Great games you remember on the NES , SNES, and Genesis in the early days

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 12:56 pm

There were SO many games I recall renting over and over and over to play and replay on these systems back in the day. Heres a few of mine. Whats some of yours?

NES - Defender of the Crown , Tecmo Super Bowl , Pro Wrestling , Super Mario Bros. , Silent Service

Sega Genesis - Buck Rogers, Warriors of the Eternal Sun , Starflight (my all time fav!!) , Phantasy Star II , Road Rash , Abrams Battle Tank , Herzog Zwei , Centurion Defender of Rome (another fav!) , Shadowrun

SNES - Final Fantasy 2 , Zelda A Link to the Past , Shadowrun , Simcity , PTO

I may add to this as I recall other favorites.

Ok lets see if I can add box art to my picks....

NES:

Spoiler:

Sega Genesis:

Spoiler:

SNES:

Spoiler:

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 1:29 pm

I remember Pitfall and Pole Position.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 1:37 pm

Only had the Genesis, did play some of the NES games.

NES - Olympics, Baseball

Genesis - Shining Force, Mortal Kombat

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:07 pm

I remember River City Rampage on the NES. That was a fun game to play with a group.

edit: apparently it's called River City Ransom.

Scraper · Post by **Scraper** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:11 pm

I remember loving the Buck Rogers game Daehawk listed. It was sort of an early XCom type game. I can't imagine it would hold up very well these days though.

A NES game I loved that never gets mentioned is the Willow game based on the movie. It was kind of like Zelda. But again I bet it would not hold up today.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:43 pm

Never owned any of them but I had friends who did.

NES - Nintendo Wrestling - Wizardry - Either Nobunga's Ambition or Romance of the Three Kingdoms... Maybe both?
Genesis - Herzog Zwie - Some Roman Republic game I can't remember the name of and never got to play enough of to truly learn.
SNES - never played it.

Funny how many seem to remember and loved Herzog Zwie. We found it in a bargain bin at Toys R Us for $10 and thought WTH, and instantly fell in love.

Edit: The internet says the game I loved was Centrurion: Defenders of Rome.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:58 pm

Super Dodgeball on NES is one that I loved and my heart was broken when the SNES sequel never showed up. I think it eventually got a GBA version but it wasn't the same.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:59 pm

coopasonic wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:58 pm Super Dodgeball on NES is one that I loved and my heart was broken when the SNES sequel never showed up. I think it eventually got a GBA version but it wasn't the same.

Run, jump, SPLAT!

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:07 pm

El Guapo wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:07 pm I remember River City Rampage on the NES. That was a fun game to play with a group.

edit: apparently it's called River City Ransom.

That was a special game for me and surprisingly complex for a game on the NES. I don't recall anything else at the time that offered a similar type of experience. In a lot of ways I think it was a precursor to ARPGs like Diablo.

stimpy · Post by **stimpy** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:11 pm

The Immortal for Genesis.
First game I ever bought a strategy guide for.

Dungeons & Dragons for Intellivision
Night Stalker for Intellivision.
Many, many late nights with those 2 games.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:15 pm

Lordnine wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:07 pm
El Guapo wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:07 pm I remember River City Rampage on the NES. That was a fun game to play with a group.

edit: apparently it's called River City Ransom.
That was a special game for me and surprisingly complex for a game on the NES. I don't recall anything else at the time that offered a similar type of experience. In a lot of ways I think it was a precursor to ARPGs like Diablo.

The fascinating thing is that it was basically an rpg crossed with a double-dragon style fighting game, and I don't think it's something that has ever been replicated barring any sequels or spinoff.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:16 pm

Never made it very far in AD&D for the Intellivision. I vaguely remember there was a game "Night Stalker" I may not have ever played it. I loved the Tron games for Intellivision... Again, we didn't own one but I got to play on a neighbors.

Edit: I just watched a video for Night Stalker. I remember it now.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:29 pm

Rumpy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:15 pm
Lordnine wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:07 pm
El Guapo wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:07 pm I remember River City Rampage on the NES. That was a fun game to play with a group.

edit: apparently it's called River City Ransom.
That was a special game for me and surprisingly complex for a game on the NES. I don't recall anything else at the time that offered a similar type of experience. In a lot of ways I think it was a precursor to ARPGs like Diablo.
The fascinating thing is that it was basically an rpg crossed with a double-dragon style fighting game, and I don't think it's something that has ever been replicated barring any sequels or spinoff.

A few games have followed the formula but I feel like they come across as less special now days since mixing genres is so much more common. Scott Pilgrim vs the World is probably the closest approximation. I haven't played it but I see Dragon's Crown brought up a lot when RCR is mentioned as being a spiritual successor but I find the art style of that one off-putting.

DOS=HIGH · Post by **DOS=HIGH** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:36 pm

Road Rash and Desert Strike on the Genesis. It was the last console I really used, pretty much all PC after that.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:58 pm

Ill try to add some box art images later.

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 4:16 pm

NES:
I still play my NES on occasion.
My favorites are The Guardian Legend, Zelda, Kirby's Adventure, Dr. Mario, Faxanadu, Final Fantasy, Smash TV, and Super Mario Bros (1&3).

SNES:
I didnt' have an SNES, but my brother's friend did. The only game I remember playing a lot was Lemmings 2.
You could play split screen and sabatoge each other's paths to the exit. Nobody ever won, but it was a lot of fun.

Genesis:
I still have a working Genesis and games. I hooked it up a few months ago, and nothing has aged well, with the exception of Sonic The Hedgehog.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 4:50 pm

Lemmings games. No idea what platform I played them on, but they were a lot of fun. Simpler times.

paulbaxter · Post by **paulbaxter** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 5:33 pm

Toe Jam and Earl was my favorite.

There was some D&D game on Genesis I remember liking. Had "sun" in the name. Probably would be terrible by later standards, but it was fun at the time.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 5:37 pm

paulbaxter wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 5:33 pm Toe Jam and Earl was my favorite.

There was some D&D game on Genesis I remember liking. Had "sun" in the name. Probably would be terrible by later standards, but it was fun at the time.

I liked it as well but always got stuck. Warriors of the Eternal Sun.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 6:30 pm

Lordnine wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:29 pm
Rumpy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:15 pm
Lordnine wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:07 pm
El Guapo wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:07 pm I remember River City Rampage on the NES. That was a fun game to play with a group.

edit: apparently it's called River City Ransom.
That was a special game for me and surprisingly complex for a game on the NES. I don't recall anything else at the time that offered a similar type of experience. In a lot of ways I think it was a precursor to ARPGs like Diablo.
The fascinating thing is that it was basically an rpg crossed with a double-dragon style fighting game, and I don't think it's something that has ever been replicated barring any sequels or spinoff.
A few games have followed the formula but I feel like they come across as less special now days since mixing genres is so much more common. Scott Pilgrim vs the World is probably the closest approximation. I haven't played it but I see Dragon's Crown brought up a lot when RCR is mentioned as being a spiritual successor but I find the art style of that one off-putting.

I guess the Yakuza series would fit that formula as well. Still think RCR is fairly original, and I'd actually love to see a modern take on it. See what you mean about Dragon's Crown when it comes to the art style though.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 8:19 pm

Genesis was all about Road Rash, Earthworm Jim, and NHL 94.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Oct 28, 2021 8:38 pm

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Mon Nov 01, 2021 4:20 am

i had too many favorites but i wanted to mention Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship as one of those games that came out of nowhere for me (it was a review assignment for a magazine) and ended up as one of my all-time favorite NES games (and still most people have never heard of). fantastic game, excellent mechanics, good physics (for the NES), lots of attention to detail, still fun to play now.

Formix · Post by **Formix** » Mon Nov 01, 2021 4:41 am

Battletoads! And good lord, the hours I spent on Starflight.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Nov 01, 2021 7:42 am

I had an Atari 2600, then didn't have any sort of video game system until early '93 when I moved in with my girlfriend and soon to be first wife. But after that 10-year video gaming dry spell, I was hooked. She had an NES, and within a year we picked up an SNES. On the NES I was all about the Mario, and played the crap out of all four of them. I also lived about two blocks away from a rental place, and ran through tons of RPGs, although none really stood out. On the SNES I played a lot of Mario and Zelda. Later, in the days after that first wife graduated to first ex-wife, I spent more time than I can remember with the Final Fantasy titles for the system, and with the similar (generally lesser) titles.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Nov 10, 2021 2:19 pm

I had a TOTALLY obscure game... Spare Change from Broderbund software... On the Apple II (and other contemporary PCs)

I mastered the game so well, I overflowed the 5-digit high score.

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Wed Nov 10, 2021 2:59 pm

I'll admit this brought a tear to my eye. I had forgotten the NES version of Defender of the Crown, which was a favorite game for my friends and I. One friend particularly enjoyed it and we used to do all sorts of crazy things to try to break the game. He died this year (only in his 40s) and seeing that brought me right back to playing that game with him.

I played almost all of the Genesis games in the OP's list on the PC (Buck Rodgers, the Gold Box D&D games, Centurion). Nothing today really captures the same feeling I had playing those games (a mix of youth and new technology). The only one missing in the Genesis list is King's Bounty - I wasted so many hours on that.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Nov 10, 2021 4:04 pm

The only one missing in the Genesis list is King's Bounty - I wasted so many hours on that.

Oh ya Kings Bounty was great. Also Faery Tale Adventure.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Wed Nov 10, 2021 4:28 pm

the number of console ports of PC games that people mention here (mostly Electronic Arts-published titles, but there are others) reminds me that not many people had MS-DOS gaming machines in the mid-late 80s. i was the opposite - the only console we had was an old Atari 2600 (supplemented with 99 cent Kay-Bee Toys close-out cartridges well into the mid-80s), but started out with a borrowed Apple ][e from the school once in a while, then an Intel 286 PC in 1987. i personally wanted an Amiga, we were going to get an Apple ][gs instead - and ended up with an MS-DOS local shop build at the very last minute. i was sooo mad at first, but it turned out to be the right decision - even if the arcade/console ports to that platform at the time mostly sucked.

the next console i got after the 2600 was an Atari Lynx in 1992 - just as production ceased and all the games were being clearanced from stores. i had been saving up for that thing for several years at that point

didn't get another console until i purchased a second-hand Sega Dreamcast and a garage-sale PlayStation (original) around 2001.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Nov 10, 2021 4:49 pm

The Lynx was so ahead of its time and so good. I was flummoxed that it failed. It was too expensive for my struggling college student ass but I so remember loving their port of Gauntlet and I played X Games on it whenever I could borrow a unit.

Edit: Wiki tells me it was California Games. Looking at the Wiki I don't remember that many games. I'm still baffled that it was a dud. Gameboy, not even Gameboy Advance put it under. No sense to me at all.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Nov 10, 2021 5:57 pm

Unlike most, I've never owned a console, PERIOD. Back in the days my first PC was a VIC-20, which got trashed by my grandpa. Eventually got an Apple IIe. Thought about the //GS, tried to install the Transwarp X86 kit, but eventually sold it and ended up buying a Tandy 1000SL (was living in Texas and one block from a Radio Shack) but ended up exchanging it for a 1000TL (286 with 640K) 2 weeks later as I needed more RAM. And I've been a PC guy ever since.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:31 pm

Impossible Mission on the Commodore 64.

Another visitor.
Stay awhile.
Stay forever.

Seven Cities of Gold.

M.U.L.E.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Nov 11, 2021 12:04 am

M.U.L.E.

Oh ya M.U.L.E ...played it a ton on NES also.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Nov 11, 2021 1:37 pm

Strangely, I've never played M.U.L.E. I did play heck of a lot of Seven Cities of Gold, both original and the random map.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Nov 11, 2021 5:46 pm

They made 7 Cities for a console? I played that on the the Atari 800 until the floppy no longer worked. I can still hear those "drums". I'm tempted to go out and get an emulator and see if I can get a controller to work for it and then find out how much I'm willing to play an 8 bit game again.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Thu Nov 11, 2021 6:04 pm

I loved the Blades of Steel hockey game on the original NES. I also remember getting into trouble once with my older brother because I went over to the house of some other kid that he hated (guessing that there was some teasing or other type of school conflict), but like...it's not like I liked the kid, I just wanted to play Blades of Steel.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Nov 11, 2021 7:25 pm

The Genesis had so many really great art covers on their boxes. Made you just want to try the game.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Nov 14, 2021 5:13 am

Come to think of it, there was a game that I used to play a lot on the PC... "King of the Beach"

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Mon Nov 15, 2021 4:16 pm

i do remember EA titles were very colorful in their use of the EGA palette

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Mon Nov 15, 2021 5:27 pm

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 5:13 am Come to think of it, there was a game that I used to play a lot on the PC... "King of the Beach"

I didn't play that one, but damn near wore out the cartridge with "Real Sports Volleyball" on the Atari 2600.