The NES was the beginning. Nintendo had grown tired of supplying Japans underground mobs with playing cards to wage illegal gambling matches of life and death and felt there talents were perfect for making the Videogames for little kids. While Atari was busy feeding Japans inner need for pixilated porn Nintendo worked the Famicom, which released in Japan with moderate fan fare. Afraid of the bad image videogames had in America Nintendo decided to call the system the Nintendo Entertainment System because there is no way anyone would be able to make the connection between Games and Entertainment. Over 20 years later the NES has one of the largest and greatest collections of games and here are 5 that stick out from the bunch.
#5 Final Fantasy: The only game in the series to not contain roman numerals, Final Fantasy one was the game that would shape how spiky haired homosexual boys from Japan would settle disputes for the next 2 decades. Although it wasn’t the first game to use a turn-based battle system Final Fantasy, with it’s perfect blend of chess like strategy and over the top dialogue grabbed players in a way that many games would mimick for the coming decade. The class system that included classics like the white mage, red mage, Black Mage (which was coloured Blue?) and thief, became a hallmark of RPGs in general. Although it wasn’t the first to do many things Final Fantasy brought many aspects of RPGs to the forefront and made them staples of the genre for years to come. On a side note however do not try to play this game right now … you will hate your life for it.
#4 Super Mario Bros 3: As exciting as Super Mario Bros 2’s turnip picking was gamers were desperate for a true follow-up to Super Mario Bros greatness and something that wasn’t just Doki Doki Panic with Mario characters. SMB3 fulfilled that request combining creative level design and challenge from the original with an inventory system, power ups and checkpoint system made SMB3 worthy of Mario name and is one of the best NES games out there. And besides you got to play as a Tanuki which is basically a Squirrel like animal from Japan that uses it’s massive scrotem (or ball sack as some may refer to it) to glide through the air. Oh Nintendo you perverts.
#3 Metroid: Nintendo gave birth to two of the biggest franchises in videogames, Legend of Zelda and Super Mario. Now if those two franchises had a child the offspring would be Metroid. Nintendo took the 2D platforming of Super Mario Bros and the exploration and puzzle solving of Zelda and threw it in space with crazy aliens and laser blasters. Metroid puts you on a foreign alien world infested with aliens and space pirates and you played the role of Samus a badass, strong, killing machine who was a ... Chick?
#2 The Legend of Zelda: Da da … da da da da… da da da de … dun dun dun dun … this melody echoed through my head for weeks and I loved every second of it. Legend of Zelda began like every game should by walking into a dark cave and accepting a gift from a creepy old dude and just like that you set of on an adventure the likes of which gamers had never experienced before. The Legend of Zelda incorporated the perfect blend of puzzle solving, combat and exploration. As well as a expansive world full of mystery … well in my mind it was… 
#1 Super Mario Bros. : Miyamato is the idea man behind Nintendo. He drew inspiration from his real world surroundings and based games upon them, The Legend of Zelda was inspired by his love of exploring the outdoors, Pikmin was based on his love of gardening and Wii Fit was based on his love of things that match his Ikea furniture. Mario was based upon his jolly Italian landlord and Mario quickly became the poster boy of videogames. But Mario didn’t really get his spotlight until Super Mario Bros. on the NES. Whether you were a 5 year old who found challenge in jumping over the first Goomba to cross your path or were a seasoned videogame vet who enjoyed the challenge of perfectly timing jumps on Level 8-1 [on a side note I hated the second Para-Koopa on level 8-1] Super Mario Bros. gave joy to anyone who has a soul.
Playing modern day platformers like LittleBigPlanet, Shadow Complex and Trine really helps you appreciate just how perfect Super Mario Bros. was. What it really got right was it’s jumping mechanics, it may sound trivial but the jumping in Super Mario Bros was so perfectly tuned. There is even scientific evidence to back the claim that Mario’s jumping pattern benefits a gamers’ enjoyment of a game. Several games to follow would attempt to mimic Mario’s jumping but none would surpass it, even Master Chief’s jumping is similar in trajectory and momentum. SMB also set a benchmark for challenge in games, a perfect match of difficulty and enjoyment. What really is impressive is how much Nintendo was able to squeeze out of what resources and experience they had, it is Super Mario Bros inherent simplicity that makes it so beautiful and complex. For decades developers tried to make games with destructive environments while SMB had done it years before with it’s exploding blocks. SMB is a perfect example of how creative design will always surpass technology limits and hardware.
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