5 Worst NES Games We Pretend Were Good

The NES was one of the first mainstream video game consoles that many people in the West got to play at home. The wonder of having fun games available from the comfort of the couch helped create lasting memories and impressions that hold a special place in the hearts of many gamers. However, in the process of discovering gaming, some of the games from this era are now held up in people’s minds as being better than they actually were, either for reasons of nostalgia or novelty. Some became part of beloved series, causing people to forget about the lesser quality of original titles when sequels were released.

As a result, let’s take a look at some of the sacred NES titles often claimed to be good, but were actually quite flawed when looking closer.

5. Ghosts ‘n Goblins

When mentioning Ghosts ‘n Goblins, some people immediately think of the superior Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts on the SNES, which replaced the memory of the NES version in my mind, at least. However, the original NES port of Ghosts ‘n Goblins was plagued with choppy graphical issues that made it a frustrating experience to play when paired with an unforgiving difficulty.

The game also doubled down on repetitive sections, requiring players to slog through the same game a second time to beat it and unlock the “true” ending.  Despite these issues, some held the game up because of the Capcom brand and it being one of the company’s more iconic early titles. However, although it bore the Capcom name, the NES port was actually programmed by Micronics, who were also responsible for similar lackluster ports of titles like Ikari Warriors and Super Pitfall that aren’t remembered quite as fondly as Ghosts ‘n Goblins.

4. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Zelda II suffered from a similar issue, in that it belongs to an iconic video game series and got automatic points from gamers for being part of the club. In retrospect, some series fans praised Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for going a different direction and would offer an apologia that probably wouldn’t exist if it didn’t bear the Zelda name in its title. While it certainly also got listed as a black sheep and one of the worst Zelda series titles, it also has its share of supporters who try to elevate it for being unique.

The truth about Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was that it wasn’t as good as the defenders claimed. The game was challenging in a way that wasn’t fun to overcome, as it often required a substantial amount of exp grinding. It’s also very telling that many people who decided to replay the game in the modern era would do so with a healthy addition of modern conveniences like save states and rewind. There’s a reason that The Legend of Zelda series, which is about to turn 40, hasn’t yet added a Zelda 2 remaster to its big anniversary plans.

3. Blaster Master

I promise that I have not put games on this list just because they were difficult. However, difficulty can be a legitimate issue with a game when done improperly. The difficulty in Blaster Master felt artificial due to the lack of a password system or save points. The game essentially forced players to play through it in a single session or leave their consoles on permanently. What made this worse is that the game’s non-linear nature required players to roam around, backtracking while trying to figure out what they needed to do to progress. This created a frustrating overall experience. It was one of those games that greatly benefited from modern-day walkthroughs and save states, alleviating the testing of one’s patience that might have caused it to have a rozier perception in the current landscape.

The game was rightly praised for its unique transition from a 2D side-scroller to a top-down style dungeon crawler, and it deserved credit for its excellent music and visuals. However, people held onto these points to elevate the game into something more than it deserved to be. It’s sometimes considered an underrated gem on the NES, but to me, the gameplay part of the experience just didn’t quite reach that level.

2. Duck Hunt

Many gamers had fond memories of Duck Hunt, as it was perhaps their first experience with video games. However, upon closer inspection, the gameplay was actually extremely basic, making it one of the weaker titles that utilized the light gun accessory on the console. The novelty of the light gun was more effectively executed in other NES games, such as Hogan’s Alley, Gumshoe, and Billiards Bill’s Trick Shooting. So why was Duck Hunt often held up as the definitive light gun game on the NES when many others outshone it? 

It seems the reason was a combination of the love for the light gun as an accessory and the fact that Duck Hunt was bundled with the NES console. As the “original” light gun game in many people’s minds, nostalgia colored our recollections of playing Duck Hunt. Criticizing Duck Hunt would be akin to attacking the light gun accessory itself, which was a serviceable toy in its own right for those growing up with the NES console.

1. Battle Toads

I feel like the NES Battletoads was another victim of the nostalgia of its successors, which have helped hide the original title’s flaws in retrospect. The SNES version, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs, was what stuck in my mind when I thought of the series, whereas the NES version was something I never really engaged fully with. The controls were awkward and janky, which added to the feeling of unfairness when combined with the game’s sudden difficulty spike in the early-mid stages.

Understandably, games in this era had to flex their difficulty to ensure players were getting their money’s worth of time, but the way this was accomplished in titles like Battletoads didn’t always feel fair to the player. Those who made it past the infamous turbo tunnel jumping stage weren’t really rewarded with a fantastic endgame; instead, the later stages felt like they came down to memorization and were a mishmash that didn’t really feel tied together that well.

What did you think of this list? Comment below to let us know which ones we got right and which overrated NES games deserved to be on this list instead.

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