General Fuckface just captured the courtly guard and is leading an airship rebellion in an attempt to control the flow of magical resources powering streampunk army robots while young white guy farmer learns about morals and philosophy 101 while fucking up a clichéd, emotional romance. Giant ragtag bunch of heroes saves the world and learns exactly one thing about themselves, solving many of the psychological problems haunting the characters. There is twist, after twist, after twist in this "epic" plot, but by the end of it you just wish it was over.
Four: Being easy as hell.
Pretty self explanatory--if you're not dying you're not playing a good game. Notable exceptions: Ultima, Roguelikes, Diablo 1, Diablo 2, Diablo 3, Quest 64.
Three: Lack of Scope.
Seriously guys, Ultima I has 8 Castles, 32 towns, and 26 dungeons to explore. What the fuck. Notable exceptions: Ultima, Quest 64, World of Warcraft, Everquest.
Two: No Randomization.
Why is it many games continue to drive the player through the same dungeons over and over? I'm looking at you, Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy. Notable exceptions: Crawl, Nethack, all roguelikes, Diablo, Diablo 2, Diablo 3.
One: Having a party instead of one character.
Why do so many games have a party of adventurers? Are we so schizophrenic? Even Ultima eventually fell victim to this unfortunate trend. What seems like an avdance is actually a cleverly-designed artificial game extender. Battles take 4 times as long, and you need four times the supplies and gear. Things become watered down, and I don't even think game developers are aware of what a drag parties in RPGs can be. Notable exceptions: Roguelikes, Ultima 1 and 2, Moraff's World, Quest 64.
It's pretty simple when you look at it. Good RPGs will tend to have a single character, gigantic scope, and a lot of randomization. It almost seems like cheating, because any game made with this formula sounds pretty damn fun.
Instead, gamers get railroaded down a single boring path of 12-15 hours of time-destroying brainrot.
You've got friends, children, people, and they need video games. They've probably got a DS, but you honestly don't know what they hell to buy them. Maybe your on a budget and don't want to waste a chunk of change for a crap game. This list is in no particular order, because I've tried to offer a variety of genres for everyone.
These are the games that define the DS.
#10 Final Fantasy III
You really can't go wrong with Final Fantasy III. The commercials for this game really showed off the power of the DS, and made this Famicom classic come to life. Everyone was waiting for Final Fantasy III to come out, and about 5 of my friends bought it on launch day. I was the first one to complete the game--3 months later. This adventure will always be remembered by anyone who conquers the crystal tower, and is a must-have for the DS. It's been out for years, so you can find it cheap.
#9 Contra 4
I remember the E3 announcement for Contra 4: gamers were stunned. A new golden age in retro releases and rehashes was beginning, and Contra 4 helped get us there! Contra 4 is sidescrolling action perfected, and if your buddy has the cart multiplayer mode can be a blast.
#8 Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow (and, sure, the others)
My personal favorite Castlevania, and one of the games that convinced me to buy a DS. Metroidvania gameplay is perfected, and a few stylus gimmicks keep things fresh. This of this game as Symphony of the Night on crack, and you're approaching Dawn of Sorrow. You can summon Death's Scythes, swarms of demonic locusts, and fire a 9mm handgun and rocket launch ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Need I say more? It's got more modes and difficulties than you'll know what to do with; well over 50 hours to complete everything.
#7 Sonic Rush
Another early DS game, and not a bad entry in the Sonic series. Unlike some of the more recent flops, Sonic Rush holds up as a Sonic game, and manages to be worthy of Genesis comparison. For those who are tired of Sonic 1, 2, and 3, Sonic Rush would be a much better option than Sonic 4 of Sonic Unleashed or Sonic Colors.
#6 Dragon Quest 9
Not a port; this is a full-fledged original entry in the Dragon Quest series. RPG fans will appreciate the standard JRPG grind fest and explorative adventure. Some people hate it, others love. Personally, I lament the loss of what this game could have been: an online action RPG--until fans backlashed and the game was redesigned. They listened to the fans, but I wish they hadn't. DQXI is a solid entry, and great fun on the DS.
#5 Chrono Trigger
A timeless classic. Considered by many to be the greatest game of all time. Either you've already got an opinion on Chrono Trigger, or you need to play this game. The DS version is far superior to the Playstation port; this game is recommended to all! I've seen this game for 5 bucks at stores, so you've got to be able to find it.
#4 Kirby Canvas Curse
A game that uses the stylus with style. Either all gimmick or no gimmick, Kirby Canvas Curse is still the best Kirby game on the Nintendo DS, and, in my opinion, the best Kirby game of all time if we don't count Super Smash Brothers Brawl. This one might be a little more rare, but if you see this game this holiday season, you might want to grab it for a gamer.
#3 Retro Game Challenge
If 8-Bit City were a video game, it would be something like Retro Game Challenge. Actually, if 8-Bit City were a game, it would be Star Quest. Expectantly, Star Quest and Retro Game Challenge feature a similar mechanic: games within the games; except in Retro Game Challenge you get magazines and new cart as you grow up as a young kid playing the Famicom. It's stranger than that, but this game is without a doubt one of the best on the DS, and reason enough to buy a used DS Lite or something.
#2 Meteos
The best puzzler around, and it's for the Nintendo DS. Meteos is half space shooter, half puzzle game, and all action. You need twitch reflexes and pattern recognition skills for this one. Improve your mind, play Meteos!
#1 Contact
The most underrated game for the DS, Contact went barely noticed. It still enjoys a cult following, and you can probably find it haunting a Gamestop this year. Contact breaks the forth wall, and recognizes that the player is playing the game and communicating with space aliens via a device called the Nintendo DS. It gets weirder from that, as you possess a boy from another dimension and turn him into a killing machine, all to help a dubious 8-Bit scientist. Contact engages the player directly, you can't help but love this game. If you're buying someone a gift for the DS, make it Contact--this might be the last year you'll be able to find this rare gem. It's sure to be worth quite a bit in the future, and will likely be sought after by collectors as an essential piece of the DS library.
I'm not going to make a list clogged with Mario, Contra, Metroid, and Proto Man 2. These games have the benefit of low-prices because collectors/vendors seem to care more about brand recognition than quality. These games are often brutally difficult, thus undesirable to many gamers. Others never saw a North American release.
#12: Proto Man 3 (World 2011)
The Top 10 Underrated Non-Franchise Action Platformers for the NES
aka
Games like Ninja Gaiden
#11: Wrath of the Black Manta (JP November 17, 1989; NA April, 1990; EU January 24, 1991)
Why is this game even on the list. Honestly I only had 10 games, but this Strider clone is fun... I think? I don't even feel like talking about it, so that should speak to the shit quality.
#10: Hokuto no Ken (JPN October 10, 1986)
If more games features awesome backdrops, cool enemy design, and exploding heads, they'd be on this list. Not nearly as good as the sequel, but it certainly has it's charm. Ken walks about as fast as Robocop, like he does in the anime. The sequel suffers from the same problem, and jumping around is much faster.
#9: Karnov (December 18, 1987; NA 1988)
Karnov feature some of the weirdest and most memorable enemy design on the NES. The NES was about to have an explosion of games around 1989, using new technologies. Karnov still uses a one-way mapper, and was a pretty big title in America. You can probably pick this up from your local used game store.
Joystiq thought the game was creepy, and maybe it is a little unsettling.
#8: Shadow of the Ninja / Blue Shadow (JP August 10, 1990; NA January 1991)
Natsume no doubt adapted the Shadow of the Ninja engine into Shatterhand (#4). It features co-op play, sadly lacking in Shatterhand. Shadow of the Ninja is almost impossible. It's ten times more difficult than Ninja Gaiden. You get 1 life and 5 continues. Be prepared to spend several solid days, if not weeks, mastering this game.
#7: Trojan (JP December 24, 1986; NA February 1987)
Another ultra-common cart, and an excellent game. It doesn't emulate properly in JNES and others, but I think NNNesterJ will probably run it, because it has proven to be the most reliable emulator in my experience. With that said, JNES uses much less system resources.
This game is like Ghosts and Goblins, and about as difficult. You get only get three lives, but if you hold UP you can continue forever. Strange programming, but effectively two difficulty settings: cheater or awesome. Thanks for making me feel like a cheater, Capcom.
It's the post-Apocalypse, and you are so angry you decide to beat the shit out of street gangs with your Ancient Greek Weapons. Trojan feels cheap at times, but the levels are varied, detailed, and once you start to learn it's quirks, Trojan becomes pretty fun for 30 minutes or until you break the controller.
#6: Fist of the North Star (Japan, April 17, 1987; NA April, 1989)
This is the real classic of all Fist of the North Star games. You play, of course, as Ken. Your mission: kill everyone (damn, these games are so violent!) by exploding them with your fists or kicking them with the force of lightning. The cart is pretty common as well, and even if it is a franchise these games don't count because exactly 100 people know what Fist of the North Star is.
#5: Karateka (Japan 1984)
Before Prince of Persia staring Jake Gillen-Something, there was Karateka. Most people will probably hate this game, and North America never saw a release on the NES. The Famicom version is my favorite, but it was also released for Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari 7800, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, ZX Spectrum, and Nintendo Game Boy. Still, it remains pretty obscure and primitive compared to Prince of Persia, but the simple karate fighting is better than anything else the NES has to offer. Games like Kung Fu, Karate Champ, and Karate Heros just feel stupid, with nonsense obstacles and enemies. Karateka puts the player in the role of a Kung Fu movie action hero, kicking ass on his way to the final boss.
#4: Shatterhand (JP October 26, 1991; NA December 1991; EU November 19, 1992)
Ninjas had been done to death at this point in the NES's life, but action-hero stereotypes never got old. Shatter hand is the story of a cop who lost his arms and gained the ability to fight global criminal organizations.
Tokkyuu Shirei - Solbrain in Japan. America gets a much harder non-carnival stage for level C, and an overall better game, if only slightly. The NA sprites are a little cooler, and the lack of the Japanese story is a plus. The North American intro more effective and extremely awesome.
Shatterhand uses his cybernetic fists to explode people. If he picks up Alpha and Beta powerups, he can build 8 different robots. ABB is by far the best. Build it twice, and you get a near-invincible power suit for 15 seconds, usually right before the boss. You can even block bullets with your fists. The coolest gimmick is clinging on to chain link fences in many stages.
The music sounds all self-similar, but solid enough. Shatterhand is polished and well worth everyone's time.
#3: Journey to Silius (JP August 10, 1990; NA September 1990)
Originally designed to be a Terminator game, and still one of the best games on the NES. The levels are long, but there are only 5. You get a new weapon before every boss as well. Amazing music.
#2: Vice: Project Doom (JP April 26, 1991; NA November 1991)
A blatant Ninja Gaiden ripoff, and thank god because, like Ninja Gaiden, this game is awesome. This game features 2 driving, 2 shooting, and about 18 platforming levels broken up over 11 stages. A must have for any collector. Nintendo Power readers were treated to full-coverage and the cover of issue 24.
I really like the stage 11 music. Unlimited continues make this game quite beatable with a little patience.
#1: Metal Storm (JP April 1992; NA February 1991)
Another game which appeared on the cover of Nintendo Power, Metal Storm is of the highest quality. But because it's not part of a franchise, editors at IGN, Gamespot, etc. didn't play it as a kid and it gets overlooked or ranked around #50 in popular lists of NES games. Don't let the mediocre attention fool you; this is one of the best platformers of all time. You can flip gravity at any time, and choose between several weapon powerups, like most of these other games. R-Type never managed to be quite as good as Gradius, it's a shame Irem decided to turn that game into a franchise instead of this one.
Instead of annoying gimmicks, like in Ninja Gaiden 2, Metal Storm manages to keep things interesting in truly unconventional ways. Stage 1 lets the player get a feel for the controls and collect a few weapons before a pretty fun boss fight. Stage 2 starts to play with hypermazes and infinite fall tunnels, and shows how looping the top and bottom of a platforming level can be exploited to interesting effect. Stage 3 has a track with enemies through the entire level, Stage 4 takes place in a moving cage, Stage 5 has a laser beam chasing the player, and Stage 6 pushes the limits of the hypermazes and gravity flips. Stage 7 is a boss rush mode and a disappointment, but overall the game remains and classic and a personal favorite.
I remember running this on the Physics Lab computer in high school.
Hunt down the Japanese rom, several improvements were introduced. The M-308 Gunner looks more like a mobile suit thanks the the white sprites.
It also features one of the most classic NES tunes of all time, "Electric Win," as well as many other excellent tracks.
Most of the games are variations on the same genre, so I hope this list didn't become too repetitive. I can only praise the art and controls so many times before it becomes pointless space filler. Popular franchises like Batman and TMNT get plenty of attention, and likely everyone is aware of those games. Powerblade 1 and 2 technically became a franchise and I probably should have included both in this list, especially with the Fist of the North Star games. The list, however, is done, and I'm not changing it, but expect a Powerblade extravaganza in the future.
Did I forget your favorite game? Make your case for an underrated action platformer in the comments.
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