Does Super Mario All-Stars count? Otherwise I haven't.
Anyone who was old enough to game back in the 80's, that first Mario game was pretty much a revolution. I was 5 or 6 when it came out. I had played games before, but they had never really hit me that hard...more of like a little activity for a few minutes...like throwing a baseball at a garage and trying to catch it on the bounce. But Mario instantly blew me away....it was a watershed moment. And it also opened the floodgates for higher quality gaming experiences to quickly follow.
Heh, the only reason I even got it was those old Sears Xmas catalogs. They had a big blowout on the NES that year in 1985 and it just looked cool as hell with the robot and all. So I begged my mom to let fuckin santa know I want that shit. I think I played with rob the robot for a grand total of an hour before quickly realizing Mario was where it's at.
Hell, I'd say my most memorable gaming experiences with the NES were these:
- Mario Bros
- Legend of Zelda
- Castlevania
- Rad Racer
- Ice Hockey
- Metroid
Those were the ones that really made a huge impression on me.
I think that for me Mario was about my first experience with gaming. That or Duck Hunt. I have no recollection of gaming before getting a NES for god knows what occasion. That being the case, the historic impact of the game was lost on me.
Dvader said:Probably the first game on this list we all played.
Final Fantasy VII probably gets that nod.
I'm becoming impatient like sonic.
I’m just waiting to see where Beat ‘Em and Eat ‘Em will rank.
Archangel3371 said:I’m just waiting to see where Beat ‘Em and Eat ‘Em will rank.
Needs an HD remake.
#57. Wii Sports Resort
The original Wii Sports was revolutionary. It was just barely more than a tech demo, but it set the world on fire. Wii Sports Resort was the idea full fleshed out, with a superior set of controls to boot. Anyone could pick it up and have a ton of fun with it, but if you wanted to get a deeper experience you could get it from just about every game. The better you were, the more game options appeared. Special challenges were offered for each game. And the setting of the game was also impressive thanks to the Nintendo level of polish. Wuhu Island was packed with sites to see thanks to the Fly Over game, and your friends from the Mii Plaza could be found all over the place. It was a mini-game collection to end all mini-game collections (at least until NintendoLand).
I loved table tennis. It was so much fun. Most of the games were really fun.
#56. Pac-Man CE: DX
The first video game I remember anything about was Pac-Man. I was young, but I was around to witness Pac-Man Fever in all its glory, and lord knows I was a part of it. I collected Pac-Man scratch-off cards, stickers, toys, etc. My 5th birthday party was Pac-Man themed and I still have a Pac-Man sleeping bag that I got from that day. So yeah, I love me some Pac-Man. Unforunately while there's been some cool merchandise, there haven't been a lot of great games in the franchise in the more recent years (though to its credit Pac-Man Vs. was pretty cool if you had everything set up for it). That all changed with Pac-Man Championship Edition, and was refined to prerfection with Pac-Man CE
X. It was a techno-infused acid trip that took the basic layout of the original Pac-Man games and the same ideas of collecting pellets and eating ghosts, but added the idea of finding the ideal routes and time constraints, and made speed and avoiding ghosts more important. The end result was something that felt brand new and familiar all at the same time, and it's arguable the best arcade experience type game to come out in years. It's a worth legacy to the original gaming masterpiece.
#55. Trauma Team
Take a dramatic medical soap opera and Atlus, makers of dramatic teenage demon hunter games and what do you get? SUPER ULTRA TRAUMA DRAMA!!!!! That's pretty much what the story of Trauma Team is, and sometimes things do get a bit thick, but it definitely serves the purpose of getting you involved in the greatest medical simulator in the history of gaming. Trauma Team offers up 6 different specialties (or 5 and an autopsy/coronor segment that kind of plays out like Phoenix Wright) that play very differently from one another, along with the intertwining stories of 6 different doctors at one hospital. Gameplay and controls with the Wiimote is inspired, and while some of the specialities are a little tricky to pick up at first, once it all clicks the game delivers a rush like no other. Juggling your instruments to jump from one serious patient wound to another, racing against the clock, and pulling it off is an amazing experience. It's really one of the most unique games you'll ever come across. This game alone can almost justify a Wii U purchase, as it's still available on the Virtual Console there and if you haven't tried it you really need to.
Two great games I can get behind.
Did you have the Pac Man Fever record?
I did not have it back then. My wife had a copy of it though, so I can proudly say I own it now. And I can even more proudly say it's boxed and sealed up so it will never have to be listened to by anyone.
#54. Contra
It may be 30 years old, but to this day there aren't many couch co-op action games that top Contra. The "3-D" levels might be a little rough by today's standards, but the main 2-D platforming levels are still just about perfect. All the jumps and bullets to dodge might be tough, but they're not unfair. If you can't make it to the end of a level, you just need to get good.... or use Up, Up, Down, Down, B, A, Select Start to get those 30 extra lives (and if you're playing with a friend who sucks make sure he drops his controller when he's dead so he doesn't start stealing yours). I loved it then, and after spending some time with this solo and with a friend last year, I can honestly say it's as much fun as ever. It's one of the great solo and multiplayer experiences of all time.
I remember back in the day me and some people at a local arcade were talking about this new game called Contra and how awesome it was. Man I feel old. 
Probably the first game on this list we all played.