It's impossible to know where the video game industry would be today if Nintendo hadn't manufactured and launched the NES. After the video game crash of 1983, the industry was at an all-time low until the company introduced an affordable home console that could be used to play excellent games like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid.
In 2018, Nintendo introduced a subscription service for the Nintendo Switch – known as Nintendo Switch Online – that includes many benefits, including access to older NES titles. While many of the console's best games are already on the service, even more fantastic NES titles should be added to the service sooner than later.
10 Blades Of Steel
If you're a sports fan, the Nintendo Switch may not be the best console for you. While plenty of sports games starring Mario and his friends are available on the platform, the latest entries from popular series like Madden or NHL often skip the console due to its lack of power compared to the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X.
Despite the Switch's inability to host most modern sports games, Nintendo has a phenomenal catalog of older titles like Blades of Steel that could be playable with Nintendo Switch Online. Ice Hockey is already available on the service, but Blades of Steel is a great alternative that includes the ability to fight other players and a secret way to play Gradius between periods.
9 Bubble Bobble
There were many NES games that you could play cooperatively with a family member or friend, but not all of them focused on the concept of teamwork nearly as much as Bubble Bobble. Originally an arcade game that was later ported to home consoles, it features two playable dragons - Bub and Bob - that work together to defeat enemies and save their girlfriends.
One of the best perks of subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online is having the ability to play older games online with friends from far away. If you're looking for something casual to play while talking to someone halfway around the world, Bubble Bobble would be an excellent choice if it's ever added to the service.
8 Metal Gear
Almost every playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has at least one of their games available on Nintendo Switch, except for Snake. The Metal Gear series has appeared on the GameCube and 3DS, but it would be nice to see any iteration of the character appear on the Switch, even if it's the original Metal Gear and its strange sequel Snake's Revenge.
The original Metal Gear follows Solid Snake after he's sent to Outer Heaven to search for a missing agent and destroy a weapon of mass destruction. The next Metal Gear for the NES was developed without Hideo Kojima, the creator of the series who was working on a true sequel – Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake – for the MSX2. Though the second game isn't canon, it would be great to see both Metal Gear titles sneak onto Nintendo Switch Online.
7 Maniac Mansion
The NES is known for its platformers and action games, but many games experimented with new concepts that would eventually branch out to create entirely new genres. Few titles innovated the point-and-click genre as successfully as Maniac Mansion, which featured multiple playable characters, cutscenes, and hilarious dialogue.
Created by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, Maniac Mansion set the bar for what an adventure game should be, and many of its core gameplay features are still used in modern titles like Life is Strange. It might not be as timeless as other adventure games like Grim Fandango or The Secret of Monkey Island, but Maniac Mansion would be worth checking out if made available on the Switch.
6 Bionic Commando
It seems like every video game has a grappling system now, from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to Halo Reach. It's hard to blame any developer for wanting to put this fun mechanic into their games since it makes moving around an open area a seamless experience. Bionic Commando launched for the NES in 1988 and is often heralded as the game that made the grappling hook an essential weapon for many protagonists.
While characters like Mario and Samus were forced to jump around on their own, the main hero of Bionic Commando is blessed with a grappling hook that lets him cross wide gaps and can even deflect enemy attacks. Like Mega Man, you can visit most stages in any order, which has helped make it one of the most replayable NES games in its library.
5 Faxanadu
The NES library might not contain as many iconic RPGs as the SNES, but a handful of games pushed the hardware to its limit by creating fantastical worlds full of action and adventure. Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy are among the most popular RPGs from the era, but other titles like Faxanadu were just as good though not as well remembered.
What separated Faxanadu from other RPGs was how it fused action elements into the gameplay. Like Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, your character travels to dungeons while slaying monsters in side-scrolling platforming sections. After gaining enough experience points, you can level up to become even stronger. It's hard to go back to today, but the Nintendo Switch Online's suspend and rewind features could help anyone through this hidden gem.
4 Batman: The Video Game
The NES was home to a slew of stellar beat-'em-ups like River City Ransom and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but few of them weaved elements from platformers and action games like Batman: The Video Game. The first Batman title for the NES featured a well-realized version of Gotham City and immersive gameplay mechanics like wall-jumping.
As Batman, you have an arsenal of weapons like the Batarang and Batpoon to use against enemies. It can be just as challenging as some of the older Castlevania games, but it's made more manageable with your array of ranged weapons and maneuverability options.
3 Battletoads
Rare is commonly known for its work on N64 titles like Banjo-Kazooie and Goldeneye, but one of the developer's earliest hits was Battletoads for the NES. The 1991 beat-'em-up showcased the team's talent for creating engrossing platforming games starring anthropomorphic animals. While you can play through it solo, Battletoads is always better when played with a friend.
Unlike other platformers on the NES, Battletoads has a variety of levels with different gameplay requirements, such as throwing snowballs to make progress and riding vehicles through stages while avoiding obstacles. Each level feels vastly different from the one before, and the colorful sprites and animations give Battletoads a unique style.
2 Contra
Aside from Cuphead and My Friend Pedro, there aren't many other run-and-gun games on the Nintendo Switch. Contra launched on the NES in 1988 and is still considered one of the best action games ever. It embraces elements from popular films like Rambo and implements them throughout this white-knuckled adventure.
The original Contra was a blast to play with friends as you worked together to defeat various enemies and massive bosses. Having the rewind and suspend point feature on Nintendo Switch Online could make clearing the game much easier, and having the ability to play online with someone else would be one of the best parts about subscribing to the service.
1 Duck Hunt
When thinking about the best experiences the NES had to offer, Duck Hunt quickly comes to mind thanks to its simple premise and use of the NES Zapper accessory. Instead of using a controller to move a character around on the screen, you would use light gun technology to point and shoot ducks as they flew around the sky.
Nintendo could easily bring Duck Hunt to every household with a Switch by replacing the Zapper with the Joy-Con controllers. Duck Hunt was available on the Wii U eShop and allowed you to use a Wii Remote to point at the screen and shoot. It would be the perfect game for Nintendo Switch Online and could be great to play online against other people.