Initially released as the Famicom in Japan, the system was rebranded as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America and PAL regions (Europe/Australia). However, games released in these two regions bear many differences. For instance, Contra is called Probotector in Europe and the human protagonists were changed to robots.
While most NES games were developed in Japan, many of these titles never made the journey overseas. In contrast, there were only a handful of NES titles that were never sold in North America or Japan. While some of these are worth exploring, others are best left in obscurity.
10 Best – Parasol Stars
The classic arcade game Bubble Bobble spawned a series of obscure spinoffs. There's a direct sequel, Bubble Bobble 2, followed by Rainbow Islands which swaps bubbles for rainbows. While those two sequels are rare NES titles, the most obscure of all is actually the final game in the series, Parasol Stars, which was only released in PAL regions.
While all those titles are fairly similar in gameplay, Parasol Stars stands out because of its titular parasol. It can be used to swat bad guys as well as block projectiles. The umbrella can also be held up to collect rainwater which can then be wielded like a flood, washing out all the monsters below. It adds a bit more strategy and variation to an already enjoyable and addictive formula.
9 Worst – Disney's Aladdin
Over the course of the NES's lifespan, Capcom released a number of great games featuring the Disney license including Duck Tales and Darkwing Duck. As the legendary developer moved on to the Super Nintendo, other smaller studios took up the Disney mantle.
In 1993 Virgin released Aladdin for the Sega Genesis, featuring state of the art animation techniques, and sprawling level design. The NES port is a primitive copy of that game, a Game Boy quality down-scaling featuring tiny sprites, three color palette schemes, and choppy gameplay. On top of its bootleg appearance, Aladdin features some of the worst slowdown and sprite flickering on the system, making every stage a slow, lumbering mess to navigate.
8 Best – Noah's Ark
Not to be confused with terrible unlicensed games like Bible Adventures, Noah's Ark was an official NES game published by Konami Europe. It’s a run and gun style platformer with a constantly moving screen. Strangely, all the enemies are just ordinary animals like crabs and snails. Maybe these are all the evil species he just couldn't save... except by force!
Konami took the biblical premise and really ran with it, incorporating some interesting ideas into the gameplay. Each level begins with a low level flood that rises as the stage continues. It doesn't drown Noah or anything; it just makes maneuvering more challenging. More bizarrely, before a boss fight Noah walks through the pearly gates and is reincarnated as a fish or a bird, several animals he'd just spent the previous stage murdering. That's karma baby!
7 Worst – Trolls In Crazyland
The Troll dolls first appeared in the 1950s and have had an almost cyclical resurgence in every decade since. While there was an unlicensed NES title released in North America, Trolls in Treasure Island, a separate game Trolls in Crazyland was released two years later and never made it outside of Europe.
Trolls in Crazyland is a typical bland platformer. The protagonist troll looks like a child's drawing made in MS Paint and huge swaths of the level design are just untextured blocks of color. Platforms have curved edges that are poorly defined, which in turn makes jumping a crapshoot. While the attack is unique because it increases in power as the Troll takes damage, the poor platforming will kill him before he gets a chance to blast anyone.
6 Best – Super Turrican
Not to be confused with the identically titled Super Turrican for the SNES, this version is more of a remix of the first two Turrican games released on home computers like the Amiga and Commodore 64.
Super Turrican is a run and gun style game akin to Contra but instead of the usual run to the right and blast everything approach, Super Turrican employs more of an open-level exploration. There are distant platforms looming above and sprawling caverns hidden below. While it's not necessary to explore every inch of each stage like you would in a game like Metroid, Super Turrican features a ton of upgradable weapons and health items that do make the experience a bit easier.
5 Worst – Disney's Beauty And the Beast
Disney's Beauty and Beast bears a resemblance to Prince of Persia in that animations have multiple frames and the levels have a similar climb up / drop down design. However, that's where the comparisons stop.
The stage and sprite designs are as basic as they come: tiny enemies, uninspired backgrounds, and mediocre looking characters (the Beast looks like a hunchback wearing a Dollar Store tiger mask). The levels appear to be simple run to the right and jump over pits affairs, but in actuality the stages continue below these holes. Unfortunately many of them contain instant-kill spikes that cannot be seen until the Beast has already plunged headlong to his death. This makes the exploration aspect of the level design, which should be the game's best quality, nothing but a series of leaps of faith.
4 Best – Konami Hyper Soccer
Yet another Konami title that was only released in PAL regions, Konami Hyper Soccer is actually part of the same sports series as Track and Field. While it is odd that a football game released in Europe would contain the word "soccer," supposedly there were plans to distribute the game in North America which never materialized.
Featuring superb graphics, gameplay, and that unmistakable Konami music, Hyper Soccer is basically Blades of Steel with a ball (but sadly no fights). The basic pass/shoot button configuration is here, but unlike other titles at the time, the player can hit volleys, head the ball, and even do a bicycle kick! Eat your heart out Fifa 2020!
3 Worst – Kick Off
In contrast, 1991's Kick Off did not have quite the same beefy development behind it as Konami Hyper Soccer. Ported from earlier home computer versions, Kick Off shifts away from the large sprites and excellent sound of its contemporary toward ant-like figures and awkward silence. There is no music during the matches and only the most basic Atari-esque bloop and crunch sounds when the ball is kicked.
Worse than the presentation is the extremely difficulty. Unlike most soccer games where the ball sticks to the player's feet as they run, Kick Off has a more "realistic" style of dribbling where the ball bounces in front of the player. This means if that person turns too much while running, the ball will fall away from them. Also, the computer will immediately dispossess the player before they can get the ball away. Overall, it's a frustrating mess.
2 Best – Smurfs
The Smurfs came out in 1994, making it one of the last NES games to be released. While versions of this game were released on 16-bit consoles in North America, the 8-bit version was exclusive to Europe.
The Smurfs is a standard platformer, utilizing the Super Mario controls. The graphics are simple but bright and the music is surprisingly funky. There's also a nice variety of vehicle based scrolling levels as well as some simple bonus stages. While probably the weakest of the five "great" games recommended here, Smurfs is still a very fun and charming title.
1 Worst – The Legend Of Prince Valiant
Although based on the American cartoon series, the NES game The Legend of Prince Valiant was strangely only released in Europe.
The Prince can jump over pits and swing across vines while shooting with... well, it's unclear what weapon he yields here, but he throws it like someone who's never held a baseball. The jumping is so short and awkward that avoiding traps or reaching ropes is a futile gesture. Valiant can duck, but pressing the B button while ducking will cause him to stand up and throw, inevitably causing him to take damage. All this coupled with grating music and a bland color scheme make Prince Valiant a hard pass.