Top 85 NES Games, #70-61

70. The Goonies II (Konami, 1987)

Goonies II is a strange case in many ways.  While there was a game based on the Goonies, it actually never got a home release outside of Japan, only appearing in the west on the Playchoice-10 and VS system cabinets in the arcades.  Then, as if that wasn't odd enough, Konami decided to produce a sequel to it even though there wasn't a sequel to the movie.  It changed up the format quite a bit, taking cues from games like Metroid; you explore a very large environment, uncovering clues, finding upgrades for your character, and eventually rescuing all of the Goonies from captivity.  Even at this early stage, though, Konami definitely showed off the quality in their games with some detailed visuals, smooth animations and a quite good soundtrack (including a rendition of Cyndi Lauper's "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough").  It may not have had a corresponding film, but Goonies II was a classic game just on its own merits.

69. Double Dragon (Technos, 1988)

Definitely one of the most popular beat-em-up franchises of the 80s, Double Dragon was nothing short of an institution  at the time.  It had several sequels and home ports to just about every platform imaginable, a live action movie and even a cartoon series.  Probably the most well-known and successful port of the time was the NES version, which was a very different beast from the arcade (and pretty much every other home port, for that matter).  Much different levels and a unique leveling system tied to unlocking new moves made it a distinct experience, as did a two-player versus mode well before the age of Street Fighter II.  It was also notoriously buggy and lacked a two-player mode owning to the developers' inexperience with the hardware, but that didn't hamper its enjoyment factor at all.  A great and unique version of a classic.

68. 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!

67. Monster Party (Human Entertainment, 1989)

Monster Party probably isn't remembered by most as one of the best-playing games on the NES, but it is certainly one of the most memorable.  This is in no small part due to featuring some surprisingly gruesome imagery, including even some blood and gore, as well as some of the most creative and outlandish bosses seen in any NES game.  From a bubble-spitting pitcher plant to a transparent mummy to a cat that throws smaller cats to a giant bouncing onion ring, Monster Party has panache and weirdness to spare, as well as giving the player clever means to fight them; either transforming into a winged gargoyle-like creature to launch fireballs or utilizing a short-ranged baseball bat to deflect their own projectiles back at them.  One of those games that still stands out today just based on the merits of the imagination employed in its design.

Fun fact: An unreleased Japanese prototype of the game reveals that many of the bosses within are actually parodies of famous films, from Planet of the Apes to Alien to Gremlins to The Thing.  Unsurprisingly, most of these were changed in the US version because of copyright concerns.

66. Batman: Return of the Joker (Sunsoft, 1991)

Sunsoft's Batman was a big hit and regarded as one of the best movie tie-in games.  They still had the license in 1991 but there was no movie to tie it into, but they just said "to hell with it" and made a sequel anyway.  The end result was Return of the Joker, which was a very different game than the first - whereas the original had a focus on platforming action, this is more of a run-and-gun experience, having you defeat enemies with an arm-mounted gun that has several different firing modes (and a special super mode that fires rapid shots and grants temporary invincibility).  It was also one of the best looking NES games ever made with fluid animation and enormous sprites; at a glance you could easily mistake it for a SNES or Genesis title.  It definitely hits Sunsoft's bar for high difficulty though, as you have to be absolutely spot-on with the controls and physics to make it through the stages.

65. Fire N' Ice (Tecmo, 1993)

A late-comer to the NES scene, which of course means it fetches insanely high prices on the secondary market these days.  It's also the sequel to Solomon's Key, though for whatever reason they decided to downplay this fact when they localized it.  The fact that they don't really play much alike may have been a factor, though - while the original was an actiony puzzle-platformer where you tried to uncover secrets, capture fairies and avoid hazards on your way to the exit, this is more of a straight puzzle game, having you create icy surfaces (though only in diagonal spaces below you) and extinguish all the fires in the level by pushing ice blocks into them or dropping them on top.  There are also 'boss stages' of sorts with mechanics like scrolling screens or moving fires that require some extra strategy to extinguish.  A fun little puzzle game with some deceptively deep mechanics.

64. GI Joe: A Real American Hero (KID, 1991)

The first of the two NES GI Joe games, and it was a fine representation of the franchise, letting you pick a team of three characters as you completed various missions.  Mostly in the form of side-scrolling platforming stages and boss fights with the franchise's iconic villains, but throughout you'd also have to infiltrate bases and plant bombs, then defeat the boss and make your escape before they detonated, which was quite cool to see.  Each team member also had different abilities - Snake Eyes could jump the highest and had relatively long melee range with his sword, Duke and Gridiron are relatively well balanced, while Rock&Roll has overall low stats but the most powerful weapon in the game when fully powered up.  The final stage also lets you take control of General Hawk, who flies around with a jetpack, adding another layer of fun.  A solid, well-made game that for some reason never got much attention.

63. Bubble Bobble Part II (Taito, 1993)

Not to be confused with the relatively common "Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble II", Bubble Bobble Part 2 is one of the infamous "Taito Four", a set of four Taito-published games that were released late in the NES' lifespan in extremely limited quantities, and as a result now command outrageous prices online; it's not uncommon to see each one selling for upwards of $200. A shame in this one's case, as it's an update of Bubble Bobble with improved visuals and music and the same addictive gameplay qualities that made the original a hit. There are even boss battles added in every twenty stages and minigames that can be played to earn extra lives, giving it a slight Mario-esque feel as well. The only real letdown is the two player mode, which no longer allows for two players to take on levels simultaneously - instead you're stuck alternating turns whenever one player dies. Still, Bubble Bobble Part II is a beautiful game and very fun to play, and well worth checking out if you can get your hands on it.

62. Mega Man (Capcom, 1987)

Mega Man is probably better remembered today for its infamously terrible box art than for the game itself, but it shouldn't be; it kicked off a fantastic series of action-platformers and was a fine title in its own right.  It laid the groundwork for the series, featuring a protagonist who could defeat bosses and then take their weapons for himself, not only making later levels easier to deal with, but making him better prepared to take out other bosses who were weak against that particular weapon.  Bombs, fireballs, whirling scissors, lightning, an ice beam that could freeze enemies in place and, perhaps coolest of all, the ability to pick up and throw blocks bigger than himself to clobber foes.  It wasn't the most refined game ever - some bosses were monstrously difficult and it lacked several later series refinements like a password system or post-hit immunity protecting from spikes - but it was a great game anyway.

61. Earthbound Beginnings (Nintendo, 1989 in Japan)

The predecessor to the legendary SNES RPG Earthbound, which was planned for a US release and even fully translated to that effect but ultimately never saw the light of day because it was deemed "unprofitable" in light of the SNES' release. Which is a shame, as it's a fun game with some quirky atmosphere and design. Unlike many RPGs of the time, this one was set in a modern era, complete with modern weapons like baseball bats, frying pans and yo-yos and psychic powers in lieu of magic spells. Even the enemies are a clever subversion, featuring aliens, runaway trucks, stray animals and yes, even crazed hippies. While it does have a few faults that prevent it from joining the ranks of other top-tier RPGs (most notably an unreasonable encounter rate and some very steep fluctuations in enemy difficulty), it is at the very least an unforgettable and unique experience. Plus it did spawn two other fantastic titles in Earthbound and Mother 3, so hey, take the good with the bad and enjoy this overlooked gem.

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