50. Arkanoid (Taito, 1986)
Another game known for its wacky plot, introducing a wireframe Moai head named "DOH" pulling Earth's space forces into a pocket dimension or some such nonsense. It's all a bit arbitrary, though, since this never comes into play until the final stage of the game; until then, it's all about smashing bricks with a ball and paddle in a game heavily inspired by Breakout. The gimmick that sets it apart, though, is its powerup system - broken bricks drop icons that enlarge your paddle's size, give you multiple balls to break bricks with, allow you to "catch" the ball and release it at a more favorable angle, and my favorite, the ability to shoot lasers from your paddle to break bricks and destroy enemies. The game even came packaged with a custom-made controller that featured an analog knob, which made the gameplay much more smooth than with a standard controller. It's a bit of a scarce collector's item these days, but if you can track one down, give it a go with this game. It will not disappoint!
48. Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Shima IV (Now Production, 1994 in Japan)
47. Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team (Rare, 1993)
One of the earliest video game crossovers I remember seeing, and at the time, it was certainly one to celebrate. One of the best beat-em-up franchises of the era alongside the ultra-tough action masterpiece Battletoads? I was definitely on-board as a fan of both. While the gameplay is primarily based on Battletoads, it puts a much heavier emphasis on its beat-em-up elements this time around, ensuring the gameplay is fast-paced, hard-hitting and consistently fun. Not to say that there are a shortage of obstacle course setpieces, of course, as you get a toned-down version of the Turbo Tunnel, a top-down shooter segment that feels like a cross between Asteroids and Solar Jetman, and some rappelling segments too. Just a fun and solidly-crafted game in general with no shortage of challenge; it's just a shame it came out so late in the system's life.
46. Bubble Bobble Part II (Taito, 1993)
45. Uninvited (ICOM, 1991)
Another game in the legendary "ICOM Trilogy" for the NES, and it's a good one alright. A horror-themed point and click adventure game that has you exploring a haunted mansion in search of your sister, it was also notable for featuring some surprisingly gruesome sights for an NES game. The animation is minimal at best, but the well-written narrative, atmospheric music and tense, dark story kept you engrossed throughout. It all makes me glad the point-and-click adventure genre is finally getting the revival it deserves in more modern times - younger gamers really were missing out on something special.
44. Castlevania (Konami, 1987)
Perhaps the most well known Konami franchise for its sheer prevalence, and it all began with this gem. Well, technically it began on the MSX with "Vampire Killer", but this is the one everybody remembers, largely because it was so damn impressive for its time. Heavily detailed graphics, an excellent soundtrack, and gameplay that walked the fine line between being a ton of fun and very challenging - perfectly timed attacks and movement were the order of the day here. Particularly because your hero's weapon was somewhat unwieldy compared to most video game weapons and there was a short delay between pressing the button and landing a hit. Still, it was all worth it just to say you persevered through the challenge and beat up horror icons like the creature from the black lagoon, Frankenstein's monster, the mummy, and even the grim reaper himself. Oh, and Dracula, of course.
43. Adventure Island II/III (Now Production, 1991/1992)
Adventure Island is one branch of the Wonder Boy series that spun off into its own series of games. While Adventure Island mostly stuck to platforming, Wonder Boy branched out into numerous other genres including side-scrolling shmups and action-RPG territory, and mostly appeared on Sega consoles and the Turbografx-16 while Adventure Island primarily appeared on Nintendo consoles. They're all quite good, but Adventure Island is a fun, fast-paced platformer series with colorful graphics and some creative gameplay elements. 2 introduced the ability to store and use powerups later on (a la Mario 3) and dinosaur buddies that can breathe fire, fly, tail whip and move faster underwater (not unlike Yoshi from Super Mario World). 3 didn't add a lot of new elements to the gameplay over 2, but it was still a lot of fun, so I'm certainly not complaining.
The first in a legendary NES trilogy, Ninja Gaiden quickly became as well-known for its high production budget and gripping storyline (a rarity at the time) as for its absurd difficulty - enemy patterns start off relatively manageable, but quickly become downright vicious, requiring spot-on execution with jumps, attacks and special weapons to even have a chance of seeing it through to the end. To say nothing of the final boss gauntlet, which also requires strict adherence to a pattern and punishes the player for death by sending them all the way back to the beginning of the stage. Still, those who could persevere found a game worthy of hanging with the best in the action genre even now, almost thirty years after its original release.
41. RC Pro Am 2 (Rare, 1992)
The original RC Pro Am was revered as a great racer at the time it came out, and rightfully so; it blended arcade-styled challenge with sharp graphics and the ever-present fun of blowing up your opponents with land mines and missiles to overtake the lead. Hell, it was practically an early predecessor to Nintendo's long-running Mario Kart franchise. RC Pro Am II managed to be even better, upping the challenge and visuals, adding in a four-player mode and introducing a more intuitive shop system for car upgrades, but sadly not many people noticed it as it came out well after the SNES had already debuted...