After all of the lists I've seen from various people around the site, I've decided to compile my own lists of favorite games. Yes, I wrote lists, plural, since I'll be doing a top 5 for every video game system I've owned in my life, PC included. These lists will then be compiled to compose my top 10 favorite games of all time.

Today, we'll take a look at my top 5 favorites on the NES.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Manufacturer: Nintendo
Retail availability: October 18, 1985 (USA); February 1986 (CAN)
Retail price: Control Deck bundle: $199.99; Deluxe Set bundle: $249.99
Units sold: 61.91 million
Best-selling game: Super Mario Bros. (packed in with the bundles) (40.23 million); Super Mario Bros. 3 (stand-alone) (18 million)

Wiki page

Back in 1985, after the infamous video game crash, Nintendo released their Famicom system in Japan.  It sold tons of copies and was a tremendous hit over there so, naturally, the next logical step was North America.  My parents bought me the console for Christmas 1986, when it was released in Canada.  They got me the Deluxe Set bundle, with ROB and the Zapper.  From that moment on, the console would provide endless hours of entertainment for the entire family.  Here's my top 5 favorites on Nintendo's history-making system.

5. Ice Hockey (1988)
Not a lot of people would select this game in their top 5 favorites on the NES, but for me, Ice Hockey deserves a spot on here.  My buddies and I would hook up and play it for hours on end, creating our own tournaments and doing best of 7s until one of us was declared the winner.  These tournaments would last entire afternoons or evenings and would always end up in teasing, shouting and mocking.  However, it was all done in good fun and in the spirit of competition.  Oh, and for those who are curious, I'd always choose Canada and have 2 small, one medium and one big player on my team.
You can sample the hard-hitting fun here.

4. Baseball Stars (1989)
For a baseball game back in the 8-bit era, Baseball Stars was, by far and wide, the best thing on the market.  You could create your team, create players (this was the first game to allow you to do so) and play an entire season of baseball, while the CPU would calculate statistics, such as batting average and home runs, as you went along.  Hell, the game even featured an all-girls team, dressed in pink.  I used to play entire seasons as the Montreal Expos and created each and every player from the team.  This is, by far, my favorite baseball game of all time, hence why it's at number four here.
Here's some gameplay footage.

3. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (1987)
Does this game really need an introduction anymore?  Punch-Out!! still remains my father's favorite game of all time.  He used to spend countless hours trying to beat Iron Mike, all the while cursing up a storm when he'd get knocked out by that thunderous uppercut.  One day, I was outside, hanging out with some friends, when he came rushing out the door yelling "Denis! I finally beat him! I beat Mike Tyson!"  My friends and I went rushing inside the house and saw the evidence.  I'd rarely seen my father smile so broadly before and with tremendous pride in his eyes.  As for myself, after going through 2-3 controllers and actually punching my fist through the wall in our basement, I beat Iron Mike... and then paid for thegyps to repair the wall.
Tyson goes down!  Tyson goes down!

2. Super Mario Bros. (1985)
No favorite NES games list would be complete without the game that started it all.  Have you guys ever stopped to wonder where Nintendo would be right now without it's portly plumber?  Mario Mario is the most recognizable video game character in the world, has sprung countless sequels and spin-offs and continues to make Nintendo a household name.  My entire family, including my mother, who would never even get close to a video game system, finished the game.  We would then do speed runs against each other to see who would finish it the fastest.  Many people have called SMB the greatest game of all time and, although I don't particularly agree with that, it is a pioneer game that shaped today's industry in ways we can't even begin to enumerate.
Check out this speed run of SMB.

1. River City Ransom (1990)
In my opinion, River City Ransom is one of the most underrated and underestimated games on the NES.  I can't even recall the number of hours I spent playing this game.  I'd restart the story over and over again, either by myself or with a buddy, while trying to get all of the weapons and goodies available.  Aside from being a beat 'em up, RCR was also incorporated some RPG elements.  You were able to buy things in the stores which would increase your abilities, allowing you to punch, kick, throw or jump better or faster.  You could also learn special techniques by reading books, such as Acro Circus, Stone Hands and Dragon Kick.  Man did I love this game to death, and I keep hoping that there will be a quality sequel to it one day (forget RCR 2, that was garbage).
Gameplay footage of my favorite NES game.

Hope you enjoyed this look back at my favorite NES games.  Please remember that these are my personal choices.  Next time, I'll take a look at my favorite PC games.