I can only imagine what a few modern developers could do with the excellent framework of this true gem. Little Samson is an excellent game across the board, but the thing that makes it stand out all these years later is its magnificent character swapping system that allows you to choose between four characters at any time (once their unlocked) and utilize their various strengths and weaknesses in interesting ways. Little Nemo may be the “Little” NES game that tends to get the most love, but there’s a strong argument to be made for Little Samson’s status as the most underrated NES action platformers ever made. Many of this game’s rougher (or stranger) edges can be attributed to some odd licensing issues, so I’d love to see what a modern developer could do if they somehow secured the ability to just go wild with the idea of pocket-sized monsters on a grand adventure. I briefly mentioned this game during my look at the best NES horror titles, but I don’t know if you can ever really talk too much about this lovely little Konami title that is essentially a Saturday morning cartoon version of the classic Universal monster films blended with some surprisingly bizarre imagery. For a title that was first released in 1987, it shockingly features so many of the elements we associate with more advanced video game RPGs (stats, medieval fantasy settings, NPCs, etc.), yet manages to wrap all of those concepts around a simply enjoyable NES action/adventure title. However, I honestly think that this is one of the best gateway RPGs ever made. In fact, I’ve heard some people say that this game is far too simple compared to its competition to ever really be considered an NES classic. FaxanaduĪs a side-scrolling RPG that’s not that difficult and surprisingly short, Faxanadu is something of an oddity among NES games. Link Tank: Win a Legend of Zelda Game and Watch Console By Lee Parham 7. Compared to some of Capcom’s other titles from that time, Little Nemo is slow and rough around the edges. I’ve heard some call Little Nemo one of Capcom’s lesser NES efforts, and I kind of see where those critics are coming from. This almost feels like the game that modern NES-style indie titles are secretly trying to be. This wildly creative NES game features some of the best level design of its era as well as some truly unforgiving gameplay. I can’t imagine the world in which a major developer decides to make a Bucky O’Hare game in the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean that this absolutely brilliant Konami action platformer doesn’t deserve to be revisited. This is a tough-as-nails NES action game with a surprising amount of creativity and variety as well as a surprisingly detailed (if still fundamentally simple) storyline that could certainly be improved upon today. However, there’s a lot of the game that simply “works” despite its obvious…influences. Duck Huntĭuck Hunt has gotten some minor upgrades over the years (and we’ve seen the game’s principal characters get an HD makeover in Super Smash Bros.), but we’ve never gotten a proper Duck Hunt sequel despite the original’s prominent role in the evolution of the industry.Įssentially a Ninja Gaiden knock-off with a few driving and “light gun” sections thrown in for variety, Vice: Project Doom is kind of like a grab bag of the various trends that dominated NES action games at the time. Regardless, each of these NES games is worthy of a sequel either because the original experience was so incredible or there was just something about it that deserves to be revisited all these years later. Some were too weird, some are stuck in licensing hell, and some have simply fallen through the cracks of history despite being exceptional.
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![all .nes pack all .nes pack](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Yis0PYV1jHY/maxresdefault.jpg)
While it’s amazing to think that the video game industry has refrained from making sequels to some of these games given the sequel/reboot/remake culture that we live in, the fact of the matter is that there’s just something about each of the games on this list that make them tough sells for a revival. However, it’s truly remarkable to look back at the NES’ incredible library of all-time great titles and realize that so many of them haven’t gotten a proper sequel. In the 35+ years since the NES changed the video game industry, we’ve celebrated pretty much every aspect of the revolutionary console (including that strange time when we all thought blowing air into an NES cartridge could fix them).