1. Donkey Kong
   Super Mario Bros.
2. Tetris
   Yoshi

Here's the game that took Mario out from under Donkey Kong and made him a star. The Mario franchise is huge now, with dozens of game titles featuring him.

1. Super Mario Bros. 3
   Donkey Kong Country
2. Donkey Kong
   Sonic the Hedgehog

Many people don't know that Mario made his first appearance in this game. He's the hero, trying to climb the maze to rescue the princess from Donkey Kong.

1. Final Fight
   G.I. Joe
2. Contra
   Outrun

Contra was one of the first games that drew its concept from world politics. The Contras were Latin American resistance fighters.

1. Super Mario Bros. 2
   Kirby's Adventure
2. Mario Kart
   Paperboy

After the stupendous success of the first Mario Bros., Nintendo hurried to get out another game. It wasn't very different from the original, but still a lot of fun.

1. Zaxxon
   Defender
2. Space Invaders
   Galaga

Galaga was an arcade favorite that made a smooth transition to Nintendo. Not all arcade games were so successful.

1. Ms. Pac-Man
   Pac-Man
2. Outrun
   Spy Hunter

Pac-Man was one of the earliest arcade game mega-hits. It sold well as a console game, too.

1. Outrun
   BMX Master
2. Excitebike
   Tony Hawk Pro Skate

Excitebike could be a maddening game to learn. However, once you had all the controller tricks mastered, it was a lot of fun.

1. Ice Climber
   Rampage
2. Burger Time
   Contra

Ice Climber was another "click-dodge" sort of game. One wrong move would send you sliding to doom.

1. Street Fighter
   Final Fantasy
2. Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja
   Punch-Out!

The original Final Fantasy was a mix of sci-fi and fantasy that brought a depth to gaming that hadn't been seen before. The series is still going on, and has reached epic popularity.

1. Yoshi
   Sonic the Hedgehog
2. Donkey Kong
   Super Mario Bros. 3

"I'm sorry, but the Princess is in another castle!" How many of you threw your controllers at the screen when you saw that after finishing a world?

1. Rumble Fight
   Street Fighter
2. Mortal Kombat
   Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja

Everyone had a favorite Street Fighter character. Every character had its own secret moves, and some were deadly!

1. Road Fighter
   Yie Ar Kung-Fu
2. Super Contra
   Final Fight

Super Contra made use of better graphics technology to improve upon the original. The plot was still basically the same.

1. Outrun
   Legend of Zelda
2. Kid Icarus
   Adventure Island

Legend of Zelda was one of the first immersive role-playing console games. There were puzzles to solve, monsters to fight and worlds to explore.

1. Defender
   Space Invaders
2. Duck Hunt
   Gradius

Gradius was a side-scrolling shooter that successfully made the jump from arcade to console. Its original name, Bubble System, didn't quite describe the game.

1. Yoshi
   Balloon Fight
2. BurgerTime
   Ice Climber

If you loved Joust, you loved Balloon Fight. You had to stay above your enemies and kill them while keeping them from popping the balloons that kept you in flight!

1. Final Fight
   Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja
2. Street Fighter
   River City Ransom

River City Ransom was a street-fight game with a big world to explore. One of the enemy gangs was called "the generic dudes," a rare bit of tongue-in-cheek gaming humor.

1. BattleZone
   Final Fantasy III
2. Battle City
   Missile Command

This game played a bit like a hybrid of BattleZone and Missile Command. You played a tank commander tasked with destroying enemy tanks before they got to your city.

1. Street Fighter
   Yie Ar Kung-Fu
2. Archon
   Contra

The sound effects of Yie Ar Kung-Fu are instantly identifiable to any arcade veteran. Fans of Jean-Claude Van Damme will recognize it as the game the hero plays in "Bloodsport."

1. Legend of Zelda
   Dr. Mario
2. Adventure Island
   Final Fantasy III

Final Fantasy III introduced some changes to the series, while still keeping the turn-based gameplay. Players could change jobs, which made the play more challenging.

1. Dr. Mario
   BurgerTime
2. Super Mario Bros. III
   Outrun

This puzzle game made use of Mario and friends, but it was more fit for Tetris players. If you play Candy Crush today, you'll recognize the gameplay.

1. Solomon's Key
   Dragon Quest
2. Legend of Zelda II: The Adventures of Link
   Dragon Quest

This second Zelda adventure is actually a prequel to the first. We meet Link and learn how he came to be questing after Zelda.

1. Solomon's Key
   Ghosts 'n Goblins
2. Kirby's Adventure
   Kid Icarus

This very Mario-like game featured pink blob Kirby battling his way through multiple worlds. Every level had a boss fight, and there were minigames built in which let players pick up extra health and other goodies.

1. Super Contra
   Solomon's Key
2. Legend of Zelda
   Adventure Island

Solomon's Key combined a puzzle game with a shooter pretty effectively. One neat feature was the ability to destroy stone blocks by head-butting them.

1. Mega Man 2
   Legend of Zelda
2. Spy Hunter
   Dragon Quest IV

This party-based adventure game was one of the most intricate ever released for the NES. There were multiple characters with different roles, and each had different abilities that would be valuable at various times.

1. Final Fantasy
   Lode Runner
2. Mega Man 2
   Rygar

Many video game writers rank this among the best video games of all time. Mega Man had to fight the evil Dr. Wily and his many minions through multiple levels.

1. Lode Runner
   BurgerTime
2. Bomberman
   Archon

If you weren't the type who could pull off super-precision jumps between levels, Lode Runner was a welcome change. The gameplay was a lot more puzzle based, giving the brainy types a good shot.

1. Kirby's Adventure
   Super Mario Bros. III
2. Dr. Mario
   Donkey Kong Jr.

Mario has finally caught Donkey Kong in this amusing game. As DK Jr., you have to climb chains and vines to locate keys to get your dad out of a cage, while grabbing bananas and dodging hazards along the way.

1. Street Fighter
   Final Fight
2. Ghosts 'n Goblins
   Double Dragon

The Lee brothers, Billy and Jimmy, fought their way through hordes of attackers in this fighting game. It gave the option for two players to team up.

1. Dr. Mario
   Duck Hunt
2. Castlevania
   Road Fighter

Duck Hunt was originally included when you bought the NES, along with an orange plastic pistol. Miss the flying ducks, and a cartoon dog would pop up and snicker at you!

1. Castlevania
   Ghosts 'n Goblins
2. Xevious
   Arkanoid

In this side-scrolling game, a hero named Arthur fought hordes of demons to rescue Guinevere. Memorably, if he got hit and lost his armor, he appeared on screen in his boxer shorts.

1. Tetris
   Dr. Mario
2. Castle Fight
   Breakout

Tetris was a gigantic videogame sensation. Invented by a Russian designer, it became an obsession for puzzle fans of every age.

1. Ghosts 'n Goblins
   Kid Icarus
2. Castlevania
   Xevious

A vampire killer with an Indiana Jones weapon was the main character in this. Using his whip, he dispatched monsters by the hundreds, collecting hearts to power up.

1. Adventure Island
   Kid Icarus
2. Galaxian
   Road Fighter

As befits the name of the game, the hero in this title had wings. It was a fairly standard setup of battling through levels and defeating bosses to collect goodies.

1. Pitfall
   Spy Hunter
2. Adventure Island
   Paperboy

If you got tired of standard side-scrolling adventure games, Adventure Island had some new wrinkles. The character at some points would jump off cliffs to complete underwater levels.

1. Galaxian
   Galaga
2. Space Invaders
   Arkanoid

After the rampaging success of Space Invaders, a lot of copies came out. Galaxian was one of the best, with colorful graphics and a nifty soundscape.

1. Spy Hunter
   Outrun
2. WWF: King of the Ring
   Road Fighter

Much like Spy Hunter, Road Fighter called on the player to drive as fast as possible while dodging hazards. There were oil slicks, cars with razor wheels and various other annoyances.

1. Kirby's Adventure
   TwinBee
2. Archon
   Galaga

This cartoonish side-scroller called for the player to shoot airborne enemies while bombing targets on the ground. Power ups were bells that would change colors to grant different powers.

1. Road Fighter
   Pac-Man
2. Excitebike
   Spy Hunter

Spy Hunter is primarily known for its catchy theme song, a James Bond-ian riff. The gameplay was a straightforward mix of driving fast and dodging hazards.

1. Punch-Out!
   WWF: King of the Ring
2. Arkanoid
   River City Ransom

This game was one of the first to let the player "look out the eyes" of his character. The boxing was somewhat clunky, but the fighter characters were hilarious.

1. Rygar
   Bomberman
2. 10-Yard Fight
   Paperboy

Pedaling his bike through a generic suburban landscape, Paperboy tossed his papers into various spots. He dodged dogs, cars and various other hazards along the way.

1. Arkanoid
   Rygar
2. Gradius
   Contra

Rygar (the Legendary Warrior) has to fight his way through several worlds to get items from the gods. When he gets them all, then it's time for the REAL battle.

1. Castlevania
   Ghosts 'n Goblins
2. Maniac Mansion
   Super Contra

George Lucas dipped his toe into video games with this cinematic game. The bad guy was a scientist whose mind has been enslaved by a meteor creature, with a bunch of teen protagonists trying to defeat him.

1. Super Mario Bros. III
   Legend of Zelda
2. Yoshi's Story
   Donkey Kong Jr.

Yoshi's Story took the adorable turtle character from the Mario games and gave him his own adventure. The worlds within the game were "made" of different materials, like wood and paper.

1. Goal Line Stand
   10-Yard Fight
2. Battle Blitz
   WWF: King of the Ring

10-Yard Fight was one of the earliest sports games for the NES. The graphics were murky, but the gameplay was great, letting players go head to head and play offense and defense.

1. Tecmo Bowl
   Madden NFL Football
2. Balloon Fight
   Blitz!

Tecmo Bowl was a huge sensation from its very first version. The cheesy announcer soundtrack, the cheering crowd and the top-notch (for the time) game play were great.

1. Archon
   Arkanoid
2. Tetris
   Adventure Island

For chess players, Archon was a great game. It combined the strategy of chess with button-mashing fighter game play.

1. Paperboy
   Rygar
2. Mega Man 2
   Arkanoid

One of the earliest video games was Break-Out, and Arkanoid took that game play steps beyond. Blocks would occasionally release power-ups or hazards, and different block arrangements made the play challenging.

1. Rygar
   Contra
2. Bomberman
   Spy Hunter

Bomberman was a maze game involving a little guy toting high explosives. The sound effects were entertaining, and there was just enough difficulty to make it occasionally maddening.

1. Arkanoid
   Galaga
2. Xevious
   1941

Xevious was a vertically scrolling shooter with some of the toughest boss fights ever. The mother ships released drones, shot lasers and then tried to smash the player's ship.

1. Punch-Out!
   Super Contra
2. Kid Icarus
   WWF King of the Ring

The '80s was the decade when pro wrestling went mainstream, with Wrestlemania filling arenas nationwide and huge TV deals. This game tried to capitalize on that, and led to a long-running series of titles.