Probably at most 10%. But really this is highly subjective and can vary depending on the person. I first grew up playing NES games, but going back to some of them is pretty tough.
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What % of 8-bit games hold up?
- Thread starter smisk
- Start date
I say most honestly. The art styles are timeless, and a lot of the times the games are simple (Tetris, arcade ports, platformers) and while turn based JRPGs have a lot more jank than more modern ones, they still aren't totally different from stuff on the GBA or DS.
If the game was good back then, I'm willing to bet most are good now.
If the game was good back then, I'm willing to bet most are good now.
Dragon Quest 3, 4, and Phantasy Star all hold up really well for 8-bit turn-based RPGs.
Are we counting PC stuff too? There are a lot of great computer games that came out in the 80's, some of which are console-style. For example, I really liked Fire Hawk: Thexder - The Second Contact which is like a more linear Metroid with a story where you pilot a mech that can switch between humanoid & spaceship forms. Was made by Game Arts (of Grandia fame) and published in English by Sierra On-Line.
Are we counting PC stuff too? There are a lot of great computer games that came out in the 80's, some of which are console-style. For example, I really liked Fire Hawk: Thexder - The Second Contact which is like a more linear Metroid with a story where you pilot a mech that can switch between humanoid & spaceship forms. Was made by Game Arts (of Grandia fame) and published in English by Sierra On-Line.
I turn my nose up at anyone decrying meaningful death systems as "archaic," especially for games that are only an hour long and need it in order to have any semblance of replay value.
Victory means nothing if defeat carries no consequence, and the only two things that a video game can actually threaten to take from you are your money and/or your time. Arcade games do the former by limiting the number of lives per credit and letting you continue in place. Console games do the latter by making you repeat some portion of the game upon failure.
There's always a balance to maintain, some do it better than others, and I'm not going to pretend that I'm above using savestates for a quick play in unfamiliar territory, but the outright dismissal of purposeful reward and punishment is just myopic drivel from content tourists.
Victory means nothing if defeat carries no consequence, and the only two things that a video game can actually threaten to take from you are your money and/or your time. Arcade games do the former by limiting the number of lives per credit and letting you continue in place. Console games do the latter by making you repeat some portion of the game upon failure.
There's always a balance to maintain, some do it better than others, and I'm not going to pretend that I'm above using savestates for a quick play in unfamiliar territory, but the outright dismissal of purposeful reward and punishment is just myopic drivel from content tourists.
Kirby's Adventure on the NES holds up and still looks & sounds amazing. Of course you need to temper your expectations if you're younger than 25 probably, but it really is a marvel.
As a younger gamer that played most of these games through rereleases, I'd say "some." The classic platformers like Mario and Kirby are still really great, and I don't even think Ninja Gaiden is that bad today. A lot of simplistic games like racers and arcade conversions are also still good.
On the other hand, the more complicated games are outdated as heck. I can't play Zelda 1 and Metroid 1 today, and the RPGs haven't held up that well either.
16-bit was just a raw improvement in every way, and one of my favorite generations.
On the other hand, the more complicated games are outdated as heck. I can't play Zelda 1 and Metroid 1 today, and the RPGs haven't held up that well either.
16-bit was just a raw improvement in every way, and one of my favorite generations.
i play a lot of old games that are new to me and while some are bad, i'd argue that none of them aged. if i find them unenjoyable today they were probably a novelty at best back on release.
many of them have mechanics that are initially odd to me, but i have yet to find a game where I can't adjust to a lack of "QoL" over the course of like 30 minutes.
many of them have mechanics that are initially odd to me, but i have yet to find a game where I can't adjust to a lack of "QoL" over the course of like 30 minutes.
I genuinely find the 8-bit iterations of Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Mega Man to be more interesting than their 16-bit successors. I just played through Metroid for the first time 2 or 3 years ago.
I see where people are coming from when they say that 8-bit RPGs usually aren't much to write home about... but they also weren't that popular back then in the first place, so is it even fair to say that they hold up worse today than they did back then? IIRC, a major reason why Squaresoft made Super Mario RPG was because they were unhappy with relatively low international sales of their RPGs up to that point and wanted the Mario license so that they could secure a breakthrough hit.
I said "Some" mainly because the games I played originally back then I usually go back and play now, but I find it very hard to go back and play something to new to me from the era.
Oddly, I do not have this issue on the PC side. I have a much easier time revisiting and playing new-to-me games on PC from around that era.
Oddly, I do not have this issue on the PC side. I have a much easier time revisiting and playing new-to-me games on PC from around that era.
If I enjoyed an 8-bit game back when it came out, chances are I still enjoy it. There are plenty I like even more now or didn't play until years later but still love. This applies to the entire 8-bit "umbrella", not just NES/SMS but 8-bit computer games, portable games, arcade games, and pre-NES consoles. The amount of disrespect for these generations is pretty sad. Even if you don't personally enjoy playing them, you should at least acknowledge that many of these games are still well designed for people into them.
Thanks for mentioning it. Burai Fighter is such a great, cool game that a lot of folks don't know about. The GB version is also pretty good and the GBC version is great but it's definitely the most expensive between the 3 versions.
Games that suck now tended to suck then. Games I dislike now I tended to dislike then.
As with everything, it's going to depend on your tastes. You mention Metroid in your OP, but I didn't play that until the 3DS so like 8 years ago and it's one of my favorite games.
As with everything, it's going to depend on your tastes. You mention Metroid in your OP, but I didn't play that until the 3DS so like 8 years ago and it's one of my favorite games.
Also, a lot of younger people think playing a handful of NES games is equivalent to experiencing the 8-bit era. That's not true at all; it's just a slice of it. I have seen zoomers play more obscure stuff like Mine Storm on Vectrex, Archon on C64, and Sega light phaser games and have a great time. Most won't ever be exposed to those because of the narrative that the NES was all that mattered in the '80s but there's a big world of 8-bit games out there that hold up.
It depends a lot on what your expectations are. I would say a solid amount of 8-bit games hold up decently well either purely as games, or relative to expectations. This is especially true for more arcade-style games that are built around a discrete, well-executed gameplay loop. Tetris, DigDug, Pac-Man, etc., are in this vein and still delightful if you approach them with an understanding of their limitations.
The other category of games that holds up, with some overlap with the first category, is games that communicate clearly with the player. These games might have a broader scope than the arcade-style category, but you never necessarily feel confused or cheated (even if the game is challenging), because the game is very transparent about its mechanics and systems. This category is stuff like SMB 3, Kirby, etc. Games in this category might even stand up by comparison today's games in their same genres, depending on what you're looking for.
The games that generally don't hold up are often the ones that are overly ambitious or opaque. Zelda, DQ 1, FF 1 are good examples of this. There are fundamental things about how the game works that are just not communicated within the game. There's an expectation that you'll rely on contemporaneously produced external materials. These are the kinds of games that were meant to wow you at the time, and they've just been thoroughly surpassed because technology has enabled devs to better achieve the visions of the originals. A lot of them are just broken mechanically because of the complex coding required by their ambitions.
The other category of games that holds up, with some overlap with the first category, is games that communicate clearly with the player. These games might have a broader scope than the arcade-style category, but you never necessarily feel confused or cheated (even if the game is challenging), because the game is very transparent about its mechanics and systems. This category is stuff like SMB 3, Kirby, etc. Games in this category might even stand up by comparison today's games in their same genres, depending on what you're looking for.
The games that generally don't hold up are often the ones that are overly ambitious or opaque. Zelda, DQ 1, FF 1 are good examples of this. There are fundamental things about how the game works that are just not communicated within the game. There's an expectation that you'll rely on contemporaneously produced external materials. These are the kinds of games that were meant to wow you at the time, and they've just been thoroughly surpassed because technology has enabled devs to better achieve the visions of the originals. A lot of them are just broken mechanically because of the complex coding required by their ambitions.
OP
OP
Ninja Gaiden is a weird one - great graphics, music, and mechanics, but the level design and enemy placement make it completely frustrating to play, even with save states. I know some people love it but past the first few levels it gets really bad with the checkpoint placement.
Also keep in mind y'all that there were around 1400 games between the NES and famicom. You guys have convinced me that maybe the number of enjoyable games is closer to 10% but I'm not buying 50% lol.
It's best not to look at it in terms of percentages and just focus on the number of good games. Every gen has a ton of mediocre games percentage-wise.
I meant to vote for many instead of some. Most of the games we thought were great are still great IMO.
I was kinda heartbroken when I went back to play Bubble Bobble with my brother and we were both shocked at how bad it felt to control. But stuff like Megaman, Ninja Gaiden, and other games are still great. Heck, I played that Jackie Chan NES game recently and it's still good. I also think RPGs like Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star are still fun experiences if you go in knowing there's gonna be a grind.
The larger "action adventure" stuff like Zelda, Star Tropics, and Blaster Master I'm not too fond of anymore though.
I was kinda heartbroken when I went back to play Bubble Bobble with my brother and we were both shocked at how bad it felt to control. But stuff like Megaman, Ninja Gaiden, and other games are still great. Heck, I played that Jackie Chan NES game recently and it's still good. I also think RPGs like Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star are still fun experiences if you go in knowing there's gonna be a grind.
The larger "action adventure" stuff like Zelda, Star Tropics, and Blaster Master I'm not too fond of anymore though.
Honestly the most annoying thing about Ninja Gaiden is the ridiculous knock back when you get hit. I died way more times from getting knocked into pits than from losing all health. (Also the enemies respawn near-instantly).
The unlimited continues at least make it so you don't need to start over from THAT far when you game over. I haven't had to use save states for NG much compared to other NES games.
I think maybe like 30-40% were even considered "good" at the time. Of those, maybe 20% really hold up today. Maybe.
50 might be somewhat of a cutoff number, but there are probably 50 games worth playing on the Famicom.
4 Mario and 6 Rockman games, that's 10 already without even getting started.
Metroid, 2 Zeldas, 3 Castlevanias, Kid Icarus, Final Fantasy III, Dragon Quest IV, Metal Gear. That's 20.
Famicom Wars, Shadow of the Ninja, Contra, Super C, Punch Out, Ghost'N Goblins, River City Ransom, Gradius, Salamander, Faxanadu.
That's 30.
Little Nemo, Ninja Gaiden I&II, Mother, GunDec, Double Dragon I&II, TMNT Arcade, Bubble Bobble, Gimmick.
40 already.
Add in great puzzle games like Solomon's Key, Yoshi no Tamago, Dr. Mario, Tetris, Lolo...
Disney Masterpieces such as Duck Tales, Chip'N Dale I&II.
Strategy games like Nobunaga, still very playable. Sim City.
Yeah, actually I'm pretty sure I could get stranded on a desert island and play only Famicom games for the rest of my life without feeling like I'm missing out much.
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I voted "some" but it might be "many" IMO
If you just take (most of) the Nintendo stuff (Mario, Zelda, Star Tropics, Metroid, Kid Icarus...), most of the Capcom stuff (MM, Disney stuff, Little Nemo), and a good chunk of Square and Enix games, I think a case for "many" seems more realistic. Haven't even touched Konami or the other random gems.
I grew up in the era, so biased, but I think a lot of 8-bit games still play well for their limitations.
If you just take (most of) the Nintendo stuff (Mario, Zelda, Star Tropics, Metroid, Kid Icarus...), most of the Capcom stuff (MM, Disney stuff, Little Nemo), and a good chunk of Square and Enix games, I think a case for "many" seems more realistic. Haven't even touched Konami or the other random gems.
I grew up in the era, so biased, but I think a lot of 8-bit games still play well for their limitations.
OP
OP
Good list, thanks! Though I'm judging you for including the Micronics Ghost's n Goblins port..
I think this is subjective, not objective. The main criteria is probably your tolerance for insane difficulty, or at least insane compared with most games these days. If you can handle limited lives/continues and arcade style difficulty, there's still many games I feel hold up well today. Don't forget PC Engine is 8 bit too, so you've got that library plus NES and SMS. Chock full of bangers.
In general? Probably very few.
But games that were then considered to be good and are now roughly the same quality? Probably almost all of them.
The concept of aging is overrated.
But games that were then considered to be good and are now roughly the same quality? Probably almost all of them.
The concept of aging is overrated.
I know what you mean; but while it may not be the greatest of all ports, it still is a decent game all things considered (I may be partial).
OK, if you insist, scratch that and replace with Gargoyle's Quest 2 to stay within franchise!
I will take this challenge
Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros 2 (USA)
Super Mario Bros 3
Zelda 2
Duck Tales
Duck Tales 2
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Super Turrican
Boulder Dash
James Bond Jr
Castlevania
Castlevania 3
Mega Man
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 4
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Monsters in my Pocket
Little Nemo
Gimmick!
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Wizards & Warriors 2
Wizards & Warriors 3
Dragon Warrior 3
Dragon Warrior 4
Maniac Mansion
Rainbow Islands (UK version)
Punch Out
Shadowgate
Bubble Bobble
Parasol Stars
Parodius Da!
StarTropics
StarTropics II
Life Force
New Ghostbusters 2
Swords & Serpents
Adventure of Lolo
Adventure of Lolo 2
Adventure of Lolo 3
Blaster Master
Journey to Silius
Kirby's Adventure
Metal Storm
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden 2
Solomon's Key
Batman
Batman: Return of the Joker
Gradius
Tiny Toons Adventures
Contra
Super C
Crystalis
TMNT 2
TMNT 3
TMNT Tournament Fighters
Power Blade
Battle of Olympus
61 games. Now, for some of them it's been a long while since I played them, but 80% of them are good at least (I play classics like Zelda 2 and MM4 almost every year), and I have only played a small segment of the overall NES library. So should be quite a bit more then this.
Bonus for the OP - since I already did it for another thread, here are my top 30 GB games:
30. Harvest Moon GB
29. The Sword Of Hope
28. The Sword Of Hope 2
27. Final Fantasy Legend III
26. Kirby's Pinball Land
25. Kid Dracula
24. Trip World
23. Final Fantasy Legend II
22. Kirby's Dream Land
21. Final Fantasy Adventure
20. Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
19. Avenging Spirit
18. Mercenary Force
17. Ikari no Yousai 2
16. Balloon Kid
15. Duck Tales 2
14. Pokémon Yellow
13. Bionic Commando
12. Gargoyle's Quest
11. Super Mario Land 2
10. Kirby's Dream Land 2
9. Mole Mania
8. Wario Land 2
7. For Frog the Bell Tolls (Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru - never released west, Link's Awakening used this engine [Prince Richard in LA is a reference to this game] - translation available here - https://www.romhacking.net/translations/1623/)
6. Tetris
5. Mega Man V
4. Donkey Kong '94
3. Dragon Warrior Monsters
2. Super Mario Land 3 : Wario Land
1. The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Mega Man V is NOT Mega Man 5. Also that GB top five is some of my fave games ever.
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No Guardian Legend or Shatterhand? You're killin' me here.
Just wanted to add that for the most part, these lists aren't even very deep cuts - these are fairly well known games of the era that are generally held in high regard. If you go deeper, you can find a lot more games worth playing.
Can't do anything about games I haven't played! Both look good though, will try to make time to play them.
Absolutely. I have purposefully stayed away from Famicom only games to make it accessible for OP, and I have also only played a small portion of the total NES library.
I'm with those who say it's more than people think. Contra, Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, Mario, the NES Zeldas are still really good, etc. I'm probably almost alone in preferring the NES version of the TMNT arcade game, but it definitely holds up. There are others I'm not thinking of. I actually have had more fun going back to NES in recent years than Super NES, RPGs excluded.
Eight bit games were my bread and butter as a kid and I can still play & enjoy many of them today. I just beat Castlevania for the NES just last week. There are a good amount of classics/masterpieces from that era.
I go with "more than you'd think". Plenty of the games were poor even then, but the games that were really great remain as great today.
I agree with the idea it depends on how you handle the difficulty that was common. Like the Ninja Gaiden trilogy was and is incredible, but they're downright rude in difficulty and enemy placement.
I agree with the idea it depends on how you handle the difficulty that was common. Like the Ninja Gaiden trilogy was and is incredible, but they're downright rude in difficulty and enemy placement.
On that note, here are 50 Sega Master System games I still enjoy (there are more than that):
Action Fighter
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
Asterix
Asterix and the Secret Mission
Astro Warrior
Black Belt
Bomber Raid
Bubble Bobble
California Games
Cloud Master
Cyborg Hunter
Enduro Racer
Fantasy Zone
Fantasy Zone II
Fantasy Zone: The Maze
Global Defense
Golvellius
Kenseiden
Kung Fu Kid
Lord of the Sword
Master of Darkness
Ms. Pac-Man
Ninja Gaiden
Penguin Land
Phantasy Star
Power Strike II
Psycho Fox
Quartet
R-Type
Rambo
Rambo III
Rastan
Reggie Jackson Baseball
Rescue Mission
Robocop vs The Terminator
Safari Hunt
Shanghai
Shinobi
Sonic
Sonic 2
Sonic Chaos
Spellcaster
Tazmania
Thunder Blade
Time Soldiers
Ultima IV
Wonder Boy
Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Wonder Boy III
*edit - And here are 50 Commodore 64 games I still enjoy:
Archon
Archon II
Aztec Challenge
Bagitman
Barbarian
Beach Head
BC's Quest for Tires
Boulder Dash
Bruce Lee
Bubble Bobble
California Games
Commando
Dino Eggs
Donkey Kong
Fist II
Frogger
Goonies
H.E.R.O.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Hunchback
IK+
Impossible Mission
Jungle Hunt
Kung Fu Master
Last Ninja
Last Ninja 2
Lazy Jones
Leaderboard Golf
Lode Runner
Lurking Horror
Maniac Mansion
Montezuma's Revenge
Moon Patrol
Oil's Well
Pharaoh's Curse
Pitfall
Pitfall II
Planetfall
Project Firestart
Raid Over Moscow
Shamus
Space Taxi
Super Pipeline
Tapper
The Train
Up 'n Down
World Karate Championship
Zamzara
Zaxxon
Zynaps
And for fun, 50 Famicom/FDS games that never came out in North America back then:
Akumajou Special: Boku Dracula Kun
Arkanoid 2
Arumana no Kiseki
Attack Animal Gakuen
Banana Prince
Chuuka Taisen
Cosmic Epsilon
Crisis Force
Daiku no Gen san
Dig Dug
Don Doko Don 2
Famicom Wars
Fantasy Zone (Sunsoft)
Flying Hero
Getsu Fuuma Den
Gimmick
Gorby no Pipeline Daisakusen
Gradius II
Hi no Tori
Holy Diver
Ike Ike Nekketsu Hockey-Bu
Insector X
Joy Mech Fight
Kaiketsu Yanchamaru 3
Kaettekita Mario Bros.
Maharaja
Mappy
Moai kun
Moon Crystal
Nazo no Murasame Jou
Nekketsu! Street Basket: Ganbare Dunk Heroes
Nuts & Milk
Over Horizon
Quarth
Quest of Ki
Recca
Samurai Pizza Cats
Spartan X 2
Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti
Star Wars (Namco)
Super Arabian
Super Mario Bros. 2/Lost Levels
Tetra Star
Twinbee 3
Ufouria
Wai Wai World
Wai Wai World 2
Wits
Yie Ar Kung Fu
Yume Penguin Monogatari
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