Real Talk By: The Wizard

If you’re looking to get back into playing Nintendo, then you surely remember the best games. Zelda, Contra, Super Mario, Mega Man, Punch-Out!! etc. Maybe you want to check out some games that were not the most popular, but good, or even better than the games you remember. Well here is a short list of some of the best games in my opinion, that deserve to be recognized:

NES (USA)

1. Faxanadu – This little title is an excellent action RPG! The title is actually a mixture of the name Famicom and Xanadu. Xanadu was a popular RPG in Japan, and Faxanadu is a spin-off of the series. If you like Zelda II, but hated the over-world, then you will probably love this game. It is so close to being my favorite game on the system. I can not say enough good things.

2. 8 Eyes – This could easily be considered a Castlevania clone, but it offers enough to be checked out. This is a hard game, look up a PDF manual online and save yourself some frustration. Because it will help you beat the bosses. This game revolves around the main character Orin, and his Hawk Cutris. The cool this about this game is Cutris is always with you, and you can send him out to attack and find secrets.

3. Contra Force – The lesser known Contra game. And it is excellent.

4. Crystalis – A fun game that plays similar to the first Legend of Zelda. But in many ways better. Mandatory pickup.

5. Gargoyle’s Quest II – Sequel to in my opinion the best original Game Boy game, and it does the original justice very well. This is a Final Fantasy style RPG, but with platformer battles.

6. The Battle of Olympus – This is still one of my all time favorite NES games. And it’s cheap! Again if you are a Zelda II fan you will probably like this one. It is another side scroll action RPG, with a greek theme. It can be incredibly hard at times. Man, do I love this game! And I just realized 2 of the games on my list involve boots than can make you fly. Faxanadu is the other one.

Famicom (JP)

1. Moon Crystal – Very impressive platformer.

2. Holy Diver – A kind of Castlevania-ish game, but is quite different. This game is amazing!

3. Summer Carnival 92′ Recca – A great shooter or SHMUP as some people call them. The Summer Carnival was an actual festival in Japan where new shooters were released exclusively for tournaments. And Recca is one of those games. Check out the Summer Carnival videos on youtube to see some hilarious Japanese 8 year old’s, complete with gaming gloves and bandannas ripping it up at the summer carnival.

4. Wai Wai World I & II – 2 different games, that you really need to check out videos of on youtube. These are parodies of many different Nintendo games featuring characters and levels you are sure to recognize.

5. Yume no Penguin Monogatari – Yes, this is a game about a penguin, and yes, it is awesome.

6. Splatterhouse Wanpaku Graffiti – You may have heard of the Sega Genesis Splatterhouse games. Well, there was one on the Famicom as well, though not as well-known. This one isn’t as gory as the Genny titles. It’s geared more toward all ages. But is still a worthwhile pickup.

7. Final Fantasy II & III – Final Fantasy II might just be the worst Final Fantasy game ever, but it is still one of the best NES games out there. Final Fantasy III, is one of the best Final Fantasy games hands down. Interestingly enough, a lot of people don’t know about these.

8. Doki Doki Panic – This is actually Super Mario 2. Really, Nintendo released Doki Doki Panic in the USA as Super Mario Bros. 2. They simply took out all the main characters, replaced them with Mario characters, and changed the bosses. Nintendo felt like the real Super Mario Bros. 2 was too hard to be released in America. So we got a hacked Doki Doki Panic. Both Doki Doki Panic, and the real Super Mario 2 were released for the Famicom Disk System in Japan.

9. Mr. Gimmick!! – Easily one of the most impressive titles on the NES. And it has the best sound, if you have a Japanese console that is, due to a special Yamaha chip in the game cart. You can pick reproductions up online, some even have the sound chip installed. This game has a very Mega Man feel, and is a mandatory pick-up. However, the original cart sells for hundreds. Many hundreds.

#NES @PlayLegit