Nintendo Entertainment System

I love Mario Bros. 2. The character selection was so unique. I always picked Toad because of how fast he is and his ability to dig quickly, which comes in handy in a few stages. I also enjoyed Mario Bros. 2: the Lost Levels. That game was basically Mario Maker before Mario Maker. It felt like a souped up version of Mario and was hard as heck, but I still enjoy the challenge. I’m currently trying to beat it again, actually!

How could I possibly forget Mega Man?! That’s probably the best series on the NES. I loved all 6 of them. My ranking would be 6 > 5 >4 > 2 > 3 >1. They are all fantastic, however. This series is what I imagine whenever somebody mentions how games feel. So many tropes and traditions came from this series. Mega Man 2 still has one of the best soundtracks in gaming, and 6 was drop-dead gorgeous because it was one of the final NES games released.

I thought the NES has a pretty good horror game lineup.

We had Castlevania 1-3. Those games were all about Dracula and his hoard of undead. The castles and surrounding areas were pretty spooky for me when I was younger. I really loved the lore behind these games. I learned about Werewolves, Medusa, and the Grim Reaper thanks to these games. I even loved Simon’s Quest because it has towns and felt like an open world Castlevania.

Then we had Ghosts ‘n Goblins. The most brutal game I have ever played. This was scary because of the unrelenting difficulty. I love this game more now than when I was little, but I still have trouble with it. I make it a point to play this every October. It has the best spooky soundtrack and atmosphere. This game is iconic and the fact that it spawned the series Gargoyle’s Quest is an added bonus. Gargoyle’s Quest 2 is still one of my favorite NES games.

Another great, spooky game was Maniac Mansion. It was a fun little point and click game with amazing soundtrack. I finally beat this game a few years ago. It still holds up. This is more humorous than scary, but the humor has a dark edge to it. I mean, the player can blow up a hamster in a microwave! That’s pretty rad. The variety of characters is what makes the game unique. Characters that die remain gone for the rest of the game, or if they get captured and you do not save them from the dungeon. I think this game needs a little more love.

Finally, we have Sweet Home. The game that inspired Resident Evil. A group lost in a mansion, running from monsters, solving puzzles, using key items like a lighter. That sounds familiar. :D Love this one. It plays like an adventure RPG, but manages to nail the atmosphere. I have not beat it, but maybe I’ll revisit it one day.