The Nintendo Entertainment System, better known as the NES, is perhaps the most iconic console in gaming history.
Without the success of the NES, there would be no Nintendo Switch Online. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that there are plenty of incredible NES games that completely justify the cost of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription on their own. These games are more than just iconic retro games that take us down memory lane. In many regards, they still hold up well on their own today.
You’ll boot them up just for the nostalgia, and before long, you’ll be playing them all day long.
There are over 75 NES games available on Nintendo Switch Online. These ten are the very best the subscription service has to offer.
10 Super Mario Bros. 3
An All-Time Classic
There are a lot of great 2D platformers that are released today.
I absolutely love Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It’s a perfect balance of speed and platforming. Within the Mario franchise itself, Super Mario Wonder is a constant cavalcade of innovative ideas being rotated in and out of the game without overwhelming the players.
You can argue that those games are relying on gimmicks to help keep you entertained. Again, they’re both great, but compared to Super Mario Bros. 3, they’re not in the same class.
There are no gimmicks, no fancy bells and whistles. Just vibrant, colorful level design backed by tight, perfect controls. It was revolutionary when it was released in 1988, and today, nearly 40 years later, you’ll quickly realize that nearly every modern 2D platformer plays exactly like this NES classic.
9 Kirby’s Adventure
A Change of Pace
Look, I love the Super Mario games, but sometimes, you don’t want a platformer that requires precision and perfection. Sometimes you want to sit back, relax, and enjoy some chill vibes.
If that’s what you’re looking for, then Kirby’s Adventure is the game for you. It’s cute, it’s endearing, and before long, you’ll realize that you’ve beaten the entire game in one sitting.
A lot of what makes Super Mario Bros. 3 so great is on display here. Level design is top-notch, the environments are bright and colorful, and Kirby moves so effortlessly. It’s a blast to play from start to finish and, before long, you’ll be humming along with the iconic music.
Is it the best Kirby game out there? No, personally, I think the Game Boy adventures are far better. It’s still a good Kirby game, though, and we could also use more good Kirby games in our lives.
8 Gradius
Old-School Shoot ‘Em Up Action
Behind me in my office is an authentic Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga arcade cabinet. No, not one of those replica 1-UP units. This is the real deal.
As much as I love Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga has always been my jam since I first played it as a kid over 30 years ago. It ate so many of my quarters in the arcades of my childhood.
To make a long story short, yeah, Gradius is absolutely on this list. It may pale in comparison to later entries in the series, but the foundation was still there from day one.
It’s an excellent side-scrolling shoot ’em up that satisfies the itch whenever I’m feeling too lazy to get off the couch and go to the arcade cabinet. It’s simple yet incredibly addicting, combining that classic arcade feeling and old-school NES charm.
7 The Legend of Zelda
Where It All Began
In recent years, there’s been a love affair with revisiting “classic” versions of modern games.
Take it from me, the guy who has spent thousands of hours in Classic World of Warcraft. Old School Runescape is seeing a resurgence in popularity once again.
These games call back to a simpler time, when things were a little more difficult and we had to rough it out in the virtual wilds. That’s the feeling I get with the original Legend of Zelda.
With the increased emphasis on this feeling in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, the old-school open-ended nature of the original Legend of Zelda game has gone from a rough, imperfect action adventure to a throwback gem.
6 Tetris
Yep, This Game Still Rocks
It’s Tetris.
I know, I know; that’s just two words, but for those who have ever played Tetris know how impactful those two words can be.
If, for some inexplicable reason, you’ve never played Tetris, pull up a chair and let’s talk briefly. This is easily the best puzzle game of all time. It’s the ultimate survival experience. It’s something so simple, lining up a bunch of shapes in a line, but yet so incredibly hard.
There have been many iterations on the Tetris formula over the years, from Tetris Effect to Tetris 99, all of which are great. The original, though, still hits. It still holds up. It’s still a blast to play. In other words, it’s Tetris.
5 Ninja Gaiden
Master Ninja
For those who recently played Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, an old-school inspired 2D Ninja Gaiden game that I promise I enjoyed despite some qualms with it, you have the NES games to thank for that.
Before the series was known for its fast-paced 3D action and brutal difficulty, it was, believe it or not, an even harder 2D side-scroller.
Ninja Gaiden felt ahead of its time when it first released in 1988. There were destructible environments, power-ups to obtain, and it even had a cinematic feel to it as well.
If you’re looking for a true test of video game skill, here’s your chance: head over to the NES section of Nintendo Switch Online, find Ninja Gaiden, and give it a go.
4 Tecmo Bowl
Bo Knows
I love football so much that I have watched every snap of the New England Patriots for as long as I can remember. I know it seems like a brag, but since 2022 (they at least made the play-offs in Mac Jones’ rookie year), it’s been a challenge. Don’t even get me started on the 2004 season.
My point here is that I don’t think Madden NFL 26 was a good game, and yet I can’t stop playing it. I’m that desperate for football.
This is a pretty long way of saying that the best football game you can play on Nintendo Switch is Tecmo Bowl. It remains an absolute blast of an arcade-style football game with the right amount of authenticity to keep the purists.
Sure, the modern football games offer a sense of realism and strategy that Tecmo Bowl will never touch, but while the former is incredibly buggy and frustrating, the latter is an absolute blast to play.
3 Metroid
Explore Your Heart Out
The Metroidvania genre has arguably never been more popular, thanks to the runaway success of games like Hollow Knight: Silksong, Dead Cells, and countless others.
They all owe that success, though, to 1986’s Metroid for the NES. Everything we know and love about the genre was there nearly 40 years ago. The exploration, the platforming, the action, all of it has been there since day one.
While it was eventually remade for the Game Boy Advance in 2004, there’s something about the original NES version that still holds up today. It’s tough, challenging, and surprisingly deep for an NES game.
For me, though, it’s the iconic soundtrack. There’s something about the Metroid score in its original form that warms my heart.
2 River City Ransom
Saturday Night’s Alright For A Fight
River City Ransom may not be as well-known or iconic as the Double Dragon series, but it’s the superior beat ‘em up on the Nintendo Switch Online NES library.
Gameplay holds up favorably compared to its predecessors, delivering the same beat ‘em up action you already knew and love, but River City Ransom doesn’t stop there. The game is more than a simple action side scroller and incorporates some RPG elements that add a nice amount of depth to it.
Where the game truly shines, though, is the writing. Most side scrollers use the plots and their characters as MacGuffins designed to propel the action forward. Not River City Ransom; there’s a surprising amount of effective humor that has helped the game achieve its cult classic status today.
Add in its adorable, charming art style, and you’re in for a treat. Boot it up on the weekend and enjoy what’s in store for you, especially if you’re waiting for the new Scott Pilgrim game.
1 Punch-Out!!
K-O
There’s just something about Punch-Out!! that you can’t explain without playing it.
The fact that a humble NES game, which, and I’m being honest here, has simple, barebones mechanics, can immerse you into a big fight feel is an incredible accomplishment.
Yes, at the end of the day, all Punch-Out!! does is offer gameplay that boils down to avoiding incoming punches so you can counter your opponent. It doesn’t touch the deep fighting game systems that exist today.
Yet it still triumphs because of its atmosphere. The roar of the crowd. The ring of the bell. That music. It’s a classic.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
