The Top 40 NES Games Ever (Top 50 continued)

40. Donkey Kong Jr.

Donkey Lonk Jr screenshot where DK Jr is swinging from vine to vine in a desparate attempt to manhandle the malicious and murderous Mario monster

Who doesn't love swinging from vines while collecting bananas and avoiding little crocodile monsters? Oh yeah, and Mario is the villain! The vile dastardly villain!

39. Arkanoid

Arkanoid screenshot of the futuristic floating paddle paddling balls towards blocks and enemies

I <3 this game, and have in every incarnation of it I've played. So much better than that lame Pong thing people yap so much about (I'm kidding old timer, I know pong was awesome... for its time, just like you!).

38. Fester's Quest

Fester's Quest screenshot of creepy Uncle Fester cleaning up the mean steets of monsters and such

I think a lot of people probably hated this game. It was difficult, Fester was fat and ugly, etc. But I had a blast shooting through the stages with ol' Uncle Fester, upgrading his guns and such (where were those in the movies?).

37. Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2

Bubble Bobble 2 screenshot where our protagonist shoots so very many rainbows at monsters and crushes them with colorful beauty

Ahh, the “sequel” to Bubble Bobble... which really isn't like Bubble Bobble. Well, it's kind of a “gayer” version where instead of gently splashing your “enemies” in the face with bubbles, you ravage them with rainbows! I was wrong, there is nothing gay about that.

36. Tecmo Super Bowl

Techmo Super Bowl screenshot of your typical NES quality football field with its players and such bumbling around

The Madden of its era? Yes! The most entertaining football game on the console, unless you want to play that John Elway's football nonsense with the untackleable receivers in turbo mode (which I guess was a realistic simulation of the Elway era Broncos teams).

35. Spy Hunter

Cool Spy Hunter screenshot with the speedy car and its helicoptor friend watching from on high

This game reminds me a lot of my typical drive to work. You know, gunfire, oil slicks, being pursued by helicopters, being randomly picked up by truckers...

34. Galaga

Gradius screenshot with the space ship shooting the bugs just like in Ender's Game

I always imagine that I'm playing Ender's Game when I play this. Shooting down Buggers as they try and shoot me down. But as a kid I remember it for it's awesome bonus stages and the ability to conjoin your ship with one of your extra lives for twice the fire power (and... twice the damageable surface)

33. Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey screenshot of the fat hockey dude, the medium dude, and the skinny dude playing in the big Canada VS USA game to win ownership of Canada

I was never the biggest hockey game fan (I still have boring memories of Wayne Gretzky Hockey on the NES), but then I played Ice Hockey and it was actually fun! Mostly the fact that I could knock other players over as “the fat guy” or zip around them as the skinny one who kind of looks like Don Flamenco from Punch out.

32. Archon

Archon screenshot of the very chess-like board where wizards and dragons gather to do battle instead of pawns and bishops

This was one of those rare gems I discovered later in my life when I was kind of in a retro gaming phase (which I guess I'm still in!). It is kind of super unique, it's like playing... “Wizards' Chess” (does that exist?) only you get to play out the battles when your characters meet, combining strategy and raw action gaming talent. Sadly, I've not played this game against a human opponent (though I'd certainly win). Someone please play me?

31. Gradius

Gradius screenshot of this side scrolling shooter with its spaceship dodging enemy fire

The best shooter I had ever played up until that point. The weapons upgrades were amazing for the time, as was the level design. Way ahead of its time.

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