Graphics in Gaming, and five still-playable NES titles
An increasingly prevalent trend in the game industry nowadays seems to be increasing graphical quality. Each game has to have better, more intricate and above all more realistic graphics. While certainly not a trend for all games, and not bad in and of itself, the focus on graphics can (and sometimes does) lead to favoring them over other aspects, such as gameplay mechanics and storyline. High-quality and realistic graphics are easier to demonstrate to the public via trainers and gameplay movies. Not to mention, the more intricate and expansive the graphical focus is, the higher production costs.
Of course, graphics and realism in and of themselves are not bad things. Early eras of gaming often suffered from the lack of graphical capacity, with the NES days (and especially before) often suffering lack of playability for this reason alone, not counting problems with overly difficult games. Graphics should be as refined and advanced as needed to adequately present the game, not moreso, and certainly not for the sake of it. Realism follows a similar philosophy. All eras of gaming should focus on the graphical presentation that is best for the game, while remaining possible within the limitations of the system.
As was mentioned, due to the limitations of technology, NES produced a lot of games that have such poor graphics that gameplay is affected negatively, or just have poor gameplay in general. So here’s a list of five NES titles that have an excellent balance of the two.
#1: Super Mario Bros. 3
The one game on this list that definitely needs no introduction, SMB3 is a
game one could wager most people have played, possibly eclipsed only by other NES
games such as Tetris, or the original SMB (with Duck Hunt, maybe!). Even after nearly
two decades, this game still looks as good as it did the first day.
Gameplay-wise, this is definitely still tops. A variety of powers, a limited inventory system for power-ups ranging from a simple super mushroom to a frog suit, or even a Hammer Bros. suit (complete with hammers to throw), and a rather non-linear level structure help this to stand out even amongst the myriad of Mario games since. Warp Whistles allow the player to decide which worlds to complete, and how far in to complete them, bypassing worlds or levels they find unpleasant. This is definitely a solid game even now, and will likely continue to be for decades to come.
#2: Kirby’s Adventure
Kirby’s Adventure could easily be considered the beginning of Kirby as he is
known today, with the introduction of swallowing enemies to gain special powers, as
well as several recurring enemies and bosses. The game is, on average, somewhat on the
easy side, however it does have difficult moments, and various levels and bosses will
force the player to exercise good judgment in choosing which powers to keep or
discard, and when.
About the only negative aspect to the game is that it tends to be easy, even for first-time players. Bosses may be challenging at times, and some puzzles can require unusual levels of skill, but the game itself is on the easy side. Whether that is a bad thing, though, is always up for debate.
#3: Megaman 2 (and 3, 4, 5, and 6)
Classic Megaman games may lack some of the innovations of later games in the
series (at least those which remain platformers), but they remain excellent games in
their own right. For the most part, they have excellent level design, and while they
can be overly difficult at times, such points are few and far between.
I left the original Megaman off the list, as it is not as refined and playable as the later games in the series. While not a bad game, and certainly worth a play if possible for those who enjoy the others, it just doesn’t quite rank up there with the others. I listed all of 2 through 6 though because they are much more similar in terms of features (aside from 2 and possibly 3).
#4: Blades of Steel
Blades of Steel is a simple but well-made hockey game. Customization is almost
non-existent; there is a selection of pre-set teams, and the player chooses their
team. Each team wears different colors and has slightly different statistics. Some are
faster, while some have more power when trying to get the puck, and others have better
accuracy with shots.
The team control while on the ice is nothing short of superb, almost flawlessly and more importantly intuitively shifting between different members of your team based on who has the puck. Goalies can be controlled effectively, and challenging for control of the puck flows nicely. Even those who are not fans of sports games (like me) may find this game enjoyable. .
#5: The Guardian Legend
Possibly a lesser known game, at least compared to others on my list, The
Guardian Legend is still excellent. It is a combination of a space shoot-‘em-up (or
shmup), like the Gradius and R-Type series, and a third-person shooter with a top-down
perspective, switching between the two for different segments of the game.
Both aspects of the game play incredibly well, and the game itself has a good amount of challenging bosses in both segments. There are a variety of weapons which can be used in both modes, and a rudimentary level up, statistic, and money system. Basically, it is a good game that suffers through the veil of obscurity.
Johnny IV
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