Oldies but Goodies – Yo! Noid

Genre: Platformer
Platform: NES

So apparently, between McKids, the Cool Spot game, and this game, I was a sucker for advertisements when I was a kid. Both this and McKids were pretty good, though. Despite it’s massive advertising, it really was a fun game.

You are playing as the Noid, who was always the bad guy in the commercials. Anyway, you are trying to help him get through a city and eat pizza. He is armed with a yo-yo and you boink the baddies out of your way as you collect inexplicably floating scrolls, which give you power in the mini-game at the end of each level. Pretty much every level is the same, with very few variations. Some of the mobs and scenery may change, but the game play does not. The graphics are just ok, but the music was catchy!

Yo! Noid Play 2

At the end of each level, you got to play a mini game against the anti-Noid (?). You picked and bet how many pizzas you could eat. It could get ugly as you could be devious and spice his pizza, and vice versa. I don’t really remember what you got for it, but I remember it as being fun. I don’t know that I’ve played this since I was a kid, so if I played it now, it might be no fun at all. It’s good enough in my brain to be an oldie but goodie, though!

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Chey’s Top 25 – #16 – Super Mario Brothers 3

Genre: Platformer
Platform: NES

The first Super Mario Brothers may have had the biggest impact on the video game industry of any game in the history of gaming. It came bundled with the NES and was a really fun game. Super Mario Brothers 2 then came along and was just…weird. There’s a story behind that game, but I’ll save it for another day. Then came Super Mario Brothers 3 in 1988. It may not have had the impact that it’s older sibling did, but it was far more fun.

I’m not the only one that feels this way. This was one of the best-selling games for the NES and is often thought to be one of the best games of all-time. When it came down to it, it was just a really fun game. My sisters and I would play this for hours. I still remember the fun little clap we would do at the end of each level.

This game is different from its predecessors as you navigated from world to world on a map. This is a feature widely used in games to this day. You could go back to replay previous levels and skip certain levels if you wanted. It also introduced a fun new feature – Mario could glide with his raccoon tail! There was also a frog suit and a bear (maybe?) suit. The levels were unique – one was a giant level where you were tiny – and fun. And, of course, that pesky Princess Peach was always in another castle.

The graphics in this game were crisp and cute. The sound effects and music really added to the game and I probably still hum the main theme in my sleep. There are lots of secret things to be found in this game, too, so if you don’t look them up, you’ve got a lot of fun exploration to do.

If you haven’t played this game, you likely haven’t played many games at all. I have it on my 3DS and still enjoy playing it. It has stood the test of time quite well. Please go out and find it now if you’ve never had the pleasure!

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Oldies but Goodies – RC Pro AM

Genre: Racing
Platform: NES

I still play this one from time to time on my GCW Zero. This was a fun little racing game where you were racing an RC Truck. There were supposedly 32 tracks, but I certainly never made it through them all. As you raced your truck around the track, you could pick up new parts for upgrades, letters to spell out PRO AM and other boosts. There were also hazards on the track such as oil spills and water. The crew at these tracks were not very good at cleanup and cautions weren’t a thing. I know this is not unique in any way to racing games, but it was one of the first I played and thought it was a blast.

The AI (computer) was also notorious for cheating in this game. You could be almost a lap ahead and suddenly the second place car would come soaring up right behind you, often passing you. It was complete and utter BS, but that was a part of the game. The idea of the RC cars was also very appealing to me as a kid. The sound effects were good and hearing the music brings a smile to my face every time.

If you missed this one the first time around, I strongly recommend finding it and giving it a try!

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Hidden Gems – Pinball Quest

Genre: Arcade/Pinball
Platform: NES

My parents bought this game for me for Christmas one year. I loved every new game that I got, but I really loved this one. It wasn’t until much later that I realized how unique this game was. Since this is my second post about a pinball game, you could assume, correctly, that I really like pinball. I’d love to have my own real table one day.

Anyway, this game has three traditional tables – Pop! Pop!, bowling/pool table; Viva! Golf, a golf table; and Circus, a circus-themed table. Each had unique elements to them and had some bonus games, which was rare for the time. All three were very fun and I spent plenty of time on each.

This game really became unique when you played in RPG mode. This took you to a table that was really a story mode. When you hit certain characters, text boxes would pop up. As you played through, you went to new and more difficult tables. It was a very unique way to present a pinball game and I’ve rarely heard anyone talk about this one. This is why it’s a hidden gem. Check it out if you can!

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Oldies but Goodies – McKids

Genre – Platformer
Platform – NES

I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of McKids on the Nintendo Entertainment System. This was a game inspired by McDonald’s, which may have turned a lot of potential gamers away. Underneath the advertising, however, was a pretty solid game.

My parents rented this for us and my sisters and I played it a lot. We really had a lot of fun with it. This is a fairly standard platformer, but it did offer a couple of fun elements like the ability to walk upside down. The gameplay was fluid and intuitive enough for three kids aged 12, 8 and 7 to figure out. I’m sure there were a few parts that I had to get through for them, as seems to be the way when playing with younger siblings.

I have very fond memories of this game and the time spent with my sisters. I have it on my GCW Zero and have played it within the last year or so. It still holds up after all these years. Check it out if you can!

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Chey’s Top 25 – #22 – Legend of Zelda II

Genre – RPG
Platform – Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

I can hear fans of the Legend of Zelda series yelling at me already. But again, this list is about personal preference, not what critics and other fans widely agree upon. I enjoyed The Legend of Zelda II – The Adventures of Link more than the first Legend of Zelda. There, I said it. I feel like I’ve had that on my chest for thirty years. This game just made more sense to me and I had a lot more fun playing it.

In typical Zelda fashion, you play as Link, a young hero out to save the pricess, Zelda. While this sounds Mario-ish, it is far different. In Zelda, your character levels up and allows you to upgrade different aspects of them such as health or magic. This allows you to move to different parts of the map and fight stronger creatures. This type of game is called a role-playing game (RPG).

This game introduced me to a part of RPGs that I hadn’t seen before – the grind. I spent hours walking around simply killing mobs (gamer for enemies) to get experience to level up. If a bag of experience dropped, it was like the gaming god shined upon me as it was worth 50 experience points.

This game also got difficult. Like most games, the boss mobs had a weakness, but it took some trial and error to find it. This was the first game that I remember playing that let you save your progress, so there was no more keeping the Nintendo powered on while at school and praying that Mom didn’t turn it off.

I currently have this game downloaded on my Nintendo 3DS and I do still play it from time to time. This is a big reason it made my top 25.