45 of the Most Underrated NES Titles Ever

Sure, there was “Mario,” “Zelda” and “Tetris,” but these lesser-known NES games truly had something fun to offer.

45 of the Most Underrated NES Titles Ever

It’s pretty much impossible to quantify the amount of time and energy those of us who were kids in the 1980s and early ’90s spent playing the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). There were so many games to play, and we had none of the responsibilities of stupid adulthood. We traded games with our friends and got together around the console more or less weekly. Yet for every super-popular game (we’re looking at you, Super Mario Bros.), there were many more that, several decades later, aren’t quite as well remembered as they should be.

We’ve polled some of our NES-playing friends (who are 12-year-olds at heart) as well as sites such as Den of Geek and The Gamer to find the 45 most underrated NES games out there.

Play on, friends!

45. Total Recall

Year released: 1990

Developer: Ocean Software, Interplay

Publisher: Ocean Software, Acclaim

Platforms: NES, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amiga

Bottom Line: Total Recall

“Open your mind” and accept the premise that a great many tie-in video games of popular movies tried — really, really tried. The “Total Recall” game might not have been as amazing as the seriously awesome arcade game of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” but Ahnold’s previous onscreen outing got the gaming treatment notwithstanding.

The player controlled Douglas Quaid through adventures on both Earth and Mars as he fought to “recall” his stolen identity and take out a bunch of bad guys in a game that was far less violent than the movie on which it was based.

44. Burai Fighter

Year released: 1990

Developer: KID

Publisher: List

Platforms: NES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color

Bottom Line: Burai Fighter

Some time in the not-too-distant future, our hero is tasked with saving humanity from an outer-space race of baddies called the Burai — and he is given all manner of cool-looking weapons to do so. “Burai Fighter” was notoriously difficult and was maddening because, once you beat the game, you were teased with the promise of a graphic ending … if you went back and played the game again at a more difficult level.

This happened twice more, and the fourth difficulty level, “Ultimate,” had to be beaten in order for the player to see the “really real” ending.

43. Blades of Steel

Year released: 1988

Developer: Konami, Novotrade

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: NES, Game Boy, Arcade, Amiga, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Family Computer Disk System

Bottom Line: Blades of Steel

Hockey is perhaps as well known for its ample on-rink violence as for its gameplay, and “Blades of Steel” made sure to have the buckets-of-blood aspect of the sport included. In fact, making sure the players got into a scrap was more than half the fun, even if you could do ample amounts of serious battle in a great many other video games.

Furthermore, in between hockey periods, the player could actually play mini-games meant to be the “entertainment” for the fans.

42. Batman: The Video Game

Year released: 1990

Developer: Sunsoft

Publisher: Sunsoft

Platforms: NES, Game Boy

Bottom Line: Batman: The Video Game

Tim Burton’s comic book “Batman” movie gobbled up the box office in the “Sequel Summer” of 1989, birthed a rather batty soundtrack album by Prince and pretty much infected every facet of popular culture in the final year of the decade. Naturally, a video game adaptation wasn’t far behind, thanks to Sunsoft.

The Caped Crusader was able to grab onto walls and climb, all the while avoiding the Joker’s minions and various traps. And just like in the movie, Bats and the Clown Prince of Crime duked it out atop a church in the final level.

41. A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia

Year released: 1989

Developer: Imagineering

Publisher: Absolute Entertainment, Jaleco, Nintendo

Platforms: NES

Bottom Line: A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia

If only every lonely boy had a blob for a best friend! Such a loner was the hero of this game that he wasn’t even given a name; however, his little gelatinous companion was known as (wait for it) Blobert.

The boy and Blobert had to solve various puzzles and negotiate various traps in the game. Bloblert helped his human friend to cross various obstacles, proving once again that no matter how much you love your human friends, we could all use a friendly blob now and again.

40. Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu

Year released: 1990

Developer: Now Production

Publisher: Hudson Soft

Platforms: NES, TurboGrafx-16

Bottom Line: Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu

Hong Kong’s greatest daredevil martial arts master had his own NES video game, in which the player got to inhabit the movie star as he chopped, kicked and jumped his way through a kung fu adventure. The game’s Jackie got life points back when eating rice, which might cause the woke mobs of today some consternation in hindsight.

And best of all, you don’t have to fracture any of your bones (Chan famously has broken pretty much all of them while making movies) while playing the game. If you do break something, well, clearly you’re doing it wrong.

39. The Ultimate Stuntman

Year released: 1990

Developer: Codemasters

Publisher: Camerica

Platforms: NES

Bottom Line: The Ultimate Stuntman

The never-named movie stuntman of this largely forgotten 1990 action game had the rather common mission before him of rescuing a damsel in distress from certain no-good nicks. One of its rather nifty features was that the player could switch from inhabiting the Stuntman and act as a sniper to guard the hero from certain dangers.

The game also required quick thinking, as you had to defuse bombs under a certain time limit in order to continue on. No pressure, right?

38. Yoshi

Year released: 1991

Developer: Game Freak

Publisher: Nintendo

Platforms: NES, Game Boy

Bottom Line: Yoshi

Mario and Luigi’s dino-pal Yoshi got his own game in 1991, right about the same time he and the plumber brothers went clomping around the SNES universe in “Super Mario World.” Little wonder that Yoshi’s signature game recycled elements of both “Dr. Mario” and “Wario’s Woods” in that blocks fell — this time resembling familiar characters from the SMB universe — and it was up to Yoshi to arrange them just so.

Not particularly original (these were all takes on the “Tetris” formula, after all), but it was fun to watch Yoshi take center stage.

37. Tombs & Treasures

Year released: 1991

Developer: Nihon Falcom, Compile

Publisher: Nihon Falcom, Tokyo Shoseki, Infocon

Platforms: NES, PC-8801, PC-9801, FM-7, Sharp X1, MSX2, Famicom/NES

Bottom Line: Tombs & Treasures

Old NES games loved to take us to far and distant worlds, just as often they took us on tours of out-of-this-world landscapes that exist right here on Earth. For such an excellent adventure, look no further than “Tombs & Treasures,” an adventure game that took players on an 8-bit cruise to Chichen Itza and various other famous places in Mesoamerica.

The player is immersed in a truly trippy world wherein he or she must unlock the secrets of the Mayan calendar — which, as you may recall, predicted we would all go kablooie in 2012.

36. Tiger-Heli

Year released: 1985

Developer: Toaplan

Publisher: Taito, Romstar

Platforms: NES, Arcade, PlayStation

Bottom Line: Tiger Heli

What’s more fun than shooting bad guys? Why, shooting them from a helicopter, of course! “Tiger-Heli” applied the same overhead play-action as a great many other NES games, with the player needing to avoid getting shot at by enemy fire right and left. And for some truly major explosions, players could unleash a big bomb hidden in the choppy’s belly.

“Tiger-Heli” had several iterations for both the arcade and on home consoles, and critics at the time were quick to praise the translation of the game to the NES console.

35. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

Year released: 1991

Developer: KID

Publisher: Taxan

Platforms: NES

Bottom Line: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

He or she (because there were many female warriors on the good side) will fight for freedom wherever there’s trouble; G.I. Joe is there! The Joes leapt from popular cartoons and comic books into the NES realm with an action combat game that allowed the player to control a number of classic Joe characters, from Snake Eyes to Hawk and Duke.

Beyond running around, the player is also able to commandeer various tanks and other vehicles. Cause, you know, taking down Cobra requires some seriously heavy artillery!

34. Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Year released: 1990

Developer: Sunsoft, Riedel Software Productions, Motivetime, Topo Soft

Publisher: Sunsoft, Hi-Tech Expressions, Elite Systems, Topo Soft

Platforms: NES, Game Boy, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum

Bottom Line: Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Moviegoers had waited patiently for six years to see what had become of Gizmo and Billy (Zach Galligan) after the events of 1984’s “Gremlins,” so in 1990 came the sequel, “A New Batch.” The movie was quickly translated into an NES adventure game, with the player helping Gizmo along as the cute little Mogwai sought to send more of those ugly, evil gremlins to kingdom come.

Gizmo was armed with such varied weapons as a match-firing crossbow and a “super tomato” brewed in a lab. It leaves us all to wonder what “Gremlins 3” might have in store.

33. RoboCop 2

Year released: 1990

Developer: Ocean Software, Data East, Special FX

Publisher: Ocean Software

Platforms: NES, Game Boy, Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad GX4000, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum

Bottom Line: RoboCop 2

Isn’t it amazing how super-violent movies became video games targeted at kids? Perhaps Tipper Gore really was onto something there. But even if you hadn’t seen the Robo-sequel, in which the half-man/half-cop went up against the drug lord Cain, you could channel the cyber-policeman on the NES on his mission to rid the world of the designer narcotic Nuke.

The “RoboCop 2” game wasn’t nearly as popular as its predecessor, but it still garnered some positive reviews. Oh, and RoboCop could also jump in the sequel, so there’s that.

32. Jordan vs. Bird: One on One

Year released: 1988

Developer: Electronic Arts

Publisher: Electronic Arts/Milton Bradley Company

Platforms: NES, Game Boy, Atari, MS-DOS, Commodore 64, Sega Genesis

Bottom Line: Jordan vs. Bird: One on One

Two of the best athletes to ever play basketball squared off in 8-bit forum on this criminally underappreciated sports game. You could channel either Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics or Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls, seeking to determine which of these two titans was the “best” the game had ever seen.

There were also mini-games to be played, including Jordan engaging in a dunking contest. Despite some negative reviews at the time — the dated graphics can be forgiven — “Jordan vs. Bird: One on One” is actually worth a second look.

31. The Three Stooges

Year released: 1987

Developer: Incredible Technologies

Publisher: Cinemaware

Platforms: NES, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, PlayStation, MS-DOS, Macintosh, Game Boy Advance, Apple IIGS, Windows

Bottom Line: The Three Stooges

Curly, Larry and Moe, America’s favorite lunkheads, came to the rescue when a rich, old meanie head threatened to shut down a local orphanage. Enter the Stooges, whose 8-bit mission is to earn enough cash to keep the orphans from being turned out on the street.

Such activities included entering Curly into a cracker-eating contest and Larry trying to help Curly win a boxing match by getting him to sniff Curly’s favored Wild Hyacinth perfume. There was also a mini-game where you could make Moe slap around Larry and Curly — you earned precisely zero money in that mini-game, but why not?

30. Rygar

Year released: 1987

Developer: Tecmo

Publisher: Tecmo

Platforms: NES, Sharp X68000, Commodore Amiga, Lynx, ZX Spectrum, arcade

Bottom Line: Rygar

The titular hero of this fantasy game must fight back against an evil being known as Ligor to ensure that peace returns to the magical land of Argool. While the names of characters and places on the NES version differ slightly from its original iteration in Japan, the action and gameplay was identical.

Rygar fought beings including the Phollorakos, which Rygar is able to dispatch with his main weapon, the Diskarmor. The game was a lot more fun than it might seem, especially given its fantasy element.

29. Tetris 2

Year released: 1993

Developer: Nintendo R&D1

Publisher: Nintendo

Platforms: NES, GameBoy, Super NES

Bottom Line: Tetris 2

How in the world can you sequel a puzzle game like “Tetris?” Well, add in some new features, such as bombs. Yep, bombs!

The developers at Nintendo did play with the concept slightly, such that instead of lining up blocks into lines, this time you had to line them up according to color (a concept similar to “Dr. Mario”). It was a fun idea that, while it didn’t quite capture the charm of the original, made for some intriguing gameplay.

28. Maniac Mansion

Year released: 1987

Developer: Lucasfilm Games

Publisher: Lucasfilm Games

Platforms: NES, Commodore 64, Apple II

Bottom Line: Maniac Mansion

In a weird hybrid of an Ed Wood 1950s monster flick and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” it was up to the player to guide several teenagers into a mansion where an evil meteorite and a family of mad scientists are up to some genuinely bizarro stuff.

“Maniac Mansion” was noteworthy for allowing the player to control multiple characters, not just the main protagonist, Dave. Thus, the interactivity was heightened, allowing you to not only enter the storyline but to do so through multiple avatars.

27. P.O.W.: Prisoners of War

Year released: 1989

Developer: SNK

Publisher: SNK

Platforms: NES, arcade

Bottom Line: P.O.W.: Prisoners of War

Sure, the “Double Dragon” franchise had the market more or less cornered on “beat ’em up” games, but if you looked just a little further afield, there were some pretty great entrants.

A case in point is “P.O.W.: Prisoners of War,” in which the player must bust our hero out of a military prison and then move him on to raise some serious havoc against some truly nasty Cold War-era bad guy types. It was mindless fun, and we loved it.

26. Ghosts ‘n Goblins

Year released: 1985

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Platforms: NES, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, arcade

Bottom Line: Ghosts ‘n Goblins

“Ghosts ‘n Goblins” gets a bit of a bad rep, probably partially due to the fact that the game was actually rather difficult. But, hey, video games weren’t just about fun, they were also about teaching kids the value of persistence and overcoming obstacles, right?

This side-scroller saw our hero wasting zombies, vampires and a host of other unholy beings in his quest to rescue his fair maiden. See, the game also taught us how to be persistent in love!

25. Wario’s Woods

Year released: 1994

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

Platforms: NES, Super NES

Bottom Line: Wario’s Woods

Poor Wario. The bizarro-world version of Mario was always a grouch, probably because he was always the villain. Thankfully, he had his own video game in 1994, in which the grumpy anti-Mario takes over the “peaceful” woods where Mario and his friends lived. Thankfully, our old pal Toad was there to liberate the good guys by solving puzzles that looked remarkably similar to “Tetris” and “Dr. Mario.”

“Wario’s Woods” is also noteworthy for being the last officially sanctioned NES game, before the company moved on full-time to the 16-bit Super NES.

24. DuckTales

Year released: 1989

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Platforms: NES, Game Boy

Bottom Line: DuckTales

Part of what made the cartoon series so amusing was watching Scrooge McDuck use his brains (oh, right, and his billions of dollars) to solve his way through problems and overcome antagonists. So, it was a bit strange when the video game based on his Duckburg exploits saw Scrooge using his cane to whap at enemies as he searches both Earth and outer space for — you guessed it — even more money.

A sequel was spawned in 1993, and even though it wasn’t a super great title, it definitely had its charms.

23. Crystalis

Year released: 1990

Developers: SNK, Nintendo Software Technology, Digital Eclipse

Publisher: SNK

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: Crystalis

Crystalis was a role-playing game of the “Zelda” variety, with the hero awakening in 2097 to a post-apocalyptic world, in which he does battle with various evildoers lest the Great War of 1997 be repeated (good thing we missed that one in real life).

Because the main character awakens from his century-long slumber with no memories, he learns his own backstory at the same time the player does, which was a nifty narrative conceit.

22. Metal Storm

Year released: 1991

Developer: Tamtex

Publisher: Irem

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: Metal Storm

Various games of the NES era tried to realize visions of the future, and so it was for “Metal Storm,” which posited that a giant outer space ray gun near Pluto was about to destroy Earth. Thus, it was up to the 26th-century robotic hero M-308 to stop armageddon before it happens in an outer space setting.

“Metal Storm” was also notable for being one of the few games to use “reverse gravity,” thus allowing M-308 to walk on the ceiling and challenging the player to think differently.

21. The Guardian Legend

Year released: 1988

Developer: Compile

Publishers: Irem, Broderbund, Nintendo

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: The Guardian Legend

It’s yet another example of Earth about to be blown up real good by baddie aliens, so the player had to control the Guardian in order to stop such a fate from transpiring. “The Guardian Legend” used a hybrid approach, entailing both shoot-em-up elements as well as an adventure style of gameplay that was reminiscent of the various games of the “Zelda” quest franchise.

Oh, and it had an absolutely killer commercial that had us running to Toys ‘R’ Us right quick.

20. Athena

Year released: 1986

Developers: SNK, Micronics

Publisher: SNK

Platforms: NES, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, arcade

Bottom Line: Athena

Naturally, Japanese anime culture found its way into NES video games thanks to Nintendo being a Japanese corporation. Their version of the Greek goddess, called Princess Athena, was from a heavenly realm who descended to an infernal underworld ruled by Emperor Dante (get it?).

While the gameplay itself might not have been as awesome as certain other games of its era, “Athena” was notable for having a female avatar, of which there were too few at the time — and still today.

19. StarTropics

Year released: 1990

Developers: Nintendo R&D3, Locomotive Corporation

Publisher: Nintendo

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: StarTropics

Our man Mike has a yo-yo as his only weapon, which will come in handy as he travels to a mysterious island to find his uncle, an archaeologist who has gone missing. Mike must solve puzzles and bust baddies in order to find his relative in a setting that an NES game hadn’t really tried before.

Granted, much of what “StarTropics” had to offer was straight-up ripped from the “Zelda” playbook, but not even “Zelda” dared to take a game’s hero from the seas to outer space and back.

18. Little Nemo: The Dream Master

Year released: 1990

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: Little Nemo: The Dream Master

Based on a Japanese animated flick, the NES adventure “Little Nemo” finds the titular character navigating his way through an uncanny dreamland on his way to rescue Morpheus, the king of Slumberland (because of course) from an evil king of nightmares not named Freddy Krueger.

Little Nemo gets help from several pals, including a gorilla and a frog, both of whom Nemo must keep giving candy to in order to maintain their assistance. The side-scrolling game was critiqued by some as being extremely difficult, while other reviewers were charmed by its world-creation and free-spirited energy.

17. Bucky O’Hare

Year released: 1992

Developer: Konami

Publisher: Konami

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: Bucky O’Hare

You may have largely forgotten about the animated rabbit Bucky O’Hare, whose comic book exploits eventually led to this 1992 adventure game for the NES. (And in an upending of the usual timeline, it was released in the United States before Japan.) The gameplay of “Bucky O’Hare” was similar to the “Mega Man” franchise, in which the heroic hare battled his way through various worlds, gaining various abilities — and friends — along the way.

Fun fact: An arcade version of “Bucky” was also released and was rather similar to the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” arcade adventure.

16. Adventures of Lolo

Year released: 1989

Developer: HAL Laboratory

Publisher: HAL Laboratory

Platforms: NES

Bottom Line: Adventures of Lolo

Amidst all the shoot-em-eat, beat-em-up and jump-em-up games that were released for the classic NES, what often got lost in the mix were the many crafty puzzle titles that were out there.

A case in point is “Adventures of Lolo,” whose story follows a blob-ish creature who must solve various riddles in order to free his love, Princess Lala. Sure, Lolo also has to battle with various baddies, but the game kept kids engaged thanks to its variety of brain-teasers.

15. Monster Party

Year released: 1989

Developer: Human Development

Publishers: Bandai

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: Monster Party

Who didn’t appreciate something a little bit different back in the good ol’ days of the NES? “Monster Party” (not “mash” for obvious reasons) took a different tack from the majority of other cartridges of the late-’80s with its story, about a boy named Mark who is recruited to battle beasts from beyond.

The hero tangles with various monsters obviously modeled on famous fanged creatures from various movies as well as lesser-known critters (to Americans anyway) from Japanese folklore.

14. Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness

Year released: 1992

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness

Try to follow this: “Gargoyle’s Quest II” is actually the prequel to “Gargoyle’s Quest,” and both take place within the “Ghosts n’ Goblins” universe — although they aren’t sequels or prequels to GNG. (Got all that? Test coming later.)

Similar to “Ghosts n’ Goblins,” “Gargoyle’s Quest II” features a side-scrolling adventure style of game, in which Firebrand does a dance of danger with all manner of creeper creatures. Reviews at the time were generally middling, although cultural hindsight now regards it as a hidden gem of the NES canon.

13. Darkwing Duck

Year released: 1992

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Platform: NES, Game Boy

Bottom Line: Darkwing Duck

Disney’s feathered avenger of the night got his own video game in 1992, around the time that several other Disney shows were being transported into video game land (read on for more). What’s interesting is that, as the Super NES was ascendant in 1992, perhaps the designers didn’t put as much work into an old-fashioned NES game, which may explain why “Darkwing Duck”’s action is very similar to Capcom’s own “Mega Man” franchise.

Still, it was more fun than perhaps it’s been credited over the years.

12. Back to the Future

Year released: 1989

Developer: Beam Software

Publisher: LJN

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: Back to the Future

Wait a minute, Doc, are you telling me they built a video game … out of “Back to the Future?” Little Martys out there were able to inhabit the 1985 teenager as he made his way through an 8-bit rendition of 1955 Hill Valley, with the goal of getting Marty and the DeLorean back to … well, you know.

Despite “Back to the Future” co-writer and producer Bob Gale calling this NES romp “one of the worst games ever,” we’d wager Mr. Gale was too busy counting his stacks of Ben Franklins to take the time to give NES Marty the old college try.

11. Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers

Year released: 1990

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Platforms: NES, PlayChoice-10

Bottom Line: Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers

You could play Chip and/or Dale (i.e., single-handed or cooperatively) to help the plucky chipmunks in their seemingly never-ending battle with Fat Cat. Non-player Rescue Rangers Monterey Jack, Gadget and Zipper also show up to offer guidance to the rascally rodents throughout this adventure game.

“Chip ‘n Dale” came about after the original “DuckTales” game, which gave the Disney folks some time to refine the gameplay, and it actually did fairly well in sales despite some upturned noses from critics.

10. Alien 3

Year released: 1992

Developers: Probe Software

Publisher: Acclaim Entertainment

Platforms: NES, Game Boy, Super NES, Amigo, Commodore 64, Sega Genesis

Bottom Line: Alien 3

It’s true, the movie “Alien 3” was pretty much a major mess that wasn’t quite sure what it wanted to do, and it almost sank the movie franchise by killing off Ripley (spoiler alert: she came back in a later film).

That said, the video game tracing Ripley’s “final” battle with the drooling xenomorph isn’t half-bad, partially due to its adding in a major cache of weapons that weren’t in the movie — which took place on a prison planet, after all, where weapons were of course banned.

9. Friday the 13th

Year released: 1989

Developer: Atlus

Publisher: LJN

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: Friday the 13th

The masked maniac of Crystal Lake finally had his chance to off some camp counselors in video game form in 1989 after eight (at that point) outings on the big screen. Not so fast, according to the gameplay of “13th,” which had the player using various weapons to stop the hockey-masked spirit’s reign of terror at the somehow still-open camp.

Haters took the video game to task, calling the graphics cheap and the gameplay derivative, but for teens and tweens who wanted to take out Jason rather than simply watch him run amok on screen, this was their chance.

8. Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones

Year released: 1991

Developer: Technos Japan

Publisher: Acclaim Entertainment (U.S.)

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones

“Double Dragon II: The Revenge” is widely considered one of the greatest tag-team, two-person games ever made, and thus it was pretty much impossible that No. 3 would top it. It didn’t, but that’s not to say that “The Sacred Stones” didn’t have its appeal, what with its groovy story of twins Billy and Jimmy Lee doing battle with ancient Egyptian forces of evil.

The moves were different from “II” as well — most notably in returning the front kick, which was a back kick in “II” — and it was to the developer’s credit that they didn’t simply clone the previous two games’ styles and stories.

7. Battletoads

Year released: 1991

Developer: Rare

Publishers: Masaya, Tradewest, Electronic Arts

Platforms: NES, Super NES, Game Boy, Sega, arcade

Bottom Line: Battletoads

Everyone remembers the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but around the same time, a gang of burly, badass toads were also on the video game case to stop evil in its tracks. The player-controlled two toads named Zits and Rash (because why not?) to rescue their mate, named Pimple.

The action was pretty thrilling, and the game developed a cult following that helped spawn several revisions on later consoles. There was even a crossover with the “Double Dragon” franchise!

6. The Goonies 2

Year released: 1987

Developer: Konami

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: NES

Bottom Line: Goonies 2

Nope, you’re not senile (we hope), as there was no second “Goonies” movie, but there was in fact a sequel videogame! Mikey is the player’s avatar, as he runs through mazes to try and rescue his fellow Goonies from the Fratellis, who apparently didn’t spend much time in prison after the movie ended.

Rather than guns, Mikey uses a yo-yo, slingshot and various other G-rated tools against the bad guys. The game was considered rather challenging, but remember, Goonies never say die!

5. River City Ransom

Year released: 1989

Developer: Technos Japan

Publisher: Technos

Platforms: NES, PC

Bottom Line: River City Ransom

River City High School students Alex and Ryan are having a really bad day. Ryan’s girlfriend Cyndi is being held against her will by a villain called Slick, so the two teens must battle their way through the dangerous River City to get her back.

If this sounds like a half-baked version of “Double Dragon,” well, you’re basically right, as it employs the same kind of beat-em-up format and similar karate moves. However, unlike “Dragon,” the player can explore River City more or less at will rather than passing Stage 1, Stage 2 and so on.

4. Bionic Commando

Year released: 1987

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Platforms: NES, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS DOS, arcade

Bottom Line: Bionic Commando

In a post-apocalyptic future, the bionic commando of the title has to get out there to stop a superweapon, which will effectively launch World War IV (since III happens before the game begins).

Like other robotic protagonists, the bionic commando is able to fire various weapons — but what he couldn’t do was jump! Instead, he had to use a grappling arm to latch onto ceilings and ledges, thus requiring gamers accustomed to constantly jumping to learn a new skill.

3. Master Blaster

Year released: 1988

Developers: Sunsoft

Publisher: Sunsoft

Platform: NES

Bottom Line: Master Blaster

OK, if you want to see steam coming out of the ears of gamers from the original NES era, mention 1987’s “Master Blaster,” and watch what happens. This game was hard — like, seriously hard. Legends were told of friends of friends who were able to conquer the insane world hidden beneath our own, where hero Jason tangles with beasts of supreme scariness — and toughness.

“Master Blaster” was hard to get into because it required so much time — and skill. Therefore, it’s unfairly maligned and deserves another look.

2. Renegade

Year released: 1986

Developer: Technos Japan

Publisher: Taito

Platforms: NES, Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS DOS, arcade

Bottom Line: Renegade

Another kidnapped girlfriend, another baller protagonist with serious martial arts chops knocking his way through a mean city to get her back. Yes, it may sound similar to several other titles in this article, but Renegade was actually one of the first entrants in the “beat ’em up” genre.

Not only do you use the usual karate moves against your enemies, but there’s even a stage where you ride a motorcycle and knock baddies off their hogs. Everyone old was once new, and “Renegade” was a genre definer.

1. Pro Wrestling

Year released: 1987

Developer: Nintendo R&D3

Publisher: Nintendo

Platforms: NES, arcade

Bottom Line: Pro Wrestling

There was a time, in the good old days when everyone “pretended” that professional wrestling was real and that the outcome wasn’t fixed. Enter the game “Pro Wrestling,” which allowed two players to square off with one another using such characters as Starman, Hayabusa, Kin Corn Karn and, of course, the Amazon, a creature who loved to cheat by munching on his opponent’s head, then shrugging his head at the ref as if to say “what?”

“Pro Wrestling” may not have had the cache of “Zelda,” “Mario” or other big titles, but it was one of the first in a long succession of player-versus-player fighting games.

Oh, and the outcome isn’t determined in advance!