Gaming is a huge part of my life. I have been playing games since I can remember. From playing Maze Craze on the Atari 2600 with my father after he got home from work to playing the Sega Dreamcast for the first time - gaming has been in my blood for decades. I have even turned gaming into a bit of a job so to speak as I run two websites Gravis Ludus and Retro Gaming Magazine. One system that has a deep set placement in my heart is the Nintendo Entertainment System. I can still remember the day that Super Mario Bros 3 hit. My friend @JerryPerkinsII called me, I believe, and told me he saw it at Thrifty or was it Safeway? Anyhow, I remember calling around trying to find a store that had a copy available and begging my mom to take me to Payless (in Fort Bragg Payless was a lot like K-Mart - they sold more than shoes). That was just one adventure I got to go on thanks to the NES. Here are five of my favorite, underappreciated, NES games. Tell me yours in the comments and let's compare!
Deja Vu and UnInvited
The Nintendo NES was not known for blood and guts type games. Nintendo had a strict policy against that type of thing - even though Monster Party was able slip by with pretty much corner to corner red pixels and such. That is why games like Deja Vu and UnInvited appealed to me. For one, I was a big mystery/film noir style fan though I had no idea that is what it would later become known as. I was also a huge horror movie fan. When I saw Deja Vu and UnInvited at the local Thrifty (think K-Mart) I had a conundrum to face - which one to get. They had a similar look to them graphically so it came down to solving a mystery or fending off ghouls and things that go bump in the night. I picked the detective game and later got UnInvited. Let me tell you, I was too young for Deja Vu. lol It took me years to finally grow into that one as it required note taking, basic medicine understanding and of course, remembering some basic game choices that effected you later. Both great games and worth your time to play through, with or without a guide though it will help immensely.
Robowarrior
I get a lot of flack for including this one in just about any discussion I possibly can. Just ask @ModernZorker how many ways I can bring up this game. For those that don't know, Robowarrior is a spin-off of the Bomberman series, a bastard child or black sheep of the family. You walk around the levels and drop bombs to clear paths, or kill stronger enemies. You have a blaster and you are slowly dying so you constantly have to power up your batteries (you are a cyborg after all in the North American version). This brings tension to an action game and it can be downright scary as you are frantically searching for health and have only one bar left and it is blinking. Play it and tell me that is not scary.
Renegade
The poor mans Double Dragon or Final Fight. Some hate this game but I thoroughly enjoyed it (I also enjoyed playing arcade games like Crime Fighters and seeing how far a few quarters could get me). If you are a fighting fan then at least check out Renegade on the NES. Not guaranteeing you will like it but it is fairly cheap at game stores so why not?
Blaster Master
You can get ouf of your vehicle?!? Really!?? I know, a lot of you are reading this thinking Blaster Master was not underappreciated. It was. I lived it. While it picked up popularity later in the life of the NES, early on this game was under rated badly. Take a plunge into the netherworld and save your frog. They just did a new Blaster Master for the Nintendo Switch that has me thinking I need that console now. Great game on the NES and not one you will beat the first time playing. Plenty of replay value here.
Castlevania II
I know you have probably heard how bad Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is. Forget this is a Castlevania game and just enjoy the adventure that awaits you. I loved this game, spent months trying to beat it and decrypt those clues. Just a fun romp around a medieval world with ghouls and evil things to kill. Worth your time to play, definitely.