10. I feel you would be hard pressed to find a game more additive than Tetris. The killer app for Nintendo's Gameboy, and possibly the highest profile Russian developed game, Tetris is a game I've lost countless hours to. I bet you saw that screenshot and instantly started humming the theme song.
9.The game that started it all for one of my favorite RPG franchises, While it can be pretty clumsy in it's execution, the games high replay value, interesting lore, and killer boss battles make this one of the premier RPGs for the NES. One of my fondest memories was getting to tackle the original NES version one summer on my Wii. Despite it's age, I feel it still holds up pretty well.
8.It's funny to think this game started as a test bed for a new Mario title before it was converted into a non-Mario promotional title for a gaming convention in Japan, and then came full circle when Nintendo converted it into a Mario game for the Western market. This game had some unique gameplay and solidified a lot of the ideas that would go on to distinguish Mario and Luigi from each other while also giving us our first playable Peach and Toad.
7.I know most of you have never even heard of this title, but this was my first RPG and my first foray into the awesome Battletech/MechWarrior franchise. The combat was fun, the scenario was actually well written, and the flavor text is surprisingly good for a game of it's time frame. I really need to see if I can find this game somewhere...
6. My second favorite Mario game after World. SMB3 pretty much started all of the crazy conventions the franchise would be known for. Costume powers, themed world maps, Koopa's kids, and our first chance to see Mario fly. Hell, the game even has a throwback joke to the first game in it's ending. Still and incredible title that has aged beautifully over the years.
5. Long before Disney and Square teamed up to make Kingdom Hearts, the first awesome collaboration between Disney and a game company was with Capcom, who made a stellar series of titles based on Disney's Disney Afternoon cartoon block. For me, the cream of the crop was easily Duck Tales which happened to be both a fun game and a fan dream with all of the various in-jokes and cameos from the series.
4. While Symphony of the Night will always be my favorite entry, I have to pay homage to the game that started it all and is still a pretty stellar title in its own right. Castlevania introduced the world to the Belmont's and their never ending battle against Dracula and his chaotic eldritch castle. It's still a fantastic title, and I'm looking forward to the collection coming out soon.
3. While I have largely moved one from most of Nintendo's flagship franchises, Zelda is the one lone exception. I love this franchise and it all started with this game. My fondest gaming memory was actually finally beating this game for the first time, no guides, no cheats or anything. Took me over a year but I still adored every minute of it.
2. I consider this to be one of the best RPGs on the NES and it's still my favorite Dragon Quest title overall. It's kind of scary how groundbreaking this game was how even to this day, the series still plays some heavy lip service to it. It might have one of the neatest plot twists in the whole franchise. Love this title.
1.My absolute favorite entry of the Mega Man franchise and easily my favorite NES game of all time. Fun gameplay, awesome level design, groovy boss battles, excellent replay value, and my favorite classic video game score of all time. MM2 made me a fan of the franchise and became the gold standard the rest of the series tried to emulate. I can't tell you how much I love this game and it's the oldest game that is still in my Top Ten favorite games of all time.