The following is a few NES games that were really pretty good, but weren't really good enough to get on any website or magazine's "top 10 list," or "best games of all time." Well maybe a few have, but they aren't the typical amazing game you get all sentimental about (like Mario 3 or Techmo Bowl). If you had these games, then you probably dumped many hours into them, and if you never played them you should know you really missed out.
What made this game awesome: You gotta love the customization of the generic teams here. Skinny = fast and weak shot, Fat = slow and hard shot, and Medium = well, medium. But what was cool is that you could mix and match however you liked based on what your opponent was choosing. But lets be honest, you were 6 and you just picked guys however you liked em. This game was great for competing w/ a friend and quick thumbs could really pay off in the end.
Why it's not on any lists: well it pretty much ignores the real rules of Hockey such as the official number of players each team should have on the ice. So it's not really a sim. So that would make it arcade style right? Not really. The fighting was sort of just this weird rumble inside of a cloud and one team would lose a player. There were no trick shots or power ups or any other goodies you find in those kind of games. Probably the most frustrating thing is that scoring seems random. The goalie just sort of lets them go every now and then.
Final thought: this is probably the first sports game I can ever remember playing and although it lacks a certain polish, it sure was a heck of a lot more fun that I find most sports games today.
Rush n' Attack
What made this game awesome: You are a single guy going up against the enemy with nothing but a KNIFE! So cool! But this one one of those games that was all about timing. If you were quick and had good timing it was super rewarding to blow through the missions. Also the music is very catchy.
Why it's not on any lists: The game isn't terribly deep. You just run and stab stuff and occasionally get a bazooka. Some of it also doesn't make a lot of sense. It suffers from touch-kill similar to Mario where if the enemy comes into contact with you in any sort of way (besides your knife) you die. Kind of dumb, but so is the enemy who simply runs headlong at you not using any of the weapons they have slung over their shoulders. And apparently if you wear orange, you must jump-kick.
Final thought: When I was a kid, I thought this game was called Russian Attack - kind of makes it more awesome doesn't it?
Super Dodge Ball
What made this game awesome: The free for all dodge ball mode set in the backyard of a school was pure gold. There were no sides, no boundaries and you could throw the ball at any ol chap you wanted. The ability to "run" and throw a super charged ball at a person depleting their life by a large margin never got old. ever. Each player had a unique power throw (two actually) and took damage differently as well. It was just fun!
Why it's not on any lists: The graphics for one thing, are a little off. The game has a problem that many old NES games had where the moving components on screen would flicker in and out of view. I didn't remember that when I was a kid but noticed it last time I played it (which was in Kyle Reed's dorm room a few years ago). Also the game is over pretty quickly. If it weren't for the multi-player mode you could be effectively "done" with the game in an hour.
Final thought: This was probably the game we rented the most often. We (for some strange reason) never actually owned it. We rented it as often as we could but that wasn't easy b/c it was frequently rented out being the only copy in the whole store.
Bases Loaded
What made this game so awesome: Most baseball games that originated in Japan featured players that were fat little men (RBI baseball) and the game play was usually silly or arcade style. Bases Loaded however featured players that looked like the real thing and I always enjoyed the unique perspective of the hitting/pitching (most games place the camera behind the batter). The best part was that each team had players with weird names like Paste or Carr. But that also made it kind of fun. If you picked the same team all the time, you started to expect certain things from those players.
Why it's not on any lists: People who really like baseball want to play a baseball game that features their favorite teams and real players' names and stats. So this game is out. Also, it doesn't have any of the cool team building play style that was a new concept at this time (remember Baseball Stars?)
Final thought: This is one of those games where I can still hum the little tune in my head after all these years.
Double Dribble
What made this game so awesome: The cut scenes in this game made you want to dunk the ball every single time. It was so cool to see the very game transform before your eyes for the close up. Also, I love how when you shoot a 3 pointer it basically sounds like a bomb is going off.
Why it's not on any lists: Just like Bases Loaded this game lacks any tie-in with professional or college level basketball. Also there's just some weird things about it. Like how all the players are the same size, dribble the same speed, run the same speed, and oh yeah....DON'T HAVE FACES! Also, you can run straight out of bounds. Can you even do that in current basketball games?
Final thought: When you think of all the lack of detail in this game it's amazing to notice that they thought of putting in the squeaking shoes sound.
Pro Wrestling
What made this game so awesome: Honestly, I'm not sure why, but I played the snot out of this game. My favorite was Star Man because he had that really cool somersault kick.
Why it's not on any lists: The game has some of the good parts of pro wrestling like clotheslines and suplexes but it's missing some of the stuff that makes pro wrestling what it really is. The drama. There is not throwing someone out of the ring to bash them w/ a chair and no smack talking and no personalized music no big personalities. Again, I'm not sure why but I played this game a ton.
Final Thought: My mother hated this game because one of Amazon's moves is to bite the opponent's head.
Well I hope you enjoyed my list. I'll probably do one for other systems but I wanted to keep it simple. What would you have put on there?
