem with this game is that the controls are so stiff, and it's so easy to die in this game. Regardless, if you're a Nintendo kid of the 80's, and you had a brother or a close friend who had the same interests as you, then this is a kick ass game!


Yet another puzzle game. "Dr. Mario" is a much different game then most other Mario games. In this game, it's your job as Mario to get rid of nasty viruses living in some glass jar. The music in this game rocks; the Fever theme is probably one of the best video game musics ever.


One of the most underrated games of all time, and IMHO, one of the best strategy games of all time. At first, it may seem frustrating, but once you get the hang of it, it's fun. The music is classic for NES as well (even though every single level uses the exact same music). The only thing I don't like is the one-hit-and-your-dead feature. This game's so confusing they actually have a suicide button on the controller! (SELECT)


Here's another game that defines the word "classic". "Tetris" set the standards for puzzle-gaming. Not only is it the most recognized puzzle game of all time, but it's also one of the best video games of all time. I didn't understand it at first, but now I do, and now, I can't get enough of this game! This game is one of the reasons I praise the Russians.


One of the first games I ever played on the NES, and looking back at this game always reminds me of how awesome the classics can be. Like any other NES game, the graphics and sound on this game will really take you back. It was an awesome cartoon, and it was also an awesome game. Even though this game is short and simple, it's the amount of fun you have that matters. "Duck Tales" just does justice.


Here's yet another memorable classic and probably the most referred to game when people think of the Nintendo Zapper. There's really not much to this game other than just shooting ducks out of the sky. Regardless, what this game does is define the word "classic". This game comes along with "Super Mario Bros." on some cartridges, and that's how I got introduced to it. The main thing that gamers have been hating about this game is that annoying dog who laughs at you every time you lose a duck!


Being a big fan of the Kirby games, this game had to make my list. Although, "Kirby's Adventure" is the only Kirby game on the NES, it is also one of the best Kirby games ever. This game introduced Kirby's ability to copy attacks, and heck, this game is so big and jam-packed with levels, you'll be playing this game for hours!


You think I'd leave this game off my list? "The Legend of Zelda" was the very first game that featured a save game feature (at least it's the earliest I can think of), and it's undeniably a classic as well as one of the biggest video game franchises of all time. You'll definately spend hours playing this classic and awesome game, but eventually, you'll find out that the later Zelda games are a lot easier than this game.


Most people think that "Mega Man 2" is the best game in the original Mega Man series, but not me; I think "Mega Man 3" tops them all. The graphics in this game are more unique than the other Mega Man games on the NES, all the coolest robot masters are in this particular game, and the music is just unbelievable! This game introduced Protoman, Rush, and Mega Man's sliding ability, so it set a lot of standards on how the franchise should be; the only thing missing is the mega buster, which would come out in the next game. Overall, I will remember "Mega Man 3" for the rest of my life!


I couldn't decide which one of these games was the best, I had to make it a three-way tie! The original "Super Mario Bros." is the most classic and most influential video game of all time, and just about everything you like about Mario can be found on this game. "Super Mario Bros. 2", sure, it may be a hack of "Doki Doki Panic", but it's still classic and really fun to play. Besides, if it weren't for this game, we never would have had certain characters who are important to the Mario franchise. "Super Mario Bros. 3" went back to the old roots of Mario, but it is unbelievable! The third game is huge with tons of levels, awesome power-ups, awesome graphics, classic sounds, and it all comes packed into one cartridge. There should have been a save feature on this game, it's so big! Thus, making Mario worthy of being #1 on my list.

Well, that concludes my list. Yeah, I know what a lot of you are thinking right now: "WHERE THE HELL IS METROID?" or "HOW CAN YOU LEAVE OUT CONTRA?" Hate to burst your bubble, but I don't have those games; I've never played Metroid, so I can't really put it on my list, and Contra I've only been able to play on the Power Player, and it sucks to play it without the famous Contra Code. Everybody has their favorite NES games because there are hundreds of classic games, and everyone's list will be different. I wouldn't be surprised if someone made a Top 50 list or even a Top 100 list of NES games!

Well, I guess that's all I gotta say. I hope you all liked this list, and I hope it turned out good for the most part. Happy Wintereenmas, everyone!