Sega CD - The Other CD Expansion

The Sega CD is treated like the unwanted step-child of the CD expansions.  Early CD systems and expansions before the PlayStation were not the breakthrough product their manufacturers hoped they would be.  They did not deliver the substantially superior gaming experiences they promised and were generally considered too expensive for what they did deliver.  And what they delivered was often unimpressive, ports of cartridge games with enhanced audio and superfluous cutscenes, FMV games which relied on route memorization, PC game ports that had no business being run on hardware that did not have a hard drive, a keyboard or a desk with which to use a mouse and interactive entertainment software which was barely interactive and not entertaining.  Today we are going to take a look at the Sega CD, its hardware, its quirks and ultimately the games that make it worth considering as a device on which to play games rather than to put on a collector's shelf.

Accessible Good Famicom Games

The Famicom had over 1,000 games released for it during its lifetime.  Hundreds of those games were never released outside of Japan, and there were only a few releases of Japanese games exclusively in Europe.  Of course, many, many of those games that never officially made it out of Japan are terrible, as were many games that did make it overseas.  In this post I am going to list many good Famicom cartridge games that were not released for the North American NES console.  Not all the games identified below are classics, but all have their virtues.  Famicom Disk System games have already been mostly covered elsewhere :

http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2016/04/worth-loading-times-famicom-disk-system.html

The first list is of games that are English-friendly.  These games do not use a lot of Japanese text and what text there is is not essential to completing the game.  Most of these games have translation patches as well.  Many tend to be simpler games, namely shooters and platformers :

60 Game Boy Color Games Worth Playing

The Game Boy Color is often seen as something of a stop-gap.  Released in late 1989, the original monochrome Game Boy was already nine years old when the GBC was released in 1998.  Color had already come to handhelds with the Sega Game Gear and the Atari Jaguar, but the Game Boy had firmly established its dominance over those competing systems and every other competitor.

The GB had several advantages over its rivals, lower price, Tetris and a much higher battery life.  Nintendo was designing a true 16-bit successor to the GB, but it would take time.  By 1997, the GB's lifespan was already unprecedented in terms of a console generation, and sales and games were slowing.  So in order to extend the life of the basic 8-bit design, Nintendo decided to add color capability.  Instead of four gray shades, you could have up to 56 colors chosen from a 32,768 color palette.  CPU speed was doubled, CPU RAM quadrupled, Video RAM doubled.  A higher speed Game Link connection and an optional infrared port was now available.  Sound capabilities and input remained the same.

Recommendations for Two Player Simultaneous Non-sport NES Games

The NES has quite a few good two player games.  When you have a friend over and want to play the NES, it would be nice to have a good game or two ready.  However, two player alternating games are not much fun when you are watching the other person play all the time.  Not all two-player simultaneous games are great either.  Here I am going to give my recommendations for good two player simultaneous NES games.  Since I am not a big sports fan, I am excluding those games.

Archon

Archon is like Battle Chess without the strict chess rules.  It is a port of the Atari 8-bit game.  Each player gets a nearly mirror image set of "pieces" to use, one side representing the Light and the other side representing the Dark.  When a piece enters the square of an opposing piece, the players control the pieces in an arena and fight to the death.  You can win the game by controlling all five squares or by killing the enemy wizard/sorceress.  The various pieces have different strengths and weaknesses.  Some pieces have a melee attack, some have a ranged attack and some have a touch attack.  The color of the board and some of the squares shifts between light and dark, giving the favored side an advantage.  The wizard and sorceror have some one-time use magical spells.  As a one player game, the AI is exploitable and cheap, but two players can have a lot of fun with this game.  The game is easy to pick up and play and there is plenty of strategy to be employed.

Balloon Fight

Balloon Fight is essentially Nintendo's clone of Joust.  The object of the game is to break your opponents' balloons by landing above them.  Then you have to kick them off the platform, otherwise they will inflate another balloon.  You have to dodge lightning sparks and the computer enemies.  Be careful, you can break your friend's balloons just as easily as you can an enemy's.  It's pretty simple, but the late Satoru Iwata's classic really captures the spirit of Joust.  The control is easy to grasp yet hard to master, like all good Joust ports.  Its even better than the official Joust NES port.

33 Sega Master System Games Worth Playing

The Sega Master System was not very successful in the United States or Japan, where Sega was unable to overcome Nintendo's massive successes.  It was markedly more successful in Europe and especially Brazil.

Unfortunately, only 116 games were released in the United States.  Quite a few of those games are pretty decent, but there is a lot of crap and uninspired games for the system.  There are also quite a few decent games that only came out in Europe.  However, for the US only releases, I can still cull 30 games worth playing from the library.  Usually I list every game in a series because the gameplay is usually consistent and you can know what to expect, but I will exclude a dud game.

I am not including any SMS games that were ports of Genesis games or which have a Genesis version unless the SMS game offers something special.  The Genesis is an extremely common system and the first two models have backwards compatiblity with SMS games with an adapter.

Title	Notes
Action Fighter
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
Alex Kidd: High-Tech World
Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars	FM Synthesis Support
Alien Syndrome	FM Synthesis Support
Bubble Bobble
California Games	FM Synthesis Support
Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse	Not a Port of the Genesis Game
Choplifter!
Fantasy Zone
Fantasy Zone II	FM Synthesis Support
Gangster Town	Light Phaser Required
Golden Axe Warrior
Golvellius: Valley of Doom	FM Synthesis Support
Master of Darkness Maze Hunter 3-D Missile Defense 3-D	FM Synthesis Support, 3-D Glasses Required Light Phaser & 3-D Glasses Required
Penguin Land	Battery Backup; FM Synthesis Support
Phantasy Star	Battery Backup; FM Synthesis Support*
Power Strike II
Psycho Fox
R-Type	FM Synthesis Support
Rampart
Shinobi	FM Synthesis Support
Sonic The Hedgehog Sonic The Hedgehog 2	Not a Port of the Genesis Game Not a Port of the Genesis Game
Space Harrier 3D	3-D Glasses Required; FM Synthesis Support
Wonder Boy
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap	FM Synthesis Support*
Wonder Boy in Monster Land	FM Synthesis Support
Zillion
Zillion 2: Tri Formation	FM Synthesis Support

I tried to include Light Phaser and 3-D Glasses games since these were significant (Light Phaser) or unique (3-D Glasses) peripherals.  I also have noted which games have battery backup save RAM, which is a rarity for 8-bit Sega cartridges.  Finally, I have also noted which games have an optional FM Synthesis soundtrack.  For the games with an asterisk, you will need a hack to play them in anything other than a Japanese system.

If you buy a SMS, you will have a built-in game.  Early consoles will have a simple snail maze game, later consoles may come with Hang On and Safari Hunt, just Hang On or Missile Defense 3-D.  Master System IIs should come with Alex Kidd in Miracle World.

There are a couple of games that almost made the list.  Ys: The Vanished Omen has FM Synthesis but the game is too slow and difficult compared to the Turbo CD version.  King's Quest is interesting but not nearly as good as its PC original.  Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord is the only other RPG released for the system, but it has nothing to really distinguish itself from a typical JRPG before they became good.

Europe got more games than the US did, and some of them are pretty good and will run in a 60Hz NTSC System.  Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar is a superb port of the PC game, much more faithful to the PC source than the NES version and has FM Synthesis music.   Ninja Gaiden is a passable game if you need an 8-bit Ninja Gaiden fix, but it is not near the NES games.  Despite what SMS Power! may contend, Sonic 2 runs without any real issue in an NTSC machine.  

Sixty Atari 2600 Classic Games (and a few Others)

The Atari 2600 had many classic games as befitting the first really successful home video game console.  However, it has a lot of not so classic games and a lot of derivative games.  I have devised a list of must have games.  The games on this list are generally easy to pick up and play, provide some of the most fun gameplay on the console.  Moreover, there are no holy grails on this list.  If you want to actually collect the cartridges, as opposed to playing them on a Harmony Cart, none should break the bank.

If you are going for a pure cartridge route, note that four of these games will require a Starpath Supercharger.  A Supercharger is a very wise investment because almost every game is really good.  Moreover, you do not even need the original cassette tapes to play the games.  You can run the binary files through a digital to analog program like makewav and output the audio signal from your computer to the Supercharger.

There are a lot of direct arcade ports on this list.  I have highlighted them in yellow.  Some of the early 2600 games like Indy 500, Combat and Video Olympics are more of the embodiment of a series of arcade games (the Indy, Tank and Pong series), but I consider them the official home port of these arcade system lines.  Some arcade ports like Stargate and The Official Frogger are truly amazing.  If you want to obtain the cassette before playing The Official Frogger, the Parker Bros. cartridge is good enough to fill the void.

You will note a fair number of paddle games on this list.  The paddle controller is the second most used controller for the 2600 and I tried to give a sampling of the best games that support it.  Warlords is a great four player game, an essential addition to any 2600 library.  Indy 500 uses driving controllers, which are far more precise than paddle controllers and are always responsive.

Most of these games are essentially pick up and play, but there are a few exceptions.  You will need the manual and overlay for Space Shuttle, which uses every switch on the console.  Dragonstomper, the only true RPG for the 2600, requires a read of the manual before sitting down with the game.

A 2600 game does not need advanced hardware to earn classic status.  Of the sixty games on this list, thirty one do not require any additional hardware.  Of the 8K and 16K cartridges, only six require extra RAM, noted in blue background :

Game Title	Publisher	Size	Notes
Communist Mutants from Space	Starpath	1 Tape Load
Fireball	Starpath	1 Tape Load	Paddle Controller
Frogger, The Official	Starpath	1 Tape Load
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns	Activision	10.2K	Unique Hardware
Crystal Castles	Atari	16K
Dig Dug	Atari	16K
Jr. Pac-Man	Atari	16K
Midnight Magic	Atari	16K
Millipede	Atari	16K
Road Runner	Atari	16K
Secret Quest	Atari	16K	Has a password save system
Solaris	Atari	16K
Bowling	Atari	2K
Boxing	Activision	2K
Combat	Atari	2K	Two players required
Fishing Derby	Activision	2K
Freeway	Activision	2K
Frogger	Parker Bros.	2K
Indy 500	Atari	2K	Driving Controller, two players highly recommended
Kaboom!	Activision	2K	Paddle Controller
Video Olympics	Atari	2K	Paddle Controller, four player support
Dragonstomper	Starpath	3 Tape Loads
Adventure	Atari	4K
Atlantis	Imagic	4K
Berzerk	Atari	4K
Chopper Command	Activision	4K
Circus Atari	Atari	4K	Paddle Controller
Cosmic Ark	Imagic	4K
Demon Attack	Imagic	4K
Dolphin	Activision	4K
Enduro	Activision	4K
Haunted House	Atari	4K
Megamania	Activision	4K
Missile Command	Atari	4K
Pitfall!	Activision	4K
Q*bert	Parker Bros.	4K
River Raid	Activision	4K
Seaquest	Activision	4K
Space Invaders	Atari	4K
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back	Parker Bros.	4K
Super Breakout	Atari	4K	Paddle Controller
Warlords	Atari	4K	Paddle Controller, four player support
Wizard of Wor	CBS Electronics	4K
Yars' Revenge	Atari	4K
Asteroids	Atari	8K
Battlezone	Atari	8K
Beamrider	Activision	8K
Centipede	Atari	8K
Frogger II: Threeedeep!	Parker Bros.	8K
H.E.R.O.	Activision	8K
Joust	Atari	8K
Jungle Hunt	Atari	8K
Moon Patrol	Atari	8K
Ms. Pac-Man	Atari	8K
Pressure Cooker	Activision	8K
Robot Tank	Activision	8K
Solar Fox	CBS Electronics	8K
Space Shuttle	Activision	8K	Has an overlay for 4-switch and 6-switch consoles
Stargate	Atari	8K
Tapper	Sega	8K

There are several games, that while not bona fide classics, have such a historical impact or made in such large numbers that they may deserve to be on any list regardless of quality.  This includes the unholy three of the 2600, Defender, Pac-Man and E.T. the Extra-terrestial.  Defender is fairly disappointing compared to Stargate, Pac-Man's reputation is well-known and E.T. status is legendary.  However, the first two are pick up and play.  E.T. requires reading the manual and avoiding the worst of the bugs (do not stop levitating until every pixel of E.T. has cleared the pit.)  Breakout and Star Raiders are OK, but Breakout pales in comparison to Super Breakout and Star Raiders is best played on the Atari 8-bit and 5200 systems. Donkey Kong from Coleco is also extremely common but only has two of the four levels from the arcade and is rather lacking.  The Swordquest games are not very fun and the third is rare.  But if you really want to explore garbage on the 2600, you could try the adult games available for that system, starting with the execrable Custer's Revenge.

With this post, my 257th, one can no longer number the number of blog entries on this blog in an 8-bit number!

100(ish) Game Boy Games Worth Playing

I previously created a list of 250 NES Games Worth Playing, and now I would like to do the same for Nintendo's other 8-bit success the Game Boy.  Here I have fashioned a list of 100 good games that show off the best the library has to offer.  The Game Boy has over five hundred licensed, non-Color titles, so I cannot say I am an authority on every game ever made for the platform.  However, I am familiar with most of the titles listed below.

I have limited this list to monochrome-only Game Boy games.  No hybrid Game Boy/Game Boy Color games here.  This includes Pokemon Yellow, which has Game Boy Color-specific features but little more than Super Game Boy level of color.  Most of the games released in 1994 and later have some form of Super Game Boy support.  This list is not meant to say that there are only 100 good Game Boy games in the monochrome library or that this is a top 100, I'm always happy to learn of other good games.  It is limited to games that were released in the United States.

Some games are included not because they are particularly good but are part of a larger series.  Disney's DuckTales, for example, was a great game on the NES but only passable on the Game Boy.  Mega Man II is easily one of the worst Mega Man games in the series, but it is part of a much greater series.  The first Castlevania has your character move like molasses, but it has redeeming features and it makes you appreciate its sequels more.  Final Fantasy Legend is little more than a grindfest, but some people like that sort of thing.

While this list is clearly biased, I tried to balance it.  There are few, if any sports games or fighting games, but lots of action/adventure games.  The Game Boy was known for its puzzle games, so I have included pretty much any official Tetris game.  You cannot go wrong with Tetris and the Game Boy is the system for lovers of this classic.  In fact, casual gaming on the go was practically invented by the Game Boy.

I have tried to avoid ports of arcade games, of which there are several, unless there is something truly unique about the game.  Space Invaders is unique because not only does it have Super Game Boy compatibility, but it will also let you play a recreation of the arcade version using the full SNES hardware!  These days there are so many ways to play the real deal on a portable device.  There are several ports of console games, but I only include ones that can stand on their own when you want to play a game on the go.

I have included certain games that are ports of NES games or close conversions.  Milon's Secret Castle is a true port of the NES game which takes the Game Boy's limitations in mind.  The Duck Tales games use the same structure as the NES games and most of the graphics and sound, but the level layouts are different.

A Boy and His Blob: Rescue of Princess Blobette
Adventures of Lolo
Alleyway
Balloon Kid
Batman: The Video Game
Batman: The Animated Series
Battle Arena Toshinden
Battle of Olympus, The
Bionic Commando
Bomberman GB
Bonk's Adventure
Bonk's Revenge
Castlevania Adventure, The
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Castlevania Legends
Contra III: The Alien Wars
Cosmo Tank
Disney's Darkwing Duck
Disney's DuckTales
Disney's DuckTales 2
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Land
Donkey Kong Land 2
Donkey Kong Land III
Dr. Franken
Dr. Franken 2
Dr. Mario
F-1 Race
Faceball 2000
Final Fantasy Adventure
Final Fantasy Legend, The
Final Fantasy Legend 2
Final Fantasy Legend 3
Fortified Zone
Game Boy Gallery
Game & Watch Gallery
Gargoyle's Quest
GhostBusters II
Gradius: The Interstellar Assault
Great Greed
Harvest Moon GB
Hudson's Adventure Island
Hudson's Adventure Island II
James Bond 007
Kid Dracula
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
Kirby's Block Ball
Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kirby's Pinball Land
Kirby's Star Stacker
Kung' Fu Master
Kwirk
Legend of the River King GB
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Mario's Picross
Mega Man
Mega Man II
Mega Man III
Mega Man IV
Mega Man V
Mercenary Force
Metroid II
Milon's Secret Castle
Mole Mania
Motocross Maniacs
Nemesis
Ninja Gaiden Shadow
Operation C
Quarth
Pinball - Revenge of the 'Gator
Pokemon Blue
Pokemon Red
Popeye 2
Prehistorik Man
Prince of Persia
R-Type
Radar Mission
Rolan's Curse
Rolan's Curse 2
SolarStriker
Space Invaders
Star Trek 25th Anniversary
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
Sword of Hope
Sword of Hope II
Tamagotchi
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue
Tetris
Tetris 2
Tetris Attack
Tetris Blast
Tetris Plus
Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break
Trax
Wario Blast Featuring Bomberman!
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Wario Land II
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Yoshi
Yoshi's Cookie
Zen: Intergalactic Ninja

250 NES Games Worth Playing

In my opinion, there are many indisputable classics on the NES.  I also recognize that the library contains many, many other games that may not be indisputable classics, but are worth playing.  I decided to make a list of the games I would recommend to somebody when they ask "what's a good NES game?"

One thing I wanted to do is to cover as many genres as possible.  Even though sports games are not my forte, I wanted to try and fill as many holes as possible.  There are virtually no Street Fighter II style fighting games on the NES, so what is there, if it is at all decent, gets on the list.  I did not include any casual games outside classic puzzlers, nor did I include games that typically will be categorized as edutainment.  

Some games are here solely because of their peripheral support.  R.O.B. is a waste of money and the Power Pad is extremely impractical to use, and I would not inflict the Power Glove or the U-Force on a friend.  But the Zapper was an integral part of the NES experience and there are good games for it.  Arkanoid is on this list because it is fun to play with its VAUS paddle controller.  

Some games I recommend with reservations.  If you want a 100% authentic version of the original Archon or M.U.L.E., you won't find it in these ports.  You will find the essential essence of both games, an excellent two player head-to-head game in Archon and an easy way to get 4 player M.U.L.E. for the latter.  North and South also qualifies in this.  Double Dragon II can be unforgiving to get the best ending, but add a few Game Genie codes to make it fairer.  Ditto for Ironsword and either Battletoads game.  

Usually with a game series I recommend all the games in the series.  You will see every Mega Man game here, although some are better than others.  However, there are certain entries in a series that are really weak and are not going to be on this list.  1942 is just too shrill and boring and Contra Force is too slow to stand alongside Contra and Super C.

Other games on this list just barely make the cut.  Strider for the NES does not compare to the arcade original or the Genesis conversion, but it has just enough, despite its bugs and oddness, to make the list.  WURM is almost a guilty pleasure for me, but it is one of the better games that tries to implement more than one style of gameplay (and does not have those stupid mazes like Golgo 13).  Godzilla is another, if it weren't for the excellent use of the license, it would be a very mediocre game.

Some computer game ports are on the list, others are not.  The Wizardry and Ultima series are best experienced on computer platforms, especially the latter.  I chose Swords and Serpents because it is a good and more forgiving Wizardry clone that can only be found on the NES.  Pool of Radiance has merit in that it is a less unforgiving version of the original game while still retaining the essence of it.  Maniac Mansion is far truer to its computer forebear than King's Quest V and has awesome and exclusive if repetitive music.

This list is limited to North American NES releases during the NES's official lifespan.  This includes games released from and including 1985 up to and including 1994.  Unlicensed games released during that time frame are included, but not thereafter.  There are no Famicom or PAL NES exclusives, and no homebrews or prototypes/reproductions.  The list would probably double if all those were included, but I have narrowed the list to cartridges you could actually find on this continent.  Of course, there are some expensive cartridges like Bubble Bobble 2 and Little Sampson on this list.  

There are some "classics" that won't be on this list.  The original TMNT was a top 10 seller for the NES, but I cannot recommend it over so many other games that were not colossal disappointments.  Ikari Warriors was popular, but Guerilla War and Iron Tank (also from SNK) are better than all three Ikari NES games combined.  

1943: The Battle of Midway

3-D Adventures of the WorldRunner

A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Pool of Radiance

Adventure Island

Adventure Island 2

Adventure Island 3

Adventures in the Magic Kingdom

Adventures of Lolo

Adventures of Lolo 2

Adventures of Lolo 3

After Burner

Alien Syndrome

Archon

Arkanoid

Astyanax

Bad Dudes

Balloon Fight

Barker Bill's Trick Shooting

Baseball Simulator 1.000

Baseball Stars

Batman

Batman Returns

Batman: Return of the Joker

Battle of Olympus, The

Battletoads

Battletoads & Double Dragon

Bee 52

Bionic Commando

Blades of Steel

Blaster Master

Bomberman

Bomberman II

Bonk's Adventure

Bubble Bobble

Bubble Bobble Part 2

Bucky O'Hare

Burai Fighter

BurgerTime

California Games

Casino Kid

Casino Kid 2

Castelian

Castlevania

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

Caveman Games

Chessmaster, The

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 2

Clash at Demonhead

Cobra Triangle

Code Name: Viper

Commando

Contra

Cowboy Kid

Crystal Mines

Crystalis

Déjà Vu

Desert Commander

Destiny of an Emperor

Disney's Darkwing Duck

Disney's The Little Mermaid

Dizzy the Adventurer

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong 3

Donkey Kong Jr.

Double Dragon

Double Dragon II: The Revenge

Dr. Mario

Dragon Fighter

Dragon Warrior

Dragon Warrior II

Dragon Warrior III

Dragon Warrior IV

Duck Hunt

DuckTales

DuckTales 2

Dudes with Attitude

Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball

Excitebike

Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy, The

Fantasy Zone

Faria: A World of Mystery and Danger

Faxanadu

Felix the Cat

Final Fantasy

Fire 'n Ice

Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak, The

Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy, The

Freedom Force

Galaga: Demons of Death

Gargoyle's Quest II

Gauntlet

Gemfire

Ghosts'n Goblins

Godzilla: Monster of Monsters

Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode

Goonies II, The

Gradius

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Guardian Legend, The

Guerrilla War

Gun-Nac

Gun.Smoke

Gyruss

High Speed

Ice Climber

Ice Hockey

Immortal, The

Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II

Iron Tank

Jackal

Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu

Journey to Silius

Kabuki Quantum Fighter

Karnov

Kickle Cubicle

Kid Icarus

Kid Klown in Night Mayor World

Kid Niki: Radical Ninja

Kirby's Adventure

Kiwi Kraze

Krion Conquest, The

Kung-Fu

Kung-Fu Heroes

Krazy Kreatures

Legacy of the Wizard

Legend of the Ghost Lion

Legend of Zelda, The

Legendary Wings

Life Force

Linus Spacehead's Cosmic Crusade

Little Nemo: The Dream Master

Little Ninja Brothers

Little Samson

Lone Ranger, The

Low G Man: The Low Gravity Man

M.C. Kids

M.U.L.E.

Mach Rider

Mafat Conspiracy, The

Magic of Scheherazade, The

Maniac Mansion

Marble Madness

Mario Bros

Mega Man

Mega Man 2

Mega Man 3

Mega Man 4

Mega Man 5

Mega Man 6

Mendel Palace

Metal Storm

Metroid

Mickey Mousecapade

Micro Machines

Mighty Final Fight

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

Milon's Secret Castle

Ms. Pac-Man (Tengen)

NES Open Tournament Golf

Nightshade

Ninja Gaiden

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos

Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom

Nintendo World Cup

North & South

P.O.W.: Prisoners of War

Pac-Mania

Panic Restaurant

Pin*Bot

Pinball

Pinball Quest

Pipe Dream

Pirates!

Popeye

Power Blade

Power Blade 2

Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom

Pro Wrestling

Q*bert

Qix

R.C. Pro-Am

R.C. Pro-Am II

Rad Racer

Rad Racer II

Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2

Rampart

RBI Baseball

Renegade

River City Ransom

Rockin Kats

Rolling Thunder

Rush'n Attack

Rygar

S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team

Section Z

Shadow of the Ninja

Shadowgate

Shatterhand

Shinobi

Silkworm

Snake Rattle 'n' Roll

Snow Brothers

Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship

Solomon's Key

Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos

Spiritual Warfare

Spy vs. Spy

StarTropics

Stinger

Strider

Super C

Super Dodge Ball

Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mario Bros. 3

Super Spy Hunter

Swords and Serpents

Tecmo Bowl

Tecmo Super Bowl

Tecmo World Wrestling

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project

Tetris

Tetris (Tengen)

Tetris 2

Thunder & Lightning

Tiny Toon Adventures

Tiny Toon Adventures 2: Trouble in Wackyland

Tombs & Treasure

Totally Rad

Trojan

Trolls on Treasure Island

Uninvited

Vice: Project Doom

Wario's Woods

WCW World Championship Wrestling

Werewolf

Willow

Wizards & Warriors

Wizards & Warriors III: Kuros: Visions of Power

Wrecking Crew

WURM : Journey to the Center of the Earth

Xexyz

Zanac

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Zen the Intergalactic Ninja

Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II

Zombie Nation

Honorable Mentions:

Adventures of Bayou Billy, The

Captain Comic

Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones

Festers' Quest

Friday the 13th

Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters

Jaws

Metal Gear

Mission: Impossible

Monster in my Pocket

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters

Ultima

Wizardry: The Knight of Diamonds

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord